A few weeks ago I began to read Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, “Long Walk to Freedom,” (probably years overdue on my part as it has been in print since 94!) and I was intrigued to see that he recognized and adopted the concept of leading from behind at a very early age. While still learning from the elders in his village he notes, “As a leader, I have always followed the principles I first saw demonstrated by the regent at the Great Place. I have always endeavoured to listen to what each and every person in a discussion had to say before venturing my own opinion. I always remember the regent’s axiom: A leader, he said, is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they were being directed from behind.”

From someone who lives in Canada and has been gripped these past two weeks by the euphoria of the Olympics and the quest for medals, the concept of “Leading from Behind” is somewhat difficult to grasp.Everyone wants to win, and there would seem to be no way to win if you are letting everyone go ahead of you.

Wondering how many people might still consider this a current leadership model worth following, I thought I would do a quick Google search on the phrase “Leading from Behind.” Remarkably, it turned up 154 million hits!! Clearly not a new concept!

This led me to ask the question, “In today’s complex result driven organizations that many of us do our best to lead in, is “Leading from Behind” really a leadership style that can work?” When we consider the classic dimensions of modern day leadership such as inspiration, enablement, character and execution, we must now do so against a backdrop of shifting technology, globalization and changing demographics. The concept of allowing others to go ahead without guidance or direction is almost totally the opposite of everything we have learned about leadership. What if they mess up, and I’m left holding the can? How can people know what to do if I am not going first and leading by example? I’m the one who is supposed to inspire people and create the vision; they can’t just go where they want! I’m in charge. They are supposed to follow me!

However, if we consider the range of abilities that the modern day leader is required to have, we can quickly come to the conclusion that, yes, there are times where leading from behind can be effective. Leading in today’s organizations is a challenging endeavour, and we need to be open to the fact that, as leaders, we need to adopt a wide range of styles and skills, and know when to use which.

Holding back and letting people go before you does not come easily to most leaders. I would suggest you might wish to consider three scenarios where you might try it out and see what results.

1. Leading Innovation.

A leader facilitates innovation by creating an environment in which team members can challenge the status quo, generate new possibilities and embrace change. Innovation rarely is the work of the leader – of a lone genius. It is the result of teams trying out new things. This means letting people go ahead. Let them try out new things, making mistakes and trying until they get it right. It is the result of giving them some freedom to explore and experiment and then recognizing their success when it occurs. People and results flourish and grow far more when there is a sense of achievement of having done something by themselves instead of simply following someone else’s lead. Nobody sets out to work in the morning saying to themselves, “I hope I fail today.” Everyone wants to succeed. If you as the leader can lead from behind by creating a culture of innovation where people can take off in all directions, you might be surprised by what they come back with.

2. Developing High Potentials.

High Potential leaders, simply by what the name suggests, have high potential. Give them the room to use it. Let them know that you have so much confidence in them that you are not going to micro-manage every project you give them. The other key word here is “developing”. If you wish to develop leaders who can move to senior levels in your organization, then you need to allow people the opportunity to execute on their ideas. Once you see the results, then you can step back in front as a leader and coach, and debrief on the outcomes. People will thank you for having confidence in them and rewarding them with the responsibility to perform.

3. Customer Service.

Although there is no question that, at most times, Customer Service needs direction and leadership from the front, there are also times where leading from behind can be equally effective. Take for example the concept of allowing employees the space to think for themselves when dealing with customers and even empowering them with the authority to make decisions without having to seek confirmation from you. Two companies, at opposite ends of the corporate spectrum, Ritz Carlton - one of the leading luxury hotels in the world, and Zappos - the online shoe retailer, are both highly regarded in terms of the levels of customer service that they provide. Both allow employees a high level of freedom to lead by themselves. The Ritz Carlton allows employees to make customer service decisions without having to seek authority from anyone else up to a limit of $5,000. Zappos gives their employees similar freedom. Take for example a recent story I read about the shoe retailer. A customer called in asking if she could return the shoes that had been delivered for her husband. He had passed away suddenly and hadn’t worn the shoes yet. How would the folks who you lead respond? This customer service rep not only arranged for the shoes to be picked up and issued a full refund, she also arranged for a bouquet of flowers to be delivered to the customer in sympathy for her loss.

Modern day leadership demands that we display a whole array of different skills, competencies and abilities. Leading from behind is just one of those that you might like to consider and not discount too quickly. As Mandela suggests, try listening to what everyone else has to say before venturing your own opinion and you might just be surprised by the results.

