Leaders are Made: Not Born

The term 'born leader' is perhaps, in my opinion, one of the most dangerous terms in the English language.  While I will admit that there are some people who seem to be wired for leadership, most leaders have had to develop their skills and abilities over time.  Leadership can be and IS learned.  I would argue that even 'born' leaders still need to learn and refine their leadership skills.  

Too many people buy into the myth that leaders are 'just born'.  Even worse, they get caught in the trap of not only believing that leaders must be born, they dismiss themselves as ever being a leader since they think that they are not a born leader.  Both are ideas wrong.  Anyone can become an effective leader if they have the willingness to learn and the patience to let the process develop them.

Leadership is leaned over time, it doesn't just happen!  It is delevoped by reading great leadership books and autobiographies and biographies of effective and great leaders, by watching and observing effective leaders in a variety of situations, by having and learning from mentors, and through personal experience.  The seasoned effective leader will combine all of these over time to improve and refine their leadership skills.

The single biggest factor needed to become a better leader is the desire to become a better leader.  That true desire will then trigger the willingness to DO, not just TALK.  What I mean is that far too many people will profess the desire to become a better leader but then will not be willing to take the steps necessary to get better.  The best leaders know that they still have much to learn and they have the humility to not only admit it, but to also act on it!

All leaders are made and refined over time, they are not 'just born'!

Leaders are Servants

Pope Francis offers an interesting perspective on power.  Far too many people in positions of leadership get caught up in the perceived power of their position and want to exercise authority and control over others.  The Pope counters that with the idea that real power comes from serving others.  Only in true service can one assert their influence and acquire true power.

Servant Leadership has been gaining traction for the past several years.  The philosophy behind this idea is that true leaders are really servants to the people whom they lead.  As I have previously discussed, they put the needs of others before their own and sacrifice their personal wants and desires for the good of others and for the good of the team.  Servant leaders serve, it's that simple.

While on the surface this may seem intuitive, it is not that simple.  Many people profess to aspire to be servant leaders (it's what is currently in vogue) while at the same time take actions that are counter to the good of others.  They talk the talk but do not walk the walk.  If a leader sincerely wants the power to affect change and make a difference, they MUST truly seek to serve and meet the needs of others.  Only then will they gather the support needed to move forward with the vision and goals that they have established and communicated.

Truly effective leaders serve others!

Leading as the Non-Expert

In this complex ever changing world, it is virtually impossible to be an expert on everything.  Leaders often find themselves in charge of areas outside their area of training and expertise.  Further, with the rapid Information Explosion, leading has become even more complex.

According to the New World Encyclopedia (online) "Information explosion is a term used to describe the rapidly increasing amount of published information and the effects of this abundance of data. As the amount of available data grows, managing the information becomes more difficult, which can lead to information overload. Information overload refers to the state of having too much information to make a decision..."  According to Amitabh Ray "...volume of knowledge is doubling every 12 hours, the doubling rate used to be 25 years in 1945."

Now more than ever it is critical for leaders to assemble teams whose members have a wide range of backgrounds and expertise.  The leader can't know everything; however, the leader can orchestrate, coordinate, and steer the organization.  The astute leader will rely on the expertise of individual team members to provide needed information to make an informed decision.

Far too often people in leadership positions feel that they have to be the fount of information and know everything.  When they realize that they don't (frankly can't), they get frustrated and intimidated.  They overcompensate by either dismissing those who know more about a subject than they do or they try to fake it and act as if they know it all.  Both can be fatal to both the leader and the team.  The effective leader will be very comfortable with what they don't know and will rely on those who do.  I have previously referenced the late automobile magnet Henry Ford who, when being asked a series of questions dealing with specific facts, stated "I don't know the answers to those questions, but I could find a man in five minutes who does."  Ford got it!  Leaders don't have to know everything, BUT, they sure had better have the resources to find out!  

The effective leader can't be an expert in everything, but, they can use their resources to get the appropriate information to make informed and smart decisions.

Information Explosion. New World Encyclopedia. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Information_explosion

Ray, Amitabh. (2020). Human knowledge is doubling every 12 hours. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/human-knowledge-doubling-every-12-hours-amitabh-ray/

Maximizing Talent

Effective leaders are team builders.  They have the ability to identify and recruit talent and then maximize that talent to move the organization ahead.  In his landmark study Good to Great, that looked at what made good companies great, Jim Collins has famously observed that the most successful leaders got the right people on the bus and then got them in the right seats.  The leader started with assembling the 'right' team, placed each team member in a position that maximized their talent, and then headed in the direction of success.

