Thursday, November 19, 2009
Passion Matters
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Why Leadership 'Purpose' is a Bottom Line Issue
Purpose is also a bottom line issue because of its ability to drive the personal and work outcomes in employees that allow you to operate your business efficiently. If you are doing a poor job on the personal and work outcomes you will be incurring excessive costs (e.g. poor quality products, waste, absenteeism, turnover) and squandering profit.
The key to these enhanced work outcomes and the coveted profits that accompany them lies between the ears of your employees. Experienced meaningfulness, or 'why work matters', is the critical psychological state most closely associated with purpose. Your mission and even your vision are most often meaningless to your employees (have you asked them lately?).
Purpose, why we do what we do, has the potential to make work meaningful for your employees, and that makes purpose a bottom line issue. Make sure you understand why your business matters to your employees.
As Colin Powell says in this speech, the role of a leader is to put people in the best possible position to achieve the 'purpose' of the organisation. The best leaders are those who can convey this purpose throughout the organisation.
What Skills Will It Take To Lead Successfully In The Future?
The research project was designed to answer the following questions:
- What leadership skills and perspectives are critical for success now and in the future?
- How strong are current leaders in these critical skills and perspectives?
- How aligned is today’s leadership strength with what will be the most important skills and perspectives in the future?
The research identified the following seven competencies as most critical for success, now and in the future:
Leading people: directing and motivating people.
Strategic planning: translating vision into realistic business strategies, including long-term objectives.
Managing change: using effective strategies to facilitate organisational change.
Inspiring commitment: recognizing and rewarding employees’ achievements.
Resourcefulness: working effectively with top management.
Doing whatever it takes: persevering under adverse conditions.
Being a quick learner: quickly learning new technical or business knowledge.
The interesting thing to note from this research is that only three of the ten required skills for the future are current top ten skills.
All the others rated as important for success in the study are not skills that leaders have mastered today. This means that today’s leaders are not meeting the demands of their organisations. The CLL call this the “Leadership Gap”, referring to the huge gap that exists between the leadership skills organisations have today and the skills they will require in five years time.
Given these findings we need to take personal responsibility and ask ourselves:
What are we doing personally to improve our leadership skills?
What are we doing to help others improve their leadership skills?
If we are taking action, are we doing enough?
The Attributes of Successful Leaders
Lessons from Five Decades in Business
In a recent Forbes article he describes what five decades in business have taught him:
- Be positive.
- Shut out the noise.
- Understand people.
- Balance vision and pragmatism.
- Think about the long term and the greater good.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Moving Beyond Survive to Thrive and Win at Work
While this sentiment might simply be an expression of gratitude for some, it is just as likely that this response reflects a distinct undertone of survival mentality – just grateful, just thankful, just fortunate. This is probably not too surprising a conclusion after the economic turmoil of the past 18 months.
However, it is important to undertsand the impact of survival mentality on a business. Survival mentality tends to put people into a defensive mode – a reactive and protective stance. When employees are in survival mode, they are constantly looking over their shoulders or in the proverbial rearview mirror for the other shoe to drop. The impact is lower productivity and less focus on the job.
Adding to the premiss of a survival mentality is fear. The same survey also revealed that 52 percent fear for their economic well-being! This response alone provides a clear picture of the roller coaster of emotions that employees bring into the workplace. Couple fear with a steady diet of predominately negative news – job losses, dwindling consumer confidence, institutions in financial turmoil, recession – and the recipe is the same: lower productivity and less focus on the job at hand.
So, in anticipation of a steady recovery out of recession, albeit into an even more competitive business environment, how do leaders help employees get from 'survive' to 'thrive and win' with the swirling of negativity all around? What can leaders do to encourage the language of an environment that thrives and wins? How can leaders facilitate or create a workforce that has a forward-looking, windshield outlook instead of a rearview mirror viewpoint? The answer is communicate, communicate and communicate some more!
- Tell them all that you can tell them. Paranoia is a killer! During a tough time at work, silence is NOT golden and no news is NOT good news! When employers leave ‘dead air’ in the workplace instead of open communication lines, paranoia will set in; and with paranoia comes the survival mentality. There is always something that can be communicated to the workforce even if it is ‘no decisions have been made, but we are working on it’. While there will always be information and news that cannot be shared, make sure to share what you can. This communication helps to keep employees from wondering what just happened and what might happen next. Over communicate during a tough time and be as transparent as possible to keep your employees informed.
