November 2012
Leadership Lessons ezine by Mark Sanborn
Leadership Can Be Done by Anyone
Shakespeare famously wrote in Twelfth Night, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” People often apply that quote to leadership, but only part of it applies. Leadership is something anyone can do (and leadership is something you do), but it must be learned and achieved. True leaders are not born (but I won’t argue against a genetic predisposition), nor can leadership be “thrust” or conferred upon them with titles, positions, or promotions.
Leadership isn’t always about greatness in the sense of power, fame, and fortune. It is always about greatness in words, actions and results, large and small, that improves our organizations and communities that make the lives and work of those around us a little better.
Leadership is an Inside Out Job
Doing leadership flows from our beliefs and the choices we make, not titles, status or position. Certainly who we are determines what we do, but ultimately leadership is proven by our actions.
So much of leadership is described in terms of traits or abilities. But from a practical standpoint, what do leaders actually do? And more importantly, what can you do if you aspire to lead or lead with greater impact? That is what this series is about.
To begin the leader’s journey, you first need to lead the only person you are truly in charge of: yourself. As I wrote in You Don’t Need a Title to be a Leader, self-mastery, (leading the self), is the first principle in achieving leadership. Leonardo da Vinci said, “There is no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself.” Taking charge of your own life is the just the beginning, but it’s arguably the most important step towards becoming a leader.
Know these things:
To grow more, know more. Active learning fuels all leadership growth. Begin your leadership journey by focusing on these three areas:
Know yourself. Self-examination is harder than it seems. Focus on what you can control. Assess what’s important and what matters. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Follow through on your goals and priorities. Knowing and mastering yourself is the first step toward leadership. How you deal with yourself is fundamental to how you will deal with others.
Charlotte Beers, who was CEO of the ad agency Ogilvy and Mather, offers advice for would-be leaders: “Keep your own scorecard, and it has to include the good the bad and the ugly.” She continues, “What matters is what you’re made of and what you believe and how well you can express that …you need to draw on resources that are internal and your personal belief system.” Beers’ grounded approach led her from a position as a market researcher at Uncle Ben’s to being the first female CEO on Madison Avenue and eventually a stint as an under secretary in the State Department.
Know how others know you. How do you come across to others? Terri Ludwig heads Enterprise Community Partners after a successful career on Wall Street. She says her growth as a leader has stemmed from increased self-awareness, “I think I’m more self aware [now]… you become aware that you telegraph things that you may not intentionally telegraph. So you make sure that you’re really telegraphing the information that you want, and it’s important to make sure you’re keeping that energy really positive.”
Know what is important. Do you take the time to reflect on your priorities and goals? Wendy Kopp, the founder and CEO of Teach for America says it’s essential. “The best time-management thing I do is reflect an hour a week on the overall strategic plan for myself — what do I need to do to move my priorities forward? And then there are the 10 minutes a day that I spend thinking about, ‘O.K., so based on the priorities for the week, how am I going to prioritize my day tomorrow?’ I don’t know how I could do what I do without spending that time.”
Do these things:
The examples of these successful leaders show how leadership originates within. True knowledge is the foundation of leadership, and that includes self-examination, self-awareness, and reflection. They create the kind of internal content you need to be a leader. By engaging in a few intentional activities you can begin to build the character and self-mastery that achieves leadership:
Find your meaning –What’s really important to you? What are your values, interests, and passions? What opportunities do you have to pursue them everyday? How can you make meaning while making money? How can you make meaning and add value for others? Write down the answers to these questions and revisit and revise them as you grow as a person and leader.
Get serious about thinking – Make time to reflect. Do it right now and everyday. Ask the big questions and the small ones. Remember, the subject is you, not everybody else. Review your life and objectives. Revise your priorities. Grade your performance. Set new goals. In addition to a few minutes of daily reflection, set aside some longer times periodically for more thorough examinations.
