Enduring Truths About Leadership

Here are ten enduring truths about leadership, backed by research carried out over the years:

You make a difference: Before you can lead, you have to believe you can make a positive impact on others. You have to believe in yourself.

Credibility is the foundation of leadership: As well as believing in yourself, you have to behave in a way that will spur belief in you. If people don’t believe in you, they won’t willingly follow you.

Values drive commitment: People want to know what you believe in and you need to know what others treasure if you are going to create the commitment needed to bring everyone together into a powerful force.

Focusing on the future sets leaders apart: Leaders need the capacity to imagine and articulate exciting future possibilities. They need a long-term perspective.

You can’t do it alone: Leadership is a team sport.

Trust is paramount: If you rely on others, you will need their trust. That will only come if you trust them first.

Challenge is the crucible for greatness: Exemplary leaders don’t maintain the status quo, they change it. Change invariably involves challenge, and challenge tests you. It introduces you to yourself. It brings you face-to-face with your level of commitment, your grittiness, and your values.

You either lead by example or you don’t lead at all: Leaders must keep their promises, and be role models for the values and actions they espouse.

The best leaders are the best learners: Learning is the master skill of leadership.

Leadership is an affair of the heart: Leaders respect their colleagues and their constituents. They make others feel important, and graciously show appreciation. And they love their work, or they wouldn’t be successful at it. 

Enduring Truths About Leadership

HP's New Leadership: A Vision for the Future?

New Hewlett-Packard CEO Leo Apotheker and non-executive board chairman Ray Lane took over the reins at the technology giant on 1st November and their to-do list was daunting. Apotheker, the former CEO of business software company SAP, needs to convince doubters he is the right leader for HP, do battle with rivals such as IBM, Oracle and Apple, and set the company's long-term strategy. In addition, Apotheker must maintain the efficiency the company enjoyed under former CEO Mark Hurd, while gaining the buy-in from employees that his embattled predecessor reportedly lacked.

HP's New Leadership: A Vision for the Future?

Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life

An interview with Stewart Friedman, Professor, University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and author of Total Leadership: Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life. 

Traditional thinking pits work and the rest of our lives against each other. But taking smart steps to integrate work, home, community, and self will make you a more productive leader and a more fulfilled person.

Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life

Military Skill Sets Lead to Organisational Success

What value does the military have for an organisation? 

World class, combat honed, and expansive skill sets in strategic planning, wargaming (competitor-on-competitor role play), competitive intelligence, leader development, rigorous standard enforcement, and innovation in execution are only a few of the cutting edge managerial skill sets that the military brings. Additionally, military veteran-to-CEO success stories such as Ken Hicks (Foot Locker) and Bob McDonald (P&G) credit military ethical foundations, decision making skills, practical leadership, and teamwork, and the focus of life-or-death situations that quickly developed them into decisive leaders focused on excellence, execution, and best-in-class performance.

For the organisation, the value of the military-to-organisation skill set transition comes when military skills and methodologies are translated into the context that creates the greatest value for the organisation.  

The military has a wide range of skill sets and proficiencies that business needs:

Intelligence: The military excels at systematic and ongoing analysis of competitors as well as how the operating environment influences the outcome and potential success of an operation. Additionally, a uniform, frequent, and ongoing intelligence effort provides a common competitive assessment to an organisation. In an organisation's leadership, how many leaders have a common view of competitive threats? How often is the competitive analysis updated?

Planning and Preparation: The creation of a timely, comprehensive, and structured plan is the hallmark of military operational planning. Many organisations do this well. However, what most organisations lack is the creation of multiple contingency plans, the use of wargaming or competitor-on-competitor scenarios, and mission rehearsals to ensure a flawless execution.

Execution: This requires the ability to rapidly adjust and improvise when an operation does not go according to plan. 

Team Leadership: The value of good leadership goes beyond the team being led. Good team leadership extends into leadership by example and positive role models that can inspire throughout the organisation.

Subordinate Development: The military uses a process known as the performance counseling session employed by the immediate supervisor of a military member to address what the military member did well, what they need to improve, and the plan of action to make them a better overall contributor. This inherent subordinate development process is of extraordinary value for an organisation because it makes every employee in the organisation better.

Military veterans and military techniques, when applied properly to an organisation's culture and business processes, can bring value to corporations, charities, non-governmental organisations and educational institutions. All of these organisations can benefit in vast and immediate ways through the application of military skills to their operations.

Military Skill Sets Lead to Organisational Success

Go Beyond What You Think Is Possible

Go Beyond What You Think Is Possible

Getting the Whole Leadership Picture

Setting a leadership strategy first requires a comprehensive understanding of leadership in your organisation. This begins with individual talent and competencies, but it doesn't end there. The ability of formal and informal leaders to pull together ultimately makes the difference in whether you accomplish your goals.

