Pay it Forward.

There is an element of leadership that appeals to the lone wolf.  This person wants the responsibility of the final decision.  They don’t mind being held accountable.  They are very much a person for whom ‘…the buck stops here…’

The fallacy though is that these aspects of leadership apply to everyone in positions of responsibility.  It is not something unique to the lone wolf.  Every leader is ultimately accountable for the decisions made. But the wise leader also covets the counsel of a trusted mentor and the input of valued associates. The broader the base of quality input, the better that the final decision will be. 

Some may view this is as a sign of weakness; a lack of confidence; or a lack of competence.  In fact, the opposite is true.  When you recognize your own limitations and the value of input, you make superior decisions.  The issue is not the quantity of comments that contribute to the decision but rather the issue is the quality of the decision.

If you already have a mentor, you know what I am talking about.  If not, I urge you to explore your options.  Here are some suggestions worth consideration.

1.     Find someone in your industry in another geographic area whose business is a success.  Develop a relationship that allows both of you to share experiences and offer opinions and support.

2.     Contact speakers/consultants who appear at industry events who have impressed you.  Interview them to determine your level of comfort with their ability to communicate with you on a one to one basis.

3.     Connect with former associates with whom you developed a level of trust and confidence.

4.     Search out blogs that speak to your industry and consider contacting the authors for input.

5.     Use your Chamber of Commerce to source potential mentors whose experiences may not be in your field but who have been successful in their own right.

Clearly these represent only a few options.  The issue is that you find someone whom you trust and with whom you are willing to be open to the point of being vulnerable.  You want someone who is strong enough to be supportive and critical at the same time without you taking personal offence at that which you don’t care to hear.  The goal is to be better and that may not come without some polishing.

Over time you will grow.  Your decision making process and your decisions will improve.  And you will find yourself in a position to mentor others. Pay it forward!

Two outa three ain't bad!

When we delegate an assignment there is an implicit understanding that the individual receives not only the responsibility but also the authority and the accountability to carry out the task. Having the responsibility and accountability is fundamentally unfair without the appropriate authority to carry out the task.  Two outa three does not cut it!

If we build a stool we understand that there must be at least three legs on which to stand if it is to serve its intended purpose.  With only one or two legs you do not sit; you balance in a precarious position.  Two outa three does not cut it!

As a leader, your behaviour comes with certain expectations. Quite apart from competency, a leader’s behaviour must excel in three areas.

1.   It must be legal.

2.   It must be moral.

3.   It must be ethical.

If ‘…two outa three ain’t bad…’ applies, which of the three are you prepared to invalidate?

Before you jump to a conclusion, think about those impacted by your behaviour. On one hand, there are those within your company. This includes those on your team; those to whom you report; and others upon whom you depend to get your job done.

On the other hand there are those outside of the company; your customer base; your suppliers; your allies; your competitors; family and friends; and the public at large.

Now decide which aspect of your character you can afford to compromise without negatively impacting your reputation and your performance.

Perhaps from your perspective ‘two out three ain’t bad’.  But you need to see things from the perspective of those looking up to you.  If they are not worth your best; how and why should you expect their best in return?

Sacrifice

During my career I often heard of and saw others who had made a personal sacrifice for their company.  Most times this related to things like extensive travel; late or early hours (or both); weekends and holidays consumed with things of work.  Their feeling was that this level of sacrificial dedication was a good way of being considered for promotion or deserving of some recognition…particularly financial. 

A standard dictionary definition of sacrifice in this context put it this way.

 “…the surrender of something for the sake of something else…”

Expressed in this manner there is a certain magnanimous aspect to the individual’s efforts.   But that would be the wrong interpretation!

The fact of the matter is that the individual has not sacrificed anything.  Rather, they have made a conscious and self- serving decision.  Wrap it up in whatever other rationale that may suit you, but the true sacrifice is made not by the individual but by those impacted by their decision.

