Paddi's Leadership Style
How Paddi has been able to look at his business so differently...That Paddi has built an incredible business, there is no doubt. However, you probably wonder how it is that Paddi managed to think and innovate as he has. And that leads you to Paddi's leadership style.
It's quite obvious that Paddi has learned to be a good, effective leader. Contrary to what you might think, Paddi doesn't run his business as a 'democracy'. Paddi is quite definite about how things are done in his business, and Paddi likens his leadership style more to a 'benevolent dictatorship' than anything else.
A Culture of Happiness ... for Paddi!
And how else could it be? It's Paddi's small business. It's designed for Paddi, himself, and the culture he wants to create for his own working environment. That culture is built around Paddi's happiness first and foremost, and yet Paddi knows only too well that his happiness is intimately bound up with that of those around him.
So Paddi has developed a leadership style that is heavily focused on the business as well as it's people ... for they are inextricably bound together in Paddi's view.
Paddi is wonderfully creative at times, and it brings him great pleasure to be so. In writing his Series of publications, Paddi has created six different characters of himself to be the hero's and protagonists in his stories.
Paddi's Characters
It's probably not hard to see, then, how these characters reflect the different 'people' that Paddi becomes at various times in running his business. Paddi's leadership style can be best understood by describing these characters and the role they play when they come to prominence in Paddi's personality.
Producer/Director Paddi
First and foremost, Paddi likes to think of his Business as a Stage, and he is the Producer/Director. Paddi believes that he is crafting an experience for his audience (his customers) just as you would a stage production. Paddi also views his team as important Cast Members, each with specific roles and even scripts. In this way, Paddi is able to view his business from his audience's perception and craft it according to what he sees.
Continuing with Paddi's 'Business as a Stage' metaphor, Paddi considers the set and props of his production very seriously, for they are the richness surrounding the cast and the experience, and it's this set, the Little Things involved and the systems for constructing them that most occupies Paddi's mind. Paddi is a great believer in Systems, and he has learned to analyse and solve business problems (much like a zany laboratory inventor) with a strong Systems Focus. Paddi also believes that it is the attention to detail in these Little Things, or the Critical Non-Essentials as Paddi calls them, that really give customers a sense of your quality and value. In addition, it's these CNe's that really give your customers a great story to tell, and Paddi has manufactured them with his Inventor personality.
General Paddi
Speaking of stories for people to tell, Paddi makes quite a concerted effort to Motivate and Excite both his team and his customers. When creating an amazing business, Paddi understands that he has to enlist the Support and help of his entire business family. In that regard, Paddi helps his team feel happy with their work so that they can Champion that message with their customers -- customers like buying from happy people. And in return, happy customers enjoy telling stories about their experiences, and Paddi definitely view this as Rallying the Troops, or mobilising his customer sales force.
The Intrepid Explorer Paddi
If there is one thing for certain about Paddi's leadership style, it's that he doesn't mind Exploring the outer edges of conventional business wisdom. Say to Paddi, "Well, that's the way it's always been done," and you are raising the red flag and sounding the siren for immediate Change and improvement in the system. Paddi definitely likes to Challenge our preconceived notions of the way we do things and Why we do things. No where is this more evident than in Paddi's ideas about money (collecting it in advance) and creating a pleasurable financial transaction for customers.
Paddi is a great Teacher. In his leadership role, Paddi does help his team understand exactly what they are trying to accomplish and just what they need to do to succeed. (To the best of his ability, that is. Paddi doesn't have all the answers, and he is good at Facilitating the help and input of his entire team.) But as above with his Explorer tendencies, Paddi firmly believes in teaching and educating his Customers as well. In this way, Paddi is able to Gently Lead his customers to do many things that otherwise are very difficult in business ... like paying on time, never missing appointments and bringing Paddi lots of wonderful new customers for his business.
Above all else, Paddi is a great philosopher ... of business matters and of life. Paddi has the most uncanny ability of Analysing human nature and clearly Articulating what he finds in a way that makes us all think, "Yes, of course ... Why didn't I think of that?" You'll understand exactly what that's like if you've read Building the Happiness Centred Business. Paddi's Courtesy System is a perfect example of taking something we all know (simple courtesy in our communication) and applying it effectively to the business environment in a way that makes perfect sense. Indeed, Paddi is a great thinker!
