Leadership, Management and Professional Development
Dan McCarthy, the proprietor of the well-named and always excellent Great Leadership Blog, is out with The January Leadership Development Carnival-The Best of 2009 Edition. I am honored to be in some great company with Dan and many, many of my absolute favorite thinkers and writers, and I encourage you to click over and spend some quality time soaking up the energy and great ideas.
Thanks Dan for the inclusion and for your hard work in pulling this great feature together!
Who’s the Visionary on your team? Hint: chances are it’s not the leader. Contrary to popular myth, “being a visionary” is neither a prerequisite for leading, nor is it bestowed upon the chosen few as they ascend to their lofty perches above us.
Many Visionaries labor in relative obscurity, often ignored or worse yet, mocked, because of their unique way of looking at the world and the issues in front of them.
If you are leading and are interested in building or creating something more than efficient machine with your team, you are well-served to seek out and cultivate those individuals who are capable of seeing patterns and pictures in the environment that the rest of us miss.
You know these people. They are the ones that sit quietly in meetings while the inane debates rage over how to solve grossly tactical issues and they will occasionally look up and say, “Why don’t we?” or, “What if we did it this way?” After a few moments of silence, someone will usually chime up and say, “Yeah, Mary has a point, what if we..?” With a simple comment or observation, the entire direction of the conversation shifts…often for the better.
Consider this most famous of exchanges:
Lucy Van Pelt: Aren’t the clouds beautiful? They look like big balls of cotton. I could just lie here all day and watch them drift by. If you use your imagination, you can see lots of things in the cloud’s formations. What do you think you see, Linus?
Linus Van Pelt: Well, those clouds up there look to me look like the map of the British Honduras on the Caribbean.
[points up]
Linus Van Pelt: That cloud up there looks a little like the profile of Thomas Eakins, the famous painter and sculptor. And that group of clouds over there…
[points]
Linus Van Pelt: …gives me the impression of the Stoning of Stephen. I can see the Apostle Paul standing there to one side.
Lucy Van Pelt: Uh huh. That’s very good. What do you see in the clouds, Charlie Brown?
Charlie Brown: Well… I was going to say I saw a duckie and a horsie, but I changed my mind.
(from the site: The Internet Movie Database-memorable quotes from the movie, A Boy Named Charlie Brown.)
The Visionary in this situation is of course the blanket-toting Linus…the odd little kid that is operating on a different level than the rest of the gang. When it comes to cloud gazing, I suspect that I am more like Charlie Brown in that exchange!
One of my favorite Visionaries reads this blog regularly. (I suspect he knows who he is, although I doubt anyone every offered him the label.) This technologist propelled an entire organization on his ideas. While his “visions” were not universally admired by peers or instantly accepted, the fact was and is that his ideas solve technology conundrums for customers in remarkable ways. (Note: visionaries often have detractors.)
Sometimes you need to look hard to find the Visionary on your team. In my own experience, they are not the classic “A” players that work circles around the rest of the team. They aren’t the loudest…in fact quite the opposite. They don’t tend to gravitate to the limelight.
Hints for Cultivating the Visionaries on Your Team:
The Bottom-Line:
I’ll end where I started. Want a dream team? Give a visionary a voice and then listen hard and learn.
Once again, Mom is proven right. You become the company that you keep.
Surround yourself with intelligent, aggressive individuals comfortable in professionally articulating their perspectives and taking accountability for both their words and their actions, and you will flourish.
Have the self-confidence to bring together groups of extremely capable individuals with varying skills and divergent views and you will be challenged to raise your game every day and on every key issue. This type of an environment sharpens your skills, keeps you honest and ensures that you focus on your job…creating the environment for others to do theirs.
Show me a troubled organization and I’ll guarantee you that I’ll find leaders that failed to remember and heed Mom’s advice.
Instead of the super-charged professionals in high performance organizations, I’ll find Yes-Men (and women) or individuals of questionable character and even more questionable motivation.
It’s certainly not new news that many less than effective or overly paranoid leaders view it as important to secure their power by surrounding themselves with individuals less capable and if you’ll pardon the term, weaker than themselves. It’s an ancient story, and a tactic that is both visible to all and horribly flawed.
I’ve built winning teams in global giants and in small, troubled and ultimately successful firms, and I’ve yet to experience a case where an organization was worse off because I found the smartest people that I could and put them in positions to do what they do best…drive positive change and create value. There was remarkable joy and success in watching and supporting these people tackle challenges that I could not master on my best day.