- Pay close attention to your top performers. Often times, we assume that our best employees already know that they are the best and that they must know how important they are to the company. Wrong. How many times has your company been surprised by the exit of a key performer after it was too late to convince him or her to stay? Even the most confident performers can have doubtful moments during a tough economic time. Sales, results, growth and profit can all be down for even the best performers so it’s critical for your most important employees to know (for sure) that they are valued and why they are valued. This can be as simple as a personal conversation that discusses the employee’s value and seeks to discover what is most important to them at the moment. Bottom line: make sure the employees you value most know that they are valued.
- Be clear about why some are gone and why some are still here. Honesty is the best policy. You may think that you are saving face for those who have been let go, but while you may soften the blow (very temporarily, by the way) of those who exit, you could be doing damage to the perceptions of those who are left. If every layoff brings a company line of ‘it was just a business necessity’, those who survive the layoff may NOT know why they are still around. You know what comes next…they are ‘just grateful’ to have a job. Consider instead communicating specifics around why decisions were made and what impact those decisions will have on those who remain. Of course you can customise the reasons for your situation, but the key is telling employees why they are still here and why they are valuable to the company. That alone can encourage employees to look forward for the next goal without feeling a sense of guilt or speculating as to why some are gone.
- Avoid credibility killers. When talking with employees, you are representing the company as a leader. Avoid using phrases like ‘the company’ or ‘upper management’ – they are surefire credibility killers. Another quick credibility killer is ‘the boss and I really think you need to get your game together’. Every time you bring someone else into the room for a tough conversation (literally or figuratively), it may make the conversation easier for you, and you may even think it softens the blow, but consider how you instantly demote yourself when you relegate the decision to someone higher up. You may even inadvertently communicate that you are not the leader your position suggests you should be.
- Focus on the goals and be clear about the role. Find a common destination or a shared goal that is guaranteed to get employees looking forward, through the windshield. Then get all employees moving in the same direction toward the goal by establishing clear roles and expectations for each employee. Again, this focus will get your employees looking forward and help each employee be clear about what they bring to the table.
For more, see - http://www.us.randstad.com/documents/2009WorldofWork.pdf
Some Thoughts On How To Be Mentally Tough under Pressure
- When you face a setback, think of it as a defining moment that will lead to a future accomplishment.
- When you encounter adversity, remember, the best don’t just face adversity; they embrace it, knowing it’s not a dead end but a detour to something greater and better.
- When you face negative people, know that the key to life is to stay positive in the face of negativity, not in the absence of it. After all, everyone will have to overcome negativity to define themselves and create their success.
- When you face the naysayer’s, remember the people who believed in you and spoke positive words to you.
- When you face critics, remember to tune them out and focus only on being the best you can be.
- When you fear, trust. Let your faith be greater than your doubt.
- When you fail, find the lesson in it, and then recall a time when you have succeeded.
- When you head into battle, visualise success.
- When you are thinking about the past or worrying about the future, instead focus your energy on the present moment. The now is where your power is the greatest.
- When you want to complain, instead identify a solution.
- When you are tired and drained, remember to never, never, never give up. Finish strong in everything you do.
- Focus on what you can control and let go of what you can’t.
- When you’re in a high-pressure situation and the game is on the line, and everyone is watching you, remember to smile, have fun, and enjoy it. Life is short; you only live once. You have nothing to lose. Seize the moment.
Losing Touch - Power Diminishes Perception and Perspective
The researchers offer the metaphor of driving a car to understand how power can be transformed into effective leadership. The agency of power is akin to pressing the accelerator pedal. Without acceleration, one is left standing still, unable to move forward. But one also needs a steering wheel to avoid crashing into obstacles along the way. Perspective-taking without agency is ineffective, and agency without perspective-taking is dangerous and irresponsible. Effective leaders require acceleration and prudent steering—power coupled with perspective-taking. The springboard of power combined with perspective-taking may be a particularly constructive force to develop socially responsible leaders.
