Greetings.  We all know that great leadership is essential to the success of any company or organization.  Skilled leaders set the tone, drive vision and strategy, build strong teams, engage and inspire employees at all levels, instill confidence in customers, keep an eye on the future, nurture innovation, take calculated risks, etc.  So it's often interesting to see how companies talk about, or write about, their leaders.  Case in point, a fast-growing company named comScore which has, in a few short years, created a very successful niche in the world of digital media as a leading provider of "marketing intelligence solutions that enable its customers to understand, measure, leverage, and profit from the web and mobile technologies." 

And here are the exact words that caught my attention:

"comScore has attracted a team of intelligent, innovative and experienced individuals who share a strong desire to achieve goals that have never been accomplished before."

Followed by a set of very impressive resumes for the company's executive team…

It certainly sounds impressive!  After all, wouldn't any customer want to work with a business that is led by "intelligent, innovative and experienced individuals?"  It sure beats working with one led by people who are "clueless, behind the times, and have no relevant experience."  Though I'm a bit little less certain that I would want to work with a company that is focused on "achieving goals that have never been accomplished before."  Unless, of course, there is a direct correlation between those goals and the key results I need to achieve.  Still, comScore's bold statement raises the value of leadership as a marketing and sales strategy.  And that is a very important idea, because we often base decisions about who to do business with on the technical power of competing products, services and solutions.  Or on cost and operational efficiency.  Or on the nature of the customer experience.  Or a combination of the three, depending on our needs and budget.  And that makes sense.  But doesn't world-class leadership trump them all?  Because it is the best bet in assuring that our real needs as a customer will be understood and met.

We win in business and in life when we appreciate the real value of leadership as the glue that connects the needs of our customers with the talents and potential of our organization.

Cheers!