~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LEADERSHIP WIRED John C. Maxwell's FREE Semimonthly Newsletter Designed To Maximize Your Leadership Potential. April 2003 - Volume 6, Issue 7 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Many insecure people weren't affirmed or empowered during critical phases of life. As a result, they're practically incapable of nurturing the people they lead." - John C. Maxwell In This Issue: * Maxwell Moment - Why Insecure Leaders Are So Bad * Leadership@Large - Surveying the Leadership Landscape * Book Review - It's Not About You * Quick Quotes - Courageous Living ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Maxwell Moment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WHY INSECURE LEADERS ARE SO BAD By Dr. John C. Maxwell If we were honest with each other, most of us would have to admit that we have at least one or two areas of personal insecurity in our lives. For some, these insecurities might be related to appearance--a big nose, a receding hairline, or a weight issue. Other people might be insecure about their public speaking skills, their cooking talents, their technical aptitude, their athletic prowess, their family background, their ability to relate to peers or their social status. Most well-adjusted people are able to deal with these insecurities in a healthy manner. They look for ways to improve themselves, they accept the reality of the situation and try to make the best of it, or they choose not to let whatever might cause them to feel insecure bother them too much. Other people let their insecurities rule their lives. We all know people like this. They're often very negative--about themselves and everything else. They're always comparing themselves to other people, and they frequently put others down to make themselves look better. They don't refresh or affirm the people around them; they tend to drain and exhaust them. These people can be tough to have as coworkers, relatives and friends, but--hear me now--they're terrible as leaders. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that few things are worse than an insecure leader. That's a bold statement, so let me back it up with a list of characteristics that insecure leaders have in common that make them so ineffective. 1. They want control. Control is everything to insecure people; the thought of giving it up by empowering others or delegating important responsibilities scares them to death. 2. They fear public failure. As a result, they will absolutely anything to avoid being embarrassed by doing something stupid in front of others. 3. They avoid risk. They would rather not try and not know, even if it means missing out on great success and growth. 4. They are closed in their relationships. They don't open up because they fear rejection. 5. They do not hire 10s. If they did, they'd run the risk of being shown up. So instead of hiring top-notch people, they surround themselves with mediocrity. 6. They resist change. Keeping the status quo helps them maintain control, or so they think. 7. They fail to affirm and empower others. Many insecure people weren't affirmed or empowered during critical phases of life. As a result, they're practically incapable of nurturing the people they lead. 8. They stay in their comfort zone. To leave it invites risk and change--what more can I say? 9. They view people and situations through their insecurities. Consequently, what they see never totally matches up with reality, and more often than not, it's completely skewed. 10. They create an environment of insecurity. This makes the people they lead confused and unsettled because they never know what's going to happen next. Do you understand why I say few things are worse than an insecure leader? Granted, these people might be able to fake their way through their leadership responsibilities in the short-term, but in the long run, they usually end up hurting themselves, and they always take others down with them. Now for some good news. If you found yourself identifying with some or all of the characteristics in this list--if you suspect you might qualify as an insecure leader--there is still hope for you. You've taken the first very large step toward overcoming this debilitating problem--you've recognized that it is a problem in your life. So do you do next? Here are four suggestions: 1. Seek professional help. Find a good counselor, and figure out a way to get off the roller coaster of personal insecurity. You owe it to yourself, the people you lead, and the people you love. 2. Identify your areas of insecurity. The counselor will help you do this, and he or she will also give you practical ways to overcome your insecurities. 3. Allow a trusted friend to help you. This will mean opening up about your deepest insecurities, but it's always easier to battle this kind of problem with a supportive friend than it is to do it alone. 4. Develop a complementary friend. If your trusted friend also complements your insecurities and helps make up for some of your weaknesses, you'll be well on your way to overcoming this problem. It won't happen overnight, but when you finally learn to deal with or even eliminate your personal insecurities, you'll be amazed at the difference it makes in your life and in the lives of the people you lead. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Leadership@Large ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAUGHT IN A LIE The University of California at Berkeley's Haas School of Business recently rejected several applicants who were on track for admission into its fall 2003 MBA class. Why the reversal? According to Business Week, 5 percent of about 100 previously qualified applicants were turned away "after background checks revealed inaccuracies on their resumes." In other words, they were rejected because they lied. The most common lies had to do with employment history: "Applicants fabricated work dates to hide the fact that they had been laid off," Business Week reported. Ironically, the school's admissions director said all the rejected students would have been admitted if they had just been truthful on their resumes. Apparently, these would-be executives haven't been paying attention to the news enough to know that when it comes to business, honesty really is the best policy these days. Perhaps it's a good thing they were rejected; after all, if they're so desperate to get into business school that they would resort to embellishing facts on their resumes, what else might they