Audio Tidbits

De Pree, Max. Leadership Is an Art. New York: Currency, 2004.

One of the particular skills that leaders are required to exemplify in practice is the indispensable knack for building and nurturing relationships.

Authentic leaders see it as part of their calling to guide a group or organization in designing the kind of community they intend to become.

…the art of leadership: liberating people to do what is required of them in the most effective and humane way possible.

The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the two, the leader must become a servant and a debtor. That sums up the progress of an artful leader.

The signs of outstanding leadership appear primarily among the followers. Are the followers reaching their potential? Are they learning? Serving? Do they achieve the required results? Do they change with grace? Manage conflict?

Leadership is much more an art, a belief, a condition of the heart, than a set of things to do.

Who should be on the Leadership Team and what qualifies them for the role?

Not everyone on the agency staff or Board is a good candidate for membership on the Leadership Team, although most people think they would make effective Team members. For this reason, Team members are specifically recruited and not added on a volunteer basis. People are invited to join the Team, not simply asked to sign up.

Below is a series of questions to use when screening potential Team members. As we decide who to recruit, keep in mind we are not recruiting sales people or cheerleaders. We are recruiting people who can establish meaningful, stable connections with stakeholders and who can sustain those connections over the long term. Sales people and agency cheerleaders may meet these requirements, but their success with sales or cheerleading does not necessarily mean they would be successful Leadership Team members. Similarly, a person's position from the Management Perspective does not mean he or she would necessarily be an effective Leadership Team member. Successful leadership connections require a specific set of skills not distributed equally among those associated with the agency. Here are the questions, with comments about each. …

Is he or she culturally competent? "Cultural Competence is the capacity to respond appropriately to the various cultural environments in which we may participate, enabling us to strengthen our relationships and accomplish our mutual purposes. Cultural competence is both a value and an essential set of skills in our mobile, fluid society." Homan, 2008, page 14

Does he treat people the way we want agency stakeholders to be treated? Agency staff members treat clients and stakeholders about as well or as badly as they treat each other. Attention should be given to all of the potential Team member's relationships with other staff. Even if all but one or two of those relationships are fine, attend closely to the one or two that are not. A good Team member has effective, acceptable relationships with everyone associated with the agency. For any potential Team member, use his or her worst relationships as the reference point. If this is how he relates with stakeholders, is it acceptable? If not, he is not a good candidate for Team membership.

Is he consistent from relationship to relationship and situation to situation? Good Team members are consistent. Their behavior, attitudes, demeanor, and self-presentation change little from person to person, from situation to situation. They do not run hot and cold, on again off again. They are predictably themselves most anywhere we encounter them.

Is he friendly and interested in people? This does not mean all Team members are outgoing and extraverted. However, it does mean Team members are comfortable meeting new people and in being in new or somewhat novel situations. Also, they enjoy getting to know people and learning about their experiences and interests.

Does he take his good manners along everywhere he goes? This is not a minor point. There is never a good excuse for bad manners and behaving rudely, inappropriately, or insensitively are guaranteed ways to offend or otherwise alienate stakeholders. Effective Team members exhibit their good manners with everyone, every time, wherever they are. If a potential Team member exhibits bad manners or inappropriate behavior with anyone, anywhere, assume they will probably behave similarly with stakeholders, sooner or later. This is a risk not to be taken.

Is he helpful and cooperative? This too is not trivial. An important element of a leadership connection is the Team member's being seen by the stakeholder as helpful and cooperative. A goal of the connection is to support the stakeholder's success specifically as it relates to agency success but more generally as it relates to the stakeholder's interests and pe...

Welcome back audio tidbits podcast listeners. Tessa has tried to resist the temptation to torment our intrepid hunters but has finally given in. It is just too much fun for her. They think they are back in the jungle and the Great Mouse hunt is on again. Please join Tessa and the hunters.

Covey, Stephen M. R., Greg Link, with Rebecca R. Merrill. Smart Trust: Creating Prosperity, Energy and Joy in a Low Trust World. New York: Free Press, 2012.

… people innately know that the benefits of high-trust relationships, teams, and organizations are incomparably more productive and satisfying.

