How Bad Leaders Stifle Dissent

How do bad leaders stifle dissent?

1) Your people never see you say no. You never disagree or challenge the people you work for, so your people never learn from you how to do this with purpose. You send the very clear message that “no” is not acceptable around here.

2) People that have told you no are gone. You have systematically removed from your inner circle everyone that disagreed or challenged your policies and decisions. But that’s ok, because everyone knows they were not team players, or were disloyal or disrespectful. This is the rhetoric of conformity and exclusion.

3) Failing to accept differences of opinion and pushing beyond a reasonable point to obtain uniform public agreement. Your people don't feel free to voice disagreement because you hound them until they change their mind (or at least that's what they appear to be doing.)

There will always be times when leaders need to override their team members--and making that decision wisely is a key element of effective leadership. When a leader makes that choice, it's usually advisable to devote some time to discussion to see if common ground can be found and/or to persuade the team.

But if common ground can't be found, and persuasion's not effective, and the leader still believes that overriding the team is the right way to go, they need to accept their team's right to disagree and trust that the team can still deliver on their mandate. Pushing further to extract (superficial) agreement demonstrates a lack of trust (in them and in your own authority), leads to intractable arguments and/or hypocrisy, and insures that you'll hear fewer honest opinions in the future.

(And if you don't recognize Humprey Bogart as Captain Queeg, get The Caine Mutiny on your LoveFilm queue ASAP!)

How Bad Leaders Stifle Dissent

Building on your Strengths as a Leader

Great leaders build on their strengths and manage the consequences of their weaknesses. So how can you develop as a leader? Let’s explore the following steps.


1) You can clarify the specific area in which you want to be a leader.

One key point to remember is that there are many kinds of leadership. You may want to focus on people leadership, thought leadership, strategic leadership, problem-solving leadership, project leadership, creative leadership, artistic leadership or whatever. So start by clarifying the niche in which you can want to be a ‘leader’. After focusing on a specific area, go even deeper. If you flourish as a ‘people leader’, for example, identify the type of work that turns you on. It could be leading people when setting-up a pilot project; running a call centre; organising an event; working to meet a deadline or whatever. What is your niche? Try completing the following sentence.

The specific area in which I want to be a leader is:

*

2) You can clarify your strengths as a leader in this area.

Start by clarifying where you consistently deliver ‘As’, ‘Bs’ and ‘Cs’ in your chosen area as a leader. You will have talents in other areas - as a professional, as a knowledge worker or whatever - but this focuses on you as a leader. Consider the following points when doing the exercise. First, be brutally honest, because this is the best way forward. Second, try to be super specific, especially when giving examples of your strengths. Third, if you wish, get a reality check. Ask two or three people who you respect to give specific feedback. One person explained:

“My ‘As’ are: communicating a vision; building a core leadership team; and guiding a business to success. My ‘Bs’ are: chasing people to do what they have promised to do – I assume they are going to do them; working with people who want to tell me about history – I like to look to the future. My ‘C’s are: doing detail in those areas where I have no interest – though I have extreme attention to detail in the areas where I am interested.”

Focusing on the area in which you aim to be a leader, try completing the following sections.

The activities in which I deliver ‘As’ as a leader in my chosen area are:

*

The activities in which I deliver ‘Bs' as a leader in my chosen area are:

*

The activities in which I deliver ‘Cs’ as a leader in my chosen area are:

*

3) You can build on your strengths as a leader.

Great leaders maximise their ‘A’ talents to and minimise the consequences of their weaknesses. “I am an old-style ‘Red Adair’ leader,” said one person. “I love leading a hit-team of IT experts who move into a company, solve their computer problems – and then move onto the next challenge. I am hopeless at the financial aspects of running a business - so I employ great people who take care of the side.” How can you follow these principles in your own way? Try completing the following sentences.

As. The specific things I can do to build on my ‘As’ as a leader are:

*

Bs & Cs. The specific things I can do to manage the consequences of my ‘Bs’ and ‘Cs’ are:

*

My action plan. Bearing these answers in mind, the specific things I can do to develop as a leader are:

*

Building on your Strengths as a Leader

Marygrove College Adds Five New Sports, Nearly 60 New Student-Athletes

'Marygrove College Adds Five New Sports, Nearly 60 New Student-Athletes; College Sees Growth as Investment in Next Generation of Urban Leaders'

This is a great story about the role of sport in developing leadership skills in young people -

http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/news.html?d=173920

Marygrove College Adds Five New Sports, Nearly 60 New Student-Athletes

High Performing Leadership

This is an interesting presentation on High Performing Leadership:

High Performing Leadership

High Performing Leadership

When was the last time you took a vactaion?

Some interesting results from a survey carried out recently by the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan:



Question: "How long ago did you take your last vacation?"

