~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LEADERSHIP WIRED John C. Maxwell's FREE Semimonthly Newsletter Designed To Maximize Your Leadership Potential. April 2003 - Volume 6, Issue 8 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "The best decision-makers are those who are willing to suffer the most over decisions but still retain their ability to be decisive." - Scott Peck In This Issue: * Maxwell Moment - Making the Tough Calls * Leadership@Large - Surveying the Leadership Landscape * Interview - Opting Out * Quick Quotes - What the Prez Said ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Maxwell Moment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MAKING THE TOUGH CALLS By Dr. John C. Maxwell Closing a small-town plant that employs hundreds of residents. Firing a key staff member. Acquiring another company. Dissolving a long-time business relationship. Ninety-five percent of the decisions a CEO makes likely could be made by a reasonably intelligent eighth-grader. But the CEO gets paid for the other 5 percent for making tough calls like the ones I just described. What exactly is a tough call? It's a decision you know you should make because it will help you and/or your company, but you often hesitate to make it for a host of reasons some good and some not-so-good. You may be nodding your head as you read, traveling down memory lane to a time when you had to make a tough call. In fact, that's one way to identify tough calls--you definitely remember them. And every time you think of them, you groan. That's just the way it is with a tough call. It doesn't matter how much time has passed since you made the decision, it still makes you groan. Every tough call that I've made in my life had the following things in common: 1. It required much energy, time and prayer. The decision didn't just make me tired; it sapped my strength. And I had to go to God often with one simple request: "Help me, help me, help me." 2. It demanded a risk. If there's no risk involved, you're not making a tough call. 3. It was questioned and criticized. I've never made a tough call that prompted everyone in my company to proclaim, "Oh, what a wise man you are." I have, however, made tough calls that made them say, "That was one of the stupidest things we've ever seen you do." My point is this: if you make a decision that brings unanimous approval, it wasn't a tough call. 4. It cost me greatly. Sometimes it cost me financially, sometimes it cost me relationships, and sometimes it only cost me sleep. But trust me the cost was high. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why people are often hesitant to make tough calls. But if you're a leader, you might as well accept the fact that tough calls are part of your job description. They're not optional; they're a requirement. Tough calls will never be painless, but you can make the process a bit easier by following these five steps: 1. Do your homework. Never make a tough call on the spur of the moment. If you do, I guarantee you'll regret it. Instead, research all your options and the ramifications of each one. Evaluate the decision from the perspectives all the people or groups who might be affected. List the pros and cons. Don't give due diligence the short shrift. 2. Set a deadline. Why is a deadline necessary? Because when it comes to tough calls, we tend to procrastinate. So set a time limit for your decision and stick to it. 3. Seek counsel from the right people. When you're contemplating a tough call, talk it over with a trusted, objective outsider who knows your business and can help you see things you may have missed in your homework. 4. Make your decisions on principles and values that you believe in. That makes your tough calls consistent with who you are, what you teach and what you believe. 5. Understand the emotions of making the tough call. Scott Peck was right when he said, "The best decision-makers are those who are willing to suffer the most over decisions but still retain their ability to be decisive." Are tough calls worth all the time, energy and agony they involve? Absolutely. Why am I so sure? Because every time I've had to make a tough call in my life, it lifted my leadership to a higher level. In other words, it led to a breakthrough. Read this very carefully: You are only one tough call away from a breakthrough. Isn't that encouraging? You get a breakthrough by making a call you don't want to make even though it's the right thing to do. And when you make that call, you suddenly take yourself, your company or your family to a whole new level. So go ahead. Make that tough call you've been putting off. Then fasten your seatbelt and prepare to rise to new heights. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Leadership@Large ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WARTIME SUPPORT During times of war, are leaders responsible for helping employees deal with the added stress such conflicts bring? One HR management expert thinks so, and he bases his belief on more than personal opinion. James M. Hunt, who studied how executives attempted to maintain a stable work environment during the first Gulf War and after the September 11 attacks, told Inc. magazine that managers who "listened and tried to be helpful and paid attention to the issues" after 9/11 had workgroups that were stronger, more loyal and more productive. But managers who disregarded employees' needs for support "had a lot of angry people walking around who stayed angry long after most people had gotten back on an even keel." Many employees have friends or relatives who are involved in the Iraqi war in some way, while others are simply frightened or worried about the situation in general. In either case, Hunt says managers need to keep tabs on how they're all doing and the kind of support they might need. "I would encourage any business owner to think this through in advance: What would you do if somebody got very upset at work? Who would you call?" For more information, see: http://www.inc.com/magazine/20030401/25307.html _________________________________________________________________ PENTAGON PR If you've been watching Pentagon press briefings about "Operation Iraqi Freedom," you've probably noticed the candor and bluntness with which officials such as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld have been answering the media's questions about the military's progress. A panel of public relations experts interviewed by a Business 2.0 marketing e-newsletter gave the Pentagon's PR strategy during the war good marks overall, citing leaders' appearance of openness and cooperation, their decision to allow imbedded reporters, and their use of multiple spokespeople. But some moves, such as suggesting a reporter's question was silly, drew raised eyebrows from the panel. "That's not a good move in any PR situation," says Al Ries, author of "The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR". "You've got to say, 'That's an interesting question.'" Another panelist concurs, to a point. "It's hard to imagine ever counseling a CEO to say a reporter's question is silly," says Henry Beckwith, author of "Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing". "But in this specific case, it works because the Pentagon is expected to act with shocking aggression from time to time. But no business executive should induce a bigger lesson here. This case is unique." So what can business leaders learn from the Pentagon's handling of war PR? "First, be as open as possible," Ries says. "If you believe what you are doing is right, there is no reason you cannot be transparent. Second, use multiple voices. I always like it when a CEO tells you to get more information from 'Frank in R&D' or from 'Steve in marketing.' Finally, you've got to be willing to accept a range of opinions in the media. You have to be courageous." _________________________________________________________________ MILITARY LEADERSHIP MODELS Observing the skill with which U.S. troops are carrying out their duties in Iraq might tempt some business leaders to rush out and buy the latest bestseller on how to apply military leadership techniques to the corporate office. But one Industry Week columnist doesn't think that's such a good idea. John R. Brandt, who recently spent a weekend on an aircraft carrier observing sailors in action, believes that while the military's methods work exceptionally well for the military, they have "limited application to the modern corporate world." He offers several compelling reasons for this, including the military's ability to use what he calls "total immersion." "Imagine the success rate you could have with new employees if, during their first 90 days on the job, you could control their every action--from how they trained to where they slept to what they ate," he writes. "You could, in 90 days, so completely surround your employees with messages about your mission, about their roles and about the behaviors you expect that your recruits might well charge up any hill you specify. In a free society, however, your employees go home each night and listen to all kinds of messages and voices that compete with yours. You have to convince your employees of the importance of your priorities every day." For more of Brandt's thoughts, see: www.industryweek.com/Columns/Asp/columns.asp?ColumnId=928 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Interview ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OPTING OUT It happens all the time. A newspaper reporter excels in her work and gets promoted into a managing editor position. A salesman sells more than anyone else on his team and gets tapped to be the new sales manager. A mechanical engineer consistently outperforms her colleagues and is named head of her department. Many times, such career moves work out great for everyone concerned. Other times, however, the promoted employee finds-- perhaps immediately, perhaps gradually--that he or she lacks the desire, the commitment or the ability to lead well in his or her new position. What then? It would be bad form, maybe even shameful to step down, wouldn't it? Not necessarily, says Mark Sanborn, speaker, author and president of Sanborn and Associates (www.marksanborn.com), an idea studio for leadership development in Highlands Ranch, Colo. In 17 years of motivating and training leaders, he has come to the conclusion that, though it's taboo in many circles to say, "I don't want to lead anymore," there are times when that is absolutely the right decision for a person to make. We talked with him recently about how to go about doing this. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Leadership Wired: Let's say I'm frustrated and discouraged in my current leadership position to the point that I'm thinking about quitting. What should I do? Sanborn: You begin by working through a process that I call the three R's: rethink, reinvent and renew. LW: Your first R—the rethinking phase—includes five questions: why, what, when, how and who. Explain what those involve. Sanborn: The first question to ask yourself is, "Why am I leading?" Often the reason why we get into leadership changes but we still keep leading. Are you clear on your purpose or has that purpose changed? It could stem from a commitment to the cause or a passion for the objective or a sense of calling. Or, you might accept leadership responsibility thinking you're truly passionate about something only to get into it and find it doesn't address what you're truly passionate about. Next is, "What are you accomplishing?" There's a difference between busyness and results. You can be busy and doing a lot, but accomplishing little. LW: This brings us to the question of when. Sanborn: Are your doubts about your desire to continue leading a matter of timing? Is it a temporary setback? Is it discouragement? Will you feel differently when something changes or comes to fruition? Progress and results in any endeavor are rarely linear and always on the incline. So you need to address the issue of timing--is this simply something I'll feel differently about when the wind changes, when we get the position filled, or when we get the resources we need? The fourth question is how, as in how are you moving towards the objective you are trying to achieve in your leadership role. The means are as important as the end. You experience cognitive dissonance when you start doing things you aren't comfortable with ethically, morally or values-wise. On the other hand, you might have the right purpose and you might be feeling like you are accomplishing or have the potential to accomplish much. The final part is the who--who's on your team? Do you have the right people on your team? Are you coming to terms with the fact that there may be a need for personnel change? The wrong people on your team can be the biggest demotivators of all. LW: Then comes the reinventing, right? Sanborn: Yes. That's where you go from introspection and convert it to actions and behaviors; you come up with a plan. Based on the answers to these questions, what action do you need to take? The key in the rethinking is to really do some serious reflection. But the reinventing is really the crucible. If you do those things that your reflection has led you to do and they don't work, you do one of two things: You go back to step A and rethink again, or you realize that some problems just don't have answers. LW: Where does renewal come into play in all of this? Sanborn: Renewal has to do with staying motivated and fresh doing your work. Leaders know that the motivator must motivate himself or herself through an ongoing program of personal and professional development. Ultimately, though, to stay renewed, the leader has to know what gives his or her life meaning and stay close to those things. LW: And what if the rethinking and reinventing process has shown me my current leadership role has caused me to drift away from those things? Sanborn: If your rethinking leads you to the conclusion that you don't desire and/or have the idea to lead anymore, this will ultimately keep you from being renewed. You can't renew someone who is in the wrong place doing the wrong things at the wrong time. That's where you have to seriously ask yourself whether you should opt not to lead. Just to keep it in perspective, I think that this shouldn't happen a whole lot, but I think that it happens less than it should. When people stay in leadership roles they shouldn't be in, they do damage to themselves and their organizations by not opting out. LW: If I decide I want to opt out, what's my next step? Sanborn: Begin by going to whoever you're accountable to. It needs to be broached with the organization that this is a decision that was made reflectively with everyone's best interests at heart. There should be, in terms of the outcome, no sense of shame or disgrace. You owe it to the people you lead-- they don't deserve anything less than an effective, committed leader. The question is, how can I best contribute? We cannot assume for anyone that their best contribution is in leadership. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quick Quotes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WHAT THE PREZ SAID "You can't escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today." - Abraham Lincoln "Men make history, and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better." - Harry S. Truman "Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have." - Ronald Reagan _________________________________________________________________ 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. Visitors may use the information contained in this e-newsletter by placing the following credit line: "This article is used by permission from Dr. John C. Maxwell's free monthly e-newsletter 'Leadership Wired' available at www.INJOY.com." This information cannot be used for resale in any manner. Copyright (c) 2003, INJOY, Inc.