This is how we each can become part of the renaissance of trust. … We can choose to believe in trust. … We can start with ourselves. … We can declare our intent and assume positive intent in others. … We can do what we say we're going to do. … We can lead out in extending Smart Trust to others.

Welcome to the first episode of PPOV: a podcast where Personal Point Of View matters, at least it matters to you and me.

 

In this initial episode, I discuss the plans for the podcast. My plan is to discuss current events, ideas and concepts, and other notions on which most of us have a personal point of view. Usually this aligns with the popular point of view but sometimes does not.

 

I like to think about events, ideas, and popular points of view and wonder what it might mean if our ideas, opinions and the popular point of view were wrong. Are there other ways of understanding and thinking about the world around us?

 

In this episode, I use Roseanne’s getting fired as an example of the approach of the PPOV podcast. Was there a better way of responding to what even Roseanne agrees was a terrible lack of judgment on her part? I think there may have been.

 

I hope you enjoy this episode and that you choose to join me for future editions of PPOV. Please subscribe and share the podcast with a friend you think may enjoy my rather offbeat way of thinking about things.

Your child persistently feels very unhappy about his or her physical and sexual development:

Low self-esteem starts with worrying and fretting about failing. It grows into giving up quickly. This leads to shutting down and not trying. If parental or other adult reactions are too harsh, your child goes through the motions for fear of even harsher consequences. He or she simply plays the game. This is a very sad way for him/her to think and feel about success, achievement, and interpersonal participation. Nonetheless, low self-esteem can get still worse for your child. …

Your youngster feels incompetent and may have a low physical-sexual self-image as well. Most children have some uncertainty about themselves physically and sexually; but children with self-esteem problems have these thoughts persistently and feel them strongly. They think they cannot succeed, cannot achieve, and they are not accepted socially. They also may think they are not made right or well enough.

This poor self-image has nothing to do with how the young person actually looks or is developing. Your child believes it, no matter what the facts are or what other people tell him.

Resist trying to convince him his perceptions and feelings are wrong. That only strengthens his belief you do not understand. You can say, "I feel badly you think about yourself in such negative ways. You're a normal person and are fine physically and sexually. I know you doubt that even though it is true. I want to hear what you think and feel about it; but I'm not going to argue. You have a right to your feelings. Will you tell me how it feels to you?"

Distributing assignments efficiently is a science in its own right, and a proactive leader does it well. Being sure the right people are assigned to the right tasks is where it starts. It goes on to include being sure things are done in the right order, at the right time. The science of efficiency expands out to include avoiding bottlenecks, eliminating any loss of resources and materials, preventing errors and having to do things over again, and getting continuous feedback from customers. Achieving and maintaining efficiency is quite complex.

For a proactive leader though, there is an underlying dimension skilled leaders emphasize at least as much as maximizing the efficient conversion of resources into products and services that are fully responsive to the needs and interests of customers. a proactive leader does not take advantage of anyone. The secret is that there are obvious and not so obvious ways people are taken advantage of, and a proactive leader avoids them all.

The most blatant abuse happens when a good team member has more and more work piled on top of work piled on yesterday. Another version of the same kind of abuse happens when work is given to someone just because the leader is not going to get any hassle or flack. Some people have positive attitudes and just do not say, No, when asked to do something. They are simply too nice for their own good, but fortunately, a proactive leader understands even his best workhorse can be run too fast or pushed too hard. The best of them needs a good measure of oats and some time in the barn now and then. …

Two other areas of unfairness and abuse are also worth noting. First, tolerating anyone's not doing what is expected or doing less than is expected is unfair to others on the team. Letting shirkers get away with it does nothing but shift the burden unfairly onto others. Second, assuming everyone is equally efficient is wrong. This is particularly unfair to those who are unusually efficient. The exceptional few can routinely do a two-hour job in an hour and a half. Do you then expect them to do more work in the extra half hour?

a proactive leader does not think so. He will discuss options with them, but the choice is theirs. a proactive leader certainly would not increase the load just because someone is especially efficient and hard-working.

