Leadership Challenge

C.A.K.E.

I love cake.  No, really, give me a large piece of double chocolate cake smothered with dark chocolate gelato and cover it with melted, dark chocolate syrup and I’m in seventh heaven, as they say.

Just don’t give me that often.  It’s about the waistline.

Although there are probably dozens of ways to do so, I don’t usually combine my love of chocolate cake with messages about leadership.

However, I was having a discussion the other day with a client who operates a restaurant chain and the two words mingled.

The client, knowing my affinity for using acronyms to anchor a point, challenged me to create a way to use the word “cake” in a leadership lesson.

Challenge accepted.

You may be familiar with my mantra: “leadership is a moment-to-moment choice.”  Well, that’s our starting point.  Let’s grab a fork and dig in to our C.A.K.E.

C= Choice…Real leaders know it’s all about the choices they make each day.  Leadership takes Courage to be yourself and allow others to do the same.  Clarity of purpose and how your values affect the world you walk in is instrumental.  Creativity is essential.  Real leaders love to stretch their thinking and create new avenues for success.  And, of course, Commitment is crucial for yourself and others. Without commitment, nothing changes. Not you. Not them. Nothing.

A=Action… Real leaders don’t sit around and wait for the action to come to them. They go after what they want with Audacity. They use the Law of Attraction to Ask, Act and Accept that the outcome they desire is only a matter of time. They have the Ability to see the perspective of others and inspire them. They see Adversity as a challenge to their vision only to be overcome.

K=Kindness…Real leaders lead with grace. They are Kind to themselves and others. They offer Keys to success to those who join with them.

E=Energy…Real leaders derive their energy from their passion. They jump into each morning with childlike wonder knowing they create that day with their attitude. They offer Encouragement to others and Enable them to aspire to great heights. Real leaders are always learners. Whether each action creates success or not, they learn from every outcome and Evolve.

That was a piece of cake. (He said tongue in cheek.) Next up? C.H.O.C.O.L.A.T.E.

Robert H. Thompson is the author of The Offsite: A Leadership Challenge Fable. You can reach him and subscribe to his Leadership Path newsletter at www.leaderinsideout.com

The Origins of Leadership

A client recently asked me how I would explain the difference between "management" and "leadership."  It's a question that Barry Posner and I are frequently asked, and it may also be a topic of conversation in organizations in which you work. My client found the following observations useful. I hope you do, too.

1. When you look up ‘manage’ and ‘lead’ in the etymological dictionary, you’ll note that the words have very different root origins. Manage, as well as management and manager, derive from the root word ‘manus,’ meaning ‘the hand.’  (Interestingly, the words ‘command’ and ‘demand’ also come from that same root.)  There is a clear connection between managing and handling or controlling things. The words ‘lead,’ ‘leader,’ and ‘leadership,’ on the other hand, share as their common root the word ‘to go.’ Leading, at its roots, is about going places, about movement, and about guiding. I especially like the second definition in Merriam-Webster Unabridged which reads, "to guide on a way: show by going with or in advance of."  I often ask people to reflect on the differences between the two concepts by thinking about the differences between handling things and going places.  People get the distinction pretty quickly. 
2. In the classic management literature, the functions of management are frequently described as ‘plan, organize, staff, direct, and control.’  Contrast these with our Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership described in our book, The Leadership Challenge—Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart. (Other leadership models may use other terms, but the descriptions are quite similar.)  Management is much more about the practices that get existing things to run efficiently and effectively. Leadership practices are about changing the way things are and creating new futures.
3. All managers must be leaders, but not all leaders must be managers. There are a lot of leaders — scout leaders, community leaders, teachers, coaches, parents, athletic team leaders, club leaders, etc. — who aren’t in managerial positions. Most universities, for example, now offer a number of student leadership development programs, but they don’t offer management development programs to those same students.

There may be other distinctions that come to mind for you.  Please let us know what you think.

One note of caution: While it's useful for a number of reasons to illustrate the differences between leading and managing, we also need to stress that both are important.  Organizations need managers, and they need them to be the best they can be at the fundamentals of "handling" things. We need both exemplary managers and exemplary leaders.  The importance of making the distinction is to draw attention to the fact that there are a lot more people who can exercise leadership than those in formal management positions. In fact, we'd maintain that the very best organizations liberate the leader in everyone.

Posted by: Jim Kouzes

Pirates and Popcorn

If you subscribe to my Leadership Path newsletter, you know that I just moved from one abode to another and that I was without television/internet connection for four days. Imagine the horror!

Once I got used to the idea of being in the dark, so to speak, I had time to catch up on reading and browsing through my DVD collection. Like you, I have an assortment of movies and music in a variety of formats. I even have a few 16-RPM records hanging around with no way to play them. But that’s a different story for a different day.

