When my 25th anniversary in business arrived, six years ago, I was somewhat amazed that the years had passed so quickly. (See Principle # 3.) It felt like a significant milestone, so I decided to organize and articulate some of what I had learned about leadership over those years. My services portfolio had not changed very much since I started my business; I still loved strategic planning, marketing, organizational development and performance, meeting design and facilitation, and executive coaching. What had changed was my marked conclusion and conviction that leadership was the determining skill set that superceded strategy, financial resources, and raw talent. Although subtle, my orientation shifted to providing these services with a focus on leadership effectiveness. This emphasis on leadership has only continued to expand, as I witness my hypothesis being reconfirmed year after year.

Food for Thought ~

By the time I hit the 25 year mark, I had worked with literally hundreds of businesses, non-profit organizations and government entities, and thousands of people, with hugely varying circumstances, from a myriad of industries. This cross-section of companies and people provided me a great opportunity to identify the critical determinants for sustained achievement and success. I translated these lessons into 25 general, universal principles of leadership. The article that I wrote on this subject has just been published in the NorthBay Business Journal. To read the article, please click here.

Question for the day ~

How many of my 25 principles resonate with you? Which one(s) in particular?

Mary

Continuing our leaders and followers theme of the past few weeks, an apt metaphor is partner social dance, where collaborative leading and following are integral to the success of the activity. In classic partner dancing, the leader initiates the movement, pace, and direction, and the follower responds. Partner ice-dancing is another dance form, albeit with a multiplied velocity and risk factor. Dance happens to be one of my life-long passions, and I had the pleasure of spending a recent afternoon at a workshop given by a leader in the contemporary conscious dance movement, Wren LaFeet, of Portland, Oregon.

Food for Thought ~

To my mind, partner dance is an illustration of the dynamic interplay between leader and follower roles; both are necessary. In the new social dance movement being transformed by artists and teachers like Wren, the roles are called “lead” and “follow,” purposefully using non-gender-related terminology. In this new form, partners take turns leading and following in a dynamic exchange, listening and communicating, exploring new forms and patterns. (Hmmm…that sounds like what’s going on in our progressive workplaces.) I appreciated Wren’s insight that good leadership is an invitation for active followership. Leading provides opportunities for people to create, to collaborate, to dance, to soar. To be a truly good leader means knowing how to be a good follower. It also means creating opportunities for people to contribute.

Question for the day ~

Do you identify with being a “lead” or a “follow,” or are you adept at both?

A Footnote ~

For those of you who might be interested in learning more about this type of dance form, here’s a link to a video of Wren doing a TEDx talk and dance demo. His website is www.nomaddance.com.

Mary

Last week I wrote about followers, and their important role in the dynamics of leadership. Today’s topic is a continuation of that theme, with the focus on a particular quality that distinguishes exceptional followers. That quality is enthusiasm. More than simply acquiescing to a leader’s direction, an enthusiastic follower demonstrates eager willingness and cooperation. These individuals are a boon to any leader fortunate enough to have them. When I see enthusiastic followers in an organization, invariably I also find particularly capable leaders.

Food for Thought ~

It is my experience that most people are hungry for true leadership, good leadership, and are more than willing to follow leaders they respect and trust. When there are healthy, strong connections between leaders and followers, with mutual good will and good communication, a foundation of integrity and shared values, and a commitment to a common goal, greatness is possible. Enthusiastic leaders inspire enthusiastic followers.

Question for the day ~

How enthusiastic are you as a leader? Do you have enthusiastic followers? What can you do to increase your own enthusiasm for your work and to create a workplace that engenders people’s enthusiasm?

A Footnote ~

For my literary readers, yes, today’s title is a takeoff on the name of a famous play by Oscar Wilde called The Importance of Being Earnest, first performed in London in 1895, and a staple of community theaters ever since.

