Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D. author of The Courageous Life, is an organizational consultant with a special interest in coaching courageous and effective leaders.
Some leaders can fall into the trap of assuming the posture of a “parent” over some of their followers.
When a leader assumes this posture, they start to believe they are responsible to care for certain individuals who seem limited in their own ability to care for themselves. Such a leader will often step in by providing strong (or parental) “guidance” and control, where they seek to keep that person safe and protected.
Since “father always knows best”, this “parental” leadership style will eventually enable those followers to assume the unhealthy role of being a surrogate “child” of a leader - where they end up having an unhealthy reliance on their leader, resulting in a lack of personal motivation, initiative, and accountability.
As leaders, we need to see people as being independent, capable, skilled with the need to take initiative in their own job (and life). As leaders it’s our role to create an environment that unlocks their potential, and then empowers and enables them to act. As Abraham Lincoln said “You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.”
** The highest calling of a leader is the development and empowerment of others in ways that allow their followers to reach their highest potential. Developing followers into independent and highly competent leaders themselves.
“Leaders are visionaries with a poorly developed sense of fear and no concept of the odds against them.” - Robert Jarvik
Leaders pioneer and initiate change. Leaders do not follow the traditional paths of life. They instead create new paths that bring the future into the present. This is because leaders see what others do not, they dare to think differently.
** Because of their willingness to think in a new way, visionaries often experience resistance from many with closed minds.Consider the following…
“The flight be machines heavier than air is unpractical and insignificant, if not utterly impossible” – Simon Newcomb, an astronomer of some note, 1902
“It is an idle dream to imagine that . . . automobiles will take the place of railways in the long distance movement . . of passengers.” – American Road Congress, 1913
“The odds are now that the United States will not be able to honor the 1970 manned-lunar-landing date set by Mr. Kennedy.” – New Scientist, April 30, 1964
“There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home.” – Ken Olsen, president Digital Equipment Corporation, 1977
A psychology professor at the University of Miami knew his students expected a terrifyingly long final exam.
To play with their minds a little (what do you expect from a psychology professor?) he only put
ONE
question on the final exam. He watched the reactions of the students as they all opened the exams and saw simply one question. Initially they all looked relieved, but as the difficulty of the question began to sink in, those relieved faces sagged to confusion and consternation. All, that is, except for one student.
The student read the question, tapped his pencil into his palm a few times, then quickly jotted something down on the first page of the exam. He then walked up to the professor, handed him the test, and walked out of the classroom. The professor blinked in surprise, looked at what the student wrote, and smiled… The professor wrote “100%” on the top of that student’s test.The student got an “A” on the exam.
The question on the final exam: “What is courage?”
**MYTH #1 Vision should be the result of a consensus among key leaders. REALITY: Vision is not formulated by compromise and negotiation - but it should (after a due diligent process) result in consensus among the key leaders in an organization (a fine line a senior leader must walk).
**MYTH #2 “Vision” and “Mission” are synonymous. REALITY:Vision gives a specific direction to guide the daily actions and strategic decisions of the organization; Mission provides the overarching (and general) purpose of the organization.
**MYTH #3 Some leaders are visionaries, some aren’t. REALITY: By definition, all leaders are visionaries.
**MYTH #4 The purpose of vision is to estimate future realities. REALITY: The purpose of vision is to create the future – it does not just estimate the future, it creates the future.
**MYTH #5 Real vision protects the organization from risk. REALITY: Risk is a natural and unavoidable outgrowth of vision.
**MYTH #6 As long as the leader has a sense of vision, it does not matter whether the people under him/her truly understand it. The force of the vision will naturally sweep followers along, regardless. REALITY: Vision has no power or lasting impact until it organically spreads from the leader (visionary) into the followers.
**MYTH #7 A leader can capture/copy a vision from another leader. REALITY: The leader who takes a “me-too” approach in defining the vision for their organization is neither leading, nor demonstrating a capacity for authentic leadership.
**MYTH #8 Because vision is the responsibility of the Senior Leader, other people only have a minimal role in the development of the vision. REALITY: Other individuals are needed to provide wise counsel and to evaluate the vision at various points during its development and implementation - enlarging the perspective, and effectiveness, of the leader.
**MYTH #9 The best way to communicate vision is to develop a catchy slogan people will remember. REALITY: Too much emphasis on a slogan may be detrimental, trivializing, and limit the ability to capture the fullness of the vision. A careful balance is needed between simplicity and accuracy.