With all of the stress associated with moving, I was settling down one evening looking for a few laughs. One of the old movies I selected was Down Periscope. If you have not seen it, I encourage you to do so.  It is very relevant from a leadership training perspective. I use segments from this comedy in some of my presentations.

The screenwriters, Hugh Wilson, Andrew Kurtzman, and Eliot Wald are brilliant. You could almost swear they were trying to share the principles of The Leadership Challenge under the guise of a Hollywood script. It is very funny at least for my funny bone.

The premise plots a veteran skipper played by Kelsey Grammer, who is everything but a textbook officer, against Bruce Dern, the agitated admiral. Grammer is given a promotion test and command of a diesel-powered WWII sub crewed by a collection of maladjusted, mistake-prone misfits. He is then ordered to take on the U.S.Navy’s best in a crucial war game…belching diesel versus nuclear sub.
Not close to Oscar material of course, but along with Grammer, the key actors Lauren Holly, Rob Schneider, Bruce Dern, William H. Macy and Rip Torn are supported by a superb cast of rebel oddballs.

Rob Schneider is the obnoxious first officer who challenges Grammer’s credibility with the team to his own downfall. He is forced to walk the plank blindfolded while the crew don’s pirate costumes straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean. Argh Matey! One can’t help but think of the precepts of Model the Way as he falls into a nearby fishing boat and is returned to base unharmed except for his fragile ego.

Bruce Dern plays everyone’s worst nightmare as a boss. When boarding Macy’s ship, Macy welcomes him aboard and Dern responds, “Just what is that suppose to mean.” If you ever wanted to see the ill effects of the reverse of Enable Others to Act and Encourage the Heart, Dern’s character is a great example.

Lauren Holly beautifully portrays the first woman officer on a submarine. She is the object of much desire and derision early on but becomes the hero with Grammer’s help as you see a great illustration of Enabling Others to Act.

Rip Torn, as the good admiral, sets up the test as a means of Challenging the Process for Grammer’s promotion opportunity. He seems to get just as much enjoyment from Grammer’s success as Dern’s failure.

Grammer plays his role as easy as Frasier Crane. He masterfully goes outside the box while Inspiring a Shared Vision and Challenges the Process with artful innovation and with a bit of a scary (only in the movies) situation.

Of course, unlike your workplace, this is Hollywood and so it all comes out perfectly (except for Dern).

One of the best ways to use films like this is to share it with your team during a half-day gathering. Then use the time immediately after to discuss their observations and how it might relate to your workplace.

Don’t forget the popcorn.

- Posted by Robert Thomson, author of The Offsite: A Leadership Challenge Fable and The Leadership Challenge Workshop Master Facilitator.

Jim Kouzes on Between the Lines with Barry Kibrick

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Twitter About Leadership!

I was recently discussing with a colleague the value of Twitter. Although we agreed their was little value in updating the world on our daily nonsense, she pointed out that Twitter could be an excellent tool for blogging. How many of us have created a blog with the intention of updating it frequently and find a year later, when visiting the blog, that it has been a year since we have updated it? I have done this a few times.

But Twitter might be just the solution I am looking for to blog. Blogging takes time. Twittering does not. Twittering is one of those things you can do on the go, at the doctors, eating lunch, watching TV, etc. If you are like me, time is life's greatest commodity. I have found that although I think often about the nuances of leadership, I rarely have the time to articulate them. Additionally, I find it even harder to sit down and complete and string together thoughts about leadership. What I find in abundance are principles of leadership. So for the past few weeks I have been Twittering my thoughts on leadership.

Twittering is quite simple. Sign-up. Save Twitter in your address book on your phone. Make sure you are signed up for unlimited text messaging with your service provider and Twitter away. Soon you will be competing with your son or daughter for the most text messages in a month.

Seriously though, Jim and Barry have been talking a lot lately about practicing leadership. What a better way to keep leadership on your mind than journaling about it all day everyday. I look forward to seeing you on Twitter. Check me out on Twitter - leadership101.

Daren Blonski

Are You Being Managed or Led?

For many years, I have enjoyed helping others understand the difference between leadership and management by defining the terms and then opening up a dialogue around individual perspectives. Although eye opening for those who think of them as the same, it is still very cerebral and certainly not enough.

Since my book, The Offsite: A Leadership Challenge Fable, hit the bookshelves I have been using its key characters to deepen the dialogue and help others understand why they feel the way they do about the two terms. My efforts are aimed at helping them also understand why they feel the way they do about those workplace warriors they “must follow” or “willingly join with to fight the good fight.”

