Leadership Challenge

Thought Grenade: Loyalty vs. Kool-Aid

I was nestling down in my overstuffed writing chair to finally start a Blog about an article I read in Esquire magazine. The article “Why We Hate” had been bugging me for quite a while.

And then POW! BAM! BOOM!, the Scott McClellan book bombshell hit like a bolt of lightening which made me glad I have a heavy duty surge protector attached to my computer.

Now there have been others like McClellan who departed a White House job and wrote a “Tell All” book, but it’s been awhile since something like this hit the press.  He doesn’t just share a few anecdotal items and blame the system. He names names, tells specifics and seems to have the credibility to back up his stories. I know I wouldn’t write a book like that unless I definitely had the facts on my side and wasn’t afraid to use them (i.e. a publisher with plenty of lawyers).

I’m sure McClellan’s publisher has been salivating over the fact that he will sell tons of books.  (I’m jealous of course.) Hopefully, his book deal is a good one, since I don’t think anyone on the Republican side of the fence will be offering him a job any time soon. He is definitely a “Man Without a Party” and if I were in his Dockers, I would be watching my backside as well. It will be interesting to see how he does on the speaking circuit.

His book and the subsequent backlash started my head spinning. We’ve seen this all before of course. It happens in politics, government, show business and major league sports. It also happens far too often in our corporate corridors. Places where you and I might congregate.

Like a prairie windstorm, perhaps just like at your workplace, those still in power started to bash him.  Stories quickly appeared with statements like: He’s disgruntled. He’s sad. He’s had an emotional breakdown. He’s lying. He wasn’t there. He should have said something.  The liberal media has hijacked him. He’s just cashing in to sell books. Bash. Bash. Belittle. Bash.

Without dealing with the content of McClellan’s book (which most of you who stay abreast of the news will not be shocked by but rather amused that someone formerly on the inside is using their outside voice), what’s really going on here? And does it have anything to do with leadership?

My first reaction was that this “loyal dog” was kicked way too many times by his colleagues. I’ll wager that many nights, when he went home, he would vent to his wife about what was happening at “the office.”  From what I have heard so far, it appears that the White House, from Scott’s perspective, was being run as if it was in Scranton with Michael Scott at the helm. Too bad millions of real lives were being reamed instead of just pretending to sell reams of paper. From early reports, I also get the impression that there were too many Dwight Schrutes and not enough Jim Halperts. And they are in charge of the freaking world! Gives a whole new meaning to Dunder-Head. (Okay, so to understand some of the above you have to watch  “Comedy Night Done Right”, so sue me.)

And then I thought about the Characteristics of Admired Leaders from The Leadership Challenge.  The usual top four words in workshops chosen by folks are: Honest, Competent, Inspiring and Forward Looking. Then I thought about the folks who are running the country. Nope. No match. (Sure, if you are in the 25% or so of the country who still thinks the administration is on the right track then you can disagree. Please send me a note; I would love to hear from you.)

Why did it take McClellan so long to share his views? Misplaced loyalty is my first thought. (His earliest statement was he needed to write the book because of “loyalty to the truth and the values I was raised on.”) Thanks Mom and Dad McClellan. You might have tried to teach him to not sit on his hands so long too.

McClellan, like many of our corporate cousins, is a victim of distorted groupthink. He served George Bush when he was in Texas and was a devoted follower. He drank the Kool-Aid until he puked. He knew right from wrong when he saw it. But he couldn’t find his voice. He allowed himself to be dragged along through the muck until he was so dirty that everyone figured he would never revolt.  They thought once again “mission accomplished!”

So, how does this relate to you in your organization? Are you the “loyal dog” that sits on its hands? Is your voice distorted by gurgling Kool-Aid? Or, do you just sigh and say, “I hate them all”.

Interesting, I guess I’m back to where I began. “Why We Hate.” Will need to give that more thought.

By the way, full disclosure. I was not wearing a flag pin when writing this.

Posted by Robert H. Thompson is the author of The Offsite: A Leadership Challenge Fable. You may read his more Thought Grenades at www.leaderinsideout.com.

