Maverick Leadership

The term maverick as used in the cattle industry refers to an individual animal that doesn''t feel the need to stay with the herd. Maverick Leadership describes the circumstances, in the author''s early life, that led him to become highly independent and intensely competitive. Perhaps more than any other single event, it was this independence that enabled the author to surround himself with such an array of skilled and ethical men and women that dozens of them left his operation to take promotions and have gone on to become leaders in their own right.

Maverick Leadership also illuminates operational principles that will allow your business to become an industry leader and to develop the culture of excellence and innovation required to maintain that leadership role. Practical examples of how these principles are implemented will bring them to life for the reader. It is about finding the balance between continually challenging the existing norms and maintaining the existing norms at the highest standard currently available. Simultaneously, you bring high-potential people into that process, making them both responsible and accountable for specific parts of the process. You limit their opportunity to fail, accept blame if that happens, and celebrate their successes, rewarding them with increased responsibility.

You reject the politically correct, collaborative decision making of large groups as that only yields bureaucratic stagnation with no accountability. Instead, streamline and flatten management with a small number of like-minded, enthusiastic, ethical people with expertise matched to their responsibilities and who share the same vision of what constitutes success. These leaders will build the collaboration within their work groups. When completed, you''ll have an industry leader, but you''ll spend a lot of time outside the comfort zone of being in the midst of the herd.