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What's so funny?
Executives know there
are opportunities everyday to display humor and yet, more often than not, they
pass them by. Why?
Before you owned a company, led
it or managed one of its divisions, did you have a better sense of humor than
you have or allow yourself to exhibit now?
Countless numbers of corporate
leaders could be making a huge mistake by keeping their sense of humor under
wraps.
We all personally know leaders
who, when away from the C-Suite are funny and liberal with a smile, (accompanied
by a good snort now and then,) but for some reason, hold back from displaying
the same with their colleagues, competitors and customers. Truth is, they are
also under-utilizing a prized leadership skill.
"A jest
often decides matters of importance more effectively and happily than
seriousness."
- Horace
You understand I'm not talking
about what some mistake to be humor when it is crude, vulgar, cynical,
sarcastic or directed at an unassuming and indefensible colleague.
We're talking about the wide
range of skills needed by every leader, no matter what the battle. It just so
happens that the sense of humor each of us either have been born with or
developed over our lifetimes, seems to be forgotten or deleted from the
portfolio of skills required to lead.
No doubt there is a time and
place for everything, just as there is for the use of one leadership skill over
another. Lately I've been asking CEOs about their sense of humor and most believe
that their natural ability to find humor, even in difficult situations, is
something to keep guarded.
I disagree with them on that
and urge every business leader who shares that sentiment to reconsider. There's
plenty of serious stuff in every day to be serious about, but you know what? An
alert, lively and genuine leader also knows there is, or ought to be, plenty to smile about too. It's
all in a days' work.
Jim Naleid is a Life-long Entrepreneur, Change-Agent and Thought Leader,
Managing Director of Naleid & Associates and Regional
TEC (“The Executive Committee”) Chair leading a group of executives to become
Better Leaders, Making Better Decisions with Better Results. http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimnaleid
But learn to use both hands...
ONE OF A KIND
Greg (A.) Harris enjoyed a 14-year baseball career in the
major leagues playing for 9 different teams beginning with the New York Mets in
1981 and throwing his last pitch in a Montreal Expo uniform. To date, there is
no other major league pitcher on record who was a 'switch pitcher.' For the
uninitiated, that means he could throw a baseball with either arm just about as
effectively with either.
Game rules during his stint didn't allow for him to utilize
this unique skill but as he was closing out his final season with the Expo's,
he was allowed to do so. On September 28, 1995 and in the ninth inning against
the Cincinnati Reds Harris retired Reggie
Sanders pitching right-handed, then switched to his left hand for the next two
hitters, Hall Morris and Ed Taubensee, who both batted lefty. Harris walked
Morris but got Taubensee to ground out. He then went back to his right hand to
retire Bret Boone to end the inning.
As spectacular a
feat this is, my guess is that you have forgotten of or had never heard of Greg
Allen Harris. Beyond that, it may matter little to you that he had this unusual
athletic ability. (For the record, Pat
Vindette, a kid from Omaha is now playing in the minor leagues that can 'switch-throw'
with either arm at 90 mph.)
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| Pat Vindette |
Had Harris even been allowed to 'switch-throw' during games
while in the league, my guess is that he would still naturally favor his
stronger right arm. Opponents eventually would figure out how to deal with the 'switch-pitching.'
USE WHAT WORKS
Business leaders also tend to "throw' with their strong
arm or manage to their perceived and or recognized strengths. While that may
seem the natural thing to do, a bigger problem is that most leaders rely on
that strength far too often. Staying with the baseball analogy, it could be
likened to a pitcher who has a great fastball or 'slider' but little else. Simply
put, a pitcher with a versatile array of pitches outlasts and outsmarts his
opponents more often than not.
Robert Kaplan and Robert Kaiser, in their recent release, Fear
Your Strengths, do a masterful job of helping leaders understand what a
lack of management versatility can mean and the impact it can have on
organizations.
" Strategically
oriented leaders are lauded for their aggressiveness and vision, but often
criticized for not being sufficiently grounded in reality. Operationally
oriented leaders are admired for their focus and their ability to
systematically drive the organization toward its goals, but they are frequently
faulted for having tunnel vision and a lack of strategic boldness. Although it
may seem that that these are inherently different and mutually exclusive kinds
of leaders, they are in truth prime examples of lopsided leadership. They are
leaders who overuse one set of strengths at the expense of under-using others."
Most leaders will resist the notion that their approach to
leading and management is, well, lopsided. As a result of depending solely on
their strengths, they, more often than not, approach the thorniest of
challenges with the same mind and skill-set. They tend to 'over power' the opponent,
challenge or issue in a way that is satisfactory in the short run but detrimental
to the long-term objectives of the company.
Kaplan and Kaiser found that there is a distinct difference in
results between companies whose leaders lack versatility and those whose
leaders have developed a diversified 'portfolio' of skills with which they
effectively lead.
