To view the Color version of this e-Newsletter, visit http://www.INJOY.com/LeadershipWired ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LEADERSHIP WIRED John C. Maxwell's FREE Semimonthly Newsletter Designed To Maximize Your Leadership Potential. January 2004 - Volume 7, Issue 2 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “People like to feel special, so sincerely compliment them. They want a better tomorrow, so show them hope. They lack direction, so navigate for them.” ~ John C. Maxwell In This Issue: * Maxwell Moment - Adding Value, Part Two John explains how the leader’s head, heart and hand work together to help others succeed * Leadership@ Large - Surveying the Leadership Landscape Self-Esteem Boost and Understanding Social Power * Book Review – What Makes a Leader? A review of “Geeks & Geezers” by Warren G. Bennis and Robert J. Thomas * Quick Quotes - FEEDING ENTHUSIASM Edward B. Butler, John Luther, Papyrus ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Maxwell Moment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ADDING VALUE, PART TWO By Dr. John C. Maxwell As one year draws to a close and another one begins, it’s not uncommon for people to make an intentional effort to appraise where they’ve been in the last twelve months and think about the changes that they’d like to make in the coming months. Whether it’s in the area of finances, weight, physical fitness, relationships or career, we all have aspects of our lives that could use a little tweaking, if not a complete overhaul. If you engage in such year-end/new-year reflection, be sure to include your leadership efforts on your list of things to evaluate. What have you done well as a leader this year? Where have you stumbled? Take a close look around you. Are the people you lead more competent and confident now than they were a year ago? Have you made every possible effort, as we discussed in the last issue of Leadership Wired, to add value to their lives? If not, or if you still have room to improve in this area, don’t get discouraged. You can begin adding value to the people around you by using three tools every leader possesses--your head, your heart and your hands. 1. The leader’s head - understand people. An important quality of a relational leader is the ability to understand how people feel and think. For example, many of the people in your sphere of influence are insecure. If you’re a confident person yourself, you may have never considered this. But it’s a truth that every leader needs to recognize. This realization was life-changing for me as a communicator. When I learned that as many as ninety percent of the people to whom I spoke struggled with insecurity, I made it my goal to speak confidence into their lives. I wanted to empower people to move forward, to take a risk, to find success, to give it one more shot. So I began to make sure my words fostered confidence, not doubt. You might not speak to large audiences regularly, but you talk to people every day who are in desperate need of a confidence boost. So how do you go about giving them one? That’s easier than it may seem. People like to feel special, so sincerely compliment them. They want a better tomorrow, so show them hope. They lack direction, so navigate for them. They get low emotionally, so encourage them. They want success, so help them win. The more you build their confidence, the more they’ll be able to achieve on their own. 2. The leader’s heart — love people. You cannot truly be an effective leader--the kind people want to follow--unless you love people. I’m not talking about a touchy- feely, emotional kind of love--not everyone operates that way. I’m talking about a genuine compassion and caring that comes from the heart--a way of relating that shows people you believe in them, you want the best for them and you’re pulling for them to succeed. If you truly love your people like this, you can’t help but add value to their lives--probably in more ways than you might think. 3. The leader’s hand — help people. It might seem obvious that one of your jobs as a leader is to help people. But if your head and heart are not working properly, your hand will never perform as it should. Let me explain. If you don’t understand people (the leader’s head), you can’t help them. If you don’t love people (the leader’s heart), you won’t help them. That’s a sad place for a leader to be, but unfortunately, it’s all too common. To avoid this dangerous leadership trap, make sure your head and heart are functioning correctly. Only then will you be able to give your people the kind of help they need and deserve. Only then will you truly be able to bring out the best in the people around you. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Leadership@Large ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SELF-ESTEEM BOOST In this issue’s Maxwell Moment, we talked about how to build confidence in the people you lead. But that can be a tough assignment if you struggle with insecurity yourself. In a recent article from LearntoLead.com, author and speaker Dave Anderson offers a few tips to help leaders raise their self-esteem. 1. Avoid the comparison trap “Comparing yourself to others is a needless distraction,” Anderson writes. “First and foremost, your mission is to become better than you used to be.” 2. Resist the urge to put yourself down “Some people wouldn’t talk to their worst enemy in the same tone and with the same words in which they address themselves,” Anderson says. “Be your own ally, not your biggest adversary.” 3. Improve your discipline in a particular part of your life “This could be something as small as reading ten pages per day in a business book until you finish,” he writes. “When you make yourself consistently do the right things, you feel better about yourself.” 