How to Lead in Times of Crisis

The World Business Forum starting in New York City this week brings together political and business leaders for two days to discuss the ongoing crisis, leadership, talent management, leading change in jobless times and many more issues related to how we conduct business and lead teams today.

For a CEO, this event promises to show key indicators of where and what might lead us out of the current crisis. From changing the way you mentor teams, spearhead campaigns and make your brand successful, the next decade will require evolved leadership skills if you and your company want to succeed. The introductory speaker Bill George, ex-CEO of Medtronix and a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School will focus on discussing the focal point of the event: How to lead in times of crisis.

He will speak from experience. He has not only led Medtronix for a number of years but also serves on boards of many multinational companies and has authored several books including his latest publication 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis.

Recently he said: “It’s quite easy to be a measured, good-natured, principled and strategic leader in smooth sailing, but reputations are made in the depth of crisis. I want to ensure that the next generation of leaders, like those students of mine at HBS, clearly understand that concept and grasp the inherent vulnerability they face as leaders in crisis.”

His primary concern though is a familiar one and one that hits at the top of every company: That the economic collapse was not caused by oft-repeated reasons like subprime mortgages and credit default swaps but by failed leadership.

Below are a few tips he hopes will help you as company (and team) leader to make the right decisions and keep everyone afloat:

• Don’t point fingers when you are to blame.
• Don’t try to go it alone – you will fail.
• Don’t go for the quick fix.
• Don’t forget the media – they hang on every word.
• Don’t shy away from opportunity – come out swinging.
• Don’t be afraid to change your leadership style.
• Don’t ever, ever waste a good crisis - it is your opportunity to change your company for the better.
• Do get behind the podium and inspire your company back to profitability.
• Do get down in the weeds with your managers and work the problem.
• Do focus on long-term viability rather than short-term profits.
• Do be forthright in acknowledging fault.
• Do encourage a culture of candidness. Do call on trusted mentors when you need a fresh perspective.
• Do keep a close eye on the balance sheet (in crisis, cash is king).
• Simply, lead with every intention of having an aggressively positive impact on your company, employees, and customers. Crisis or not.

How to Lead in Times of Crisis

The Importance of Candor in Business

One of the most straightforward pieces written recently on candor comes from Jack Welch’s book, Winning: The Ultimate Business How-To Book. In it, he refers to candor as, “the biggest dirty little secret in business,” but more specifically as people not expressing themselves in a straightforward way and withholding their comments and criticism; usually in an effort to avoid conflict.

Welch summarises the positive effects of candor on an organisation as:

1.Create better outcomes: get more people in the conversation which leads to more minds and more ideas.

2.Speed things up using the process: surface, debate, improve, decide.

3.Cut costs: replace boring meetings, pointless updates, and presentations with real conversations about the core issues.

Why aren’t we candid: we’re taught not to be at a young age. Sensitive or awkward issues are softened or avoided. Our parents scolded us for pointing out something that we thought was obvious but “wasn’t a nice thing to point out.” But the main reason we’re not candid is simple, it’s easier not to be.

So how do we reverse the trend and our learned childhood behaviours to create candor in our companies? Reward the behaviours you’d like to see more of and lead by example, no matter where you are in the hierarchy (although it is easier the higher up you are).

What steps do you take within your organisation to promote and reward candor?

The Importance of Candor in Business

The Best Leadership Advice I Ever Got

Marshall Goldsmith is a world authority in helping successful leaders achieve positive, lasting change in behaviour. As a coach, he is often asked to give others advice. In this interview, he is asked what is the best coaching advice that he has ever received?

'Like many young Ph.D. students, I was deeply impressed with my own intelligence, wisdom and profound insights into the human condition. I consistently amazed myself with my ability to judge others and see what they were doing wrong.

UCLA Professor Fred Case was my advisor and head of the Los Angeles City Planning Commission - where I was doing my dissertation research. At this point in my career, he was clearly the most important person in my professional life. He was also a man that I sincerely respected. He had done an amazing amount to help the city become a better place. He was also doing a lot to help me.

Although he was normally in a very upbeat mood, one day Dr. Case seemed annoyed. He looked at me and growled, "Marshall, what is the problem with you? I am getting feedback from some people at City Hall that you are coming across as negative, angry and judgmental. What's going on?"

"You can't believe how inefficient the city government is!" I ranted. I immediately proceeded to give several examples of how taxpayer's money was not being used in the way that I thought it should be. I was convinced that the city could be a much better place if the leaders just listened to me.

"What a stunning breakthrough!" Dr. Case sarcastically remarked, "You, Marshall Goldsmith, have discovered that our city government is inefficient! I hate to tell you this Marshall, but my barber who is cutting hair down on the corner figured this out several years ago. What else is bothering you?"

Undeterred by this temporary setback, I angrily proceeded to point out several minor examples of behavior that could be classified as favoritism toward rich political benefactors.

Dr. Case was now laughing. "Stunning breakthrough number two!" he chuckled. "Your profound investigative skills have led to the discovery that politicians may give a more attention to their major campaign contributors than to people who support their opponents. I am sorry to report that my barber has also known this for years. I am afraid that we can't give you a Ph.D. for this level of insight."

As he looked at me, his face showed the wisdom that can only come from years of experience. He said, "I know that you think that I may be old and 'behind the times', but I have been working down there at City Hall for years. Did it ever dawn on you that even though I may be slow, perhaps even I have figured some of this stuff out?

