Leaders often seek guiding principles for the myriad decisions that comprise the daily fare of leadership. One such precept is known as “Occam’s Razor,” often stated as: “When there are multiple solutions to a problem, choose the simplest one.” I recently came across a reference to the reportedly original author of this principle, William of Occam, an English Franciscan friar. In the early 1300’s he wrote about the principle of parsimony, economy, or succinctness used in logic and problem-solving, positing that “Among competing hypotheses, the hypothesis with the fewest assumptions should be selected.” I further discovered that these principles were a common topic for philosophical arguments of the day (which in medieval times, were sometimes a matter of life and death) and that William of Occam is not necessarily the originator, perhaps simply one of the most well-known writers of that period.

Food for Thought ~

Leaving the controversy regarding authorship and attribution to scholars, there is certainly a large kernel of wisdom here for leaders. I have found that the dance between simplicity and complexity is one of the fundamental crucibles for leaders. We all yearn for things to be simple, yet sometimes they are not, and must be treated accordingly. I have found that forced over-simplification does no service in the long run, and creates more problems than it solves. Yet, I highly value simplicity, economy and succinctness; and indeed they should be included as measures for our deliberations. Thus, I try to simplify whenever it will be of service to the issue at hand and I counsel patience and discipline when complexity prevails. To my mind, this is part of a leader’s critical role – providing refined judgment and guidance on the balance between simplicity and complexity, understanding when and where each principle applies.

Question for the day ~

As a leader, do you make conscious efforts to find the appropriate balance between simplicity and complexity in your decisions?

In Closing ~

People are still reading my”Strategies – the Second Cornerstone of Business Success” in the NorthBay Business Journal. If you haven’t yet had a chance to do so, you can click here to read the full article.

Mary

Yesterday I had the pleasure of working with a three-generational team of leaders. There were one or two of us that would qualify as senior/veteran/advanced/seasoned, depending on your preference of terms, a few that are new/emerging/aspiring/beginners, and some that are somewhere in the middle – intermediates (far fewer name choices for this category.) We are working together very harmoniously, with intention, respect and humor, discussing the issues at hand and finding effective ways to fulfill our task. The initiative for this particular project was taken up by one of the young, aspiring leaders in the group, and the rest of us are enthusiastic collaborators.

Food for Thought ~

Personally, it is very rewarding to teach some of what I have learned to willing students. Nothing is more enjoyable for a leader/teacher than the intelligent questions and observations of an inquiring mind. For all leaders, part of our job, especially as we move into the experienced veteran stage of our careers, is to be model and mentor to those who are stepping into leadership roles. Remember, many of the skills of leadership are learned by experimenting, and inevitably, by making mistakes. One of an organization’s greatest resources is its emerging leaders. It behooves leaders at every level to encourage the next generation, sharing wisdom gained from experience, and providing opportunities for beginners to try their wings. Oh, by the way, leadership is one of those practices that one can begin at any time of life. You can be a beginner at any age, moving into a leadership role for the first time. It just takes motivation and willingness.

Question for the day ~

As a leader, do you take time to identify, encourage and mentor the aspiring leaders in your company? Does your organization have a systematic leadership development program?

In Closing ~

If you haven’t yet had a chance to read my “Strategies – the Second Cornerstone of Business Success,” you can click here to read the full article in the NorthBay Business Journal.

Mary

Today’s message is a topic near and dear to my heart, yet something I’ve never written about! Why not? Because it’s complex and delicate, and for leaders, ironically, quite serious. It’s not easy to do it justice in 300 words, but here goes…
Humor is a wonderful attribute, and used skillfully, can be a marvelous resource for a leader. Humor is the quality of being amusing, which means to cause a person to laugh or smile. The appropriate and intelligent use of humor humanizes the speaker and the situation and serves as a counterbalance to a leader’s power and authority. In effect, it reminds us that “we’re all in this together.” It can lighten the tenor of an interpersonal interaction, bring some comic relief to the seriousness of an issue at hand, and serve to diffuse tension or stress. I particularly appreciate humor for helping me keep things in perspective. All aspects of leadership require thoughtfulness, and perhaps even more than most, the use of humor requires great skill, discretion and wisdom.

Food for Thought ~

In particular, leaders must have the self-awareness and self-discipline to ensure that they use true humor, and not sarcasm, which is the use of bitter or wounding comments at someone’s expense. Sarcasm is quick and easy, but destructive, and should be vigilantly avoided by leaders. Although less dangerous, it is also a mistake for a leader to be overly self-deprecating. Not taking ourselves too seriously is quite healthy, excessive self-sarcasm isn’t.

Question for the day ~

As a leader, how well-developed is your use of good humor? Does your workplace culture encourage laughter and playfulness?

In Closing ~

Last week’s post was on “Strategies – the Second Cornerstone of Business Success,” and you can click here to read the full article in the NorthBay Business Journal.

