Effective Leaders Don't Succeed by Themselves

Effective leaders understand that for their organization to be successful, they need the collective effort of a great team that is built by recruiting and empowering capable individuals.  Great leaders know that they are not a soloist; they are an orchestra conductor.  They coordinate and support others and allow them to do what they do best while providing the support that they need to be successful.  When the success happens, and it will, the best leaders will pass the credit on to the members of the team who made it happen.

I have referenced this before; far too often people who occupy positions of leadership are in it for all the wrong reasons.  Sadly, they do view it as a solo performance and the people around them are only there to provide background vocals.  In cases like this when there is success (which is often short lived), they are quick to take the spotlight and rarely, if ever, share the limelight with others.  This will inevitably lead to discouragement that will morph into dissatisfaction that will lead to mass attrition.  People will talk with their feet and leave.

The effective leader will not let that happen.  Every organization has turnover: people retire, they get promoted, they are presented with that irresistible opportunity, and a variety of other positive reasons.  In healthy organizations this is expected and encouraged; however, in a toxic environment with an egocentric leader, people leave because of the negative culture and not because of the positive reinforcement they have received.  The leader who passes the credit for success on to the people who made it happen will have a much easier time of retaining great people.

The best leaders shine the success light on others and not on themselves.  They pass the credit on which has the result of people feeling valued and appreciated.  It helps create a healthy work culture where people feel welcome and empowered.

 

Wise Leaders have Wise Counselors

 

I have made this point previously... mentoring matters.  Regardless of who you are, of how good you are, of what position you hold, of how successful you are, and of how many people you mentor yourself, YOU need a mentor.  If we subscribe to the concept that all leaders need to develop, regardless of what stage they are at in their career, then mentoring is a critical component of that development.  A couple of days ago I discussed leader self-development.  We discussed the need to read, listen, associate, and network.  Add mentoring that list.

There are countless examples highly successful people who have been mentored by others.  I previously shared that Rick Warren was mentored by Peter Drucker until Drucker's death in 2005.  Additionally, well known mentor/mentee relationships include Oprah Winfrey being mentored by Maya Angelou, Mark Zuckerberg being mentored by Steve Jobs, Bill Gates being mentored by Warren Buffett, Warren Buffett being mentored by Benjamin Graham, John Lewis being mentored by Martin Luther King, Jr., Henry Ford being mentored by Thomas Edison, Plato being mentored by Socrates, Aristotle being mentored by Plato, Alexander the Great being mentored by Aristotle, J.J. Abrams being mentored by Stephen Spielberg, and the list goes on.  Mentoring can also occur through the written word.  Nelson Mandela considered Mohandas Gandhi his mentor although the two never met.

Why is having a mentor (or mentors) so important?  I'm glad you asked!  I would offer that is all comes down to perspective... someone else's perspective of you, your situation, your actions, goals and dreams, and your leadership capacity and ability.  Do not confuse mentoring with extreme criticism.  Effective mentoring is a positive experience that benefits both parties!  An effective mentor will cause you to be reflective and to contemplate perspectives and viewpoints that you may not have otherwise considered.

For mentoring to be effective, there must be a match; that is, a mutual respect and an agreed upon covenant, whether it is formal or informal.  The mentee must implicitly agree to allow the mentor to speak truth into the relationship.  Without that mutual trust, it is doubtful that the relationship will ever rise above that of an advising session.  When people give me advise, I may take it of leave it: when my mentors offer their perspective, I take it to heart and thoroughly process what they have presented to me.  That is powerful and is needed by any leader that wants to take their game to the next level.

Effective mentoring is critical to the success of any leader.  Without it the leader is most likely not going to progress much past where they are currently; with it there is not limit to the heights that the leader can reach.  By doing so, they put themselves into a position to positively affect countless others, and that is what leadership is all about!

