The Deliberate Life

On Leadership

As for the best leaders. . .
     the people do not notice their existence.

The next best. . .
     the people honour and praise.

The next the people fear, and the next the people hate.

But when the leader's best work is done. . .
     the people say, ‘We did it ourselves’.

Lao-tzu C6th BC

The Reality Check

I was recently reviewing Good to Great by Jim Collins.  It's a great book and well worth the read from both a personal and organizational leadership perspective.  Here are a couple of quotes -- presented in Chapter Four, Confront the Brutal Facts -- that I was particularly drawn to:

Leadership does not begin just with vision.  It begins with getting people to confront the brutal facts and to act on the implications.

Spending time and energy to "motivate" people is a waste of effort.  The real question is not, "How do we motivate our people?"  If you have the right people, they will be self-motivated.  The key is to not de-motivate them.  One of the primary ways to demotivate people is to ignore the brutal facts of reality.

Likewise the same can be said for empowerment as for motivation.  Too many organizations, and even some coaches, like to believe they empower people.  It's a much abused and overused word.  I suppose it makes the organization feel better about itself.  But the fact is people are empowered -- at least that's what our Founding Fathers recognized in the Declaration of Independence:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

That's empowerment!  What we must do as leaders is not dis-empower.  In many respects it's impossible to do.  Any organization or corporate structure must, by its nature and purpose, limit the actions of its people if it is to achieve its purpose.  But there must be balance, lest it de-motivate and dis-empower to their own detriment.  Every leader should not ask, "How can I empower my people?"  The leader should ask, "How can I stop dis-empowering my people?"  The difference is subtle, but significant.  And that's a brutal fact!

What Does it Mean to Trust?

"Trust is said to be earned, but I think that's wrong. Trust has first to be given—and given freely. If the result of assuming others are trustworthy proves to be positive, greater trust results. Over time, the atmosphere becomes suffused with trust, so that even the occasional betrayal (all human beings are fallible) won't change the prevailing sense of community. Trust not given at the outset, more even than trust betrayed, starts a negative spiral That first gift of trust—freely offered, without any proof that it's deserved—is the key. Without it, there's no possibility any further trust can be "earned."

Trust in the workplace is a fragile thing.  It takes time to develop and can be lost, forever, in an instance.  So who is responsible for nurturing trust in the workplace?  Everyone.  Who MUST take the first step. . .THE LEADER.

Read "In Whom Can We Trust" by Carmine Coyote at Slow Leadership.

The Practice of Leadership

George Ambler in Gauteng, South Africa, authors The Practice of Leadership, an insightful blog on leadership and personal productivity.  I highly recommend it for anyone interested in either subject.  He formerly authored Leaning Forward, another blog on the same subjects. He discontinued that blog as he migrated to The Practice of Leadership.  Go to Leaning Forward to read its archives.

In a recent post, Decrease Your Availability and Increase Your Productivity, Georges writes about getting things done.  It's obvious George is a big fan of GTD (Getting Things Done by David Allen) as he offers a few practical recommendations expanding on the GTD concepts.  He also refers you to another really useful article, The Master Task List, by Michael Hyatt at Working Smart.  Michael too expands on another GTD concept, the use of a master task list and provides a personal example of its use by providing the reader with a copy of one his master task lists.

If you're trying to get your life - personal or professional - under control and are looking for some practical, real-world advice and examples for doing just that, I recommend both of these articles.  I also highly recommend reading Getting Things Done by David Allen

Quick Reads

Here are four worthwhile articles for the busy leader. . .

Learning to Accept Criticism by John Baldoni at Darwinmag.com

My Way or the Highway—Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Micromanagement from The American Management Association's Moving Ahead newsletter.

Why We Resist the Weekly Review and Plan (and What You Can Do About It) by Ricky Spears at Ricky's RAM Dump.  A nice read on personal productivity referred by Be Excellent.

Beyond Strategy, Tomorrow's Leaders Are Expected to Do It All from The American Management Association Leader's Edge newsletter.