For more, see - http://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/index.php/Kellogg/article/losing_touch
Four Things You Can Do to Become a Better Leader
1. Be a Positive Role Model. Set a positive example and don't ask others to do what you yourself are unwilling to do. Alexander the Great was a successful military leader who was adored by his troops, because Alexander was out in front leading the charge into battle.
2. Be Optimistic and Inspirational. Have a "can do" attitude, and use that attitude to motivate. Let followers know your positive vision for the work team or company and inspire them to achieve it.
3. Challenge, but Support. Transformational leaders challenge followers to be creative, innovative, and to take risks, and this is how they together achieve extraordinary results. But, it is critical to support innovation and risk-taking. Don't blame. Instead, use setbacks as positive learning experiences.
4. Listen to Followers and Be Genuinely Concerned. Research shows this may be most important. You can't be the type of leader who empowers and develops followers if you don't have genuine positive regard for your team members. You need to focus on their positive assets, be "in tune" with each member, and demonstrate that you care about each individual's performance and personal development.
OK, here's the "extra" factor: Be Honest and "Authentic" The truly exceptional leaders are straightforward, honest, and don't "play games." They don't use followers to achieve personal gains, but work together for mutually beneficial outcomes.
Being a great leader isn't easy, but we do know that these characteristics are the "recipe" for success.
The Qualities of an Influencer
INTEGRITY - builds relationships on trust.
NURTURING - cares about people as individuals.
FAITH - believes in people.
LISTENING - values what others have to say.
UNDERSTANDING - sees from their point of view.
ENLARGING - helps others become bigger.
NAVIGATING - assists others through difficulties.
CONNECTING - initiates positive relationships.
EMPOWERING - gives them the power to lead.
Inspiring Confidence - The Role of Visualisation
How do you inspire confidence in your team and yourself when you are facing challenges and things aren’t going well? How do you lift yourself and others up when you’ve been knocked down? And what do you do when self doubt rears its ugly head again and again?
Watch and listen to what basketball superstar, Michael Jordan has to say about mentally preparing for success:
As many elite athletes would attest to, one of the best ways to regain confidence is to recall past accomplishments and visualise success. Instead of focusing on your failures, you and your team can refocus on your successes. This breeds confidence, inspires hope and creates an expectation that you will once again be successful. After all, if you did it once then you can do it again.
This approach is not just for athletes. You can also do this at your school, in your business office, during a sales conference call or in any workplace. Inspire confidence in your team today. They need it more than you know.
Watch and listen to what basketball superstar, Michael Jordan has to say about mentally preparing for success:
As many elite athletes would attest to, one of the best ways to regain confidence is to recall past accomplishments and visualise success. Instead of focusing on your failures, you and your team can refocus on your successes. This breeds confidence, inspires hope and creates an expectation that you will once again be successful. After all, if you did it once then you can do it again.
This approach is not just for athletes. You can also do this at your school, in your business office, during a sales conference call or in any workplace. Inspire confidence in your team today. They need it more than you know.
Are You a Transformational Leader?
There are 4 components to transformational leadership, sometimes referred to as the 4 I's:
- Idealized Influence (II) - the leader serves as an ideal role model for followers; the leader "walks the talk," and is admired for this.
- Inspirational Motivation (IM) - Transformational leaders have the ability to inspire and motivate followers. Combined these first two I's are what constitute the transformational leader's charisma.
- Individualized Consideration (IC) - Transformational leaders demonstrate genuine concern for the needs and feelings of followers. This personal attention to each follower is a key element in bringing out their very best efforts.
- Intellectual Stimulation (IS) - the leader challenges followers to be innovative and creative. A common misunderstanding is that transformational leaders are "soft," but the truth is that they constantly challenge followers to higher levels of performance.
Why? Because transformational leaders hold positive expectations for followers, believing that they can do their best. As a result, they inspire, empower, and stimulate followers to exceed normal levels of performance and, transformational leaders focus on and care about followers and their personal needs and development.
See if you have transformational leadership qualities (Agree or Disagree).
- 1. I would never require a follower to do something that I wouldn't do myself.
- 2. My followers would say that they know what I stand for.
- 3. Inspiring others has always come easy to me.