Effective Leaders Develop Other Leaders

Effective leaders understand the need to develop other leaders for the growth and health of the organization.  John C. Maxwell discusses this in his this Law of Explosive Growth: "When you recruit good, talented, capable followers to your team, you add to the team's ability.  That has great value.  But it doesn't compare to the impact of adding leaders to the team.  That's why I say to add growth, lead followers---to multiply, add leaders." (1)

The best leaders are talent scouts.  They are always looking out for that team member who has leadership potential.  Remember, effective leaders subscribe to the school of thought that leaders are made and not born.  They can be and are developed.  The astute leader is always looking to identify that next leader.

Another thing that frequently happens is that great leaders will see the potential in someone who will make an effective leader long before they see it in themselves.  This requires all the skills that we have previously discussed regarding building people up, establishing rapport and relationships, and investing in their personal and professional development.  Leadership is a learned skill and can and should be developed through a personal mentoring relationship.  

Leadership development doesn't just happen.  It needs to be a conscience deliberate act that is planned and becomes a part of the organizational culture.  The most effective organizations are led by leaders who develop other leaders as a regular part of doing business.  Without this critical component, organizations will decay and implode from a lack of leadership once the leader leaves.

Another thing to consider is that as new leaders are identified and developed, they can begin assume more and more responsibility.  This is what Maxwell means when he states "to multiply, add leaders".  For any organization to experience exponential growth, they must develop new leaders, and eventually develop leaders who develop leaders.  This is a discussion that we will have at a future date.  For now, understand that leadership development is critical and needs deliberate attention.

Effective leaders identify and invest in others to develop them into effective leaders.

(1) The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (25th Anniversary Edition) p.262

Leaders Seek to Improve Themselves

 

There is widespread agreement that effective leaders must invest in themselves and seek to develop and improve.  The best leaders understand that landing a position and/or status as a leader is not an end, but rather, just a beginning.  Effective leaders are constantly seeking to improve themselves.  While this may seem obvious on the surface, not everyone in a leadership position really realizes just how critical this is for their success and the success of their organization.  With that in mind, here are some fundamental best practices for leaders to develop themselves. (Yes, I have already covered bits and pieces of this in other postings, but here they are all together.)

1) READ

I have covered this in depth in my post of November 26, 2023. I recommend that you revisit that post for an in-depth discussion of the Reading Leader.  The bottom line is that effective leaders read to improve themselves.  It also seems that the more successful a leader is, the more she or he reads.  Reading provides new information, different perspectives, and greater insight that we might otherwise not discover.  Leaders read and they read differently!  Readers read daily!

2) LISTEN

In this age of mass multimedia options, this should not be all that challenging.  There is a plethora of audio options from podcasts to CDs to streaming programs to social media apps.  Whatever format works best for you, you will be wise to work it.  Listen on a regular basis (I recommend daily here as well).  As is true with reading, I also recommend that you listen to a variety of topics and speakers.  This broadens your mind and your perspective.  You will not agree with everything you hear... that's OK.  In fact, that is good.  The effective leader is able to understand and intelligently discuss both sides of any issue.  That's leadership.  That is how it is supposed to work.  In this polarized era of only listening (or viewing) to things that feeds our own belief system, we lose sight of a greater perspective.  Let's be honest here... none of us are ever 100% right all the time.  Listening to differing viewpoints makes the effective leader more informed and much more credible!

3) ASSOCIATE

Effective leaders associate with others who are on the same journey that they are on.  We have all heard it before: you are who you hang out with! (yes, I know... poor grammar).  There is power in associating with people who understand your situation and what you are experiencing.  I have discussed this before: Ben Franklin formed his own group for this very purpose.  I discussed this in detail in my November 25, 2023, post.  See it for details.  The bottom line here is that associating with like-minded people needs to be intentional and consistent.

4) NETWORK

There are some who would consider this part of associating, but I list is separate as I believe is needs special attention.  Effective Leaders need to network and have a network.  In his book The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell discusses three types of people: Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen.

