Show how much you care...

I started to write these blogs 3 years ago out of desire to share my understanding of the issues related to authentic leadership.  For the most part I have been able to avoid becoming too repetitive.  But this time I am being deliberately so as the topic is, in my mind, that important.

As a leader, do you have the courage to answer this question?

What is your shelf life; or put in other words, what is your 'best before' date?

You may recall from earlier posts that one of your primary responsibilities is to be the person with the most passion.  You are always the `glass half full` champion from whom the rest of the team draws its strength when things are difficult.  This role can be both physically and emotionally draining with the potential of sapping you of your joy.  And if that happens, your leadership effectiveness is at risk.

Let's face facts.  At some time or another we must all move along (or aside) and allow someone else to take the reigns.  Sometimes it is a matter of age; sometimes the changes in technology require a new approach; perhaps it is simply at matter of lack of passion.  Regardless of the catalyst, will you respect your position enough to relinquish it?

In a small business this decision can be extremely delicate because of potential succession issues within the family.  In larger firms, giving up the status and influence of your role may be a blow to the ego.  But if you truly are the leader that you feel you are, you will set aside the personal aspects and do the right thing for the company.

It is a tough call!  But if you are sensing that the company needs a change then you can be pretty certain that your staff have been sensing if for an even longer period of time.  We are generally the last to admit personal shortcomings.

Get input from your partner; seek the opinion of a trusted peer; or call in an outside professional who can be honest and dispassionate.  But don't let it linger.  Too much of what you have already built becomes at risk the longer you postpone the inevitable.

Take the burden off your shoulders and show how much you really do care.  Everyone, including you, will be better off in the long run.
 

It's all about 'we'!

We have been led to believe that leadership is all about the individual.  But the reality is that there is a big distinction between leadership and the leader.  In fact, leadership is less about the 'me' and almost always about the 'we'.  Let me explain.

Anyone can declare themselves to be the 'leader'.  But the act of declaration does not confirm anything.  Consider the assertions of Gen. Haig after the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan.  Haig was Secretary of State when he learned of the attempt and boldly declared '...I am in charge...'  The US constitution though had already addressed such a situation and Haig was well down the list of candidates.  His comments were noteworthy but meaningless.

Though less grandiose in the grand scheme of things, our declarations are likewise without merit if our status is self proposed.  In the absence of the affirmation of others, we lead no one and thus we are no more significant than a bell without a clapper.  Furthermore, without a common goal or objective, there is no where to lead.  Simply staying in place has equal merit to chasing our tails and indeed they are one and the same.

Leadership then is must be viewed as a threefold equation.  First, there must be one individual who is recognized as the leader.  As long as this individual is appointed in an appropriate and legitimate manner, their skills and qualities are not a topic of debate.  Their appointment confers both the appropriateness and legitimacy.  Secondly the individuals being led must acknowledge the legitimacy and they must willingly support the individual.  Their option, if they oppose the leader, is simple...quit.  And finally there must be a common goal which satisfies four criteria.  The goal must be legal, ethical, moral and achievable.

These three represent an authentic leadership model.  You can now see how leadership is very distinct from being a leader.  Leadership is all about the 'we'.  Being a leader is all about the 'me', that is, the qualities, characteristics and skills that one brings to the position.

Finally, why is it important to understand this distinction? 

Any approach that does not comply with this model is not, by definition, an authentic leadership model.  For example, if you speak of a military or other crisis response situation, it is not a leadership model but a command model. If the person in charge seeks no input or exhibits no empathy to the 'followers' then that person is a dictator, not a leader.  If compliance comes by virtue of threats or actual harm, that person is not a leader but a tyrant. 

What model defines your approach?  If you are more likely to be in the commander, dictator or tyrant classification, then there is little wonder why you are not reaching your goals on a consistent basis.  Take a long look in the mirror.  If all you think of is 'me' and not 'we' then you are falling short...far short...of your responsibilities and getting the type of outcome you have earned and deserve!

The paralysis of failure.

They are four short words;

 

'...if only I had...' 

Most often they are expressed with at least a tang of regret.  Sometimes the longing is to be able to undo that which was done.  Other times the desire is to have acted on that which had been left undone.  Regardless, done or undone, it is past tense.  You cannot change the past.  But how often are we paralyzed by it?