Bryn Meredith is Vice President of Client Services at Bluepoint. He can be reached by email.

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The Leader Within Workshop is an intense, one-day training experience designed to provide a solid foundation for those seeking to significantly accelerate their development as leaders. Rather than simply studying the practices and approaches of successful leaders, this workshop takes participants on a deeper journey into their inner world where they will learn to tap the enormous power of their emotions and moods. Through the course of the day, they will discover how Leadership Emotional Intelligence is the primary determinant of a leader’s ability to effectively influence others. They will learn to recognize their own emotions in a wide variety of interpersonal circumstances, respond to these emotions in ways that enhance their leadership, become aware of the emotions of others, and be a positive, energizing force within their organization.

While very useful and practical for managers at all levels, The Leader Within Workshop will be of particular interest to those whose leadership responsibilities and scope will increase considerably in the next few years. The personal knowledge gained as well as the hands-on experimentation with advanced interpersonal approaches provides the participants with a rock-solid base for all other developmental initiatives. Simply put: Participants will know themselves better, manage themselves better, connect with others better and influence others better as a result of this workshop.

The LEQ/360 will provide you with feedback on how you are viewed in the following four dimensions:

• Personal Awareness
• Self Mastery
• Leadership Connections
• Influencing Others

You can access your complimentary report by going to: http://info.bluepointleadership.com/complimentary-leadership-emotional-intelligence-assessment

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Lately I have found myself having a similar conversation with a number of clients. The conversation begins with my client stating they want to increase their visibility within their organization and better position themselves to work at a more senior, strategic level. They want to be noticed and earmarked for succession by supervisors; to be seen as a thought leader by peers; and, ultimately, to position themselves as someone ready to participate in the larger decisions facing the company.

What is surprising to me is that these are the same people who will either completely fail to show for one of our scheduled sessions, send an email stating they need to reschedule at a minute’s notice, or arrive late and unprepared for our time together, and then fail to apologize for their lack of professionalism.

I often find that the way a client manages their time with me is indicative of how they manage themselves with others. Therefore, some of the behavior I experience is serious cause for concern. If my client is unable to successfully arrive at our meeting – on time, prepared, and having followed through on the commitments they made at our last meeting – it is almost guaranteed that they engage in this (poor) behavior with others. How then are they to be seen as the kind of person and professional ready for more responsibility? Perhaps they are unaware of how some of their behavior is negatively impacting their professional advancement.

It seems that professionals today have forgotten what it means to be professional. We have allowed each other to become lazy, as what was once considered to be rude behavior has slowly become acceptable. Consider the following:

• • When you are meeting with another, do you respond to emails and/or answer your phone?
• • How frequently do you arrive late to a meeting and/or allow a meeting to run over the allotted time without re-negotiating this with the many others it will impact?
• • How often do you cancel or reschedule meetings?
• • What tone of voice do you use when you answer your phone? (In my experience, many will use a tone that would indicate I am interrupting or bothering them, when the fact is they chose to answer their phone. Some will even use this tone of voice when they have specifically asked me to call.)

I am frequently appalled by the behavior I witness from otherwise talented, educated, senior professionals. I once left a message for a very senior colleague but never received a return call. When I next ran into the colleague I inquired whether or not he had received my voice message. He had. When I asked why he never responded, he told me, “Oh, I don’t return phone calls.” What?! The irony is that this person had just purchased and was holding a copy of Daniel Goleman’s book “Social Intelligence”. I thought to myself, forget about reading the book, just focus on having the basic human decency of returning another person’s phone call.

From over 25 years of research there is one behavior that is seen to be more important than any other behavior for leaders to exhibit. This behavior is “treats others with dignity and respect.” If we fail to get this right, it almost does not matter what else we do. It is that important. One of the simplest ways to demonstrate respect is to show up on time, come prepared, and keep meetings to their allotted time. When we do this, we show others that we regard their time as valuable as our own. Another way to demonstrate respect is to listen, something that is difficult to do we when allow interruptions from our Blackberry or iPhone. Regardless of culture, one of the easiest ways to demonstrate disrespect (whether we intend to or not) is to interrupt another.

I have worked with experienced, highly successful C-level executives and those new to management entirely. What I can tell you is that the more senior and successful the leader, the better the listener, and the more respectful, professional and gracious the person.

I am embarrassed to have to spend so much time coaching senior professionals on basic issues such as time management, the importance of treating others with dignity and respect, and reminding them that everything – EVERYTHING – they do matters. As a result, I am going to write one article on the topic and hope that by doing so we can move on to more important and necessary leadership conversations.