- 4. My followers have told me that my enthusiasm and positive energy are infectious.
- 5. My followers would say that I am very attentive to their needs and concerns.
- 6. Even though I could easily do a task myself, I delegate it to expand my followers' skills.
- 7. Team creativity and innovation are the keys to success.. I encourage my followers to question their most basic way of thinking.
To learn more about transformational leadership, read: Transformational Leadership
Monday, November 16, 2009
Respect
Why Failure leads to Success
Michael Jordan (by acclamation, the greatest basketball player of all time)
Why Would People Want to be Led By You?
, Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, made the following observation:"I think it's very difficult to lead today when people are not really truly participating in the decision. You won't be able to attract and retain great people if they don't feel like they are part of the authorship of the strategy and the authorship of the really critical issues. If you don't give people an opportunity to really be engaged, they won't stay."
Here are five key traits that will help you become the kind of leader people love working for:
Key Trait #1: You must have a vision. We've all heard the saying "You must stand for something, or you'll fall for everything." But what does that really mean? Standing firm when it comes to your company's policies and procedures is all well and good, but it doesn't speak to having a vision. As a leader, you have to learn to communicate your vision or the vision of your company to the people you want to follow you. But how can you do that?
- Learn to paint a picture with words. Speak it, write it, draw it, touch it. Whatever methods you can use to create a picture, do it. As they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words."
- Ask each of the other managers in your company to tell you, in their own words, about the vision of the company. How close is it to what you thought they understood? Is your team on the same page as you?
- As you work, your company's vision should be in your mind every day, and you should reevaluate it occasionally so that it stays current with the changing times in which we live. And remember, your staff needs to be just as involved as you in keeping it up to date if you truly want them to buy in on the vision. Be sure to keep your key players involved.
To build an extraordinary management team, you've got to light the "fire in their bellies," to get them to feel passion about the company and connect to the leader's vision. Passion is such a key part of being a great leader that if you don't have it, you simply can't be a great leader. Think of all the great leaders throughout the ages and try to name one that did not have passion.
And passion is infectious: When you talk about your vision for the company, let your passion for your vision shine through. Others will feel it and want to get on board with you. If you don't have passion for your vision, you need to recreate your vision or reframe your description of your vision so it's connected to your passion.
Key Trait #3: You must learn to be a great decision maker. How are major decisions made in your company? What is your process for making them? For instance, do you talk to your management team and create a list of pros and cons to help you make the best decision? Maybe you conduct a cost analysis. Or do you create a timeline for the implementation strategy, process and timing?
Some leaders have a set process, and others fly by the seat of their pants. But you don't want to be one of those leaders who consults no one before making a decision, announces the change the next day and then gets frustrated when no one follows it.
In fact, here's a system you can use to become a better decision maker. It's called the Q-CAT:
- Q = Quick. Be quick but not hasty.
- C = Committed. Be committed to your decision but not rigid.
- A = Analytical. Be analytical, but don't over-analyze (Too much analysis can cause paralysis.)
- T = Thoughtful. Be thoughtful about all concerned, but don't be obsessive.
Key Trait #4: You must be a team builder. To become a great leader, you must develop a great team or, one might say, a well-oiled machine. But how do you do that? You can start by handing off responsibility to your team and letting your team to run with it. Don't breathe down their necks and don't micromanage, but make yourself available if questions or problems come up. Teach your team to use the Q-CAT decision-making system and give them the freedom to work through their own decisions.
When projects aren't on track or your team is falling behind on deadline, it serves no one if you start pointing fingers. This is when you need to rise to the occasion and inspire confidence in your employees, to let them know you support them and ready to help. Be ready to alter plans and make new ones. Don't forget to use humour to keep your team's spirits up during a crisis. When an emergency hits, your team will look to you to be a tower of strength and endurance.
Key Trait #5: You must have character. Without character, all the other "keys" are for naught. That's because your innate character strengths and limitations play a critical role in your leadership style. The real question is, are you aware of just what role they play? All great leaders have taken steps to learn about their individual personality and what part it plays in their leadership style.
So are you a great leader? Or do you have the desire to become one?
