'Attitude' - The Difference Maker in Leading Others

Leadership has less to do with position than it does with disposition.

Great leaders understand that the right attitude will set the right atmosphere, which enables the right responses from others.

As Charles Swindoll says:

'The longer I live, the more I realise the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude ... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our attitudes.'

'Attitude' - The Difference Maker in Leading Others

Failure is NOT the Opposite of Success

"The Bob Dylan line always appealed to me: 'There's no success like failure and failure is no success at all.' It was a while before I understood it. Leaders need the ability to fail and then get up and go on. It doesn't matter if you don't learn from the failure. But it does matter that you get up and get on."  Bob Geldof


The perfect example of this view of life is Steve Jobs of Apple, today named by Fortune magazine as its CEO of The Decade:(http://money.cnn.com/2009/11/04/technology/steve_jobs_ceo_decade.fortune/index.htm).

How's this for a gripping corporate story line: Youthful founder gets booted from his company in the 1980s, returns in the 1990s, and in the following decade survives two brushes with death, one securities-law scandal, an also-ran product lineup, and his own often unpleasant demeanour to become the dominant personality in four distinct industries, a billionaire many times over, and CEO of the most valuable company in Silicon Valley.

Failure is NOT the Opposite of Success

What Leaders Can Do To Reduce Stress in the Workplace

Workplace stress can cut productivity and cost your company thousands of pounds annually.

In the UK, stress and anxiety as well as other mental health problems cost the average size company almost £1,000 a year per employee. In the USA, Harvard Business Review writer A. Perkins, advises that 60-90 percent of medical problems are associated with stress. Princeton, NJ insurance company Foster Higgins Co., reports that 45% of corporate after tax profits are spent on health benefits.

Forty-six percent of US workers report that their job is very stressful, according to Northwestern Life Insurance Company. And a 20-year study from the University of London reveals that unmanaged reactions to stress are more dangerous risk factors for cancer and heart disease than either cigarette smoking or high cholesterol foods.

Forty percent of job turnover in the USA is related to stress (Bureau of National Affairs), When you add in the stress related costs associated with quality control, customer service, sales and administration, you'll find that stress is taking a healthy bite out of your bottom line.

Bill Wilkerson, CEO of Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health, conducted a survey to find the top ten workplace stressors. In a report to the Industrial Accident Prevention Association,Wilkerson listed the following:

"The treadmill syndrome" - employees have too much or too little to do. Some have too many responsibilities and work around the clock - even when away from the workplace. Others fill their days with unproductive busy-work, feeling the stress of knowing they could be more productive.

"Random interruptions" - telephones, walk-in visits, demands from supervisors. Goal setting and time management strategies can increase productivity and alleviate the stressfulness of incomplete projects.

"Pervasive uncertainty" - market conditions, company problems, unsatisfactorily explained and announced change. Economic fluctuations, off-shore job displacement, terrorist attacks, and market conditions all affect stress levels and productivity.

"Mistrust, unfairness, and vicious office politics" - keeps everyone on edge and uncertain about the future. Poor morale and esprit de corps increase stress levels and consume energy that could otherwise be directed at job related activities.

"Unclear policies and no sense of direction in the company" - undermines confidence in management. Development of sound policies is the first step. Management must then keep these policies updated and follow through to insure compliance throughout the ranks. Employees are easily stressed when it appears that management is out of touch.

"Career and job ambiguity" - a feeling of helplessness and lack of control. "How can I succeed if I don't know what's expected of me or if my job here is uncertain?" Stress levels are affected by far reaching market conditions, challenges by competitors, life-cycle of products, and societal influences as well as vagueness within management.

"No feedback - good or bad" - prevents people from knowing how they are doing and whether they are meeting expectations. Stress related to this issue is typically one of management misperception as to the amount, importance, and effectiveness of feedback to employees. Whatever the cause,employees are easily stressed by lack of communication in this area.

"No appreciation" - lack of recognition generates stress that endangers future efforts. Human nature requires that we demonstrate appreciation for jobs well done. Inadequate demonstration of appreciation results in lowered productivity.

"Lack of communications" - up and down the chain of command leads to decreased performance and increased stress. As with feedback, leaders sometimes misunderstand the adequacy and effectiveness of their communications. There are dozens of ways to improve communications, and employees will usually tell you of shortcomings - if they are asked.

"Lack of control" - the greatest stressor in the workplace because employees feel that they have no control over their participation or the outcome of their work. Employees recognise their lack of control when they are held responsible without authority. Stress levels are reduced when employees are involved in setting the course of the organisation, developing policies and strategies, and creating workplace expectations.

Leaders who recognise the high cost of workplace stress can tackle each of these problems. Good stress control gives employees a more pleasant and healthier place to work and puts money on the bottom line.

An informal, conversational survey of your own employees can help you identify the major stressors in your organisation. Professional assistance is available to target all of these issues and develop a strategy to overcome the top ten workplace stressors.

Start with the information you can gather on your own, and work your way forward. Employees will appreciate your efforts.