In his book, How: Why How We Do Anything Means Everything…in Business, Dov Seidman coins the term “out-behaving the competition” and states that those organizations/leaders who are able to bring professionalism back into our daily interactions will prevail in today’s marketplace. Treating others with the utmost respect is not a nice-to-do, it is business critical and, potentially, your competitive advantage.

Try This: From now on, treat every person you interact with as you would your most important client. Perhaps one day they will be just that …

Susanne Biro is a senior leadership coach with Bluepoint Leadership Development and co-author of Unleashed! Expecting Greatness and Other Secrets of Coaching for Exceptional Performance. She can be reached at susannebiro@bluepointleadership.com

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One of the things I love about my job is that I get a unique window of insight into why leadership development does, or does not, occur in organizations. Like a corporate anthropologist, I seek insights into how some organizations achieve a world class reputation for leadership development whilst others struggle to launch a single workshop. When it comes to leadership development in your organization, how will you ensure you are placing your bets on the right strategy, talent and solutions?

Broadly speaking the phone rings for leadership development because clients are: a) Proactive – they want to proactively develop leaders that will propel their organization to a new level; b) Reactive - things have gotten so bad that leadership development is a last ditch attempt to get things back on track; or c) Tactical - there is a specific business, team, or operational need that leadership development can address.

Most of us are happy to put 2009 behind us with the hope that 2010 will be a much better year. Hope, however, is not a strategy. The best business leaders know that the downturn will end, and while they may be up to their eyeballs managing the present, they know they need to create a compelling picture of a better tomorrow for those they lead. Executive recruitment firm hrQ is seeing a shift in 2010 away from downsizing and re-org’ing. Katie Kaiser, Managing Director of hrQ in San Francisco, says “most conversations we are having with our clients are focused on talent upgrades, training and development, and employee retention. The tone is optimistic proactivity.”

It should be no surprise that the best companies for leadership development are hard wired with optimism and are highly proactive. They focus their leadership development efforts where they are going to get best results – the right people working on the right projects. The Human Capital Institute’s 2007 White Paper ‘Accelerating the Performance of High Potential Leaders’ claims that “the top 10% of high performing leadership talent accounts for nearly two times the profit over the middle 80%.” High performers get things done and deliver a business result. In a down economy it is the force of leadership energy from high performers that is going be a major catalyst to get out of the rut. If I were a betting man, or a Leadership Development Director, this is where I would proactively invest my leadership development dollars: your key talent, working on high leverage projects.

When most companies were dialing back leadership development, trailblazers like GE and Cisco maintained or increased their emphasis on the high potential / high performer population. GE ranked # 1 on Fortune Magazine’s ‘World’s Most Admired Companies’ list six times in the last ten years. CEO Jeff Immelt says “when times are easy, leadership can be taken for granted. When the world is turbulent, you appreciate great people.” Immelt personally leads part of the Executive Development Course (EDC) at GE and tasks teams of participants to travel the world benchmarking and working on high leverage business initiatives. For example, a team went to Africa to aggressively open up new market opportunities (see video case study). Other EDC teams conducted benchmark tours to well-known organizations such as Stanford, Disney and NASA.

Cisco’s Center for Collaborative Leadership, led by Annmarie Neal, VP, is blowing conventional leadership development out of the water. The flagship development vehicle is their Action Learning Forum (ALF). In each ALF, sixty senior leaders participate in a 50% executive development and 50% action learning forum. Over the 16 week course of the forum, teams are vying for internal project funding, with one project receiving funding. Since launching in 2006, each ALF project has generated over $1B in value to Cisco. Neal says that the goal is to deliver $25B in value added over the next five years. Again, if I were a betting man, or a Leadership Development Director, this is where I would place my bet.

Some of the key common threads between GE and Cisco approaches include:
- leadership development is positioned as a competitive enabler
- they develop their leadership brand as a great place to be for leaders
- there is a very clear business outcome / value add expectation
- they invest the time and the money
- the business projects are ‘disruptive’ and aim to fundamentally alter or create markets.

GE and Cisco are great examples of ‘best in class’ leadership development, and we can certainly learn from them. My ‘corporate anthropology’ research visits with both of these organizations in 2009 gave me inspiration and fuel to aim for great things.