Joe, a key character in the book, is a good example of the tough guy “bosses” who “manage” us. As the chief know-it-all, he sees himself as the decider of all things. He tries to pass himself off as an “agent of change”, but just like real Joe’s he is only an “agent of chains”. You have probably worked “for” a Joe during your career because you don’t work “with” the Joe’s. Hopefully, you have not been a Joe for others. By the way, Joe’s can be “Josephine’s” too.

Joe is the kind of manager who uses fear to get what he needs. Sound familiar? The Joe’s of the world obsess with obedience and they demand results from everyone around them except themselves. When it comes to them, they are non-committal to you and take credit for the good stuff while blaming others for their own poor judgment and outcomes. They simply burn you out.

How did the Joe’s become Joe’s? That’s a great question and one that is nearly impossible to answer with individual certainty. But, my experience tells me that most Joe’s become Joe’s from watching and being impacted by other Joe’s. It’s the negative side of modeling the way.

How do they shift their behavior? Unfortunately, many don’t. Since a lot of the Joe’s have read all of the “management” books, they usually are very good at bluffing their way through conversations and interviews. With that skill, they just move from organization to organization inflicting their pain until it’s time to move again. If they are the CEO of a company…watch out below. The values that are pasted to the walls are only window dressing for the halls.

For those who do shift behavior it usually comes from a humbling event or perhaps two or three. They finally hit bottom as Joe does in my book and see the error of their ways. It’s usually a long road, but with proper coaching and an instrument such as the Leadership Practices Inventory it’s possible to resuscitate an ailing Joe career. I have been fortunate to be a part of that success from time-to-time.

If they are lucky enough to find themselves being coached or lead by a Sam, the guru in The Offsite, the world becomes a friendlier place. Sam teaches all of us the difference between “managing” people and “leading” people. While the Joe’s burn us out, the Sam’s fuel our fire. They collaborate with us; engage us with questions that result in learning; express confidence in our abilities; give credit where credit is due and get the best from us by offering commitment to our growth.

The Sam’s teach us that management is about things and that leadership is about people. They want people to join with us not joke about us. The Sam’s share with us that leadership is a choice we all can make. It’s about closing the gap between our beliefs and our behaviors. Real leadership is a way of life and it begins with discovering who you are and what matters to you.

Whether you are “managed” by a Joe or “led” by a Sam tell me your story so I can share it with my readers.

Posted by Robert Thompson, The Leadership Challenge Workshop Master Facilitator

Brick Walls

Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon computer science professor made famous by his "last lecture," died on Friday.  Jim mentioned Randy's lecture and book on LeaderTalk back on May 13, 2008.  Over the weekend and again the morning, NPR (time-delayed podcast on my iPod) keeps reminding me of the now popular quote from Randy's presentation: "The brick walls are there for a reason.  Right?  The brick walls are not there to keep us out, the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough." 

That's all.  As you tackle your own leadership challenges today, just wanted to remind you of Randy's inspiring words.

Posted by Lisa Shannon

Stories: Seeds for the leader's garden

The value of stories has been popping up on my radar recently, so here's the first in a series of posts on the topic. I want to start by exploring the potential that stories hold for nourishing leaders as well as those who chose to follow them.

This post focuses on one leaders use of a story to establish playing field for leadership excellence.

I have been fortunate to work with Western Union over this past year. The company embarked on a leadership adventure last winter using the Leadership Challenge to drive and support their business strategy. Grover Wray is the Executive Vice-President of Human Resources. He is the champion of this plan for success and has worked hard to bring it to life. He expresses clear determination to "Model the Way". Toward that end, Grover relayed a personal story to his team and in the process established a new recognition system he hopes will become tradition.

It seems Grover and his father took an annual fishing trip. The trips provided great opportunities for Grover to share time with his father and learn from him. Grover has continued the tradition with his son. He told us the increase in fishing skills has been negligible, but the value of the trips immeasurable. He drew on the spirit of those trips to create a new slant on the old expression "Feed a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." The new version goes something like this: Lead someone for a day and you have provided direction. Inspire them to lead and you have helped create a culture where leadership is abundant and success abounds.

He finished the story by distributing fishing reels to his team, symbols of the leadership culture he hoped to inspire. He then presented beautiful fishing lures as recognition of individual leadership excellence.

When I met with his team the next day they were clearly moved. But after speaking to Grover I realized how much the story provided for him as well. It enabled him to speak from his values and bring those out for the team to see. It enabled him to honor his father in the work he is doing now. It enabled him to encourage excellence within his team in a personal and therefore meaningful way. It also provided a great symbol to use in recognizing excellence and still tie to the values he espoused in his story. I suspect it may also have created a connection to his team he might not even fully recognize. It most certainly helped define how his team views him as a leader.

We all know the power that stories can have. They fill our hearts and minds; lifting us up, guiding us, giving voice to our values. Stories help create cultures, and then sustain them. Telling a great story is an art form. As leaders, we rely on stories to inspire and encourage others. But stories also help us define who we are as leaders. The stories we chose to relay help define our individual leadership style.