Unfortunately, many people in leadership positions either don't take the time or don't have the talent to identify the best people.  This can happen for a variety of reasons: cronyism, expediency, reactive and desperate hiring, a lack of insight and/or training, and a variety of other reasons.  The bottom line is that for an organization to move forward, to make the jump to great, it MUST have a leader that has the skill and the courage to surround themselves with the people that will enhance each other's efforts.  In the end, it is all about how the team functions as a single unit.  

When he was assembling the 1980 US Olympic Hockey team, Coach Herb Brooks famously stated that he was not looking for the best players, he was looking for the right players.  The rest is history: the team upset the Soviet National team in the semi-finals and went on to win the Gold Medal with a collection of (at the time) no name college hockey players.  Brooks understood that he needed to assemble a team, not just a collection of super stars.  Contrast this with the 2004 US Olympic Basketball team that was a who's who of NBA stars at he time and finished a very disappointing third place (Bronze Medal).  The group never gelled as a team and played throughout the Olympics as a group of individuals.

The effective leader is a team builder, talent scout, and orchestra conductor who can assemble talent, accentuate each individual's talent, and move the organization from good to great!

Building a Strong Team

One of the most difficult, yet most rewarding, jobs of a leader is to build a strong effective team.  The person in a leadership position cannot hope to do everything themselves and MUST rely on others to help get the job done.  This really is non-negotiable.

Far too often people will let their own insecurities get in the way and they will only surround themselves with people whom they feel are somehow inferior to themselves.  This is just to opposite of what should be done.  The astute leader is very aware of their own weaknesses and seek to surround themselves with people who have strengths in their own areas of weakness.  One must remember that the leader's responsibility is to build a team to get the job done, NOT to do everything themselves at an expert level.  In short, the leader needs to be an excellent talent scout and surround themselves with people who can fill the gaps.

Another mistake some leaders make is to hire exceptionally talented people and then micromanage them.  It makes no sense to surround yourself with people who have expertise in a needed area and then not let them do what you brought them on board to do.  Micromanagement is the surest way to kill an organization by deflating the members of the team.  The best and the brightest will end up leaving and those who remain will basically shut down and go into survival mode!  The effective leader will surround themselves with excellent people and then let them do their jobs.  They will stay informed and remain abreast of everything, but, they will not micromanage.

Effective leaders are grateful for the strengths of others and welcome their expertise on the team!

Thinking

There are so many great quotes on the importance and value of thinking that it is hard to choose just one.  This will likely turn into a series of posts.  I start out with this quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to honor the man and this holiday.

Thinking, real thinking, is hard work (see tomorrow's post).  It engages the brain that functions much like a muscle (this is NOT a scientific assessment!).  When you use it, it strengthens; when you don't, it weakens.  Thinking is a complex exercise.  How many times have you heard someone say (or have you thought yourself) "well, I just don't want to think about it."?  Why?  Because it is not easy.  It takes effort, strength, and dedication to really think something through.

Effective leaders really do need to think.  The higher one goes in leadership, the more complex the problems.  The effective leader must think things through, consider all information, weigh the consequences of each possible decision, and then decide.  Once the decision is made, the thinking is not done.  Then comes the assessment, the evaluation, and the thinking through needed adjustments and revisions.  Thinking needs to be constant.  Further, thinking is a process, not an event!

Dr. King nailed it in his assessment.  Thinking is hard and increasingly rare.  In an age where people are expecting quick, easy answers, leaders must take the time to think, and think hard.

Responsibility

The leader is ultimately responsible for the culture of the organization and, as a result, the failure or success of the organization.  Low morale inevitably leads to a dysfunctional culture that far too often turns toxic.  A leader must be aware of the signs and address issues of low morale immediately before they get out of hand.

So how can you know when things are going south on you?  Every situation and every organization is different, but, here are a few things that are worth considering.

1. Surround your with people who really know what is going on in the organization AND will tell you the truth, even when you may not want to hear it.

2. Have an open door that really is an open door.  Too many leaders profess to have an open door but then barricade themselves and are impossible to access.

3. Make sure people feel heard.  This does not mean that you will always do what everyone wants you to do (yes, that is literally impossible), but, it does mean that you will listen to and seriously consider all input.

4. Communicate, communicate, communicate.  Keep people abreast of what is going on.  Use formal and informal communication networks (see #2 above about being accessible) to keep people informed.  Let them know what is going on, what you have control over and what you don't have control over, and what your thinking is for why you decided what you decided.

5. When you are made aware of an issue, address it head on.  Get all the facts and don't make a knee jerk reaction, but, be concise and be prompt.  Keep people informed!

Being a leader is an incredible honor that comes with tremendous responsibility.  Serve your people well by creating a culture that is positive and one where people want to be!

Courage: Doing the right thing for the right reasons

I have previously discussed courage as an important leadership trait when it comes to character.  I think it is important enough to dive into it even deeper.

