Brian@GrowthWorks

The Rocket Science of Leadership...

Good leadership is tough to define. I’m beginning to think the term is so complex it’s impossible to pin down. It’s one of those “you know it when you see it” things… and we all see things so differently.

Forgive the unoriginal approach to making a point, but a two-tenths-of-second web search on “leadership” turns up 138 million citations. A “scholarly” search turns up 1.7 million hits. And if you’re looking for something to hold in your hands to read, you’ll be glad to know Amazon has more than 60,000 titles to choose from.

One of those books begins, “Leadership isn’t rocket science. Our experience says that great leadership is far more complex than that…”

The book is one that Gerry Sexton and I wrote a few years ago, Leading Innovation: Creating Workplaces Where People Excel So Organizations Thrive. My sentiments about the difficulty of being a good leader have only been amplified since finishing the book.

My friend and colleague Steve Boehlke puts it this way in the introduction to a “little book” he published, 50 Lessons on Leading for Those With Little Time for Reading (each page is essentially a one-sentence thought provoker): “Whether reading the ancient wisdom of Lao Tzu, the power politics of Machiavelli, or the insights of today’s leadership guru Jim Collins, authorities on leadership abound. While humans have been attempting to define leadership for centuries, a clear and simple definition remains elusive. We are often left with the feeling that leadership is beyond ourselves--something we seek, but is beyond our reach.”

The work we do at GrowthWorks with leaders focuses on linking creativity, knowledge, and the human spirit. There are hard core business types who dismiss this kind of "soft" stuff. The evidence is growing, however, that successful leadership is not an either-or proposition when it comes to hard stuff and soft stuff. Both are required.

This interview with the Dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business is a great indicator of where leadership is headed. (Email subscribers click here to watch the video online.)

Make a Difference,

Brian

Click here to learn more about the work I do helping leaders develop their own unique approaches to getting leadership right

The Girl Effect...

Some will disagree with the change. Others will even scoff at the significance of the gesture.

The News: The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) is closing the Bush-era loophole in the Title IX legislation that some argued made it easier for colleges and universities to avoid complying with requirements to provide equal opportunity for female athletes. (NYTimes)

I say it's a good day for the planet.

The world can be an unfathomably unfair and hostile place for those born female.

• I spoke about leadership issues in the finance industry this week with a female executive who said it takes a thick skin for women to get ahead in her field because of the offensive bawdiness some of the boys still bring to the workplace.
• I learned at the world premier in Minneapolis of a documentary film, Power and Control: Domestic Violence in America, that a woman is assaulted every 18 seconds in America by the man she loves.

Kudos to those in the Obama administration who guided the DOE to this decision. It's a step in the right direction. A question for all of us, though: What can each of us do to help clear the path for the success and well-being of the girls and women in our lives?

Full disclosure: I have a daughter. She's in the Peace Corp. Yup, I'm biased, but I think she's pretty amazing. (Callie's Blog) And I'm posting this article and link in part because I want her to have a great life, but also because I believe the investments made in her so far have helped make the world a little better place. But I would have written this article no matter what, because I believe investing in girls makes the world a better place for my son, too.

If you're looking for ideas or inspiration about something you could do, check out this video (Email Subscribers Click Here to View):

Make a Difference,

Brian

Visit GrowthWorks Inc. for info about my work helping business leaders break the habit of doing the same old things the same old way...

Leading Change? Make It Emotional...

Along with all the bucks and kudos filmmaker James Cameron is reaping from his record-shattering movie, Avatar, he also is being credited for "emotionalizing" the world's environmental plight. Think about this...

Cameron's story about greedy business people devastating nature for profit has stirred hearts, his own and those of millions of others. There's a lesson in this perhaps-unexpected development from this giant Hollywood movie -- and in the tiny-but-also-compelling video attached -- about what it takes to lead change. If you think about it, isn't it stirred-up hearts that so often provide the inspiration, energy, creativity, and endurance people need to go make things different... to make things better?

• Pay attention in coming months for more stories about Cameron like the one in the New York Times chronicling his crusade against the proposed Belo Monte dam project in Brazil, and watch for others to rally to this and other ecological causes... all because one man told one moving story. 
• After you watch this one-minute-and-twenty-nine-second video, try to convince me you'll be able to ignore it's life-saving message.
• And then, think about the difference you're trying to make and the stories you can tell or the steps you can take to tap into your own heart and the hearts of others you need to follow your lead...

Email Subscribers Click Here to Watch Video on YouTube...

Make a Difference,

Brian

Visit GrowthWorks Inc. for info about my work helping leaders do more than just talk about people being a company's greatest resource

Thanks to my friend Mark Sturgell for sharing the link to Embrace Life commercial...

What Teachers Make...

I've spent a lot of time around educators -- as a student, of course; as an engaged parent with two kids who went K-12 through an urban public school system; as an admirer of friends who've dedicated their lives to working in classrooms; and as a facilitator and consultant helping build plans for future-focused teaching practices.