Challenge Is the Opportunity for Greatness

In two recent interviews journalists asked me a similar question. Each wanted to know why Barry Posner and I had selected The Leadership Challenge as the title for our book. “What do you mean to suggest by the title, and what is the challenge you are writing about?” These questions took me back to the very early days of our investigation on the practices of exemplary leadership.

The Leadership Challenge began as a research project in 1982. We wanted to know what leaders did when they operated at their “personal best” – when they set their own individual leadership standard of excellence. With thirty-eight open-ended questions, we asked about the situations, the emotions, the actions, the methods, the people, and numerous other aspects of these personal best experiences. In that initial study we collected and analyzed over 1,300 written cases and conducted 42 in-depth interviews. In the last twenty-five years we’ve gathered thousands more personal best cases.

When we first analyzed the initial set of personal-best cases, we discovered that the situations people chose to discuss were about major change that had a significant impact on their organizations. This remains true today. Regardless of function, field, sector, level, or country, the leaders in our study talked about times when they turned around losing operations, started up new plants, developed new products or services, passed a groundbreaking piece of legislation, campaigned to get adolescents to join an environmental program, revolutionized a bureaucratic military program, installed untested procedures, renewed operations threatened with closing, or released the creative spirit trapped inside stifling bureaucratic systems. The personal-best leadership cases were about radical departures from the past, about doing things that had never been done before, about going to places not yet discovered. In many cases, the magnitude of results was in the hundreds of percent.

What’s significant about the emphasis on change and innovation in our leadership cases is that we didn’t ask people to tell us about change. We asked them to tell us about personal-best leadership experiences. They could discuss any leadership experience—past or present, unofficial or official, in any functional area, in any type of organization, and in any situation. Our respondents chose to talk about times of change. They told us they performed at their best when they were changing something, trying something new, or stretching themselves. Not one single person claimed to have achieved a personal best by keeping things the same.

When people think about their personal bests they automatically think about a challenge. Why? The fact is that when times are stable and secure, we’re not severely tested. We may perform well, get promoted, even achieve fame and fortune, but the evidence suggests that we don’t reach our fullest potential during ordinary times. Certainty and routine breed complacency. In contrast, personal and business hardships have a way of making us come face to face with who we really are and what we’re capable of becoming.

The study of leadership, then, is the study of how men and women guide us through adversity, uncertainty, hardship, disruption, transformation, transition, recovery, new beginnings, and other significant challenges. It’s also the study of how men and women, in times of constancy and complacency, actively seek to disturb the status quo and awaken us to new possibilities. Leadership and challenge are simply inseparable.

As we make choices about the people we select for leadership roles—whether it's a new supervisor, a new CEO, a club officer, a local official, or the President of the United States—we must ask ourselves, "Who is the person who is most likely to challenge the way we do things around here? Who is the person who's going to bring about the most lasting change, change that moves us farther along the path toward our vision of greatness?"

Change is the work of leaders. And the primary leadership challenge is getting extraordinary things done, especially when that challenge tests us to the limits of our capabilities.

Posted by Jim Kouzes

The Naked Violin

One of the benefits of posting regularly on a blog is you are always thinking about potential topics of interest for consideration, topics that provide unique, hopefully interesting perspectives on leadership. You end up having your feelers out all the time. It's fun and kind of addictive. My latest find came from listening to NPR this past week. I heard a compelling piece about a  young woman who is demonstrating  remarkable leadership while staying true to her art. Her name is Tasmin Little and this piece revolves around her latest album titled The Naked Violin. Tasmin is a concert violinist who has a vision for getting more people to share her love of the violin. She decided to go against the powerful norms of the music industry, challenge the process, and make the album available as a free download. When asked why, she replied, "The simple answer is it's about removing barriers." In other words, enabling others to act. But making the music more available was just part of her overall plan. Her goal was to get those who listen to more mainstream music to stretch a bit. She encouraged them to experiment and take some risks. She included with each piece of music a descriptor and tutorial providing deeper insight into the subtleties and nuances of the music. She challenged them to seriously consider the music and enabled them to do so. Her next step is where her leadership jumped out for me. After getting to know the music she challenged them to buy a cd or attend a concert. If they weren't willing to do that, she asked that they write her and explain why. "If not, why not? What would it take to get you interested?" She actively sought out a partnership with her potential audience in order to extend the reach of the music she loves. Her commitment to the vision of making violin music more mainstream is underscored by her plans this coming year to take it to those who won't get an opportunity to hear it otherwise; for example, a women's prison. If you get a chance to download the cd, I would highly recommend it. You may well find yourself enlisted in her vision.
posted by,
Beth High

Embracing change in uncertain times.

