Leaders that Rock!
Yesterday I was jogging around a man-made lake in the area where I live. It was one of those hot and very humid days that Dallas is known for and my biorhythms were not great. I was pushing myself to keep going. Several times I considered giving up and going home. As I ran past a couple who were walking their beautiful white Labrador, I greeted them and the woman shouted, ‘You go, girl!’
Well firstly it was a long time since I had been called a girl – but I guess this was just a form of expression. But something so interesting happened to me. I had this incredible burst of speed and energy and I virtually flew around the lake. On my second trip around, I saw them coming up towards me and I tried even harder and ran even faster. The lady shouted, ‘You rock girl,’ and I sure did! I found myself running head high, with an upright, strong posture and a huge grin. I felt pretty proud of myself.
 This got me thinking about what a great leadership lesson this is. Imagine if everyone in a leadership position remembered to tell others:
- That they rock!
- You couldn’t be successful without them.
- What a great job they are doing.
- They are a valued member of your team.
- You enjoy their creative insights/ attention to detail…(choose a strength)
- You would enjoy receiving any feedback they have.
- You are grateful for their commitment to the goals.
If you don’t feel it, don’t say it.
There is one caveat, however. It must come from a place of genuine gratitude inside you. It must be totally authentic. We are all such intuitive beings; we can smell inauthenticity a mile away.
I would have a concern, though, if you are a leader and you have people in your team towards whom you did not feel genuine appreciation and gratitude. There’s something wrong with that picture. Either you have hired the wrong people or you are taking them for granted. Either way this is not a formula for success.
My recommendation:
Think about each person working for you and allow yourself to get in touch with their strengths and your sense of gratitude for the part they are playing in making good things happen.
If you cannot get in touch with these feelings, then consider what this could mean about you or about them. And then do something about it.
In closing I would like to say that, ‘You Rock!’
Parallels Between USA and South Africa
The USA and South Africa are oceans apart in geography, culture and history. And yet, as someone who was born in South Africa and lived there for more than half my life, and who is now a US citizen, I see several fascinating parallels. Today South Africa is struggling to overcome a terrible history of racialism and oppression that still lingers and holds progress back. The USA has its own unenviable history in this regard, and is also still struggling to rise above this and move forward as one nation. South Africa is currently going through huge political, cultural and economic changes. So is the USA. Unemployment is a serious problem for South Africa as it is for Americans. The people of South Africa are angry; they want to be heard; they want real and relevant change. This also describes the people of the USA. The large majority of government, political and business leaders in South Africa are faced with the challenge of having to transform their leadership style to one that is more inclusive, collaborative, transparent and authentic. The leaders in the USA are faced with the same challenge.
 Nelson Mandela Leadership Style
My recommendation is to look at the leadership style of Nelson Mandela for answers to these troubling challenges. After 27 years of incarceration on Robben Island, hard labor and mistreatment at the hands of his white prison guards, Mandela became the first black President of South Africa and abandoned apartheid.
The courage, vision and fortitude of this man are legend. But today I would like to look at four of Nelson Mandela’s leadership skills and provide a compelling argument for why the world needs these leadership skills today.
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1. Lead From the Back
As a boy, Mandela was greatly influenced by Jongintaba, the tribal king who raised him. When Jongintaba had meetings of his court, the men gathered in a circle, and only after all had spoken did the king begin to speak. The chief’s job, Mandela said, was not to tell people what to do but to form a consensus. “Don’t enter the debate too early,” he used to say.
I think that more than ever before, people now want to be recognized for the value they bring to the table. They want to be heard. And they want their leaders to listen! This means that if leaders are going to move in sync with where the people are, they will need to remember Mandela’s words when reminiscing about his boyhood and herding cattle. “You know,” he would say, “you can only lead them from behind.”
2. Lead with the Knowledge that ‘Nothing is Black or White.’ (no pun intended)
Mandela acted on the belief that life is never either-or; right or wrong; black or white. He understood that decisions are complex; that there are always competing and complicating factors; that nothing is ever as straightforward as it appears; that the leader does not have all the answers or the best answer.
Think about how dramatically our worlds have changed today. What we took for granted as being our reality is no longer the same. Everyone is loudly expressing their different needs, feelings and perceptions. More than ever leaders need to think like Mandela – they need to be comfortable with contradiction; they must be able to listen and they must invite authentic dialogue and debate. When they do these leaders will not fall into either-or thinking and will make profoundly and fundamentally better decisions.
3. Quitting is Leading Too
Knowing how to abandon something that is not working, a failed idea, goal or relationship is often the most difficult kind of decision a leader has to make. This takes enormous courage. In the history of Africa, there have been only a handful of democratically elected leaders who willingly stood down from office and did not hold the country hostage. Mandela was determined to set a precedent for all who followed him by choosing to set the course but not steering the ship forever. He understood that leaders lead as much by what they choose not to do as by what they choose to do.
