The Physiology Of Leadership

In his book, The Talent Code: Greatness Isn't Born. It's Grown. Here's How. author Daniel Coyle looks at three basic elements of the development of talent: "ignition," which basically means motivation, "deep practice" and "master coaching." 

Each is valuable on its own, but their convergence is the key to developing skill. For each he offers practical real-life examples. For example, for deep practice, he writes about how Brazil emerged as a world hotbed for football even though until the 1950s it was nowhere on the world football map. He credits deep practice as developed by Brazilian youth when they indulged in a sport called "futsal"--football in a room, played with a ball half the size but twice the weight of an ordinary soccer ball. Futsal gave Brazilians deep practice and increased myelin effects to directly strengthen their skills on the football field.

Deep practice is a conscious activity, involving a cycle of distinct actions. Ignition is a hot, mysterious burst of passion, an awakening, and it is indispensible for firing up a person's motivation. Master coaching means guidance and feedback from a disciplined, committed coach. The development of great skill relies on the help of teachers who have the ability to nurture talent.

This book shows exactly how you can develop the skills of an expert.

The Physiology Of Leadership

The Importance of Positive Emotions

Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, discusses her new book, Positivity: Groundbreaking Research Reveals How to Embrace the Hidden Strength of Positive Emotions, Overcome Negativity, and Thrive in this video:

The Importance of Positive Emotions

A Recipe for Greatness

In order to become great at any profession, whether it is being a nurse, professional athlete or corporate leader, it is critical to have a philosophy that guides your actions and behaviour.  Without such a philosophy, you will easily become distracted by the multitude of various avenues open to you each and every day.  You will lose focus of your goals and aspirations and, unfortunately, experience the frustration of having tried to follow several paths half-heartedly instead of one with a single purpose.  But it does not have to be this way at all.  We each choose every day what principles and postulates we will use as the guiding paths for our life.  

The main point is to decide what your philosophy of greatness is and do everything you can to adhere to this philosophy on a daily basis. 

Many of the building blocks below come from quotes and ideas included in the books of great athletic coaches.  These ideas have been grouped together based on the theme they represent.  The first three components below compromise a general attitude or view you must have in order to become great.  These all-encompassing principles permeate the remaining nine categories on achieving greatness.

  

General Attitude

Personal Action  The single most important component of becoming great is making yourself become great.  If you want something bad enough, you will achieve it.  If you do not achieve it, you will die trying, you will achieve something equally as satisfying, or you will realise you did not want it that bad.  Remember that "you are the maker of your own fortune." 

The Dream  Once you believe you can control your future, you then get to decide what the future will be.  Some might argue that the first categories should be reversed because you must have a dream before you can act on it.  However, if the first two are reversed, the dream of your future is the driving force.  While the dream is vital to becoming great, it cannot come before the person because then, by definition, you do not have ultimate control of your future, the dream does.  

Personal Responsibility  Personal responsibility goes hand in hand with personal action.  If you control your own future, then you are responsible for your future.  This is true whether your future turns out great, or turns out poorly. To conceptualise these first three categories and how they work together, think of it this way: you control your future (personal action); you get to decide what that future is (the dream) and you are responsible for how that future turns out (personal responsibility).

Attributes of Great Athletes   

#1  Enjoy Living  

In order to become great, you have to enjoy becoming great.  This means that you wake up every day and look forward to making yourself better that day.  However, this is easier said than done, especially when many of the experiences along the way may not be fun.  But if you can enjoy the learning that occurred in these experiences and be satisfied that you made it through an experience many others could not, you will enjoy yourself much more.  Like the song says, "Don't worry- be happy".  

#2  Leadership 

In order to become great or help others become great, you have to act great.  It is not enough to think great.  If you are not going to act as you think, you cannot expect to achieve what you want to achieve.  Also, you cannot expect others you lead (students, athletes, employees, etc.) to act great if you do not act great.  

#3  Teamwork 

People can't become great by themselves.  Sure, you must do most of the work and take personal responsibility for making yourself great, but no one has become great in isolation.  Teammates, coaches, a spouse, friends and/or family have helped in some way to make you great.  

#4  Commitment 

As stated earlier, it is not going to be easy to become great.  You must be willing to put forth much time and effort.  After all, if it were easy everyone would do it.  Continually strive to become better and better at what you are doing and learn as you proceed.  

#5  Learning 

You must find out what works for you and what does not.  If you strive to learn as much as you can every day, it is impossible not to become better.  And if you become better and better each day, you will eventually become great.  

