'Confidence in Leadership' Index Reveals Cautious Optimism

The Korn/Ferry Institute's Q4 "Confidence in Leadership Index" shows rising confidence in corporate leadership globally, an encouraging sign heading into 2010. Several major drivers of confidence reached their 2009 peak in an economy showing signs of recovery.

The Confidence in Leadership Index asks global executives critical questions that produce metrics for: 1) credibility of leadership, 2) trust of leadership, 3) leadership characteristics ("factors") and 4) direction of leadership. The survey was fielded by Braun Research, Inc. between November 19-27, 2009.

Highlights of the survey include:

Credibility of Leadership: 71; +2 points

•Leadership credibility increased across all levels of leadership

•Increased in Asia Pacific, Central/South America and Europe; North America declined

Trust of Leadership: 72; No Change

•North America remains most trusting with an index score of 80

•Europe remains most skeptical with an index score of 63

•Central/South America climbed 6 points to 75

Most Important Leadership Factors: 1) Strategic Skills and 2) Operating Skills

•Personal and interpersonal skills carry more weight in North America and Europe

•Courage and Managing Financial Performance received slightly more emphasis in Central/South America

Direction of Leadership: 22.6; + 3.5 points

•North America is least optimistic (-4.2), though improved after a low in August (-9.9)

•Central/South America most optimistic (+48.5)

"The Q4 Confidence in Leadership Index reflects cautious optimism inspired by a steadying labor market and improving economic picture globally," said Ana Dutra, CEO of Korn/Ferry Leadership and Talent Consulting. "It's especially encouraging to see confidence in CEOs and corporate boards has made positive strides in consecutive quarters, because strong leadership at the top of the house influences the entire organization."

For more, see - http://www.kornferryinstitute.com/index.php

'Confidence in Leadership' Index Reveals Cautious Optimism

The Man in the Arena

The Man in the Arena is the title of a speech given by Teddy Roosevelt at the Sorbonne in Paris, France on April 23, 1910. It was subsequently re-printed in his book Citizenship in a Republic.

The speech is notable for the extended passage:

'It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.'

The Man in the Arena

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley (1849-1903)

Invictus

Is Shareholder Value 'the dumbest idea in the world'?

Speaking with the Financial Times earlier this year, Jack Welch, who is regarded as the father of the “shareholder value” movement that has dominated the corporate world for more than 20 years, said it was “a dumb idea” for executives to focus so heavily on quarterly profits and share price gains...

... “On the face of it, shareholder value is the dumbest idea in the world,” he said. “Shareholder value is a result, not a strategy . . . Your main constituencies are your employees, your customers and your products...”

In a subsequent article in BusinessWeek, he said:

'It's obvious that strategies are what drive a business. You might, for instance, have a strategy around innovation aimed at producing the leading products in every cycle, or you might have a strategy to become the low-cost global supplier, or you could have a strategy to globalize a company, taking its strengths in one market and translating them to every market. But you would never tell your employees, "Shareholder value is our strategy." That's not a strategy you can touch. That's not a strategy that helps you know what to do when you come to work every day. It doesn't energize or motivate anyone.
 
So basically my point is, increasing the value of your company in both the short and long term is an outcome of the implementation of successful strategies...the job of a leader and his or her team is to deliver to commitments in the short term while investing in the long-term health of the business. Bottom line: That's management. Good managers know how to eat today and dream about tomorrow at the same time. Any fool can just deliver in the short term by squeezing, squeezing, squeezing. Similarly, just about anyone can lie back and dream, saying, "Come see me in several years, I'm working on our long-term strategy."
 
Neither one of these approaches will deliver sustained shareholder value. You have to do both.'

Is Shareholder Value 'the dumbest idea in the world'?

The Need for Leaders to Encourage their Teams to be Outward Looking

Participate in or monitor enough management team conversations and you will invariably conclude that it’s really hard for these teams to spend quality time discussing external issues.

The gravitational pull of internal “stuff” is overwhelming and resists all attempts to move the conversation to topics outside of the firm’s four walls, preferring instead to keep managers focused on the nuances of their own operations. The result is a self-fulfilling management myopia where the view on the world is grossly limited to the immediate surroundings…and ranges as far as the eyes can see outside conference room windows.

Myopic firms miss market moves and focus incorrectly on improving yesterday’s systems and products and services while customers are looking and moving forward in search of new solutions to emerging vexing problems.