Teaching is a tough job. It's an under-valued profession. And, in the workplace, it's an under-attended role of leaders.

Versions of this inspiring Taylor Mali poem have made the rounds on the web. Mark Sturgell reminded me it's worth watching again. Seth Godin reminded him. Somebody named Rod reminded Seth. And here I am...

I'm sending it directly to some teachers I know, and an ex-boss or two... to say thanks. Watch it. Pass it along.

Email subscribers click here to watch on YouTube.

Make a Difference,

Brian

Is the Social Media Revolution the Real Deal?

I'm working with a lot of leaders dealing with change, including figuring out what the #%$*! to do about the never-stand-still world of marketing via "social media."

There are some who are wrestling with figuring out if Facebook and Twitter and YouTube and the Blogosphere are a fad or for real. They're wondering if they have to get into the game or if they wait long enough, "This too shall pass."

It's for real.

Need persuading? Check out this video, and hold onto your hat for four minutes and twenty-two seconds. It's a promo for the book, Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business. Not only does it punch out a potent message, it's a perfect example of what's happening in this new world of persuasive communication.

Email followers click here to view the video on YouTube.

Make a Difference,

Brian

P.S. Thanks to Gerald Haman for sharing this on LinkedIn...

Recommended Reading: Positivity Pays Off...

"The nice thing about being a pessimist is that you are constantly either being proven right or pleasantly surprised." -- George Will

Sorry, George. I'm not swayed toward the dark side.

Most of my favorite people are optimistic and hopeful. I've always believed viewing the world through a positive lens delivers the good stuff in life. It calls it in. I'd rather live waiting for my confident expectations to be fulfilled than to be occasionally lifted out of doom and gloom. And I'd rather surround myself with as many people as possible who feel the same way.

A new book by Barbara Fredrickson, a distinguished professor at the University of North Carolina, is providing research-based evidence that those of us who believe in the power of a positive attitude are not a bunch of misguided do-gooders. She is a pioneer in the study of positive psychology. She and others have been doing the math. When positive thoughts outnumber negative emotions by a ratio of at least 3 to 1, people/teams/organizations flourish.

She identifies 10 forms of positivity:

1. Joy
2. Gratitude
3. Serenity
4. Interest
5. Hope
6. Pride
7. Amusement
8. Inspiration
9. Awe
10. Love

I love this assessment of the book from Harvard professor Daniel Gilbert: "Positivity is literally the feel-good book of the year, providing a scientifically sound prescription for joy, health, and creativity. Read one to two chapters daily as needed or until grumpiness subsides."

The book is Positivity: Groundbreaking Research Reveals How to Embrace the Hidden Strengths of Positive Emotions, Overcome Negativity, and Thrive.

Make a Difference,

Brian

 

Leading the Way Out of this Economic -- and Ethical -- Mess...

I'm looking for any sign I can find that we're in recovery -- not only that the economy is turning around, but that the mindset that led us into this mess is shifting.

I found a good one.

The chief learning officer of a highly admired company was talking about leadership development. He  was describing who and what leaders will need to be to cut a navigable path for others to follow in a future that is certain to be uncertain, convoluted and complex. His anger and disappointment about how out of whack we seem to have gotten as a society match my own...

I'm scratching my head over AIG and all the lookalikes. Bonuses paid out in the millions to people costing the company billions? People undermining the world economy? Oh, right. They're not performance incentives, they're retention bonuses. You wouldn't want people like that to get away.

But this CLO has on his boxing gloves. His dukes are up. He wasn't naming names, but he PowerPointed this quote, attributed to a Wall Street trader, on a 20-foot screen:

"What we are experiencing is a colossal failure of leadership in the business community. CEOs are greedy, shortsighted, unethical, arrogant, and lacking in vision and commitment. It's truly pathetic."

The quote is depressing. But the context is encouraging. This CLO is setting out to make some changes. I think many people, not just the high-profile multi-million-dollar-earning executives, have been swept up by the distorted dream defined by our derivatives debacle -- the idea of spinning gold out of paper. But I believe more and more people are also looking for something better, more hopeful, and more balanced.

I think we are starting to inch our way out of this mess.

Make a Difference,

Brian

Leading Change... Talk Is Cheap -- and Powerful

How does stuff get done in our chaotic world? What fuels meaningful change?

I'm preparing to facilitate a short discussion at a retreat for a Board of Directors on Saturday. My job is to help them surface some thoughts about the work they should be doing to set a visionary course for the organization they lead. The Board president has been known to joke their job is to "save the world"... although he's not really kidding.

For inspiration, I pulled from my bookshelf my dog-eared, Post-It-note flagged, heavily underlined copy of Turning to One Another -- Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future, by Margaret J. Wheatley. 