The disappointing thing reflecting on last year is that so many organizations stopped leadership development in its tracks due to the economic conditions. The transition from 2009 to 2010 in itself is a catalyst. It allows us to look back at what we might do differently and harness the energy for change. The first five weeks of 2010 show a lot of pent up demand for leadership development. It is not just that initiatives were put on hold for financial reasons in 2009, organizations know that leadership is the key to economic recovery and they are putting energy and action behind it. Boyd Clarke, the former CEO of Bluepoint, used to say “Leaders light fires and make maps.” Now is the time to put Boyd’s words into action and ignite the passion that will accelerate us out of the downturn doldrums. What fires will you light in 2010?

David Parks is Vice President of Business Development at Bluepoint. He can be reached via email at davidparks@bluepointleadership.com or by phone at 415-383-7500.

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There is a well known story that goes something like this……. Dan was coming to the end of a long overseas business trip that had seen him visit a number of different cities and countries. He was looking for a gift to take home for his young son and came across a rather unique puzzle that had a map of the world on the front side with the option to have your own picture printed on the back. As he had his family photo with him, this was perfect. He felt this would be a fun gift that would give his son some fun putting the puzzle together while at the same time show him where he had travelled.

When he got home he gave his son the gift, but since his son was quite young he said, “Son, let me help you put the puzzle together first to show you what the world looks like and then you can try.” To his surprise the world puzzle was far more difficult than he thought because all the pieces, especially the seas and the skies, looked the same. Eventually he gave up and said, “Son, why don’t you have a go at it yourself. “

His son took a few minutes to think about it and decided to turn the pieces over and complete the family photo picture instead. In no time at all he had the whole puzzle put together. He turned it back over to show the whole world and took it back to show his dad and innocently said, “See, Dad, if you take care of all the people, the world will take care of itself!”

As a leader in your organization, is your puzzle complete? Are you taking care of your people? Hopefully the answer is yes; but even so, we should not lose sight of the fact that it is easy to lose some pieces from time to time. We need to constantly be aware of our own performance as leaders and give attention to those really critical core competencies that make a difference every day.
Much has been written about leadership competencies, and some models can be very complex. The reality for most of us, however, is that good leadership comes down to a small set of behaviors that we need to practice and get better at until they become habits and part of who we are. This core group of leadership skills may vary slightly in different roles or circumstances, but typically the following three, when done well, will help you facilitate “the world taking care of itself.”

They are:
1. Vision
2. Engagement
3. Alignment

Vision: Consider this. If you were to paint a picture of what your organization looks like today on the front of a puzzle, what would it look like? Can you see it perfectly? Is it a simple picture? Is it clear? Who is in it and where do they fit? Are the faces happy or sad? Who’s leading, who’s following and who is hiding? Is there a lot of activity, or do some sections of the puzzle look tired and dated?

Now ask yourself this question. Can you visualize what you want the puzzle picture to look like twelve months from now? What will have changed? How will it be different? Which faces will no longer be there? Will it include some new products, some new buildings, some new places, some new faces? If the four corners of the puzzle represent your executive team, will they still be the same? If not, are the faces that will replace them already prominent in your current puzzle?

And here is the really critical question to ask. What if you took your jigsaw puzzle of the future, and gave just the pieces (no picture) to your employees, could they put it together? Do they have any idea what it is supposed to look like? Will they see the same picture as you? One of the qualities of a great leader is that they are able to paint a picture of a better tomorrow for all of their employees. You are the person they look to for vision and inspiration, and, therefore, the real question becomes not only can you visualize what the puzzle will look like, but have you communicated it effectively so that all your employees share the same vision?

Engagement: Consider this. If you had to rate yourself on a scale from one to ten on how well you engage the people you lead every day, how would you rate? We encourage you to start by asking yourself these two simple questions:

• Do all your people know where they fit in the puzzle?
• Do they feel valued to the point where they know the puzzle is not complete without them?

Most puzzles have some clearly defined pieces and faces. It is easy for some people to see where they fit. Perhaps one of those people is you! But what about those pieces that, in the most complex puzzles, all look the same? It is easy in large organizations for people to get lost, to feel insignificant. They are not one of the four corners that make up the executive team; they are not one of the side pieces that form the management structure. They are one of the many similar pieces that form the blue sky or the aqua ocean or the green grass.

If you are looking for high levels of engagement throughout your organization, it is your role as a leader to make sure that all your people know where they fit, and not only where they fit but that their piece has value. People will rarely take on a new position intending to be disengaged, but can become so over time if they feel their contribution doesn’t really count for much. It is your leadership responsibility to make sure that the picture is not complete without every piece.