Overcoming this myopia requires extraordinary effort on the part of key leaders to train and enable their teams to move outside of the four walls and to build a more comprehensive market view that is constantly in the process of being refreshed; here are some suggestions on how to think 'outside the room':

1. Start by scheduling regular forums where the only items discussed are external in nature. Create a series of core questions that challenge team members to show up prepared to talk about what’s going on with customers, competitors and other industry ecosystem players. Resist the urge in these forums to move towards actions and internal items with one exception.

2. The one exception to the “no internal discussion rule,” is to teach your team members to end their discussions of external forces/factors/changes with “What this means for our company is… .” Capture these notes.

3. Charge team members with the task of monitoring specific competitors and industry participants and providing regular updates to the group as well as instantaneous updates as conditions change. Remember, that the insights must always be accompanied by, “What this means for our company is…” statements. Rotate assignments periodically to keep people fresh.

4. Interview customers. Regularly. It’s interesting to sit around and speculate on what customers are doing or thinking, but it’s much more compelling and actionable to truly understand what’s on their minds. Again, create a simple customer survey script and charge your key managers and contributors with keeping tabs on specific customers. Bring the findings into your “external forums” and share.

5. If your team is internally focused such as IT or an internal support group, make certain to forge relationships with external facing colleagues and departments. Invite members of these groups to join your meetings and to share updates on current market issues. Pay attention for opportunities to better tune your function’s activities and priorities to issues and opportunities that your external facing colleagues see in the market.

Inevitably the best outcome of good external awareness is the reflection of insights in programme, product and service improvements that create value for customers and profitable growth for your organisation.

The Need for Leaders to Encourage their Teams to be Outward Looking

The Cause of the Present Recession

'The economic calamity of 2008-2009 was not caused by subprime mortgages, credit default swaps, or even excessive greed. These are only symptoms of the real problem. The root cause of the problem was failed leadership.....We need new leadership [now]: authentic leaders, people of the highest integrity, committed to building enduring organisations...leaders who have the courage to build their companies to meet the needs of all their stakeholders, and who recognise the importance of their service to society.'

Professor Bill George, Harvard University

The Cause of the Present Recession

Becoming a Successful Leader

For years we’ve heard about leadership techniques that can bring substantial results to the workplace, to teams in sports, non-profit organisations and community groups, and just about any other entity in society.

The Dwight Eisenhower quote “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he (or she) wants to do it.” is a favourite. It crystallises the essence of leadership. However it also leaves us asking the question, “What techniques and skills does one have to have in order to achieve those lofty results?”

What does it take? Well - laughter, humour and fun all play a foundational role leadership.

Too often leaders take themselves so seriously that they create an underlying angst within their organisations. People either become anxious and learn to deal with the situation (antacids and a glass of wine at lunch may be part of the solution), play “How do we avoid the boss?” or quit. You see…leadership isn’t always positive. A leader can lead his or her company right into bankruptcy, dissolution, or chaos.

The most important element in any organisation is its people; even in this virtual world…someone has to be behind the screen.

So what’s the secret in being an effective leader, a leader who people line up to work for? Of course focus; planning, understanding the market, knowing yourself and your team members’ behaviours, attitudes, motivators and information processing styles are important elements. As are a complete knowledge of the goals and objectives of the organisation, as well as trust, keeping your word, respect, integrity, and being able to make productive decisions.

However the real secret is making people want to work for and with you because you are light, bring lightness to their lives, and create an enlightened workplace. And that means laughter, humour, and fun, which coincidently translate into lower turnover, an easier means of attracting new people, and more creativity.

Laughing your way to the bank is not some abstract term. Laughter, humour, and fun are fundamental ingredients to a successful business and life.

Becoming a Successful Leader

Colin Powell's Leadership Principles

Colin Powell is the first black secretary of state in U.S. history. Powell was born in New York City to Jamaican immigrants and attended City College of New York as a cadet in the Reserve Officers Training Corps. He served two tours of duty successfully in the Vietnam War from 1962-63 and once again from 1968-69 and then held important military and civilian positions before becoming national security adviser to President Ronald Reagan in 1987. In 1989, Powell was promoted to the rank of four-star general and was named chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff later that same year – the first black officer to hold the nation’s highest military post.

Here is an interesting presentation highlighting Colin Powell’s leadership principles. It is based on the book, The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell, written by Mr. Oren Harari, a professor at the University of San Francisco.

Colin Powell's Leadership Presentation

View more presentations from guesta3e206.