We are seeing leaders in business and government in the USA today, who are holding on tightly to outmoded goals,policies, approaches and opinions. It is time for such leaders to catch up with how the world has changed, listen to the people, and change their perspectives accordingly – or else make way for those who can.
4. Be Humble about your strengths and honest about your flaws.
Mandela had a deep understanding of himself. He knew that although he was a great leader, he was also a man of flesh and blood; of weaknesses and flaws. He was willing to own up to his flaws and worked hard at triumphing over them. He also understood his weaknesses and found ways to make sure that he compensated for them.
We don’t see a whole lot of this kind of honesty and humility in too many leaders today. What we do see a lot of is leaders who choose not to look in the mirror and as a result are in denial about the fact that their weaknesses are getting in the way of real change and progress.
Would you agree that the world would be a better place today if the bulk of those who call themselves leaders applied Mandela’s leadership gifts? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Leaders – Do you Have the Courage to Stop this Trend?
What is happening to us? Are we becoming addicted to bickering, point-scoring, sniping, and one-upmanship? Is it only me or do you also notice this? You cannot switch on the radio, or turn on the TV, without hearing people running others down and denigrating their opinion. Do you, like me, also get the sense that mainstream media, blogs and many prominent business and government leaders are in heavy defense mode? Or is it just me? I would really love to hear your perspective on this.
Constructive Disagreement
It seems to me that in order for us to actualize the greatness that exists in this nation, businesses, government and citizens need to know how to constructively apply diversity of opinion. Constructive disagreement is good. This is dialogue and dialogue leads to smarter solutions, creative answers, and incredible breakthroughs. Dialogue and progress go hand in hand. There is no dialogue in destructive disagreement, based on point scoring and accompanied by disparaging and pulling others viewpoints to pieces. There can be no progress in this. In fact, we are watching how this is polarizing the country and polarizing corporate leaders and their employees.
 Of course everyone is entitled to their opinions but this need to be expressed with mutual trust and respect and supported by facts. Then we can have constructive dialogue.
The questions I keep asking myself as I watch this unpleasant game playing and this denigration of alternative points of view, are, ‘Why? Why is this happening now? Why does this seem to be escalating? Why do people, particularly leaders, feel the need to resort to this inferior, low-grade form of communication and interaction? Why can’t they see how destructive this is? Am I doing this too?’ After all those in the media and at the helm of government and business are highly intelligent, with vast experience of all kinds and many have talented colleagues and advisers. So how come they cannot say to themselves, as Nelson Mandela did, ‘This is not helping the country. This is not helping the organization. This is not helping me!?’
Here’s what I think is happening. People, who feel the need to behave and communicate in this destructive way, are people whose egos are out of control. These are stressful times. Many of us are anxious and afraid about what the future holds. And when we act out of fear, we act with ego. Think about it! The ego’s modus operandi is to feel threatened and then protect itself by being defensive, arrogant and self-righteous. This does not allow for open-minded listening. Only unmanaged ego behaves in this territorial, ridiculous, closed-minded way. Only ego feels threatened by another point of view. Only ego feels the need to respond in a way that sends the message … ‘I have the blueprint on everything that is right and real and the way it needs to be. Your point of view has no worth or merit. When we are driven by fear and ego, we become incapable of constructive dialogue. So the answer is for us to manage our egos.
So what can we do when ego runs rampant?
- We can have the courage to look at ourselves and see if our ego is managing our life.
- We can learn how to recognize and manage our own ego and discover how to use it constructively.
- We can update our relationship skills replacing ego with genuine connection.
- And we can enhance our communication skills so that we no longer speak with ego.
Keep in mind that this is my point of view, offered with humility. And as I said earlier, I would love to hear your take on this.
A Tale of Two Leaders
I will spare you (and myself) a description of the unprecedented economic events of the past sixteen months. We all know what has happened  and the impact this is having on every one of us. So with that as the background, let me tell you a tale of two leaders. The first is George (you might have met him in my book, Who’s in the Driver’s Seat. )
George is a highly intelligent and talented guy. Like most leaders attempting to build a sustainable organization and keep their jobs in this challenging economy, George is pretty stressed. But George is not managing his stress very well. Unmanaged stress is a terrible thing. It’s like leaking water – it creeps into every corner, leaving damage everywhere that it goes.
George’s way of dealing with stress is to become more authoritarian than ever before (quite unconsciously, of course). It’s as if this flight to authority gives him a sense of control over the unpredictability of his life. Perhaps it helps him manage his fear and anxiety. So he uses his status and authority to try and drive performance. You would think authority and status would give him the clout and power to influence people to meet his expectations. Not so! His team members are underperforming and his department is delivering really poor results. And the poorer the results are, the more he flees to being the boss and uses authority as a stick; and the more he does this, the poorer the performance becomes.
