Lee Iacocca

The 9 C’s of Leadership by Lee Iacocca

“Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It is easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory…….It is another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down” Lee Iacocca.

As the savior of Chrysler, Lee Iacocca believes that leaders are made in a time of crisis. The crisis of a nation such as Sir Winston Churchill faced in 1939 and the crisis of a corporation such as Iacocca faced in 1978. Leadership is about who we are and how we behave, we can learn to develop our behavior and become more successful leaders. Here are the nine qualities Iacocca believes are needed for effective leadership.

Curiosity

A leader needs to be curious, to step out of his comfort zone and to listen others’ different, possibly challenging ideas. Without challenging our thinking and belief’s how do we know we are right?

Creativity

Leaders need to be willing to try something new, to think outside of the box. Part of a leader’s role is to manage change. Circumstances alter constantly, a leader needs to adapt and creatively deal with those changes.

Communication

Effective leaders confront realities, even when it is painful to do so. They communicate the truth, suggest strategies to move forward, inviting others to share their ideas and become involved as part of the solution.

Character

Character means knowing the difference between right and wrong, it is about our moral and ethical strength. It is what is deep inside us, both when things go well and wrong. Ideally our reputation and our character should be mirror images. As Abraham Lincoln said: “Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.”

Courage

A leader must have courage. The courage to sit down at the table and talk, to defend what is right even when it might be unpopular.

Conviction

A leader should passionately believe in their goals and be determined to achieve them.

Charisma

Charisma is the quality that inspires, that makes others trust you, follow you and believe that they have a valid role to play as part of the vision.

Competency

A leader needs to be competent and to surround themselves with people who know what they are doing as competent problem solvers.

Common Sense

Leaders need to be able to reason and use common sense!

When Iacocca joined Chrysler in 1978 it announced a $160 million quarterly loss, it was appallingly managed, lacking organizational discipline and structure. Harsh measures were needed, measures which Iacocca had the courage to implement. Visiting every Chrysler plant he learned how employees felt and he devised a rescue plan. Never asking others anything he wasn’t prepared to accept himself; hard work, commitment and for himself a salary of one dollar a year. Inspired by their leader’s honesty, common sense, conviction and passion employees accepted  losses in wages and benefits to help effect a dramatic recovery. Iacocca  bought a company teetering on bankruptcy back to life, retaining employment for thousands and making an enormous contribution to the American economy.