Leadership Deflation

Ever been publicly criticized; reprimanded; reproved?

Often goes something like this; "Great results from Colleague A & B – thanks A & B, but poor results from you – when are you going to get your act together and do as good as them?"

Think back to how that made you feel; where you inspired and motivated to rise up and embrace your mistake with a renewed devotion to do better? Probably not, unless you are a masochist.

This is a chicken way out of doing the right thing. It can be hard to reprimand or coach someone one on one and takes a great deal of energy and time. However, providing completely candid feedback in a private setting is the best method of solving any issue and will not only allow you to maintain the respect of your team, but will cause that level to grow – especially among those that you extended respect by coaching in private.

Only cowards publicly humiliate members of their team.

Leadership Deflation

How fragile is your day

I overheard a college as he answered his phone.

"How are you?" he asks the caller.

"Why is that?" I overhear next but with a tone of concern indicating that the caller advised his day was not going so well.

"Really?" he questions with both concern and disbelief, but then quickly adds this next question, which I will never forget;

"Are you really going to let that define your day?"

It's actually a choice.

How fragile is your day

One of the best leaders I had the opportunity to work with

Her expectations were clear – everyone on the team understood. She was firm. She also knew everyone as if her own children and cared for them deeply. She worked alongside her team; coaching them in a way that no would ever consider it coaching. She would never ask anyone to do anything that she would not do herself.

The product / outcome:

Virtually no turnover – other than which would be considered favourable. New hires that did not fit the culture of the business unit left in a short period of time, on their own – they just didn't fit.

Extremely low absenteeism; If someone had to be absent, it was understood that they would find a replacement for themselves. This expectation was accepted willingly as being a part of the team.

Readily and enthusiastically contributed to the greater team outside of the business unit.

Every member of her team was devoted to her.

Highly successful business unit – consistently within the top 5 of the entire organization.

She was a tremendous supporter and positive influence of any superior for whom she worked. I was fortunate to be one of them.

Thank you Donna for demonstrating so clearly what a great leader looks like.

One of the best leaders I had the opportunity to work with

Accomplishing Autopilot

Autopilot sounds great, but easier said than done. Create a system (s) that eliminates interruptions, enabling me and my entire organization to be exponentially more productive? Sounds like some sort of pipe dream – the stuff of high-sounding books . . . or blog posts.

Perhaps we should start here:

Just because I am the leader, does not mean that I am not the smartest person in my organization. Others are just as, and possibly more capable of making decisions than I am.

With this understanding, start addressing each situation. Each time you are called upon to make a decision, consider if the person asking could have made that decision on their own. Start asking them what they would advise, or "what would you do?" type of questions, to encourage critical thinking and build your comfort and trust in their abilities.

Then, extend the authority.

"From this point forward, you do not need to call me for decisions related to . . ."

"I trust you ability to make the right decision in these situations."

Repeat as often as required until you have opened up your time to lead more effectively; to think, coach, challenge, train, influence and inspire. Your people and your organization will thank you. So will your family.

Accomplishing Autopilot

Intentional Influence

If leadership is "intentional influence," which it is, what separates great leadership from poor?

Influence, is often unintentional; setting a bad example. True leadership is intentional; done on purpose, not by accident. Therefore, there is no separation between good or poor within the word "intentional" in our definition.

It is the "influence" part where we find either remarkable or abysmal leadership, or varying degrees between.

Great leaders can describe their influence with these words: persuade, empower, inspire, encourage, win over, stimulate.

Poor leaders are identified by these descriptions: control, pressure, manipulate, power, command, and threaten.

If you were to reflect personally on your past 24 hours of leadership, which description most accurately matches your behaviour? Your influence impacts every person that you come in contact with; at work, at play, your family. It includes those around you that you never even speak to: at the grocery store, your neighbours or other drivers sharing the same road as you.

Someone is always watching what you are doing. Hopefully you are always showing the example that you intend.

Intentional Influence

How do YOU measure success?

What makes you successful? What I mean is, how do you measure success? At the end of the process, year, term, month, life, etc. how will you know if you have been successful. Think about that for a moment for the current year – how would you answer that question?

Not that it would ever be declared, but for some this is measured by just getting by, successfully navigating the week in order to get to the weekend, keeping the job, being able to retire, or just actually waking up in the morning. Posing this question to others might bring the answer that they think everyone wants to hear; good marks, good results, financial independence, but they have not put a great deal of thought into it and really don't own the goal.