Whether it is family or friends who lose the opportunity of relationship with the individual, these are those who are truly sacrificing something. 

Let’s stop sugar coating the truth of the matter.  When someone CHOOSES to throw themselves into their work to the extent that it causes disconnect with those who should otherwise expect this person’s time and attention, then this person has not sacrificed anything.  They are pursuing that which they have chosen.

As a leader, are you justifying time away as a sacrifice you are making?  I submit that you are deluding yourself.  Clearly there are times when work appropriately demands more of you than is otherwise reasonable.  But when that demand is chronic, your choices are a bigger part of the problem.

Don’t pretend that the company is at fault.  Sacrifice only pertains to the relationship between individuals.  A company has no personality and therefore can neither demand nor recognize a sacrifice.

Leaders model behaviour for others.  In a perfect world it should be very much a ‘do as I do’ example.  How do you measure up?  Are you encouraging the sacrificial work ethics of others or are you - by word and by deed – demonstrating balance.

Your personal welfare and the welfare of your team members supersede the welfare of the company.  Be the leader that demonstrates that reality.

There's no fool...

There is an old saying that states ‘…you can fool all of the people some of the time; you can fool some of the people all of the time; but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time…’ 

I have known too many people in positions of responsibility to whom this is not a quotation but rather a ‘modus operandi’.  They are in over their head and they know it!  This approach serves as a type of survival technique.  Rather than acknowledge their shortcomings they use a variety of schemes to mask the reality.

Some use trickery.  Others simply lie or use alternate facts.  Bragging; bullying; delegating or refusing to make the tough decisions; threatening; coercing; belittling. These are all part of the ‘style’ that some use to ‘lead’.

First of all, let’s be entirely clear.  Leaders should never even try to fool any of the people any of the time.  Not only is it wrong, it is just plain dumb.  Those who work for you are not stupid and they can see through a façade pretty quickly.  You may be particularly astute at hiding your incompetence  from those above you, but it will come out sometime and likely at a time when you can least afford it to.

Secondly, most people are willing to offer you grace when you need it.  If you are struggling with something that is impacting your leadership abilities, acknowledge it. Perhaps you need some training; speak to your superior or find a mentor.  Perhaps your style has been incorrect – bullying, belittling etc. Apologize to everyone and change.  Maybe you really are in over your head.  Find the role that suits your abilities and your nature.

Finally remember that few people are qualified to lead the same group forever.  Your role may be ‘for such as time as this’.  The leadership style that works in a start- up company may not work for a mature organization.  Working with large teams is much different than working with in a small group.   Constantly examine and evaluate your skill set relative to the needs of your team.  If there are too many discrepancies, too many disconnects, face facts and move on.  This is no time for fools or fooling.  It takes courage, but that is part of leadership too.

Your Sixth Sense

We have all been endowed with certain senses.  Sight, taste, touch, smell and hearing.  We use these to navigate through life.  We all have these senses to varying degrees and we all use them to make important choices.

What tastes good to one is different from another.  Beauty is ‘in the eye of the beholder’.  The sound of different music genres appeal to some but offend others.

When we are unsure of something new we encounter we often revert to the old saying ‘…if it quacks like a duck; if it waddles like a duck; and if it smells like a duck; chances are it probably is a duck…’

These are fundamental navigational tools that we depend upon.  But sometimes these senses lead us astray.  Tests have confirmed that senses often interact to create confusion in our analysis.  For example, individuals who are told that a certain smell comes from a visually attractive flower will generally rate the smell very positively.  Whereas the same smell that is identified as garbage elicits a negative response.

What’s this all got to do about leadership?  Simply this…don’t be deceived by appearances.  Learn to rely much more on your sixth sense, that is, common sense.

It is stunning to me how uncommon common sense has become.  We default to statistics as if they are gospel; we look at appearance as a predictor of success; our experiences cloud how we evaluate new opportunities; our prejudices define others before there is a chance for them to prove themselves.