The Bottom-Line:
If you don’t have the self-confidence to hire people smarter and stronger than you are, it’s time to get out of the leadership profession.
If you are preoccupying on fixing people’s weaknesses instead of leveraging their strengths, it’s time to get out of the leadership profession.
If you can do better, then take time to assess what potential mix of strengths plus values will help you and your firm, and don’t rest until you’ve put those people in place. Then start leading by doing everything in your power to help them succeed.
Oh, and once you’ve set this new table with talent, be prepared to find out how great and what a privilege it is to serve others. And last and not least, remember to thank Mom.
I had an interesting kitchen table discussion recently with a friend who questioned my belief in the ability to change the world by helping support the development of effective leaders.
Note to everyone: while disconcerting, it’s healthy to have people question your view of your ability to change the world every once in awhile. Sobering, but healthy. If nothing else, it helps you re-examine the strength of your convictions.
His point: for every one person that actually “gets it” and develops into an effective, values-driven and people-focused leader, dozens of “incompetent idiots” will end up in positions of responsibility and the cycle of horrible leadership and lousy leaders will continue.
There’s some truth in my friend’s cynical view of the world. In fact, the weight of evidence is much more on his side than on the side of those of us that believe that our efforts will actually make a difference.
However, regardless of the overwhelming evidence against us, I remain steadfast in my (Quixotic?) belief that the size and complexity of the challenges that we face on this third rock from the sun will require the best leaders and the best of our leaders. I also believe to my core that the only way to develop the next generation of effective leaders is one at a time, step-by-step and person-by- person.
I make no secret that I focus my development energies on two groups of individuals: early career professionals and a group that I describe as emerging senior contributors. The early career professionals are typically first-time leaders and my emerging senior contributors are those moderately experienced professionals that are ready to step up and make a difference on a larger scale.
These are the groups where good coaching, strong mentoring and plenty of tough assignments will have the greatest impact. Help one first time leader “get it” from the start, and she will spend a career paying it forward. Help one emerging senior leader or senior contributor learn how to make a difference the right way, and watch as organizations and individuals are transformed on a large scale.
So, while my cynical but honest friend might have the numbers on his side for now, it’s not clear to me that he will win in the long-term.
My question for you: what are you doing to support the development of great and future leaders on your team? You too can help rebalance the equation.
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Note from Art: A busy few days on the road will find it challenging for me to post anything but some short snippets. However, I am excited to have a Fresh Ideas guest post on tap on “Developing Executive Presence” from Jeff Hornstein, proprietor of The Speaker’s Choice and a professional speaking coach and an all-around great person.
One thing that never goes out of style is our need to improve our confidence and competence as a speaker. Like it or not, we are judged in part by how confident and capable we are in presenting our ideas and ourselves, and for many, this is a vexing career issue. In his guest post, Jeff will share his thoughts and even offer a helpful free booklet for download, filled with ideas on how we can all improve our confidence and executive presence.
A note from Art: This dual post was the outcome of a casual exchange of thoughts via Twitter that quickly evolved into a must-write piece and fun collaboration. My partner in crime here is Mary Jo Asmus, the author of the outstanding Intentional Leadership blog...one that I turn to regularly for inspiration and insight. What great fortune it is to have met someone as passionate and thoughtful and pragmatic about the topic of leadership and relationships as Mary Jo. Another wonderful example of the power of social networking!
A note from Mary Jo: Art Petty and I met through the social networking realm recently and found that we were kindred souls, of sorts. Through a Twitter conversation, and subsequent telephone discussion about the importance of the words a leader speaks, we came to this place of deciding to collaborate on a post about the topic. Through the lens of differing, but complimentary aspects of a leader’s words, we found that the collaboration worked to produce the following post that we not only had some fun putting together, but helped us to learn a thing or two from each other – and hope you will too.
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We decided to run both of our essays at both sites…in part because these posts live on long after their initial publication. Feel free to read and comment at either site, and we’ll watch and offer our respective comments in both locations. Enjoy!
The Words of a Leader-Mary Jo Asmus
“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.” – Buddha
“Thoughts become words. Words become actions. Actions become character. Character is everything.” – Unknown
“Think before you speak.” Mom
The Buddha, Unknown, and Mom were all very smart. They knew that all words arise from thoughts, and the words we speak are words that are capable of the power to build, inspire, create or destroy.
Before a leader’s words actually get formed within the mouth, there is the place of thought. The thought that creates the words might be but a nanosecond. This little bit of time can’t prevent a leader from saying something that was unintended or taken out of context. And because followers tend to be “hyper vigilant” about their leaders – anything you say has a greater impact than you may be willing to believe.