For the guidelines which have now been issued in the UK to improve mental health in the workplace, see -
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6502086/Nice-guidelines-on-improving-mental-health-in-the-workplace.html

What Leaders Can Do To Reduce Stress in the Workplace

Why Do Women Leaders Often Get a Poor Press?

If a woman leader shows her strength and assertiveness with no apologies, many will say she is ruthless.

And, if she shows a tear in the corner of her eye, others will wonder if she’s an emotional wreck.

A woman in power struggles constantly with finding an agreeable midpoint: her bosses, employees, or colleagues will call her aggressive when she’s asserting herself. Others will find her style robotic when she’s just focusing on the points she needs to address in an objective way. Assertiveness, strategic approaches, and focused actions have been leadership qualities that are more traditionally attributed to males.

Instead, many people feel more comfortable around women with a more traditionally female-style: a woman who smiles and mediates discord, a woman who will back off and never come off too strong in an argument, even if her point remains vague, or a woman who will show her sensitivity and seem to empathise with everyone’s feelings in spite of not getting the job done.

A strong woman in power will maximise her position, asserting herself in the key issues, addressing them at the core and yet, she will be aware and connected with her audience, listening to their stories, empathising with their challenges, and proposing the commitment to help them out in every possible way.

After all, for all of us looking up to them, all we want is someone who will take care of business, focusing their time in resolving issues rather than in trying to destroy their opponent, someone who knows both because of thorough knowledge and experience and someone who cares.

Great leaders, both male and female, will connect in this way to get things done.

Why Do Women Leaders Often Get a Poor Press?

General Colin Powell Receives American Patriot of Character Award

General Colin Powell, former US Secretary of State, received the American Patriot of Character Award presented by The Character Education Partnership during their 16th annual National Forum on Character Education, in Alexandria, VA, last week.

The American Patriot of Character Award honours one American citizen whose leadership exemplifies the very best of the nation's founding principles. The award recognises individuals not only for great success in their chosen field, but also for upholding the highest ethical standards in service of the common good.

"General Powell is a remarkable public servant who has truly made a positive difference in our nation," CEP's executive director Joe Mazzola said. "He is a shining example of integrity for young people, and all American citizens, to emulate. We are honoured to have him as the first recipient of this award."

In his acceptance remarks Powell talked about his family's emphasis on good character and achievement. He said a turning point in his life came about when he entered the ROTC program in college, and it emphasised West Point's code of ethics.

General Powell also congratulated the National Schools of Character award winners who were in attendance to receive their awards. He commended the educators for their efforts to develop students of good character.

The purpose of the National Schools of Character awards programme is to identify, honour, and showcase exemplars in character education and facilitate their leadership in mentoring others. The goal of the national program is to provide a variety of models of comprehensive, quality character education, representing America's diverse educational system.

Here are General Powell's 13 Rules of Leadership:

General Colin Powell Receives American Patriot of Character Award

Why Leadership Depth Matters in an Organisation

When it comes to leadership bench strength, some company benches are dangerously light. These companies, from large corporations to small and mid-sized businesses, lack the talent needed to sustain or grow the business beyond its current level. Some companies have depended on the same leaders for years without developing new leaders. Other companies have attempted to develop leaders, but there is no strategic or integrated approach. Still other companies have unexpectedly lost leaders they were counting on.

Each year, about 25 percent of US managers in typical mid-sized companies change jobs. Most spend an average of four years in a given position. High potential leaders in mid-senior ranks move more frequently: every two to three years. These statistics demonstrate why companies must build solid leadership. Leaders must concentrate on developing their teams, getting the right people in the right jobs and producing results. Good leadership also influences a person’s decision to remain with a company.

Here are ten ideas for building your leadership pool:

1. Transfer knowledge and experience from the top

Companies can capture the wisdom from experienced leaders to aid in educating and developing future leaders.

2. Build relationships across generations

Leadership skills, talents and values differ across generations. Dealing with these differences constructively strengthens the overall leadership of your organisation.

3. Strengthen leadership peer relationships

Often, large organisations operate like a conglomeration of silos. It’s easy for leaders to feel isolated in their roles. Helping leaders learn from each other and strengthening interpersonal relationships build needed peer support and camaraderie.

4. Develop succession plans

Companies shouldn’t wait until the need for a leader is obvious. Careful thought and planning in advance eases the transition.

5. Identify and nurture high-potential leaders

Pay special attention to those employees possessing strong capabilities operating below the radar. They can be the most likely to leave.

6. Provide needed cross departmental learning and exposure

With better knowledge of other departments and the organisational system as a whole, leaders can help your departments function more effectively.

7. Offer executive coaching/real-time learning

Large companies are turning to fresh approaches to help executives learn, get feedback and gain support based on experiential learning. Many executives like the personalised approach.

8. Include more leaders in strategic planning

One of the most common challenges faced by leaders is the need to think and act more strategically. Busy executives struggle to find the time to think about the issues they most want or care about. Their focus is diffused. Fostering strategic thinking early in a leader’s career will serve him or her well in the future.