Colin Powell's Leadership Principles

Results Matter

Nancy McKinstry is the ceo and chairwoman of the executive board of Wolters Kluwer. She talks about leadership in this interview with the New York Times:

'Q. What leadership lessons have you learned?

A. The first thing that I learned was results matter. At the end of the day, no matter how much somebody respects your intellect or your capabilities or how much they like you, in the end it is all about results in the business context. You have to be able to demonstrate that you have proven you can drive something forward. So when I talk to my team, I use a football metaphor — every day, we have to come in and advance the ball.

The second thing is that you have to have a direction for a business. How can you possibly motivate somebody to work hard and sacrifice time with their family, etc., if they don’t have an understanding of where you’re trying to go? So I believe very strongly in setting a direction for the business, creating the plan, and really allowing people the opportunity to get engaged around that.'

For more, see - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/13/business/13corner.html?ref=business

Results Matter

Success

'To laugh often and love much; to win the resepect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to give of one's self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived--this is to have succeeded.' 
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Success

High Altitude Leadership

“There exists a rare and special breed of leaders who…are constantly pushing past current leadership trends in order to achieve…extremely challenging goals. We call these people high altitude leaders.” High Altitude Leadership

High Altitude Leadership: What the World's Most Forbidding Peaks Teach Us About Success introduces a new approach to leadership, a concept called high altitude leadership. Written by experienced climber and entrepreneur Chris Warner and accomplished leadership consultant Don Schmincke, the book discusses the relationship between mountain climbing and leadership development.

Warner and Schmincke describe the “high altitude leader” as a person who recognises and survives eight dangers that emerge when leading a team to high levels of performance. The eight dangers include fear, selfishness, tool seduction, arrogance, lone heroism, cowardice, comfort and gravity. Each fear is described through a mountaineering story, complete with life-or-death circumstances. Warner and Schmincke then compare these dangers to similar dangers that occur in the business world. The authors discuss that in leadership, as well as in climbing, the higher altitudes you reach the greater the challenges become.

High Altitude Leadership initially addresses the fear of death as a main danger in leadership. Warner and Schmincke agree that leadership responsibilities can be difficult and dangerous. In both the world of mountaineering and the business world, many people let fear control actions which ultimately leads to failure. According to the book, “acting decisively in the face of great fear triggers the actions needed for success.” High altitude leaders embrace the death of projects, goals, careers, teams and companies to become an effective leader and increase profit.

Sometimes selfishness also destroys the possibility of profits within companies. This danger can weaken the culture within an organisation. The authors advise leaders to overcome this selfishness through a “compelling saga”; actions that inspire passion for a strategic focus. At times, high altitude leaders must accomplish this “compelling saga” without the necessary tools. The section about tool seduction discusses the inevitable breaking or failing of tools that leaders often rely on. In other words, the authors state that people are “seduced” by these tools and often disappointed when they do not work. The authors agree tools can be useful at times, however, high altitude leaders should adapt the tools to the organisation rather than the other way around.

The authors provide a positive perspective about humility. Warner and Schmincke approach humility as a simple cure for arrogance within a business community. They believe humility strengthens a business and produces growth. However, high altitude leaders cannot allow this humility to cause ego-driven individuals or selfish heroism. To treat the effects of this lone heroism, the authors suggest creating partnerships to leverage the strengths of many. High altitude leaders must not allow partnerships to create cowardice, because it would show weakness in a team. The authors suggest using bravery as a tool to defeat cowardice; for example, always telling the truth and not feeling shameful.

People tend to commit to tasks when they feel comfortable, and according to Warner and Schmincke this comfort is not always a good thing. “Great achievements sometimes require enduring extreme discomfort.” High altitude leaders must persevere through difficult times, and remain alert for signs of too much comfort. Equally important is the ability for leaders to remain aware that failures can occur. “Gravity” emerges in business environments as an uncertain and often catastrophic event. A high altitude leader allows luck to take control of the situation and does not fear failure. The leader must remain open to new experiences and expect success in all cases.

Warner and Schmincke address the dangers of leadership and methods of defeat to provide a basis for leadership. According to the authors, “how you respond in the face of real dangers defines you as a leader.” Remaining alert of the danger that can occur and consistently challenging these dangers is what makes one a high altitude leader.

High altitude leadership focuses on the essential role of teams. It emphasises the fact that whether you are leading a team on a mountain or on a project, you are a part of something bigger than yourself. High altitude leadership proves that highly focused teams that are confidently rooted in one vision are able to defeat the inevitable eight dangers. This defeat ultimately leads to greater success. In addition, it recognises that leaders are made by the circumstances they encounter.