#6  Decision-Making 

To become great, you must make great decisions.   However, all of your decisions will not be great.  Thus, you must have the foresight to know when you have made a bad decision and change it as soon as possible.  The main point is to think before you act.  

#7  Preparation 

Preparation is doing all the little things that separate becoming good from becoming great.  This includes some of the characteristics listed earlier such as learning and commitment.  Without preparing yourself to become great, you are destined to remain average.  

#8  Respect

To become great, you often have to work with, through or around others who are a part of your path to becoming great.  In doing so, you must respect their rights and treat them as you would want to be treated.  You must also respect yourself and stand up for your rights when that time arises.  If you and someone else are both going after the same dream, and if you believe there can only be one winner, enjoy the challenge the opposition brings.  Respect your opponents, but do not fear them. 

#9  Risk 

At some point in your journey to become great, you will face risk.  When this occurs, do not back down.  Do not take a stupid risk or take a risk every time.  But if you never take a risk, you will always wonder "what if", and this is a very frustrating way to go through life.  If you truly believe that you are the maker of your own fortune, then taking a calculated risk is the only possible solution.  

Summary

While these points are only a sample "recipe for greatness," they should serve as a solid basis for formulating your own recipe.  It will take much time and dedication for you to complete your own, but it will be a worthwhile experience.  It will not only help you learn more about yourself and your beliefs, it will provide concrete evidence to serve as a guide for your colleagues and team mates.  Good luck in your quest for greatness!

A Recipe for Greatness

The Importance of Positive Energy

When business legend Jack Welch says that great leaders have lots of positive energy and Pete Carroll, former coach of USC football credits positive energy as a key ingredient to winning two national championships, people listen, take notice and start asking questions. What is positive energy? How do I develop it as a leader? How can I infuse my team with it?

In order to build a positive company, then, it is essential that there is not only a positive leader but a positive leadership executive team who believes in nurturing and developing a culture of positive energy. 

If you have positive energy trickling up the organisation but your leaders and managers are causing negativity to flow down, the positive energy gets surrounded like the sun on a dark, cloudy day, creating a negative culture. With this in mind, it is important to ‘nurture the root’. Leaders who run successful, positive companies know that when you take care of the root of the tree you will always be pleased with the fruit it supplies. If you ignore the root, eventually the tree will dry up and so will the fruit. 

To fuel your business and generate growth with positive energy and ingrain it in everything you do here are a few best practices and strategies that will get you and your team moving in the right direction:

·        Hire Positive People and Enhance Communication

·        Fill the Void with Positive Energy - constantly and systematically 

·        Eliminate Energy Vampires

·        Drive with a Shared Vision and Purpose. (Vision helps everyone in the organisation see the road ahead and focus on the goals that will lead to their destination while purpose inspires them to work longer, harder and more passionately.)

The Importance of Positive Energy

Purpose

Purpose is one of the values of Positive Leadership.

This means:

• UNDERSTANDING WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO
• UNDERSTANDING WHY A BUSINESS MATTERS TO ITS EMPLOYEES
• LEADERS NEEDING TO BE WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE.

Purpose

Honourable Compromise

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani talks about 'honourable' compromise - the governing style that makes bipartisanship possible for 'people of principle':

Honourable Compromise

An 'Exploit and Explore' Approach to Leadership

In today’s fast paced, fast changing world, executive teams should adopt a "both/and" approach to evaluating new strategic business opportunities, where they continue to exploit existing businesses even as they explore new ones. Success will require a degree of comfort with such a paradox, complete with its inherent tensions.

Some leadership teams are better equipped to cope with the paradox and complex business models than others. Those teams share a few important attributes:

• They make decisions dynamically — remaining open to various options depending on context and events.
• They commit to an overarching vision and agenda specific goals.
• They actively seek to learn about each agenda and the relevant relationships.
• They readily engage with conflict.

When leadership teams possess these attributes they can "host" contradictions, rather than fight them. 

Whether the leader takes responsibility for managing the paradox or the team takes collective accountability — leaders can support tensions, rather than seek resolutions that could limit a company's long-term strategic opportunities.

An 'Exploit and Explore' Approach to Leadership

Passion

Passion is one of the values of Positive Leadership.

This means asking yourself:

• HOW GOOD DO YOU WANT TO BE?
• DOES YOUR PASSION MATCH YOUR ASPIRATION?
• WHETHER YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN ACHIEVE THE UNACHIEVABLE.