Mary

After the Labor Day holiday, it seems particularly apropos to consider the subject of followers and their relationship to leaders. Although the word “follower” could be interpreted to mean a passive acquiescence to strong direction from an authoritative leader, that does not accurately describe the people I work with daily. My work is often with the leaders of organizations, but it is also with other employees as well. The employees/workers/followers that I know are involved, assertive, engaged and active. Leadership is a dynamic process. Without other people, leadership would be moot. It would have no practical significance.

Food for Thought ~

Just as leadership requires skill and effort, so does being a good, or better yet, a great follower. Leaders are at their best when the people they lead provide feedback, information, ideas, suggestions and yes, even constructive criticism. Workers/employees/followers are a necessary part of the equation. Most of us are both leaders and followers. We may have a leadership role in one organization, and be followers in others, as we participate in a variety of settings and roles. The bottom line: leadership is too important to leave to the leaders alone.

Question for the day ~

Are the employees/workers/followers in your organization skilled at their job as followers? As a leader, do you coach, mentor, and provide training so that everyone in the organization is able to effectively contribute to the leadership process?

Follow-up on Observation ~

Last week I wrote about the subtle skill of observation. I would love to hear from those of you who perhaps gave it a try and conducted “an experiment” with a dedicated effort to be an observer. I’m eager to hear what you learned!

Mary

Many of the skills necessary for good leadership involve taking action, lots of communication and a high level of visibility. You need to be comfortable being seen and heard. Today’s post is about the other side of the coin. I believe that in order to be an intelligent, informed, and insightful leader, you also need the capacity to be an observer – unobtrusive and attentive to detail and nuance. Leaders need to know when and how to simply observe.

Food for Thought ~

We all have heard the phrase “the powers of observation.” Being able to discreetly observe, without interference or actively influencing the situation, can be difficult for some people. Yet, the most effective leaders are those who can, when appropriate, shift to a low-profile position and simply notice what’s going on around them. There’s a lot of information available from first-hand observation. Also, it’s risky to always rely on second or third-hand reports from others. Get out with your co-workers, strategic partners, employees, customers, and suppliers. Watch. Listen. Observe. There is much to learn. The seemingly simple skill of quiet observation is very powerful.

Question for the day ~

How would you describe your skill at observation? Do you make it a point to get information first-hand rather than always relying on the interpretations of others?

Mary

People often ask me to recommend a book on leadership, and I certainly do have a few favorites. One of them is Shackleton’s Way: Leadership Lessons from the Great Antarctic Explorer, a New York Times Business Bestseller by Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell. It’s the true story of a disastrous exploratory trip to Antarctica in 1916, led by Sir Ernest Shackleton, whose ship was grounded in the polar ice of the Weddell Sea. The men were stranded for two years on an ice floe twelve hundred miles from any assistance, without means of communication. The amazing leadership achievement is that Shackleton got all 27 of his crew home alive. It’s a story worth reading. His survival and leadership skills were brilliant.

Food for Thought ~

The story illustrates many of the great principles of leadership, but the one I want to emphasize today is his optimism and how essential that was to their survival. In this case, it was, quite literally, a matter of life and death. Although they suffered one setback after another, and the odds were unbelievably slim, Shackleton was able to maintain his conviction that they would survive. His creativity, discipline, and commitment to keeping his crew’s hopes alive are truly inspiring.

Question for the day ~

How would you describe yourself on the optimist – pessimist continuum? Where would your employees and associates place you?

Mary

Two weeks ago I wrote about the fourth and final cornerstone in my model called The Four Cornerstones of Business Success. Last week I wrote about a Big Lesson I learned about leadership. Today I want to make a connection between the two topics. Perhaps the Biggest Lesson of all for me has been the realization of the dramatic impact that a leader has, whether the context is within a family, a business, a community or a government. Whatever the situation, I have seen time and again that the success of the group/organization depends largely on the quality of the leaders. In case you think this is self-evident, I remind you of Edward R. Murrow’s observation that “The obscure we see eventually; the completely apparent takes longer.”