The Connector has a very large network of people and can match someone whom they know who needs X with someone whom they know who does X.  They connect them.  Effective leaders need to be or need to know a Connector.

The Maven is a logical keeper of detailed knowledge.  They know stuff!  They are logical and analyze almost everything to discover whether it makes sense.  Effective leaders need to be or need to know a Maven.

The Salesman is that person who is incredibly persuasive.  They have that charisma and charm and can convince just about anybody of anything.  They are great promoters!  Effective leaders need to be or need to know a Salesman.

Not every leader will be all three.  The reality is that we all would be great if we were just one of these.  My point here is that the effective leader does not have to be all three.  In fact, the effective leader doesn't necessarily have to be even one of these, BUT they do need at least one of these types of people in their network.  Effective leaders will build a network that includes all three to increase their own growth and, as a result, the growth of their organization.

Effective leaders make a conscience concerted effort to create and implement a plan for self-improvement.  As I have pointed out before, leadership and leadership development is a process and not an event.  The effective leader understands this and makes self-improvement part of their daily routine!

Influence is Earned

John C. Maxwell states that "Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less." (1)  Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward offer that "Leadership in the influencing of others in a productive, vision-driven direction, and is done thorough the example, conviction, and character of the leader.". (2) Peter G. Northouse writes "Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal." (3).  There is near universal consensus that influence is essential to effective leadership.  If we accept this concept (which I do), then the question begs to be asked, how is this influence achieved?  Good question!  Let's unpack it!

I would offer that the following points are a good starting place for developing influence.  Most, if not all, of these concepts can be found in the wide body of literature that exists on leadership and leadership development.  I offer them here as a combined, condensed resource.

1) Earning influence requires trust which comes from character.

I have written at length on character as a factor of effective leadership.  If you missed it, go back and see my entries on character as I was discussing the Trilateral Leadership Ledger presented in Launching a Leadership Revolution by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward. 

People must trust you if you ever hope to have influence with them.  Remember, trust is that element that takes a very long time to establish and can be destroyed in seconds.

2) Earning influence comes from building strong, positive relationships.

Again, I have written extensively on this when discussing the LLR. 

Relationship building is a process that also takes time.  Relationships are built on trust, openness, and honesty.  The effective leader works hard at sincerely building strong, lasting relationships.

3) Earning influence requires a leader to have vision, purpose, and know where they are going.

People will not buy in to a leader who does not have a vision and direction for the organization.  In order to earn influence from the members of an organization, the leader must have and communicate a clear understanding of where it is they are trying to take the organization, AND, the leader MUST inspire people to want to follow them and be a part of the end result.

Influence cannot be demanded.  Influence cannot be bestowed.  Influence must be earned.  It is earned through trust, relationships, and having and communicating a clear vision and direction.

(1) The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (1998 Edition) by John C. Maxwell p.17

(2) Launching a Leadership Revolution by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward p.7

(3) Introduction to Leadership (5th Edition) by Peter G. Northouse p.6

Leaders Offer Sincere Praise

Most likely we have worked for and/or with people in leadership positions who do this and those who don't.  If you reflect back, you will realize that there is a striking difference.  The leader who offers sincere praise (it has to be sincere and not fake... most people can spot fake praise a mile away) creates a wonderful work environment and makes members of the team feel good about themselves and about the organization.  The person in the leadership position who does not. or will not, praise is at a striking disadvantage.  There is compelling research that suggests that people value recognition more than money.

Sincere praise does several things, and the effective leader is wise to have the habit of using it:

1) Sincere praise motivates.  People truly appreciate being told when they are doing something right.  Far too often people in positions of leadership will only point out the deficiencies and mistakes.  This is discouraging and disheartening and leads to a lack of productivity.  Tell people that you appreciate them and thank them for a job well done.  It creates a much better working environment for everyone!