As a leader you are no different from the rest of humanity.  You make mistakes.  Things do not always work out as planned.   

Spoiler alert...you are fallible.

What differentiates the most effective leaders from their peer group is their response to failure. Does your regret sap your confidence, your joy and your passion?  Does fear of failure paralyze you from moving forward?  Do you dwell on the mistake?  Or do you learn from it and use it to motivate you to future success?

Your team chooses to follow you because of the character that you display, day in and day out.  They are all realistic enough to know that perfection does not exist, but strength of character does.  What will motivate them to continue to follow and support you lies not so much in your ability to be perfect, but rather in your ability to carry on. 

When the inevitable happens, acknowledge it, learn from it, and use it to your future advantage.  And do it immediately. The longer you wallow in the trough of failure, the longer it will take to reach those fields of success!

Stand on solid ground!

There is tremendous pressure on all of us to 'perform'; that is, to live up to expectations...typically someone else's expectations. This reality seems to exist regardless of the role we play.  Whether it is one of leadership, manager, or employee.  Sales, accounting, shipping.  We push and push ourselves to exhaustion.  And then we push some more.

We have electronic calendars to remind us.  We have smart phones to tether us.  We have goals to motivate us.

Sadly, despite our best qualities and characteristics; despite our skills, education and training; despite the warnings that our bodies often display; very few of us have truly found balance in our lives. 

Why is it that we adjust our lifestyles only after the heart attack.  Why do we realize an incorrect emphasis on work after  the divorce papers are served.  Why do we acknowledge that our priorities were misplaced after  the severance package has been presented.

It is extremely difficult to get yourself out of the 'now'.  The snowball has a way of building itself as it tumbles downhill. But what will it take for you to step back from the precipice?  It needn't be a tragedy if you only take some time to establish some balance in your life today.

Believe me, I have chased the golden ring.  But I always believed that if I was not able to get the job done in a normal day's work (routinely), then one of two things was probably true.  The first was that I was not doing the work properly in which case I needed to  get better trained and prepared.  Or the second was that the job was too demanding, in which case I needed  a different job.  In either case, simply putting in more hours was not an option.  I was being paid to perform a function, not to sacrifice my life.

Where are you on the scale of lifestyle balance?  Are you headed for the tombstone that reads "...I wish I had spent more hours at the office...". 

As leaders, one of our primary responsibilities is to create and execute a sustainable and achievable strategic plan and vision for the company or for our business unit.  We dedicate an enormous amount of time and effort in the research and implementation of these goals. 

But how many of us have taken the time to do the same kind of prioritizing in our personal lives?  You would be amazed at how easily you can incorporate both work and personal demands, when you take the time to plan. 

Start by remembering that none of us, literally not a single one of us, is indispensable. If that thought seems foreign to you just imagine what would happen if you were hit by a bus.  Much to your surprise and chagrin, the world will not end if you are absent.  Others will adjust; life will go on.

Find the balance.  You may be surprised at how much better you perform at the office when you really do stop and smell the roses!

Intelligent change.

You have heard it said that '...a change is as good as a rest...'  And if things have truly become stale, then this adage holds true.

But change, simply for the sake of change, can have a disquieting impact on the workplace.  This is especially true when the change becomes too frequent. Let me explain.

Often leaders have strokes of genius that they are convinced will enhance the workplace performance.  They set about to implement these ideas without due process and in so doing they ignore the emotional investment that their staff have in the status quo.  Like it or not, routine appeals to most people and there is a sense of safety and comfort in always doing things the same way each day.  So much of life is unpredictable, thus the consistency that the workplace typically affords provides that stability that people seek. 

In times of crisis - such as those that we have experienced over the past several years - there is clearly a need for change.  Budgets are adjusted, often the workforce is reduced, and a general sense of uneasiness pervades the work environment.  As the leader, a critical responsibility is to create order from the chaos and to maintain that safe haven in which your staff are able to perform to their best.