I joined a terrific webinar yesterday sponsored by Sonoma Learning Systems in California. It featured Steve Coats discussing his book There is No Box. The meat of this book comes from Steve and his co-author Tom Heuer's research on growth. Steve made the point that the when one is challenged, faced with an obstacle, the only route to growth is through change. Therefore, leaders who can embrace change, help clear the way for growth. This way of looking at challenge in relation to growth seemed particularly relevant this week as we watched our economy falter. In hearing the economic pundits discuss the activity of the week you could sense the panic rising. What we all hope for is healthy economic growth, and we have hit some major obstacles. It's time for change to clear the path. But listening to an economist explains why the plunge occurred this week makes the head spin. It is tough for most to relate at that level. Is this all happening beyond our control? Is there anything to be done or do we all just brace for the fall? Another key phrase then comes to mind. Leadership is everyone's business. Moving from challenge to growth requires change. A leaders job is to challenge the process or embrace change and leadership is everyone's business. So, as leaders, we have individual responsibility to think about ways to influence and embrace change that would impact the economy and clear the path for growth. Individual actions may not change the S&P index, but they are part of the whole. So what are the things we can do as individual leaders to embrace economic change? Shopping, as we've been directed to do in the past, seems counterintuitive. Burning less fuel seems obvious. It's time to get creative and remember, there is no box.
Posted by,
Beth High

Looking with fresh eyes…

As leaders we try to encourage and inspire the use of “outsight”, looking outside ourselves for inspiration and perspective. If we can open ourselves to things that will stir the imagination then we increase the chance we will find new and imaginative approaches to addressing the challenges we face. But perhaps there’s something to looking deeper inside an issue as well as looking outside. Can we look with fresh eyes to recognize the assumptions we are making? What boundaries we are creating for ourselves. If we look carefully at the situation with fresh eyes, we may spot something new that will engage us and create a new understanding? Learning to be present and be curious is what it takes to be fully engaged and see these new things. Being fully present and curious is my favorite definition of mindfulness and the clearest path I know to having those fresh eyes available all the time. You never know what you might discover about something that is right in front of you. Here’s an example: it’s a kick. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIJtKxdRQzY
Posted by
Beth High

Leadership lessons at an early age

I hesitate to compose a post referencing Oprah again so soon (see 10/23 “Keeping Hope Alive” post by Jim Kouzes) for fear that some may think we spend too much time watching daytime TV. However, Oprah’s presence in the news this week moved me to comment on the situation that confronts her and her choice of action.

Oprah started a Leadership School for Girls, a small academy focused on giving high potential young teenaged girls an education with a focus on leadership. Last week, it was revealed that there had been alleged sexual abuse from one of the house parents. Fifteen of the girls had bravely come forward to report the crime. Upon further investigation, the concerns appear validated. It is a sad situation.

However, the way Oprah has handled it is not sad, but commendable. The second commitment of the practice “Challenge the Process” is: Experiment and take risks by constantly generating small wins and learning from experience. Oprah experimented when she took on the project. Is there a small win in this bad situation? Certainly. The 15 girls who found the courage to come forward demonstrated their own maturation and strength. Is there learning that has taken place from the experience? Well, if Oprah’s press conference is any indication, yes. She and her team have learned the screening process for the house parent role was inadequate. They have put a plan in place to change that process.

Were mistakes made? Most definitely. But the mistakes have not stopped the program, and the vision that Oprah has for these girls appears stronger than ever in her heart. I commend her leadership and the “Challenge the Process” leadership spirit the brave young girls showed the world.

Posted by Beth High