In explaining why she wrote the book, Wheatley says, "I have... learned that when we begin listening to each other, and when we talk about things that matter to us, the world begins to change."

She credits Juanita Brown, a leader with The World Cafe, with teaching her "that all change, even very large and powerful change, begins when a few people start talking with one another about something they care about. Simple conversations held at kitchen tables, or seated on the ground, or leaning against doorways are powerful means to start influencing and changing our world."

It's that simple. And it's that difficult. I can't wait to hear what's on people's minds.

Make a Difference,

Brian

10 Strategies for Maintaining Commitment in Tough Times...

There are many factors that will influence which organizations come out strong at the other end our current economic turmoil. One of the most important:

• Will the good people stick it out until and when things start to turn around? ("The good people" being those with the skills and the passion to help fulfill an organization's purpose.)

What Difference Do Passion and Purpose Make?

You've seen this: Two people standing side by side, doing essentially the same work, and yet they have extremely different perceptions of the meaning of what they do. A favorite example: One worker sees her job assembling neonatal respirators as "helping to save the lives of premature babies." A colleague at her shoulder considers himself a "tube hooker-upper." There was a time -- in the dark ages of command-and-control management -- when tube hooker-uppers were the ideal employees. They were replaceable, compliant cogs in the machinery. Not anymore. The evidence keeps mounting that employee engagement and commitment pay off (see this Gallup Management Journal article for one persuasive argument).

Organizations need as many lifesavers as they can get, especially now.

None of us can flip the switch for others when it comes to feeling positive or negative about work. But here are some strategies we've found useful with our GrowthWorks clients to help create an environment in which people want to contribute in good times and not-so-good times:

1. Constantly speak to the value of the work your organization does. Meaningful work is a powerful motivator.
2. Involve people early and often in changes that substantially affect their work. In this economy, those kinds of changes are happening daily in some organizations, if not more often.
3. When involving people in decisions and changes, be clear about the level and type of input and involvement you want. Are you brainstorming? Are you looking for feedback about specific plans? And be clear about who is making the final decision so you don't create false expectations.
4. Give people options whenever possible -- in matters big and small.
5. Keep people updated about how you are faring in relation to stated objectives. People want to know the score.
6. Give people control over as much of their own work as possible. Tell them what needs to be done, not how to do it.
7. Create the expectation that complaints should come with solutions. Encourage people to identify problems, but also to suggest how to deal with them.
8. Push as much decision making as close to the people responsible for the work as possible. We all own our personal decisions more than those imposed on us.
9. Delegate as much important work as possible. It helps people learn, grow and feel more a part of the process.
10. Ask for and act upon people's ideas and opinions. You don't have to implement every suggestion, but every suggestion deserves a response, even if it is a "no" and an explanation why.

Make a Difference,

Brian

If you are interested in knowing more about our work in helping leaders and teams implement strategies for change, improvement and innovation, check out our book, Leading Innovation: Creating Workplaces Where People Excel So Organizations Thrive, available on Amazon (or signed by the authors when ordered here).

How to Cut Costs Strategically...

"What are you doing to contain or cut costs to get through 2009?"

I was a blind-copy recipient of this question in an email from a colleague the other day. It came with the promise that answers would be shared anonymously among those of us willing to throw our ideas into the conversation.

I'm tossing out a couple of thoughts. They're based on the experience I've had the last decade working with leaders to create and implement strategies for change, improvement and innovation -- which often has been shaped by the need to hang on for dear life.

I'm also passing along the question -- with hopes I'll hear from you -- to keep the conversation going.

Ideas...

• Involve the people who will be effected by the change -- the cost cutting -- in the meaningful work of figuring out how to do it. Engage people in talking about the circumstances and the options for making things better. Let them influence the decision making. The outcome: they are likely to come up with the same ideas a leader or leadership team may be tempted to invoke unilaterally -- maybe even better ideas -- but they will own them. When they own them they are more likely to help make the ideas work.
• Pay attention to the potential long-term damage being done by short-term solutions. Cost cutting is scary, distracting business. Productivity will suffer in the short term. That can ripple out. And you can be sure people will be worrying about their futures... and planning to finish them elsewhere. can you afford for your "most value resource" to be fantasizing about life without you?
• Think "health reform" not "band aids." No organization can cost cut its way to greatness. Every organization wastes some resources. It always makes sense to be looking for ways to minimize those costs, not just when the economy is bad. Sometimes -- like now -- the only way for some businesses to survive in is to cut to the bare bones and find ways to stretch dollars and people as thin as possible without snapping. But that's not a formula for a vibrant future. The organizations I've seen do this most successfully cut surgically, thinking simultaneously about what it will take to refocus on growth strategies as soon as possible.

The Invitation...

What are you doing to contain or cut costs to get through 2009 -- strategically vs. reflexively? Post a comment or send me an email and maybe we can take this discussion to a new level.

Make a Difference,

Brian