Alignment: The final question to ask yourself is this: If people know where they fit, do they also know to whom they connect? Who are the people around them with whom they need to link? The majority of puzzle pieces have four other pieces with which they have to fit. And not just kind of fit or sort of fit, they need to fit perfectly. If they are not willing or able to fit with these four pieces, then they are not in the picture and it is not complete.

If your organization is aligned, your people will know who to connect to, who they rely on and who relies on them. They will know that it is vital that they are all working together to complete the big picture.
As leaders it’s our responsibility, just like in the opening story, to take care of the people. We have to paint a compelling vision of our organization – one that is easily recognizable for the folks whom we lead – even without the picture on the puzzle box! In addition, it’s critical that they understand what piece they represent in the puzzle – and that the puzzle is incomplete without them. Lastly, if individuals know where the organization is going and how they fit in, they are better able to understand with whom they can connect to carry out the vision of the organization.

“There are no extra pieces in the universe. Everyone is here because he or she has a place to fill, and every piece must fit itself into the big jigsaw puzzle.” Deepak Chopra

Bryn Meredith is Vice President of Client Services at Bluepoint Leadership Development. He welcomes your comments and can be reached by email.

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I am not an economist by any stretch but Pareto was, so I’ll rely on an interpretation of his 80/20 principal to state my case:

Eighty percent of leadership development professionals in 2009 tell a consistent story of budget cuts, axed programs, initiatives on hold, and a general state of waiting for the economy to recover.

The other twenty percent tell a quite different story. Theirs is much more ‘leader-like’ as they confront the real challenges of the economic downturn such as the aftermath of layoffs, doing more with less and maintaining morale. Their view of the crisis offers more optimism. Many see it as an opportunity for change, the burning platform needed to recalibrate and reset their businesses. Waiting for the troughs of the economic cycle to recover is definitely not their strategy. They see themselves positioned in the best possible way to lead and drive recovery. After all, isn’t that what leadership development professionals are supposed to do?

In the extensive media coverage afforded the global economic crisis, precious little attention has been paid attention to the implications for organizational leadership. I believe that now, more than ever, is the time for leadership development to show what it can do. Here are three points to consider for leadership development that will help claw us out of the crisis:

1. Leadership Development Needs To Lead

Is leadership development in your organization ‘stepping up’ or ‘stepping back’ from the challenge?

Lack of leadership is in large part what created this downturn, and leadership is what is going to pull us out of it. Talk about a time where there is clarity of purpose – nothing focuses the mind quite like the prospect of extinction from this world. This is what will happen to leadership development functions that don’t step up and lead. Organizations need leaders they trust, they need a sense of hope, and they need vision beyond the current crisis. With layoffs, employees left behind are being asked to work harder with fewer financial incentives. Rebuilding trust, communicating priorities, ‘gluing’ the organization back together and building the capabilities to lead are key.

Bold leadership from the leadership development function is what’s needed in this challenging time. It is not the time to sit on the sideline. This is the burning platform for leadership development to lead change as never before.

2. Looking For Leverage

Axing programs, reducing headcount, firing vendors and dialing back activity are all ways to make an immediate impact. Taking out a hundred headcount, for example, has immediate effect on financials. Executives can lay claim to making the tough call and taking dramatic action. This is never just cutting costs though; it is making a decision that something or someone is no longer strategically relevant. Reducing costs with an axe, not a scalpel, or without an eye to strategy, can do great harm to organizations.

In this downturn we have witnessed some fairly simple and strategic plays to ensure that the right overheads are trimmed and that investment leveraged. One client launched a ‘Vendor Optimization Initiative’ where all learning and development vendors were reassessed in terms of the value and relevance of their offerings. This resulted in an overall cost reduction of 20% savings and improved levels of service. Another reduced their 4-day high potential program to 3-days, moved it back on site to save on hotel and venue costs and started using internal trainers. Smart strategic steps such as these ensure a continued investment in the capabilities that you need most and that will provide most leverage.

3. Leading For The Long Term

One of the biggest challenges in the leadership development marketplace is that there are so many approaches, philosophies, models and ‘flavor of the month’ offerings. In better economic times many organizations tried a bit of everything to see what would stick. In his blog Great Leadership By Dan, Dan McCarthy says this more forcefully - “There are a lot of incompetent HR and Training departments all too willing to buy and promote this stuff and other bad ideas.”

The downturn has certainly weeded out the silly stuff, and we have witnessed a move by some (this would be the 20% referenced in the first paragraph) to adopt a more strategic and longer term approach to leadership development. These initiatives are not a “7 Point Plan To Better Leadership” kind of approach. Rather, they draw a very intentional connection between Individual and Organizational goals. Accountability features strongly both during and after the programs. These programs are usually branded and customized to the client company telegraphing a different kind of ownership of the program and not a fleeting experiment with a ‘program du jour.’ Leadership development is not a rental solution, you have to own it.

