If you wanna be a leader, go where sh*t gets done!

Dear life amplifiers,

We’re having a leadership problem. A big one. Why?

There are (too) many so-called leaders out there who think that their job is just to develop bold visions, write well-sounding strategies, sit in “important” meetings, and rule from the lofty top.

And then they wonder why nothing gets done. That their plans don’t get implemented, that their customers walk away, that their teams are frustrated, and that their dream castles of fictitious leadership – as well as their organizations — start falling apart.

What to do?

?? If you want to know how your employees feel, go where sh*t gets done!

?? If you want to find out what customers want, go where sh*t gets done!

?? If you want to understand why things are not working, go where sh*t gets done!

?? If you want to lead with high impact, go where sh*t gets done!

Go and see the people and the work if you and your organization want to be successful.

As easy as this. Really?

Unfortunately, not!

? Many leaders don’t fancy getting their hands dirty, being once in a while with their teams in the trenches, talking to consumers, being on the factory floor, visiting stores, meeting clients…

Why?

They might be afraid of being embarrassed by what they find.

Operational Mastery – A Core Trait of High-Impact Leadership

Over the years I’ve observed that the fundamental problem is that an army of business leaders still think of being close to the business, operations, and executional topics as the tactical side of business. Something which they would rather like to push away and delegate while they indulge themselves in the perceived "bigger" and more “important” topics. Consequently, they do not comprehend that operating is not just tactics, but is critical to getting work done, growing the business, and developing teams.

Operational excellence is one of five core traits of high-impact leaders: A mindset, discipline, and system that transforms strategy into results by embedding effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability into an organization's culture and processes.

3 Main Strategies to achieve Operational Mastery

Operating in excellence demands that the leader be the grandmaster of operations, orchestrating clarity, rigor, and continuous improvement at every level by applying these 3 fundamental strategies:

1) Kaizen: Small Changes, Big Impact

Continuous improvement is not about massive overhauls. It is about small, intelligent changes that compound over time. When frontline employees are empowered to identify inefficiencies and propose better ways of working, improvement becomes an organic and unstoppable force within the organization.

2) High-Velocity Execution: Rapid Learning and Fast Adaptation

The key is to create structured experimentation cycles where teams test, measure, iterate, and improve continuously. Failure is not an endpoint but a critical data point, helping teams refine execution, strengthen processes, and accelerate results.

3) Abolishing Silo-Thinking: Driving Company-wide Collaboration

Organizations that eliminate fragmentation and ensure cross-functional cooperation accelerate problem-solving, enhance innovation, and sustain improvements more effectively. Leaders must create structures that facilitate transparency, open discussions, and shared accountability.

?? Takeaway and Next Steps

The true value of a vision, a good idea, or a strategy lies in its operationalization. Ideas are abundant but tangible results are what set you apart. A mediocre plan well-operated often outperforms an exceptional plan poorly executed.

Leading with operational excellence requires leaders to be deeply and passionately engaged in their organizations.

If you wanna learn more about high-impact leadership and operational mastery, check out the following link: https://maven.com/avdhcoachingandconsulting/leading-and-coaching-for-high-impact-in-a-new-era

If you wanna find out about the first core trait of a high-impact leader, creating psychological safety, join my free 1-hour LinkedIn Live session this week on Wednesday: https://www.dhirubhai.net/events/howtocreatepsychologicalsafetya7304817691121311746/theater/

Now: Your turn. What do you think?

Wishing you a week full of operational mastery,

Andreas von der Heydt

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If you want to learn more about high-impact leadership, reach out on LinkedIn or visit my website. I′m an executive coach, consultant, and advisor to senior leaders and entrepreneurs worldwide. A former leader at Amazon, L’Oréal, Chewy, and Executive board member at Tchibo.

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