9. Provide mentoring or coaching support for new managers

Along with a new title and pay raise, new managers should benefit by having stronger initial support through mentoring or coaching programs to help them get acclimated in their new roles.

10. Assess leadership talent

There are a variety of assessments in the marketplace to help companies assess leadership skills, behaviours and values. These tools give leaders insights to help them increase their effectiveness.

Why Leadership Depth Matters in an Organisation

Operating on Data vs Instinct - An Opportunity for Leaders to Out-Perform?

Until recently, most of the decisions we were called on to make were based on hunches, insight and a little bit of data ie on incomplete information. At some point, standard leadership theory suggests we have to decide that it’s good enough and go ahead with whatever decision we have at hand.

Our ability to still make good decisions even with incomplete information relies on instinct – a sense of what the right decision is that comes from inside. Often, that voice inside of us is built out of a lot of learning about the world, a lot of experience of both success and failure. Learning trains our instincts so that we can make better decisions with less information.

Historically, a leader, in the end, is a person others rely on to make the difficult decisions and set the direction for everyone. A well-honed instinct is key to being that kind of leader, and a good leader relies on and trusts that voice inside of himself.

However, data mining and the proximity of the internet to most of what we do is changing the proximity of proof to decision and perhaps the role of instinct in a leader's decision making. Now, you don't need to do a lot of research, the data is just a click away. So, what are you going to do when your hunches don't match the data that's now pouring in? The data shows, for example, that texting while driving is more dangerous than driving drunk. It doesn't feel that way, of course, but will you respect the data and stop?

It is now clear that many data-driven findings are counter-intuitive but how long it will take leaders to get their arms around this avalanche of insight. Probably longer than most of us think.

Perhaps sport can shows business leaders the way forward and the significant commercial and competitive advantages of basing decisions on more than just instinct? 

When Michael Lewis published Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Gamein 2003, it instantly became one of the most influential books about American sports in a generation. Michael Lewis, normally a financial writer, analysed how baseball’s Oakland A’s managed to consistently produce highly competitive teams despite a payroll that was a fraction of their biggest rivals.

From 1999 -2006, the A’s finished either first or second in their division, and won over 100 games in both 2001 and 2002. They won more games than any team in baseball other than the Yankees during that period, but had one of the smallest payrolls in baseball. The protagonist in Moneyball was A’s general manager Billy Beane, who looked at potential baseball players in a completely different way from other GMs.

From Lewis’ perspective, Beane was doing what any good executive should do – trying to bring rationality to a completely irrational market. Beane saw that the market for high-end free agents was over-inflated, and the rational tools (primarily baseball statistics) for properly valuing players were underutilised. Beane was able to use those tools to find outstanding players that were completely overlooked by other teams at a fraction of their market cost.

In the UK, there is one football manager who has replicated Beane’s unconventional thinking and has consistently produced winning teams for a fraction of what his rivals spend – Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger.

Arsenal has finished in the top four every year for the past decade, and under Wenger has collected three Championships, six FA Cups, and went undefeated for the 2003-2004 EPL season. He has done this while spending a small fraction of what his rivals have spent in the transfer market. If you add up all of Wenger's spending since he joined the team in 1996 and subtract his sales in the transfer market over that time, his net expenditures are £17 million – less than £2 million per year.

(For more on the Wenger approach, see - http://www.epltalk.com/arsene-wenger%E2%80%99s-moneyball-strategy/12292 )

Maybe now is the time for hard pressed leaders to re-evaluate the role of instinct in decision making as they seek to win in the new post-recession environment?

Operating on Data vs Instinct - An Opportunity for Leaders to Out-Perform?

Gavin Hastings joins the Board of Positive Leadership Limited

We are delighted to announce that Gavin Hastings OBE has agreed to join the Board of Positive Leadership Limited in an executive capacity.

Gavin brings his direct experience of leading successful teams at the highest level of world rugby, as well as his business expertise in the sports marketing and event management arenas, to the advisory and consulting work of Positive Leadership.

The vision of Positive Leadership - to help leaders excel under pressure - is communicated by drawing extensively on lessons from the elite sporting environment. As such, Gavin will play a significant role in assisting our domestic and international clients, in both the business and sporting worlds.

Gavin was previously the all time record points scorer for Scotland. He won 61 caps for his country, captaining the national team 20 times. He captained The British & Irish Lions during the 1993 tour to New Zealand. He also captained Cambridge University in the 1985 Varsity match. He was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 2003.

Lions coach, Ian McGeechan said of Gavin; ‘...his greatest asset was to engender confidence in those around him and to lead by example when the opposition had to be taken on.’

Positive Leadership's advisory and consulting services include: leadership advice in the areas of business strategy, M&A, capital raising, talent development and performing under pressure; and leadership consulting in the areas of coaching, mentoring, executive education, training and keynote speaking.