Passion

Business Leadership - The India Way

In India business leaders have come to be emblematic of national achievement and fortitude. When US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited India sixth months after the 2008 terrorist attack, she arrived first not in New Delhi, the political capital, but in Mumbai, the business capital, where she began by meeting with Indian business leaders, including Mukesh Ambani, executive chairman of Reliance Industries, and Ratan Tata, head of the $62 billion Tata Group.

India has a way of doing business that brings together business leadership with national leadership and societal leadership. Many heads of business are deeply involved in matters from climate change to child nutrition, and they find it entirely appropriate and even necessary to make their views on such matters public.

Some of this has to do with a need for development. The heads of many Indian businesses believe that national growth is essential for their own profitable expansion. Also, India has a long-standing tradition of business largesse, with many companies committed to social betterment through philanthropic giving and investment in infrastructure near their facilities. But the melding goes well beyond private profit and public charity. Indian business leaders care as much about national purpose as about financial results.

Thus the co-chairman and former chief executive of Infosys Technologies, Nandan Nilekani, has accepted a call to direct India's mammoth effort to provide a unique digital identification number for every one of its 1.1 billion citizens, which will make possible more effective delivery of social services across the country. And thus Hindustan Unilever has launched Project Shakti, which has used the principles of microfinance to create a sales force in some of the subcontinent's most remote regions. And big-name businesses have built community hospitals, grade schools and virtual universities across the country.

This India way of doing business has fuelled an economy that even in perilous global times remains a dynamo, driven by big companies that are bent on growing at prodigious rates. India's gross domestic product has been expanding more than twice as fast as the U.S.'s. Infosys Technologies employed 10,700 in 2002, but more than 100,000 just seven years later.

The essence of the India Way is best expressed by those business leaders themselves. We "think in English and act in Indian," observed R. Gopalakrishnan, the executive director of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group. The Tata Group comprises some 98 enterprises that employ 290,000 and book annual revenue equal to 3.2% of the nation's GDP.

"For the Indian manager," Gopalakrishnan explained, "his intellectual tradition, his y-axis, is Anglo-American, and his action vector, his x-axis, is in the Indian ethos. Many foreigners come to India, they talk to Indian managers and they find them very articulate, very analytical, very smart, very intelligent--and then they can't for the life of them figure out why the Indian manager can't do what is prescribed by the analysis."

The Indian "x-axis" is defined by four distinctive elements of managing:

1. Holistic engagement with employees. Indian business leaders see their firms as organic enterprises, where sustaining employee morale and building company culture are critical obligations and the very foundations of their success. People are viewed as assets to be developed, not costs to be reduced.

2. Improvisation and adaptability. Improvisation and adaptability are also at the heart of the India way. In a complex, often volatile environment with few resources and maddening red tape, business leaders learn to rely on their wits to circumvent the innumerable hurdles they recurrently confront. Anyone who has seen outdated equipment nursed along a generation after its expected lifetime with retrofitted spare parts and jerry-rigged solutions has witnessed this in action.

3. Creative value propositions. Given the enormous and intensely competitive domestic market and the country's discerning customers, most of them of modest means, Indian business leaders have of necessity learned to be highly creative in developing their value propositions, delivering entirely new products and services with extreme efficiency. A case in point: Tata Motors now produces the Nano automobile at a sticker price of just $2,500.

4. Broad mission and purpose. Indian business leaders place special emphasis on personal values and on having a vision of growth and strategic thinking. In addition to serving the needs of their stockholders, like CEOs everywhere, they also stress broader purpose. They take pride in enterprise success but also in family prosperity, regional advancement and national renaissance.

Bundled together, these principles constitute a distinctly Indian way of conducting business, one very different from other countries, especially the U.S., where the blend centres more on delivering shareholder value.

Company managers in the West can usefully learn from India's example. The time is right to better understand what is driving the Indian economic powerhouse, the company practices we have come to call the India Way.

For more, see - http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/14/india-business-way-leadership-citizenship-useem.html?boxes=leadershipchannellighttop 

Business Leadership - The India Way

Effective Managers are Excellent Leaders

Most individuals want their managers first and foremost to be strong leaders.  

