Builders & Cleaners: Which Type of Leader Are You?
In business, successful leaders often fall into two categories: Builders and Cleaners. Both roles are crucial for a company’s growth and stability. Over the last seven years, I’ve experienced firsthand the importance of these roles while building and growing real estate teams across multiple states. Not without it's challenges, this growth involved overcoming resistance from more established agents, navigating rapidly changing markets, and occasionally, proving critics wrong. What I've learned were the skills needed to drive both initial success and sustainable growth.
Let's talk about the two types of leaders every successful business needs.
Builders: Visionaries Who Ignite Change
Builders are visionaries who turn ideas into reality and initially bring a team together. They quickly turn strangers into a united front and can gather a group of people who, if they believe in the founder and the mission, will run through a brick wall. Builders have high hopes and dreams, usually look past the naysayers, and can sometimes be overly optimistic on the future.
Cleaners: Stabilizers Who Ensure Growth
Cleaners step in to stabilize and grow what Builders have created. Cleaners come in when the excitement settles; the team has been built, the business is growing. Now what? Cleaners, tasked with taking the team through the next phase, need to navigate between processes that should be changed immediately and keeping the culture and team dynamic in place so as to not crumble the entire operation.
So why is it important to ensure your organization has both types of leaders? Because without the other, there is no balance and the business cannot be resilient. This doesn't mean you need to have two people in charge. In fact, a lot of the world's most renowned CEO's clearly exhibit traits of both the Builder and the Cleaner.
Jamie Dimon, CEO JPMorgan Chase & Co.
As a Builder, Dimon led the merger of JPMorgan Chase and Bank One, significantly expanding the bank's capabilities and market presence. As a Cleaner, he navigated the company through the 2008 financial crisis by implementing stringent risk management practices and stabilizing the bank's operations, ensuring its long-term sustainability and growth.
Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors
As a Builder, Barra spearheaded GM's transition towards electric vehicles, launching innovative models like the Chevrolet Bolt and setting ambitious goals for a zero-emissions future. As a Cleaner, she managed the company's restructuring efforts, including addressing the ignition switch recall crisis by implementing stricter safety protocols and overhauling GM's corporate culture to emphasize accountability and transparency.
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple
As a Builder, Cook successfully launched new product lines like the Apple Watch and AirPods, driving innovation and expanding Apple's product ecosystem. As a Cleaner, he enhanced operational efficiencies, streamlined the supply chain, and maintained a strong focus on privacy and environmental initiatives. This dual approach has not only driven Apple's growth and innovation but also ensured its stability and resilience in a competitive tech industry.
Which type of leader are you?
Which do you think is more important?
Who in the public sphere would you consider a builder or a cleaner.
Can you be both?
Marc Cashin is the Founder and CEO of FORWARD at Corcoran McEnearney, representing buyers and sellers in Washington DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. This article was first published on LinkedIn.
