What are the most critical attributes to select for and develop in your leaders and your people? As the CEO of a property preservation company that has undergone significant changes recently, “quarterbacking skills” now tops list of critical attributes I look for and work to develop in my leaders. By quarterbacking skills, I mean the ability and grit to:

• Accurately assess what is happening on the field
• Focus on the play and never ever flinch—though you can hear the defensive lineman pounding your way
• Fully engage others and let others make the play
• Communicate effectively
• Know when you need help, then get it
• Show Grit: Courage and Resilience

The Situation

Mortgage Contracting Services was purchased eight months ago by a group of management and private equity investors. Of course, the sale of a business is almost always disruptive and we encountered the typical challenges:

• Management and employees were pulled from their traditional roles into the sales transaction process so operations felt the impact of that loss of focus.
• During the ownership transition our people felt some anxiety about their future, how success would now be assessed, etc.; our operating and financial performance regressed briefly as a result.
• Roles and responsibilities shifted, so there were some internal relationships that required additional attention and care.

Critical Leadership Skills for Thriving In Change

Eight months following the ownership change, MCS is operating effectively. The company’s operating and financial performance have returned to more normalized levels. We appear to have persevered through a period of difficult change and look forward to our next challenges. Our success is due, in no small part, to those leaders who consistently demonstrate these attributes:

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The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress.
- Charles Kettering

When at some future date the high court of history sits in judgment on each one of us--our success or failure, in whatever office we may hold, will be measured by the answers to four questions: Were we truly men of courage? Were we truly men of judgment? Were we truly men of integrity? Were we truly men of dedication?
- John F. Kennedy

A prudent question is one-half of wisdom.
- Francis Bacon

Be quick to learn and wise to know.
- George Burns

Why a four-year-old child could understand this report. Run out and find me a four-year-old child. I can't make head nor tail out of it.
- Groucho Marx

No man goes before his time - unless the boss leaves early.
- Groucho Marx

A message from Lynne Key and Tom Dambly

If you’ve watched the 2006 Winter Games this year, you’ve seen the spirit of winners (the QB Factor) carry individuals through tough circumstances to the medal stand. Shaun White, the red-haired U.S. gold medalist in snowboarding, stumbled in the halfpipe semi-finals, when he caught the deck on a backside 900. In spite of that mistake, when the “Flying Tomato” was poised for his final run, mistakes and fumbles were the furthest thing from his mind. White’s question to his coach was “What should I do when I win? Should I ride straight down the middle with the flag?” White was wholly focused on the win.

Winners, whether in the corporate or sports world, expect challenges and lessons learned—especially during big opportunities like the Olympics or corporate transitions. That dynamic of transition and challenge is very nearly immutable. You just can’t have one without the other.

Of course, some challenges are predictable and can be planned for; others just seem to pop up unexpectedly. Shaun White, who is known for his “unrivaled mental determination,” relies on his coaches to provide perspective and guidance. In the corporate world, an outside observer—one who is not involved in the day to day stresses and the minutiae of internal operations—can provide perspective and spot the unexpected before real problems develop. It’s one of the services DiamondWinds can provide to help you reach your goals.

DiamondWinds—because trust is the point.