Will 2025 Be Your Best Year Ever? It’s All In Your Leadership.

By: Kirk MacDowell, MacGuard Security Advisors

Success varies in the eyes of the beholder. It might be personal achievements, wealth, status, or professional milestones that shape how we see ourselves and the lens in which others perceive us. John Nemerofsky, COO of SAGE Integration was featured in last month’s Top Right Drawer and spoke eloquently on achieving success. I attribute any success I’ve enjoyed to the mentorship I received and my dedication to honing my leadership skills.

Before my career even began, I was able to benefit from exemplary leadership under my Scoutmaster from the Boy Scouts, Mike Lanning. Fortunately, that trend continued into my career during my days at GE working under Bob Haskins, Jim Paulson, and Greg Burge as and other promising leaders still learning the ropes.

Through my experience under these great mentors, it became most evident to me that leadership styles can and should evolve to meet changing circumstances, such as crisis management, when a specific approach is required. Conversely, I have also learned that leaders whose styles fluctuate unpredictably often destabilizes their team. Additionally, the leader themself is similarly affected as personal ambition takes the top spot over team and/or organizational well-being.

I believe we all seek to surround ourselves with leaders and friends who are consistent in their actions, words, and deeds. In 2024 I was asked to keynote The Monitoring Association’s mid-year leadership track. I explored this theory by examining leadership styles in the alarm monitoring industry, predominantly central stations.  

However, we noticed the same results in other functions within many alarm integration companies including operations, sales, and accounting, just to name a few. In my keynote, we identified eight primary styles through our MacGuard team’s research:

  1. Autocratic: My way or the highway
  2. Democratic: Participative decision-making
  3. Transformational: Rewards for good, penalties for bad
  4. Laissez-faire: Hands-off, team decision-making
  5. Servant: Prioritizes team needs
  6. Situational: Adapts to circumstances
  7. Bureaucratic: Strict rules adherence

Our survey revealed that 37% of respondents favor Servant Leadership with Transformational Leadership coming in a close second at 33%. Servant leaders put their teams first, sharing power and acting as mentors. Transformational leaders foster community, trust, and empowerment, much like General George C. Marshall’s shift from a military leader to a peacemaker after WWII, eventually earning him a Nobel Peace Prize.

Communication emerged as the most critical leadership skill, with a staggering 97% of participants emphasizing the importance of Ethical Leadership. Leaders also need to be open to feedback, provide constructive feedback, and understand their role in navigating industry changes, which includes:

  • Accepting the current state of the company
  • Articulating a clear vision and the steps needed to achieve it
  • Communicating transparently
  • Recognizing potential obstacles
  • Defining what success looks like

As we delve into this trove of leadership insights in the post-New Year haze, let’s summarize: Employees seek leaders who are ethically unyielding, prioritize employee needs, maintain consistent messaging, adapt when necessary, and engage in effective feedback exchanges.

Leaders committed to these principles will likely outperform competitors, reduce turnover, and drive significant returns. Yet, our industry suffers from a lack of formal leadership development, which can demotivate employees and increase turnover. Only 27% of alarm dealers/integrators interviewed have a leadership development program.

To address this clear shortcoming within our industry as a whole, I implore any business who hasn’t done so already to consider launching a mentorship program. Identify a leader within your company to initiate this project and measure its success by engagement and retention rates. You can also target specific employees for mentorship, helping to identify and develop future leaders. 

As I reflect on my forty-four year career, my definition of success centers on the impact I’ve made on others. If I can continue to influence positively, 2025 will indeed be my best year ever.

Kirk has served the industry for 44 years and is Founder and President of MacGuard Security Advisors, a consulting firm providing guidance and insight to his clients. He has served on the Board of Directors of SIA, TMA and currently a board member of ESA and Security Sales and Integration magazine.  He is past chairman of AIREF, SIAC and leads the Leadership Identification and Nominating Committee of ESA. Recently recognized for his industry contributions, Kirk was inducted into SS&I Security Industry Hall of Fame, recipient of the Sarah E. Jackson award, William N. Moody Award, SIAC Chairmans Award, George A Weinstock Lifetime Achievement Award, Morris F. Weinstock Person of the Year Award and recognized as a Top 40 Global Thought Leader in Security and Life Safety in 2024 by the Life Safety Alliance. 

Source: snnonline.com
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