~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LEADERSHIP WIRED John C. Maxwell's FREE Semimonthly Newsletter Designed To Maximize Your Leadership Potential. March 2004 - Volume 7, Issue 5 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In This Issue: * Maxwell Moment - Give it Time * Leadership@Large - Surveying the Leadership Landscape * Interview - Deciding Together * Quick Quotes - Character Construction ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Maxwell Moment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GIVE IT TIME By Dr. John C. Maxwell Merging on to a crowded expressway can unnerve even the calmest driver. Despite the stress, most of us just check our mirror and cautiously forge ahead, hoping that the hole we're shooting for remains open until our vehicle has safely entered the highway. We obey the yield sign on the on ramp, but we keep moving. Every once in awhile motorists will make it all the way to the end of the ramp and just stop. Other drivers line up behind them, honking and gesturing, but the poor drivers are too intimidated by all the 18-wheelers and SUVs whizzing past to make their move. Instead of slowing down until they find the right spot to merge, they just gives up. Have you ever been tempted to do that in other areas of life? Have you ever gotten so discouraged by the pressures, responsibilities, or lack of progress associated with a certain project or role that you just want to throw in the towel? Wanting to surrender and actually giving up are two totally different things. Sometimes, when you're thinking about quitting, a fresh perspective on time can help renew your spirits and energize you for the long haul. Here are five thoughts that might encourage you the next time you find yourself coming to a standstill in your work as a leader. 1. Wrong perception causes many people to quit. The moment one person says, "I give up," someone else is looking at the very same situation and saying, "This is my great opportunity." One person's yelling "uncle" and getting out of the ring, and the other is saying, "This is the chance of a lifetime." What's the difference between the two? It's all a matter of perception. 2. If you start for the wrong reason, you'll stop for the wrong reason. When people tell me they want to stop doing something, I always want to know why they started it in the first place. Instead of listening to a list of five reasons why they should quit their profession, for example, I take them back to the beginning. Why did they get into accounting (or construction or sales or whatever) at all? Did they love numbers, or did they just become CPA's because that's what their parents expected? If you have the right reason for starting something, you'll have the tenacity to give it a little more time. 3. Perseverance and patience are a result of seeing the big picture. Let me explain it this way. A stonecutter, hammer and chisel in hand, pounds on a hunk of granite. For a long time, there's no obvious change in the stone, but he keeps tapping the chisel. And then, on the 101st tap, a hairline crack appears. Does the 101st blow make the fracture? Of course not. It's the constant hammering on the chisel that causes the rock to split. The stonecutter knows what will happen if he keeps pounding. He perseveres because he sees the big picture. In work and life, many people give up when they don't get immediate results. They hit the chisel about three times, and then they quit because they don't think anything is happening; but they're wrong. When you're doing the right thing daily, something is happening even when you can't see it. Don't lose sight of the big picture. 4. Great accomplishments take great time. The sculptor who carved Mount Rushmore was once asked if he did a perfect job of sculpting the faces of the four presidents. "No," he replied. "The nose of George Washington is about an inch too long, but it's okay. In a thousand years, erosion will make it just right." Talk about a good perspective on time. He understood that great achievements don't happen overnight. Sometimes, you have to wait a long time to see the results of your hard work. 5. Some things only work out if given enough time. I once read an article in Golf magazine about the late Sam Snead. A person who had played golf with Snead recalled that when the legendary golfer made a triple bogey (three over par) on the first hole, it didn't seem to bother him. As he was walking off the green, Sneed looked at his partner and said, "That's why they have eighteen holes of golf." In other words, it will all work out in the end. Some things just take time. It's easy to put too much stock in a single event. It's not one meeting, one lecture, or one presentation that makes us into great leaders; it's the process. It's the time we spend day in and day out--working diligently even when we're not seeing any results--that makes the difference. So next time you're tempted to give up, remember this. Leaders develop daily, not in a day. Give it time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Leadership@Large ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DON'T WORRY; PLAN WISELY Few would argue that the habit of worrying can have a detrimental effect on a leader's work--not to mention their quality of life. But different people have varying opinions when it comes to the antidote to this potentially crippling problem. For example, the president of a high-tech consulting firm in Atlanta says time-management is her secret to overcoming the "paralyzing power of worry." According to an article from the archives of Business Start-Ups magazine, T. Renee Wilson went through a time when worry prevented her from focusing on her business the way she needed to. "When you start acting out of worry," she said, "your whole demeanor, your whole attitude, changes--the way you respond to clients, the way you respond to your employees, the way you carry yourself." Improving the way she managed her time helped Wilson deal with anxiety about what had gone wrong the day before and problems that might come up in the future. "It's simply impossible to bring [worries] from yesterday or two or three days ago into today [and still handle the] new challenges you face every day, every hour, every minute," she said. To help you stay focused on today's tasks, Wilson offers these tips: * At the close of each day, prioritize what needs to be done the next day. * Realistically estimate how long each task