Ralph Waldo Emerson tells us, “All great masters are chiefly distinguished by the power of adding a second, a third, and perhaps a fourth step in a continuous line. Many a man has taken the first step. With every additional step, you enhance immensely the value of your first.”
Emerson’s quote is a great, if not subtle, description of decisions creating momentum. It is up to the CEO and top executives to determine the decisions they will make on their path to maximizing profits.
But it is not just the big decisions that create or interrupt momentum. The Law of Decision says that everything we decide is a decision, even if we decide not to decide. Every decision confirms a direction and applies force. Force either increases momentum or reduces momentum and resets direction. It goes without saying that reduced momentum does not maximize profits.
Every leader at every level must lead with decisions that multiply. As focus-forward leaders, every action and decision should assure that the decision stays true to the word picture that will maximize profits, even when placed under a spotlight.
Lead With Decisions That Multiply Under A Spotlight
In 1946, Estée Lauder was making creams at home on a restaurant stove and delivering them personally. She was absorbed by the cosmetics business, and every decision she made, whether it was about the product, the salespeople, or the customer, always maximized profits. Lauder was dedicated to making decisions that multiplied.
She pioneered a “free gift to every purchaser” program. It still exists today. She provided free samples at charity functions and other benefit occasions. In the beginning, she even chose her salespeople carefully to “focus on the whole woman” and not just the face.
In 1995, the company issued its first public stock. Its success continues to be outstanding. Today the Estée Lauder company has a clear purpose to accomplish. It is summed up in the phrase, “Bringing the best to everyone we touch.” In living their purpose, the leaders of Estée Lauder have made the decision to maximize profits with new products and by acquisition.
In leading with decisions that multiply, the Estée Lauder company puts every acquisition under a spotlight. The acquisition result must answer this question: Are these companies innovating, and have they proven their product is a winner in the marketplace? If you are in the cosmetics industry and want to build a company for acquisition, simply innovate and prove your product is a winner. Estée Lauder will probably want to talk to you.
Estee Lauder is an industry leader enjoying the success of its focus-forward leadership. The organization is maximizing profits because decisions are directed within the focus of the word picture the company is working toward. Leaders have chosen their path to maximize profits. They also have the basis for determining the data they will need to gather and the direction they will travel as they maximize profits in the artificial intelligence age.