2) Sincere praise creates a positive culture.  When you have been around as long as I have, you will have worked in very positive cultures and very toxic cultures.  No one likes to be in a position where they dread going to work.  It creates stress and, in many cases, serious physical and psychological health issues.  A well-placed word of praise and acknowledgment of a job well done creates a sense of self-worth and motivates people to want to continue to do well, if not better.

3) Sincere praise produces results.  Tell someone that they are doing a great job and chances are very high that they will will work harder and produce more.  It is important to understand that I am not advocating using praise to get people to work harder.  Praise should be given because it is the right thing to do; however, it does get results!

Be the leader who offers sincere praise to their team because it is the right thing to do and the results will be well worth it, the primary being that people will feel good about themselves and the job they are doing.  In this case, everyone wins!

The Key to Successful Leadership is Influence

There is widespread consensus that influence is a, if not the, key component to successful leadership.  If leaders do not have influence, they cannot lead and, as John C. Maxwell so accurately states, the leader with no followers is merely going for a walk.  I have discussed this previously in a number of different posts.  I do not intend to repeat that conversation here and beat the proverbial dead horse.

The questions should be asked, though, if leadership requires and is influence, how does one gain that influence?  That is the essential question that I will unpack here.

To gain influence, the leader must achieve a number of things.  

First, they must build relationships.  I have discussed this in depth in my earlier discussions on Brady and Woodward's Trilateral Leadership Ledger.  Relationships are essential to effective leadership and leaders cannot have influence without a positive relationship with the people with whom they work.  Building relationships takes time and effort and can be a difficult process.  It is; however, worth it in the end as positive relationship create a healthy work environment where people want to be and want to contribute.

Second, they must build trust.  Stephen M.R. Covey wrote a whole book on this (Speed of Trust) in which he discusses at length the factor of trust.  Trust covers so many facets when discussing effective leadership.  I have discussed this too in relationship to character when discussing the TLL. It weighs in heavily when discussing relationship building, and it is a key component of loyalty, which is vital to influence.

Finally (for this conversation only... there is so much more) to gain influence you need to be nice.  That may seem a bit Pollyanna and too touchy-feely for some people, but think about it.  Think about the people whom you allow to have influence over you.  Are they mean or mean spirited?  Are they angry all the time?  Are they hot headed and unpredictable?  Probably not.  I know the people whom I allow to have influence over me (allowing influence is a choice... that is separate discussion) are none of the above.  They are nice people.  They are relatable and deeply care about others and will put the needs and successes of others ahead of their own.  They make you want to be around them!

Authority does none of the above.  While it can be argued that position power and authority yield a great deal of influence, I would argue that it is not, in fact, influence but rather manipulation.  People are manipulated by fear of the negative consequences and fear of retaliation from the authority figure if they do not comply with the wishes and demands of the person in the position.  At best, this only garners short term results that do not create a positive lasting effect.  This in not influence!

Successful leadership comes from influence which comes from relationships, trust, and just being nice to people.  As the old proverb states, you can catch more bees with honey than you do with vinegar!

Effective Leaders are NOT Ego Driven

 

Effective leaders check their ego at the door.  We all have an ego, it is only natural.  The key here is that effective leaders are focused on the vision, the culture, the health of the organization and, most importantly, the people before their own self interests.  Their ego takes a back door.

I have quoted this before, but it is so apropos here...in his best selling book The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren opens with "It's not about you." (p 17), and it's not.  Too many people who have leadership positions are so ego driven that they cannot see the good of the organization past their own self-interests.  It is the antithesis of Warren's statement; it is all about them.  They see everything through a lens of self-serving cause and effect. 

Unfortunately, these individuals are so caught up in feeding their own ego that they are blinded to the successes that occur which they did not initiate or orchestrate.  Success, to them, is only measured by how an event or activity serves and promotes their individual agenda and advancement.  They can't, or won't, recognize and celebrate the successes initiated by someone else.  If they were not responsible for it, it is of no consequence to them.  Sad!!

