"Everything rises or falls on leadership."

Ever heard that? Here's another: "You lead by what you cause and what you allow. Therefore, you are ridiculously in charge." That one is attributed to Dr. Henry Cloud.

Here's one more: "Influence is inevitable. Leadership never stops."

If you're the head of an organization, I'd like to share two types of the key position you hold. But first, I want you to imagine your organization is a cone, like a sugar cone that holds ice cream. Big at the top and reduces to a point at the bottom. It's the bottom I'd like to address.

Let's say you are the bottom of the cone, your organization. The next in command on your staff are a stop above you. The managers are above them. And up it goes. It's an upside-down organizational chart. It's a servant leadership framework. As one works down in the organization (not up), they assume more weight and responsibility. The success of every position is measured by how successful (or not) those above them are.

This leads us to you, the main leader. The buck stops with you. You are the tip (or the very bottom in my example) of the organization. This position is the Pivot. Everything pivots on your leadership. That's why I started with the quotes above.



TWO TYPES OF PIVOTS

There are 2 types of pivots: A pivot point and a pivot base. Let's look at each one.

THE PIVOT POINT is the leader who has no exit strategy. There is no succession plan. No key person life insurance policy naming the organization as the beneficiary in the event of his/her unexpected demise. The Pivot Point is not healthy, doesn't take care of himself, and has no healthy rhythm. There is no board advising him. There are no coaching relationships nor continuing education.

When an organization is led by a Pivot Point, it is vulnerable. The entire organiation teeters on the point like a top. The only way to compensate for a Pivot Point is to run very fast and very well, which is not always possible, not matter how well the organization is run. Eventually, the organization will topple.

THE PIVOT BASE is quite different. There is an exit strategy. There is a succession plan. There is key person life insurance with the organization named as beneficiary. The Pivot Base is healthy, takes care of herself and maintains a healthy rhythm. There is a board of advisors speaking wisdom to her. The Pivot Base has an appreciation for personal development and surrounds herself with advisors, coaches, and consultants.

When an organization is led by a Pivot Base, it is stable. The entire organization spins and grows and expands. As the Pivot Base gets wider with more advise and growth, the top of the organization grows. This generates a spin and centrifugal force that allows the organization to spin off other initiatives with the increased profit.

CONCLUSION

What kind of Pivot are you for your organization? How deeply to you see how you are either contributing to your organization's strength or its vulnerability?

ACTION STEP

• Consider the characteristics of the Pivot Base listed above.
• For any that aren't present in your life, commit to make them a new commitment. Your organization is depending on you.

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