To get a full picture of leadership, you should consider:

1. The quantity of leaders needed, as indicated by current and projected formal leadership positions depicted on an organisation chart (number, level, location, function, business unit, reporting relationships, etc.).
2. The qualities desired in selection (demographics, diversity, background, experience level).
3. The skills and behaviour that are needed to implement the business strategy and create the desired culture (skills, competencies, knowledge base).
4. The collective leadership capabilities of leaders acting together in groups and across boundaries to implement strategies, solve problems, respond to threats, adapt to change, support innovation, etc.
5. The desired leadership culture, including the leadership practices in use, such as collaboration across boundaries, engagement of employees, accepting responsibility for outcomes, creating opportunities for others to lead, developing other leaders, learning how to learn, etc.

A good leadership strategy takes all of these factors into account. Simply having all of the leadership positions on the organisation chart filled or talented individuals will not produce the leadership that is required to implement strategy, lead change and drive innovation. 
For more information, please contact: graham.watson@positiveleadership.co.uk

Getting the Whole Leadership Picture

An Understanding of 'Class'

Still a classic - a look at 'Society'!

An Understanding of 'Class'

Why Performance Reviews Should Be Abolished

Performance reviews, in which bosses look for weaknesses and pretend to speak objectively for the company, while subordinates grin and bear it, misapply the hierarchical structure that is necessary in any organisation. They ensure that the relationship is about power and subordination, making candor all but impossible, and defensiveness the behaviour of choice for stressed employees. They should be used sparingly and replaced by performance previews.

This would involve changing the internal politics so that boss and subordinate are a team, both accountable for getting results that the company needs. No longer will the subordinate alone stand accountable for arbitrary metrics that managers create. Now they're both on the hook, and it is in the interest of each of them to understand the way the other goes about his or her job, and to support that person's strengths.

If everybody starts by owning what they think, instead of arguing over the "truth," you can begin to have a trusting relationship that can tolerate each party hearing some things they don't want to hear. And then you can have honest improvement — in people, in practices, in results.

For more, see:  Get Rid of the Performance Review!: How Companies Can Stop Intimidating, Start Managing--and Focus on What Really Matters (Business Plus)

Why Performance Reviews Should Be Abolished

Leadership Lessons from a Lifetime of Service

Here are the leadership lessons of a lifetime of service from the President of Israel and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres:

1. Leaders must not be afraid of being alone.

2. They must have the courage to be afraid.

3. A leader must decide. He should not agree or disagree. He says “yes” or “no.”

4. A leader must pioneer, not rule.

5. A leader is not on the top of his people but ahead of them in front.

6. Leadership is extremely hard work.

7. When you have a chosen a destiny . . . never give up.

8. Leadership is based on a moral call.

9. What is right today is different tomorrow.

10. It’s not enough to be up to date; you have to be up tomorrow.

11. To lead is to listen, to pay attention to every detail, to decide.

12. Everything that once was controversial ultimately becomes popular.

Leadership Lessons from a Lifetime of Service

Fear

What are you afraid of, and what does it cost you? Today, we want you to read one of the best descriptions of fear we have ever heard. It seems to be appropriate for the world in which we are living:

"I am Fear. I am the menace that lurks in the paths of life, never visible to the eye but sharply felt in the heart. I am the father of despair, the brother of procrastination, the enemy of progress, the tool of tyranny. Born of ignorance and nursed on misguided thought, I have darkened more hopes, stifled more ambitions, shattered more ideals and prevented more accomplishments than history could record.

“Like the changing chameleon, I assume many disguises. I masquerade as caution. I am sometimes known as doubt or worry. But whatever I’m called, I am still fear, the obstacle of achievement.

“I know no master but one; its name is Understanding. I have no power but what the human mind gives me, and I vanish completely when the light of Understanding reveals the facts as they really are, for I am really nothing.”

You see, if you have the courage to acknowledge your fears, you will be taking the first step toward controlling them instead of them controlling you. And if you take the next step toward understanding, you will be able to move past them to empathy, perhaps even to love. 

Fear

Types of Failure to Avoid

Innovation experts have long argued that companies should be more tolerant of failure. But not all failure is created equally. 

Here are three types of failures that rarely contribute to learning and should be avoided whenever possible:

Knowingly doing the wrong thing. When a project falls apart because someone hid information or misled others, any learning is moot. Failure is only acceptable when the project was done with good intentions.