Question: "Did you check in with the office while you were gone?"

When was the last time you took a vactaion?

Decoding Leadership

1. What percentage of effective leadership traits are basically the same?
2. If there are common rules that all leaders must master, what are they?

Since about 60-70% of leadership is common for any effective leaders - from a bootstrapping entrepreneur to a leader at a large organization - researchers have been able to summarise five rules to decode leadership:

Rule 1: Shape the future. This rule is embodied in the strategist dimension of the leader. Strategists answer the question "where are we going?" and make sure that those around them understand the direction as well.

Rule 2: Make things happen. Turn what you know into what you do. The Executor dimension of the leader focuses on the question "How will we make sure we get to where we are going?"

Rule 3: Engage today's talent. Leaders who optimize talent today answer the question "Who goes with us on our business journey?" Talent managers know how to identify, build and engage talent to get results now.

Rule 4: Build the next generation. Leaders who develop the next generation answer the question, "who stays and sustains the organization for the next generation?" Talent Managers ensure shorter-term results through people while Next Generation Developers ensure that the organization has the longer-term competencies required for future strategic success.

Rule 5: Invest in yourself. At the heart of this Leadership Code - literally and figuratively - is Personal Proficiency. Effective leaders cannot be reduced to what they know and do. Who they are as human beings has everything to do with how much they can accomplish with and through other people.

This "Leadership Code" allows leadership development people to stop circling the drain by reinventing competency models that are essentially the same. It provides a grounded point of view about the fundamentals. Future time, energy and attention can be applied to figuring out the other 30% about what makes our leaders unique and how to build a deeper bench of qualified leaders at every level.

http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/cs/2009/09/decoding_leadership.html

Decoding Leadership

Building Better Wall Street Leaders

The first responsibility of financial sector leaders is not to improve the long-term health of the economy, it is to create value for the owners of their companies. In doing so, they will make a series of decisions that are good for the economy as a whole.

The most obvious way to fail to create value is to go out of business, wiping out your shareholders' capital, as happened to several large financial institutions. Others came perilously close to this fate; in some cases, accepting highly dilutive capital infusions to survive.

So what lessons should industry leaders take from these events as they develop future leaders?

See: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/19/AR2009091900073.html

Building Better Wall Street Leaders

Living With a Big Leadership Footprint

Have you ever felt like you were being watched? The more senior a leader you are, the more you’re being watched. You need to pick up a 'big footprint' view of your role because, as a leader, your actions have a much bigger impact than you may realize.

That’s a lesson that Linda Hudson learned when she became a business unit president at General Dynamics back in the 1990’s. Hudson, who is now the president of the land and armaments group at BAE Systems, described her first few days as a BU president at General Dynamics in a “Corner Office” Q&A in Sunday’s New York Times. Wanting to make a good impression in her new role, Hudson picked up some new suits at Nordstrom’s and, as part of her ensemble, learned some interesting ways to tie a scarf to complement her suits. She showed up as president on day one looking really sharp. The surprise came on day two when, as she described to the Times, she ran “into no fewer than a dozen women in the organization who have on scarves tied exactly like mine.”

When you’re the leader, people take their cues from you. When you’re aware of it, this can work for everyone’s benefit. If you aren’t aware of your footprint or ignore its impact, you can quickly set yourself and the organization up for failure.

So, with your leadership success in mind, here are five tips for how to successfully live with a big leadership footprint:

Have a Plan: Before you start each day, review your schedule and ask yourself, “What am I trying to accomplish in each of these meetings? What impression do I want to leave with this person or group? What do I want them to think and how do I want them to feel?” A little bit of pre-game planning can go a long way in leveraging your footprint for positive effect.

Check Your Sense of Humour: Senior leaders are often quick witted people with sharp and ironic senses of humor. They can be used to making wise cracks in order to put people at ease and establish connection with others. Nothing wrong with that. It’s a good thing. As a leader, however, you have to be much more aware of the level of appropriateness of your jokes. President Obama learned this when he made cracks early in his administration about Nancy Reagan holding séances and comparing his bowling skills to a Special Olympian. He caught some deserved heat for those remarks and probably learned some lessons about how poor humor choices can distract attention from what you’re actually trying to do.

Think Before You Speak: This tip goes along with checking your sense of humor but there’s more to it than that. As a senior leader, your days of “just thinking out loud,” as you mull through a problem are over. There are stories upon stories of leaders who casually tossed off a comment or an idea only to be surprised later that people acted on things they were just mulling over. If you’re going to brainstorm out loud as a leader, make sure everyone knows that it’s a brainstorming session and not a decision making session.