When you possess and display the following top 5 leadership qualities on a consistent basis, you will stand out from the pack as a highly effective manager:

• Strong Performance – Managers need to meet and exceed performance standards on a daily basis.  They must have a very narrow “say-do gap” and always live up to the commitments they make.
• Decisiveness – Managers must have the courage to make the tough calls.  While they realise that every decision might not be perfect, effective managers make well-reasoned and timely decisions.  They choose to live proactively – not reactively.
• Accountability – Managers are always accountable for their actions and the decisions they make.  When a problem arises they look first to their own contributing actions (or lack there of).  Accountability breeds trust.   An effective manager is one who others see as a go-to person who will listen to their problems and help them to find solutions.
• Strong Communication – Managers must be strong communicators.  They must clearly convey their expectations and consistently hold others accountable when those expectations are not met.  Effective managers do not shy away from confrontation because they understand that conflict is sometimes necessary to bring about resolution.
• Service-Based Leadership – Managers truly care about those they lead.  They seek to remove obstacles that prevent others from reaching their fullest potential.  They are empathetic to others’ needs; however, they avoid coddling or enabling others because they are focused on individual growth and exceptional performance.

Effective managers are excellent leaders.  Incorporate these 5 top leadership qualities into your daily life and watch your team thrive! 

Effective Managers are Excellent Leaders

Vision

Vision is one of the values of Positive Leadership.

This means:

• DEVELOPING A CLEAR, COMPELLING AND CONVINCING PICTURE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE TEAM,  BUSINESS OR ORGANISATION
• CREATING A FOCUSED COMMUNICATION AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
• UNDERSTANDING THAT VISION CASTING IS A PROCESS, NOT AN EVENT.

Vision

"Self-Made People"

Do you know anyone who is a self-made man or woman - a self-made person?

From time to time, we hear someone describe him- or herself as "self-made." What they usually mean is that they weren't born to wealthy, successful parents, or that they managed to succeed in spite of great odds.

However, in the final analysis, all of us are self-made people. Of course, some of us get off to an easier start, and some of us are fortunate enough to have had parents or others who helped us recognise and use our talents.

But success is not a matter of luck, or talent, or of being gifted. More than anything else, success is a matter of belief and persistence.

If you don't believe you can succeed, no amount of talent or money or good parenting will help you. And if you do believe it and refuse to give up no matter how hard the struggle, no obstacle, no setback, no disadvantage will stop you.

George Bernard Shaw said it perfectly: "People are always blaming circumstances for what they are. But the people who get on in this world are those who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, they make them."

So take charge of your life by taking accountability for being who you are! 

"Self-Made People"

Resilience

Resilience is one of the values of Positive Leadership.

This means:

• SUCCESS UNDER SUSTAINED PRESSURE
• QUICK RECOVERY FROM SETBACKS
• ‘BOUNCE BACK’ IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY AND THREAT.

Resilience

Ego Strength

No one wants to think of themselves as having a "big ego," but having a strong ego is definitely a good thing.

How strong is your ego? Many people think that the term "ego" has something to do with being a braggart or totally self-interested, but they're wrong. Actually, psychologists tell us that the ego is that part of our personality that directs our activities, so we can get our needs met and survive. It's a normal and necessary part of who we are.

Having good ego strength means you perceive things accurately and have the ability to make wise decisions. It also generally means that you have self-confidence, self-esteem, and poise under pressure. 

Ego strength has nothing whatever to do with people we think of as having "big egos"- those macho folks who like to push other people around and blow their own horns.

On the contrary, it often shows up as resiliency - the ability to bounce back from adversity - and the flexibility to take advantage of change. According to Dr. Charles Garfield, author of Peak Performers: The New Heroes of American Business, ego strength - a thoughtful, systematic programme of personal growth - can help enormously. 

Ego Strength

Purpose and Goals help you to be Productive

How busy are you these days? Now, here's another question: How productive are you? As most of us know, the two just aren't the same. All too often, being busy may have nothing at all to do with the results we get and what we achieve.

We spend our days, often very long days, in a flurry of activity. But, when the day or week is over, we're disappointed at the level of our accomplishment. Our disappointment creates stress and we push ourselves even harder to "get more done." But pushing hard isn't the answer.

What is? Well, in our experience, a sense of priorities based on a clear purpose and well-defined short- and long-term goals are what one needs. The world is full of individuals who are definitely in motion, but they're not exactly sure where they're going and they don't know why, either. Maybe they get going so fast that they never take the time to think it through. If that is your situation, we urge you to set aside some time for personal reflection, some personal values clarification and goal-setting.