Not only does this leadership theory examine the dangers that are inevitable with leadership, it provides a basis of leadership that many organisations are following today. High altitude leadership focuses on the “compelling saga,” a focus that has driven success for many companies. For example, Wal-Mart used a strategic focus when they chose a specific mission for the company; giving “ordinary folks the chance to buy the same things as rich people.” In addition, Nike had a strategic focus to create a brand for every competitive athlete. These leaders aligned the company towards a higher cause, creating a high altitude organisation. Although these companies may not have used the title of a “compelling saga,” there was a saga component that separated these organisations from their competitors. The companies had a specific strategy for high-performance behaviour and succeeded with this approach.

This book is well worth reading!

High Altitude Leadership

'Mr. Watson — Come here — I want to see you.'

'What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it.'

Alexander Graham Bell

'Mr. Watson — Come here — I want to see you.'

What is the DNA of the Top Ranked Companies for Leadership Development?

Fortune magazine has just published its 'top companies for leaders study 2009' (see postings on 21 November 2009).

Some FAQs about the methodology of the study:

1.What are the common factors amongst these top-ranked companies in the area of leadership development?

i. Building a brand for leadership - For leading companies, building an external reputation for attracting and developing strong leadership is vital to long-term success. They recognise that a strong leadership brand is a great competitive advantage – one that attracts strong leaders as well as retains the top talent. A core component of the leadership brand of top companies is corporate social responsibility. These companies have realised that CSR directly helps them attract and inspire leaders at a time when there is a great concern for social responsibility, ethics and integrity.

ii. Getting selection right - The top companies are more intentional in whom they hire as leaders. Almost 100% of winners have a specific selection strategy for hiring leaders from within as well as outside the organisation. As one of the top executive of a winning company said: “ The business imperative is to grow very fast, therefore we need to develop leadership capability at all levels and ensure that we have the right people for right roles.” 100% of top companies tie their leader assessment, selection and development strategies to business and leadership goals.

iii. Focusing on a pipeline of future leaders - Research shows that the top companies clearly define critical roles in the organisation and have a robust methodology of creating future leaders. All top companies report having sufficient talent pipeline for being successful in the future. The reasons cited by companies for not having sufficient talent pipeline are lack of required skills / experience in the existing employees and insufficient mentoring programmes.

iv. Meaningful development through experience and exposure - Many companies depend on informal or fragmented development efforts. Some others depend on “corporate driven” programmes with little thought to the role or the market. Research shows that the top companies do three specific things, which differentiate them :

• Provide individual focus for leadership development and cater to individual specific needs.
• They groom leaders at a much faster speed.
• They provide holistic development through action learning projects, job rotations, exposure to organisational role models and creating robust development programmes.

2.What are the key takeways from this survey? 

i. Top companies create leaders at a fast pace, and are better geared for growth - The top companies for leaders are growing business faster than the rest. They are also growing leaders at a faster rate than the rest. They achieve this through identification of top talent early in their careers, provide them with robust development opportunities, re-evaluate their talent pipeline year on year. They also have unmitigated focus on holistic and structured development programmes.

ii. Top companies’ focus on creating a unique leadership brand - ethics, sustainability, values and CSR are increasingly becoming important for them in building a leadership brand. Leadership talent has started to give more weighting to these organisational attributes, and top companies are increasingly building these into their organisational DNA.

3 Are there any lessons from the current downturn in the economic activity that have impacted leadership thinking?

i. Top companies have continued to invest in their people, irrespective of the downturn. In fact, top companies have shown greater commitment towards development of their people in the last year.

ii.Top companies have focused on experiential learning, stretch assignments and customised development intervention to groom leaders when they knew they had to restrain their finances. Not surprisingly, their leadership pipeline is becoming their trump card in these challenging economic times.

4. Top companies realise that to survive in today’s hyper competitive world, one needs to have people who are professionally qualified and competent. The old mantra that leaders should be 'built' and not bought is increasingly being replaced with 'an effective leadership team needs some external gems'. This is because in companies where leaders were only grown internally, an inward orientation tends to set in. To keep leaders outwardly oriented and therefore always open to change, top companies create a well thought out mix of internally and externally hired talent even at the highest level.

5. One area where most organisations need to make a perception shift is with celebrating the charismatic individuals—companies need to move away from creating charismatic leadership in a few individuals, and need to move to creating a robust process of leadership development. Companies also need to move away from “corporate training programmes” to “role and market” focused leadership development process. The mindset has to change from training to holistic development.