Food for Thought ~

After I had been consulting for a dozen years or so, guiding clients in planning, marketing, and organizational development projects, I began to fully comprehend the crucial variable of leadership effectiveness. The success of the enterprise depended more on the skills and traits of the leader(s) than the strategies, products, or marketing budgets. Quality of leadership is the Number One issue for sustainable success. To be quite explicit, if you are not doing everything you can do to be the best leader you can be, you are not going to realize your personal potential nor that of your enterprise.

Question for the day ~

How close are you to fulfilling your potential?

Link to my article ~

My new column on Leadership as the Fourth Cornerstone was recently published in the NorthBay Business Journal. Usually my column is posted concurrently on-line, but it was delayed this time. So for those of you who would like to read the column, here is the working link to my article!
Thanks for your interest in the topic and your patience with the technology.

Mary

Leadership positions offer a remarkable continuous learning opportunity. For those of us who love challenging work, serving in a leadership role is guaranteed to provide a series of lessons in working with people, systems, structures, and circumstances. Thinking about my clients and my own trajectory as a leader, it seems to me that we each have one or two Big Leadership Lessons that are ours to learn. Looking back, I think mine was realizing that everyone isn’t like me. Yes, I know it seems obvious, but that truism was out of my awareness until I had a number of situations that taught me this lesson. Once I realized the error of my unconscious assumption, I had a much better chance of being a successful leader.

Food for Thought ~

I am sharing this in hopes that it will encourage each of you to ask yourself if there is a Big Lesson that you would do well to learn sooner than later.

Question for the day ~

What issues do you keep running into in your role as a leader? Have you identified your Big Lesson as a leader? How have you modified your approach as a result of this awareness?

Words of Inspiration on the Subject ~

Here’s one of my all-time favorite quotes, by journalist Edward R. Murrow:
“The obscure we see eventually; the completely apparent takes longer.”
And Albert Einstein said: “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”

Mary

After working with hundreds of companies over a twenty-five year period I developed a model based on what I had learned, called The Four Cornerstones for Business Success. The first Cornerstone is Purpose, which includes not only a viable business concept, but vision, mission, and values. The second Cornerstone is Strategies, your chosen path, selected to achieve your desired goals, and shaped by your vision and values. The third Cornerstone is Skill, or excellence in execution and performance. It may come as no surprise to you that the fourth and final Cornerstone is Leadership. It all comes down to leadership.

Food for Thought ~

Our last cornerstone is the most intangible, and quite possibly the most important of the four cornerstones. With expert, dedicated leadership, your company’s purpose can be focused and fulfilled; intelligent strategies generated and executed; and critical skills identified and refined. Without good leadership, very little of consequence can be achieved or sustained. The cornerstone work of leadership has four primary facets, all centered on a theme. That theme is character and integrity. The four facets of Leadership are: 1.) Values 2.) Principles 3.) Practice and 4.) Authenticity.

Question for the day ~

As a leader, are you clear on your personal and professional values and do you practice and model your values and principles? Are you genuine, authentic and trustworthy?

Mary

Fresh from a planning session with a client, I am reminded of the powerful impact that a strategic mindset can have on a company. As a leader, when you think and act strategically, you are leading with intention. When you lead and manage with intention, you make conscious choices about the direction you want to go, the goals that are important to you, the best allocation of your resources, and the most effective and intelligent strategies that will get you where you want to go.

Food for Thought ~

There’s a wonderful adage that goes, “You can’t control the wind, but you can adjust the sails.” This is a perfect metaphor for the value of planning. In my experience, time and resources are in shorter supply than the demands for them, so the only rational way to lead is by making a plan and then working your plan. Of course, you always need to allow for the possibility that the winds will blow from a different direction than you anticipated, but at least you are expecting the wind. From time to time, a dedicated, intensive planning process is a good idea, to ensure that you and your co-workers are thinking and talking about the most important strategic issues, not just the urgent ones.

Question for the day ~

Do you lead and manage with a strategic mindset? How might you expand your effectiveness as a strategic leader?

Mary