Solution = Conflict + Collaboration

Purposeful organizations develop the next generation, not simply the next leader. My friend Marshall Goldsmith, bestselling author and leading executive coach, does not like the term succession planning. Better to say, "succession development." That means you are focusing on multiple managers and grooming them to lead.

Leadership is an active, living process. It is rooted in character, forged by experience, and communicated by example.

Three things a leader or manager should be thinking: What's happening? What's not happening? and What can I do to influence the outcome?

Purpose needs to be nurtured. It gains resolve when faced with adversity. The ability to overcome obstacles and challenges is daunting but when accomplished gives us a great feeling of achievement. At the same time we need to nurture purpose by exposing ourselves to new opportunities. We need to learn continuously and we need to teach what we learn to others. Such things like that, and many more, help shape and develop the sense of a leader's purpose so that he or she can provide greater service to the organization.

Leaders who lead purposeful organizations are those who put people first. No, it's not a cliché when they actually do it. It means they set clear expectations, provide adequate resources, coach for success, and evaluate for results.

Leaders instill purpose through their words and their actions. Their communications demonstrate a commitment to vision and mission, but their behaviors underscore its real importance. What a leader does is far more important than what he or she says. People want to see action and help achieve results.