Failing to gather the right data. Often failure can be avoided by doing some simple research: asking target customers for input or testing an idea before launching it.

Prioritising research over experience. Some things are unknowable without real-life experiments. Don't waste resources on researching a theory when you can create a prototype or conduct an experiment that will give you a more realistic answer.

Types of Failure to Avoid

Obstacles Can Be Overcome

This is the story of Dick & Rick Hoyt, the most inspirational father and son team to race in an Ironman. 

The message is important - obstacles can be overcome with focus, determination, commitment and generosity of spirit.

Obstacles Can Be Overcome

Believe You Can Achieve

Believe You Can Achieve

Be Prepared for a Turbulent Business World

Jeff Immelt, chairman and CEO of GE, gave the first annual Roanak Desai Memorial View From The Top at the Stanford Graduate School of Business recently. He discussed how business has changed in his nearly three decades at GE and stressed to the student audience to be prepared for a turbulent business world.

Be Prepared for a Turbulent Business World

Going For More At Work

Being smart and doing a good job can get you only so far, says Jeffrey Pfeffer, professor of organisational behavior at Stanford University. For really getting what you deserve — promotion, bonus, award — try high emotional intelligence and political savvy. Powerful people emphasise those traits, he says.

• Accept reality. 'It's a fact that people have done bad work and still become successful, while others have done great work and gotten fired. So if you want to play football you have to put on the pads and play. Don't become a shallow game player at work. It's far better to be smart, hardworking and savvy. This is really not about necessarily changing yourself in a dramatic way. Just be more strategic. You can't just hope that things are going to change or wish that things are not as they are,' says Pfeffer.

• Pick a good spot. You want a domain that fits your interests, said Pfeffer, author of  Power: Why Some People Have It and Others Don't: 'What gets you into serious trouble is to say, 'I'm going to show them that they're wrong.' What you should be asking yourself is, 'If I took all this effort and hard work to change these people's minds and instead go to a new environment, I would probably do better.''

• Talk with purpose. In Western countries, many people who blabber loudly are seen as leaders, wrote Robert Sutton in Good Boss, Bad Boss: How to Be the Best... and Learn from the Worst: 'But, don't talk the whole time, as people will see you as a bully, boring or both. People gain power by winning interruption wars, interjecting and battling back when others try to interrupt,' says Pfeffer.

• Be vigilant. Avoid voluntarily surrendering your power and influence. If you're at a meeting with your boss, take every opportunity to shine. If you're attending a key event with a colleague, be strategic about being gracious. It's fine to introduce your friend, but don't fade into the woodwork and let a co-worker take over the conversation. Remember, this can be your moment to impress.

• Be forceful. You've probably heard experts advise you to get along with colleagues. Another take: 'There's a ton of research that shows that displaying anger is more likely to have other people accord you status,' says Pfeffer. Don't fly off the handle. Sometimes simply crossing your arms sends a powerful message. 'First demonstrate competence, then engage in a reasonable amount of self-promotion and be forceful,' he says.

Going For More At Work

Leading from the Front

Over the past year, business leaders have endured one of the most challenging economic climates in decades. In this video we hear from those who have emerged from the crisis stronger than ever. 

What can we learn from their leadership in developing strategies to thrive during difficult times? What has been the impact on their approaches to innovation, product life-cycles and brand management? Do changes represent a long-term shift or will things eventually return to normal?

Leading from the Front

Great Leaders = Great Teams: Ten Ways to Expand Your Leadership

"When the going is toughest, leaders must behave like emotional and intellectual anchors. The critical issues are about faith, passion, and most importantly, authenticity. People must know you are not pretending. They can see a sham."  C.K. Prahalad, Professor, University of Michigan

Leading Teams

Great teams have great leaders. Leading a team starts with a clear idea of where you are going, what needs to be done, and how it will be accomplished. In addition, team leaders must promote a collective team identity, admit their mistakes, and remain positive and focused in the face of adversity. In the end, leading a team is about...

Clarifying the vision - know where you are going, what it will take to get there, when it is best to assert yourself, how to accomplish the task, and why your leadership is important. Also, remember to keep your team informed as you go.

Talking team - it's not about any single individual but it is about "us," "we," and "our" team. Think collective identity.

Practising humility - be quick to admit mistakes and say "I'm sorry."

Leading with optimism - don't forget to remind, refocus, and rebuild when needed. Attitude is everything! Attitude sets the tone for the team.

Bringing it all together: Ten (10) ways to expand your leadership thinking

Determine your legacy

Ask yourself, "What do I want to leave behind?" Then, begin with the end in mind. You will leave a legacy! Be sure your legacy is what you want it to be.