Gavin Hastings joins the Board of Positive Leadership Limited

Brett Favre's Lessons on Leadership

Brett Favre is a 40 year old American football quarterback who now plays for the Minnesota Vikings. He was the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers between 1992 and 2007 and for the New York Jets in 2008.

He became the Packers' starting quarterback in the fourth game of the 1992 season, starting every game from then until his retirement in 2008. In 2008, Favre came out of retirement, was traded to the New York Jets, and continued his consecutive start streak. On February 11, 2009, Favre told the New York Jets that he was again retiring. He came out of retirement for the second time and signed with the Minnesota Vikings on August 18, 2009. This year, the Vikings are 7-1.

Favre is the only player to win the AP Most Valuable Player three consecutive times (1995–97). He led the Packers to two Super Bowl appearances, winning one (Super Bowl XXXI).

He holds many NFL records including: most career touchdown passes, most career passing yards, most career pass completions, most career pass attempts, most career interceptions thrown, most consecutive starts, and most career victories as a starting quarterback.

When asked about how he defines leadership, he says:

“It’s somehow getting 52 other guys to raise their level of play. To get them to believe in what we’re trying to do. You do that by setting an example, by doing things the right way. I’ve always shown up, I’ve always been prepared, I practice every day. I practice hard. I study. No matter what happens on the field, I never point blame at anybody else. Everything I do comes back to leadership, the example I want to set.”

Brett Favre's Lessons on Leadership

The Means of Expression are the Steps to Leadership

According to US scholar, Warren Bennis, who is widely regarded as a pioneer of the contemporary field of leadership studies, the means of expression are the steps to leadership. In other words, it all begins with reflecting on your successes and failures and building from there:

1. Reflection leading to resolution.

2. Resolution leading to perspective.

3. Perspective leading to point of view.

4. Point of view leading to tests and measures.

5. Tests and measures leading to desire.

6. Desire leading to mastery.

7. Mastery leading to strategic thinking.

8. Strategic thinking leading to full self-expression.

9. The synthesis of full self-expression = leadership.

The Means of Expression are the Steps to Leadership

Leaders Must Take Risks

The act and practice of leadership is a risky undertaking. Leadership is the act of bringing about positive change. This requires leaders to initiate, to blaze new trails, to venture into the unknown and unexplored terrain. All of this entails risk. Kouzes and Posner in their bestselling book, The Leadership Challenge (JB Leadership Challenge: Kouzes/Posner) describe it this way:

“Leaders are pioneers – people who are willing to step out into the unknown. They are people who are willing to take risks, to innovate and experiment in order to find new and better ways of doing things.”

Leaders take these risk because they have a vision, they see a future and a new world that inspires action and makes the risk worthwhile. Leaders are pioneers… not settlers. Great leaders take risk. They push past the edge of their current reality. Striving to bring their vision into today. How about you?

• Are you a pioneer or a settler?
• Are you taking the necessary risks to find better ways of doing things?

Leaders Must Take Risks

Working with Top Performers to Improve the Team

While LeBron James is a superstar in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ organisation, everyone can think of a standout employee in their own business. The question is, as a manager, how do you coach and work with this player to make him or her better?

Cleveland Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry offers his advice about how to coach your best to be better:

“My thought of how we coach the best is, for example with LeBron, being honest with him — whether he had a good game or bad game — being compassionate and trying to do things right, night in and night out,” Ferry says.

It’s important to treat your standout just like the others on the team, and that message should also be communicated to that person.

“...this is something that (Cavaliers Head Coach Mike Brown) talked to LeBron [about] — ‘You’re going to have to allow me to be hard on you, and you have to allow me to coach you because everybody else is looking,’” Ferry says. “You have to have that level of trust and communication with your star player and say, ‘I’m going to get on you, and I’m not always going to be right, but it’s important for our culture and important for our team to see that I’m willing to jump your butt more than anybody else.’”

Doing this shows the rest of your employees that you recognise the top performer isn’t perfect. For example, during Cavs film sessions, Ferry says that while the staff uses all of the players’ mistakes, James’ are on there more than anyone else’s.

It’s also crucial that you don’t elevate a bad apple to stardom. “Ultimately, your superstar has to have character for it to really work,” Ferry says. “That person having solid character is hugely important to the potential success for the whole organisation. With solid character, the rest of your organisation will try to emulate that behaviour.

While it’s important to build up your best person, you also have to be careful of depending on them too much, which is something that, like all managers, Brown has had to work at with his team.

“It’s hard because [James] is such a good player,” Ferry says. “We want to say, ‘Hey, here’s the ball, OK?’ and he can make things happen, but staying with it and putting him more on the back end has been one of Mike’s focuses, and the offense has moved better.”

On top of that, Ferry says the team has done better this past year at playing well when James is out than it has in the past, which wouldn’t have happened if Brown focused only on James.

“It’s a balance, and Mike Brown has to have the credibility to say, ‘Hey, I’m putting us in the best position to win,’” Ferry says.