Leaders must rise above the folly of decision making based on the emotions of the senses.  Remember how easily our brains get confused when conflicting senses cloud reality.  Every decision must pass the fundamental question of ‘does this make sense?’  When natural indicators derived from our five senses fly in the face of the overarching sixth sense, choose the latter.

In 1962 JFK convened a meeting in the White House after the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion.  A poll of those at the table recommended to Kennedy that the US should bomb Cuba.  Kennedy paused for a moment before declaring “the vote is 9 to 7 in favour of bombing.  Gentlemen, the 7’s have it”

His commitment to common sense was critical and may be remembered as one of his most important decisions.  You may argue, correctly, that his initial decision to support the invasion was wrong.  But he learned to trust his instincts over the emotions of the moment.  We are all better for it.

You are in a position of leadership because you have a demonstrated ability to exercise sound decisions based on common sense.  Don’t abandon your natural senses; they provide useful information.  But let common sense be the final arbiter and you will win far more often that you lose!

If you only ask one question.

Every day leaders are required to make decisions.  Some are profound; others are sublime. Often times it is fair to question whether a decision really needs to be made or whether someone has simply abdicated their responsibilities.

Before a decision is rendered, you typically need to know some information to make an informed response.  In my opinion there is only one question that you need to ask.  That question is ‘…how...’

It may be followed by some clarification such as ‘how will this make a difference’ or ‘how will this be accomplished’.  In every instance the ‘how’ is a call to action.

‘How’ challenges the participants to be part of the solution.  ‘How’ implies that ‘why’ has already been considered because you do not seek solutions to that which is not required. 

‘How’ looks to the future while considering the past. 

‘How’ recognizes that ‘when’ is now.  ‘How’ demands a positive response.

‘How’ engages all parties up and down the decision-making chain and in so doing it answers the ‘who’.

And ‘how’ fulfils ‘what’ by defining the action to overcome inertia. 

When ‘how’ can be answered all the side issues become mute.  Your call to action; those included in the solution; the anticipated outcome; the timeframe all become defined in the process resulting from the answer to one simple question.

HOW?  Not why, not when, not who…just one simple question.  How?

As a leader you want to make sound decisions while developing your staff into intelligent, thoughtful team members.  When they know that your first question is ‘how’ you will have encouraged them to come to you with fewer questions and more solutions; seeking approvals not answers. 

Any organization that reaches this point is on the verge of greatness.  Just ask ‘how’!

Who do you work for?

Logic responds that we all work for our employer.  In a macro sense this is quite true.  After all, someone else is signing our cheque so that is who we work for.

Allow me to offer another option, one reserved for those in positions of leadership.  I submit that those who lead by inspiring their team members actually work for these same team members.   How so…?

As the leader you set the goals and objectives.  It may be an interpretation of the larger corporate goals, but there are specific team outcomes that you need to accomplish.  Once these are set, your job is to facilitate the team to allow individuals to maximize their efforts on a daily basis. 

You must ensure that they are properly trained, equipped and inspired.  You must ensure that the chemistry of the group is always in balance.  You must monitor progress.  You must anticipate obstacles and respond accordingly.

In all of these responsibilities you are serving your team members.  If effect, you are working for them and on their behalf to allow them the greatest likelihood of success.  If the team fails it is seldom the work of the members that will be found deficient.  Most likely the blame falls (quite rightly) to the leader.  He/she has failed in their primary duty, i.e., to make success possible.

I appreciate that at first blush it seems to be counter-intuitive.  But trust me on this!  The better job you do in enabling your staff to be successful the greater the likelihood that your goals will be accomplished as well. 

Service has it rewards.  And they are much more satisfying than being served.  I am not advocating spoon feeding your team members or doing their jobs for them.  Rather it is the act of supporting, uplifting, encouraging, enabling and inspiring the team, individually and collectively, in which you gain your rewards. 

Take another look at who you work for.  Maybe it’s time to focus on something other than the name on the cheque…