Then he delivered the advice I will never forget. "Marshall," he explained, "you are becoming a 'pain in the butt'. You are not helping the people who are supposed to be your clients. You are not helping me and you are not helping yourself. I am going to give you two options:

"Option A - Continue to be angry, negative and judgmental. If you chose this option, you will be fired, you probably will never graduate and you may have wasted the last four years of your life.

"Option B - Start having some fun. Keep trying to make a constructive difference, but do it in a way that is positive for you and the people around you.

"My advice is this: You are young. Life is short. Start having fun.

"What option are you going to choose, son?"

I finally laughed and replied, "Dr. Case, I think it is time for me to start having some fun!"

He smiled knowingly and said, "You are a wise young man."

Most of my life is spent working with leaders in huge organizations. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that things are not always as efficient as they could be - almost every employee has made this breakthrough discovery. It also doesn't take a genius to learn that occasionally people are more interested in their own advancement than the welfare of the company. Many employees have already figured out this one as well.

Real leaders are not people who can point out what is wrong. Almost anyone can do that. Real leaders are people who can make things better.

Dr. Case taught me a great lesson. His coaching didn't just help me get a Ph.D. and become a better consultant. He helped me have a better life. '

Think about your own behaviour at work. Are you communicating a sense of joy and enthusiasm to the people around you - or are you spending too much time in the role of angry, judgmental critic?

Do you have any co-workers who are acting like Goldsmith did? Are you just getting annoyed or are you trying to help them - in same way that Dr. Case helped him? If you haven't been trying to help them, why not give it a try. Perhaps they will write a story about you someday!

For more, see - http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/goldsmith/2008/09/the_best_leadership_advice_i_e.html?loomia_ow=t0:s0:a38:g26:r12:c0.016508:b27998024:z6

The Best Leadership Advice I Ever Got

The Art of Good Leadership

“Good leaders make people feel that they are the very heart of things, not at the periphery. Everyone feels that he or she makes a difference to the success of the organization. When that happens people feel centered and that gives their work meaning.” Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus

The Art of Good Leadership

Leadership Lessons for Difficult Times

McKinsey recently conducted a series of interviews with 14 CEOs and chairmen of major global companies which sheds light on the foundations of corporate leadership in diffcult times. Here are the principles which guide these leaders' behaviour:

Confront reality
'Always question whether the “halo effect” of a business or business situation is blinding you to what lies on the horizon.' - Herbert Henkel, chairman and CEO of Ingersoll Rand

At board meetings, put strategy centre stage
'The board has been heavily involved in strategy formulation with me, and we have a better strategy because of it.' - Bill Nuti, chairman and CEO of NCR

Be transparent with employees . . .
'The only way to address uncertainty is to communicate and communicate. And when you think you’ve just about got to everybody, then communicate some more.' - Terry Lundgren, chairman, president, and CEO of Macy’s 

. . . and investors
'Our policy is: “If in doubt, communicate.” We always want to conduct our business with integrity and forthrightness.' - Ron Sugar, chairman and CEO of Northrop Grumman

Build and protect the culture
'Stay focused on culture, people, and values: it’s the area most likely to get compromised in this environment.' - Eric Foss, chairman and CEO of Pepsi Bottling Group

Keep faith with the future
'If you don’t invest in the future and don’t plan for the future, there won’t be one.' - George Buckley, chairman, president, and CEO of 3M.

None of the CEOs interviewed claimed to have attempted anything revolutionary. What was evident, however, was their resolve in pursuing the principles they thought were right, often in the face of opposition. Leadership becomes increasingly important in tough times, when so much is at risk—but it can be even harder to exercise. The six leadership “musts” described above have made the greatest difference for CEOs on the front line.
 
For more, see - http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Governance/Leadership/Leadership_lessons_for_hard_times_2413

Leadership Lessons for Difficult Times

Bringing Global Citizen Corps to Scotland

This Facebook article is worthy of note and says much about the leadership being displayed currently by many young people in Scotland and throughout the world:


'Monday, 27 April 2009

Global Citizen Corps Leader Sinead talks about the program and why she feels it is important to join the fight against global poverty.

At 16, I am part of a generation that is internet obsessed. For some, this means an addiction to internet game sites and for others, a reliance on Facebook or Bebo. For me, it has opened my eyes to the world and allowed me to explore.

As a child the news was always so depressing, and so often led to nightmares that I frequently flicked the channels. Later when I was no longer such a kid, I got so fed up of hearing about the economy, or a party conference for 10 minutes and only getting civil wars as sideline stories that I again grew restless with the news. This is where the internet comes in. Suddenly I discovered internet news websites. They presented the same news, but I could filter through the stuff that bored me and I was able to read the headlines in my own voice and make my own conclusions. And then a quick Google search could reveal 20 new dimensions to each story. The world was suddenly much smaller than I realised.

All of this made one thing clear. it was that life really isn't fair. I could read about starving children and then sit down to an incredible meal. I no longer wanted to be a vet; I now knew that I wanted to do something to tackle poverty. However, I didn't really know what I should do to get there. My future seemed so exciting, I envisaged travelling to far off lands and really doing something with my life – I couldn't wait! It was again through the internet that I took a further step.