4. Celebrate the small victories "It’s okay to pat yourself on the back occasionally," Anderson says. "Just don’t let it turn into a massage." For more advice about how to increase your self-confidence as a leader, see www.learntolead.com/admin/InsiderItem-pvw.cfm?id=314 _________________________________________________________________ UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL POWER Malcolm Gladwell, bestselling author of "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference", believes that leaders who want to be effective in an increasingly complex world must be aware of the social power generated by people interacting with each other in relationships and personal networks. "We’re not very good at identifying it or nurturing it, despite the fact that I think we live in a world where social power is much more important--both in society and in organizations--in facilitating communication, and fostering innovation," Gladwell said in a recent Center for Creative Leadership e-newsletter. According to Gladwell, two types of people often surface as good leaders as a result of their social power--connectors and mavens. "Connectors are individuals who know a lot of people and draw on those connections to get things done," the CCL e-newsletter states. Although such individuals usually don’t occupy top positions in their companies, managers need to know who they are and make a concerted effort to retain them and listen to them. Mavens, on the other hand, are people who "gather large amounts of useful information on certain topics and enjoy sharing it with others," the e-newsletter explains. "Their willingness to share their expertise without necessarily trying to profit from it gives them great credibility among listeners, who are often inclined to act on their advice." As a result, "It’s hard to be an effective leader without understanding who the relevant mavens are, seeking out their opinions and taking them seriously," the CCL says. For more information about Gladwell’s ideas, see WEB LINK HERE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BOOK REVIEW ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WHAT MAKES A LEADER? "Geeks & Geezers: How Era, Values, and Defining Moments Shape Leaders" By Warren G. Bennis and Robert J. Thomas (Harvard Business School Press, 2002) When leadership experts Warren G. Bennis and Robert J. Thomas embarked on a study of exceptional leaders older than seventy or younger than thirty-five, their main goal was to determine how era and values shape people who lead. Along the way, however, they discovered something even more profound--why some people become and remain leaders while other, equally talented individuals do not. In "Geeks & Geezers", the authors assert that it is our response to the "crucibles" of life, those "utterly transformational experiences" that either shatter us or make us stronger, that determines whether we have what it takes to be a lifelong leader. Each of the 43 "geeks" (individuals under thirty-five) and "geezers" (leaders over age seventy) that Bennis and Thomas interviewed had undergone at least one such defining moment, and all emerged powerfully emboldened to learn and lead. The crucible experiences described were as varied as the interviewees themselves. One was transformed by surviving sixteen years in a Chinese prison; another was forever changed by working for a year in a Japanese factory. The death of a child, important mentoring relationships, service in World War II and a even a Girl Scout troop’s discussion about deforestation were among the other defining moments cited. "Whether the crucible was harrowing or not, it is seen by the individual as the turning point that set him or her on the desired, even inevitable, course," the authors write. To put it mildly, the two groups of leaders surveyed came of age in vastly different worlds (Bennis and Thomas devote two fascinating chapters to describing and comparing the "age of limits" that the geezers grew up in and the "era of options" that helped shape the geeks). But despite the stark cultural and societal differences that existed between these two eras--and despite the different ways the two groups viewed everything from career and family to heroes and making wealth--the authors discovered that the leaders they interviewed shared some critical characteristics. These traits, they believe, are what set the enduring leaders apart from less successful people. Topping the list is adaptive capacity, which Bennis and Thomas define as an "almost magical ability to transcend adversity, with all its attendant stresses, and emerge stronger than before." "People with ample adaptive capacity may struggle in the crucibles they encounter, but they don’t become stuck or defined by them," the authors write. "They learn important lessons, including new skills that allow them to move on to new levels of achievement and learning." The other common traits include the ability to engage others in shared meaning, a distinctive and compelling voice, and a sense of integrity (which the authors say is made up of a balance among ambition, competence and a moral compass). "Geeks & Geezers" doesn’t include much practical, step-by-step help for people who are looking to become better leaders. It does, however, offer a great deal of perspective about what influences and drives individuals from different eras. This could be particularly beneficial for older leaders and Baby Boomers who may have a hard time understanding employees under the age of thirty-five. Finally, there’s something very inspiring about people who refuse to be defined by their age--seventy- and eighty-year-olds who, although "ripe with hard-won insight and ability," are also hungry for the next big adventure. Regardless of our age, we can all use a bit of such inspiration every now and then. -- Review by Lois Flowers, INJOY (MI) consulting editor MUST READS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quick Quotes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FEEDING ENTHUSIASM “One man has enthusiasm for 30 minutes, another for 30 days, but it is the man who has it for 30 years who makes a success of his life.” --Edward B. Butler “Like the chicken and the egg, enthusiasm and success seem to go together. We suspect, however, that enthusiasm comes first. If you hope to succeed at anything in this world, polish up your enthusiasm and hang on to it.” --John Luther “No one keeps up his enthusiasm automatically. Enthusiasm must be nourished with new actions, new aspirations, new efforts, new vision. It is one’s own fault if his enthusiasm is gone; he has failed to feed it.” --Papyrus ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Contacting Us ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For more information on Dr. John C. Maxwell, please visit our web site at http://www.INJOY.com. Leadership Wired is written by Dr. John C. Maxwell and is available via e-mail on a free subscription basis. You can subscribe or unsubscribe at: http://www.INJOY.com/membership/memberprofile.asp. Questions about document transmission or editorial comments? Contact mailto:feedback@INJOY.com. 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