**MYTH #10 An organization’s vision needs to be recreated every couple of years. REALITY: Vision often outlasts the visionary, otherwise there would be constant chaos. Understand that the strategy and tactics related to the vision will change regularly, but the vision is not likely to shift much, if at all.
In my work with various leaders, I have found FEAR is one of the most powerful prohibitors of a person reaching their full potential as a leader and person.
During World War II (1944), thousands of American paratroopers jumped into Normandy to stop the advance of Hitler’s army. Military records show there were four soldiers who refused to jump that day. As I ponder those four men, I can not help but image the rest of their lives. I can only imagine what kind of excuses, rationales, or repressions they must have had to employ during the rest of their lives to explain why they refused to jump with their comrades that day. I believe (in some ways) the lives of those four men ended that night over Normandy when they gave into their fear.
We all die in the end, but there is no reason to die in the middle of our lives. When a leader refuses the opportunity to grow, or to take a courageous risk, they are forced to perform ever greater acts of repression to explain to themselves, and others, why they have chosen not to embrace all the mysteries and adventures our calling as a leader has presented us.
** As the Lord commanded the leader Joshua in the Old Testament - as leaders, we are to be "strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified of them, for the Lord your God will be with you…" (Joshua 1:9)
"You can accomplish anything in life, provided that you do not mind who gets the credit.”- Harry S. Truman
In the book “Good to Great”, Jim Collins researched the differences between “good” and “great” companies. Perhaps the most important component found in “great” companies is what he calls ”Level 5 Leadership."
Level 1 - is a Highly Capable Individual who “makes productive contributions through talent, knowledge, skills and good work habits.”
Level 2 - is a Contributing Team Member who “contributes their skills to effectively help achieve a group or team’s objectives.”
Level 3 - is the Competent Manager who “organizes people and resources toward the effective and efficient pursuit of predetermined objectives.”
Level 4 - is an Effective Leader who “catalyzes a commitment to the vigorous pursuit of a clear and compelling vision.”
Level 5 - is the Executive who “builds enduring greatness through a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will (or fierce resolve).” These leaders are timid yet ferocious, shy yet fearless - modest yet have a fierce, unwavering commitment to high standards. They effectively combine sincere humility with unwavering resolve.
** So what are the core characteristics of a “Level 5” Leader?
1. Personal Humility:
Level 5 leaders are self-effacing, quiet, reserved, and even shy - more like Lincoln and Socrates than Patton or Caesar. Level 5 leaders channel their ego away from themselves and into the larger goal of building a great organization. It’s not that Level 5 leaders have no ego or self-interest. Indeed, they are incredibly ambitious – but their ambition is first and foremost for the institution, not themselves.
2. They Inspire Standards which Motivate Others:
Level 5 leaders rely on instilling inspired standards and do not rely on using their “charisma” to motivate. They build a culture of discipline, yet are not a tyrannical disciplinarian. They enable freedom and give responsibility away.
3. They Assume Responsibility for Poor Results, while giving credit to others:
When things do not go well, Level 5 Leaders take responsibility for failures and never blame their people, external factors, or bad luck. When they do go well, they attribute the success to others.
4. They have Unwavering Resolve to Produce Long-Term Results:
Great leaders seek to improve long-term results that often times go unnoticed by the outside world for many years.
5. They set High Standards for Building an Enduringly Great Company: Level 5 leaders create high standards, and then doggedly focus on meeting those standards for years on end. These leaders deliver what they promise. There is no hype, no spin, no excuses – just a healthy focus on results.
** What the next steps you need to take to become a Level 5 Leader?
(** Adapted from - Collins, Jim, “Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve.”)
Being happy or being perfect. The happy/joyful life is attainable, but the perfect life is not. In fact, trying to be perfect will always get in the way of the satisfied life.
Perfectionism is the maladaptive and neurotic belief that you and/or your environment must be perfect, and that anything that is less than perfect is just not unacceptable. Yet there’s a big difference between setting high standards that spur a person toward reaching a lofty goal – and pursuing perfection, which in the end, will only leave a person demoralized.
** Consider these differences: 1) A key difference between the Perfectionist and the Optimist is that the former tries to reject reality while the latter embraces it.
2) The Perfectionist will tend to deny failure, while the Optimist accepts failure as a natural part of life - that failure is an experience which ultimately leads to success.
3) The Perfectionist seeks happiness, yet also tends to reject painful emotions… They unintentionally replace the “real” world with a fantasy world – a world where neither failure nor painful emotions are acceptable. The Optimist, on the other hand, accepts that painful emotions are an inevitable part of living life. They embrace this world for what it is – and accepts that in this world failure and sorrow is inevitable. They understand that success needs to be measured against honest standards that embrace all the realities of life.