Remember, a great leader is someone who has a clear vision and can turn that vision into a vivid picture that others can see. When you speak about your vision, it should be with a passion you feel in your heart, a passion that creates so much enthusiasm that your team will want to jump on board. When major decisions need to be made, you should encourage everyone to use the Q-CAT system and be responsible for his or her own actions. And you should be continually assessing your own character and never stop growing, personally or professionally. If you can apply the five keys to great leadership, you'll be well on your way to becoming a great leader surrounded by great employees!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Learning from Failure - The Secret Sauce of Silicon Valley
To develop more successes, she urges, entrepreneurs have got to take a risk, and this is the notion behind every deal in the entire ecosystem. Venture capitalists fund risk and, by association, failure, in order to find the "hits" in the haystack. Failure is a perfectly acceptable part of the entrepreneurial process, provided that the smart entrepreneur learns from their errors along the way.
There are some lessons for leaders in what Tina has to say:
The Power of Vision
How Leaders Should Communicate in Difficult Times
Behaviour is as important as message: employees observe their leaders and take their cues from how their leaders are behaving.
2. Tell it like it is
Tell the truth, and tell it fast. Get the bad news out there, and try and avoid drip-feeding.
3. Be clear
If you have clarity and strength of purpose, people will follow. Uniting behind a common cause raises spirits and makes people feel anything is possible.
4. Stick to your guns
Know your long-term strategic plan and stand by it. Don’t be panicked into sudden measure or announcements.
5. Be tough
Well-run businesses become more efficient; more objective about poor performance, more selective about costs, more prudent in decision-making.
6. Use confidence to create confidence
Show that you are in control, and not simply at the mercy of events. Get people engaged, and use their skills to help you. Optimism is vital.
7. Focus on opportunities
Leadership development is about accumulating experience, and times of crisis deliver new experiences by the truck-load.
8. Balance youth and age
A fresh approach is a great asset, but in tough times, so is sector knowledge – it’s the best way of assessing risk. People with experience have a huge coaching role to play.
9. Beware of creating a talent gap
If you don’t develop your human resource, you don’t have a future. Now is the time to stimulate innovation and creativity.
10. Learn the importance of unknowns
There’s a tendency to focus on what we understand, and ignore what we don’t. Seismic changes demand us to be less linear, to create a culture of wider thinking.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
The Wider Implications for Business Leaders of Corporate Social Responsibility
In fact, the book’s scope and ambition are greater than that description would suggest. All the same, this is the moment CSR campaigners have been waiting for. Their cause has been given high-powered, if qualified, academic approval. Rosabeth Moss Kanter’s credentials are not in doubt. For the past three years she has been researching this, her 18th book, which is substantial and carefully argued.
Kanter might reject an association with the CSR tag, which does not in fact appear anywhere in her text. She is writing about what she calls “vanguard companies”, which are “ahead of the pack and potentially the wave of the future”.
What qualifies them for vanguard status? These are companies that aspire to be “big but human, efficient but innovative, global but concerned about local communities”, she writes. “The best have business prowess and clout with partners and governments, but try to use their power and influence to develop solutions to problems the public cares about . . . The leaders of a vanguard company espouse positive values and encourage their employees to embrace and act on them.”
This is a savvy summary. It is CSR-plus, or successful business with a moral purpose. Which companies in particular is Kanter taking about? They are the global powerhouses IBM, Procter and Gamble, Publicis, Cemex and Diageo, among others.
What are they getting right? Vanguard companies understand that the early 21st century is characterised by uncertainty, volatility and complexity, Kanter says. They have grasped the need for diversity in their organisations. They err on the side of transparency, and take a responsible approach.
Virtue wins its own reward. “Humanistic values and attention to societal needs are a starting point for smart strategy in the global information age,” Kanter says.
This idea is not always an easy sell internally. At IBM, where Kanter clearly enjoys wonderful access, the chief executive, Sam Palmisano, tells her that one board director asked him not so long ago if this approach was not really a bit too much like socialism.
Teamwork is certainly crucial. And a values-based approach is important. “What is the value of values?” Kanter asks. “It is the engagement, the dialogue, the conversation.”
A social purpose is helpful strategically, she argues, because it gives you several advantages. You generate a bigger “ideas pool” as more people get involved. You create better motivation to serve customers. There is more prospect of “open innovation” taking place. You see less internal politics and greater co-operation. And employees are inspired to get on with the job.