I suppose what I am really talking about is goal / objective setting. When traveling, a destination is set and then the path to arrive at that destination is determined. This seems obvious if you are traveling, yet very few people actually do this in life. Why? I think we tend to make it too complicated. I am not one for sitting down to plan and write out my life goals – short, mid and long term – only to forget about it and only refer back to it when I read or hear someone say that I should have planned goals. I do have these, on paper and I know where they are – but I have not looked at them for well over a year.

Those who know what success looks like, for them, form a picture in their mind's eye of what that success looks like. When asked, they communicate with an "it looks like" phrase that anyone can picture as explained to them.

"Every leader in my organization will have identified and developed talent throughout their team, creating multiple successors for every management position in their business unit."

"We will become a people factory for the rest of the organization – building capacity among our team – measuring ourselves by the number of successful candidates we have developed and promoted."

"Obtain a beautiful home with a picturesque view, which I can go outside and hear nothing but solitude – the birds, and the wind in the trees."

Can you see, in your mind's eye, those pictures of success?

How do YOU measure success?

You must become irrelevant

The manager couldn't take vacation, actually, it was hard for him to even get a day off. Taking a day off was almost not worth the trouble considering the chaos that would meet him upon his return.

Have you worked for a leader that hoards information and authority? One that selectively releases information – keeps everyone on a need to know basis? How did they make you feel?

What about you, are you the brains behind the entire operation? Are you the source of all knowledge that causes everyone to have to come to you for answers? Does your phone ring constantly with people calling for simple answers to easy questions? Do you believe that if you want something done right you have to do it yourself?

This next statement is going to be quite difficult for some to hear; the individual described above is insecure. They believe that they establish their own personal importance and relevance by how much more they know, and how much more decision making power they hold, compared to their subordinates.

For great leaders, the opposite is true; success is determined when you become irrelevant and no longer needed. They become dispensable.

You must become irrelevant

“Make me” or “Make me want to”

I believe that leadership can be segregated into two basic styles / categories: make me, or make me want to.

The make me style focuses on telling people what to do, how to do it and when to do it. It is dictation / dictatorship. It can be effective in accomplishing goals, but will never empower individuals to strive for more or greater results. Leadership that falls in this camp must continuously apply their authority and influence in order to maintain results. Results end the moment the pressure disappears.

The make me want to style focuses on explaining the reason why – the rationale behind what we are trying to accomplish. It is inspirational and leads to exponential growth of the what, or desired results and goals.

The differences between these two camps are much more significant than we typically realize. I like the analogy of communism to capitalism, where the make me model is communism, and the make me want to is capitalism. History has perfectly demonstrated the oppressive and destructive consequences of communism and the limitless possibilities of capitalism.

I once had a boss tell me to "do it or he would find someone else that will." Definitely make me.

I have also had the opportunity to work with many leaders that provided guidance and direction with heavy emphasis on the explanation of why, but focused most of their energy on recognition of ideas, effort and results. They all made me want to!

We can't always pick our leaders and if you find yourself under the leadership of a make me leader, it does not have to be hopeless. Move beyond his or her dictation by discovering the why behind what you are being commanded to do. It is virtually impossible to do something with any passion for which you do not understand the purpose. Ask questions; seek to understand why you are doing what you are doing. Then, motivated by this inspiring knowledge, exceed the desired result or goals. Go beyond what is expected – or dictated. You just may find yourself going beyond that person that is doing the dictating.

“Make me” or “Make me want to”

Go-around managers

They are focused! They find a way to get it done. Obtaining results is the only thing that matters. At first glance this may seem desirable and sound like someone you might want to have on your team and in your organization. It could and it may, but it also describes the "Go-around manager."

Go-around managers, go around. They skip one, two, three and sometimes more levels of hierarchy to get something done. They live by the motto "if you want something done right - you have to do it yourself." Go-around managers deal with symptoms and use band-aids vs. working at the root with permanent solutions.

It looks like:

• Senior executive sending communication directly to the front line with a specific request rather than communicating vision through their direct reports and encouraging innovation and ingenuity.
  
• Managers continuously going around supervisors to get things done out of frustration because the supervisors are not getting them done.
  

This approach may get results, in the short term. However, it does nothing to solve problems long term and counteracts leadership development. Leaders inspire and influence others to obtain the desired results.

Your go-around managers may be getting good results, but when they leave, and everybody eventually leaves, those results stop.

Leaders develop leaders. Go-around managers do not.