Have a plan

Know where you are going, who is traveling with you, how you will get there, (what you need for the trip, how you will respond to delays, and how you can best help everyone arrive safely. Be prepared for what is to come.

Get connected (not to technology, but to people)

Invest in others. Get to know them, build them up, and serve them (even when you don't want to). Remember, people first and problems second.

Develop a "strength focus"

"Think Big" but also think smart. Always look to put your "team" in a position to succeed. Play to each person's strengths and the team's strengths.

Clarify roles and norms

Expect a lot from key players. You will get more when you expect more! The best teams require both quantity and quality from its members.

Create the right attitude

Influence is inevitable. Be sure to make yours positive! Remember, your attitude is "contagious." Pass on your optimism and hope every day.

Be teachable

Talent gets noticed but humility attracts followers. Know what you don't know.

Hold (and be willing to hold) accountable

Confront when needed. Every team needs an enforcer! It is important to remember that actions (or lack of actions) have consequences. Be sure everyone is doing what they said they would.

Do something different

Be creative. Find new ways of doing old things. Collaborate and cooperate. Talk with new people, develop new ideas and strategies, and ask for new input. Try something new.

Take a break and have some fun!

Laugh, smile, and "lighten up." A good sense of humour can go a long way in leading yourself, others, and teams. Have fun, enjoy the journey, and keep leading. 

Great Leaders = Great Teams: Ten Ways to Expand Your Leadership

Positive Leadership's Gavin Hastings and Tiger Woods

If you look closely you will see Positive Leadership's Gavin Hastings on the same green as Tiger Woods yesterday in Shanghai. The Positive Leadership message is certainly travelling far and wide!

Positive Leadership's Gavin Hastings and Tiger Woods

Selling Your Ideas

Regardless of how good it is, no idea sells itself. Before getting commitment to proceed with an idea for a new product, process, venture, technology, service, policy, or organisational change, innovators and leaders must sell the idea to potential backers and supporters, and neutralise the critics. They must find resources, expertise, and support. They must convince colleagues to advance the idea in meetings they don't attend.

People whose ideas get traction — that manage get out of the starting gate — take advantage of this practical advice for selling ideas.

Seek many inputs. Listen actively to many points of view. Then incorporate aspects of each of them into the project plan, so that you can show people exactly where their perspectives or suggestions appear.

Do your homework. Be thoroughly prepared for meetings and individual discussions. Gather as much hard data as possibly to have command of the full facts, and speak knowledgeably from a broad information base. Know the interests of those to whom you're speaking, and customise the message for them.

Make the rounds. Meet with people one-on-one to make the first introduction of your idea. It's always a good idea to touch base with people individually before any key meetings, and to give them advance warning of what you and others are planning to say at the meeting. Then they can be prepared (and coached) in your point of view. And you know theirs, so you can modify your proposal accordingly.

See critics in private and hear them out. One-on-one meetings are especially important when you expect opposition or criticism. Groups can easily turn into mobs. Avoid situations in which critics can gang up on you, or when a group of people leaning positive turn negative because the listen to a few loud voices. Never gather all of your potential critics in one room hoping to hold one meeting to brief everyone all at once. This kind of event mainly helps them discover each other and their common concerns, so they coalesce as a group united in opposition to the idea.

Make the benefits clear. Arm supporters with arguments. You might rehearse them for meetings in which questions about your project will come up. Stress the value that the idea will produce for them and other groups. Remember that selling ideas is at least a two-step process. You sell one set of people so they can sell others. You convince them to back you because you reduce the risk to them by giving them the tools for selling their own boards or constituencies.

Be specific. Make your requests concrete, even while connecting your idea to unassailable larger principles. Wait to approach high-level people until you have tested the idea elsewhere and refined your vague notions. The higher the official, the more valuable and scarce his or her time, and thus the more focused your meeting must be. Use peers for initial broad discussions, then ask top executives for one simple action.

Show that you can deliver. People want to back winners. Early in the process, provide evidence, even guarantees, that the project will work. Later, prove that you can deliver by meeting deadlines and doing what you promised.

Selling Your Ideas

Amir Khan

Amir Khan is an Olympic Silver medallist, a Commonwealth Gold medallist and since July 2009, he has been WBA Light Welterweight Champion.

However, back in September 2008, when he was undefeated and riding on a crest of self-confidence (or perhaps arrogance) he took on little known Breidis Prescott. At the time, Khan was being talked up as the best fighter alive. Khan was knocked out by Prescott in 54 seconds of round 1!

‘After that defeat, my mind was all over the place. All those dreams; suddenly I didn’t know if they were going to come true’, says Khan.