The effective leader celebrates successes regardless of their source.  In fact, they are thrilled when success results from the ideas and efforts of someone else because it has a positive effect on the organization and it is a sign of growth and development of a colleague and team member.  They get sincere satisfaction from the successes of others.

Effective leaders make a conscience effort to NOT place their ego at the forefront of everything and to NOT view everything in relationship to their own ego.  The effective leader will inevitably have a bruised ego from time to time, but they are willing to sacrifice their ego for the advancement and celebration of others!

To be an effective leader, you need to check your ego at the door!

Leadership is an Action

 

I have repeatedly posited that just because one has a title or position, that does not make them a leader.  A title or position is a job; leadership is an action.  There are several memes that compare the difference between a boss (someone with a position) and a leader.  This one was recently posted by a colleague of mine for whom I have the utmost respect.  It does a great job of clarifying the distinction:

When I cross paths with someone who is a 'boss' and not a leader my emotions run from indignant frustration to sincere sympathy.  I become frustrated with their anti-leadership actions that are unproductive and destructive.  I then morph into sadness when I consider what could be if a capable leader were at the helm.  Finally, I reach a point of sympathy for the person as it becomes obvious that they either can't or won't recognize how their behavior and actions are destroying any chance that they have for success.  Further, the loss of potential for the team and the organization creates an almost morose attitude.  When sharp capable team members are constantly marginalized and put down, they either withdraw into an unhealthy mode of avoidance or they leave.  In either case, the organization suffers from the blatant lack of leadership.

There is not an arena today that does not need strong, enlightened, capable, caring leaders.  There is a huge need.  What is needed is for true leaders to step up and commit to changing a crippled broken organization.

Bosses destroy.  Leaders build.  Be a leader!

Leaders Know When to Apologize

 

 

Effective leaders know when to apologize.  I think the vast majority, if not all, of us would agree that none of us are perfect and we all make mistakes at one point or another.  And yet, we have all encountered that individual who either can't, or won't, bring themselves to admit that they were wrong and then say the simple words "I'm sorry".

This is a fatal flaw for a leader.  The leader who can't, or won't, apologize when they are wrong loses credibility, and loses it very quickly.  People don't trust them because they give off the aura that they are never wrong. That just does not provide the foundation for building a strong, positive relationship.  Effective leaders will apologize when they are wrong.  I will take that a step further and say, and many may disagree with this, that effective leaders will be in a position where they need to apologize even when they are not wrong.

Randy Pausch, of "The Last Lecture" fame, laid out a very simple and effective road map for leaders to follow in his three steps to an apology:

1) Admit that 'What I did was wrong'. 

This flies in the face of the narcissistic 'leader' who is only focused on themselves and sees the world through an 'I am always right' lens.

2) Sincerely share that 'I'm sorry that I hurt you".

This is an important step.  We have all dealt with people who even when they admit they were wrong, are not sorry about it.  Their attitude is 'suck it up cup cake!',

3) Ask 'How do I make it better?'  

Or in other words, 'What can I do to fix this?'.  Many times just the act of asking goes a long way.

The key to all of this is sincerity.  In most cases, an insincere apology is worse than no apology at all.  

Effective leaders understand these key principles: When you are wrong and when you make that inevitable mistake, admit it, regret it, and fix it!

Leaders Grow Others

 

We've all been there.  We work with and/or for that 'leader' who is only concerned with their own advancement and their own agenda.  They have little to no concern for the growth of others.  In most cases, they will give it lip service, but when it comes right down to it, they are in it for themselves.  At best this is discouraging; at worst it is infuriating.

Highly effective leaders are just the opposite.  They truly care about the growth, advancement, and success of others; and... their actions show it.  When needed, they will always put the needs of others before their own needs.  John. C. Maxwell calls this the Law of Sacrifice: The heart of good leadership is sacrifice. (1)  The effective leader will sacrifice their own agenda and self interest for the good of others.

