No task is beneath a company's top leader

For the past few weeks I have been captivated by coverage of the war in Iraq. Interspersed with all of the reports of daily events was a profile of the man commanding the American forces in the conflict, Gen. Tommy Franks. The commentator made the observation that he was a "soldier's soldier." I have reflected on that comment for the past several days and wondered what would make a corporate leader an "employee's employee."

What is your image of today's business leader? Someone who is untouchable, above all the workers, too important to be involved in the day-to-day operations of the company? Personally, I like the Sam Waltons of the business world — leaders who get involved and are not afraid of any task. Or the John Stocktons, who will dive for the ball, play when they are sick and be appreciative of your patronage.

In the world of the entrepreneur, no task is beneath the CEO. Often the company's top leader must set the standard for the work and performance expectation of the company. When speaking at entrepreneurial forums I will ask the attendees how many run their own company. I then ask how many have taken out the garbage as part of their job. Invariably, the same people raise their hands to both questions.

Several years ago, I was involved in the startup of a software company. We had a great product, but we were struggling like many young firms with marketing and sales. With only five full-time employees, I was impressed that everyone in the firm needed to be customer-focused if we were to survive. I finally concluded that the best way to develop a sales culture and to generate revenue was for the CEO to spend some time telemarketing. What better way to lead the cause at an early stage in the company and to set the "norm" for employee behavior? I developed the routine of spending one day a week contacting leads and talking to potential customers on the phone. I believe it made a difference for our employees and our customers.

David Neeleman, CEO and founder of JetBlue, discussed his entrepreneurial philosophy of leadership at a recent University of Utah forum. He laid out three keys to success:

• Flawless execution.

• Make it right with the customer, especially when things go wrong.

• Make employees "ambassadors to the brand."