Self-motivate – Motivation is why we do what we do. Remind yourself of why you do what you do. Keep your eyes on the prize. Stay focused on your goals. Keep yourself aware of the impact your actions and decisions have on those around you. Maintain the standard you have set for yourself. Keep the promises you’ve made to yourself.
Enjoy the pursuit – We are happiest when we are in pursuit of our goals, even happier than when achieve them. Enjoy the pursuit of happiness. Find opportunity in obstacles. Practice gratitude, recognizing and appreciating the gifts you’ve been given. Gratitude and happiness are essential to self-mastery.
Be your own boss, in the truest sense of the words, not necessarily as self-employed but always as self-lead. Master the trajectory of your own life first, and your leadership will be authentic and true.
To truly lead and make a difference in the world, you must start by leading yourself.
By Mark Sanborn
Drive to Completion: Going from Intentions to Results
Visit any home improvement store on a Saturday morning, and you will see the beginning of hundreds of projects. People gather supplies, get instruction, and consult with professionals to get their game plans in order. Week after week the same scenario plays out. Based on sales, it would appear that these weekend warriors will soon beautify and improve the entire planet.
But reality and results tell another story entirely. A quick look through the garages and basements of many of these great starters would likely reveal the truth about completion: the final ten percent, for many people, is virtually uncharted territory – meaning they never get there.
Carry the accumulation of half-demolished foyers, clogged caulk guns, and piles of debris into the business world, and it’s no different.
The pattern for success in business is to recognize an unsatisfied need, innovate to find and provide a solution, then to expand and repeat the process. Somewhere between innovation and delivery, we find the no-man’s zone known as completion.
I once employed someone who proved to be an excellent initiator but a terrible finisher. She would start a task but get hung up once she encountered an obstacle. When asked why she didn’t get the job done, she blamed someone for not getting back to her or a situation she’d encountered. In short, she didn’t understand how to drive to completion.
What makes completion such a challenge?
Completion forces us to step forward.
For many people, the thought of completing a goal is unsettling – even when the task at hand is unpleasant. Maybe it’s the sense of the ‘known evil’ being preferable to the unknown one. No matter how ornery a project has become, at least it’s a pain in the neck that is familiar. We know that upon completion, we must choose again. We question whether we’ve got the goods needed to accomplish the next challenge.
Completion forces us to step up.
Concluding the current initiative inevitably moves us to a point of “what next?” For success-minded people, the answer to that question always comes in the form of raising the bar. Knowing that an even greater challenge lies ahead can make incompletion insidiously alluring. We know that each completion is followed by a call for even more. We wonder how we will bear up as the stakes are raised.
Completion forces us to step out.
Whether the task at hand is pleasant or not, we become attached to it. No matter how hard it seemed as we first put our hands to the plow, it is now within our comfort zone. It is familiar, and it seems manageable. People generally fear change. We convince ourselves that survival depends on staying inside our circle of competency. Completion represents a not-so-subtle nudge out of that circle.
For many people, incompletion has become a way of life. It takes the form of procrastination, loss of interest, confusion, and frustration. By remaining at the 90% complete mark, we reap the dubious benefits of security, mediocrity, and familiarity.
How can we push forward for completion?
Assess the current situation.
Focus on one task at a time until it is complete. This sounds like an effective solution – on paper. Chances are, though, that your world is more complex than that. However, even with multiple projects and priorities going on at the same time, you can still focus on one idea at a time and then move on. Each new opportunity should be evaluated before you commit. Remember that ‘good’ is the enemy of ‘best’ in your consideration. Does it serve your purpose? If so, engage and then move forward into completion.
Realize that the final 10% isn’t so bad.
Often the final stretch is comprised of unremarkable, monotonous, or tedious tasks. Because they are less than exhilarating, they seem onerous. Reality is that these final milestones are a lot closer, and a lot easier to attain than they seem. These loose ends rarely take the time or energy we fear they will. Just like the sticker on your car’s rearview mirror reads, completion “may be closer than they appear.”