As the leader, it’s important to utilise your best people to leverage the team, but it’s also important to explain why your star was or wasn’t placed on a project. Doing this fosters trust and builds stronger communication between manager and employee, and Ferry says Brown does this with his players.

“He’s very honest and open upfront, ‘This is going on, this is going on — I’m going to play you, but this is what I expect, or I’m not going to play you because of these issues,’” Ferry says. “If you communicate afterward, it makes it more challenging because there isn’t as much trust.”

Balancing all of this with everything else you have to worry about as a manager can seem tough, but Ferry boils it down to the fundamentals.

“Whatever it is, you have to win people over with honesty, caring and character, and you have to be consistent — and doing those things consistently.”

Working with Top Performers to Improve the Team

What is the key to building a successful corporate culture?

Ritz-Carlton has become a leading brand in luxury lodging by rigorously adhering to its own standards. Its unique culture starts with a motto: "We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen." One of its remarkable policies is to permit every employee to spend up to $2,000 making any single guest satisfied.

Here is what Simon Cooper, who has led Ritz-Carlton for the past eight years, says about building corporate culture:

'A culture is built on trust. And if leadership doesn't live the values that it requires of the organisation, that is the swiftest way to undermine the culture. No culture sticks if it's not lived at the highest levels of the organisation. It takes an extraordinarily long time to build a culture.'

For more, see - http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/30/simon-cooper-ritz-leadership-ceonetwork-hotels.html

What is the key to building a successful corporate culture?

Leadership is like conducting an orchestra

What does a young debut conductor need to know as she steps up on to the podium, looking out at all those expectant, demanding faces? It seems that a maestro and an executive face very similar challenges and that what helps on the podium can help in the corner office.

• Have a clear and vibrant vision for your people's success

Leaders who have not yet done the hard work of imagining a best-case scenario for their organisations will inevitably default to leading through correction and criticism. But when your highest priority is developing the right goals and strategy, you will spend most of your time inspiring people about them and guiding them towards successful achievement.

• Listen carefully to your people

A maestro listens "microscopically" to the orchestra. She uses the special perspective of her podium to take in both the big picture and the relevant details. In her imagination she juxtaposes the reality of the orchestra's playing with her best-case vision of how they might sound. Subtracting one from the other shows the crucial gap she needs to narrow or even eliminate. Armed with this knowledge she can focus the organisation's attention on those few crucial points.

• Translate your agenda into directions that can easily be understood and executed by the players

It is a major accomplishment to devise the right goals, but that is no guarantee they will be achieved. Only your workforce can accomplish that, and the leader and the worker will have vastly different understandings of the vision. The leader's understanding is based on the pressing strategic needs, as seen from the podium. The worker's view is shaped by the chair he occupies, where the big-picture view of the organisation is very much in the distant background. So the leader needs to translate the vision so that it makes sense from every chair. The workforce cannot act effectively until the leader expresses directions and assignments in the language they understand.

• It's not about you. It's about how the orchestra sounds under your direction.

It's very easy for a conductor to personalise the orchestra's behaviour and see it as reflection on him or his abilities. But the orchestra is not nearly so concerned with what a conductor does or says as they are with how they sound. Therefore sharpen your focus on simply getting the best results, and don't get distracted by interpersonal dynamics.

For more, see - http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/guestinsights/2009/10/leadership-secrets-from-a-maestro.html

Leadership is like conducting an orchestra

Leadership Without A Secret Code

Drew Gilpin Faust, Harvard's president, says leaders need to communicate that there is nothing mysterious about their roles.

She has other interesting comments about leadership style in this extract from a recent New York Times article:

'Q. What are the most important leadership lessons you’ve learned?

A. I think the most important leadership lessons I’ve learned have to do with understanding the context in which you are leading. Universities are places with enormously distributed authority and many different sorts of constituencies, all of whom have a stake in that institution. You’re always interacting with them, learning from them and directing your energies toward helping to pull and push them in the direction you wish to move.

Q. How do you do that?

A. I spend a huge amount of time reaching out to people, meeting with people, trying to move around the campus, either literally or digitally, and with alumni networks all over the world, so that I can connect. Leadership by walking around — that’s not just a space anymore, that’s a digital space, it’s virtual space. So an enormous amount of my job is listening to people, trying to understand where they are, how they see the world so that I can understand how to mobilize their understanding of themselves in service of the institutional priorities.

Q. What have you learned from historical figures?

A. One of the things that I’ve thought a lot about with Lincoln is how he dealt with people. Partly what Doris Kearns Goodwin has written about is at the heart of this, which is a team of rivals, bringing different people together. But what I take from that effort is that Lincoln would not allow someone to be his enemy. You just were hard-pressed to be mad at him, because he’d be after you, again, in a way that used his power, his charm and his intelligence to bring you around, to be an ally. So I’ve thought about that a lot, as I’ve thought about the politics of the university and having to deal with people who might disagree with you, who might not like your decisions, to not let that turn into enmity, but to always bring people back around to being contributors.'

For more, see - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/business/01corner.html?pagewanted=1&ref=business

Leadership Without A Secret Code

If you have to announce that you are the leader - YOU’RE NOT!