There is a further but hidden area of unfairness even a proactive leader can overlook if he is not very attentive. People should not be expected to do things they do not know how to do or do not know how to do well. The solution here is fairly simple. Identify individuals who do know how to do what is expected and add them to the team. For a proactive leader, there is an even better solution. Train people who are already on the team to do the job, to do it well. They are already onboard, already committed to the mission, already vested in the team's success. a proactive leader knows it is always better to invest in those who are already on your team than to take a chance on newcomers. The Johnny-come-lately likely will do fine, but a proactive leader prefers sticking with the horses that got him there, whenever he can.

Cottrell, David. Monday Morning Motivation: Five Steps to Energize your Team, Customers, and Profits. New York: Harper Business, 2009.

The single greatest influence on your organization's energy is the leader...you are the ultimate energizer. The energy you create can be positive or negative, and that energy is multiplied in the organization because of your impact on every member of your team.

Your organizational energy is not the sum of your individuals. It is dependent upon the ratio of energizers to sappers. If you have more sappers than energizers, the energy will be drained, and in fact the energizers may eventually become sappers. As unfortunate as it is, a negative, cynical person has a far greater impact on the energy of the team than a positive person. He or she will deplete far more energy than a positive person will add.

Consider the effect on a team if their leader speaks negatively about her boss's decision to change a particular process or policy. Will the members of that team be energized about and supportive of the change? Not likely, because they see leadership chaos above them. On the other hand, when employees see that everyone in their line of leadership is on the same page, they are motivated to get on board also.

With respect to your team, are your organization's values actually practiced or merely posted?

When conflicts are ignored, tremendous organizational energy is diverted from moving forward to dealing with the conflict. The rule illustrates how a small issue can grow exponentially if left unchecked. The longer it persists, the more difficult and time consuming it is to fix--and the more of your organization's energy it will waste.

Southwest Airlines' mission statement says: "Above all, employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest customer."

Unfortunately, very few organizations are completely satisfied with their internal communications. No matter how many workshops are conducted, how much emphasis it's given, and how many e-mails or memos are circulated, organizations rarely have the clear communication channel that they envisioned.

However, that's no excuse to stop making an effort. It's important to continue making every effort to enhance your internal communications at every level of your organization.

It matters what they hear, not what you say.

In your management approach, celebrate successes by quickly recognizing high performers. Quick, on-the-spot action to recognize the achievements of employees can have a tremendous impact in building loyalty and respect. And although it's a painful task, take decisive action to clear out the underperformers from your organization. The longer they stay, the more energy they drain.

Problems do not just go away. Address issues quickly to avoid larger problems later.

One of the toughest things for a leader to figure out is "What's the truth?" Many times the truth is camouflaged by politics, personal agendas, or even a sincere, intense desire to want something else to be the truth.

Honesty, integrity, and transparency are inextricably linked.

Your personal integrity is judged every day. The people in your organization judge your integrity not by what they hear you say, but by what they see you do. When you criticize one of your team members in public, you lose integrity. When you … say, "We'll deal with it later," your integrity comes into question. When you show favoritism, choose to not return phone calls, say you're out of the office when you're not, or say that you didn't receive a message when you did--you lose trust.

Without a doubt, your personal integrity is your most prized possession. Each day,

A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional, and are the portals of discovery. James Joyce

This certainly puts a different twist on the concept. The only requirement is that one is A man of genius. If so, you don't make mistakes, you merely commit errors, on purpose. Try that one the next time you screw up, It's no big deal. I just decided to make this mistake in order to open the portal for discovery. You can also note that on your resume where you explain why you left your last job.

Niels Bohr said, An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made, in a narrow field. Of course, Bohr does qualify as a man of genius. but to assume that he too is suggesting that those mistakes are the portals for discovery is likely not correct. A little folk wisdom may be more to the point. Why are things always in the last place you look? It's because, once you find it, you quit looking.

Confucius has a better perspective, A man who has committed a mistake and doesn't correct it, is committing another mistake. George Washington also joins in on the same side of the matter, To err is nature, to rectify error is glory. As you hustle to rectify those errors, it will help to allay your anxiety if you remember Robert Henry's advice, Don't ever be afraid to admit you were wrong. It's like saying you're wiser today than you were yesterday. While you're at it though, don't overlook Frank Lloyd Wright's insight, A doctor can bury his mistakes but an architect can only advise his clients to plant vines. Since you are the architect of your success, you would do well to minimize the number and size of the vines required to cover up your mistakes. …

. . . . .