So back to the original big question in the title – are you leading or waiting for recovery? With less than 60 days left in 2009, don’t wait until 2010 to make your New Year’s resolution. Get out in front now and lead, create leverage like never before, and commit for the long term.

David Parks is Vice President of Business Development. He can be reached at davidparks@bluepointleadership.com or (415) 383-7500.

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Stanley Kubrick once said, “If you can talk brilliantly about a problem, you can create the consoling illusion that it has been mastered.” As Kubrick suggests, knowing what to do and actually doing it are two very different things.

I doubt that many of us need additional information about how to be a more effective leader, as much as we need to find a way to consistently apply what it is we already know. We may attend a valuable workshop, class or industry conference, and yet most of us will continue to do Monday morning what we did the previous Friday afternoon. Why? Largely, because it has worked well; it has led to our current level of success. However, as the title to Marshall Goldsmith’s latest book warns, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.

In order to benefit from such education, training or networking opportunities, we must do something different. If this sounds obvious, it is. However, in the real world, common sense is quite uncommon, and the scenario that too frequently plays out is as follows:  We attend an event and obtain valuable information, insights and contacts. We leave excited, determined to apply that information and reach out to our new network. However, by the time we get back to the office, we are quickly inundated with demands and, despite our very best of intentions to do differently, we revert to status quo.  It is not that we don’t know what to do, but rather, we lack the discipline and motivation to consistently apply that knowledge.

Let me ask you this: Do you need someone else to tell you what is most important for you to do? Not likely. My guess is that you already know, but perhaps because you are not fond of the answer you hear when you ask yourself the question. You do what you have always done or, worse, you do what is easy. Oh, the many ways we lie to ourselves …

The great analogy is diet and exercise. Do you really need more information about how to live a healthy life? Not likely. It is all pretty basic isn’t it? Eat well, don’t smoke, limit alcohol, reduce stress, and get a decent amount of sleep. Knowing this isn’t the issue. Now, try applying that knowledge consistently. To continue the analogy, many of us will start reading a diet book, buy (another) gym membership, or hire a personal trainer and tell ourselves we are taking the necessary actions. Although all appear to be steps in the direction of living a healthy life, none alone will get us the results we are seeking (i.e. a slimmer, healthier body). No book or trainer can do our sit-ups for us. The same is true in leadership. It is not enough to know what to do - you actually have to do it. And, more often than not, leadership will require you to do what is most difficult in each moment. So, if you were waiting for it to feel good, you are going to be waiting a long time. In my experience, most of leadership feels awful.

“You will certainly stumble. Failure will stalk you like a predator. The toughest problems will be yours alone. You must take responsibility for the failures and give credit for the successes. Lose the fantasy that you will be cherished, immortalized and revered. Expect long hours and few moments of gratitude.” – The Leader’s Voice by Clarke & Crossland

The truth is we often know we need to do something far in advance of us actually doing it. I can’t tell you how frequently, in the midst of a conversation regarding a client’s struggle with a direct report, I have interrupted to ask, “Do you think this individual is ever going to get it?” And, without missing a beat, my client responds, “No.” My next question, “How long ago did you know this?” The answer is frequently six months to a year. My client and I then spend the next hour discussing how they could have listened to themselves earlier, applied their knowledge, and saved the organization time and money (not to mention, avoided the disappointment and frustration they were now experiencing).

Coaching is a growing profession because it is about the application of knowledge. There is no way to end a conversation with an experienced coach and not walk away changed. An effective coach will hold up a mirror so clearly that a leader will no longer be able to operate at the level they have been operating. They will become wise to themselves, and that bell can no longer be un-rung. The coaching process demands that leaders more fully listen to themselves, trust themselves, and perhaps most importantly, act on their knowledge.

Consider This:
What is the single most important thing you need to do this week for you as a person? What is the single most important thing you need to do this week as a professional to advance the business? What will ensure you do both?