" Versatility
defined as striking a balance on both the forceful-enabling and
strategic-operational dimensions accounts for about half of what separates the
most effective leaders from the least effective leaders."
LEADERSHIP PERFECTION DOESN'T
EXIST
Kaplan and Kaiser have compiled a
database of executives that numbers close to 7,000 and they admit there are few
leaders among them that have developed a complete repertoire of operational,
strategic and visionary skills. Understandably, those that rise closer to the
top of the list have long-lasting success that wears well over time.
As they see it, there are three
primary steps that leaders in pursuit of versatile excellence must take.
1.) Accept Yourself
" You must unflinchingly reconcile yourself to
the reality of who you are and how you lead."
2.) Test Yourself
"The stimulus of new experience outside your comfort zone can slowly but
surely redefine and shore up the structure
of your self."
3.) Offset Yourself
"
There is great good in working on yourself. In addition to the practical
benefits, it’s a way of retaining your youthful
energy. The moment you stop growing is the moment you grow old."
When I first came across Fear Your Strengths, it was the
following line that convinced me of the need to discuss this thought process at
all;
“A whiff of brutal clarity, if it’s based on reality, is an essential
component of leadership.”
There's no time like the present.
Get going!
Jim Naleid is a Life-long Entrepreneur, Change-Agent and Thought Leader,
Managing Director of Naleid & Associates and Regional
TEC (“The Executive Committee”) Chair leading a group of executives to become
Better Leaders, Making Better Decisions with Better Results. http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimnaleid
 
It's been decades since my folks took us to Washington, D.C.
As a seven or eight-year old kid, ( think
Martin Richard), the impressive statues and monuments of those who were
memorialized there remained in mind, but their words were of little concern to
me then.
Just hours prior to the Boston bomb blasts, on Monday, April
15, 2013, we climbed the marble stairs to the Jefferson Memorial's rotunda. The
first thought that occurred to me is that we (mankind) have always had a
penchant for building significant edifices to one another. Nothing peculiar
about that, it is just what it is.
A small wooden brown sign admonished visitors to maintain a
quiet dignity while visiting in order to allow others to reflect on whatever
they came to consider.
The first view of the interior walls led me to these words
on the Southwest Portico;
"I
am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and
constitutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that
becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new
truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of
circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We
might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy
as a civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous
ancestors."
-Excerpted
from a letter to Samuel Kercheval, July 12, 1816.
This fascinated me. I had to read and re-read to
make sure of its' meaning.
Given the times in which we live and the significant
societal shifts taking place, the words "institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times,"
presented a challenge for me. It raised more questions than answers. One has to
wonder, and perhaps serious historians and academics believe they know, but do
you suppose Jefferson and his colleagues envisioned a "more
enlightened" society in which citizens who benefitted from the freedoms a
constitution sought to preserve would lead to a point in time wherein the
unborn would prove to be unprotected, the institution of marriage itself would
be pressed to a new definition, mad men and women would take up arms in senseless
acts of wanton violence and slaughter one another in the streets?
You decide.
Turning 180 degrees to momentarily think this
through, the words immortalized on the Northwest Portico, presented what seemed
like a paradox to me:
"Almighty
God hath created the mind free. All attempts to influence it by temporal
punishments or burthens...are a departure from the plan of the holy Author of
our religion...No man shall be compelled to frequent or support religious
worship or ministry or shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious
opinions or belief, but all men shall be free to profess and by argument to
maintain, their opinions in matters of religion. I know but one code of morality
for men whether acting singly or collectively."
-Excerpted from A Bill for Establishing Religious
Freedom, drafted in 1777. First introduced in the Virginia General Assembly in
1779, after he had become Governor. Passed by the Virginia Assembly in 1786, while
Jefferson was serving as Minister to France. The last sentence is excerpted
from a letter to James Madison, August 28, 1789, as he was returning to America
to assume his position as Secretary of State.
My concerns faded after turning to the Southwest and
Northeast Porticos.
Southwest
Portico
"We
hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they
are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, that to secure these rights
governments are instituted among men. We...solemnly publish and declare, that
these colonies are and of a right ought to be free and independent states...and
for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of
divine providence, we mutually pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred
honour."
-Excerpted
from the Declaration of Independence, 1776.
Northeast
Portico
"God
who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when
we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I
tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot
sleep forever. Commerce between master and slave is despotism. Nothing is more
certainly written in the book of fate than that these people are to be free.
Establish the law for educating the common people. This it is the business of
the state to effect and on a general plan."
-Excerpted from multiple sources: "A Summary
View of the Rights of British America," "Notes on the State of
Virginia," "The Autobiography," letter to George Wythe (1790),
letter to George Washington (1786).
Go back and re-read the first and second sentence of the
above, "...these liberties are the gift of God." Let's just take the position that the words of
Thomas Jefferson cast in stone here on the interior Porticoes of the Jefferson
Monument are indeed his words and based upon his beliefs. If so, there is no
paradox after all.
While on one hand Jefferson acknowledged that life is fluid
and society is apt to experience certain change, it also is clear that he
believed in God Almighty, attributed the creation of man and earth to Him and
at the same time wasn't inclined to force those convictions upon anyone else.
Having said that, Jefferson evidently concluded that the laws of reason and
freedom that he espoused came from the same source, this Creator, this God
Almighty.
Leaders like Jefferson are very special, of course. Relatively
few achieve or are credited with such great things. This man set one of many
important examples that all of us should aspire to. The greatest of these is
the fact that he knew what he
believed. He put his beliefs in writing and shared them appropriately with others
now with long-lasting benefit for many. Business leaders do well to take this
example into consideration, that is, to make their beliefs known, hold them
dear and clearly communicate them to those they expect to be followers.
[As an aside; I'd
love to have the opportunity to ask him if he thought the Almighty God, the
Creator he spoke of would be the one that would need to adapt to a society of
'enlightened' mores over time or vice versa. Wouldn't you?]
Jim Naleid is a Life-long Entrepreneur, Change-Agent and Thought Leader,
Managing Director of Naleid & Associates and Regional
TEC (“The Executive Committee”) Chair leading a group of executives to become
Better Leaders, Making Better Decisions with Better Results. http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimnaleid
It’s taken a few weeks for me to get back to the keyboard. My
wife’s dad passed away on March 20 and besides being my wife’s dad, we were
good friends and business partners. Not everything we invested in together
worked. We won and we lost. Thankfully we won more than we lost and best of
all, when it came time for him to cash in, saying goodbye didn't bring with it
the sting of death, or
so as sharp as it can be.
A number of years ago, he agreed to allow me to put him
through the estate planning process and that we did. Today, as the trustee and
personal representative of his estate, I serve his four children and a slug of
grandchildren. While it’s comforting to know we did the right things in
anticipation of his eventual day of demise, it can still be unnerving when
faced with the real task. It’s hard not to ask a few postmortem questions. Did
we do everything we could? Did we overlook anything? What did we miss? Will we
be able to keep the family intact and without cause for undue concern while the
process gets underway? How long will this latent anxiety linger?
It isn't my intent to make excuses for not sticking to my weekly
schedule, but to be honest; I simply haven’t felt like it.
Two weeks ago this past Saturday we gathered with family and
more friends of that family than we imagined existed in a small town in south-central
Minnesota. We gathered for the sake of my father-in-law’s friends that are left
and the friends he allowed his kids to nurture over their years of stopping by
the place at North North Avenue. As an in-law, one does what they can to be
immersed in the social aspect of such an event. Those who have been there know
what I mean. You kind of just float around, smile when met with a smile and a
handshake. You anticipate the oft asked question, “Now, how are you related to
Don?” So it goes.
This was a lively gathering. When it was time to quiet down
and take on the serious tone of the morning, we all obediently found a chair
while some had to stand. The music was inspiring. The priest, in my opinion,
let me emphasize that, in my opinion;
was a bit pompous. Probably a nice enough fellow and a kind elementary school
teacher. It should go without saying that many there thought otherwise and were
moved by his words of comfort and solace.
We all went outside on this chilly late morning to attend to
the 21-gun salute and presentation of the flag to the widow of another one of
the magnificent “Greatest Generation.” The poor guy with the bugle was a bit
surprised when the recording of “Taps” began before he lifted the bugle to his
lips. He recovered nicely, however, and we appreciated his effort. Two of the
grandsons and one of their wives are currently serving; one in the Air Force,
Navy, and Marines. They were smartly attired in their dress blues. Don’s Purple
Heart was awarded to him as a Marine corporal for wounds he suffered in the
Asia-Pacific theater. Semper Fi always meant something to him too.
I’m not quite back yet, but I’m getting there. From reading
the last chapter of a generous old man’s life we decided to take a road trip with
stops in Perrysburg, OH; Saratoga Springs, NY, Lake George through the
Adirondacks and Woodstock, VT to our destination of Northwood, NH. We wanted to
begin and participate in the ‘writing’ of another new book for our seventh
grandchild who isn't yet two months old. She’s adorable, little, soft-skinned
and precious. There are few things finer than having a tiny human being fall
asleep on a grandpa’s chest they've met for the first time.
There’s a leadership lesson in here somewhere but if you can’t
find right away, don’t fret. I’m not sure I’ve identified it yet myself. When I
sat down to embark on this task before the sunrise this morning, my initial
intent was to pick up on one of two subjects that have been coming and going
over the last couple of weeks; one having to do with managing advisory or
corporate boards and the other being “curiosity.”
I’ll get back to one or the other next week.
Jim Naleid is a Life-long Entrepreneur, Change-Agent and
Thought Leader, Managing Director of Naleid & Associates and Regional TEC (“The Executive Committee”) Chair leading a
group of executives to become Better Leaders, Making Better Decisions with
Better Results. http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimnaleid
LEADERS CREATE IT...AND NEED OTHERS TO UNTANGLE IT
Heading into the weekends I begin
thinking about my blog, The
'R' in Saturday; http://jcnsaturday.blogspot.com
Last Friday,
while on this quest, and as is often the case, I pulled one of my old standards
off the book shelf, one that I likely picked up for 25 cents at a garage sale; Success with Words, A guide to the
American Language (Reader's
Digest, 1983). A long list of academicians collaborated with its compilations.
"Rigamarole"
(also; rigmarole) is the word that caught my attention. It's a word that
'boomers' heard their parents and grandparents use. Somewhat in context it
simply carries the connotation of "all that extra stuff." Success with Words used an undated quote from a New York
Times editorial of the time that supposedly read;
"The blunt fact is that a foreign government on American
shores is preying on American citizens. And notwithstanding the niceties of
diplomatic immunity, and extraterritoriality and rigamarole, the response should
be equally blunt." (Emphasis, mine)
Some may
wonder for a moment, as I did, if that wasn't actually written within the last
week but be reminded the quote is pre-1983 and I have no idea what the issue of
that day happened to be.
Even so, I
was fascinated, but had a difficult time incorporating it for use for my
Saturday post. The next morning, my wife, in a typical and jovial morning mood,
used the word in a most interesting way. I hadn't shared my research from the
day before but, a bit astonished, I told her that I had just spent some time on
that word the day before. So now you know how it got into my thought process
and made its way here.
The word has
a rich history of its own and while it originally meant and was used
differently from what it is, if at all, today, according to the contributors of
our source material, "Eventually, in the 18th century, the expression
surfaced...meaning a lot of meaningless talk...later also, a sequence of
pointless activities."
LEADERS AND THE RIGAMAROLE THEY CREATE
It hasn't been my experience to meet business
leaders that intentionally set out to create a bunch of rigamarole, but inadvertently
they do. Or, they allow it to come into being and don't recognize it until it
has gripped their company. More often than not, they may sense it is thwarting certain
initiatives but are unable to identify it for what it is. In reality, rigamarole is the unintended consequence of not
paying attention while the foundation of it was laid and built upon.
Large company leaders seem to be plagued by this
condition to a greater degree than their smaller brethren, and yet it can be
far more devastating to a small to mid-market company.
CLEARING AWAY THE RIGAMAROLE
This isn't anything new or earth-shattering and
for many decades consultants and efficiency experts have been working with
executives and C-level management teams to cut through the rigamarole. Some of the
problem, though, is that a good deal of what is already out there under the
guise of best practice and clear thinking becomes nothing more than a bunch of rigamarole as well.
It is here that my experience leaves me and you
with just three pieces of advice, 1.) If something isn't working quite the way
you envisioned it to, you've probably got a problem with rigamarole, 2.) If you sense
that could be the case, find an outside source to engage with about your
concern, [could be a Share-group member, trusted business peer nearby] but
without that extra set of eyes and ears you won't get the unvarnished truth as to
what it is, and 3.) Understand that whatever rigamarole you have created, or allowed to exist,
it can be cleared up in short order once you admit it.
Your Direct Reports probably already know what
it is, may have even contributed to it, dislike it as much as you suspect and
will be more than willing to participate in the eradication of it. There really
is no excuse for it.
Jim Naleid is a Life-long Entrepreneur, Change-Agent and Thought Leader,
Managing Director of Naleid & Associates and Regional
TEC (“The Executive Committee”) Chair leading a group of executives to become
Better Leaders, Making Better Decisions with Better Results. http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimnaleid
Stock markets are hitting new highs. Housing starts are on
the rise and home values may have hit bottom and are trending up. The private
sector is adding jobs and the unemployment rate is improving while, life for
the long-term unemployed or out-of-the-workforce, statistically is not.
Even though U.S. inflation is pegged at 1.6%, every
household that does breakfast and dinner at home is feeling the squeeze of higher
commodity prices, foodstuffs and the fuel it takes to shop. Insurance premiums;
health, auto and liability all are on the rise. Just the other day folks I was
with engaged in that old 'game' of "Remember when tap beers were a dime
and a gallon of gas was twenty-five cents?"
WHAT ELSE IS NEW?
There is a different answer that's
appropriate for the individual investor than might apply to the business leader.
For today, my objective is to stick with business.
Managers ought to be thinking
seriously about what the most significant disruption to their business could be
in the coming months while their charges concentrate on executing the plan that
has been entrusted to them. Those that are complacent and fail to concern themselves with possible
and significant disruptions to their business pay a stiff price for doing so.
It's been five short years since
the economic disruption spurned by loose banking practices caught up with
everyone. Some are convinced banks once again will be at the center of the next
disruptive force that could affect your
business.
READ BETWEEN THE LINES
Neil Weinberg, Editor-in-Chief at
American Banker caught my attention with his recent blog post title,
"Beware of the Banking Bubble."
Let's face it, since the so-called "Dot.com Bubble" disrupted the
easy flow of money thirteen years ago, we tend to pay more than usual attention
to bubbles forming, or worse, those that are about to burst.
Mr. Weinberg voices a concern that
hearkens back to the overall attitude bankers held in 2007 and he fears that
some of the same are surfacing today. Among other things, he notes that
"Compressed net interest margins mean bankers face pressure to under-price
risk to win loan business and to look to other questionable tactics to turn a
buck." Think fees - back-end,
front-end, small print, you name it. Retail and Commercial borrowers and
depositors know what Weinberg is talking about. He then asks a relevant
question; "In what imprudent ways are bankers likely to respond to these
various pressures?" Great question.
Enter stage right, the Federal
Reserve and Ben Bernanke. Edward Luce at The Financial Times opened a recent
piece by stating the obvious, "The Federal Reserve under Ben Bernanke has
been the only serious economic actor in Washington." If
you're leading a company today, it goes without saying that the disadvantage of
not being able to print money in order to buy down your own debt handicaps you
against your competitors. The good news is that neither can your competitors do
so. The bad news is banks will make life miserable for lenders when and if
rates head north.
While Luce generally heaps praise
on the Fed Chairman, he acknowledges that, "Without the Fed's easy money,
the stock market would be languishing and unemployment would be rising."
As a former portfolio manager, this scares the (insert your own) out of me. Mr. Weinberg quotes from Moises Naim's
new book, The End of Power, wherein the author accurately noted that
"When the Fed has met a new problem it has usually engineered a new
solution." Note that the Fed has signaled its intent to discontinue this engineered strategy once unemployment
falls to 6.5%. Many are urging Bernanke to curtail the practice sooner.
MANAGE THE DISRUPTIVE FORCE
Leaders of any size company ought
to be thinking about the next disruptive force that will affect their business
and in so doing will make a huge mistake if banking isn't on their short list.
Everything from short-term lending to insurance premiums will be adversely
impacted when the Fed halts the presses leading to higher interest rates and a
less than subtle upward inflationary course.
This is a discussion that must
take place within companies, now. Strategy considerations should include
everything finance related, including the unorthodox. It might make sense to
renegotiate a higher rate on your current short-term or line of credits and
lock them in for as long as possible. It might make sense to take advantage of
rates and increase your debt on the balance sheet if a three to five year term
is offered. If you've contemplated selling out, it might make sense to do it as
soon as practical while cheap money is still available to your potential
suitors. In other words, pull your team together and put all of the banking
"If's" and "Might-make-sense" ideas on the table.
Ben Bernanke has been frequently
reminding whoever is listening that "There is only so much the Fed can
do." So, manage the potential disruptive force a change in Fed policy will
bring to business and banking practices. Move it up on your to-do list, now.
As you if you didn't have enough to
concern yourself with!
Jim Naleid is a Life-long Entrepreneur, Change-Agent and Thought
Leader, Managing Director of Naleid & Associates and Regional TEC (“The Executive Committee”) Chair leading a group of executives
to become Better Leaders, Making Better Decisions with Better Results. http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimnaleid
Drawing from my own experience, whether leading a division
of or building from scratch, no one, including myself, ever asked what or how
my job was actually defined. I was there to "run the company." Wasn't that obvious?
In the ten years since leaving a nearly 25-year career in sell and buy-side investment management it has occurred to me that many, too
many, of us have led and defined our roles by assumption rather than by
clarity. We just "ran the company."
LACK OF DEFINITION
In either case, that of a business owner/entrepreneur or
executive that started out lower on the ladder and now is in the C-suite (or facsimile
thereof), to my surprise, a great many have found themselves with the
responsibility of either running a company or a significant division of it
without a clear idea of who they are,
why they are and what they are determined to do and how.
In my role as adviser counselor or coach; common questions I
ask of those depending upon me are meant to get leaders to focus on a few very
important things.
·
Who are you?
·
What's your job description?
·
Who wrote or defined your role?
·
Are you functioning in that role, as described?
·
How do you see yourself?
·
Have you written your own description of that
role?
·
Why not?
We could go on and on with an endless list of questions like
these. It just surprise me to find that in virtually all cases,
(non-scientific) leaders plow along doing what they believe is expected of them
while rarely thinking about the need to clearly define themselves and the role
that is not only expected of them but the role they want to play within their organizations.
Once a leader clearly defines who they are and why, they
then ought to do the same for each one of their Direct Reports.
WE NEED A...
For the sake of this discussion, let's assume the owner or
CEO is the one that decides a position needs to be filled. A discussion with
the in-house HR professional follows. Perhaps an outside search firm is engaged.
The leader has something in mind and ultimately someone is going to write a job
description and initiate the search.
Would you be surprised to learn that it isn't uncommon for
the professionally drafted Job Description and the reality of what the CEO
wants don't match? There may be two primary reasons why that happens. One, the Owner/CEO
hasn't clearly defined their own role and the second becomes as obvious; they
haven't personally and clearly defined the role of the talented individual they are seeking.
RECRUITING v. COACHING
Imagine a Head Coach that sends out talent scouts without
clearly defining the precise athletic skills, qualities and demeanor of the
talent they want. We're all too familiar with athletes that were said to be
"the most sought after" but for whatever reasons don't fit or
simply flop. Why does that happen?
There are numerous reasons. When and if the Head Coach leaves
the search up to others while not clearly defining themselves, their objectives
and exactly what they expect of the assistants, and ultimately the athletes,
the results speak for themselves.
BEST LEADERS TAUGHT BY BEST COACHES
"The breakthrough companies we visited were filled with
great coaches - people skilled at helping people do their very best." Keith McFarland includes a great discussion on
the topic under the heading, "The No. 1 Job Of A Leader: Coaching" in
his terrific look at high performing companies in Breakthrough Companies.
McFarland there notes that, " If
managers focus too much on getting the right people on the bus, and not enough
on developing the people they already have on the bus, you can bet that bus is
headed for some kind of fender bender or worse."
As we all pay more attention to this need and responsibility
for leaders to reconsider who they are and why they do what they do, it is critically
important that leaders also accept the responsibility they have to clearly
define themselves, what they expect of their Direct Reports and finally, to
give clear definition to what their company is and why. No one in the HR
department can or should be doing this for them.
Jim Naleid
is a Life-long Entrepreneur,
Change-Agent and Thought Leader, Managing Director of Naleid & Associates
and Regional TEC (“The Executive Committee”) Chair leading a
group of executives to become Better Leaders, Making Better Decisions with
Better Results. http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimnaleid
The
Breakthrough Company; Keith McFarland; Crown Publishing; p.214, 215
"A name is better than
good oil, and the day of death than the day of one’s being born... Better
is the end afterward of a matter than its beginning. " (Eccl. 7: 1, 8;
NWT)
A
former colleague of mine, along with his aged father and siblings, put his
mother to rest this morning. Yesterday afternoon a bright February sun splashed
the Fellowship Hall with warmth as well-wishers and family friends displayed
their love, concern and support for the family. Their mother fought off cancer
for sixteen years and only in the most recent two did its debilitating effects
extract the most from her. She led a bountiful life that fell shy of 87 years
by just two weeks.
In
many respects there isn't anything particularly special about this except for
those she personally nurtured, influenced and served. You know and likely have
lost wonderful people just like my dear friend's mother.
TURN, TURN, TURN
Many
my age are very familiar with Solomon's words from those penned in the bible's
book of Ecclesiastes, the third chapter. Pete Seeger's "Turn, Turn, Turn
(To Everything There is A Season)" was popularized commercially by David
Crosby and Roger McGuinn, the prominent two of the five that comprised The
Byrds. Turn, Turn, Turn though written by Seeger in 1959 wasn't recorded until
1962 and, as a single, went to the top of the charts in 1965 after the Byrds
recorded and released it on the Columbia label.
Setting
that aside, less often than other popular biblical verses, those noted above
from Ecclesiastes the seventh chapter have a certain application as we contemplate
and celebrate one's life passing.
The
reasons I decided to highlight this particular woman's life and death with the
objective of raising the issue of one's "leadership legacy" are many.
Like numerous others of her generation, the child of immigrants, she was born
in the Midwest, schooled there, graduated from a small college in Minnesota and
went to work to support her husband while he finished school after serving in
World War II. Both eventually became educators with a desire to serve and teach
young ones from Whitehall, WI to Tripoli, Libya and that they did. You and I
know there is a substantial leadership legacy embodied here and it is safe to
assume it has less to do with students who sat in her classrooms than it does
the impact she had on some of their lives, forever.
APPETITE FOR LEADERSHIP
Leadership
is a fascinating thing and of course today, we talk and write about constantly.
There is obviously a great appetite for Leadership Lessons as evidenced by the
plethora of books, seminars, blog posts and endless opportunities for business
owners and executives to improve their lot by paying attention to and applying
even a small share of what is available to them.
Thinking
back on my business career and leadership positions I was privileged to serve
in, I don't recall ever being asked about what I was doing to assure that my
leadership legacy would include those things I considered important when I
finished. I wish someone had.
The
point Solomon was making, of course, was that at the beginning of life, as
happy an occasion that is for most parents, the newborn has yet to contribute
to the family and society as a whole. It is only at "the day of
death" that someone who had the responsibility of leading any other single
or collective group of humans beings can be lionized for the good or bad they
undertook as leaders. It is my belief that those who accept and actively engage
in leadership ought to think about and answer the question I was never asked.
THINKING AHEAD - YOUR LEADERSHIP LEGACY
You've
heard or had the experience in one way or another when the theoretical question
is asked, "If you were to write your own eulogy today, would you be
satisfied with it?" Our tendency may be to cooperate with the facilitator
of such an exercise but readily set the thought of it aside once we step away
from it. The reality is that we must give thought to our leadership skills as
it relates to a leading a "High Performing Company" just as we must
seriously map out the direction we intend to take the company or enterprise we
lead.
Business
owners and CEOs have to be reminded that a well-executed exit strategy isn't
something results from a happenstance notion to do so. Many do lose sight of
the fact that often times the planning required for the "Exit" is far
more important than the planning to begin. Not unlike the difference between
birth and death and I say that in anything but morbid terms.
So
then, what do you want your "leadership legacy" to include and if it
is to be a true legacy, what impact would you care to leave on those you have
the privilege to lead? The leaders that led me didn't resonate with me because
of earned or inherent wealth created for themselves or financially invested
stakeholders. That isn't to say some of them didn't achieve great financial success,
but that happens to be the least of their qualities that comes to my mind.
Those
that have a left their leadership legacy with me did so out of a generosity of
spirit, firm but kind guidance, a sharing of well-timed wisdom and doors that
were to be closed only if I pulled them shut before me. We could argue that
certain people just have that ability and without much thought, gave their
best. While that may be so, it is my contention that a leader who consciously
does the same now will not be easily forgotten by those that benefit from that
determination.
Jim Naleid
is a Life-long Entrepreneur,
Change-Agent and Thought Leader, Managing Director of Naleid & Associates
and Regional TEC (“The Executive Committee”) Chair leading a
group of executives to become Better Leaders, Making Better Decisions with
Better Results. http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimnaleid
Songwriter's Lessons on Innovation, Creativity and Ingenuity
Whatever your preference of music happens to be; are you one
that gives much thought to what it took to write and produce your favorites
songs? My guess is that most of us don't.
COMMON THREADS
There is, however, a
leadership lesson to be taken from songwriters of all genres. To prove my assertion,
pick up a copy of Paul Zollo's Songwriters
on Songwriting (Expanded Edition; De Capo Press 1997). The book is a compilation
of Zollo's interviews with the likes of Pete Seeger, Willie Dixon, Livingston &
Evans, Burt Bacharach, Hal David, Carole King, K.D. Lang and many, many more.
All approach their craft in their own unique ways and all have written songs of
untold numbers that have never been heard or popularized. The common thread is
that they wrote, some often, some not so. At times the music came first and the
lyrics followed or vice versa, but they wrote.
Willie Dixon, who died at 75 in 1990, and known by many as
the "Father of the Blues" wrote thousands of songs. Like so many
things, the 80/20 rule applied to Dixon's originals and the relatively few that
produced royalties once well-known artists recorded them.
David Crosby on the other hand admits that songwriting
hasn't always come easy and unlike his good friend Neil Young, Crosby's songs
came few and far between. Zollo attributes Crosby's patience in the
process as the key that unlocked the
likes of "Wooden Ships" and "Deja Vu," songs that catapulted Crosby, Stills and Nash to
fame in the late 60s.
DIFFERENT PATHS
While Dixon and Crosby worked from opposite ends of the
creativity process, both produced their results based upon personal experience
while acknowledging that not everything that came to mind, heart or soul was going
to meet with success. Keep in mind that
the floors of songwriter kitchens, basements or music rooms are littered with
"failed" compositions.
CEOs and business leaders that come to the conclusion that
innovation and great ideas can be nurtured through a disciplined process, in
many ways, go about it as songwriter's do. Willie Dixon told Zollo that his
"blues" were all based upon facts and contrary to the tendency for
most to think of the "blues" as songs of woe and lamentation, Dixon's
tunes were predominantly filled with joy and hope of better things to come.
Crosby, on the other hand, told Zollo, "I can't
legislate a song into being, it just will not happen for me. I can make a space for it to happen, and sometimes it
will come and fill the space."
Innovation comes about this way as well. In the same interview Crosby went on to say, "I'm sure we don't really know how the creative process works...you
know it comes every which way."
ONGOING CHALLENGE
Many leaders I've spoken to and work with struggle with
innovation, creativity and ingenuity and yet all of them realize that without these,
there may be little or no future to contemplate. Today an internet search of
the word "innovation" brings back 80 million 400 thousand results.
It's obviously an important topic that has provided fodder for an endless
stream of how-to blogs, posts and white papers, not to mention complete MBA course
offerings.
The fact is that we will continue to talk about
the ongoing need
to innovate, create and ingeniously bring new products and services to market
and we will do so in many different ways. Business leaders that have yet to
successfully unleash the creative, ingenious and innovative minds within their
organizations should at a minimum, learn a thing or two from songwriters.
Perhaps Crosby put it best when he said he couldn't "legislate (insert
'innovation, creativity or ingenuity') a song." But, when he made a "space for it to happen," in time he'd find that space to be filled.
Quite simple, isn't it? Provide the space and buy out the
time. Collaborate when necessary. Play it one way. Try it another. It doesn't
matter how many attempts end up on the drawing room floor. What matters is that
you and those with you are frequently writing new scores.
Jim Naleid
is a Life-long Entrepreneur,
Change-Agent and Thought Leader, Managing Director of Naleid & Associates
and Regional TEC (“The Executive Committee”) Chair leading a
group of executives to become Better Leaders, Making Better Decisions with
Better Results. http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimnaleid
Bob Marley's Lesson for Leaders
When this 'pre-post' idea started rattling around my head on
Friday, I had no idea that a 'Bob Marley
Tribute' was on tap for the 55th Grammy Awards but the timing couldn't have
been better.
Reggae, the colors of the Ethiopian flag, green yellow and
red horizontal fields, the floppy knit 'Rasta' caps, the cannabis leaf,
dreadlocks and Jamaica contribute to the known legacy of the devout Rastafarian
Bob Marley evidently was.
One look at me and you'll conclude I'm obviously not a Rastaman and although I did inhale several
decades ago, I cannot lay claim to doing so in the pursuit of finding the
answers to deeply spiritual concerns.
Here's another thing; for most, cannabis is associated with
being laid back, way back. Admittedly, Marley's music held deep meaning as he
addressed social concerns, but his performances were not anything close to
being laid back. High energy, soulful from the Island Heart is more like it.
DON'T BE NO DRAG
"Lively Up Yourself" is not among his most remembered,
I've always liked it.
"You're gonna lively up yourself and
Don't be no drag... You
rock so you rock so
Like you never did before..."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDnNqsy7rYE
Leading a company as an owner or Chief executive is also anything
but a 'laid back' easy-as-you-go responsibility. Everyone that's been there or
is currently doing so gets that. What some miss though is the need to
"Lively Up Themselves" and avoid
being "no drag" on the
organization they lead but instead, to figure out how to "rock like they never did before."
The core competencies required of an executive are many and
well documented and this isn't to discount any of them. It has been my
experience that one key, one very important key or core competency to superior
performance is lost in a leader's lack of 'liveliness' or more plainly, a sense
of humor.
HUMOR AS AN EMOTIONAL COMPETENCY
David McClelland's study; "Identifying Competencies
with Behavioral-Event Interviews,"
concluded that "Several of the emotional Intelligence (EI) competencies
most strongly tied to humor were in the social awareness or relationship skill
domain, as one might expect, since these are the most visible socially." Further the author(s) noted, "... that
for these gifted leaders the expression of many or most EI competencies often
came via the artful use of humor - and that this was in itself a basis for
their success as leaders."
Let this sink in. Goleman et al found that, "What's
particularly telling, though, was that those successful leaders use of humor
strongly correlated with the very emotional intelligence competencies we have
found to be key to a leader's superior
performance." (Underline, italics, mine.)
You've met enough leaders in your day to know the difference
between one who understands the artful use of humor and one that doesn't. You've
also worked with or alongside persons who, perhaps by default, are granted or
assigned leadership roles that are a drag, personally and professionally. What
is striking though is that many leaders, when away from their business
responsibilities, possess a sense of humor but find it unthinkable to allow
that to be enjoyed with their colleagues, direct reports, customers or whoever
may benefit from it.
I've taken some liberty with equating "liveliness"
with a sense of humor but, here's the deal; you may be a well-intentioned, skillful,
competent and successful leader in your own right. You may even rank high on an
Emotional Intelligence scale. The bad news is that if you don't have and don't
believe you are able to acquire a sense of humor, you may just have to accept
good results. Superior results may elude you.
For those who are recognized by friends or family for possessing this important asset, if it's not being utilized artfully within the
scope of your work-a-day responsibilities, readjust your thinking. "Lively
Up Yourself" for superior results.
Jim Naleid
is a Life-long Entrepreneur,
Change-Agent and Thought Leader, Managing Director of Naleid & Associates
and Regional TEC (“The Executive Committee”) Chair leading a
group of executives to become Better Leaders, Making Better Decisions with
Better Results. http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimnaleid
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