Understand the price you pay for incompletion.
The process of beginning an initiative and working on it requires that you fully engage your commitment, your creative power, and your attention. The deepest recesses of your mind loathe letting go of these commitments. Like an elbow constantly poking into your ribs, your mind will nag you unceasingly about your incompletion. This distraction is often enough to pull you right out of the game when it’s time to take your next step.
Enjoy the rewards of completion.
The marketplace rewards completion. Every purchase of goods or services is immediately and unconsciously evaluated for completion. If you were to go out for dinner, place your order, and then never receive your food, you would complain, refuse to pay, and never want to go there again. If you purchased a car and discovered it was missing some key component, a steering wheel for example, you would refuse to take delivery.
It’s been said that the key to outrageous success is to do what nobody else will do. This brings to the forefront an opportunity to excel through completion, and reap the rewards of your diligence. A quick look around illustrates people’s tendency toward procrastination, loss of momentum, distraction, and incompletion. By committing to completion, you will do what nobody else will do, and the rewards will follow.
Recognizing the prices and benefits of completion may be enough to move you forward. What prize awaits when you push forward for completion?
Visit any home improvement store on a Saturday morning, and you will see the beginning of hundreds of projects. People gather supplies, get instruction, and consult with professionals to get their game plans in order. Week after week the same scenario plays out. Based on sales, it would appear that these weekend warriors will soon beautify and improve the entire planet.
But reality and results tell another story entirely. A quick look through the garages and basements of many of these great starters would likely reveal the truth about completion: the final ten percent, for many people, is virtually uncharted territory – meaning they never get there.
Carry the accumulation of half-demolished foyers, clogged caulk guns, and piles of debris into the business world, and it’s no different.
The pattern for success in business is to recognize an unsatisfied need, innovate to find and provide a solution, then to expand and repeat the process. Somewhere between innovation and delivery, we find the no-man’s zone known as completion.
I once employed someone who proved to be an excellent initiator but a terrible finisher. She would start a task but get hung up once she encountered an obstacle. When asked why she didn’t get the job done, she blamed someone for not getting back to her or a situation she’d encountered. In short, she didn’t understand how to drive to completion.
What makes completion such a challenge?
Completion forces us to step forward.
For many people, the thought of completing a goal is unsettling – even when the task at hand is unpleasant. Maybe it’s the sense of the ‘known evil’ being preferable to the unknown one. No matter how ornery a project has become, at least it’s a pain in the neck that is familiar. We know that upon completion, we must choose again. We question whether we’ve got the goods needed to accomplish the next challenge.
Doing Leadership. Part 2 in a Series.
Leaders create focus.
Leadership begins with things you do. It’s not a magical set of qualities that some have and some don’t. It is built upon intentional choices and skills developed and honed by doing. You may or may not have a title that signals “leader.” It doesn’t matter. You can lead from right where you sit. Just do what leaders do.
As we saw in the first “to-do” of the series, leaders practice self-mastery: they know themselves, their values and priorities, and they see themselves how others do. The second leadership principle that you can practice is to focus.
The determination and ability to focus is a tremendous advantage. I often tell the story of my friend Bill who tried repeatedly and vainly to keep squirrels out of his bird feeder. The squirrels always won. Finally, the manager at the hardware store filled Bill in: the squirrels were focused on robbing the bird feeder 24/7 but Bill only devoted a few minutes a day to it. They beat him with their focus.
Another kind of thief, the famous bank robber Willie Sutton was almost as successful as the squirrels. Over a thirty-year career he stole over $2 million (probably tens of millions in today’s dollars) in dozens of heists. When asked why he robbed banks he reportedly said, “Because that’s where the money is.” He actually never said that. But here’s something he did say: “Success in any endeavor requires single-minded attention to detail and total concentration.” That was the real secret to Sutton’s “success.” While we don’t admire his ethics, we have to acknowledge the effectiveness of his strategy. When we think about leadership, we may not think of squirrels and bank robbers, but we do need to think about focus. Successful squirrels and robbers focus because their survival depends on it. The ability to lead is just as dependent on your focus.
