Tweet

Big Dogs and Tall Grass?

Guest post by: David Liddell

Article Overview: Are you a person seeking greater responsibility and the desire to climb the "corporate ladder"? This article is for you.

Big Dogs and Tall Grass?

"If you plan to jump off the porch to be with the big dogs, you'd better learn how to run in the tall grass." This is a fun expression that canimply a variety of different meanings but it has a specific meaning for any person seeking greater responsibility and the desire to climb the "corporate ladder". The view from an employee's perspective may paint a picture that being a "manager" is a glamorous and powerful existence. Sure, managers are given more information, are involved in more decisions, and seem to have most everything under control. All true, but only for those who have figure out how to "run in the tall grass".

The Peter Pan Principal hasa gravitational pull in the leadership realm. It is relentless on far too many top performers who have moved into a leadership position for the first time and realize it is not what they expected. My experiences allow me to put these top performers into three broad categories:

1. Those who consistently perform as individual contributors and have no desire to manage others. They are introspective and realize they do not have enough patience to endure the rigors of management.
2. Those who have aspired to the management ranks since they left college, feel they have what it takes, demonstrate take-charge attributes, and are driven by results. They see people as components of their business machine, expect perfection, and will allow nothing to impede their personal success.
3. Those who appreciate the nuances of leading people, recognize they have much to learn, and place the health of the organization as a top priority. They also understand that their personal success depends greatly on the success of those people they lead.

Applying a bell curve to this list places the second category directly in the middle as the greatest population. Any surprises? Likely not; unfortunately, the characteristics that make these people successful as individual contributors don't necessarily translate well, on their own, to the management world. Too much emphasis is placed on managing the business and not nearly enough on leading the people.

If you are reading this as a new manager consider these comments toward your development and growth as a leader or share them with somebody who could benefit from a little help...

• Don't presume you are getting all the information you need from your manager
• Share as much information as possible with your employees
• Each employee is motivated differently - it is your job to figure it out
• You are better off adjusting your style to your employees
• Delegation is not getting stuff off your desk
• Self-accountability is not achieved through micromanagement
• You help your employees learn from their mistakes
• Influence is a major differentiator between average leaders and great leaders
• Trust between you and your employees occurs through a deliberate effort - yours
• Leadership is about pulling people not pushing them

Start today! Examine your leadership capability and determine what you need to change to improve your world and for those who need your guidance.

Related Articles
  Eight Below for Devotion, Loyalty and Teamwork
  How to Evaluate a Mobile Home Park
  Must See Work From Home Franchises For The Pet Lover
  All in A Dogs Way Can Make You More Sales
  The Man Who Sold Hot Dogs
  Got Tall Poppy Courage?
  Writing Articles When You Cant Write Anymore How To Get Just One More Article Written
  Do You Have Fleas?
  Cultivating Your Success
  Is there a leak in your bucket: Eliminating energy drains in your life and business
  Lesson #4: “If you don’t have tall poppies, you only have weeds”
  Excuses, Excuses, Excuses
  Does Height Equal Power?
  Home-based Business Idea: Dog Breeder
  Are You A Network Marketing Pit Bull, Lab Or Mix?
  When, How and Why Salespeople Discount Products and Services
  Pet Service Franchises are Taking a Bite Out of the Multi-Billion Dollar Pet Care Industry
  Here Is A Method That Is Helping New Managers To Gain More Time
  Outdoor Billboard Business - The Incorrect Assumption on Billboard Height
  Don't Hold Your Mobile Home Park Residents to a Unreasonable Standards