be tempted to embellish if, as corporate leaders, they are faced with a desperate financial or ethical situation at work? For more information, see: http://www.businessweek.com/careers/content/mar2003/ ca20030312_7349_ca013.htm _________________________________________________________________ DIRECTING FOR A CHANGE To change the behavior of an underperforming team, it's best to give direction, not criticism. That, reports Fast Company's online edition, is the philosophy of Roger Nierenberg, a Connecticut orchestra conductor who moonlights as a management consultant. Drawing from his experiences as leader of the Stamford Symphony Orchestra, Nierenberg helps managers become better leaders by "giving them a musician's-eye view of a conductor at work." Because leaders are in a position to see the big picture, their job is to "communicate a sense of how things could be--and to show people how to achieve that vision," he says. This is where direction comes in. "Direction points to the way things could be," Nierenberg explains. "Criticism, on the other hand, points to the way things were. It doesn't enlighten people. Direction tells people what to do, whereas criticism tells people what not to do. Here's a criticism: 'The percussion section is playing too loudly.' A direction is, 'Make sure the audience can hear the woodwinds.'" Nierenberg says it's more difficult to process a "do not" command than a "do" instruction because "do not" suggests you have to "locate a behavior, inhibit, figure out what to replace it with, and then replace it." "Do" instructions, on the other hand, are more straightforward: "Do this." "You're offering a new vision, a different tool," he says. For more information, see: http://www.fastcompany.com/online/48/baton.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Book Review ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU "The Purpose Driven Life" isn't a leadership book, per se. But if you read it thoughtfully and take its message to heart, it almost certainly will make you a better leader. That's because when you understand your purposes in life, as Rick Warren defines them, you will begin to see yourself, the people around you, your career, the trials and temptations you experience, and your service to others differently. This new perspective will increase your overall effectiveness as a person, which, in turn, will enhance your ability to lead. Now that I've made such a bold claim, let me offer a brief caveat: Warren, the pastor of one of the country's largest churches and author of a previous book called "The Purpose Driven Church," applies many of his principles to community and ministry within a local church. It's not too big of a stretch, however, to extend the application to other spheres of life. For example, his insights about building relationships in a small group setting could easily relate to relationships within a department or company, and his comments about how God shapes a person's gifts and personality for ministry also apply to the way he designs us for specific careers and leadership assignments. The book's subtitle--"What on Earth am I Here For?"--sets the stage for Warren's entire message. And his first sentence--"It's not about you"--determines the tone for everything that follows. "This is not a self-help book," he writes. "It is not about finding the right career, achieving your dreams, or planning your life. Actually, it will teach you to do less in life--by focusing on what matters most. It is about becoming what God created you to be." And what exactly is that? According to Warren, our purpose involves worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism. But don't think these things can only take place in a building with a steeple. Worship, for example, is "anything you do that brings pleasure to God." This includes singing songs at church, but it also involves using your God-given talents and abilities--including your leadership skills--in your daily work. For leaders committed to personal integrity, Warren's section on discipleship (Purpose No. 3: "You Were Created to Become Like Christ") is worth the price of the book. Especially powerful are his thoughts about temptations and how to defeat them ("Ignoring a temptation is far more effective than fighting it," he writes), as well as his insights about problems and suffering. ("Because every day of your life was written on God's calendar before you were born, everything that happens to you has spiritual significance.") A few minor gripes about the book have to do with style, not content. For example, Warren uses nearly 1,000 scriptural quotations throughout the book. That's fine, but for people who like to have their sources documented and easily accessible, it would have been more convenient if he had had included references with each quotation, or at least placed them at the bottom of each page or at the end of each chapter, instead of in a big list at the end of the book. To help readers "see God's truth in new, fresh ways," Warren also quotes from 15 different Bible translations and paraphrases. This certainly adds flavor to the text, but it might be a bit confusing and perhaps even distracting for people who prefer to stick with one of the more traditional translations. Those technicalities aside, I agree with author Bruce Wilkinson, who called "The Purpose Driven Life" "profound, compelling and transforming." Now, it would be wonderful for Leadership Wired readers if, at some point in the future, Rick Warren came out with a book called "The Purpose Driven Leader." But until that happens, "The Purpose Driven Life" offers plenty of insight about how to make your life and work more worthwhile--here on earth and for eternity. --Review by Lois Flowers, INJOY consulting editor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quick Quotes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ COURAGEOUS LIVING "Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared." - Eddie Rickenbacker "You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do." - Eleanor Roosevelt "Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake." - Victor Hugo _________________________________________________________________ Leadership Wired is written by Dr. John C. Maxwell and is available via e-mail on a free subscription basis. You can subscribe at: http://www.INJOY.com/Newsletters. Questions about document transmission or editorial comments? Contact mailto:feedback@INJOY.com. 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