The leader of a youth group I attend sent round an email about an opportunity she had heard about, and attached a link. This was the Mercy Corps initiative. Global Citizen Corps, and without really properly finding out what it was I applied to become a Global Citizen Corps leader - something I am now very glad of. From what I knew it was a chance to be educated about issues surrounding poverty and to be given help in arranging action within the local community to tackle it. That was enough for me, and it's actually a pretty good description.

Arriving for the first summit in November was a pretty nerve-wracking experience, I wasn't certain what I was to find and was wondering if I had made the right choice in going. When I got there I was a little daunted by the size of the hotel, and I quickly got lost. When I eventually found my way I found myself in a carpeted business-like room. Immediately I started worrying - does everyone else know each other? Will I actually manage to start a conversation? However, it was all just me worrying and the weekend was much better than I had expected. We learnt about HIV globally and locally and I soon found inspiration for what I could do in my school. Global Citizen Corps has provided me with an excellent opportunity to actually do something about issues that we normally brand hopeless. It has made me see that helping those most in need isn't a far off dream but a realistic goal. Hopefully a goal that my internet obsessed generation will be able to meet.'

For more on Global Citizen Corps see - http://www.globalcitizencorps.org/about.htm?page=about_leadership

Bringing Global Citizen Corps to Scotland

Lance Armstrong and Livestrong

October 2nd was the 13th year anniversary of Lance Armstrong’s cancer diagnosis. As the saying goes, it was a blessing in disguise. In many cases, we hear that but don’t really see the blessing-only the disguise. But for Lance, his cancer helped him win the Tour de France. Unbelievable as it may sound, the cancer helped Lance get lighter on the bike. The cancer stripped some of his muscle and in turn, his weight dropped. However, the real blessing was for us. Lance and his mother started the Livestrong foundation and brought a new awareness and a new life to leading the fight to beat cancer in our lifetime. Lance has created a legacy, both off and on the bike, and it happened in the guise of a cancer diagnosis.

Lance Armstrong and Livestrong

Don't Lose Faith - Find What You Love

Drawing from some of the most pivotal points in his life, Steve Jobs, chief executive officer and co-founder of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, urges graduates to pursue their dreams in this 2005 Commencement Address to Stanford University students:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

Don't Lose Faith - Find What You Love

Great Leaders Are Great Communicators

In a recent New York Times article, Delta Airlines CEO, Richard Anderson, says leadership is about effective communication skills. When asked about what he looks for in a job candidate, Anderson said, “Typically, when you’re hiring a vice president of a company, they already have the resume and they already have the experience base. And so what you’re trying to find out about are the intangibles of leadership, communication style and the ability to adapt to change. I'm looking for really good communication skills"

Anderson’s response brings to mind a book titled, “Jacked Up”, by former General Electric speechwriter, Bill Lane. In the book, Lane recalls that each of the 23 candidates in line at GE to succeed Jack Welch were considered “good to great” presenters. Anyone who seeks a position of leadership in today’s global economy should strive to improve the way they write, speak and present.

During job interviews, Richard Anderson says he’s listening for really good communication skills. “More and more, the ability to speak well and write is important. You know, writing is not something that is taught as strongly as it should be in the educational curriculum. So you’re looking for communication skills.”

Anderson doesn’t end there. He goes on to say “I think this communication point is getting more and more important. People really have to be able to handle the written and spoken word. And when I say written, I don’t mean PowerPoints. I don’t think PowerPoints help people think as clearly as they should because you don’t have to put a complete thought in place. You can just put a phrase with a bullet in front it. And it doesn’t have a subject, a verb and an object, so you aren’t expressing complete thoughts.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/business/26corner.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=richard%20anderson&st=cse

Great Leaders Are Great Communicators

Why Talent is Overrated

Everybody’s talking about how to find opportunity in the current economic chaos, but here is an angle that might be getting overlooked. Times of crisis present genuinely great opportunities to develop leadership. Not to demonstrate leadership; that opportunity is obvious. What we are talking about is building leadership capabilities beyond what you or others in your organisation possess now. While it’s difficult to be happy about tough times, this opportunity is so large that it’s almost worth being grateful for.

Here’s what we mean. Scientific research on great performance has shown persuasively that high abilities of all kinds are developed. They don’t occur naturally. The question of whether great leaders are born or made is settled: They’re made.

The key to this development is pushing people – or people pushing themselves – just beyond their current abilities, forcing them to do things that they can’t quite do. Companies that are famous for developing leaders - PepsiCo (PEP), Procter & Gamble (PG), General Electric (GE) - are continually moving managers into jobs that accomplish exactly that. But the process is slow and can accommodate only so many people at any time

The great thing about a financial crisis and a recession is that they offer everyone the opportunity to be stretched in their current jobs. Such CEOs as A.G. Lafley, ex of P&G and Jeff Immelt of GE have said that being forced to manage through crises earlier in their careers built their abilities so much that it was critical to their becoming CEOs—and that, in fact, they wouldn’t have become CEOs otherwise

Certain practices can make the experience especially productive. Coaching helps. Getting specific in your own mind about exactly which abilities you want to improve, and how, will turbocharge the results. But the main thing is continually trying things you can’t quite do. This is what makes you better. And doing it for a long time is what makes you great

And now, thanks to a bunch of subprime mortgages, you’re being handed a great big chance to get a whole lot better. Please grab it. You will, truly, be a better performer as a result.

For more on this fascinating subject, see this excellent FORTUNE video featuring the author of the book, Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else, Geoff Colvin:

http://money.cnn.com/video/fortune/2008/10/20/fortune.colvin.talent.fortune/

Why Talent is Overrated

How Should Leaders Manage Crisis and Resolve Disputes?

