In my new book "It's the Customer, Stupid!" (John Wiley & Sons/January 2011), I cite one of the hallmarks of effective leaders. They see their role as one that is constantly unfolding. Customer driven leadership is about helping people make some memories.

"If you're coasting, you're heading down hill."

One of the big misconceptions about any customer driven leadership position is that you can get to a point where you can coast.

Coasting is not even an option for the leader. The efficient leader is always looking for ways to build a better mousetrap. They constantly question the status quo, rather than accepting it as the reality of the situation.

Many times we coast at the expense of making a decision. Coasting is about not being able to decide. And a "no decision" is, in fact, a decision.

Judge the leader neither by the number of times that they made a bad decision nor the number of times they made a good one. Success or failure should be measured in direct proportion to the number of times you fail and keep trying.

Babe Ruth, for many years, was the home run king of major league baseball. He was also the strikeout champion. The great ones never rest on their laurels. If you rest on them, you could rust on them.

"Great customer driven leaders are patient for reasons of self preservation."

"If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow," according to the old Arabic proverb. Leaders who jump to conclusions may regret their decision 24 hours later. It's okay to vent your frustrations both verbally or in writing, but do it to yourself in the privacy of your own office.

Make sure you give yourself 24-48 hours of time to evaluate your choice of words. Revisit the recording or printed document a day or two later to see if you still feel that way about the issue. Evaluating your decision is more objective. You might want to soften it or strengthen it, but at least you can now approach it more objectively.

"Customer driven leaders understand that nothing big ever came from something small."

The great achievements in the world always came from a bigger picture. Small-minded leaders think only about the "here and now" and only "themselves."

Adolph Hitler, on the other hand, thought "VERY BIG" in his book Mien Kamph (meaning My Struggle). Unfortunately, he also got a lot of other people to think the same way.

Hitler was able to accomplish this principally with his verbal skills. He was a master orator even if his goal was not noble.

But in the end, Hitler's mission was very small and destructive. Nothing big ever comes from anything small.

"Customer driven leaders minimize the worst and maximize the best.

Leaders who understand that bad things happen to good people are keeping their eyes open for ways to minimize the bad and maximize the good in every situation.

"Customer driven leadership is a lot like love- you either have two winners or none."

Leaders who love the people they lead are infinitely further along than those who simply tolerate others.

Love is more about respect than tolerance. It's been said that the most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.

Perhaps the most important thing a leader can do for his troops is to love the profession of which they are both a part and always do the right thing.

This concept is found in the presence of love. Leaders who make it difficult to do the wrong thing are recognizing their value system and taking a position.

"Customer driven leaders don't just look for the right people, they become the right people."

It's certainly not fair to expect to give away what you don't own. If your company sells widgets for a living, as their leader, you should be one of the best widget sales people there are. You don't have to be the best, but in order to help others learn how to sell your product, you should at least have walked that path.

One of my big complaints about the speaking profession is that there are lots of speakers giving book reports. They've never sold, yet they speak on selling. They've never run a company, yet they want to tell other people how to run theirs.

"Good enough never is!"
- Debbie Fields, Founder Mrs. Fields Cookies

Every great institution looks for ways to improve their product or services.

"Customer driven leaders don't point fingers; they lend a hand."

They love showing people what to do and how to do it and they lend a helping hand. Their value is in their love for others.