Mary

In this space a month ago I introduced my Four Cornerstones for Business Success model, which I developed after working with hundreds of companies over a twenty-five year period. The model is being published in the North Bay Business Journal as a four-part series. The first Cornerstone for Business Success is Purpose, which includes not only a viable business model, but vision, mission, and values. The second Cornerstone is Strategies.

Food for Thought ~

This is the intellectual aspect of your business, the place where intelligence, research, reasoning, analysis, and judgment rightfully prevail. A strategy is a chosen path, a conscious commitment to a set of actions based on the analysis of information, selected to achieve the company’s goals, and shaped by its vision and values. The caliber of its strategies separates a successful company from a mediocre one. Click here to read the full article

Question for the day ~

As a leader, how much discipline, wisdom and innovation have you fostered in your organization’s strategy development? Do you have a healthy, balanced and proactive system for evaluating strategic alternatives and selecting the best path forward?

On a Personal Note ~

I received some great comments in reply to last week’s post on Leadership is a 2 Way Street. As the saying goes, “keep those cards and letters coming,” as they do help me learn what you value and enjoy reading. Thanks!

Mary

Perhaps in some contexts, leadership is still perceived as a one-directional activity – “top down,” where leaders make the decisions and then inform everyone else. For most of us, our understanding about effective leadership has evolved to a different perspective. We realize that leadership is a 2 way street.

Food for Thought ~

Leaders are both the influencers and the influenced. Yes, leaders guide and give direction, but they are also shaped by the feedback they receive and their interactions with constituents. Good leaders are both confident in themselves and yet open and receptive to input and information from others. Going one step further, very good leaders develop the skill of sharing leadership, engaging others in the evaluative and reflective process that precedes decision-making as well as the organizing and planning that goes along with implementation. Great leaders are master weavers of healthy group process with their own insight and vision.

Question for the day ~

As a leader, do you consciously attend to the valuable interplay between your viewpoints and the views of others? Are you adept at providing leadership, sharing leadership, and encouraging leadership in others?

On a Personal Note ~

People are still reading my recent column on the Four Cornerstones of Business Success, so here’s the link to my article. The second in my series of four articles will be coming soon ~ stay tuned for the second cornerstone!

Mary

Although many aspects of leadership hold true regardless of the size and shape of the organization, there are some special satisfactions and challenges in every business model. For small business, some of the special satisfactions for leaders include: being closer to everyone and everything, more direct communication with faster turnarounds, more first-hand information, observation and feedback, and hopefully, a straight-forward decision-making process.

Food for Thought ~

I’m sure it comes as no surprise that there are also some special challenges of small business leadership, some even as a result of the above advantages. In this brief post, I will address just one of the challenges: covering additional management functions beyond the president/CEO role. One of the hallmarks of small business is the necessity of wearing many hats, true for many of the employees as well as top management. One of my clients was a manufacturing company where the president also functioned as the CFO and IT manager. In another company, one of the partners managed design and finance while his partner managed HR, production, and facilities. If the company grows, as most want to do, there will come a time when the bases cannot be adequately covered this way and the owner/managers/partners must decide which functions to delegate or re-assign. Of course there are many factors involved in that decision, but it starts by being conscious about where you are along the continuum of growth and being objective about how you can make your highest contribution. The good news? If you are open-minded, you may surprise yourself with your answers to the following questions. (Remember, there are no “right” answers.)

Question for the day ~

Is your current organizational structure and assignment of responsibilities working well? Are you covering bases at your company that might be better handled by someone else? Where and how can you make your highest contribution to your company?

On a Personal Note ~

I had mixed feelings about Tuesday this week coming the day after April Fool’s Day! I do love a good practical joke, but they’re hard to pull off via email, so I’m relieved I didn’t have to make that difficult call! For those of you who were on vacation or otherwise engaged, here’s a quick link to my recent QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER and another link to my new article.
I hope you enjoy them!

Mary

Here’s a small collection of interesting bits, related to last week’s post that introduced my new article in the NorthBay Business Journal, “The Four Cornerstones of Success,” which will be published in a four part series over the next few months. The first article is about the first cornerstone: Purpose. (To read the article, please click here.) As always, I received some very thoughtful replies from my readers. Here are two of them:

Food for Thought ~

“Of the Four Cornerstones, I think purpose is the most important, because purpose guides the leadership and when everyone is aligned on purpose, leadership can come from multiple sources. Also, whenever everyone is truly
aligned, what can be accomplished is phenomenal.” What a great way of looking at it, and true, indeed. My reader’s comment illustrates the power of shared leadership, prefaced by the essential requirement for consensus and a shared commitment to purpose. Another reader used the article to analyze his business and drew this conclusion: “I have loads of three of the Cornerstones: #1, #3, and #4, but I am weak on #2: Strategies. Magical thinking leads me to believe that if you make it good enough they will buy it, but finding “them” is first and foremost! So I am trying to get #2 equal to the others. Thank you Mary!”