Leave Air in the Conversation: Just as a fire needs oxygen to continue burning, conversations need to have plenty of air in them for people to feel comfortable contributing. Senior leaders often get where they are because they’ve shown a track record of decisiveness and scoring a lot of “class participation points” in conversation. The problem comes when those approaches continue unabated when they reach senior levels. They end up sucking the air out of the room. Most people are going to defer to a senior leader who is dominating a conversation. If you don’t want them to clam up and do want to get their best ideas, dial it back a bit on offering your own ideas.

Invite Feedback: It’s amazing how much you can learn when you ask questions like, “What do you think we should be doing?” or “What could we be doing better?” and take time to listen to the answers and act on them when appropriate. You don’t just get better ideas and performance. Since you’re the leader, you send a message about the kind of participation and problem solving that is valued in your organization’s culture.

So, inspired by Linda Hudson’s scarf story, those are five tips for living with a bigger leadership footprint.

Living With a Big Leadership Footprint

Why Positive Leadership creates a productive workforce and improves the bottom line

In today's market, businesses of all sizes need a competitive advantage. In the past, companies looked to technology and other innovative processes to create this business advantage. With the current economic reality facing many businesses, it is time to look at the simplest, most cost effective way to positively impact the bottom line -the leadership within a businesses.

Recent Canadian research indicates that healthy and positive leadership creates a productive workforce and improves the bottom line. One study indicated that poor leadership is the number one reason employees leave a workplace. The cost of ineffective leadership is more than just a high turnover; higher absenteeism rates, lower productivity and higher health-care costs are also reflected in workplaces where leadership is ineffective.

The business case to make this change is well documented - positive leadership lowers costs and increases productivity. However, many business owners and leaders are not taking the simple steps that they need to make these changes. The good news is companies can move to a healthy, productive leadership model creating a ripple effect of health and productivity within their business.

First, business owners and leaders need to take a proactive stance with their own health. When a leader starts making healthy lifestyle choices and demonstrates that personal health is a priority within a company, employees will follow suit. This ripple effect can be seen in simple ways, more people taking lunch breaks and feeling refreshed for the second half of their day, more people making healthy food choices and more employees exercising.

Second, business owners and leaders need to look at the psychological health of their company. Do their employees like coming to work? Do their employees feel engaged in their work and their workplace? Do employees treat each other with respect and have tolerance for differences? In Canada, employees with stress-related health claims have increased in the past five years and the trend is not declining. The cost of a negative work environment is high, and most leaders don't manage these challenges because they don't understand the cost to the bottom line.

Finally, business owners and leaders can learn about the typical challenges facing their employees. Industry guidelines and statistics on demographics can tell an owner a lot about their employees. Many businesses underestimate the demands and stress related to being a single parent, a new Canadian or a young worker. When business owners understand the impact their workplace demographics have on their bottom line they can implement small initiatives that can reap benefits for the business and employees.

To ensure a competitive edge business owners and leaders can embark on creating a healthy personal life and reap the reward of a healthier bottom line. Simple changes such as taking a lunch and monitoring their own stress levels can create a positive work environment creating a ripple effect that will allow their business to flourish.

Why Positive Leadership creates a productive workforce and improves the bottom line

Obama's Leadership Qualities Stand Out to Americans

Of seven personal characteristics, Americans rate Barack Obama most highly for those that reflect on his leadership skills. Seventy-two percent say he "is willing to make hard decisions," and 66% describe him as "a strong and decisive leader." Sixty-four percent say he "can get things done."

http://www.gallup.com/poll/123104/Obama-Leadership-Qualities-Stand-Out-Americans.aspx

Obama's Leadership Qualities Stand Out to Americans

The Road to the Top Starts on the Sports Field

If you have ambitions to become the chief executive of a large public company, your chances will be much improved if you're an eldest child with a strong record of achievement on the sports field. Research commissioned and published in 2008 by the e-business division of the government of the Isle of Man has found that sporting prowess, rather than academic ability, is what marks out Britain's CEOs, with seven out of 10 saying compulsory sport at school positively influenced their business careers.

The same CEOs were also considerably more successful on the sports field than in the classroom, with many excelling at team sports such as rugby and football. Indeed nearly half had won prizes for their sporting excellence compared to just under a quarter winning plaudits for their academic achievements.

What's more, only a handful of the CEOs surveyed took part in individual sports such as swimming - a strong clue to suggest that success in team games helped them acquire a mind-set ideally suited to run a business in today's competitive world.

To discover what makes Britain's top bosses tick, psychologist Dr David Lewis and his research team surveyed and psychometrically tested a random selection of 100 chief executives from the UK's top FTSE 500 companies, exploring their family upbringing, academic and sporting achievements.

The results, published in a report entitled "The Naked Chief Executive", point to the fact that CEOs tend to be team players who achieve their ambitions by leading others rather than through their individual efforts.

This also explains why so many CEOs are either the eldest (38 percent) or youngest (34 percent) children in their family. The eldest often grows up faster than their siblings and takes on greater responsibility, while the youngest has to fight for recognition against their older brothers and sisters.