Do you find yourself in a constant state of crisis at work? Are you bombarded with petty little to resolve? Do people regularly come to you with problems that they could easily solve, but don’t. Why is it they want you, their leader, to fix it? How should leaders manage crisis and resolve issues?

Many executives find themselves in a daily crisis management mode? Learning to make issue resolution a shared responsibility throughout the company is the key to changing this scenario.

A crisis is a turning point or a conflict that is emotionally volatile. How does a simple issue become a crisis that requires executive leadership action? The system of management in many organisations requires issues to be resolved by the senior most person. This need for a high level of control forces issues to bubble up to the top, developing into a crisis by the time they get there.

High control leadership cultures are crisis-centric ones. Not only is a crisis created out of a resolvable situation, but the crisis is allowed to develop to justify the high control in order to maintain the illusion of leadership. Yes, the illusion of leadership.

Effective leaders expand the leadership capacity of their organisation through the development of people. Training them in the attitudes and behaviours of leadership is part of the solution. Changing the system of issue resolution is also needed if the culture of crisis is to change.

Here are five principles to guide the development of a leadership system of issue resolution:

1. Issues should be resolved where they begin and by those who are empowered to resolve them.

This is the first and most important principle of issue resolution. The only exception to this principle is when a change in policy or strategic direction is required. Otherwise, the high-control executive has created a culture of disruption and division. If there is only one person who can save the day, it means no one else is allowed to do so. In effect, the system is designed to constantly make the executive look strong and able, and the rest of the company weak and needy. The system has to change. Issues should be resolved where they begin.

Ever had a misunderstanding with someone, and immediately, you knew it, and resolved the issue. You clarified your statement. Apologised for the misunderstanding. Reconciliation made. Issue resolved, and crisis avoided. This happens when the two or more parties to the issue take initiative to resolve it. This is the leadership capacity that every organisation needs from top to bottom.

Genuine leadership requires each person to take initiative in the three dimensions identified in the diagram above. An issue originates in either the Ideas, Relationship or Organisational Structure dimension, and is resolved by bringing all three of them together.

2. The manager or supervisor at the next highest level in the organisation is responsible for making sure that issues get resolved at their source.

Supervisory leaders need to understand that they are the company’s first line of defense against an issue becoming a crisis. The problem is that most supervisors are not trained to be leaders, but are trained to manage work processes. Leaders lead people. Managers manage processes. People need people who function as both leaders and managers.

3. Train middle managers and supervisors to identify and resolve issues as they arise.

If your supervisors and managers are not equipped to lead people through issue resolution, then you must train them to do so. Leadership training for middle managers and supervisors in many companies is viewed as a non-essential expense, and is cut when budgets are tight. This is short sighted, non-strategic and creates the conditions where issues become a crisis. Training the leaders from the middle of the company is an investment in a more adaptive workforce.

4. Issues should be resolved to enhance communication and coordination.

Issues are a function of the dynamic context seen in the diagram above. The Circle of Impact is a simple set of guides for assessment, problem-solving and planning that are best used in conversation. Here’s a real world example to illustrate.

A leadership team meets at 1pm every Wednesday. The members of the team arrive and the team leader, their boss, presents the agenda for their meeting. Week in and week out, the meeting is about her issues. The issues of the other members are rarely addressed. Team members express feelings of a lack of respect from their boss. Issues remain unresolved and poorly understood.

What is the issue here? Is it a relationship issue where the senior leader truly does not respect her team? Is it a lack of awareness that there is an issue? Is it a problem of poor communication or organisation of the weekly meeting?

Identifying the issue doesn’t resolve it. The team leader telling them she does respect them doesn’t resolve it. Vague promises of doing a better job of communicating doesn’t either. Changing the structure of the meeting to enhance communication and issue awareness is the solution.

The team makes a simple and strategic change in their meeting structure. Each team member submits agenda items for Wednesday’s meeting by 1pm on Monday. By 1pm on Tuesday, an agenda is distributed to the team so they know the topics to be discussed and how to be prepared to contribute.

The solution impacts the team beyond their initial expectations. Over several months, the team finds that issues begin to be resolved prior to the meeting. As their awareness of issues increases, communication improves, and decisions are made and implemented more effectively. Meetings are less issue oriented and more strategic as a result.

5. Senior leaders create an environment of confidence and personal responsibility by not resolving issues that should be resolved at their source, and supporting the parties in their issue resolution process.

Leaders create a culture of leadership with a system that validates personal responsibility and initiative. People gain confidence and accept the call to a higher level of participation and contribution when their decisions are supported by the company’s leadership.

A culture of leadership is not created by policy making alone. Leaders in the middle need to be trained to lead. They are the key to future strength of the business. Equip them to lead within their role and responsibilities, and they begin to equip the people who work with them to lead as well. Issues occur everyday. The crisis level of issues is minimised by developing responsibility for issue resolution throughout the organisation. As a result, developing a system of issue resolution as described here should be one of the key goals that executive leaders pursue.

How Should Leaders Manage Crisis and Resolve Disputes?