Focus is often what distinguishes leaders from those around them. While others may be drifting off task or distracted from the mission, leaders keep their eyes on the prize and the big picture. Colin Powell said, “When everyone’s mind is dulled or distracted the leader must be doubly vigilant.”
Know These Things:
Leaders Provide Focus. John Riccitiello is the CEO of the video game company Electronic Arts, a position he achieved at the young age of 37. For him, keeping his team focused has been key, “You’re mostly painting a picture for a lot of people …So you’ve got to find a way to be incredibly consistent, so when other people repeat the same thing it conjures up the same picture, the same vision for everyone else.” He adds, “You have to know what you truly believe and what you truly value, and it has to be undeniably consistent. … If you stop being consistent, then nobody has the confidence to go along.”
Drifting is Dangerous. Consider the case of Kodak. For more than a century, Kodak was the leading imaging company in the world. As more imaging became digital, Kodak began to drift. Although they invented the core technology of digital cameras, they did not pursue it with focus. Even when it was clear that digital cameras were the future, Kodak drifted between its film and digital businesses. Other camera companies, like Canon and Nikon, focused on the new technology exclusively. Kodak began to be perceived as obsolete. In 1999 they still led camera sales. By 2010, they were seventh. Now they are breaking up the company and selling it. When you lose your focus you drift, and drifting is dangerous.
Distraction is Detrimental. Tom Kite, the great golfer, said, “You can always find a distraction if you’re looking for one.” Distractions can come from your environment but they usually won’t intrude on your focus unless you allow them to. Multi-tasking, once a business buzz word has fallen by the way side because studies have shown that it’s counterproductive because we spend a huge amount of time switching from one task to another. So it is with distraction. Even a brief distraction can add 25% to the time it takes to complete a task.
Do These Things:
1. Be intentional. Remember that leadership begins with your choices and your intentional activity. Focus on your goals and priorities. At each juncture – a key decision, a major distraction, a time of adversity – ask yourself if you are doing what you need to do to reach your goals. Reset your course and live intentionally toward your destination. You may look back on one of these moments when you reminded yourself of what you needed to be doing as a defining moment that helped you reach your goal.
2. Identify your MVP activities. MVP stands for your Most Valuable and Profitable activities (in both a financial and non-financial sense). When we are focused, we should be spending most of our time on our MVP activities. To determine if you’re doing that first you need to identify them. List your regular activities. Identify the MVPs. Resolve to spend 60%-80% of your time on them. You can squeeze the peripheral stuff into the remaining time.
3. Set an agenda. Staying focused on your goals requires you to remember what they are at all times. The easiest way to do this is to set an agenda, literally: write them down. Write down long-term goals and the short-term goals that lead to them. Keep it on hand or close by. Your agenda will be a constant reminder and keep you from drifting.
4. Schedule your MVP activities. You schedule important people for meetings. In the same way you should schedule your important activities to give them the time and attention they deserve. Creating blocks of time to work on your highest priorities will increase significantly the results you achieve.
Knowing what you want to truly desire to accomplish and then consistently making time to work towards those important goals is an essential part of doing leadership.
(For more resources on leadership development, visit www.marksanborn.com and my Facebook fan page.)
The New Religion of Ideas:
Guest Blog by Randy Gage
By Randy Gage
Note from Mark: Randy Gage is a long time friend and respected colleague in the speaking profession. He is the author of nine books on success and is a deep thinker. He’s just released a provocative new book I recommend: Risky is the New Safe. For information, click here.