There's nothing like a strong sense of purpose, based on clearly spelled out values, to keep you moving. But more than that, it keeps you moving in the right direction. Without it, you can climb the ladder of success all right, but when you get to the top, you may find that it's leaning against the wrong building! 

Purpose and Goals help you to be Productive

Accountability

Accountability is one of the values of Positive Leadership.

This means:

• ADOPTING A ‘CAN DO, WILL DO ‘ APPROACH – OTHERS WILL FOLLOW
• DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO DELIVER OUTPUTS WITHIN PRESCRIBED TIME, COST AND QUALITY STANDARDS
• NOT BLAMING OTHERS FOR SHORTFALLS IN PERFORMANCE
• TACKLING OBSTACLES TO SUCCESS DIRECTLY AND WITH DISPATCH.

Accountability

Trust Starts With Clarity

Leaders must take the lead in building trust throughout their organisation and in individual teams.

Trust starts with clarity. Without clarity neither side in a relationship has confidence in where they stand. This means each person in the team relationship must be committed to specific and clear communication, otherwise, misunderstandings will occur causing a breakdown in trust.

One area leaders need to invest time in is ensuring specific communication is an expectation in their organisation and is one of its core values against which performance is measured.

Openness and Communication are important values in the Positive Leadership approach to building a robust leadership strategy.

Trust Starts With Clarity

There is No 'Off Switch' for Leaders

Leaders are wise to behave with a consciousness of how other people might view what they do — and the awareness that people probably will view it. That requires truly authentic leaders whose characters are not mental constructions developed for the job but run deeply in their hearts and souls.

In the age of social media, instant video feeds via cell phones, and hidden surveillance cameras, this advice about authenticity increasingly applies to everyone who aspires to leadership.

There is No 'Off Switch' for Leaders

Team Spirit

Team Spirit is one of the values of Positive Leadership.

This means:

• CREATING A CLIMATE THAT FOSTERS PERSONAL INVESTMENT AND EXCELLENCE
• NURTURING A COMMITMENT TO A COMMON VISION AND SHARED VALUES
• GIVING PEOPLE OPPORTUNITY AND LATITUDE TO GROW AND ACHIEVE
• PROMOTING COLLABORATION AND TEAMWORK.

To illustrate the point, see this story of a team that went from 'worst to first'  - http://www.avp.com/News/2010/05/Stanford.aspx#

Team Spirit

Leadership - Building Capacity

Leadership - Building Capacity  

Wednesday, 2 June 2010, Crutherland House Hotel, East Kilbride, Scotland

School Leaders Scotland and Positive Leadership Limited have teamed up to help you tackle the challenges of A Curriculum for Excellence 2010/2013.

The introduction of ACfE in August 2010 will present school leaders with a range of challenges. Leading and managing change requires a whole set of skills which have been well rehearsed within Scottish education over the years. For this seminar SLS has looked outside the education community  for fresh ideas and proven strategies relating to leadership in the context of our challenges over the next three years. The team from Positive Leadership Limited, Gavin Hastings, Lee Torbet and Graham Watson, bring leadership skills and strategies from the worlds of sport and business. They have developed a propriety leadership strategy which optimises both the performance of leaders throughout an organisation and the results of the organisation.

‘A strategy begins and ends with values – a prioritised listing of what is important to you. Once you know what you value as a leader, you can set goals to help you bring about end results that are aligned with your values. This is Positive Leadership.’

Such an approach also sits well with School Leaders Scotland's own view of a values driven leadership approach.

This seminar will help develop YOU as a leader. It will provide you with the opportunity to hear about this innovative approach to building a high performing school and how it can help you as a leader. You will have an opportunity to reflect on your current practice and clarify your thinking.  You will be able to focus on where you are going, what you are trying to achieve and what your purpose is. You will be given opportunities to discuss and debate with fellow participants the values that are important to you.   You should leave at the end of the day with a positive outlook on the way ahead and a plan of action to take back to your school. 

A Curriculum for Excellence – Kick negativity into touch with the help of Gavin Hastings!

For booking information, please see: http://www.sls-scotland.org.uk/content/files/Leadership%20%20-%20%20Building%20Capacity.pdf  

Leadership - Building Capacity

Bono at 50: The Leader We Need

Earlier this week, Bono, the U2 singer, global activist and one of the most powerful leaders on the world stage, turned 50. At this important milestone, it is worth briefly taking stock of his journey thus far--a journey of purpose, impact, passion, and humour. It is a path with lessons for leaders from all walks of life.

