This morning I was privileged to attend a Business Men’s Breakfast at West Franklin Baptist Church. A friend Kevin Lacey invited using Linkedin. The invitation included information on who would be speaking, Clifton Lambreth a former Ford Motor Company Executive. Although I did not know anything about the speaker I am always open to hearing from leaders and trying to learn as much as I can from them. During Mr. Lambreth’s introduction I learned that he had worked at Ford Motor Company for 26 years and now does consulting working in the automobile industry as well as being speaking to leaders and organizations. I also learned that he is the author of two books:

Ford and the American Dream: Founded on Right Decisions

Return to Greatness: Driving the American Dream

His talk centered on twelve lessons of leadership that can revive a company. But before jumping into the twelve lessons he made these two statements:

Do the right thing, with the right motivation, then you get the right results and you can earn the right to expect others to do the same.

Never is it the wrong time to do the right thing.

Here are the twelve steps.

Simplify Products and Processes
Inspirational or Informational
- Most problems are either lack of inspiration or lack of information
Self-Serving vs. Servant Leadership
- It’s no longer ‘command and control’ market. (Most business work under the military model of ‘do as I say.’ That no longer works.)
Develop an environment that encourages ‘truth tellers’
- Open, honest communication produces better products, services and processes
Listen to the “Voices”
- Customers – Employees - Competition
Decentralize Decision Making
A Company’s greatest assets are not their fixed assets but their people.
Common Sense is not always common practice
- Get back to thinking simple and applying common sense…it’s not complicated.
Compensation must be tied to doing the right thing.
Develop Leaders at all levels
Beware of CAVE People
- Collectively Against Virtually Everything
- Negative people will bring down the moral and productivity of the company.
Problems are opportunities to excel.