Look on almost any street corner in America and you see a fast food franchise. Have you ever wondered why these places are so popular wherever they go?
It's definitely not that the food is top-notch, although most of us indulge in a guilty pleasure of from time to time. The key is consistency.
If you stop for lunch at a McDonald's airport on the other side of the continent, the meal and experience will be almost identical to the lunch you might order at the McDonald's closest to your home. Plus, every time you eat at a McDonald's, you can feel nostalgia because the tastes are so similar to your first Happy Meal when you were a kid.
The success of McDonald's, which really paved the way to countless other franchise businesses around the world, is owed to a man named Ray Kroc, who in 1954 teamed up with the founding brothers of the first McDonald's restaurants to make those outposts a national sensation. , and then purchased exclusive rights to the entire company.
The higher the person's ability to lead, the greater the potential of their potential.
Kroc was able to push restaurants further than the founders ever could because the difference between him and the McDonald brothers illustrates one of the most important concepts of leadership:the law of the lid.
Dick and Maurice McDonald had built a successful small business in Southern California. They lived comfortably. Their burgers were popular. But their focus for success was weak:they lacked the vision to drive their business to what it would become. They were effective managers, but their thought patterns closed the door to what they could do and become.
In contrast, the lid of leadership in Kroc's life was very high. Between 1955 and 1959, he managed to open 100 McDonald's restaurants. Four years after that, there were 500 McDonald's. Today, the company has over 35,000 locations in over 120 countries around the world!
The law of the lid is the best explanation of the value of leadership; if you can master this law, you will see the incredible impact leadership has on every aspect of your life.
It's simple:leadership ability determines a person's level of effectiveness. The higher the person's ability to lead, the greater the potential of their potential.
Your ability to lead, for better or for worse, will always determine the impact of your organization, your team or yourself.
If your leadership rates an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10, then your effectiveness will never be higher than a 7. If your leadership rates a 4, then your effectiveness will always be stuck at 3. Your leadership ability, for better or worse , will always determine the impact of your organization, your team, or you personally.
Everywhere you look, you can find talented, smart people who can only go so far because of the limitations of their leadership. This is why in times of difficulty, organizations naturally seek new leadership. When the country goes through difficult times, it elects a new president. When a sports team keeps losing, they're looking for a new head coach.
The good news is that getting rid of the leader isn't the only way to lift the lid. Continuing your leadership study is another sure way.