So what has Bono been up to that accounts for his enormous influence--influence that extends from the 100,000-seat stadiums that U2 plays to the White House, Vatican, and Downing Street to debt forgiveness and medical aid to Africa? After all, he was not born with cash or connections.

Bono's leadership journey has its roots in U2, the Irish band that he and several schoolmates, including Larry Mullen, Jr., David Evans (who later became known as "The Edge"), and Adam Clayton, founded in 1976. The story of U2's success is one of commerce as much as art. At its centre is the creation and stewardship of a very powerful brand, a brand that, in the midst of an ongoing perfect storm of turbulence in the music distribution business, is still going strong around the world.

Leading this enterprise has meant keeping the key team members motivated, engaged and growing--as human beings as well as music makers--for almost 34 years. Growing the organization four gangly teenagers - who in 1979 had to sell one of their instruments in order to buy passage home after a short London tour--to one of the most successful rock bands in history has demanded abiding faith, a steady stream of courage, huge reserves of personal energy, and a disciplined openness to the world as he continues to meet it.

From this solid foundation, Bono has acquired great agency. Not only money for himself and sway with his customers--music fans of all ages, shapes and sizes--but also extraordinary access to other movers and shakers as well as influence on a wide range of issues outside rock music. One of the most compelling aspects of Bono's leadership is how he has chosen to use the authority that has accompanied business success. He has decided, over and over again, to put his artistic, political, strategic, and spiritual muscle to work to alleviate suffering in the world's poorest countries.

Amidst all this activity, Bono keeps turning his energy to making and distributing music. His work as a musician is as central to his humanitarian efforts as the money he helps raise or the politicians he wins over for debt relief. At the same time, his activism has become part of the U2 brand, animating the way that millions of people think about the group and their offerings.

Herein lie several lessons. First, all successful organisational leaders wield power, often in excess of that granted them by their office. How such individuals decide, explicitly or not, to use this control is a question of grave importance for the world today.

The most important problems confronting us now, including a precarious global financial system and an equally vulnerable environmental system, do not come in separate buckets labelled "business" and "public policy." These are challenges that are smashing through older boundaries and helping redefine organisational place and mission.

Second, as Bono seems to understand, these issues demand a new kind of leadership, one based not in aging hierarchies and status systems but in humility, an ardent desire to learn and a respect for the individuals that organisations serve.

Third, individual leaders have to keep getting right with themselves about their own path and impact.

Finally, effective leadership today demands a willingness to stay open, not only to one's own enterprise but also to the teeming global village around it.

Bono, like Abraham Lincoln 150 years ago, has not let himself become isolated in an elite atmosphere. He has used his touring and travels as classrooms to help him understand the hopes, dreams and tribulations of his fellow citizens, whom he often calls his brothers and sisters. And he has used this knowledge to light his way, his music and his leadership.

Happy Birthday, Bono!

Bono at 50: The Leader We Need

Now We Have a True Test of Leadership

Oxford University's Said Business School staged a conference recently on "The Future of Leadership." A survey of Oxford MBA students found that a hefty majority of them thought that there was a major vacuum in leadership today. More than three-quarters (76%) said this was the case in politics and society generally and 82% thought it was the case in international relations. Interestingly, business emerged as having stronger leadership, with 41% identifying it as having a leadership vacuum. One explanation advanced for this was that business rewards good leadership far better than other fields.

The consensus of the conference was that good leaders needed to have moral courage; they needed to be prepared to take risks; and they needed passion.

It may be the case that political parties should encourage and help some of their bright young things learn about leadership. The unseemly haggling that has gone on in the U.K. in recent days as the three main parties tried to cobble together a coalition has not shown political leadership at its finest. With the public already disenchanted with politicians, perceptions will not have been enhanced by the horse-trading that has taken place in the quest for power.

Now, however, the country has a new prime minister in David Cameron. He faces a looming financial crisis on a frightening scale. This is a true test of leadership. Unless he moves hard and fast against the deficit, the markets will pass a very early judgment on his leadership and it will not be flattering. It will also be irreparable.

