Leaders Need To Understand How Every Part Of Their Business Works
Slaga, who's been with Dimension Data for 13 years, has learned every aspect of the business by taking on new roles outside of his expertise. During his time with the company, Slaga has been the company's senior vice president of sales, chief technology officer, chief information officer, and chief operating officer.
"To take a company or a team to new heights, leaders must be constantly learning and pushing themselves to find new ways to innovate," Slaga tells Business Insider. "This can mean throwing your hat into the ring and learning aspects of the business that are outside of your area of expertise, or taking on the goal of mastering a new business unit or technology that you've never worked in before."
Slaga advises leaders not to focus solely on management, but also understand how the rest of their business works. For example, learn about the tech team's biggest problem or learn the gist of accounting.
"I attempt to set the right example each day. When you lead by example, the result is a strong team of adaptable leaders who want to join in and help reach that big goal any way they can," he says. "The best ideas come when your employees leave their comfort zones. If you create an environment where your staff is unafraid to think big, that's when true productivity and change happens."
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