Leadership in Education

As we near the end of the Political Party Conference season here in the UK, take a minute to reflect on the leadership shown by US politicians earlier this year when Congress passed a fiscal stimulus package which recognised the importance of education to the future health and well-being of the US economy. The following Op-Ed article by Nicholas Kristof in The New York Times earlier this year sets the agenda for action quite clearly:

'So maybe I was wrong. I used to consider health care our greatest national shame, considering that we spend twice as much on medical care as many European nations, yet American children are twice as likely to die before the age of 5 as Czech children — and American women are 11 times as likely to die in childbirth as Irish women.

Yet I’m coming to think that our No. 1 priority actually must be education. That makes the new fiscal stimulus package a landmark, for it takes a few wobbly steps toward reform and allocates more than $100 billion toward education.

That’s a hefty sum — by comparison, the Education Department’s entire discretionary budget for the year was $59 billion — and it will save America’s schools from the catastrophe that they were facing. A University of Washington study had calculated that the recession would lead to cuts of 574,000 school jobs without a stimulus.

“We dodged a bullet the size of a freight train,” notes Amy Wilkins of the Education Trust, an advocacy group in Washington.
So for those who oppose education spending in the stimulus, a question: Do you really believe that slashing half a million teaching jobs would be fine for the economy, for our children and for our future?

Education Secretary Arne Duncan describes the stimulus as a “staggering opportunity,” the kind that comes once in a lifetime. He argues: “We have to educate our way to a better economy, that’s the only way long term to get there.”

That’s exactly right, and it’s partly why I shifted my views of the relative importance of education and health. One of last year’s smartest books was “The Race Between Education and Technology,” by Claudia Goldin and Lawrence F. Katz, both Harvard professors. They offer a wealth of evidence to argue that America became the world’s leading nation largely because of its emphasis on mass education at a time when other countries educated only elites (often, only male elites).

They show that America’s educational edge created prosperity and equality alike — but that this edge was eclipsed in about the 1970s, and since then one country after another has surpassed us in education.

Perhaps we should have fought the “war on poverty” with schools — or, as we’ll see in a moment, with teachers.

Some education programs have done remarkably well in overcoming the pathologies of poverty. Children who went through the Perry Preschool program in Michigan, for example, were 25 percent less likely to drop out of high school years later than their peers in a control group, and committed half as many violent felonies. They were one-third less likely to become teenage parents or addicts, and half as likely to get abortions.

Likewise, the KIPP program, the subject of a fine book by Jay Mathews, has attracted rave reviews for schools that turn low-income students’ lives around.

There are legitimate questions about whether such programs are scalable and would succeed if introduced more broadly. But we do know that the existing national school system is broken, and that we’re not trying hard enough to fix it.

“We have a good sense from the data where there are big opportunities,” notes Douglas Staiger, an economist at Dartmouth College who studies education.

The hardest nut to crack is high schools — we don’t have a strong sense yet how to rescue them. But there’s a real excitement at what we are learning about K-8 education.

First, good teachers matter more than anything; they are astonishingly important. It turns out that having a great teacher is far more important than being in a small class, or going to a good school with a mediocre teacher. A Los Angeles study suggested that four consecutive years of having a teacher from the top 25 percent of the pool would erase the black-white testing gap.

Second, our methods to screen potential teachers, or determine which ones are good, don’t work. The latest Department of Education study, published this month, showed again that there is no correlation between teacher certification and teacher effectiveness. Particularly in lower grades, it also doesn’t seem to matter if a teacher has a graduate degree or went to a better college or had higher SATs.

The implication is that throwing money at a broken system won’t fix it, but that resources are necessary as part of a package that involves scrapping certification, measuring better through testing which teachers are effective, and then paying them significantly more — with special bonuses to those who teach in “bad” schools.

One of the greatest injustices is that America’s best teachers overwhelmingly teach America’s most privileged students. In contrast, the most disadvantaged students invariably get the least effective teachers, year after year — until they drop out.

This stimulus package offers a new hope that we may begin to reform our greatest national shame, education.'

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/opinion/15kristof.html

Leadership in Education

Redefining Success

Born in 1910, Coach John Wooden is the first person to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame both as a player and coach, while ESPN ranks him as the greatest coach of all time, across all sports. In his 40 years at UCLA, he has mentored legends such as Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. His career has been illustrious to say the least, and he has created a model, the Pyramid of Success, and authored several books to impart his insight on leadership and achievement to others.

Coach Wooden wanted his players to be victors in life and not just on the court, so he treated them as an extended family and emphasized that winning was more than scoring. Indeed, most of his inspiring theories were born from conversations with his father, as a boy on their farm in Indiana. One that sums up his ideology quite well is his often quoted definition of success: "Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best that you are capable of becoming."

In this talk, and with profound simplicity, Coach John Wooden redefines success and urges us all to pursue the best in ourselves. In this inspiring talk he shares the advice he gave his players at UCLA, quotes poetry and remembers his father's wisdom:

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/john_wooden_on_the_difference_between_winning_and_success.html

Redefining Success

'Anticipating Mind' Leadership

A leader's most important asset is the ability to anticipate changes in the environment and adapt to them quickly. The key mental skills that define 'anticipating mind' leadership are:


Observing—search out confirming and non-confirming information about your world view

Reasoning—clearly explain why you are following a course of action

Imagining—visualise new ideas for your company's policies and practices

Challenging—question your organisation's assumptions and test their validity

Deciding—make or influence decisions that will propel action to progress

Learning—master the information you need to keep you moving forward

Enabling—offer the people around you the knowledge, means, and opportunities to progress

Reflecting—invest time thinking about trade-offs and the consequences of those trade-offs that result from your decisions.