And yet, too many people who ascend to positions of leadership see their subordinates as merely tools to use to them where it is they aspire to be.  They will sacrifice others to get where they want to be and will not hesitate to throw others under the bus to save themselves and advance their own agenda!  They have no regard for the consequences of their actions nor the negative impact that it may have on others.  They are self absorbed and do not, even if they verbalize otherwise. care about the people with whom they work.

True leaders are others focused! Their whole agenda is to see how they can best support others and help them advance and be successful.  The idea of holding them back or treating them unfairly or poorly is foreign to them to the point that they will do everything in their power to advocate for their team members.  They will sacrifice themselves and their agenda for the sake and well being of others.

Zig Zigler said it best when he stated:

 

Effective leaders understand this and invest in others to help them get what they want!

(1) Maxwell, John C., The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You, 25th Anniversary Edition. p. 237

Becoming a Leader: Becoming Yourself

 

The more I read and analyze this statement, the more the deeper meaning starts to reveal itself to me.  I can't tell you how many times I have advised people over the years who have asked what they should do going into an interview for a leadership position or have just landed their first leadership position.  "Just be yourself."  At the time that seemed to be sound advice.  My rationale was that they did not want to present themselves to be someone whom they were not, nor put on a phony display.  They wanted to find an environment that would be healthy and one where they could develop, be productive, and be happy and satisfied.  They needed to find a good match.  This is critical!

I still think this is sound advise, but I am beginning to believe that I gave the wrong advice for the right reasons.

Read this quote again. 

Now read it again.

It does NOT say "Becoming a leader is synonymous with being yourself."  It says "Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself."  Hmmm... big difference in meaning there!  Being is present tense; Becoming is future tense.  Being yourself equals 'this is who I am'; whereas, Becoming yourself equals "this is who I will become'.  If you unpack this quote and dissect it, you begin to see the deeper meaning.  At least I did!

Both becoming a leader and becoming your self is a process.  The simple part is that leadership development is tied to self development.  The more you develop yourself, the more you become who you want and need to be.  The difficult part is that self development, or becoming, is indeed a process that takes focused effort over time, and that is hard!

I am a big one for going to the source if you want the most accurate and useful information.  In his classic leadership book On Becoming a Leader, Warren Bennis goes into detail on how to 'become yourself'.  In the chapter Knowing Yourself (pp. 49-66), he unpacks the steps in what he calls the four lessons of self-knowledge.

1) You are your own best teacher

As we have discussed before, leaders are learner and leaders are readers.  Bennis takes it a step further (backed by academic research) to say that leaders' learning has to become an intrinsic quality and once that happens, leaders will direct their own education and development.

2) Accept responsibility.  Blame no one.

Effective leaders accept the responsibility for their own development.  It is up to them and if it does not happen it is not anyone else's fault.

3) You can learn anything you want to learn.

In my humble opinion, one of the sharpest and brightest CEO's in America today is best selling author Chris Brady.  Brady was (is) a successful entrepreneur and business man and a best selling author.  Literally, almost overnight through a series of events, he became the CEO of a fledgling company that he helped found.  He had no aspirations to be CEO and, by his own admission, was ill prepared for such a Herculean task.  So what did he do?  He chose to learn.  He read everything he could get his hands on about successful CEOs and the tasks required of them.  He put himself on an aggressive personal develop plan and became Chris Brady the successful CEO, and not just Chris Brady the entrepreneur and best selling author.  He made a choice and it paid off.  Today, the company is a multi-million dollar debt free company well on its way to being a multi-billion dollar company.  He wanted to learn!

4) True understanding comes from reflecting on your experience.

Self reflection is a critical habit of effective leaders.  We will all mistakes, but the key is what we do with those mistakes.  Effective leaders will self reflect and ask themselves what the lesson was that needed to be learned.  This is a powerful tool that far too many leaders neglect!

So, my new advise to those just starting their leadership journey will change slightly, but with a huge difference in meaning.  Instead of 'Just be yourself', my advise will be 'Make sure this is a place where you can become yourself'!  It's that simple, and that difficult!