Leadership is often viewed as the “up-front” position or that leaders are the people in charge. Such thoughts are both dangerous and reflect a poor understanding of who leaders truly are or how effective leadership functions. Leaders are public people but that is not always by design or even a requirement for an effective leader. Some of the greatest leaders are not public people – they are influencers and consensus builders who linger in the shadows allowing others to have the face of the leader. Leadership is about influence and relationships. If you have neither, you are not the leader of the group–regardless of title or position. When you get to the point where you have to remind people that you are leader — you’re not!

If you have to announce that you are the leader - YOU’RE NOT!

Mandela: His 8 Lessons of Leadership

Here is a fascinating insight into the mind and tactics of one of the great leaders if this or any other time, Nelson Mandela:



'No. 1 - Courage is not the absence of fear — it's inspiring others to move beyond it

Mandela was often afraid during his time underground, during the Rivonia trial that led to his imprisonment, during his time on Robben Island. "Of course I was afraid!" he would say later. It would have been irrational, not to be. "I can't pretend that I'm brave and that I can beat the whole world." But as a leader, you cannot let people know. "You must put up a front."

No. 2 - Lead from the front — but don't leave your base behind

For Mandela, refusing to negotiate was about tactics, not principles. Throughout his life, he has always made that distinction. His unwavering principle — the overthrow of apartheid and the achievement of one man, one vote — was immutable, but almost anything that helped him get to that goal he regarded as a tactic. He is the most pragmatic of idealists.

No. 3 - Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front

As a boy, Mandela was greatly influenced by Jongintaba, the tribal king who raised him. When Jongintaba had meetings of his court, the men gathered in a circle, and only after all had spoken did the king begin to speak. The chief's job, Mandela said, was not to tell people what to do but to form a consensus. "Don't enter the debate too early," he used to say. The trick of leadership is allowing yourself to be led too. "It is wise," he said, "to persuade people to do things and make them think it was their own idea."

No. 4 - Know your enemy — and learn about his favourite sport

As far back as the 1960s, Mandela began studying Afrikaans, the language of the white South Africans who created apartheid. His comrades in the ANC teased him about it, but he wanted to understand the Afrikaner's worldview; he knew that one day he would be fighting them or negotiating with them, and either way, his destiny was tied to theirs. This was strategic in two senses: by speaking his opponents' language, he might understand their strengths and weaknesses and formulate tactics accordingly. But he would also be ingratiating himself with his enemy. He even brushed up on his knowledge of rugby, the Afrikaners' beloved sport, so he would be able to compare notes on teams and players.

No. 5 - Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer

Many of the guests Mandela invited to the house he built in Qunu were people whom he did not wholly trust. He had them to dinner; he called to consult with them; he flattered them and gave them gifts. Mandela is a man of invincible charm — and he has often used that charm to even greater effect on his rivals than on his allies. Mandela believed that embracing his rivals was a way of controlling them: they were more dangerous on their own than within his circle of influence. He cherished loyalty, but he was never obsessed by it. Mandela recognised that the way to deal with those he didn't trust was to neutralise them with charm.

No. 6 - Appearances matter — and remember to smile

We sometimes forget the historical correlation between leadership and physicality. George Washington was the tallest and probably the strongest man in every room he entered. Size and strength have more to do with DNA than with leadership manuals, but Mandela understood how his appearance could advance his cause. As leader of the ANC's underground military wing, he insisted that he be photographed in the proper fatigues and with a beard, and throughout his career he has been concerned about dressing appropriately for his position. George Bizos, his lawyer, remembers that he first met Mandela at an Indian tailor's shop in the 1950s and that Mandela was the first black South African he had ever seen being fitted for a suit. Now Mandela's uniform is a series of exuberant-print shirts that declare him the joyous grandfather of modern Africa.

When Mandela was running for the presidency in 1994, he knew that symbols mattered as much as substance. He was never a great public speaker, and people often tuned out what he was saying after the first few minutes. But it was the iconography that people understood. When he was on a platform, he would always do the toyi-toyi, the township dance that was an emblem of the struggle. But more important was that dazzling, beatific, all-inclusive smile. For white South Africans, the smile symbolized Mandela's lack of bitterness and suggested that he was sympathetic to them. To black voters, it said, I am the happy warrior, and we will triumph. The ubiquitous ANC election poster was simply his smiling face.

No. 7 - Nothing is black or white

Mandela's message was clear: Life is never either/or. Decisions are complex, and there are always competing factors. To look for simple explanations is the bias of the human brain, but it doesn't correspond to reality. Nothing is ever as straightforward as it appears. Mandela is comfortable with contradiction. As a politician, he was a pragmatist who saw the world as infinitely nuanced.