'Anticipating Mind' Leadership

Lessons in Life From Sport - Authentic Leadership

This is a fascinating video interview with Mike Smith, head coach of the NFL Atlanta Falcons and the 2008 NFL Coach of the Year. Smith is the oldest of 8 children and a leader who embodies the 'everyman' in all of us. His core values are around respect, humility and drive and his key message in the interview is to 'live everyday to the best of your ability'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFgtVK8AKkk

Lessons in Life From Sport - Authentic Leadership

The Benefits of Writing a Blog

Clearly there is a marketing and promotional value to writing this blog. But there is a much larger lesson here and it applies to all of us - whether we want or need to promote ourselves or our products or services. Let's talk about the wider benefits now:

1. Writing helps us learn. A key component of the learning process is reflecting on what has happened to us to determine what to repeat, and what to change next time. Writing about our experiences can really help us in this reflection in powerful ways.

2. Writing clarifies our thinking. Ideas can swirl in our mind and we can think about something, but when we put the pen to paper or our fingers on a keyboard and put our thinking into words, we become much clearer and our thoughts become more real and more actionable.

3. Writing makes us smarter. If you take the first two lessons - writing helps us learn and clarifies our thinking; the fact that writing makes us smarter is obvious. As we write we discover new things and new ideas. The process of writing allows for learning and the words we write provide more learning too.

4. Writing is about the process, not about the reader. As an author, this isn't completely true - as the author writes this he is thinking about you as his reader, and trying to write as clearly and persuasively as he can. One reason many people don't write is that they don't want others to read it, or don't think anyone else would want to read it. So to sell you on the decision to write, please know that all of the benefits listed so far are about you and not about the reader. If you write in a journal or a on a secret hidden document on your computer, you will get the benefits regardless of your grammar, style or spelling. If your goal is to have others read what you write, great! But don't think writing has to be about others - the personal benefits are huge!

5. We all have something to write about. We all have 24 hours of day experiences each day. We all have a lifetime of memories, thoughts and ideas. Sorting, compiling, referencing and using them is plenty of fodder for the type of writing that most of us can and need to do.

6. Writing is a habit. Most people when asked whether they would think of starting a blog say - I don't know what to write (see #5) or, I don't have time to write. If you believe in the benefits, you will find time to write. For all of the reasons listed above, (and a whole lot more), writing is important. And like anything important in our lives, we can make it a habit.
And lastly, this post isn't just about writing. The last lesson is to think about the skills that really matter most. Often the skills we think are most important or valuable, really aren't. People want to get better at their work and make assumptions as to the best ways to do that. Look beyond the technical aspects of your work, look deeper. Ask yourself; 'what are the underlying skills that help me really achieve my goals?' Another way to figure this out is to ask smart people who have been where you want to go - find a mentor and ask them.

Writing makes you a better business person and a better human being.

The Benefits of Writing a Blog

Using College Sport to Build Leadership

Spend a little time with second-year Northern Illinois Head Football Coach Jerry Kill and you'll undoubtedly hear him describe himself as a "hard hat, lunch pail" guy. It's a tribute to his blue-collar roots - Kill was the first member of his family to graduate from college - and to the work ethic instilled in him by his parents, Jim and Sonja, as a youngster in Cheney, Kansas. That blue-collar work ethic is also one of the qualities that made Kill, who spent seven years building the Southern Illinois program into a Football Championship Subdivision powerhouse, a perfect fit to succeed Joe Novak as the head coach at Northern Illinois back in December 2007. In his first season at NIU, Kill instilled that hard-working mentality in the Huskies and brought a winning attitude that ultimately resulted in a trip to the 2008 Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., and made Kill the winningest first-year head coach at Northern Illinois since Bill Mallory in 1980.


"On the field, I want our kids to play smart," he said. "I want them to be mentally and physically tough so they can win in the fourth quarter. I believe in hard work and the harder you work, the better your chances of success. I will push them to the limit. I won't win a popularity contest at times, but we're not in it for a popularity contest. My job is to get the best out of them. "Ultimately, the game comes down to the players. If you don't have great players, you aren't going to win many games." 

Kill's high expectations for his student-athletes extend from the football field to the classroom, the community and beyond. "I expect our student-athletes to represent our school and our community on and off the field," Kill said. "One of the most important things to me is how they do in life after they leave the program. I firmly believe that what we do here and how we drive kids over the four or five years will help them down the road." One of the ways Kill and his staff "drive kids" is the Warrior Elite program. Every year, the roster is split into groups who then compete and earn points for everything from academic success to participation in community service activities to on-the-field effort and weight room benchmarks. The program is one more way that Kill and his staff teach teamwork and build leadership. They believe that football is the perfect vehicle to impart skills that have life-long benefits. "Football is such a challenge because you have to get everybody on the same page in a huge organization," Kill said. "Then to get everybody to execute on a given play is difficult. Most college athletes are playing for four or five years and they are very competitive, and you had better be (competitive) when you go out into the real world or you can get swallowed. Competing in athletics gives you an edge."

Using College Sport to Build Leadership

Leadership Lessons from The New York Times

Believe in yourself. Robert Iger, CEO of Disney, was told as a twenty-three year old new hire that he was “not promotable.” Iger found the comment “shocking.” As he says, “I think it toughened me up a bit more” as he became more “cautious” and “wary” of others. Fortunately for Iger he was able to find another job within ABC and eventually worked with some broadcast industry greats including Roone Arledge and Michael Eisner.