But in order to persuade others to buy into their vision, follow their leadership, act on their decisions and continue to trust them even in the face of setbacks, CEOs also need to possess an above-average level of emotional intelligence as well as unshakable confidence in their own abilities.

Just how unshakable is clear from the fact that half of those surveyed claimed they never or rarely experience moments of self doubt (and if they do so, be adept at concealing it).

So what does all this mean in practice? According to the report, the combination of self-confidence and leadership skills honed on the sports field means that CEOs tend to be intuitive rather than intellectual thinkers, relying more on practical experience and gut reaction than abstract theorising.

When making difficult decisions, over four in ten said they rely on their intuition rather than training or experience. As a result they feel most comfortable with - and most skilled at solving - practical problems for which there are a reasonably limited number of options.

But far from being a handicap, the report argues that this intuitive way of thinking probably enhances their leadership skills by making them more empathic and more adept at understanding what makes other people tick.

http://www.gov.im/lib/docs/ebusiness/presentations/naked_chief_execfinal.pdf

The Road to the Top Starts on the Sports Field

Rosenfeld set 'delicious' goals at Kraft

Irene Rosenfeld, the ceo of Kraft Foods, will address the World Business Forum in New York on October 7 and tell executives how she led Kraft Foods through 'transitional change' when it became a giant company in its own right after its 2007 spinoff from Altria Group. Here is what she advises other leaders to do in order to grow their businesses:

• Encourage all to act like owners and spend money like it's their own.
• When hiring look for two qualities: No. 1: passion to win; No. 2: sense of urgency to get it done.
• Keep things simple.
• Cut costs to create the resources for growth.
• Lead from the head and the heart.

See http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/advice/2009-09-20-advice-ceo-kraft_N.htm for a full preview of her speech.

Rosenfeld set 'delicious' goals at Kraft

The Bill Walsh Way

When Bill Walsh was hired as head coach and general manager of the San Francisco 49ers it was indisputably the worst franchise in the NFL -- some analysts claimed the worst in all of sports. In the season before he took charge the team struggled to achieve a 2-14 record.


In this toxic and mutinous organizational culture, Bill Walsh would be their third new head coach in a year. Thirty-six months later, San Francisco won Super Bowl XVI. The white-haired, corporate-style leader had transformed the NFL doormat into an incipient dynasty that would ultimately win five Super Bowls.

So how did he do it? Here is what author, Steve Jamison has to say:

'Bill had extraordinary leadership assets: a brilliant mind; organizational mastery; a keen eye for talent (e.g., Hall of Famers Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Steve Young, Ronnie Lott); an astute understanding of the game's X's and O's; off-the-charts creativity (The West Coast Offense); and a poet's insights into human nature.

Great leadership, for him, started with a particular code of conduct. He told me, "I believe that an organization is not an inert tool like a shovel, but an organic entity that must have a code of conduct, a high standard of performance in actions and attitudes."

The Bill Walsh code of conduct -- those "standards" -- started with a simple mantra: "Treat people right." Even during his early desperate days at San Francisco, a first priority was that members of his organization, both those on and off the field, be treated fairly and with respect by ownership and management. (He also demanded that employees treat one another with respect; there was no caste system.)

Bill believed this was not only ethical, but that it offered a significant reward: "Highly qualified people, whether a superstar quarterback or a secretary, want to be part of an organization they feel will care about them and their interests, a team that will treat them right."

Walsh understood from personal experience what happens when such standards are ignored. He'd been the victim of what he considered unscrupulous treatment while working as an assistant for the Cincinnati Bengals under head coach Paul Brown, a football genius whose absolute commitment to his team's welfare was a virtual obsession, sometimes to his own detriment.

As Bill recalled, Brown had tacitly promised him the Bengals' head coaching position upon his retirement. Instead, Walsh was passed over for another assistant coach. Deeply dismayed, he began contacting other NFL teams for possible employment, ideally as a head coach, but if not, then as offensive coordinator.

In the following weeks he began hearing from owners and others that Paul Brown was giving him bad reviews in spite of his great success at Cincinnati -- dismissive of his potential as a head coach or even an offensive coordinator. At the same time Bill was being offered a generous raise and much greater responsibilities with the Bengals. Paul Brown seemed to be deliberately sabotaging the career aspirations and advancement of a loyal employee; Bill Walsh resigned immediately.

Soon after he accepted a job as quarterbacks coach with the San Diego Chargers under head coach Tommy Prothro. One year later Stanford University called to offer the job of head football coach, a position that led directly to being noticed and hired by San Francisco 49ers. Tommy Prothro had encouraged Bill to take the job.

