Business leaders are often seen as ruthless capitalists who will stop at nothing to become successful. They often seem to do one of two things: inspire people who are nearly at the top themselves, or scare everybody else. But why is that? One thing that can be said about top business leaders is that they put their heart and soul into everything that they do. Take Karen Phillips and Infor CEO Charles Phillips, mistress and master respectively of all that they do. They are involved in charitable, philanthropic work, and they are leading the world in terms of their business. Charles Phillips, for instance, has been able to make Infor rise to the third most popular company of its kind, after SAP and Oracle, in a very short period of time.
One way he has been able to do that is through acquisitions. In fact, that was a tactic he was famous for during his time at Oracle as well. Phillips is a role model for many people, including those with no direct interest in business. Together with his wife, he aims to support disadvantaged communities, with a particular focus on the STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) fields. And people love him for this, look up to him, and want to be like him. But at the same time, other businesses fear him, forever worried that they will be his next acquisition.
It’s all About Image
A lot of business leaders are painted by the media as tycoon capitalists who have little to no understanding of how the real world works for average people. They are seen as greedy and cut throat. But someone like Charles Phillips, who is truly one of the most successful businessmen in the world, has managed to break through that image. He has created a persona that is honest, trustworthy, and to look up to. He has done this in three ways:
- By showing a true entrepreneurial spirit, being a visionary who is able to recognize any new opportunity and will take risks to take it.
- By knowing how to take action. This isn’t so much about academic knowledge, but about having skills and abilities above and beyond that.
- By being able to make difficult decisions. It is, unfortunately, impossible to keep everybody happy and people like Charles Phillips know that.
That third point is perhaps the most important one, and the one where business leaders need to focus the most on. Being able to make hard decisions does not mean trampling all over the little guy. It is about being able to see what will work, and to speak out when something won’t work. Yes, sometimes that means people are left unhappy, but the greater, collective good will be served overall. It is this what sets Charles Phillips apart from other business leaders. He does not get rid of people left right and center just to bring costs down. Rather, he makes changes and adjustments where necessary to further his company as a whole.
Kidal Delonix is a contributor to Mr. Hoffman's blog. The views and opinions are entirely his/her own and may not reflect Mr Hoffman's views.