6. Over the past years, the curvey results have shown that leadership development has become a strategic CEO agenda. CEOs are getting involved in assessment, selection and development of future leaders. More and more companies have taken to planning for leaders a lot more seriously. Companies are investing in customised development of people. Leaders are being groomed in various ways, for example, what was predominantly training driven learning is now becoming experiential learning. Leadership development has become a lot more scientific in terms of how it is practised over the years. Companies have elaborate processes, procedures and practices, which make leadership development more scientific.

7. Winning organisations see leadership development as a science. Their investments and efforts in managing their top performing employees, and enabling their career track for leadership roles has shown valuable results. Which explains why some of the top companies have leadership academies that are world renowned. Some top companies have iconic figures as leaders and believe in developing leaders through emulation and role modeling. There are inherent practices for constantly breaking the mould and rebuilding it from scratch, never allowing their future and existing leaders to slip into their comfort zones. Importantly, these companies with their aggressive growth plans, are feeding their business with high performing leadership talent—they focus on spotting talent early, grooming and moulding them to take on the roles.

What is the DNA of the Top Ranked Companies for Leadership Development?

The Use of Open-Ended Questions

Many people in leadership roles are accustomed to speaking more than they are conditioned to let others do the talking. Becoming a good listener is not something that happens overnight. Exceptional leaders are active listeners—they encourage others to share their ideas and opinions by asking open-ended questions.

Open-ended questions, such as those beginning with "What," "How," and "Why" elicit responses from employees that clarify their points of view—thoughts and feelings that may not be apparent to you.
Practice asking short and simple open-ended questions such as:

"Tell me more about how you see this situation?"

"In what way will this affect you?"

"How do you feel about this?"

"What are your thoughts on this issue?"

Pay attention to how your employees answer these questions, then follow up with closed questions that begin with words such as "So," "Do," "Which," and "Did" to summarise and confirm their (and your) understanding.

One of the best, and most difficult, times to use open questions is when you disagree with what someone has said. Instead of saying "I don't agree with you," try asking "What makes you think that?" or, "What led you to that conclusion?"

You may learn something, but more importantly, you won't have shut down the conversation and you have a better opportunity to reach a mutual understanding.

The Use of Open-Ended Questions

What Do You Do Under Pressure?

Bill George is a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School, where he has taught leadership since 2004.

Here he talks about dealing with pressure:

What Do You Do Under Pressure?

What Makes a Boss a Winner?

What makes a good business leader? Is it intellect, charisma, luck, charm, thuggery, stamina, ruthlessness, cunning, or simply intuition? Or is it a cocktail of all these things?

Regardless, it doesn't matter how good the chief executive is, he is never going to make a success out of a fundamentally bad company.

In recent history, Britain has been famously good at inventing and discovering things but not very good at commercial exploitation of them. But it would be wrong to attribute this to failure of leadership.

It's no accident that virtually all the truly memorable business leaders of the past century have been Americans. It is the sheer size of the market that matters, for therein lies the commercial opportunity that makes great companies. That's why we may soon be looking to China and India to produce the superstars of the business landscape.

One final tip not widely appreciated. Behind every outstanding business leader lies an outstanding PA. Without one, you won't so much as get past first base.

For more, see - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/jeremy-warner/6612263/What-makes-a-boss-a-winner.html

What Makes a Boss a Winner?

How To Build Consensus

Here is a process a leader can use to help a group reach an efficient consensus decision.

First of all, it’s important to define what’s meant by “consensus”:

“Consensus is a decision that every member of the group has had input to, understands, and is willing to support.”

Note that consensus does not mean that everyone agrees with the decision 100%. It mean’s they’ve had their say – and have been listened to – and at the end of the day, are committed to supporting the decision. The final decision is owned by the group.

The leader also needs to decide on a “fallback” method in case the group cannot reach true consensus. Otherwise, in theory, if just one person is not willing to support the decision, the meeting can go on forever.

The two most common fallback options are:

1. The group votes, majority rules.

2. The leader decides.

The threat of a fallback is a deterrent – it rarely has to be used, however, having it will motivate a group to give and take in order to reach a consensus.

Here’s a general process to use when making a consensus decision. It’s a way to ensure everyone has a say, generates energy, and can quickly move a group to a decision they can all buy in to and support.

The leader should check for agreement at the beginning and end of each step. Consensus building is a series of small agreements as you scale the mountain – you don’t just leap to one big agreement at the end.