Walsh never forgot the bitter lesson he learned while at Cincinnati, nor the positive one from Tommy Prothro. At San Francisco he put the welfare of the team first, but not at the expense of sabotaging an individual's personal or professional welfare. (When the New York Giants sought permission from Walsh to approach the 49ers outstanding defensive coach Ray Rhodes with a job offer even though he still had one year remaining on his contract, Walsh said yes.)'

Steve Jamison is the co-author (with the late Bill Walsh) of "The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership" (Portfolio, August 2009).

The Bill Walsh Way

Is it Better to be Loved or Feared as a Leader?

Bobby Knight and Mike Krzyzewski are arguably the two most successful men's college basketball coaches in the country. But their leadership styles could not be more different. In this article, Professor Scott Snook of Harvard Business School wonders: Is it better to be loved or feared?

http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5464.html

Key concepts include:

•Effective leaders understand their own assumptions about human nature.


•How you lead (leadership style) is influenced by who you are (self-awareness) and the demands of the situation (situational awareness).


•Expanding your self-awareness, situational awareness, and ability to adapt your leadership style increases your overall range of effectiveness as a leader.

Is it Better to be Loved or Feared as a Leader?

Humility in Leaders

There’s been a lot written in the past few weeks about the demise of humility in our culture. (See David Brooks’ New York Times column last week for one of the most eloquent expressions of this problem
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/opinion/15brooks.html )

Fortunately, we still have some great examples of successful leaders who demonstrate humility. One of those is the Super Bowl winning former coach of the Indianapolis Colts, Tony Dungy.

One cannot help but admire Tony Dungy because of his capacity to succeed in the high stakes competitive environment of the NFL while maintaining grace and humility whether he’s won or lost.

In a recent radio interview Dubgy was asked, “What would you have said to the new Chicago Bears quarterback, Jay Cutler, after his team’s 21 to 15 loss to the Packers in the season opener?”  Dungy’s response was illuminating:

'I would have told him that it’s OK, this is only one game. This is what the pressure’s going to be like from now on and this has been a good learning experience. You can handle it and lead us to success from here. It’s going to depend a lot on how you show up in practice and handle yourself in the team meetings because the team is looking to you as the leader. This week’s game is going to be really important because we don’t want to start 0 and 2. You can do it and you’re going to lead this team.'

Imagine how you would feel if you were Jay Cutler listening to Tony Dungy. What is the Coach trying to instill in his player with those comments? Some of the things that come to mind are perspective, reframing the experience as a positive building block, confidence and belief in oneself, direction and resolve, clarity around the stakes going forward and the role he has to play. All of that in one brief sound bite.

Dungy offers a great model for any leader that has to coach up a key player who’s coming off a loss or a disappointment.

Of course, the other thing that Tony Dungy has received a lot of attention for lately is the role that he’s played in counseling Michael Vick following the prison sentence he served for his involvement in dog fighting. Dungy has a long history of counseling prisoners and he talked about that experience in an interview with the Wall Street Journal last weekend. In that article he shared what he tries to get across with prisoners:

"What I look for, [is] 'What do you want to do from here?' That's something my dad used to tell me all the time. When you're in a situation you can complain about it, you can feel sorry for yourself, you can do a lot of things. But how are you gonna’ make the situation better?"

Dungy’s emphasis on what one can do to shape the future is an approach that all leaders can and should adopt. None of us can do anything to change the past and we really don’t know what the future will hold. All we can do is make the best choices we can right now to help shape the outcomes we hope to achieve. That’s true whether you’re coming off a season opening loss, ending a prison sentence or trying to get yourself or your organization out of a tough spot.

There are a lot of leaders we can look to for both good and bad examples of what to do. Tony Dungy is a great place to start if you’re looking for good examples of leadership.

Humility in Leaders

Winners v Losers

THE DIFFERENCE

Winners say, If it is to be, it is up to me.
Losers say, I can't help it.
Winners translate dreams into reality.
Losers translate reality into dreams.
Winners empower.
Losers control.
Winners say, Let's find out.
Losers say, Nobody knows.
Winners are part of the solution.
Losers are part of the problem.
Winners are not afraid of losing.
Losers are afraid of winning.
Winners work harder than losers.
Losers are always too busy.
Winners say, I was wrong.
Losers say, It was not my fault.
Winners want to.
Losers have to.
Winners always make time.
Losers often waste time.
Winners say, I'll plan to do that.
Losers say, I'll try to do that.
Winners say, I'm good but not as good as I can be.
Losers say, I'm not as bad as a lot of other people.
Winners listen to what others say.
Losers wait until it's their turn to talk.
Winners catch others doing things right.
Losers catch others doing things wrong.
Winners learn from others.
Losers resent their colleagues.
Winners see opportunities.
Losers see only the problems.
Winners do it.
Losers talk about it.
Winners feel responsible for more than their jobs.
Losers frequently state, I only work here.
Winners say, There ought to be a better way.
Losers say, That's the way it's always been done.
Winners celebrate others.
Losers complain about others.
Winners are willing to pay the price.
Losers expect it on a silver platter.
Winners always expect success.
Losers always expect failure.