In my previous post, I concluded with "In essence, courage is doing what needs to be done, doing the right thing, even when it is uncomfortable and/or unpopular.  Effective leaders learn to develop this skill and practice it when necessary!"  

 Having courage takes courage!  Huh?  How does that work.

As General Dunwoody stated in her book A Higher Standard, having courage means having the guts (courage) to do what is right for all the right reasons.  Far too many people in leadership positions will either 'wimp out' and do what is expedient and/or popular even when they know it is not the right thing to do or they will end up doing the right thing but for the wrong reasons, often to promote some self serving agenda that they may have.  

Courage for a leader is essential.  People are watching.  When they see you consistently 'do the right thing for the right reasons', they will follow you, they will buy into your vision and direction, and they will buy in to you!  Everybody wins.  

However, when they see you compromise the doing right thing or just ignore doing the right thing, they develop mistrust, dissension, and animosity.  The culture becomes toxic.  The best people will leave and the rest will constantly 'duck and cover' so as not to be noticed and make waves.  The organization becomes highly reactive with very little, if any, proactive planning and implementation.  Productivity grinds to a halt and usually ends up going backwards.  Everybody loses!

Having courage is not a luxury, it is a necessity.  Great leaders have, as the General so accurately stated, "...the guts to do the right thing for the right reasons."

Implementing Visionary Leadership

 

On Monday January 10, 2022 the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League relieved their head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman of their duties.  Shortly afterwards, co-owner Mark Wilf held a press conference to discuss the decision with the press.  As I watched the press conference (full disclosure: I am a long time and long-suffering Minnesota Vikings fan) I was struck by the multiple leadership lessons being displayed by Mr. Wilf.  I will unpack them for you here.  My intent is not to participate in a debate regarding the wisdom of the decision nor is it to have a ‘football’ conversation.  My intent is to analyze the leadership lessons that can be gleaned from Mr. Wilf’s 20-minute press conference.

 

Here are some points that I observed in watching (and re-watching) the press conference.

 

1.     Opening statement was clear, concise, and short!

 

Mr. Wilf’s opening statement took a little over one minute.  In that time, he clearly laid out the following:

 

-       Communicated to internal stakeholders “… important that we all met with our players, our leadership council, our coaching staff, our football operations, and our entire front office…”  Anytime a decision of this magnitude is made, people will have questions.  The best way to effectively address these questions is immediately and head on.  Information is best heard first hand!  Effective leaders need to master critical communication AND the timing of critical communication.  According to Mr. Wilf’s statement, the Vikings ownership did just that.

-       Clearly laid out the priorities for the future.  Mr. Wilf stated the goal: “Our goal is to consistently contend and to win championships.”  As Stephen Covey has advocated, “Start with the end in mind”.  Mr. Wilf made this very clear.

-       Have a plan.  Mr. Wilf shared that they had a plan (but did not offer many details… this could be good or bad) and acknowledged the need to utilize all the resources at their disposal.

-       Clearly stated what they wanted: “We’re looking for strong leaders, communicators, collaborators…”

-       Clearly acknowledged their clients (in this case, the Minnesota Vikings fans) “… we have tremendous appreciation for our fans and we want to bring them the championships they expect and deserve.”  

 

 

2.     Responses to questions were consistent and concise.

 

-       Mr. Wilf repeatedly edified the existing personnel of the organization.  This was made clear in his statements that he believed that the Vikings should be competitive in the 2022 season.  He went on to answer questions inevitably circling back to his main message: The goal is to win championships and they are looking for strong leaders, strong communicators, and strong collaborators.  He repeatedly verbalized his confidence in the people in the organization in a clear and concise manner.

 

-       Several times Mr. Wilf was asked detailed questions that went beyond the hiring of a new General Manager and Head Coach.  Each time he brought it back to the GM and HC.  At one point he stated “…we know what we don’t know… we’re going to make sure we hire the right people… first things first is that we’ve got to get the new leadership in place…”.  Mr. Wilf set the agenda and consistently brought the conversation back to the immediate goal: hiring a new GM and HC.  He controlled the conversation.  He was not dismissive, always responding to the question, but then always brought it back to his agenda.

 

-       More than once he was asked about the lack of success in the past.  Mr. Wilf expressed disappointment but then immediately brought the conversation back in a positive direction praising the current team roster and employee base.  The internal stakeholders were listening and heard loud and clear that the ownership respects and has confidence in them.

 

So, leadership lessons from Mark Wilf’s press conference:

 

1)    Have an agenda and communicate it in a clear and concise manner

2)    Edify and build up your existing team.

3)    Don’t be dismissive; however, bring the conversation back to the current purpose.

4)    Don’t throw people under the bus!

5)    Keep being positive.