Article Tags: climbing the corporate ladder, Peter Pan Principal, top performers



Related Forum Posts
Re: MyDogSpace - For Dog Lovers - That's really cool. I am a dog lover, trainer, enthusiast, etc... Dogs are a big part of my life and always have been. Ever since I was a kid I have always tried to learn everything I could about dogs and I have never owned less than two dogs at any one time since the day I was born. If I could own 100 dogs I would.
Re: Hi there - Hi drdony and ideasuniversity.. Thanks for your help.. (: I dont know what is my passion.. How to find it ? But, i have idea to produce Dogs or Cats birthday cake.. Because i realy love animals, and i can cook well.. I think its a good bussines opportunity.. Because, i live in Bali. Here are many people who keep dogs and cats, and I did not find anyone who provides a dog's birthday cake here, except in Jakarta (other city, different island), *you know if Indonesia is large. I just need dare to try and collect references from people of other countries that have been doing this business.. How do you think ?
Ladies Who Launch Profile: Heidi Flammang - Heidi Flammang Top Dog, Camp Bow Wow When one of the country's first doggy day cares opened next door to her dad's business, Heidi Flammang and her husband, Bion, would sneak over to hang out with the dogs. They fell in love with the concept—and the dogs—and were soon making trades of services with the owner to have their own dogs stay there. When the owner of that business wasn't interested in franchising, Heidi and her husband started brainstorming and the business plan for Camp Bow Wow was born. They were searching for their first location when Bion was killed in a plane crash, in 1994. Heidi received a $1 million insurance settlement after his death, and in the following years attempted a number of ventures, including a financial consulting business to help others handle sudden wealth. But Camp Bow Wow was never far from her mind. In 2000, with the help and encouragement of her brother, she dusted off that old business plan and set out to bring her and Bion's dream to life. Within weeks she had found her first location, and from that point on she never looked back. Camp Bow Wow has now sold more than 205 franchises, 125 of which will be open by the end of the year. It is the premier upscale doggy day care and boarding company, and is expected to generate $18 million in systemwide sales in 2008. What we learned from Heidi: To persevere and never lose sight of your dreams. Heidi was a young widow who tried financial consulting, pharmaceutical sales, and launching a high-end baby-bedding catalog before coming full circle to find success with the idea that she'd loved all along. Not Just Fun and Games "A lot of people come into this business thinking how fun it's going to be to hang out with dogs all day. But we are taking care of people's furry children, all day and night, 365 days a year! It is an all-consuming business and you have to know so much more than people think—everything from dog behavior to disease management, in addition to the nuts and bolts of running a business. We get franchisees from so many different backgrounds and they all have a love of dogs in common, but we have to teach them to be businesspeople and to market the business and not just focus on the dogs. It's a challenge to find people who want to make it a real moneymaker and not just a labor of love." Getting the Word Out "We receive a lot of leads on possible new franchisees through word of mouth from our existing franchisees and open Camps. Also, we've been featured on AOL's main page, Donny Deutsch's The Big Idea, in Pink magazine, and in some other great media outlets, and we advertise in the airline magazines and do quite a bit on the Internet, utilizing our Web site as a marketing tool. All of these have been great resources." What Worked "What has worked for us is to stay focused on our brand and what it's about: offering a place where a dog can be a dog. We don't let ourselves get distracted by other business opportunities that come in our direction, and we don't try to be everything to every dog owner. I am a perfectionist and have been very specific about what the rules are and what the brand is, and that really led the way for franchising opportunities. But we are constantly evolving based on the learning experiences and opinions of our franchisees, and I think that helps us stay ahead of the competition." And What Didn't "Be wary of getting family and friends involved and assuming that because they have good hearts and are interested in your business that they'll have the skills to do it. It's important to be surrounded by knowledgeable people who have great skills, not just people who love you." Networking Is Not Just For the Dogs "People in the dog-boarding business are very protective, so it's not as easy to network and meet people with like businesses as it might be in other industries. I found great mentors at the International Franchise Association, other people who had been there and done that in terms of franchising. I'm very involved with that group and work to champion other women entrepreneurs. I'm also part of a CEO support group called Vistage. There are 12 of us in the group who meet for a day once a month and it's extremely valuable, but I am the only woman in the group. So I also have an informal group of women who I meet with in Denver to share professional successes and disasters. Women are just so much more open to that type of dialogue." Like Mother, Like Daughter "I'm writing a book about starting and running a successful woman-owned business called Tales From the Bark Side. My tween-aged daughter is writing her own book that will be released at the same time called Tori's Tales, about growing up with a mom who's an entrepreneur. My pet project is working with young girls to help them set goals and develop self-confidence and pride in their accomplishments." Man's Best Friend "Last year we started Bow Wow Buddies, a foundation dedicated to improving the lives and health of dogs around the world. We foster dogs, we sponsor a PhD fellow in canine cancer research at CSU veterinary school, and we fund organizations such as RAVS and VIDAS that go into poor areas in the U.S. and elsewhere to spay and neuter stray dogs. We undertook a rescue mission abroad after our in-house counsel vacationed in Greece, a country with no humane society, and saw how poorly strays were treated there. We brought 17 dogs back with us and fostered them until finding them homes." Favorite Quote "'Worry is a debt you may never have to pay.' I really strive to live in the now, focus on solutions that are in the moment, and not worry too much about things that may never happen." Recommended Reading "My favorite dog book is Marley & Me. But I have two business books that I find invaluable: The E Myth Revisited (a fantastic book to help you figure out whether you have the right personality and skill mix to be an entrepreneur) and The Question Behind the Question (a great management book about instilling personal accountability in your people)." Parting Thoughts ... "I will retire when ... every dog has a home." "My greatest strength in business is ... my flexibility." "My dream is ... to give back as much as I get from my life. I have been so blessed with so many things and I want to respect the universe and give back." This featured lady was profiled by Noelle Pechar Hale, a freelance writer living in Los Angeles.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Top Ten Home-Based Businesses

Let's Skip the Offshore Horror Stories

What I Really Want Is...

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.