Leadocracy by Geoff Smart

Author:Geoff Smart [Smart, Geoff]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-60832-289-3
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press
Published: 2012-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Obstacle 2 = Cost

Darrin Anderson is the type of leader anybody would love to have in government. His talent is matched by his rock-solid character. And for all of the hardships and challenges he has overcome in his life, you might expect him to be serious and reserved. But he is a teddy bear of a man, with an easy laugh and a preacher’s southern drawl that is full of positivity. For anybody who thinks business leaders are all blue-blooded members of the aristocracy and that the American Dream is dead, consider Darrin’s story.

Darrin grew up in rural Illinois in a family that struggled to make ends meet. His father worked two jobs. His mother stayed home with Darrin and his three younger siblings. To make their grocery money go as far as possible, his mother served “wilk”—watered down milk—at breakfast.

Darrin began developing his leadership skills early. He was MVP of his high school football team and captain of both his football and basketball teams. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a B.S. in economics, commanded a scout platoon for a tank division in Desert Storm, and earned a Bronze Star. When he left the U.S. Army, he was highest ranked out of thirty first lieutenants in his peer group.

Darrin then entered the private sector and rose quickly through the ranks of various companies because of his A-level performance. As a surgical equipment rep, he grew revenue for his company by 400 percent. At Alliant Foodservice, he took the worst-performing business unit and its negative $500,000 EBITDA and grew it to $2 million in EBITDA in two years. Today, as regional vice president for HD Supply, he regularly surpasses metrics and goals, and his team members have called the CEO to extol Darrin’s virtues as the best boss they’ve ever had. It seems that everywhere he goes, he increases revenue, reduces costs, turns failing departments and divisions around, and improves the performance and morale of his teams.

I was talking with Darrin recently when I hijacked the conversation and asked, “Would you ever consider a job in government leadership?”

He replied without hesitation. “No.”

For Darrin, the primary obstacle was cost: First, the opportunity cost of lost income because of the higher salary he can earn in the private sector and the potential long-term effects of leaving his career track. Second, the cost to his psyche of playing politics.

Darrin didn’t grow up rich, remember. And he is right in the prime earning potential of his career. He wants to provide a safe, comfortable home and college educations for his children. “Getting off the private sector track to work in government could be extremely costly to me and my family. I’m not willing to make that sacrifice.”

Kristin Russell’s take on the career cost of service was slightly different. She feared that she’d have to give up her private sector life entirely! “My biggest fear was that I was going to take this pretty big risk and then I would have to stay in government for the rest of my life.

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