Go-around managers

You tend to get what you expect

We generally receive what we expect. In other words are expectations are usually met.

If you expected 2009 to be a terrible year – it probably was.

If you expect your kid's marks to be low – they likely are.

If you expect results to be low . . . you get the point.

Expectations are not always what we communicate directly – with our words, but rather implied by what is between the words and through our actions.

If I say that I think the economic outlook is bright, but pull back spending in every area, my actions are exposing what I really think.

If I tell you that I think you are managing well and doing a good job, but continue to hold back authority and responsibility – what am I really saying?

The good news in all of this is that it works both ways. If I expect the good and the positive, I will tend to get it. If I expect my team to improve their performance and results, they will raise the level of their game to meet my expectations. If I expect any individual team member to rise to their greatest potential – they will.

It is impossible to fake it. They (expectations) are impossible to hide. So how do you change them?

It is a change in what you believe . . . and that is a big part of who you are.

You tend to get what you expect

If your boss wants you to wear matching uniforms . . .

Are you surrounded by people that do exactly as you say and never question any decision, directive or course of action that you initiate? That is fantastic! If you're a military leader. The ability to follow orders and exercise obedience makes a great soldier. However, if the members of your team are not carrying rifles and wearing the same camouflage outfits, and they conform as described in the first sentence, you have a very serious problem.

The existence of a team of blindly following and staunchly obedient troop members is possible for two reasons - both of them attributable to the leader.

1. Subordinates who always agree is likely due to a lack of self-starting qualities and the ability to think for themselves. They are attracted and congregate because . . .
   
2. Some leaders make it clear that agreement is the only option, accomplished by making examples of those now former team members who did not agree.
   

"The problem with our organization is a lack of execution," is a common reason (excuse) provided by leaders. This is a disappointingly transparent statement, which says, "If you would just do exactly what I tell you, we would be successful." In combat, execution is everything; in business, it is an important part – but it is not everything.

People have a need to create, innovate and take on increasing responsibility. They want to try their own ideas, have authority to make their own decisions and have the ability to make a difference. Great people will migrate to organizations that allow them to exercise their ingenuity. Great success is impossible without great people.

Have you ever seen a team, run like a military, achieve any significant or lasting success in the civilian world?

If your boss wants you to wear matching uniforms . . .

How a popular business theme is taken out of context

In their book "Good to Great," Jim Collins and Jerry Porras talk about "the tyranny of the 'or', the genius of the 'and,'" and found that companies that make the leap from good to great refuse to believe that they can't have it all.

Low prices and high quality

Fast and cheap

Quality and quantity

Excellence and cost effective

This profound, easy to understand theme, has unlimited application in life and business. And, because its' meaning is so logical, easy to pick up on and . . . so noble sounding, some have taken this idea out of context. Great companies find a way to have both. Conversely, people in leadership positions that only stumble across this great phrase - with no understanding of the foundation of the principle – simply start demanding the and; they seem to be thinking, if the way you become great is do it all – I want it all, and, tell me all your great ideas and I will demand they be done. Massive difference between "find a way," and "demand."

One must actually read Collin's & Porras's entire book to understand how these companies successfully employ ""the tyranny of the 'or', the genius of the 'and'." These special companies - the Great ones - have unique leaders who approach their people and business in a much different way than the ones that never made the leap.

The word genius in "the genius of the 'and'" implies a brilliance in the approach. To some, it is nearly impossible to understand and the reason why many do not successfully apply it.

In reality, it is only a determined individual or group of people, approaching a problem with unwavering determination, as well as an attitude of cooperation and modesty, prepared to accomplish their desire regardless of ego, precedence or culture. In other words, it has more to do with the people applying the principle, than the principle itself.

You don't have to be a genius, either.

How a popular business theme is taken out of context

A humbling reality – our followers become us

Somewhere around four years ago, I experienced one of those notable lessons in my life. Your followers tend to do what you do - rather than what you expect or say.

The follower in this case was my daughter who was 12 years old at the time. We were driving somewhere and were not on time. She was in the back seat and was very aware of the time issue. We were at a stop sign behind one other vehicle. There was a break in the oncoming traffic that would allow both of us to move past the stop sign and after the break was a train of traffic that did not seem to end. The driver of the vehicle in front of us must have been on time because it became clear that they were in no rush to move. Since I like to coach, I do it whenever I have the opportunity, including the coaching of other drivers despite the fact that they can't hear me. On this occasion, I was only mentally thinking about my coaching tips for the driver in front of me, but to my surprise, my daughter verbalized my thoughts. She was speaking out exactly as she had heard me over the many years that we had spent in the car together – and was unconscious of the fact that this was not great behaviour. My first thought was . . . boy am I glad my wife did not hear that. Really, that was my first thought.