1. Frame the decision.

Agree on what is being decided. Test your decision statement to make sure it’s not too narrow in a way that limits your options. For example, instead of “choose between a Ford Focus or a Ford Explorer”, the decision might be “choose the best mode of family transportation”.

2. Generate alternatives.

This is the time to brainstorm. Follow the rules of brainstorming (anything goes, don’t evaluate, build on each others ideas, etc…) and write each idea on a flipchart of whiteboard (or a virtual whiteboard if using web conferencing).

3. Clarify alternatives.

Take some time to allow questions for clarification. This is not the time to evaluate an idea – or to agree or disagree – it’s strictly to make sure everyone understands each alternative.

4. Narrow down the choices.

Add up the total number of ideas and divide by 3. So if 30 ideas: 30/3=10. In this case, give each team member 10 sticker dots. Have the group place their stickers on the alternatives they like the most. Make sure you tell this group this IS NOT the decision making process – it is strictly an efficient way to “take the temperature” of the group to see which ideas rise to the top and sink to the bottom.

5. Keep and discard.

Start with the alternative with the most votes and ask: “It looks like this one got the most votes – how about if this one stays for now?” If everyone agrees, then circle it. The go to the alternative with no votes, or the least, and ask: “OK, this one didn’t get any votes – can we eliminate it?” If no one objects, draw a line through it. If someone strongly objects – ask why. Give them time to make their case, and then move on to the next.

Although this may sound like a long and tedious process, it actually can go pretty quickly. The group often just decides they’ll go with the alternative with the most votes. A leader can also suggest combining ideas, by asking “So what is it about option A that you like so much? Can we add something to option B to satisfy that need?”

There may be times when it’s appropriate to choose multiple alternatives. In fact, that’s often the case. For problem solving (i.e., “best ways to reduce expenses”, or “best ways to generate revenue”), it’s typical to leave with a list of alternatives.

6. Summarise the decision(s), and decide on who’s going to do what by when.

This is the test of true commitment. Usually when a group reaches a true consensus decision, the energy and commitment is so high people are clamoring to sign up for action items. If all of a sudden the room goes quiet and no one is making eye contact, chances are you missed a step in the consensus building process.

Consensus building is hard work for a leader – it takes a willingness to “roll the dice” and be open to any alternative. Big egos need to be set aside. However, the time and work invested will yield not only higher quality decisions, but implementation will be faster and smoother because everyone will be committed to the outcome.

How To Build Consensus

Crisis = Danger + Opportunity

Crisis is a time of opportunity for leaders. The Chinese word for crisis - weiji - is made up of two characters - danger and opportunity.

Crisis = Danger + Opportunity

Renewing American Leadership

Jeff Immelt, Chairman and CEO of GE delivered an impressive speech to the United States Military Academy yesterday. In it, he said:

'To realise a better economic future, our country must change how we compete. In order to change, we must have: an understanding of what happened; a plan to win; and leaders who have the courage to change themselves and others.'

The full speech is well worth reading - http://files.gereports.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/90304-2-JRI-Speech-Reprint1-557.qxd_8.5x11.pdf

Here are the 5 leadership traits which GE is committed to improving:

• Leaders have to be better listeners.
• Leaders must become systems thinkers who are comfortable with ambiguity.
• Leaders must build competency and move with speed.
• Leaders must motivate with vision, but win through execution.
• Leaders must like and respect people.

Renewing American Leadership

John Wooden - The Values of a Great Leader

In this video, ESPN's Rick Reilly profiles the great love affair between legendary coach John Wooden and his late wife, Nell:

John Wooden - The Values of a Great Leader

Leadership – What’s Love Got To Do With it?

“It’s the most powerful thing there is” – John Wooden

John Wooden is a basketball coaching legend – in his 27 years at UCLA, his teams had a winning percentage of 81%, and they won a unfathomable 10 NCAA titles.

He was also a lifetime student of leadership and personal development, creating what he called the “Pyramid of Success“. He is now 99 years old – and in a recent ESPN interview he revealed what he considered to be the two most important elements of all his success:

Love and Balance.

To him, love is the “most powerful thing there is“. It was certainly powerful in his personal life – he had a strong bond with his father who taught him the value of loyalty, and was married to his high school sweetheart Nell for 53 years until her passing in 1985, with a deep and abiding love that is still burning brightly.