Keep it simple. Eduardo Castro-Wright, vice chairman of Wal-Mart Stores, believes in keeping things simple. “[W]e can describe our complete strategy in 10 words. And that makes it very easy to get everybody energized and aligned.” Castro-Wright keeps things simple for himself by managing his personal to-do list every evening. “My pa doesn’t see them until early in the morning, but that sets the stage for the following day.”

Get out of your office. Terry Lundgren, CEO of Macy’s, hits the road two or three days per week. Much of that road time is spent visiting stores and setting up impromptu meetings with store managers by calling them on their mobile phones when he’s in their store. Lundgren’s style is not to play “ gotcha ya” but to educate himself. “I learn as much by going through a store as anything I do, much more than sitting in my office at my computer or holding a big meeting here, because I’m learning and seeing exactly what our customer is seeing.”

Ask good questions. Daniel Amos, CEO of Aflac, is a relentless questioner. “I think most people will tell you that I tend to be the inquisitor who will ask a million questions.” But such questions are not intended, as Amos explains to cut off debate; they are intended to challenge people to think for themselves. “It’s O.K. for you to tell me that you don’t know the answer and get back to me.” Amos also knows himself. “I can get so preoccupied that I don’t see anybody. I can absolutely walk through a room and never see anybody because my mind is so focused.” At the same time, Amos realizes that “if you don’t have pretty good people skills; you’re not going to be head of a department.”

Charisma is overrated. Wendy Kopp, founder and CEO of Teach for America, believes that charisma is not essential to a leader’s ability to do his job. Her company hires teachers to serve in some of the most disadvantaged communities in America. “Some of the most successful teachers are some of the least charismatic… But they have a gift of figuring out what motivates people.” As every leader knows, translating influence into action through motivation is essential to getting things done right.

Leadership is an act. Clarence Otis, Jr., the CEO of Darden Restaurants with a background in finance and law, leverages his experience on the stage to lead more effectively. “The thing that prepared me most… was theater… [It’s] the starkest lesson in how reliant you are on others, because you are there in front of an audience.” As a senior leaders Otis believes “[Y]ou’ve got to give people the chance to speak,” but understand that everyone does not express themselves in the same ways so it is necessary to give less outspoken, more reflective people “space for them to fill.”

Leadership Lessons from The New York Times

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

There's a naturally occurring pattern shared by the people and organisations that achieve the greatest long-term success. From Martin Luther King Jr. to Steve Jobs, from the pioneers of aviation to the founders of Southwest Airlines, the most inspiring leaders think, act, and communicate the exact same way-and it's the complete opposite of everyone else.

The common thread, according to Simon Sinek, is that they all start with why. This simple question has the power to inspire others to achieve extraordinary things.

Any organisation can explain what it does; some can explain how; but very few can clearly articulate why. Why do we offer these particular products or services? Why do our customers choose us? Why do our employees stay (or leave)? Once you have those answers, teams get stronger, the mission clicks into place, and the path ahead becomes much clearer.

Starting with why is the key to everything from putting a man on the moon to launching the iPod. Drawing on a wide range of fascinating examples, Sinek shows readers how to apply why to their culture, hiring decisions, product development, sales, marketing, and many other challenges. Some naturally think this way, but Sinek proves that anyone can learn how.

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Actionoffers an unconventional perspective that explains WHY some people and organisations are more innovative, more profitable, command greater loyalties from customers and employees alike and, most importantly, are able to repeat their success over and over. These are not the one hit wonders. These are the ones who change the course of industries or even society.

Because it’s all based on how people think and act, this unique view of the world has application in big business and small business, in politics and non-profit. Though some people have a natural ability to start with WHY, this book offers compelling evidence that, with a little discipline, anyone can learn how to do it.

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

Getting To The Top

The skills and strengths that sent your career soaring aren’t the same ones you’ll need to survive and thrive in the executive ranks. That’s why 40 percent of new leaders don’t last more than 18 months. So how can you beat the odds? Let go of old beliefs and behaviours—and pick up new ones.

Let go of self-doubt. An insecure executive makes a lousy leader. Put confidence in your presence and purpose—even if it doesn’t come naturally at first.

Let go of running flat-out until you crash. Working 24/7 may have made you a superstar. Keep it up at the top—where the expectations are enormous—and you’ll burn out. Break the cycle by building time for recovery and renewal into your schedule.

Let go of one-size-fits-all communication. Customise every message for the group and goals at hand. Less is more, so become a master of the headline.

Let go of self-reliance. Replace “me” with “we.” You may have advanced on your own, but now you’re only as good as your team.

Let go of the urge to tell “how.” No more micromanaging. Set the agenda for what gets done and leave the how to your team.

Let go of responsibility. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Responsibility for a few results belongs to your team. Accountability for many results belongs to you.

Let go of only looking up and down. There’s more to consider than what’s up with the boss or what’s going down with the subordinates. Look left and right, too. Partnerships with peers are key to success.

Let go of an inside-out view. An internal perspective may have served you in the past, but not now. Lead with an outside-in view by understanding the issues in the external environment.

Let go of the small footprint. Your days of being “low-profile” are over. At the top, you act and speak on behalf of your entire company. Mind your manners—and your messages.