Tuned out and switched off
 It seems that George’s team members have decided that the best way to deal with their boss is to tune out, withdraw and disengage. This way the boss feels ‘okay’ because nobody is challenging his authority; and the team members feel ‘okay’ because by switching off they can keep their emotions in neutral. The problem is that tuned-out people, driving in neutral, can only deliver disinterested and neutral performance. It is amazing that for such a highly intelligent person, George is unable to see the relationship between his authoritarian reaction to stress and the poor results his department is delivering.
And then there is George’s colleague Dave (the other character in my book). He is also stressed, being faced with the same business challenges as George is, but he manages his stress differently. The way he manages his stress is to become hyper-communicative, hyper-participative and hyper engaged. It seems to be working because his department is producing the best results in the company.
Alive and well.
If you ask Dave how he is able to do this, he says it is because the people reporting to him are (and I quote…) ‘alive and well.’ Of course, everyone asks him what he means by this and his explanation is that they are involved, participative, excited, inspired, outspoken and courageous. If you ask him how it came about that he has so many ‘alive and well’ people around him, he shrugs his shoulders. Dave is too modest to say that his people are ‘alive and well’ because he doesn’t play ‘boss.’ When he is stressed and under pressure to deliver results, he exerts leadership influence by sharing his concerns, inviting heated debate, providing the climate for dialogue, brainstorming innovative solutions, using 1+1=3 thinking and telling his team that he does not know the answers and cannot move forward without them.
So what is the moral of this tale of two leaders?
Leadership is best reserved for those who don’t need to validate who they are.
Or maybe the moral of the story is that great leaders know how to exert influence without using authority and status.
What do you think?
LEADERS – DO YOUR EMPLOYEES HAVE SHINING EYES?
 Last Monday I had an experience that I think you will find very interesting. The wonderful people out there who read my blogs know that my leadership development concept is called Spirited Economics™ which simply means that when leaders know how to ignite the spirit of the employees and then focus the remarkable energy that is released on the business goals, the financial results are spectacular. I guess a shorter way to say this is that employee spirit is a quantifiable financial asset. Well, last Monday I was invited to train leaders and managers at an organization that is already doing this with remarkable success. The company’s name is Zappos. This is the fastest growing online retail store in the USA. and this is all due to a level of spirit in the company that has to be seen to be believed!
When I arrived, before I started the leadership training, a wonderful tour guide took me on a tour through this most unusual organization. And what I saw were the happiest, most inspired, excited and energized employees that I have ever seen in any company before. Zappos has a 3-word vision statement, ‘To Deliver Happiness’ which has clearly been embedded in the way they do business. The employee happiness jumps right out at you as you walk through the organization. And customers feel it too because they love this company with a passion that is measurable by the 65% customer return rate, the evangelistic customer word-of-mouth and the extraordinary financial results!
BRINGING LIFE TO VISION AND VALUES
Zappos is challenging every traditional (and may I suggest, outmoded and redundant) corporate modus operandi from employee selection and training, to measurement and reward, to office layout and in-house services for their staff… and this list goes on and on. Not only do they live by their vision but they have a unique set of values, which they bring to life every moment of every day, such as, Create Fun and a Little Weirdness; Be Adventurous, Creative and Open-minded, and, Deliver Wow Through Service. In fact the company is so serious about employing people that are a cultural fit, that after a rigorous selection and training process, the new hire is offered $2000 to leave. How’s that for making sure that you have a good culture-value-fit?!
EMPLOYEES WITH SHINING EYES
As I walked through the open plan offices wearing my visitor badge, the employees rang cow bells, tooted horns and shouted greetings welcoming me in a way I have never experienced before. As each person greeted me with a glint in their eyes, huge authentic smiles and a level of energy that was infectious, I found myself laughing, feeling light and energized. The thing that struck me the most as I followed my tour guide through the organization was the fact that everyone had shining eyes. This is not something I see too often as I walk the hallways and sit in the boardrooms of most organizations. They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. It is sad to say but there are too many soulless companies, filled with unhappy employees whose eyes are not shining and who have little energy and little spirit. They are there only because it is a job and a pay-check. So for me, one of the tests of whether your company will achieve exceptional results is simply to look and see whether your employees have shining eyes.
So I guess you can read between the lines that my visit to Zappos was personally and professionally so uplifting because I saw my concept of Spirited Economics™ come to life! Zappos is led by truly spirited leaders who have built an organization that is powered by spirited, happy employees that are delivering the kind of performance that is rare in these economic times. I feel so privileged to have been invited to train some of their leaders and managers about Spirited Economics.
In addition, video clips showing aspects of my training will be posted on the new Zappos consulting-coaching website in the next few weeks and months.
If your company is an example of spirited leaders and spirited employees delivering Spirited Economics™ please let me know. My goal is to identify these companies, study what they are doing and share this with other leaders.
In case you are interested in seeing an overview of the 7 Spirited Leadership Competencies that I addressed in my presentation to the Zappos Insights team, here it is:
I’d love to hear your thoughts. ’till next time..
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This got me thinking about what a great leadership lesson this is. Imagine if everyone in a leadership position remembered to tell others:
