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"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
Baseball aficionados will be talking about Stan Musial for
some time. The famed, life-time St. Louis Cardinal died at the age of 92 a few
weeks ago. He spent his entire career in the same uniform. While he played
during an era of some more notorious characters, like DiMaggio and others,
Musial did something none of the others ever came close to. His career-high
strikeouts during a season was 46. Think of that. Over 22 years he walked to
the plate somewhere in the neighborhood of 11,000 times, hit the ball 3 out of
ten times at bat, struck out one in ten times, and walked or got hit by pitches
the others. There is good reason he was the National League Batting Champ seven
times.
He was a humble man.
The fans loved him and he loved them back.
SOME HAVE IT, SOME DON"T
During the 1990s my wife would travel to Florida with me
during baseball's spring training. My clients were young, professional baseball
players already making millions or about to. While the vast majority of those I
served were outstanding young men, there were those that were simply ingrates,
spoiled by doting parents or lacking in social grace for one reason or another.
Some of those I had the privilege of working with are still associated with the
great game either in the front offices or the dugouts as coaches in the majors
leagues. Many simply went back to a life that includes hard work and caring for
their families. Others are broke, have been in jail or have sullied the game
with their doping antics.
I didn't know Stan Musial personally. I did watch him on a black
and white TV screen as a kid and was among many who pretended to be 'Stan the
Man' in our empty-lot pickup games. One of those spring evenings we dined in a St. Petersburg Beach restaurant. I was 'blown away' when I realized we were
sitting just a few tables away from this living legend and his wife who were
enjoying a quiet evening of their own. No one was bothering 'The Man.'
A ONE TIME, UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE
When we finished eating and were making our way to the door,
my wife interrupted my astonished rambling, "That was Stan Musial, can you
believe it Hon, that was Stan Musial;" with, "You're not likely to
ever have this opportunity again, just go say hello and tell him how you
feel."
Overcoming my own apprehension, and really, a respect for
his privacy, I went back. He smiled and extended his hand. I apologized and he
reassured me not to worry. He asked my name and pulled out one of his famous,
printed cards and wrote the brief note you see above. We spent less than a
minute and I'll never forget it. There are boxes of signed caps and balls in my
basement but none as precious as this.
Shortly after Musial's death, Mike Leuchtfeld of Red Bud, IL
who is a notable collector of baseball memorabilia, said that,"Because Musial was so approachable and willing
to sign just about anything placed in front of him, the higher volume of
autographed items will hold down prices in the collectibles market."
THE IRONY OF MISPLACED VALUE
Reading between the lines, if a celebrity of any profession were unapproachable, unfriendly or just too full of themselves to readily
scribble their signature on a piece of anything, it will be more prized. Isn't
that an odd reality?
Put some of this in a leadership context. Now, mind you I didn't
do exhaustive research for this post and can't say what kind of a leader Mr.
Musial was as a player in the club-house, on the field or in his post-playing
days. From my experience though, I can tell you that the athletes I met who
were the antithesis of 'Stan the Man' were not liked by their teammates, didn't
consider the value of their supporters and showed little gratitude to other
professionals in their hire.
The leadership qualities Stan Musial displayed, however, were
plain as day and statistically unshakable.
A 'MUSIAL' KIND OF LEADER
Leaders of his ilk are dependable, loyal, grateful, generous and firm but kind. They don't need to
strike out in ratios like Babe Ruth did to make a lasting mark on their craft. They
influence others with a quiet competence that becomes emblazoned in the legacy
of timeless leadership. It is a leader who can readily place their signature
where it has lasting meaning that deserves to be included in an elite group of
men and women known as genuine leaders - the kind we like to work for and that
like us equally well for working with 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
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