But then, flooding my mind was the realization that my daughter(s), for years, have been watching my impatience while driving and would probably display the same behaviour when they begin driving. I had unintentionally taught my kids to do something that I would never want them to do.

Encarta Dictionary definition of "Lead": guide somebody – to show the way to others, usually by going ahead of them.

Leadership is not just as simple as giving instructions and then everyone follows. We speak with our actions.

Related Posts:

What you DO has more effect than what you SAY

Character

A humbling reality – our followers become us

Would your "leadership" go this far?

Residents, Sebastian Neumayer and Gisela Reichelt, of the community that I live (Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada), like to spend time during the warmer months of the year – walking. However, in addition to regular exercise (often twice daily), they do their part, well . . . more than their part to clean up the community. They pick up garbage – bags full of garbage. Each carrying a grocery store recycling bag in one hand and a "hand held pick up reaching stick in the other," they pick up every piece of garbage - including cigarette butts that they can find. Not just the litter in their path – they go out of their way to seek and find all garbage – even using their mechanical reaching sticks to pull it from among trees and bushes.

I have observed them on many occasions throughout the community picking up garbage and finally had a chance to talk to them. I caught up with the incredibly friendly couple at the end of their evening walk just as it was getting dark. More than happy to share the details of their efforts with me, I find out that they have been carrying out their twice a day "community cleanup walks" for five years.

Sebastian informs me that they each filled two bags this morning. "When we first started doing this, five years ago, we picked up ten bags full just from the path over there," he adds.

Explaining further, "We have noticed that the amount of garbage thrown down has been reduced dramatically since we started – I think that people see what we are doing and are more reluctant to litter."

"We don't do this for money or recognition or anything like that – we just like a clean community – but people often come by and give us these gift cards," affirming with humility as he pulls out a Tim Horton's coffee card (a big deal and valuable gift for any Canadian).

His experience with reduced litter is explained by, and support for, the "Broken Window Theory" outlined in the book "Fixing Broken Windows: Restoring Order and Reducing Crime in Our Communities" by George L. Kelling and Catherine Coles. The authors suggest that a successful strategy for preventing vandalism is to fix the problems when they are small. Repair the broken windows within a short time, say, a day or a week, and the tendency is that vandals are much less likely to break more windows or do further damage. Clean up the sidewalk every day, and the tendency is for litter not to accumulate (or for the rate of littering to be much less). Problems do not escalate and thus respectable residents do not flee a neighbourhood. The theory's most well known support is that of the cleanup of New York City in the late 80's and early 90's. (Source: Wikipedia)

Sebastian and Gisela are the kind of people who have stories and life experiences that you could sit and listen to for hours. Both retired and widowed due to cancer (Gisela widowed twice) they have been in Canada for over 30 years. Gisela is originally from East Germany and escaped in the late 50's – well before the wall came down (or had even been erected in the first place).

"They had to build the wall – communism was so bad that there would have been no one left," she explains.

Sebastian, also originated from Germany (West), says, "The next time I see you I will tell you about how we came to Canada. I landed in Montreal and came to Edmonton – by foot!" I checked: a distance of (2790km, 1,846 miles). "It took me over 3 months!"

The conversation moves back to their efforts in keeping the community clean. It is clear that they thrive on giving back in whatever way they can.

Sebastian provides some detail of how blessed they are and uses that to give back – to bless others. "My mother always told me 'you give with warm hands', meaning you can't do anything from the coffin," he says to support his conviction.

"Bottles which are returnable for a refund are saved and given to the kids when they come around to raise money for their sports teams or other activities," Gisela informs.

I notice that they have "dog treats" and offer to any dog that comes by while walking their owner. "All the dogs love us," Gisela says as she stoops down to give the latest lucky puppy a dog-treat.

They are not just walking and cleaning up close to home either. Their radius extends by over five kms (3 miles) from their home. They are singlehandedly cleaning up close to 25% of the city.

An inspiring couple, keeping the community clean and giving back in any way they can, for no other reason than personal satisfaction. They are unintentionally influencing a community in a very positive way.

Now that is leadership.

Would your "leadership" go this far?