“When you bring society inside the organisation, the possibilities increase for success at every point in the innovation process,” Kanter says. “The quest is more meaningful than seeking financial returns alone.”
The developing world offers particularly fertile ground for these ideas to germinate. “The least advantaged places can become the best beta sites for innovation,” she writes.
What this is not, however, is old-style CSR. That is about offering “spare change”, in Kanter’s words. “Corporate social innovation and entrepreneurship combined with corporate diplomacy [represent] a shift from ‘spare change’ to ‘real change’,” she says. It is a mistake, for example, to make “social commitments that do not have an economic logic that sustains the enterprise by attracting resources”.
Nor are vanguard companies interested in mere “charity”. “Their leaders are not soft-hearted do-gooders,” Kanter says. “The companies mount and defend lawsuits, push the limits of their market dominance and pricing power, compete aggressively, and lobby governments for favourable treatment.”
Global business leadership is tough and getting tougher, Kanter argues. It calls for a lot of MBFA – management by flying around. But this serious work provides a handbook for business leaders who are equally serious about making their companies both successful and sustainable.'
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009.
As one reviewer, Ram Charan, coauthor of Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
said of Moss Kanter's work: “Unless your business is also serving a social purpose you miss an opportunity for innovations that bring profits. Rosabeth Moss Kanter, one of our most outstanding scholars, excels in her characteristic manner by taking the lead and developing practical ideas for the leaders of the future.”Here is what the author herself has to say:
Friday, November 13, 2009
Five Characteristics of Weak Leaders
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
by Doris Kearns Goodwin is an account of Abraham Lincoln’s presidency and his political genius. At the beginning of Lincoln’s first term, he appointed each of his former Republican rivals—those who had run against him for his party’s nomination—to cabinet posts. The narrative demonstrates his amazing ability to tap into a broad array of perspectives and create alignment among those who often disagreed violently with one another.
Unfortunately, Lincoln’s leadership was not perfect. He occasionally selected men for public service who were unworthy of his trust. One such individual was General George B. McClellan, commander of the “Army of the Potomac” and, eventually, first general-in-chief of the Union Army.
General McClellan had significant character flaws that serve as warning signs to anyone in leadership. Ultimately, these cost him a run for the White House (against Lincoln). Worse, they prolonged the Civil War and cost the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides of the conflict.
Here are the five flaws which emerge from Goodwin's book:
Hesitating to take definitive action. McClellan was constantly preparing. According to him, the Army was never quite ready. The troops just needed a little more training. In his procrastination, he refused to engage the enemy, even when he clearly had the advantage. He could just not bring himself to launch an attack. When Lincoln finally relieved him of his duties, he famously said, “If General McClellan does not want to use the army, I would like to borrow it for a time.”
Complaining about a lack of resources. He constantly complained about the lack of available resources. He didn’t have enough men. His men weren’t paid enough. They didn’t have enough heavy artillery. And on and on he went. The truth is that, as a leader, you never have enough resources. You could always use more of one thing or another. But the successful leaders find a way to get the job done with the resources they have.
Refusing to take responsibility. McClellan was constantly blaming everyone else for his mistakes and for his refusal to act. He even blamed the President. Every time he suffered a defeat or a setback, someone or something was to blame. He was a master finger-pointer. Great leaders don’t do this. They are accountable for the results and accept full responsibility for the outcomes.
Abusing the privileges of leadership. While his troops were struggling in almost unbearable conditions, McClellan lived in near-royal splendour. He spent almost every evening entertaining guests with elaborate dinners and parties. He insisted on the best clothes and accommodations. His lifestyle stood in distinct contrast to General Ulysses S. Grant, his eventual successor, who often traveled with only a toothbrush.
Engaging in acts of insubordination. McClellan openly and continually criticised the President, his boss. He was passive-aggressive. Even when Lincoln gave him a direct order, he found a way to avoid obeying it. In his arrogance, he always knew better than the President and had a ready excuse to rationalise his lack of follow-through.
President Lincoln had the patience of Job. He gave General McClellan numerous opportunities to correct his behavior and redeem himself. But in the end, McClellan either could not or would not do so. He left the President no choice but to relieve him of his duties.