Taking the High Road

I'm a big fan of John C. Maxwell and have read (and recommended) many of his books, including his latest, The 360 Degree Leader.  I've also recommended readers subscribe to his newsletter, Leadership Wired.  It's an outstanding newsletter -- one of the best you'll find on the subject of leadership.  It's issued monthly and always includes an article from John, another article or two from other contributing writers, a couple of book reviews and a few worthy quotes.  If you haven't done so I suggest to go to Leadership Wired and sign-up for a free subscription.  You'll receive the occasional e-mail offer for discounts on John's products, but no more than two or so a month.  His article in the latest issue is entitled, Take the High Road. . .

A balanced stance is a key ingredient for success in sports. It's hard to hit a curveball, make a hole-in-one, serve an ace or shoot a free throw if your body is not positioned correctly (legs set wide apart, head upright, back fairly straight, center of gravity evenly distributed, knees slightly bent—you get the picture).

According to HumanKinetics.com, some variation of what is known is the "athletic stance" is common to most sports because it is the "most prepared position for the body to receive a force." It is, in fact, the "strongest position."

But as important as the right stance is in an athletic event, it's even more critical in life. When I talk about a person's life stance, I'm referring to his or her overall frame of reference.

Read the rest of the article here.

Leadership and Happiness At Work

I recently started reading Resonant Leadership.  I can across this passage and an article from the Gallup Management Journal about happiness at work.  First a short excerpt from Resonant Leadership:

"Our organizations often encourage us to remain clueless and stuck in a cycle of sacrifice and dissonance.  This happens for a couple of reasons.  First, many organizations overvalue achievement, and are willing to tolerate dissonance if the short-term results seem to be there -- until there is a big problem.  Second, it is often difficult, if not impossible, for leaders to get the message that they are creating toxic environments and must change.  Why?  Because no one will tell them."

And from the Gallup Management Journal article, At Work, Feeling Good Matters:

"Happy and engaged employees are much more likely to have a positive relationship with their boss, are better equipped to handle new challenges and changes, feel they are more valued by their employers, handle stress more effectively, and are much more satisfied with their lives."

Both statements seem to state the obvious -- but, they are lessons we need to reflect on continuously.

Secrets of Leadership (Part VII)

This post concludes "The Secrets of Leadership" series started earlier this month.  I presented the "secrets" or principles of three well-known leaders -- Jack Welch, Colin Powell, and Rudoph Giuliani -- as well as principles from the book, The Founding Fathers on Leadership.

If you've kept up with the series you'll find many similarities between the lists.  In fact you'll discover that none of the "secrets" are really secrets, they are well-known principles.  I once heard a speaker comment that nothing new on the subject of leadership has been written in 500 years.  I tend to agree.  In one sense that's good news -- you only need really to buy one good book on leadership, study it, and you will know at least 90% of what is worth knowing.

Even from this short series of excerpts, when though they come from only four books, we learn at least 80% of the secrets.  We know outstanding leadership rests on vision, risk-taking, life-long learning, selecting great people for your organization, creating a resilient culture, listening, learning, and communicating, communicating, communicating.  So why isn't everyone that reads a great leadership book and great leader?  Most often because they don't act on what they learn or, if they do, they look for shortcuts.  It's not knowing what it takes to be a good or even great leader -- it's all in the execution.

Take vision for example.  Many so-called leaders don't get the vision thing.  Oh, they made lead the crafting of a vision statement, which gets hung on a wall somewhere, but that's the extent of it.  They move quickly to goal-setting, something that is easily measurable.  Visions are often viewed as vague, even idealistic statements that serve no practical value day-to-day.  Of course that couldn't be more wrong.  See my post of December 21, vision statements bring commitment, dedication and  have a feeling that goals don't.  While you can motivate people to achieve goals -- vision inspires, energizes, creates optimism, and that is much more enduring.  Good leaders know that and talk about vision often.

Think about the other common principles.  How many organizations do you see that cry for risk-takers, yet punish failure unmercifully.  How many search endlessly for the best people for their organization, yet offer "competitive salaries and benefits".  That's one of my personal favorites -- seen often on company websites.  They might as well hang out a sign that says, "We pay our people as little as possible -- just enough to keep up with our competition".  You may become a global company with that approach, but you can't become "world-class".

The reason Jack Welch, Colin Powell or Rudolph Giuliani are considered great examples of exceptional leadership is not because they knew something that no one else did. . .they knew that as a leader you can't take shortcuts, you can't compromise the principles -- ever.  Good leadership is all about execution.  It's about discipline, persistence, endurance, honesty, candor, commitment, accountability -- the stuff you can't get out of books.