The New Religion of Ideas
We all have defining moments. Moments that change our lives forever. Mine just happened to involve an adorable puppy…
It was in San Francisco, in an airline lounge, on my way back from Thailand. A couple had an adorable puppy in a carrier and I went over to play with it.
The puppy was a clone.
Now I could tell you the whole story and while it’s quite remarkable, that doesn’t really matter. What matters in that the puppy really was a clone. And it really was as adorable, playful, and lovable as any puppy you have ever seen.
And that changed everything for me…
Now I could tell you the whole story and while it’s quite remarkable, that doesn’t really matter. What matters in that the puppy really was a clone. And it really was as adorable, playful, and lovable as any puppy you have ever seen.
And that changed everything for me…
I’m a Sci-Fi geek and loved Star Wars. The clone armies in the film got my imagination running, but it was still just an abstract concept. I’d heard the news about cloning sheep and camels successfully too, but again it was abstract. When you hold a puppy, he licks your face and he’s a clone – your whole world goes upside down.
Usually in this space, Mark is talking about some facet of leadership: What leaders do, how to be a better one, and how leaders can grow their business. Always a fascinating subject. And about to become more so…
Because when you factor in cloning…biogenetic engineering…mobile…the cloud…and the economic upheaval around the world – things start to get really zesty. Because when you’re talking about leadership, what you’re really talking about is ideas.
From monkeys replacing human laborers to cloning, ocean-floor real estate development to asteroid mining, virtual-reality holo-suites to currency collapses – the ideas we think about will have to become bigger, bolder and more imaginative.
More than ever today, what’s required to be a leader is the critical thinking that fosters fresh and creative ideas. In fact, the most valuable, sought-after currency in the new economy will be ideas.
Savvy employees will create their own critical thinking curriculum that incorporates a mélange of problem solving, lateral thinking, logical thinking, and creativity. People who do this will become idea generators and declare themselves free agents. Just like superstar athletes, they’ll be able to entertain a variety of offers and choose the most lucrative long-term deal.
For companies, the most important resource in which to invest will become people. Of course many companies claim that they already do this today – but that’s simply window dressing for most. This investment will need to become deeply integrated in the corporate culture. For HR departments, the focus will shift to creating the best free-agent acquisition packages.
Because the release date for my new book, “Risky Is the New Safe” is coming up, I’ve been doing non-stop interviews for the last couple weeks. And here’s the most frequented asked question I get:
Where in the world did you get all these wild ideas?
And the answer is that puppy. Because that begets the question: When will human cloning begin? And we can debate the ethical and moral dilemmas that poses for decades (and probably will), but that won’t change the fact it’s coming.
So when Jones & Sons hardware on Main Street needs more employees, why hire them when they could just clone more sons? What does cloning do to the economy, the job market, relationships, families, and society as a whole? How long before some renegade nation does produce a clone army? What happens when someone starts cloning sex workers?
These questions are just the tip of the iceberg for leaders in the area of technology. Social media blows up branding forever. Mobile apps may make websites and email obsolete. At the very least, they change marketing forever.
And tech is just one of many areas that cataclysmic change is about to happen. Which leads me to the whole premise of my new book…
Cataclysmic change will create catastrophic challenges, which will offer breathtaking opportunities for those who lead.
When was the last time you looked at your business as an outsider would? What decisions would you make if investments or processes you already had in place didn’t bias you?
Eighty-eight million baby boomers are entering their retirement years. People are living longer and retiring later. What challenges will that create, and what opportunities will this present?
The hectic pace of work and life will continue to accelerate. What challenges will that create, and what are the opportunities will it present?
That hectic pace means that fake foods, fast foods, frozen foods, and microwaved foods will continue to increase as a percentage of our diets – which in turn means high cholesterol, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes will continue to increase. What challenges will that create, and what opportunities will it present?
Those health challenges and explosion of pharmaceuticals and medical care will likely cause a backlash and drive a renaissance toward natural foods and healthy living at some point. What challenges will that create, and what opportunities will it present?
