Comments on: Leadership Caffeine: Strengthen Your Leadership Foundation

By: Scott Booher

Scott Booher — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:35:35 +0000

Art – another good post, I especially agree with the statement about managing to minimize personal risk – seems to be a significant problem in many larger organizations.

By: Art Petty

Art Petty — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:53:33 +0000

Thanks all for taking time to read and comment!

Wally, I truly wish I was as succinct as you in communicating my key points. You say in a few words what it takes me a paragraph to communicate!

David, your thoughtful comment reads like its own very valuable blog post There is much wisdom in what you write and what you do. I love the canoe visual!

Monica, your enthusiasm for great leadership practices always puts a smile on my face. Your clients are very fortunate to work with someone like you!

Thanks,

Art

By: Monica

Monica — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:46:42 +0000

Love this post, Art! Your idea con creating a Charter especially resonates with me. We coach many new leaders and work with them to find meaningful purpose. It is so important that appointed leaders will really LEAD and not just follow perceived expectations. I share your vision on how new leaders or midlife leaders face this issue. Right on the mark, I think. As always, after reading this post I take away great reflections for my own leadership and for coaching others to lead.

Monica (@monedays)

By: David Locke

David Locke — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:43:48 +0000

That “Let me know if you need help” is seen as disingenuous, speaks loudly to the point of not leading. I tend to ask, “What do you need?” I do this often. I don’t expect them to come to me. It forces me to stay in touch. And, it forces me to do the thing that moves the question beyond the disingenuous. It forces me to deliver on their needs, to enable, to get out of the way.

As a canoe instructor, I once stood ahead of a rock. When a canoe went by, I pushed so gently that the canoeists wouldn’t notice. You had to push it just enough that they didn’t do a head on into the rock. They didn’t notice, so they gained some confidence, and kept on canoeing.

Likewise with Go players, and Tango followers, building confidence requires the weakest assist, consistent affirmation, and the constant push of further instruction.

At some point in my life the difference between giving care and taking care was taught. To give care is to ask, to put the decision in the hands of the receiver. To take care is to do without asking with the inevitable result of diminishing the receiver. Our followers are decision makers, so let them decide. They should be communicators as well, so maybe they should ask for help, but it’s a hard thing to do, and a hard thing to teach.

Shepard leaders cannot be disingenuous. Not being disingenuous depends on making it so. At times making it so won’t be easy, or rarely it might not be possible, but reshaping the world is the duty, as is getting it done at the moment of need. “So, do you have everything you need?”

By: Wally Bock

Wally Bock — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:04:06 +0000

Well, Art, it’s another one of those caffeine wake-ups. Establishing values and purpose are part of leadership work. A boss can’t communicate them if they don’t live them, but if they do, team members tend to line up to make them real.