Winners v Losers

Acknowledging Others as a Leadership Trait

'If anything goes bad, I did it.
If anything goes semi-good, then we did it.
If anything goes really good, then you did it.
That's all it takes to get people to win football games for you.'

'Bear' Bryant, Late and legendary University of Alabama football coach

Acknowledging Others as a Leadership Trait

How To Lead in Tough Times

Leadership matters most in tough times. In difficult situations, leaders need to exert their authority for the good of the organization. Leaders do this by providing inspiration as well as example. Most importantly, leaders must dispense hope and confidence in order to give people a reason to believe. Individuals can lead themselves and their teams to success if they;

• face the truth; show what is going right as well as what needs to improve
• set the right example for others to follow
• deal with tough issues that demand decision action
• encourage alternative viewpoints and leveraging creative tension
• demonstrate the twin virtues of resilience and perseverance
• radiate optimism and spread confidence
• share stories of successful people who accomplish great things for themselves and their teams.

How To Lead in Tough Times

Leadership is Plural

Here is a thought which underpins our thinking at Positive Leadership Limited. The quote comes from Ed Batisita of the Stanford Graduate School of Business:

'Leadership isn't derived from titles or status, and being in a leadership position doesn't automatically make you a leader. (You may be able to use positional power to enforce your will, but that is not leading.) Conversely, the lack of a formal position doesn't mean you lack opportunities to lead. Organizations need leaders at every level, not merely among the ranks of senior management.'

With this in mind, building powerful relationships at work is therefore a complex process which means:

• Quickly getting all relevant information and perspectives on the table
• Surfacing problems directly and fully to reach quality outcomes
• Providing (and inviting!) feedback that strengthens performance
• Influencing others (particularly when you have no formal authority)
• Working through conflicts without damaging relationships
• Expanding selfknowledge and adapting behaviors as situations require.

Leadership is Plural

Europe Demonstrates Most Skepticism Towards Corporate Leadership

The Korn/Ferry Institute today revealed a new quarterly study designed to reflect the attitudes and opinions of global executives on corporate leadership. The inaugural "Confidence in Leadership Index" shows that despite a turbulent economy and broad swings in a variety of economic indicators, confidence in leadership globally remained stable between May 2009 (when the first benchmark survey was issued) and August 2009. However, Europe trailed the pack in the 'Credibility of Leadership' and 'Trust in Leadership' categories.

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS83441+17-Sep-2009+PRN20090917

Europe Demonstrates Most Skepticism Towards Corporate Leadership

Are You a Positive Critic? ...... It's in Your Best Interest to Be!

A positive critic, whether giver or taker, is one who can consistently get the power of positive criticism. Since there are hundreds of empirical studies that indicate giving and taking criticism positively is a key attribute of successful individuals, productive organizations, and joyful relationships, it is in your best interest to be a positive critic.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hendrie-weisinger/are-you-a-positive-critic_b_282823.html

Are You a Positive Critic? ...... It's in Your Best Interest to Be!

'Lean On Me'

Pete Carroll is the head coach of the University of Southern California 'Trojans' football team, having held that position since 2001. In his time at USC, the Trojans have made it to multiple national championship games (winning the National Championship in 2004 and splitting the National Championship in 2003) and have consistently won the Pacific-10 Conference football title. Carroll's winning percentage (85.7%) is the highest among all active coaches with a minimum of five years at a Football Bowl Subdivision program.

Sports and business have many differences, but do share several key similarities:
•competition
•management of individuals
•planning and strategizing, both versus a group of opponents and versus single opponents.

Carroll's leadership philosophy emphasises:
•being honest about and loyal to who you are and what you’re good at
•building a winning team by bringing, and sticking with, a philosophy
•the importance of competitive spirit
•using a core philosophy to drive even the toughest decisions
•empowering players.

The current USC football team has built a culture of shared responsibility and camaraderie which is illustrated clearly in a video which has aired recently on ESPN television in the USA. Take a look and even if you are not a USC fan you will get a behind the scenes look at what makes Pete Carroll a special leader.

http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/24/bill-withers-pays-special-visit-to-usc-lean-on-me-singalong-e/

'Lean On Me'

Championship Team Building

Former Boston Celtics basketball Coach Red Auerbach once remarked “Some people believe you win with the five best players, but I found out that you win with the five who fit together best.” Like championship sports teams, successful businesses must have employees who work well together to achieve a common goal. While talent is definitely important to be successful, the business with the most talent does not always make the most profits.