These same character flaws afflict many leaders today. The best safeguard is self-awareness.
Lessons from the Military
'Colonel Richard Westley, who was awarded the Military Cross for his service in the Balkan Wars and now leads the Army's Operational Training Advisory Group, addressed leading Olympic coaches and performance directors at UK Sport's World Class Performance Conference on Tuesday. He told them that while the consequences of failure for athletes and soldiers are incomparable, the principles of team-building and the tools used to handle the pressures of life-and-death situations can have applications in sport.
"I believe there are elements that are applicable for the sporting arena," he said. "If you are an athlete who has devoted four or eight years to performing for a matter of minutes in Olympic competition, you are in a high-pressure, high-performance environment.
"They are totally focused on their performance, but the key for the Olympic team could be to try and give them a wider team ethos of Team GB. That is comparable to what we do with team building. Soldiers fight for their mates, for the guys they trained with and drank with, but they also have to fight for Queen and country. The team-building part of that is crucial, and there is a parallel between sport and the military."
Col Westley also pointed to similarities between the effects of pressure on soldiers and athletes. "For both the stakes are high when they are asked to perform at their best. For us it is life-and-death, for an athlete it could mean wasting four years of their life.
"So it is about inculcating a sense of pride, or national pride, team pride and individual pride in the effort. Whether you are fighting in Helmand or attempting to win an Olympic medal you have to be able to look yourself in the mirror and say, 'Did I give it everything?'
"If the answer is no, it could define the rest of your life whether you're an athlete or a soldier. For those preparing for London they have less than 1,000 days to make sure that when they ask that question they can answer yes.
"They will face situations where all your instincts are telling them not to do something. They are fatigued, it is frightening and the pressure is for fight-or-flight, but their reaction in that ultimate moment will define the way they see themselves forever, regardless of whether they win or lose." '
The Lessons Elite Athletes Can Bring to Business Leaders
Fierce competition, winning by sometimes the smallest margins, achieving goals and targets, establishing long-term and short-term strategies and tactics, hard work, perseverance, determination, teamwork, dealing with success and recovering from failure and setbacks - those are all key challenges in both worlds. Success in sports and business alike relies on the ability to continually move performance to higher levels. What you achieve this year will never be good enough next year. Goals and standards move onward and upward, creating an unrelenting demand to find new means and methods to ensure the delivery of performance curves that can seem tantalisingly, or even impossibly, out of reach. Many of the lessons you can learn from elite athletes can be transferred to business.
The first crucial lesson is that elite athletes are not born but made. Obviously there has to be some inborn natural ability - coordination, flexibility, anatomical and physiological capacity - just as successful senior leaders need to be able to both strategise and relate to people. But the real key to sustained excellence for both elite sports and business leaders is not the ability to swim fast or do quantitative analyses quickly in their heads; rather, it is the development of mental toughness.
The ability to thrive under almost inhuman pressure is perhaps the most defining characteristic of elite athletes. They excel when the heat is turned up. They are able to stay focused on the things that really matter in the face of a multitude of potential distractions. They are able to bounce back from setbacks with a determination and intense desire to succeed. And, most crucially, they are able to maintain their belief in themselves in the most trying circumstances.
For the very best athletes, making it to the top is the result of very careful planning, setting and hitting hundreds of small goals. And if it's hard reaching the top, that's nothing compared to what it takes to stay there. Expectations are enormous, and you become the target and benchmark for every other competitor. You have reached heady heights and have become highly visible and exposed.
It's a marvelous place to be, but it also comes with great potential vulnerability and loneliness if things go wrong. Sustained success in such an environment requires astounding physical ability, but that isn't enough to make you better than all the rest. You need an extraordinary mindset too. The positive and resilient mindsets of the best athletes underpin their drive and ability to reinvent themselves continuously in order to stay ahead of the pack.
Elite athletes also take time to celebrate their victories. It helps remind them why all the hard work and commitment is worthwhile. At a time when survival is a key priority in so many organisations, don't forget to spend time celebrating successes, however small they may be.
For more, see - Thriving on Pressure: Mental Toughness for Real Leaders
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