Khan had made a classic fighter’s mistake – he looked lean and mean but inside he was getting soft and comfortable. Defeat brought him to his senses. You only stay sharp by constantly proving yourself.  As a result, Khan decided to change almost every aspect of his working routine. He moved from Bolton to LA.

‘I moved everything. I made sacrifices; being away from home, being away from my family. I came to a place where no one knew me and a boxing gym where you have to earn your respect’, says Khan.

He started to spar with world champion, Manny Pacquaio. Khan quickly realised that the way you see yourself is less important than the impression you deliver to others. That lesson transformed him. After moving to LA, Khan began winning again. He won the world title in July 2009 and defended it in May 2010.

Khan’s training regime is now intense. He trains twice a day. His strength and conditioning trainer Alex Ariza’s philosophy is that ‘Everything is supposed to be hard. If it was easy, I’d have a thousand guys doing it.’ Ariza says his circuit training has a 98% drop out rate. Khan had never trained this way before. He used to train once a day. Now his approach is to ‘train hard, fight easy’.

Khan’s rise, fall and rise again is a testament to his resilience and to the need for hard work if you want to become a winner at anything.

Amir Khan

Do YOU Make Your Team's Problems Worse?

Do YOU Make Your Team's Problems Worse?

The Importance of Core Values

In this Leadership Insights video, Bryson Moore from The Soderquist Centre explains why having core values is so important for small businesses. He also presents a case study and three simple things you can do with values to take your business to the next level.

Leadership Insights - Values and Small Business from Matt Martin on Vimeo.

The Importance of Core Values

Educating for Ethics

The Analects covers most of Confucius' teachings and philosophy. He is at the start of a long literary tradition that assumes that good leadership and good followership can, at least to some extent be taught.

Book 1: 1.4 Circa 475-221 BCE

Confucius said, "Clever talk and affected manners are seldom signs of goodness."

Zeng-tzu said, "I examine myself three times a day. When dealing on behalf of others, have I been trustworthy? In intercourse with my friends, have I been faithful? Have I practised what I was taught?"

Educating for Ethics

A Fighter Pilot's Guide to Effective Communication

Communication in military combat is essential to successfully execute a plan. It ensures safety, keeps everyone focused on their responsibilities, and builds awareness in rapidly changing environments.

In the heat of battle, where effective communication is critical, fighter pilots:

• Brief the mission in order to establish objectives, delegate responsibilities, analyse threats, and review contingency plans.
• Establish a communication ("comm") game plan which confirms when and where to change frequencies.
• Ensure positive two-way communication is established during critical elements of a mission.
• Brief a back-up plan in case communication fails (known as "radio-out" procedures).
• Debrief every mission to review lessons learned and reinforce training.

As a business leader, do you have a "comm plan" with your employees and colleagues? Are you taking the time to brief your missions to ensure all your wingmen are on the same wave length and understand their roles, responsibilities, and objectives? Finally, are you aware of those who might be on the wrong frequency or off course? What's your plan to get them back on target?

Checking in with your wingmen, listening to their questions, and understanding their challenges are fundamental components of teamwork and leadership. They are the cornerstones in building an environment of mutual support and trust.

Here are several communication "wingtips" gleaned from the military that can apply to you as a business leader:

• Have a mass briefing at least once a month. Gather your troops and communicate the latest trends, organisational goals, sales updates, and product upgrades etc. Your wingmen need to hear important news — whether good or bad — from you first. This is also a great time to publicly recognize your top performers.
• Conduct feedback sessions on a regular basis. Sit down with your wingmen and let them know how they are doing. Are they meeting your expectations? Ask them about their goals and challenges and how you can help. Then solicit feedback on you as a leader. What would they like to see from you? Avoid letting your ego get in the way of their feedback.
• Walk the flight line. Get your hands dirty with your wingmen. Spend time with them on the job and observe how they do business. Ask questions. Show them your appreciation by connecting with them as people first and employees second.
• De-brief your missions. Remove your 'rank' and conduct a nameless, blameless, and rank-less de-brief after every critical mission. Find out if objectives were met, and analyse why they weren't. Search for trends and communicate these to the rest of your organization.

Your aim should be to listen as much as possible in order to build what we call situational awareness — a comprehensive understanding of the mission. The greater your situational awareness, the better your ability to handle contingencies and adapt to change. As the flight lead of your team, it's very important that you create an environment where others can come to you for help. This inspires a culture of trust which is mission critical in business.

For more, see: http://ht.ly/30BhL and read, Never Fly Solo: Lead with Courage, Build Trusting Partnerships, and Reach New Heights in Business

A Fighter Pilot's Guide to Effective Communication