Since changes are going on anyway, the great thing is to learn enough about them so that we will be able to lay hold of them and turn them in the direction of our desires. Conditions and events are neither to be fled from nor passively acquiesced in. they are to be utilized and directed. John Dewey

It's not surprising that Dewey bases his approach to change management on active learning. Since change is a fact of life, you might as well make the best of it. Learn as much as you can about the changes in your life and then use them, as much as possible, to your advantage. William Douglas suggested that success in using change in your best interest depends, in large measure, on adjusting your thinking to conform to today's reality. Security can only be achieved through constant change, through discarding old ideas that have outlived their usefulness and adapting others to current facts. Francis Bacon also agreed that you need to take charge of change and mold it to your purposes. Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly.

However, there are cautionary voices as you slide into the driver's seat of your life. For example, Ellen Glasgow said, All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward. Distinguishing good change from the not so good is an important aspect of the learning Dewey recommended. Arnold Bennett also raised the voice of caution, Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts. Nonetheless, Lichtenberg submitted what is likely the take home point here, I cannot say whether things will get better if we change. what I can say is they must change if they are to get better.

The substance of your life is in continuous change. The elements form and then rearrange. Some of those elements you can move and shift. Change can be slow or unusually swift.

It's an ongoing saga through each twist and turn. You refuse to change. It's not your concern. Edwards Deming discovered the conclusion to the story. It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.

“The superior man understands what is right, the inferior man understands what will sell.” You may, at first glance, assume this characterization was made by a hard-hitting, modern business executive, but it wasn’t. It came from our old friend Confucius, again dividing us into superior and inferior people.

John Egan pointed out, “The absolute fundamental aim is to make money out of satisfying customers.” How do you do that

You sell great products combined with terrific service. That is the formula for what sells. Of course, understanding that makes Egan – and you – inferior people, according to Confucius.

Alternatively, William Arthur Ward said, “Wise are those who learn that the bottom line doesn't always have to be their top priority.” Perhaps you will want to share this view with your stock holders the next time you are presenting your company’s financial statement. At least you can assure them you are a superior person, using Confucius as your authority.

Elting E. Morison advised, “The executive exists to make sensible exceptions to general rules.” Your first sensible exception can be with Confucius’ rule about superior and inferior people. You can do this by suggesting a replacement rule, your rule. “The exceptional man, the truly exceptional executive, both understands what is right and how to sell it." …

. . . . .

No less a philosopher than John Stuart Mill said, “We can never be sure that the opinion we are endeavoring to stifle is a false opinion, and if we were sure, stifling it would be an evil still.” “The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race, posterity as well as the existing generation, those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth. if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error.” “If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.”

You likely agree John Stuart Mill is a complex thinker. He is definitely not one who endeavors to stifle an opinion, especially his opinion. What might be easily overlooked though, is each of us is the “minus one” in his “mankind minus one.” We are thus obligated to be sure the opinion we are endeavoring to stifle isn’t ours. You have it on the authority of John Stuart Mill stifling your opinion is “an evil still,” so the next time your tempted to keep your opinion to yourself, are tempted to be self-censoring, consider standing up, speaking up, and sharing your “clearer perception and livelier impression of truth.” It’s your civic duty.

. . . . .

President Eisenhower said, “Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him.” Proactively boarding the train isn’t just a good idea, it’s the only ride from the past. As Confucius counseled, “They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom.” The advice was, in turn, expanded by Saint Augustine, “If you would attain to what you are not yet, you must always be displeased by what you are. For where you are pleased with yourself there you have remained. Keep adding, keep walking, keep advancing.”

You may bemoan the ever-changing, uncertainty of life, but as Bertold Brecht pointed out, “Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are.” Over four hundred years ago, Francis Bacon observed, “He that will not apply new remedies must expect new evils, for time is the greatest innovator.” He also noted, “Things alter for the worse spontaneously,