Talent without teamwork is trouble. There are too many businesses who had highly talented individuals, yet were unable to perform to their potential because of selfishness, jealousies, conflict, and people who were unable to accept their roles. Likewise, there are teams with solid but not superior talent that rise to a championship level because of teamwork. Thus, teamwork becomes a sort of “wild card” factor whether you have great or average talent.

From experience there are seven important factors that distinguish winning teams. As you read the description of the Seven “C’s” of Championship Team Building, take a moment to assess how well your business team is doing on each of the characteristics.

1. Common goal

Championship teams have a singular, common focus. Obviously, for many organizations the common goal is to serve the consumer, maximise profits, and become the dominant leader in the industry. These are the company’s primary, specified, overt goals and all other goals revolve around them. The goals are firmly embraced by all members of the team, from the CEO to the interns. Everyone understands the direction and destination that the company is moving toward. The employees understand that their individuals goals must fit within the framework and mission of the company

“A true vision gives the team more than just a target to shoot for; it gives the team a mission, a sense of purpose to get excited about.” Pat Williams, Senior Executive Vice President, Orlando Magic

2. Commitment

While some seasons may start with the entire team focused on a common goal, rarely do they end up that way. Commitment is probably the single most important factor that differentiates championship teams, coaches, athletes, businesses, schools, marriages (you name it) from the mediocre. It is much too easy to say you want to win the championship and it is a whole other thing to put in the blood, sweat, and tears necessary to pursue a championship - especially when obstacles and adversity strike. Continual commitment to the team’s common goal is one of the toughest areas of team building.

Championship teams buy into the mission at every level and make the mission their own. The players and coaches work hard and pay their dues because they want to, not because they have to. In addition to their commitment, the team members feel a sense of personal and group accountability. The players have a clear understanding of how their individual choices and decisions influence the collective psyche and success of the team. There is a true sense that if an player is slacking off, she is not just hurting herself but her entire team. The players feel a sense of responsibility and obligation to give it their best.

“Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” Vince Lombardi, Green Bay Packers

3. Complementary Roles

Championship teams are comprised of several individuals who willingly take pride in a playing a variety of roles. These roles, when played in concert and harmony lead to team success. Thus, each player is assigned specific positions and responsibilities that help determine the entire team’s success. While individually they are not solely responsible for the team’s success or failure, collectively each role forms a synergistic whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

The major difficulties in developing complementary roles is that some roles get more attention and praise thereby making them seem more important. Championship teams however realize that all roles are critical to the overall team’s success and willingly accept and value their individual roles.

“I knew that the only way to win consistently was to give everybody - from the stars to the number 12 player on the bench - a vital role on the team.” Phil Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers

4. Clear Communication

A fourth characteristic of championship teams is clear communication. Successful teams communicate successfully both on and off the field. The on field communication helps them perform more efficiently and effectively. Players must communicate a wide variety of messages on the field to perform successfully. Off the field, players need to continually monitor the team’s effectiveness, modify things when necessary, and celebrate successes.

“You can only succeed when people are communicating, not just from the top down but in complete interchange.”
Bill Walsh, San Francisco 49ers

5. Constructive Conflict

Along with effective communication, championship teams have the ability to keep conflict under control. Often, coaches and players are able to use conflict constructively to further develop and strengthen the team. It is not that championship teams never experience conflict, because this is impossible. Instead they are able to handle the conflict they experience and do not let it interfere with the team’s common goal. Championship coaches and players make sure that their common goal always takes precedence over any conflict.

“My job is to avoid or resolve conflict if possible, because our mission is to win.” Chuck Daly, USA Basketball

6. Cohesion

A sixth characteristic shared by many championship teams is that they genuinely like and respect each other. The players like to spend time with each other outside of scheduled practice and game times. They find reasons to stay together like going to the movies, studying, hanging out, etc. This is not to say that every single player is a part of the group, but that a majority of players tend to socialize together. While it is not absolutely necessary, cohesion is a factor that often will help your team perform at a higher level.

“Respect is essential to building group cohesion... You don’t have to like each other. But you do have to respect your colleagues’ opinions and decsions, because your personal success depends on commitment to the overall plan and doing your part to make it work." Pat Summitt, Tennessee Women’s Basketball

7. Credible Coaching

Finally, it takes a credible coach to develop, orchestrate, and monitor all the other “C’s” of Championship Team Building. You as a coach play a critical role in helping the team arrive at a common goal, monitoring and maintaining your players’ commitment, assigning and appreciating roles, communicating with the team, keeping conflict under control, and promoting your team’s chemistry and cohesion. The team must have a leader who they believe in and has the skills necessary to get the most from the team. A credible coach creates an effective environment that allows the team to perform to their full potential.