For more, see - http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704250104575238141095433182.html?mod=WSJEUROPE_hpp_MIDDLETopStories

Now We Have a True Test of Leadership

Insights on Coaching Olympic Athletes

This is an interesting reflection from Dr Paul Schempp of the University of Georgia:

‘I recently invited US Olympic Swim Coach, Jack Bauerle, to share his insights and experiences on coaching with one of my classes at the University of Georgia. In addition to coaching our US Women’s Swim team at the Beijing Olympics, as the head swim coach here at Georgia Jack’s teams have won 4 NCAA National Championships and a host of other honours and championships. In his 30 years of coaching elite athletes, he has not only amassed an amazing record of success, but has also built a wealth of knowledge, skill and experience in coaching.

As Jack spoke, several themes permeated his message. The first and one that resonated with our research on experts was his conclusion when describing an athlete’s accomplishment. He would, for example, detail the training regiment and personal struggles a particular athlete overcame to claim an Olympic medal. And regardless of the athlete or the accomplishment, he concluded the same way: “No one worked harder.” He never said “No one was more talented” or “No one was luckier.” He said: “No one worked harder.”

Former Dallas Cowboys star, Roger Staubach, put it another way: “There are no traffic jams on the extra mile.”

Jack is as enthusiastic and focused on his coaching when he walks into our building for a pre-season practice in early summer as he is eight months later as he prepares his teams for the National Championships. Jack knows that every practice counts—from the first to the last. As a coach, it is all about preparing your athletes, and then letting them do what they do best.

In Beijing, Jack did not directly witness a single one of his athletes win a medal. And his athletes won more medals than any other Women’s Olympic Swim Team in the history of the Games. Why? Because while each swimmer was in the water fighting their way to victory, Jack was in another part of the venue preparing the next athlete for their competition. The second theme I heard in Jack’s remarks was we can only expect great results when we have given our best efforts to being as prepared as we can be to succeed.

As we closed the lecture, I asked Jack if he had any advice for these students who were in the early stages in shaping a career. This is where the third and final theme became clear. He told the students to “follow your passion, not a paycheck.” The famed football coach, Joe Gibbs, said “People who enjoy doing what they do invariably do it well.” Jack loves what he does, and does it unquestionably well. But more importantly, people who follow their passion are happy in what they do. And at the end of the day, isn’t happy where we all want to be? Thanks Jack.’

Insights on Coaching Olympic Athletes

Keeping a 'LeBron James' on your team

Even if you're not watching the NBA playoffs, you are probably familiar with the name LeBron James.

Considered to be one of the best professional basketball players in the world, his team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, are one of the favourites to win the playoffs, in large part because of him. Recently, he earned his second consecutive NBA most valuable player award. No wonder Cleveland fans live in almost constant fear that he'll leave for another team.

Whether or not it's apparent, business leaders have something in common with the Cavaliers: You have a LeBron, a go-to employee without whom your team's performance would suffer -- and you may be in danger of having that person walk out the door someday soon.

If your high-performer has already left, you have three big worries. Will your team's performance immediately decline? Will your short-term gap become a long-term gap because the recruiting process takes so long? And even if you're recruiting promising new talent, can you be sure you've really found another superstar? None of those questions have easy answers.

Your best strategy is to retain your superstars in the first place.

While the Cavaliers can throw a lot of money at LeBron, business leaders don't have endless amounts of cash to keep their best employees. In truth, however, high-performers like LeBron are not always looking for the big payday. They're looking for an opportunity to win. And most key employees, in particular, are looking for an opportunity to make a difference.

Here are some real-world techniques for retaining your high-performers without NBA-level salaries:

Shine the limelight: Use the annual performance-review process -- and every other opportunity you can find -- to reinforce and celebrate your high-performers' best behaviours. Make sure they know they are appreciated, that their success means success for the whole team. Of course even the best players still need a coach, and that means providing honest, specific actionable feedback.

Define that goal: Don't make assumptions about what motivates your best-performing employees. Instead, ask them directly. One employee might be longing for a pay increase, while another has their eye on a key promotion. Another may simply want to feel more tangibly the impact of the programmes they are working on. You won't know until you ask -- and make sure you ask before it's too late.

Use what you have: Give bonuses. Give more responsibility. Give opportunities for travel or training. Whatever tools for professional growth you have at your disposal, offer them to your high performer. Even something as simple as a rotational assignment can help challenge and motivate.

Keep it real: Yes, you're asking your superstar to share their highest career aspirations, and you're doing your best to fulfil those, but never make promises you can't keep. LeBron may want to take the championships, but no coach can guarantee a win. Be honest about what you can and can't offer; they will respect the candour.

Keeping a 'LeBron James' on your team