Getting To The Top

You Can't Manage People - You Can Only Manage Their Environment

Many leaders don't understand what it means to truly motivate people to perform at their best. Here are three principles of motivation that should help you understand what drives people in the work environment:

You can't motivate other people: While there are many leaders who think they are motivational or inspirational, the word "motivation" comes from the root word "motive," so motivation is what moves people to action. The drive or energy to do something can only come from within the person. People only do what they want to do or choose to do. The question for leaders is not, "How can I motivate people?" The question is, "How can I help people be self motivated to do the right things?"

All people are motivated:  You may be thinking, 'I know some people who aren't motivated'. Well, some people are motivated to do absolutely nothing and some are motivated to do just enough to keep their jobs. Others are motivated to do the opposite of what you want them to do. The reality is, everyone is motivated to do exactly what they are doing right now... that is why they are doing it.

You can create an environment where people are motivated to perform at their best: This should be the first lesson in Leadership 101. The key to getting great performance from employees is to create a great work environment. Unfortunately, many managers believe that the key to great results is to control people, and in the process they create an environment that kills creativity, passion, and performance.

You Can't Manage People - You Can Only Manage Their Environment

20 Questions to Ask Other Leaders

As a leader, how do you become a better leader? One of the best ways to grow is to ask other leaders questions. Here are some of the questions you might ask:

1.Can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact on you as a leader? Maybe some one who has been a mentor to you? Why and how did this person impact your life?
 
2.What are the most important decisions you make as a leader of your organisation?

3.As an organisation gets larger there can be a tendency for the “institution” to dampen the “inspiration.” How do you keep this from happening?

4.How do you encourage creative thinking within your organisation?

5.Where do the great ideas come from in your organisation?

6.Which is most important to your organisation—mission, core values or vision?

7.How do you or other leaders in your organisation communicate the “core values”?

8.How do you encourage others in your organisation to communicate the “core values”?

9.Do you set aside specific times to cast vision to your employees and other leaders?

10.How do you ensure the your organisation and its activities are aligned with your “core values”?

11.How do you help a new employee understand the culture of your organisation?

12.When faced with two equally-qualified candidates, how do you determine whom to hire?

13.What is one characteristic that you believe every leader should possess?

14.What is the biggest challenge facing leaders today?

15.What is one mistake you witness leaders making more frequently than others?

16.What is the one behaviour or trait that you have seen derail more leaders’ careers?

17.Can you explain the impact, if any, that social networking and Web 2.0 has made on your organisation or you personally?

18.What are a few resources you would recommend to someone looking to gain insight into becoming a better leader?

19.What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?

20.What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as a leader?

20 Questions to Ask Other Leaders

What Wayne Gretzky Can Teach Us About Leadership

One of the challenges of leading in a tough economy is staying focused on the things that matter. And what matters right now is how you chart the course ahead. Leadership, by definition, is about choosing the right goals and motivating others to pursue them as effectively as possible.

Canadian ice hockey great Wayne Gretzky defined a great hockey player as a person who knows to skate where the puck is going to be. That can define great leadership as well. That ability to "see" where things are going is important. And in business, unlike in sports, you have the additional advantage of being able to DECIDE where things are going.

The power of goals to influence behaviour has been proven so many times in so many ways. The key take-away is that as you look ahead at the final quarter of 2009, it is more important to create challenging and exciting goals that your staff can rally around than it is to lament what has already happened. Move from the past into the future. Go to where the puck is going to be. It's about you being opportunistic about the future.  Leadership has many burdens. It has many joys as well.

What Wayne Gretzky Can Teach Us About Leadership

Applied Materials CEO's best advice: 'The Buck Stops Here'

Mike Splinter, CEO of the Santa Clara, Calif.-based Applied Materials, recalls the best advice he ever got in the following interview ( see -

http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/09/16/applied-materials-ceos-best-advice-the-buck-stops-here/).

'Before I joined Applied Materials, I worked at Intel for two decades. I recall a session with Andy Grove. It was 1984, and Grove was talking about Intel culture to a group of new employees who were coming in at a senior level. I was running Fab 1, a Santa Clara factory that made chips.

In his talk Grove advised us to always assume it's your responsibility. By that he meant to take on a job, even if it wasn't yours. That's a general thought, but it creates specific action and works across almost any situation, from picking up garbage on the floor to a new product idea.

If you automatically assume it's your responsibility and do something about it, that makes the company better. Those who can recognize that are the ones who end up being more successful.'

Mike's greatest tips:

Engage your audience. When talking to a group, give the audience a challenge or an objective. It makes the presentation much more memorable.

Stay connected. I read every one of my e-mails. There are a lot of mechanisms to isolate you as CEO. You have to ensure you're finding out what's really going on with employees.

Get others involved early. People are a lot more motivated to execute the things they have to do if they're part of the planning and strategy. Execution is often grinding and hard, so make employees part of the process.

Recognize good work. If I think someone has really done a good job, I'll send a personal note to say it's appreciated. It doesn't matter to me what layer in the company they are.

Know why you're meeting. You need everyone to understand what they're trying to accomplish in a meeting. Is the meeting a communication meeting, or a decision-making meeting? Those things ought to be clear upfront.

Streamline your schedule. Prioritize every day. I focus on three things: financial goals, new-product goals, and people goals.

Balance your risk. You want to encourage people to be willing to take risks. Since I consider myself a risk taker, I like to have a CFO who's much more conservative than I am. We have a good balance.

Applied Materials CEO's best advice: 'The Buck Stops Here'