So are books on leadership as waste of time? Not at all.  At the very least they constantly remind us that there are no shortcuts, that leadership principles well-executed lead to success.  A good leader, or those aspiring to positions of leadership, should read them often.  I highly recommend any of those I've included on this site.  Read often -- AND THEN ACT ON SOMETHING YOU'VE READ.  You'll become a better leader -- I guarantee it!!

Secrets of Leadership (Part VI)

This is the last summary review of leadership principles followed by some of today's prominent leaders.  I began with Jack Welch (Winning), followed by the leadership principles of Colin Powell (The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell), then took a brief detour into the past with The Founding Fathers on Leadership.  I end today with Rudolph Guiliani, former mayor of New York City (and many say future Presidential candidate), for his book -- Leadership.  I won't go into elaborate detail on each of his "secrets", many need no further amplification.

He summarizes his leadership style in 14 principles:

1. First things first.
2. Prepare relentlessly.
3. Everyone's accountable, all of the time - "A lot of leaders have catchy slogans on their desk; many believe them.  The two-word sign on my desk genuinely summarizes my whole philosophy: I'M RESPONSIBLE.  I've maintained that accountability -- the idea that people who work for me are answerable to those we work for -- it the cornerstone.
4. Surround yourself with great people.
5. Reflect, then decide.
6. Underpromise and Overdeliver.
7. Develop and communicate strong beliefs.
8. Be your own man (or woman).
9. Loyalty: the vital virtue.
10. Weddings discretionary, funerals mandatory.
11. Stand up to bullies.
12. Study, read, learn independently.
13. Organize around a purpose.
14. Bribe only those who will stay bribed - "In any leadership role, one must deal with all types of people.  Obviously, as often as possible, one should confine dealings to people one trust completely.  There are plenty of time when a leader is forced to deal with those he is not sure about, or perhaps whose company he doesn't even enjoy.  You owe it to those who rely on you to deal with whoever is best able to serve their interests, but you have to set at least minimum standards.  As Ronald Reagan put it, trust but verify."

A final summary and personal comments in the next post.

Secrets of Leadership (Part V)

Well I'm a day behind with this post.  Typepad suffered a slight "blip" yesterday and the system was down for the entire day.  You'll find a few missing images and other oddities on the page that Typepad has said will be rectified over the weekend.

Today's post continues with the leadership principles discussed by Donald T. Phillips in his book, The Founding Fathers on Leadership.  Today I'll summarize the last eight of 15 principles that Mr. Phillips identified in his studies of the leadership traits of our Founding Fathers.

1. Harass, innovate and leverage resources - "When confronted with an overwhelming power, wear them down, wait them out, and frustrate the heck out of their leadership.  When you employ innovative and unconventional tactics, you inspire like-minded people to do the same.  Don't simply all creativity and innovation; encourage it."
2. Build strong alliances - "Building strategic alliances strengthens your forces, lifts morale, adds to new markets, and dilutes competition."
3. Attend to financial matters - "Surround yourself with experts in financial matters, listen to them, and then act on their advice.  Remember that everyone thinks they know how to manage financial affairs, but few really can do it."
4. Refuse to lose and learn continuously - "Ability to Learn + Action = Effective Leadership.  Appropriate time to attain knowledge."
   
5. Be a risk taker - "Even though you may have private worries, maintain an outward optimism and hopefulness.  When undertaking a crucial endeavor, immerse yourself in the details of the operation. Those who lead must be willing to take chances."
   
6. Understand human nature - "It is much easier to inspire movement of the masses during a crisis situation than in a time of relative peace. Take the best of people as they are, since you cannot have them as you wish."
   
7. Compromise and create the culture - "Form a culture that will give consistency, stability, and dignity to your organization.  Construct you culture with simplicity, flexibility and elasticity so that it will be able to suffer hard knocks with little damage."
   
8. Stick around and follow-through - "Remember that initial reaction to significant change often involves outrage bordering on hysteria.  Think of every possible question that might arise in opposition to your plan - and then come up with answers to those questions."

Monday's post will continue this series by reviewing the leadership "secrets" of one more contemporary leader.