No. 8 - Quitting is leading too

Knowing how to abandon a failed idea, task or relationship is often the most difficult kind of decision a leader has to make. In many ways, Mandela's greatest legacy as President of South Africa is the way he chose to leave it. When he was elected in 1994, Mandela probably could have pressed to be President for life — and there were many who felt that in return for his years in prison, that was the least South Africa could do. In the history of Africa, there have been only a handful of democratically elected leaders who willingly stood down from office. Mandela was determined to set a precedent for all who followed him — not only in South Africa but across the rest of the continent.

Ultimately, the key to understanding Mandela is those 27 years in prison. The man who walked onto Robben Island in 1964 was emotional, headstrong, easily stung. The man who emerged was balanced and disciplined.'

For more, see - http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1821467,00.html

Mandela: His 8 Lessons of Leadership

How to Discover Your Strengths and then Maximise Them

When two apparently similar people face the same challenge, why does one appear resilient while the other finds it hard to cope? This is a question psychologists have been turning their attention to since Martin Seligman founded the School of Positive Psychology back in 1998.

Traditionally, psychology focused on how to overcome psychological and emotional problems. Positive psychology, however, is the science of understanding how to achieve excellence by helping people to identify, develop and best use their abilities.

Here are a few basic lessons from positive psychology:

Focus on the present

Worrying about something you can’t change drains energy, but learning to focus on the present gives more personal satisfaction, while providing building blocks for a better future.

Know your strengths

Once you know your character strengths, you can then decide on how best to use them. There is a free questionnaire to identify character strengths on the Authentic Happiness website http://www.authentichappiness.com/  – registering is free and once you’ve finished you get a detailed report.

Be optimistic

Optimism is a key factor in positive psychology, and even the most pessimistic of individuals can learn to turn around their negative thinking. It is one thing to be realistically cautious and another to see nothing but negative outcomes. Optimistic people tend to live longer, get more out of life, be more successful and have better relationships.

For more, see Martin Seligman's book, Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life

How to Discover Your Strengths and then Maximise Them

Putting the Team before the Individual

Here is an extract from an interesting column in The Sunday Telegraph today:

'Not many top-class leaders in our society today. Some political parties don't have a single one. English cricket has two in Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower. Strauss was only installed as England's captain in January, Flower as coach in April, yet already they have brought home the bacon – and are intent on bringing more hams and chops.

Our sporting world contains so many wasted and platitudinous words. Strauss and Flower have such lucidity of thought and expression that their vision – the attribute essential in a leader – soon becomes apparent.

When Flower was interviewed for his job, he set out his vision to the five-man committee. "I took some of the notes from that interview to South Africa for the Champions Trophy to see if I was living up to my word, and although there were one or two areas which I had to look at, in the main I think I had actioned what I said I was going to.

"There were some important principles, like putting the team before the individual. I was concerned at the possibility of individuals becoming mini-corporations, and that would negatively affect the team – and it was negatively affecting the team." No names, but those of 'Andrew' and 'Flintoff' spring to mind.

"So one of the principles we have to operate by is that the team always has to come first. Also, I wanted an ethos of constant improvement, not maintenance, because there could be a tendency for players to be motivated by holding on to their central contracts." '

For more, see - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/england/6474601/Andy-Flower-still-striving-to-improve-the-England-team.html

Putting the Team before the Individual

The Dangers of 'Dark Side Personalites'

New research shows that 85% of leaders in the UK demonstrate ‘Dark Side Characteristics’. Defined as deeply rooted, self-destructive aspects of a personality, these dark side character traits could spell disaster, placing individuals and organisations at risk and contributing to the alarming self-destruct rates for high flyers.

The study suggests that the greatest risk factors for more than a quarter of managers is that they are so dutiful, compliant and appeasing that they are likely to have difficulty ‘speaking truth to power’ or in making independent decisions. Another quarter is too aloof, detached and socially awkward to be effective in dealing with ‘people’ issues. And a further quarter are charming and persuasive, but to such an extent that they are easily seen as manipulative, calculating and disingenuous.

A Decade of the Dark Side’ also assessed employees on leadership programmes within four major organisations: a global car manufacture; global consumer good manufacturer; global investment bank; and a financial services organisation. While employees identified as having leadership potential varied across different organisations, there are three characteristics particularly in evidence.

• Firstly, all are at or above the Total Sample level in the independent-decision making and faith in their own beliefs.
• Secondly, all show greater stability and resilience and are likely to be valued for their calmness and evenness of temper.
• Finally, all show greater flexibility and a capacity to adjust to fit in with others, rather than being determined to work to their own agenda.

However, overall there are a great variety of characteristics and attributes demonstrating that styles of leadership are appreciated differently in different organisations.

For more, see: http://pcl.live.trunky.net/DarkSideReport.pdf

The Dangers of 'Dark Side Personalites'

Leadership Lessons from the Military

One of the finest military organisations in the world is the United States Marine Corps. All of their storied exploits and colourful history come down to one simple common denominator: Leadership. And not only has the Marine Corps established leadership as part of its lore, but it has made it a point of teaching sound leadership continuously up and down the chain of command. Everyone is included, from generals to privates.