If staff reductions will be necessary, then make them wisely but quickly.  And try to do them all at once.  This will provide several benefits to all:

1. It allows for the re-structuring and re-distribution of responsibilities to take place only one time.  This saves time and emotional distress as you move to the new normal.
2. As painful as it is for all concerned, those who remain can adjust with a certainty that they are safe from further re-structuring and therefore they make a deeper and more thankful commitment to the job.
3. Your external stakeholders - suppliers and clients - can adjust to the new structure with like confidence and commitment.  Too often we neglect to consider the impact to these partners because we view our changes to be internal only.
4. Finally it reinforces your credibility and that of the company.  It demonstrates that you have prudently evaluated your options and that you have done the right thing for the company and the right thing by the employees.  If you have not done your due diligence and require frequent changes, your credibility will have been sacrificed.  There is a reason that carpenters measure twice and cut once!

Understand that I am not against change.  It is the hallmark of progressive and innovative companies.  But ensure that you have properly anticipated the wide ranging impact that any change has and be prepared to be accountable for your decisions.
 

Choose this day...

For much of the past year I have focused on only one side of the leadership duality.  That focus has been on the skills that leaders must master over time to be ensure that they maximize the potential of their group.

Today I want to return to the real touchstone of inspirational leadership. It has nothing to do with skills; but it is the ground from which all the skills must take root.

I speak of character.  The word itself connotes something positive.  When we speak of someone as a `person of character`, it immediately brings to mind the qualities that we admire. Honesty, integrity, accountability, passion, patience, transparency, humility...and more.

Character is built as it is learned.  Most often it has been tested and tried over time before it becomes a core value of the individual.  But once there, it is almost impossible to move. 

A great teacher and coach, John Wooden, said "...reputation is what others think of you; character is what you really are..."

You know from personal experience, that you are much more likely to respect the person of character over the person of superior skills.  In my experience I have often not even noticed a lack of skill in a leader of character.  But I have most definitely noticed the lack of character in a skillful leader.

While both character and skill are found in the most successful inspirational leaders, if you must aspire to one or the other first, always choose character.  Character moves with you regardless of your vocation; regardless of your level of responsibility; regardless of anything, because it is who you are.  Skills may not be nearly as transferable and must be continually upgraded to keep current.

In today's vernacular we hear the terminology, 'emotional intelligence'. It speaks to the need of a leader to have empathy and to respond to another's emotional state in providing leadership.  But that comes up far short of our expectations...empathy being only one of the traits of a mature leader of character.

This is not rocket science.  Unfortunately we continue to have too many in positions of responsibility who choose the 'commander-in-chief' model as a cover for a lack of character. 

First take a look around...then take a look in the mirror.  Now choose the type of leader you will be.


 

Delegate, don't Abdicate

A key responsibility of any leader is to prepare for the 'next'.  That is, who on the team has the potential to be promoted into a leadership role, either as a direct replacement or somewhere else in the company.

While training and experience are important factors in this consideration, few options are better than delegating in preparing the individual for future responsibilities.  Being given the challenge to do something that normally falls in the job description of the boss affords opportunity on several fronts.

1. It very clearly signals satisfaction on the part of the manager with his/her team member.  This is an excellent motivator under any circumstances.
2. The team member gets introduced to more complex decision making situations while still not being fully accountable for the outcome.  This learning process also acquaints the person with the nature of the responsibilities at the next level.  This will be important when a promotion is being considered.
3. In some situations it allows the manager to off-load duties which are not critical but which need to be done.  In delegating though, the task must be one which is building into the individual, not simply offloading an unpleasant or unrewarding responsibility.

As the leader you must delegate, not abdicate, responsibilities.  You should ensure the following:

1. You must be perfectly clear about the expectations, including:

•  the time frame in which the task must be completed; 
• the scope of authority you are extending;
• the nature of the outcome, that is, are you looking for something to be done or only a recommendation;
• any mandatory processes that are applicable;

   2.  You must supervise without interfering.  The individual must understand that you are available to provide direction when required and that you have not simply abandoned them to succeed or fail.

 

    3.  Others must be aware of the scope of authority that has been granted to assure their full cooperation as it may be needed.

 

    4.  Finally, ensure that you provide feedback in the form of a proper verbal and/or written review of their work.  How did it measure up to expectations?  How were inter-personal skills developed?  How did the individual grow through the process?

Delegation is an important tool in employee development.  Too often, the leader is intimidated by the notion that someone else may acquire the skills necessary to replace them and thus he/she intentionally limits progress.  This is clearly illogical thinking as one will never get ahead unless and until there is a viable option to replace them.  Lead with confidence and fully equip all those with potential.  Every one gains as knowledge and capabilities are enhanced.