Question for the day ~

How much clarity and consensus on purpose is there within your organization?

In Closing ~

I realize now that a lot of people may have been on vacation last week, or otherwise engaged, and thus may have missed the newest edition of my QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER. If so, here’s a quick link to my newsletter.
I hope you enjoy it!

Mary

After twenty five years of working intimately with hundreds of organizations, I decided to take stock of what I had learned. I came up with a simple concept that pulled together the factors that seemed to make a crucial difference. I called it the “Four Cornerstones for Business Success.” These key principles are universal, relevant to any type or size of organization. I published it originally as a whitepaper, and I share it with you now as it begins a four part series of articles in the North Bay Business Journal this week.

Food for Thought ~

Think now, for just a moment, about the building you’re in as you read this. Most buildings have four corners for the main structure. Additional wings may be attached, but most likely the primary building foundation has four corners to provide it with structural stability. In stone buildings, these four key positions are called cornerstones. This metaphor works very well as a model for business. Just as a building needs a solid foundation, so does a business. The four cornerstones for business success are: 1. Purpose 2. Strategies 3. Skills and 4. Leadership. For optimal performance, all four cornerstones must be of roughly equivalent strength. However, leadership is “equal above all others.” Indeed, if I had to select one as the most crucial cornerstone over time, it would be leadership. But an interesting corollary is that the harmony and interdependence of the four cornerstones actually create the strongest position. The balance of the four elements, all equally strong, is the best foundation for optimal performance. To read more, click here.

Question for the day ~

What do you consider to be the foundation for your success?

In Closing ~

Please be on the lookout tomorrow for the newest edition of my NEWS FROM MARY QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER. I hope you enjoy it!

Kind regards,

Mary

Being a great communicator is right at the top of the leader’s list of roles. Some historic past masters include Steve Jobs, JFK, and of course, the great Winston Churchill. They had very different styles, but one thing they had in common was their appreciation for the importance of their role as communicator and their willingness to spend the necessary time required in thought and preparation for speaking occasions. Jobs’ preparation is legendary, and there are some excellent books, articles, and videos on his presentation methods.

Food for Thought ~

Leaders need to understand that every time they speak to constituents, from employees to customers to the general public – all of their myriad audiences, whether formally or informally, it is their responsibility to have a meaningful message to convey. Here’s an abbreviated version of one of my methods for coaching leaders on developing their message. To begin: think in two directions. First, think Outside – In. Ask yourself what’s going on in your organization, community, industry, the world, that needs to be acknowledged in your comments? What needs to be addressed or illuminated? Second, think Inside – Out. What’s in your heart or on your mind that you need to say to this audience at this point in time? What do they need to hear from you? Would it be important to articulate the organization’s values, mission, or vision? Third, integrate the themes you have identified. Always consider timing and context. Speak simply, from a place of personal authenticity, with clear and concise language. Communicating effectively is one of the greatest opportunities you have to powerfully demonstrate your role as a leader.
“Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can. That is the only secret of style.”
Matthew Arnold, English Poet and Essayist

Question for the day ~

Effective public speaking = having something to say and saying it clearly. Have you taken the time to develop your public speaking skills? How might you improve your effectiveness as a communicator?

In Closing ~

If public speaking is not one of your strengths, please get some assistance. No leader can afford to be less than successful in this crucial role.
Kind regards,

Mary

It’s always inspiring to witness real-life situations that dramatically illustrate the importance of positive leadership. Linda Sartor, of Santa Rosa, California, is an example of a courageous, values-driven leader. Linda has participated in numerous civilian peace missions to war torn countries, most recently in Afghanistan. Personally, she is self-effacing, even a bit shy, and soft-spoken. But her commitment to serving as an emissary for peace is iron-willed. And because of her deep convictions, she ventures into countries most of us will never visit. She overcomes her natural reticence and gives public presentations about her work, raising awareness about the lives of ordinary people in Afghanistan. She personifies leadership in action. Recently, Linda hosted a Skype call to her counterparts in Kabul, Afghanistan. I had the honor of leading our group here in the very moving experience of singing John Lennon’s beautiful song “Imagine” for her colleagues half-way around the world.

Food for Thought ~

Linda’s slide presentation about her trips to Afghanistan introduced me to the other heroes in this story – The Afghanistan Peace Volunteers, a small group of young men, many still teenagers, working quietly for peace in their country. Each of them has suffered great personal loss and hardship due to the war, yet they reach out to others in their community, searching for peaceful solutions to the complex social, cultural and political problems in their country. They frankly acknowledge that they don’t expect to see peace in their lifetimes, yet even so, they have the vision, courage and resolve to persevere.

Question for the day ~

In what ways do these examples of courageous leaders inspire you? What deep convictions do you have that help you persevere through difficulties? How might a very long-term vision change your perspective?

In Closing ~

My recent, and relevant, column in the North Bay Business Journal is about your values as a leader and your organization’s values. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, click here.

Mary