 

From a leadership perspective, Mark Wilf did an outstanding job conducting this press conference.  He displayed excellent leadership skills that should be emulated!

The Power of Vision

 

If a leader does not have a compelling vision that they can clearly articulate to their team, they are dead in the water.  Vision is what gives people hope.  It is what motivates them.  It keeps them engaged and committed and moving forward.  A leader without a vision can't lead because there is no place to lead.  The vision sets the destination.  For people to follow a leader, they want to know where they are going!

Far too often people land in leadership roles and they have no vision other than their own self-advancement.  Their entire agenda is to take the next step on the upward career ladder.  In many cases, it is drudgery for them and they just endure it.  True leaders have a vision for others that excites them and drives them forward.  It compels them to go on.  It energizes them.  It motivates them.  It sustains them.  AND, it is contagious.  People can't help but get excited and get pulled into the cause.

Unfortunately, 'visionary leadership' has become a bit of a cliché and rolls off tongues without much forethought or reflection, just like any other corporate speak phrase.  For a vision to be compelling, it has to be authentic and sincere.  People will know the difference.  You can't fake it over the long haul.  You will eventually be found out and the damage will have already been done  The vision matters!

True effective leadership requires a vision that is authentic, compelling and contagious.

Character vs. Reputation

Far too often people are more concerned with what other people think of them than they are with doing what is right.  While it is important for leaders to listen and to consider what others have to say and think, it is equally important to do the right thing even if it is not the popular thing to do!

I remember many years ago I was teaching a graduate course in educational leadership and I had a former colleague come in as a guest speaker.  She had been an assistant superintendent of Human Resources and was truly a rock star!  One of the students asked her a very insightful question; How did she make the difficult unpopular decisions?  Her answer was telling and profound.  She shared that she always tried to do what she believed was right even if it went against the trends or popular opinions.  She said that way when she looked in the mirror at night, she could know that she did what she thought was right and she could sleep at night!  If more leaders would adopt this practice, there would be a much smaller void of effective leadership!

Far too often leaders get caught up in their reputation.  While I agree that how others view you is important, it should not be the driving force in decision making and leadership.  Do what it right!  If people question the decision and/or the motives for the decision, remember what Orrin Woodward frequently states, "People of integrity expect to be believed and when they are not, they let time prove them right."

At the end of the day, character matters!  It is not a luxury that can be pulled out of the box when convenient.  Living and leading with character is a choice and needs to become an embedded lifestyle if a leader hopes to be effective and make an impact.  A lack of character will destroy a leader quicker than anything else.

Effective leaders lead with character.  Period!

Effective Leadership Summary

So, let's recap.  The Trilateral Leadership Ledger is a tool that can be used to measure leadership effectiveness.  The formula posited by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward is:

Character x Tasks x Relationships = Leadership Effectiveness

There are a number of items that define each factor.  Over the past few weeks, I have unpacked each of these items and discussed their importance to effective leadership.

In summary: 

Effective leaders are people of high moral and ethical character.  Character matters immensely!  If people don't trust the leader, leadership does not occur.  Effective leaders will always strive to do the right thing for and by their teams.  Effective leaders can be trusted, without exception.  

Effective leaders are people who are task oriented.  They are not afraid of hard work and they employ a strong work ethic.  Just as important, effective leaders are able to positively motivate others to get the job done.  The effective leader inspires their team members to stretch beyond what they thought was possible and to realize their potential.

Effective leaders build strong and lasting relationships.  They understand the necessity of building strong rapport.  They genuinely care about people and, as such, put people first before their own self interests.  People have to truly know that the leader has their back.  The effective leader will always think people first!

At this point, the Trilateral Leadership Ledger is a self assessment.  Self assessments are tricky.  People tend to either rate themselves far too high or far too low, but, usually the former.  By doing so, one can get an inflated sense of their effectiveness  It is critical that the leader taking this be brutally honest with themselves!

There are a number of assessment that rely on asking others to rate you, but these have their own issues.  In most cases, the person being rated chooses who will fill out the assessments, typically choosing people who they think will rate them high.  This can lead to a distorted picture of reality.  Another drawback of having others assess you is that there can be the fear of the person doing the assessment being identified.  Even when the assessments are supposedly anonymous, people can believe that there are truly ways that they can be identified (and frequently there are!).  Fear of retribution for a less than stellar assessment can skew the responses.  Please understand that I am not advocating NOT using such methods, I am just suggesting that one goes into it with their eyes wide open!

Being effective is the goal of any sincere leader.  Using the Trilateral Leadership Ledger is an excellent start toward effective leadership.  I also highly recommend reading the source material: Launching a Leadership Revolution by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward.

Chris Brady & Orrin Woodward: "Launching a Leadership Revolution."  Business Plus. New York. p.93-110