“It doesn’t matter whether you are in football, real estate, or electronics, the people who work for you will be happier and more productive if they feel they have value to you beyond what they can do for you on the job. They want to feel that they are important on a personal level.” Marty Schottenheimer, San Diego Chargers


Championship team building is a complex process which must be continually monitored and improved. Regardless of your talent level, invest some time and tap into the power of teamwork to help your team perform at a higher level. By recognizing and working on the Seven “C’s” of Championship Team Building you can create a more motivated, committed, and cohesive team.

Championship Team Building

Being A Team Captain

What do you get when you combine amazing athleticism, killer competitiveness, an undying work ethic, a clutch-performer, a team-first attitude, a sweet and humble personality, a highly coachable person, and a passionate, vocal leader? A coach's dream named Candice Wiggins.

Candice Wiggins was the starting shooting guard for Stanford University women's basketball team. Wiggins is the all-time leading scorer in Stanford women's basketball history and in the Pac-10 Conference women's basketball history. She was selected 3rd overall by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2008 WNBA Draft.

In this interview, Candice shares her insights on what it takes to be a successful leader for a team.

Q: As you think about a leader for a team, what do you think are some of the most important skills or qualities that that leader has to have?

CW: I think that a leader on the team needs to have passion, first of all, for what they're doing. And it has to be a genuine passion. They have to be interested in it and I think that that's probably the first step to really becoming a leader. Whatever you're doing you have to love to do it every single day and you're committed. I think that obviously a leader works hard and things like that, but it really just makes the experience fun and special for everyone.

Q: How would you differentiate a leader by example versus a vocal leader and which one of those would you say you are?

CW: Well, I think a leader by example is somebody who just does it. They can talk or not, but they're just someone who comes in every day and just does it and sets a standard for how things should be done. I think a vocal leader is different. A vocal leader is always talking, always encouraging. In terms of myself, I try to do both. You know, obviously it's really hard to lead by example and to be the one talking. It's a lot of energy, but I still try to do that as much as I can. I think that there needs to be a balance though between how much you talk and what you actually do.

CW: Talk a little bit about when you came to Stanford as a freshman, and obviously you were a highly regarded player... How did you feel out what your leadership role was? And did you feel like you could say things even though were juniors and seniors ahead of you?

CW: Well, that was a very interesting experience coming into my freshman year. It was probably the first time where... Well, we had 16 people on the roster and it was a senior driven team - players I had seen since I was really young playing. And I think it was really overwhelming for me to come in and just sort of feel like I could just say just anything I wanted to when I didn't even know what I was doing. But I just think that that year, there were so many great leaders on the team that I didn't really have to step in and become this leader by example or vocal leader because we had so many on the team. I think that I learned a lot about what it means to be a leader. Even like little things in the weight room. I still remember the seniors and they would come in and I looked up to them so much and everything they did and how much they worked. I think that from my experience I didn't really feel like I was necessarily a leader but again, like I said, I just learned so much about how to be a good leader that year.

Q: Good. When did start finding your voice then as a leader, and feel more comfortable to step into that role?

CW: Well, I think that towards the end of the season my freshman year, I had a lot of the seniors that I was playing with at the time telling me that this is how we feel about you. We think that we're going to go as far as you lead and take us. And I think that's when I started to realize that "Hey, I'm the youngest player here, but these people, they actually look up to me," and I really learned that. And then after they all graduated, all the seniors, and there were only a few people with game experience and just had the same experience I did, I knew that right away that my sophomore year was going to be one of those years where I had to be a leader.

Q: Okay, let's talk then about some of the toughest challenges you've faced as a leader and how did you try to overcome them?

CW: I think a big challenge in being a leader is definitely a lot of pressure. And I think that dealing with pressure in terms of, every day coming out and making sure that you're the best that you can be. And also, just having that responsibility that wherever the team goes, it's your responsibility. I think in terms of me dealing with that. It hasn't been very hard because I've had such great teammates that are willing to take some of that pressure away and take leadership roles from time to time. I don't have to score all the points, or even be the scoring leader every game, someone's going to step up and take the role. We had vocal leaders in the past. I just think that it is very challenging. Another thing is that if you make a mistake, you're looked at. It is just really important that day in and day out that you're setting a good example and that you try your best to just be as good of a leader as you can.

Q: How does a leader need to work between teammates and the coaching staff and to kind of bridge the gap between those two groups?

CW: Well, I think it's very important for the leader to be the one who takes the initiative to show how the player-coach relationship should be. How their actions are with the coaches is how everyone is going to sort of follow. So, I think it was really important for me how I responded to criticism, how I responded to things not going my way is the most important. It's something that nobody who's in that position wants to have to deal with often, but it's really important. It sets the tone for how others perceive the team relationship. I think it's also important for the players to make sure that the coaches and players are all sort of on the same page. I think it gets hard when one doesn't understand the other's situation. So I work hard to try to vocalize that.

Being A Team Captain