What’s more, the power of love carried over into his professional life, with the manner in which he coached and led his teams. Here is what he said back in 1996 about a leader’s responsibility:

“You must set an example. Your players must know that you care for them more than just as athletes. Certainly, they understand that they are there because of their athletic ability, speaking of college. That’s why they’re there. That’s paying their way. But when you have them under your supervision, it’s up to you to make sure that they understand that you care for them as individuals. As…Alonzo Stagg said, he never had one he didn’t love. A lot of them he didn’t like, couldn’t respect. But he loved them just the same.”

John Wooden knew that if he was to earn the trust of his players, and lead them to greatness, he had to love them. Then, and only then, he could apply the principles of his “Pyramid of Success“, which requires much focus, discipline and practice.

This is not a new concept when it comes to great leadership- after all, in one of the oldest leadership books out there, The Art of War (it goes back to the 6th Century BC), Sun Tzu said “He treats them as his own beloved sons and they will stand by him until death”.

However, it is not a concept well suited to the typically rough and tumble world of business. It’s a point of view that dares not speak its name in the halls and in the boardrooms. It seems too “soft” – too “wishy-washy“. As if speaking about loving our teammates would be the ultimate weakness, a major flaw that could be regularly exploited by the more ruthless, manipulative and cynical people in the workplace.

It is also seemingly incompatible with downsizing, and layoffs, and other actions that are taken “for the good of the business”.

What John Wooden has taught us is that love is NOT “soft” – it is NOT incompatible. It is essential. If every leader out there could practice what he has preached for so many years, imagine what a different (and better) world this would be.

Because after all, we’re talking about humans here- we all function better in environments where we know in our hearts that our caretakers, our mentors, and our leaders, really care about us, and are doing their best to guide and teach us.

That’s “the most powerful thing” at work – it binds, it inspires, and makes success possible beyond our wildest dreams.

Just ask John Wooden.

What’s love got to do with leadership?

Plenty.

Leadership – What’s Love Got To Do With it?

Coach John Wooden - A True Leader

John Wooden was born on his parents' farm near Centerville, Indiana. Life was difficult for the Woodens. Their farm had neither running water nor electricity and money was often in short supply. In later years, Coach Wooden would credit his success to the habits of discipline and hard work he learned on the farm.

Rural America did not share in the prosperity enjoyed by large cities in the 1920s. In 1924, the Woodens, like many farm families, went bankrupt and lost their farm. The family moved to Martinsville, a small town which, like so many in Indiana, took great pride in the performance of its high school basketball teams. Wooden, who had shown a gift for the game from grade school days, soon became a star player on his high school team. The team went to the state championship three years running, and won it twice. While still in high school, John met Nellie Riley. By his own account, it was love at first sight, and the two teenagers decided to marry as soon as John finished college.

John Wooden entered Purdue University in Indiana to study civil engineering, but became an English major instead. In college basketball, he earned a reputation as a fearless player of dazzling speed. He made All-American three years running and won a place in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

After graduation in 1932, he was offered a spot on the Celtics professional basketball team, but passed it up to begin a teaching career and marry his beloved Nellie. His first post was in Dayton, Kentucky, where he not only taught high school English, but coached all of the school's athletic teams. The basketball team had a losing season, the only one in Wooden's entire career. The following year, John and Nellie settled in South Bend, Indiana, where he taught English and coached the basketball team of South Bend Central High School. In eleven years of coaching high school basketball Wooden's teams won 218 games, losing only 42.

The young coach served as a physical education instructor in the United States Navy during World War II. Appendicitis kept him from shipping off for the South Pacific. A Japanese kamikaze plane struck the ship Wooden was to travel on, killing the officer who had taken his place.

After military service, Wooden, like many other teachers he knew, was not re-hired at his old job. He quickly found work however, at Indiana State Teachers' College, later known as Indiana State University. He coached basketball at the school, resuming his string of winning seasons.

In 1948, Wooden accepted an offer to coach the UCLA Bruins. At the time, the team was considered the weakest in the Pacific conference. The University had not provided the team with the facilities usually considered essential; the Bruins lacked a home court to play in, and had to share practice facilities with the school's other teams.

Wooden's Bruins astonished the skeptics by winning 22 out of 29 games in his first season as coach. The following year, they took 24 out of 31 and won their conference championship. Under Wooden's tutelage, the Bruins maintained their high win-loss ratio, and won the Pacific conference titles again in 1952, 1956, 1962 and 1963.