Susanne Biro is the Director of Leadership Coaching and co-author of Unleashed! Expecting Greatness and Other Secrets of Coaching for Exceptional Performance. She can be reached at susannebiro@bluepointleadership.com

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You’ve done all the right things. You’ve provided crystal clear direction to your organization, rewarded courageous risk-taking, encouraged innovation, honored diversity, demanded personal accountability, put the customer first…but it all just went to hell in a hand basket. Your market just went south, a major product failed or your biggest customer went under. Your numbers are in the tank, your best people are leaving and you no longer know whom to trust on your management team. It’s 6:00 a.m. on a Saturday and you’re at the office because sleep is pretty scarce these days. You find yourself breaking into a near-homicidal rage every time some well-meaning consultant who has never managed a Kool-Aid stand tells you to “envision a positive future”, “play to your strengths,” and “enlist everyone in a positive change effort.”  For the first time in a long time, you are really afraid. You’re deep into your career and you just can’t take a hit this big right now. Hire some great new people? Craft a new sales strategy? Cut your losses and leave now? This is clearly the lowest point of your career.

There is hope.  There is light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s a very tough journey. Other leaders have done it, but for most, it has been the most arduous undertaking of their career. There are no guarantees, but it’s your best hope. Are you up for it?

Here are the three simple(?) things you absolutely need to do:

Make the Personal Sacrifice:  Unfortunately for you, I’m not talking about working harder, spending more time away from your family or taking a pay cut. I’m talking about sacrificing your ego. Ask a despised competitor to partner with you. Ask (beg) the star to return to the fold. Approach your father-in-law’s company for financing. Fire your friends. Promote someone because you know she is the best person for the job. If I were your leadership coach, here is what I would ask you to do:  List the five actions that will be the most difficult for you. Recognize how much pain these actions will cause you. Do them anyway.

Ask for Forgiveness:  Yes, it was your fault. Maybe not all of it, but some of it. I know that you didn’t create the credit crisis, write the faulty code or make the customer fail, but this is your business and you are ultimately responsible for its health and the welfare of all who depend upon it. Tell your organization that you are sorry. Ask for forgiveness. Ask for another chance. You will be amazed at the power of forgiveness.

Let It Go and Move On:  Stop wasting your time expecting the past to return. Your current strategy of desperately treading water until the market comes to its senses and sweeps you back to success is deeply flawed. I have bad news for you…yesterday is gone forever. A leader’s job is to invite people to join in the pursuit of a tomorrow that is better than today. Let the old story go. Find a new story. Make the new story come alive for your organization.

There is a brave new world out there. As a leader, it is your job to take us there!

Gregg Thompson is the President of Bluepoint Leadership Development and can be reached at (513) 289-0141 or greggthompson@bluepointleadership.com. He would be thrilled to discuss any and all aspects of leadership with you. Please feel free to contact him.

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Leadership is at the core of all important human endeavors whether commercial or social, political or humanitarian, scientific or artistic. And it is a role that should not be stepped into lightly. People will count on you. Organizations will put their very existence in your hands. Your efforts will create the products and services that will be the lifeblood of the organization in the marketplace. You will create the jobs, teams and organizations in which people will build their careers. Families will count on the wealth that you help create. Countless lives will be touched by your work. Leadership is that important.

Leadership is also a most challenging endeavor. Today’s organizations are excruciatingly complex, diverse and ever-changing. When we consider the classic goals of leadership such as alignment, engagement, productivity and innovation, we must now do so against a backdrop of shifting technology, pervasive globalization, and previously unfathomable economic change. Never has high quality leadership been more needed and, unfortunately, never has it been in shorter supply.

Am I capable? Can I make a difference? These are the questions we ask ourselves when confronted with the daunting challenge of leadership. The good news is that we are indeed capable and we can make a difference. Humans are naturally wired to lead. We live out our lives on roads shared with others. We are drawn to community, whether corporate, social or family, and we seek a tomorrow that is better than today. Inviting others to join in the pursuit of a better tomorrow is at the heart of the human experience. Unfortunately, many of us only use a very small portion of our leadership capability, choosing instead to covet the lives of those courageous men and women who step to the front of the line with little more than ambition in their eyes, fear in their hearts, and a blurry roadmap in their hands. These are the all-too-rare individuals who have discovered the power to lead.

So what really is the “Power to Lead”? Paradoxically, it is a power that both sets you apart from others and draws you to them. This is not power over others but rather the power to inspire, engage and serve others. This is the power to make a real difference in a team, an organization, a community and even the world.

What is the source of this power? It comes from deep within each of us and is really ours to claim or deny. Becoming a leader is an often arduous inner journey that starts with having the courage and willingness to explore the many facets of our true self.

A good way to understand this process is through the metaphor of the enduring art of oil painting. When we view a great painting, we may be tempted to see it as the product of an orderly process that moves linearly from inspiration through to framing. This is rarely the case. Painting is a much more complex endeavor. To create a masterpiece, the artist needs to prepare the canvas well, assemble oils with just the right pigments, and move the oils about on the canvas until that moment when a complete painting is formed. So it is with leadership.

