Leadership Challenge

Is it the Challenge that Really Matters?

The May issue of Harvard Business Review features an article by Bryon Reeves, Thomas W. Malone, and Tony O'Discoll called "Leadership's Online Labs."  The headline description on the first page of the article boldly claims, "Tens of millions of people are honing their leadership skills in multiplayer online games.  The tools and techniques they're using will change how leaders function tomorrow - and could make them more effective today."  The premise is intriguing and while I'm not 100% sold on the authors' claims, they do merit consideration.  Here's the piece that I found most interesting and got me thinking about a new approach to leadership development (p. 63):  "Most writing about leader selection and development focuses on people's backgrounds and natural talents.  Whether leadership ability is inborn or acquired through training, the assumption is that expertise resides within the individual.  Our study provided us with an arrestingly different view:  Perhaps the right environment is what really matters, whoever the leader happens to be."

Give the article a read and then let me know what you think.  If the authors' are right on this issue, the notion that "Leadership is Everyone's Business" just became even  more critical and it may be the challenge that really matters when it comes to gaining leadership expertise.

Posted by Lisa Shannon

Co-op Leading: Not as easy as it sounds.

I recently had the pleasure of conducting an LPI workshop for the board of a cooperative preschool. I went in with a lot of assumptions about the simplicity of the issues they faced. Leading in a preschool environment, simple right? Leading with lots of help, it's a co-op after all, easy right? Wrong! I was humbled by the challenges they face and impressed by the way in which they embraced leadership as a means to address those challenges. They are all parents of small children. This is a high maintenance time of life: schedules are packed and plans change, a lot. Their time is limited and yet they made leadership development a priority. They share a core value of wanting to have their kids in a place that is safe and nurturing while they are at work. What they struggle with is a vision for how they can successfullyimpact change because they are so caught in the challenges of the day to day. In order to create and support such a place they do a lot. They are all expected to serve on the board at some point while their child attend the school. This means they are often placed into roles they feel unprepared for. This board rotates completely every year. The positive of this is there is limited time they have to dedicate to the board, the negative is they feel there is limited time to make substantive change and little opportunity to mentor future parents so they can benefit form experience. The other challenge is the co-op system itself. They are all equals, they are all "owners", so who's the leader?

This was a perfect example of the concept "Leadership is Everyone's Business" and they recognized that. They embraced the LPI as a way to show them how they could be more effective individually and therefore have more impact collectively. They used the LPI results to dig into opportunities for them to individually stretch so they could have impact and the school could flourish. It spoke volumes to me on the power of shared values. It also reinforced for me that being an exemplary leader is never easy. In the small little world of preschool, the challenges in effective leadership are not small. What I witnessed was a group of leaders with shared values who seized the initiative to be more effective individually so they could be more effective collectively. I also saw parents who were modeling the way for their children by stretching, learning, and leading.
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

Leadership is Everyone's Business..including reporters.

In his wonderful book, Let Your Life Speak, Parker Palmer describes the natural existence of leadership in his life. He says,

“…for better or for worse, I lead by word and deed simply because I am here doing what I do. If you are also here, doing what you do, then you also exercise leadership of some sort.”

He expresses in such a simple and profound way both the opportunity and the responsibility we all share to lead. Reading it I was reminded of the expression I first heard in graduate school (in a sports psychology class of all places): “You are always influencing”. We influence with what we say and what we don’t say. We influence with our presence and also with our absence. This expression has taken on profound meaning during my parenting years. I would have loved a free pass from influencing from time to time. But, as Palmer so beautiful expresses, we lead by word and deed, every word, every deed. There is no exception. When I consider that reality I have a new empathy for those who are on the campaign trail and new frustration with the media that follow them and interpret their words and deeds for us. I wouldn’t relish a reporter following me around interpreting, and all to often judging, how I handle issues that come up with my teenagers. Would you?

As Palmer underscores, we are all influencers. The primary in New Hampshire had several examples of the great influence of the media. I was struck by their lack of accountability and their willingness to wield their influence without the accompanying sense of responsibility. Like the political leaders they cover, they lead by word and deed “simply by doing what they do” yet I don’t see them held to the same level of accountability.

We will all need to make a choice about which candidate we support to lead us forward and I for one will be measuring them against the 5 practices. However, I plan to filter the abundance of information out there with compassion. I also hope to pursue information from sources that recognize their responsibility and accountability and their potential to influence.

The decision that faces us this year will impact the future of our nation and the world for years to come. Each of us can influence the soundness of that decision. I advocate that we hold the media to the same standards and level of scrutiny to which we hold ourselves, and our political leaders. I advocate that we demand they act as leaders as well. Do you agree? And if so, how do we do that? How can we best say,  leadership is everyone's business, including yours.

posted by
Beth High

The Leadership Challenge, 4th Edition Review

The Center for Workplace Excellence recently posted a review of The Leadership Challenge, 4th Edition.   The piece was titled So You Want to Be a Leader and was written by Dan Bobinki, the CEO and Director of the Center.  It was a favorable review (which makes all of us at Jim and Barry's publisher happy), but what I liked best about the review was Dan's take on the current state of the leadership book category.  He begins the review with this astute observation: "Over the past few years it seems that every former high-profile CEO, ex-mayor, and ant farmer has put out a book on leadership."  This reminds me of what I like most about The Leadership Challenge...real stories of real people doing really extraordinary things. 

- Posted by Lisa Shannon

The 2007 Top Companies for Leaders

I recently had the honor of serving with several esteemed colleagues in selecting the 2007 Top Companies for Leaders. The panel was convened by Hewitt Associates who first initiated the research on Top Companies 2001. Hewitt wanted to discover the factors that allowed financially successful companies to consistently develop exceptional leaders. Hewitt repeated their rigorous study in 2003, 2005 and now 2007. This year’s research was done in partnership with FORTUNE –- who made it their cover story in a recent issue -- and The RBL Group, co-founded by HR guru Dave Ulrich. The winners? GE, Procter & Gamble, and Nokia head the list of global companies. GE, Capitol One Financial Corporation, Procter & Gamble, General Mills, and McKinsey are the top five in North America. What sets these companies, and the other winners apart? I urge you to download the complete study report from Hewitt and check it out for yourself, but here are a few key findings. The single most important characteristic is that the Global Top Companies make leadership a critical part of the company’s organizational fabric. As the study reports, “There’s a genuine belief that the way to propel the business forward is through investment in leaders…” Other things that set them apart are a focus on growth and globalization, a dedication to developing a global talent pipeline, a true strategic commitment to leadership, senior-level commitment to developing leaders, and clear expectations of desired leadership behaviors. And for those who doubt that they have the time for leadership development, better think again. At The Top Companies for Leaders the percentage of time spent directly on leadership development by the board, CEO, and other senior management is significantly greater compared to other companies. If you want to join the ranks of the best in the world, you have to devote the time and resources to it.

Posted by Jim Kouzes

Supporting Leaders on the Move

The metaphor of the ongoing journey we use with the Leadership Challenge seems to be taking on greater significance with the emphasis on mobile learning or m-learning in the news these days. Like this story from the UK, where an initiative is helping 9,000 students assess their competencies via phones and ipods.

Some define m-learning as learning the happens across locations, others as the use of mobile or wireless devices for learning on the move. Either way, it indicates a shift from traditional classroom methods. How can we support each other as growing leaders as we become more mobile. I think this blog represents one way. Other ideas?

Posted by Beth High