Management Excellence by Art Petty

I’ll say it again.  In my opinion, the best leadership books are not found in the business section of your library or local bookseller.  This is a bold (or at least controversial) claim from someone who just spent 14 months co-writing and publishing a book on leadership that is carried in the business section.  In spite of the time investment, I am still of the opinion that the most powerful readings on leadership are found by looking in the biography and history sections. 

Biographies Provide a Unique View Into the Minds of Great Leaders During Times of Success and Failure.

The same fundamental rules of leadership apply whether you are leading a team inside an organization
or leading a country in the face of invasion, albeit they are highly magnified in the latter situation. The leader in business or statecraft is faced with ambiguity, competing perspectives, strained or insufficient resources, motivated adversaries, significant consequences for failure and solution sets that likely have big risks and potential suboptimal outcomes. A typical day at the office for most businesspeople and world leaders.   

Understanding how historical figures navigated their crises, managed their teams and dealt with failure on the road to success provides critical context for our own roles and activities as leaders. The historians and biographers offer us a unique opportunity to study well-documented examples of leadership success and failure, and we can leverage those learnings in our own daily activities and decision-making. 

A Few Favorites that Deliver Powerful Lessons in Leadership:

• Winston S. Churchill, Memoirs of the Second World War.  Churchill offers the reader a window seat to the defining event of the 20th century and his remarkable leadership successes and blunders along the way.  If you are not up to the 6-volume set, try the abridged version at a little over 1,000 pages.

• Two great choices on Lincoln–Carl Sandburg’s classic multi-volume set or the more recent biography by author David Herbert Donald.  It is hard to comprehend the scope and complexity of the issues that Lincoln faced.  His multi-year pursuit of a general that could lead, the constant derision that he faced from  almost everyone and his tenacity in spite of several years of failure during the Civil War.  Imagine his thoughts as he sat in his office in a virtually unprotected capitol, staring at the smoke rising from the campfires of the adversary just a short distance away. If you are having a tough day, a few minutes sitting in Lincoln’s seat will put things back in perspective.

• Patriarch-George Washington and the New American Nation, by Richard Norton Smith.  Smith chronicles Washington’s later life and submits that it was his character, not the new constitution that held the young republic together.  There was no precedent for the role that Washington assumed as President and understanding how this remarkable man navigated this complex, highly ambiguous situation is an educational experience for every leader. 

• Books by and about Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance Expedition.  Shackleton’s leadership in the face of a dire life or death crisis and his extraordinary efforts to ensure the safe rescue of his crew are inspirational reading.  His efforts during the Endurance crisis truly defines the role of a leader in serving his team. 

• Two additional Presidential readings: Truman, by Margaret Truman offers personal insights into the man that was put in the unlikely spot to end World War II and faced the horrific dilemma of invading Japan or dropping the first atomic bombs.  Theodore Roosevelt, by Nathan Miller, showcases Roosevelt pursuing and achieving his vision of bringing the U.S. to the world stage for the first time. 

The next time you are looking for inspiration or motivation, or one of your associates ask for some suggested readings in leadership, aim for the biography section of the bookstore first and share the journey of those that served and led and ultimately changed the face of the world. 

If you have some suggested readings, please let me know and I will be happy to add to the book list. 

One of the chapters in my book (with Rich Petro), Practical Lessons in Leadership, emphasizes the role of the leader as Chief Talent Scout and Developer.  A lesson that I learn frequently in my travels on business and in my consumer experiences is that some of the most talented potential employees can be found in the places that  you least expect to find them.  Of course, you have to have your talent scouting eyes wide open or it is easy to miss an opportunity.

• The stylist that cuts my hair is the informal salon leader (absentee owner situation) that everyone looks to for direction and decision-making.  It turns out she is a leadership junkie, attending every seminar that fits her schedule, reading voraciously on the topic and applying what she learns in the salon.  She experiments with team-building, provides effective and timely feedback on performance and relays lessons learned from her mistakes. Instead of the trivial conversation most people engage in when getting their hair cut, we have spirited discussions about all things leadership.  Every time I walk out after a haircut, I shake my head and the leadership savvy that Melinda displays and I remind myself to hire or refer her at the first opportunity.  (She also lingers over my haircut, occasionally clipping at nothing…making me feel better about the fact that my hair volume no longer justifies her price.  I go for that and the leadership treat!)

• Some of the worst consumer experiences in the world happen in cell phone stores.  Or so I thought, until I watched in amazement as a twenty-something floor associate simultaneously managed an irate customer–placating him by solving a problem, while answering machine questions thrown at him by the other, less experienced associates.  When it was my turn, this consummate customer-focused person stayed with my challenging account transfer issue during 2 days, working through big company bureaucracy to solve my problem.  I wrote his boss a letter and I made note of his name and contact information.  The next time I need an early career professional in a customer service capacity, he gets the call.

• I frequent a particular home improvement store (small, not big box) because one gentleman that helps me is one of the best strategic planners I’ve ever met.  He listens patiently to my project description and then launches into a series of questions that has me completely rethink what I was trying to accomplish and how I was going to go about it.  He looks at the big picture of my project and then drills down to show me how to execute.  He even takes phone calls if I get stuck!  While he appears to be happy in semi-retirement, I think about his approach to my home improvement projects when I engage clients in their business improvement initiatives. I haven’t figured out how to hire him yet, but I will!

There is no rule that says that the talent that you surround yourself with has to come from the same mold or carry the same pedigree.  If you open your eyes to some of the great experiences that people create for you in some of the most mundane settings, you might just find the people you need to help propel your business into the future.  Happy Talent Scouting!

A highlight of the 2007 Kellogg Leadership Conference was the Keynote by Professor Harry M. Jansen Kraemer Jr., a Professor of Management and Strategy at Kellogg and the former Chairman and CEO of Baxter International.   (An internet search of his name offers some great bio material.)  His fast-paced, dynamic and humorous delivery was backed by his consistent refrain about business: "It’s simple–not easy but simple."

Professor Kramer addressed the mostly MBA student audience with his perspectives on Value Based Leadership in the form of Six Steps on the Journey.  The advice is well worth repeating.  I paraphrase:

1. Take time to reflect–know what you are all about, know what you value and know your own definition of success.
2. Create Balance–not just work/life balance, but the balance that is right for you.  There are 168 hours to work with each week…know how you will use them.
3. Always, always, always strive to set a positive example.  Remember, everyone’s watching!
4. Don’t focus on being right–focus on doing the right thing. 
5. Realize that it is your responsibility to create positive change.
6. Never lose the ability to keep it all in perspective. 

Professor Kraemer’s parting reminder that we are all only here for a brief instant in time, underscored his refrain that we should seek to do something to make a difference.

We would all be well served to follow his guidance.