What makes a leader? According to FreeConferenceCall.com founder and CEO, David Erickson, the formula can’t be boiled down to textbooks, traits or strategies. In a presentation at the Vistage Executive Summit, Erickson explains the leadership gene.
“What really matters is the grit that comes from doing what we want to do,” he asserts. Skills can and must be honed, of course. A good leader can always become better. But the leadership gene is about pursuing your passion. As Erickson describes, it’s the pursuit that paved the way for FreeConferenceCall.com to grow from $10 URL to the world’s largest retail conferencing brand.
In the company’s early days, Erickson was a one-man customer service department, logging 918 days straight. But it wasn’t a chore. “I wanted to hear every single one of those calls. Every time that phone rang, I was excited. I was going to talk to a potential customer…and find out what was happening in my business. I was driven to do it.”
With this in mind, Erickson issues a challenge the room: “Get back to what drives you — and actually start moving on those things. The key is execution.” Because, he notes, those 918 days were “about love and desire, and chasing your passion. And that’s what I think makes a good leader,” Erickson finished.
We think so too, Dave. Thanks for pursuing your passion and giving us 15 great years of leadership. Check out his full presentation here.