4) The perfectionist struggles with ever feeling truly “satisfied” because they set standards, and have expectations, that are essentially impossible to meet. The Optimist will set high standards too, but these standards are attainable because they are grounded in reality, with honest expectations.
** Some thoughts adapted from: The Pursuit of Perfect - Tal Ben-Shahar
Posted on April 27, 2009 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.
Rocky Marciano loved playing baseball and was a stellar player in high school. With high hopes, he tried out for the Chicago Cubs in 1947, but did not make the team. Though disappointed in not making the Cubs, Rocky decided to take a few steps in a new direction, pursuing the sport of boxing which, along with baseball, held a special place in his heart.
Rocky trained hard for five years, fighting his way up through the ranks. Finally, on September 23, 1952, Marciano earned the opportunity to challenge “Jersey Joe” for heavyweight champion of the world. The fight started badly for Rocky, and then got worse. He was knocked down in the first round; and after the seventh round, was clearly behind in points. But Rocky continued to fight with courage, and persisted against an opponent that most people believed was much superior to him.
Then suddenly, in the thirteenth round, Rocky threw his powerful right hook and knocked out “Jersey Joe.” The fight was over, and Marciano was elevated to the heavy weight champion of the world! Rocky went on to a stellar career, defending his title six times, winning five titles by knockouts. Overall, he won forty-nine straight fights – forty-three by knockouts.
** Though Rocky did not make it in professional baseball, he had the courage to take steps in a new direction toward his dream of a boxing career – to only later become one of the best boxers the sport has ever had.
Rocky Marciano displayed the three elements needed to live a successful life. These are:To have a clear picture of what one wants to do; courage to move in that direction; and persistent faith that their dream can be realized. ** No matter how you choose to personally define success – these three elements are critical for that success to be realized.
Posted on April 21, 2009 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.
The first step to break away from being average is to make the decision to be different. To make a definitive choice to rise above the culture of mediocrity which surrounds you – and step onto a new path.
So in what ways can a person decide to be “different”?
• Decide to stop making excuses. Just stop. No one wants to hear why you can’t do something, so make a conscious decision to stop talking about it.
• Take responsibility. (This is the opposite of making excuses.) Take responsibility for your own success, and what it will take to be successful – and when something goes wrong (as it sometime will), take responsibility for that too.
• Start questioning rules and expectations… and pay close attention to the answers you hear. These kinds of questions include: Why is this rule/expectation in place? What are the consequences of following this rule/expectation? What does this rule actually accomplish?
• Find work that you love to do – and then decide to do it very well. Choose to find more ways to spend your life doing what you love to do – and at the best of your ability.
• Decide to live the life YOU were created to live. This is what it’s all about — to live the life YOU were meant to live. Don’t let the expectations of others distract you from your purpose and calling.
• Choose to think BIGGER! Take what is already working well in your life and add to it. For example - Choose to grow your business 200%; Apply for the position of CFO when you are still the departmental accountant; Visit five countries in the next five years (or if you want to explore one country, stay three weeks instead of one).
** Make the choice to break away from mediocrity - Make the choice to be different!
Posted on April 18, 2009 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.
“Everything we now currently hold on to was the product of past change.”
It is easy to forget where the current “status quo” came from. No matter how comfortable, and even necessary, an existing arrangement of things feel today - it was once new, untried, and distinctly uncomfortable.
** Change is how we got where we are, and change is how we will continue to move forward.
Even though change is a constant and an inevitable part of every day life, the challenge surrounding leading change is that it can’t be approached as some pragmatic “engineering” problem. Change involves people – and thus a change process will call up all types of emotions, uncertainties, and inconsistencies in those being affected. Therefore, choosing to simply “managing change” is insufficient. Successful change requires wise and thoughtful leaders who carefully help their people first process, and then actively enter into, the journey of any prescribed change.
One way they do this is by helping followers answer 6 basic questions
:
1) What is specifically changing for me?
2) Why is it changing?
3) How will I be impacted?
4) What’s in it for me?
5) What do you need me to do?
6) How will I get the knowledge, skills, and needed information that will be required of me?
When a leader takes the time to clarify for their people the specific answers to these 6 questions, the process of change (though not easy) will flow much easier for everyone involved.
Challenge
: Every leader (worth his/her salt) is overseeing some type of change process. How well have you answered these 6 questions for your people?
Oh… one final thought: “Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine.” ~ Robert C. Gallagher