So this is the connection that a leader needs to be aware of. Thoughts become words that become action. In order for us to say the right things in order to take the right actions, we may need to begin with our thoughts.
Change your thoughts, change your words.
In our speed-of-light world, we must slow down in order to become aware of our thoughts, in order to speak and take action in a way that is congruent with our values. You can bet that Tiger Woods and other successful athletes imagine and rehearse successful outcomes before following through on them. Why wouldn’t this apply to you and the words you use as a leader? What successful outcomes do you want your words to speak of?
Imagine using words that will build, inspire and create. What are they? Imagine your words being accepted and used in the way you intend them to be. Consider the values you hold most dear. What are your values, and how will your words describe them? How will they be incorporated into the language you use every day?
Take a mental break from the anxiety, worry and judging that go on in your thoughts. Consider a reflective practice or a meditative practice that will allow you to do so. Just as an athlete must rest his muscles, it also makes sense for us to rest our minds and thoughts. Such a practice has the effect of slowing you down, allowing you to renew yourself at the level of thought. Notice your thoughts as they arise in your practice, and you have begun a process of observing that will start you on a path to improving the words you speak as you go about your everyday life. A reflective or meditative practice has arms that reach far beyond the minimal time you spend doing them.
Where your thoughts don’t serve you, change them. Negative self-talk around guilt, anger, or hatred will not serve to help you say the words that your followers need to hear. When those thoughts arise, ask yourself if they are serving to help you in your leadership. If they aren’t, what would you prefer to change them to?
Your thoughts come through in your words, even if you don’t realize it. Others do. Become aware of your thoughts and your words can be intentional, purposeful and life-giving. You will then find it easier to accept the wise suggestions of my colleague, Art, below.
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The Words of a Leader-Art Petty
I’ve often marveled at the speed that an off-handed comment from the boss can fly through an organization, quickly evolving into policy or direction. “Mary said…,” or, “I just heard that… .”
Have you had the unfortunate experience of seeing or hearing a manager publicly chastise a subordinate? This abuser seems to take strength from the assertion of power while the receiver visibly shrinks in stature. Observers feel pity for one and anger at the other.
Have you had the good fortune to work for someone that seemed to draw the best out of you through constructive coaching and encouragement? This type of an impact can last a lifetime.
Have you wondered what it is about that manager that everyone wants to work for? The comments usually go something like this: “She’s demanding and holds us accountable, but we’re accomplishing things and having fun in the process.”
A License To Talk:
While the communication process comprises much more than just the words that we string together, the words truly serve to build-up people, teams and organizations. Words inspire, motivate, challenge, teach and encourage.
Or, they serve as the blunt force weapons of personal and professional trauma and destruction.
Good leaders are builders and they form and shape their words into phrases and questions that encourage learning and improvement and risk-taking and more learning. Good leaders are master craftsmen in many ways, and words are some of their most important tools.
Less effective leaders use words like tools as well, but in this case they crassly apply the words of brute force in settings where precision is called for. They use the end of a wrench to pound in a nail, and seem to disregard the damage to the surrounding area. Of course, they should have used a finishing hammer and a nail set.
Other leaders use words to shape agendas. Good politicians broker understanding and alliances through their words. Less well-intentioned leaders use words to sew the seeds of doubt and mistrust and to shape alliances that benefit one person or one team.
Words are powerful tools. Perhaps leaders should be trained and certified on their use. Hmmm., perhaps leaders should be trained in general, much as a master craftsperson would train an apprentice.
Sticks and Stones:
I doubt that many of us have spent a lot of time considering our approach to word-choice much since our playground days, where the use of words as weapons by some is first mastered. The defense of, “Sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me,” was never really a good defense, was it?
While many of us intuitively understand how powerful our words are, in my own experience, we do a less than effective job teaching this to our apprentice leaders. Consider how many “coaching opportunities” are created as we deal with teams and individuals that push back based on the “approach” used by these early leaders. Peel away the issues and at the bottom, you’ll almost always find an issue with words.
There’s no manual for this topic, but perhaps a few well-intended “words” will help. Consider sharing this with your apprentice leaders and perhaps you’ll avoid the “he said/she said” coaching calls in favor of something more constructive.
Words of Advice for The Words of a Leader
The Bottom-Line on The Words of a Leader:
The choice is yours to lead like a master craftsman or a common hack. Choose and use your words carefully and you’ll be amazed at what those around you create.
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