What stories do you tell? What do they reveal about the leader you are?
Submitted by
Beth High

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Leaders Make Great Decisions

One of the most important jobs of a leader is that of making complex decisions. Making good decisions is an attribute of a leader that is under appreciated by many who study leadership. Researchers have been marginally successful in understanding how people form the ability to make good decisions. Some research has developed complex models for understanding decision-making processes, but they have yet to map the decision- making process in such a way that those looking to develop the skill of making good decisions can learn this process. The reason is that good decisions are unique and vary for every circumstance. In all situations, there are hundreds of thousands of variables that impact whether or not a leader uses good discretion to make a good decision. How a leader interprets these variables, and the weight the leader assigns to each variable when making a decision, is 90% a subconscious process. Because this process is so subconscious, developing the attribute of using good discretion is often dismissed as innate talent and not learned behavior.

A great ecclesiastical leader has been quoted as saying “we are a walking bundle of habits.” The behaviors that we observe in our lives from those who are closest to us in our formative years, have the most impact on the behavior habits we form.  There is mounting research to show that we develop the ability to make good decisions early on in life. The bad news is that for those looking to develop the skill of making good decisions later in life, the cards are stacked against them. This is not to say that one can’t develop this skill later in life, but it does mean that the most important period of our lives for developing the skills to make good decisions is when we are young.

If you are older in years and looking to develop this skill, the first place to start is by developing a keen understanding of yourself. Be clear about who you are, your beliefs, your values, your purpose, your focus, etc.

Over the past three years, I have observed many people who have been looking to acquire leadership skills, and many who are teaching leadership skills. I have noticed a trend in those who possess the ability to make good decisions. The best decision-makers, who are subsequently the best leaders, are those who know themselves. As the first commandment of leadership goes: “know thy self and be true to your core.” Once you have defined your core, have the mental fortitude to remain true to it.

Finding your core and staying true to it is the foundation to all great decisions. Great leaders make great decisions, one decision at a time.

Posted by Daren Blonski

Thought Grenade: Sounds of Sunday Silence

Friday the 13th was a sad day. I lost a friend. No, not a personal one. A political buddy. A colleague. Someone I could count on every Sunday to grill and drill the politicos and power brokers until many of them shrank in fear. Tim Russert of Meet the Press died unexpectantly on Friday.

Each Sunday, his voice, now suddenly silent, shook the walls of Washington and sent shockwaves throughout the world. His was the voice of the common man, yours and mine. It will be impossible to replace him.

With all of his co-workers and friends offering their immediate eulogies over the weekend, it was impossible not to find a positive story about Tim from someone. It turns out that his credibility that poured through the airwaves was real. He was authentic. He showed up. He cherished his family and loved his work. He was passionate about both and it sparkled in his ever-present smile.

Some friend I am. I didn't even know that he was not a trained journalist, but rather a lawyer, turned politico, turned broadcaster, turned tenacious journalist. He will be remembered as one of the best ever no matter the medium.

As an educated journalist and former newspaper publisher, I am always on the lookout for someone in the media to step up and speak truth to power. That is what is necessary when it comes to shining a light on darkness and the survival of the Fourth Estate as a viable alternative to a closed government. Truth tellers are not easy to find. And these days, my favorite truth teller may be viewed as someone else's liar and vice versa.

Tim, rightfully, dealt with facts and probing questions that most often had a follow-up illuminating someone's past quote that was a blatant contradiction. He was always a gentleman (even when I didn't want him to be) but his steely eyes made the liars twitch. It made my Sundays.

Real investigative journalism is an art form. From my view there are not many practicing today. With hubris comes decline. I used to think that the Watergate boys were the best. But since those turbulent times, they and others like them seem to have bought into their own press clippings. Their credibility with me shrinks as their fame rises.

Tim did not seem to allow ambition to cloud his view. He took over a stale program in 1991 and transformed it, allowing MTP to be relevant once again. He prepared for each Sunday as if going into battle. Even though he knew the guests well, he did not shrink from his duty to extricate the truth and tell America what was really happening. Unfortunately, even he was tricked a few times.

If you have read my book The Offsite: A Leadership Challenge Fable, you know that I feel leadership is a way of life. It is a moment-to-moment choice about creating open, honest and authentic relationships that urge others to want to discover their power and focus on what matters to them and their community.

Leaders are credible, visionary and challenging. They welcome learning and teaching moments with others. And they celebrate individual and group success. Hey, they're like Tim!

Goodbye, my friend.

Robert H. Thompson is the author of The Offsite: A Leadership Challenge Fable. You can reach him at www.leaderinsideout.com.