What happens when an organization decides not to change and keeps the status quo? It is easy to look back on the history of organizations or products that have come and gone. The main trend we see is….if you don’t improve or change, you most likely will be forgotten.

There are many complicated reasons why some organization's fail and so there is one single reason why some organizations continue to be successful while others go by the wayside.

However, when we think back on organizations that have failed, we might take a lower-thought approach and think, why were they so stupid? Why did they not just change? Again, it is more complicated than that.

Let's explore companies like Blockbuster, Kodak, Blackberry phones, Sears and Robuck, and Kimberly-Clark.

When you look back on some of history's most influential and effective leaders, what made them so great? They were selfless, loved the people they were leading, and had a strong desire to empower those around them to become better people.

When you look back on some of the worst leaders from history, what made them so horrible? They are exact opposites of the great leaders, they were selfish, would do anything to maintain their power, and led through fear to suppress the people in their control.

Becoming a great leader or even a great person does not take eons of time. We can all start right now. Even if we are not a leader when we think in the context of a traditional leader or manager, we all have an influence on the lives of those around us through our leadership qualities, even if we do not realize it.

So, the question we should ask ourselves is, what kind of leader will I be?

Many people throughout history have become fixated on the idea of leadership. I believe that is because we have had some pretty horrible leaders and also pretty influential leaders throughout history. A few questions that some people may ask is, what makes them such a great leader? How can I become or be taught to become like one of the great leaders from history? And how can we avoid bringing into power leaders driven by ill intent?

As I have thought about these questions, I can’t help but think that there are multiple levels of leadership. What I have come to know is that there are 4 levels of leadership that I believe summarize the 4 categories that leaders could be placed in. Of course, there are probably other better categories, labels, or descriptions for leaders, but the 4 levels that I would like to talk about are dictator, manager, leader, and then servant leader.

In the short term, layoffs seem logical and look great on paper, however, in the long term, these organizations will be trading short-term safety over long-term profitability.

There are all kinds of reasons why companies should and should not do layoffs, including strategies to avoid layoffs. We will talk about some strategies to avoid layoffs, but mainly, we will focus on the long-term damage that will fall on an organization if they believe layoffs are their only answer.

Very few CEOs have taken the less-traveled route when dealing with layoffs by stating very directly that they will not be participating in any layoffs. Why? Because layoffs produce a mirage that organizational leaders believe will resolve their short-term struggles. However, what results is a larger long-term destruction of the remaining employees and the rest of the organization.