The following is a list of Marine Corps Traits, taught with a passion to every Marine from the moment they have earned the title, Marine:

“The 14 leadership traits are qualities of thought and action which, if demonstrated in daily activities, help Marines earn the respect, confidence, and loyal cooperation of other Marines. It is extremely important that you understand the meaning of each leadership trait and how to develop it, so you know what goals to set as you work to become a good leader and a good follower.”

• JUSTICE. Justice is defined as the practice of being fair and consistent. A just person gives consideration to each side of a situation and bases rewards or punishments on merit.

• JUDGEMENT. Judgement is your ability to think about things clearly, calmly, and in an orderly fashion so that you can make good decisions.

• DEPENDABILITY. Dependability means that you can be relied upon to perform your duties properly. It means that you can be trusted to complete a job. It is the willing and voluntary support of the policies and orders of the chain of command. Dependability also means consistently putting forth your best effort in an attempt to achieve the highest standards of performance.

• INITIATIVE. Initiative is taking action even though you haven't been given orders. It means meeting new and unexpected situations with prompt action. It includes using resourcefulness to get something done without the normal material or methods being available to you.

• DECISIVENESS. Decisiveness means that you are able to make good decisions without delay. Get all the facts and weigh them against each other. By acting calmly and quickly, you should arrive at a sound decision. You announce your decisions in a clear, firm, professional manner.

• TACT. Tact means that you can deal with people in a manner that will maintain good relations and avoid problems. It means that you are polite, calm, and firm.

• INTEGRITY. Integrity means that you are honest and truthful in what you say or do. You put honesty, sense of duty, and sound moral principles above all else.

• ENTHUSIASM. Enthusiasm is defined as a sincere interest and exuberance in the performance of your duties. If you are enthusiastic, you are optimistic, cheerful, and willing to accept the challenges.

• BEARING. Bearing is the way you conduct and carry yourself. Your manner should reflect alertness, competence, confidence, and control.

• UNSELFISHNESS. Unselfishness means that you avoid making yourself comfortable at the expense of others. Be considerate of others. Give credit to those who deserve it.

• COURAGE. Courage is what allows you to remain calm while recognising fear. Moral courage means having the inner strength to stand up for what is right and to accept blame when something is your fault. Physical courage means that you can continue to function effectively when there is physical danger present.

• KNOWLEDGE. Knowledge is the understanding of a science or art. Knowledge means that you have acquired information and that you understand people. Your knowledge should be broad, and in addition to knowing your job, you should know your unit's policies and keep up with current events.

• LOYALTY. Loyalty means that you are devoted to your country, the Corps, and to your seniors, peers, and subordinates. The motto of our Corps is Semper Fidelis!, (Always Faithful). You owe unwavering loyalty up and down the chain of command, to seniors, subordinates, and peers.

• ENDURANCE. Endurance is the mental and physical stamina that is measured by your ability to withstand pain, fatigue, stress, and hardship. For example, enduring pain during a conditioning march in order to improve stamina is crucial in the development of leadership.

Leadership Lessons from the Military

What is 'Solid Leadership'?

Leadership is essential for any organisation to survive and thrive. Without solid leadership, it is simply a matter of time before the organisation is dismissed as ineffective.

In his just released book, Master Leaders: Revealing Conversations with 30 Leadership Greats, George Barna writes, “The best leaders see themselves as servants and truly respect other people. These leaders did not perceive a division between ‘us’ and ‘them,’ the indispensable ones and the worker bees… they acknowledged that a leader without a great team gets little, if anything, accomplished.”

Leadership is a trait that is sometimes hard to explain or even to define. People may stumble in attempting to give clarity to leadership and what it looks like, but people usually know good, solid leadership when it’s right in front of them.

What is 'Solid Leadership'?

The Importance of a 'Go-To Strategy' when Performing Under Pressure (2)

Continuing the theme of what it takes to perform under pressure. Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson of the USA has this piece of advice to Team GB athletes preparing to perform at their best in London in 2012:

'The objective is, at the least, to duplicate your best performance or to improve on it. It is almost impossible to do that by changing an approach that has until then proved successful and it is downright foolish to try a new approach for the most important race of your life.

The Importance of a 'Go-To Strategy' when Performing Under Pressure (2)

The Importance of a 'Go-To Strategy' when Performing Under Pressure

Here is a great piece of advice from former England test cricketer, Geoffrey Boycott to anyone who is asked to perform under pressure, whether in business or sport.

Speaking of England bowler, Adil Rashid, he says:

'Rashid’s weakness is that he has all the eye-catching tricks but he doesn’t have a stock ball he can rely on. When the young Shane Warne went to Richie Benaud for advice, Benaud told him to go away and perfect a stock ball he could bowl at will. Benaud thought it might take two years, but Warne’s talent was such that he did it in six months. It’s the same for professional golfers: when they are in trouble, or under pressure, they need to have a particular shot they can hit with their eyes closed. Until Rashid sorts that part of his game out, he will always be a risky selection at international level. '

The Importance of a 'Go-To Strategy' when Performing Under Pressure