In 1964, Wooden achieved a long sought-after goal. His team had a perfect season, and won the NCAA championship. The following year, they won the title again, losing only two games in a 30-game season. What they lacked in size, the 1964 and '65 Bruins made up for in speed, discipline and an extra-keen will to win that has been the hallmark of all of Wooden's teams. The break-up of this championship lineup may have cost the Bruins the championship in 1966, but they came back with a vengeance in 1967, and held the championship for the next seven years.
The seven-foot center Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) dominated the Bruins' game for the first three seasons of their seven-year streak. Bill Walton was the dominant star of the 1973 and '74 seasons, when UCLA set the all-time record for an unbroken winning streak: 88 consecutive games. In 1974, UCLA again won the Pacific conference title, but lost to North Carolina State in the NCAA semi-finals.

The Bruins bounced back in 1975, Coach Wooden's last year, winning 27 out of 30 games, turning around a losing semi-final against Louisville in the closing minute of the game. In the final game of the tournament, UCLA defeated the University of Kentucky, 92-85.

In all his years as coach, John Wooden prohibited his players from any use of profanity, and consistently avoided it himself. Still, in his first 12 years at UCLA, the coach developed a fearsome reputation among opposing teams for the fanciful harangues he directed at officials and opposing players from the bench. This habit is virtually the only aspect of his career for which the coach has expressed any regret. In the championship years, fans and players alike noticed a distinct mellowing of Wooden's behaviour on the bench.

One of Coach Wooden's proudest moments, he later recalled, came when he overheard one of his players, an African-American, reply to a reporter's question about racial tensions on the team: "You don't know our coach. He doesn't see colour. He just sees ballplayers."

Coach John Wooden - A True Leader

US Leadership

Speaking at a dinner in Washington last night, US Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton made some interesting remarks about the role of US leadership globally:

'We have been talking a lot in the last months that we need to be committed to using American leadership to build a new architecture of global cooperation. And fundamental to that idea is that the 21st century not only presents many shared challenges, but also demands shared responsibility. No nation can meet today’s challenges – or seize its opportunities – alone. Leadership in this era means stepping up to the plate and galvanizing others to do the same.

That is the approach we are taking in the Obama Administration. We are pursuing broader and, we hope, more effective diplomacy that reaches beyond government. And we are committed to development that is delivered, as the President has said, through partnership, not patronage, that achieves meaningful, measurable, sustainable outcomes.' 

US Leadership

Maintaining a Positive Attidude in Difficult Times

Maintaining a positive attitude in down times is the best thing you can do. You have a choice, maintain a positive attitude or go negative. The easy, and almost natural way for most people is to go negative. The best method for down times is to maintain a positive upbeat attitude, but it requires you to be disciplined and in control of your life.

Maintaining a positive attitude requires you to first believe in you, the most important person in the world. If you believe in you, you will also believe you are here for a reason and that there will be incidents of all sorts in your life. You also know that these incidents, many of which are not under your control, happen for a reason. That reason could be as simple as building character, or getting you back on track to where you belong.

Maintaining a positive attitude in down times, whether it be the loss of a loved one, a friend, relative, money or a job is crucial for survival and the realisation of your dreams and goals.

There are a lot of things in our life that are not under our control - weather, time, people, traffic, etc. If we cannot control them, we need to learn to accept them as they are. All we can do is take control of what is under our control - our attitude, our thoughts, our self-talk and the way we react to these situations.

What we think about, what we say to ourselves and the way we act it out is all part of the law of attraction, and is under our control. We can attract positive or negative outcomes. Which would you prefer?

Obviously you would prefer positive outcomes. Therefore you need to take control of your thoughts, self talk and reactions to maintain a positive upbeat attitude and positive outcomes. To maintain that positive attitude, you need to be very aware of what you are thinking, saying and doing. You need to catch yourself in the act of self pity, self criticism, jealousy, anger, etc. Then you need to X out that thought, saying or action and replace it with the opposite - a positive thought, saying or action. That is how you maintain a positive attitude, by taking control of the things that are under your control.

Keep in mind that maintaining positive attitude requires awareness at all times because only when you are in your conscious state can you accept or reject thoughts, self talk or actions. If you are not aware, and do not reject negative thoughts, they will end up in your subconscious mind. Once it hits your subconscious mind, you do not have the power to reject or accept. It has already been accepted and now goes to work with the laws of nature to attract those thoughts, self talk messages and results into your life.

By making awareness part of your daily discipline you will have the opportunity to take control of your life and attract the circumstances and outcomes you want, as opposed to the outcomes you do not want. So , take control and be aware!

Maintaining a Positive Attidude in Difficult Times