At some point, all this technology and being electronically connected and stimulated 24 hours a day will get old, and people will hunger for an unplugged lifestyle. What challenges will that create, and what opportunities will it present?
We will continue to mix marriages and blend races, eventually getting to a standardized brown race across the globe. What challenges will that create, and what opportunities will it present?
Some day soon, another planet that supports human life will be within distance through space travel, and people will start migrating there. What challenges will that create, and what opportunities will it present?
These are the kind of questions leaders must ask today. And then they must ask, ‘and if that does happen, what happens next. And if that happens next, what happens then?
All this takes us back to the formula…
Look at where the trends are going. What are the challenges that will be created by those changes? And how can you help solve those challenges. Those are the ideas that will develop the next generation of leaders!
Doing Leadership. Part 3 in a Series
By Mark Sanborn
Leaders have power with people.
The core message of this series is that you lead by what you do. knowledge, attitude and passion aren’t enough without the right actions. Anyone can do leadership through intentional choices and actions that lift and guide those around them.
This is a real difference between true leadership and position or status.
Consider:
An organization can give someone employees but a leader must earn followers.
A manager might have a staff. Leaders engage their teams.
An executive might have some ideas. Leaders implement their plans.
A director might spend a lot of time talking. Leaders convince others to follow.
The ability to influence, persuade, and win people is our third principle of leadership, and a critically important one. It starts with character. No one will follow you unless they trust you. So here’s what you do: be trustworthy. In big things and in small. Albert Einstein said that if someone can’t be trusted with little things, “they cannot be trusted with large ones either.” That means, day in and day out, delivering on your commitments and being straightforward, honest, authentic, and transparent.
That’s how you build a reservoir of trust for when the time comes for the big “ask”. That’s how you establish character.
Competence is also key. Be proficient at what you do. Take it upon yourself to know your business inside and out. Exude competence. No one will follow “leaders” who don’t know what they’re doing.
Finally, you must connect. Connection stems from genuine concern for others. There are many ways to connect – common interests, similar background, etc. – but a sure fire way to connect with anyone is to express genuine concern. Care for those around you. There’s no substitute.
Know these things:
Leaders show character.
Gracia Martore is CEO of Gannett, the publisher of USA Today and the largest newspaper company in the U.S. She’s one of the most powerful women in the business world. When asked about her leadership mantra, she has a short, simple answer, “Be direct and straightforward.” Honesty, authenticity, and transparency establish the character you need in order to lead.
Leaders exude competence.
Competence is the minimum requirement for leadership. No one will follow you if it’s clear that don’t know what you’re doing. On the flipside, so many people are faking it these days that simple competence in your field can set you apart. As the singer Billy Joel said, “I’m merely competent. But in an age of incompetence, that makes me extraordinary.”
Leaders connect. Daniel Amos is CEO of AFLAC, the insurance giant. He stresses the importance of connecting with his team, “In business, you should treat your employees like they can vote. It doesn’t mean you’re going to get everybody to vote for you. But you kind of try to kiss the babies and shake the hands and tell ’em you appreciate ’em and would like them to support you.”
Do these things:
Appreciate – Let others on your team know how much you appreciate them. Give them an “attaboy” when they’ve done a good job or just let them know how much you value having them on board. Practicing gratitude with those around you attests to character and creates connections.
Motivate – Find out what motivates your team and act on it. What do they like best about their work? What are their goals? What gives their work meaning? Once you know what makes them tick, you’ll be able to wind the clock.
Collaborate – Engage others in your group in the leadership process. Seek their input on decisions. Ask for their feedback. Make sure that their unsolicited suggestions are welcome. If you aren’t open to their ideas, they won’t be open to yours.
Demonstrate – Show that you can get the job done, and that you will. Walk the talk. Put your money where your mouth is. Be prepared to do what you are asking your team to do. If you expect them to go the extra mile, they will want to see you walk it first.