Just as an artist begins a great painting with a well-primed surface, it is necessary to prepare your own leadership canvas. The artist creates a solid frame, the material is stretched taut, all waste is trimmed and a primer prepares the surface. The bigger and better the canvas is, the greater the potential for a wonderful work of art. Think about your canvas as a unique piece of material woven from those elements that make you unique. What are your most important values and aspirations? How can your passions fuel your leadership? How does your personality lend itself to influencing others? What motivations shape your approach to people and organizations?

Great artists are known to fill their palettes with a wide array of pigments so that they can readily create the perfect color that captures the otherwise indescribable image that is in their minds. What are the contents of your palette? What are your natural strengths and talents? How do your emotions fuel your behavior? What personal traits give you an edge? What choices are within your domain? How do you best relate to and connect with others?

Oil paint remains wet longer than many other types of artists’ materials, enabling the artist to change the color, texture or form of the image at any time. Rarely does the artist leave the paint exactly as first applied. The masterpiece is created by moving the paint already on the canvas, blending it with other colors and changing the texture. Art conservators do not consider an oil painting completely dry for many years. So it is with leadership. Crafting your leadership masterpiece is a dynamic process that will last for your entire career.

Do you want the power to lead? See yourself as a work of art!

This article is excerpted from The Power to Lead: Lessons in Creating Your Unique Masterpiece by Gregg Thompson and Bruna Martinuzzi. Gregg Thompson is the President of Bluepoint Leadership Development and can be reached at greggthompson@bluepointleadership.com. Bruna Martinuzzi is a Senior Facilitator and Consultant for Bluepoint Leadership Development and can be reached at brunamartinuzzi@bluepointleadership.com

Have you ever noticed that all of the great teams are a bit odd? Sure they have more than their share of the classic textbook characteristics for which high performing teams are known (mutual goals, good conflict resolution, effective communication, appreciation of diversity, respect for members), but if you take a long hard look, you’ll find them to be quite different at their cores. From the slightly offbeat, to the solidly peculiar, to the downright eccentric, these teams are astonishingly unique. And this uniqueness is the secret to their success. The team members see themselves as distinct, unlike all others, and spend most of their efforts trying to prove this to be true. They may not label this distinctiveness as their “team brand”, but everything they do is directed at measuring up to the qualities of this brand.

I know a team that can take a paper clip and a roll of duct tape and create a new neurosurgical instrument. I know a team that can flawlessly orchestrate anything from rock concerts to space flights. I know a team that can touch the hearts of first graders and seasoned executives with their teachings. I don’t know if any of these teams actually are exceptionally gifted innovators, organizers or teachers, but that is quite immaterial. What matters is that they believe they are! They are living their brand. Their collective power comes from their brand.

And behind every great team brand is an ambitious leader. Not necessarily personally ambitious, but ambitious for the team – a leader who truly believes that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. A leader who has faith in the team. A leader who sees a better tomorrow than today.
So how can you, in your role as a team leader, craft and instill a powerful team brand that will really make a difference?

1. Find it. Whether it comes from the CEO’s vision, a group consensus or a fortune cookie, you need to identify and lay claim to a challenging and exciting brand in which team members will believe. It can’t be pedestrian; it needs to be big and bold. If you, the leader, can live this brand on your own, it’s way too small.

2. Name it. Articulate the brand and make it real for the team. Tell stories, create lore, scare the willies out of people. Laugh, cry and bleed the brand. Create logos, make proclamations, award degrees. Talk about deeper meaning, profound contributions and personal legacy. Make it personal for every team member…tell them that the brand is better because of them.

3. Live it. You may have introduced a novel and compelling brand, but it only comes alive when you make a personal promise to every team member that the brand is your raison d’être and that, from this moment on, it is more important than any one member, especially you. Insist that all plans, actions and rewards (read money) emanate directly from the brand. Become a weirdo and a zealot. Get a tattoo.

A final word to team members: If you are on a team that is a bit different (read “weird and wonderful”) but produces extraordinary results, I would encourage you to take a moment today to thank your leader. You are likely unaware of the scores of organizational slings and arrows he or she takes so that you can continue to do such cool work.

Jim Boneau is a Director and Master Facilitator at Bluepoint Leadership Development. He can be reached by email.
Gregg Thompson is the President of Bluepoint Leadership Development. Email Gregg. They both welcome your comments.