will take. * Tackle one item at a time and don't stop until it's finished. * Plan for inevitable interruptions. To read more, see: http://www.Entrepreneur.com/article/0,4621,230031,00.html _________________________________________________________________ HOW CLOSE IS TOO CLOSE? For leaders, there's a fine line between showing an interest in their employees' lives and becoming too chummy with direct report. The latter has obvious pitfalls, including potential loss of respect, the possibility of having to fire a friend, and so on. At the same time, forming close, personal bonds at work sometimes can be a good management strategy, says Carnegie Mellon University Professor Denise Rousseau. According to an article in a recent issue of Inc. magazine, Rousseau has found that workers who have strong rapport with their bosses are "more likely to be loyal, work harder and stick around longer." Rousseau surveyed top leaders at eighty start-ups about their human resource plans. Most of those surveyed consider a friendly office atmosphere to be a competitive advantage--one that can keep employees from getting itchy feet and going elsewhere, she told Inc. reporter Nadine Heintz. Of course, such an environment can't be forced. "If you're not an open person by nature, faking it can be disastrous, making you appear insincere and phony," Heintz writes. While Rousseau encourages leaders to care about their employees' families and outside activities, she doesn't recommend that bosses open up about the "nitty-gritty details of their personal lives." There are times, however, when some such information is warranted. "If you're having a bad week because your son is sick, she says, "better to let them know than have them wonder if the company's in trouble." To read more, see: http://www.inc.com/magazine/20040101/managing.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Interview ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DECIDING TOGETHER Don Maruska knows a thing or two about making decisions. He served as vice president of marketing for the telecommunications and software company that later became E*Trade. He was a founder and CEO of three Silicon Valley companies dedicated to applying new technologies to health care. And as a venture capitalist, he contributed to the growth of start-up businesses that became stock market successes. Through it all, he learned what can go wrong with a company internally when personalities clash, opinions differ, and money issues tear at professional relationships. He believes that many of these problems can be alleviated--perhaps even avoided--if leaders learn how to make decisions in a way that fosters trust and a spirit of cooperation. Now a business coach and internationally syndicated business columnist, Maruska outlines an effective ten-step process for making good decisions in "How Great Decisions Get Made" (AMACOM, 2003). We recently visited with him about this process and the impact it can have on the organizations that implement it. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Leadership Wired: Is an inability to make good decisions a big problem facing leaders and organizations today? Don Maruska: I find it to be the number one problem that organizations have. As much time and effort as they spend on identifying their values, their mission, and everything else when tough issues come up, oftentimes those core values go out the window and something else happens because they don't have a good way to resolve those tough issues. They don't have a process to do it. LW: What are some common approaches to decision-making and why don't they work? Maruska: One common approach is that people will have a take-charge approach, which is, "Okay, I've made a decision and now I want you to all line up behind me," whether they're in charge of the group or not. That, of course, stifles the creativity and thinking of everyone else in the group because they didn't have a chance to contribute and maybe they silently or verbally resist the decision that comes forward out of that kind of forced approach. And then there are other people who ignore key issues that may be festering and hope that they'll go away--the Pollyannas of the world. Those people are really making a decision; their decision is not to decide. LW: What is the best way to make decisions? Maruska: The best way to make decisions includes the following core elements. First, enlisting everyone and discovering shared hopes. By inviting hidden talent, you avoid creating enemies, and multiply your chances of success. Next, uncovering the real issues behind the disagreement, laying out all options, and gathering the right information. Using shared hopes as your lens, you can see the whole tree before going out on a limb. Then, getting everything on the table, writing down choices that support shared hopes, and mapping solutions. By taking the guesswork out of decision making, it becomes clear which solution among multiple alternatives will generate the best outcome. Finally, looking ahead and staying charged up. Monitoring the effects of decisions and making adjustments as necessary ensures that initial successes are sustainable and repeatable, while celebrating progress recognizes the contributions of each member and renews hope for further progress. These elements bring out the best ideas and best results without wasting a minute on divisive debates. LW: If people aren't debating, what are they doing? Maruska: They are sharing information in a thoughtful and balanced way. Instead of having people advocate and defend particular points of view, everyone offers ideas about what's negative and positive about each option. This frees participants from their personal agendas and enables them to see the bigger picture and develop superior solutions. As a result, totally new and better ideas emerge. That's because they are learning together. LW: How do you reach closure on a decision? Maruska: Each participant writes down the option that best fulfills their shared hopes and any other options that would acceptably advance their hopes. The team gathers these secret straw ballots and compiles the results on a simple chart. This visual picture is a quick and effective way to identify the most desirable option and potential ways to improve upon it. Participants also select acceptable alternatives to keep in mind as circumstances change. LW: What role does the leader have in this type of decision making? Maruska: The leader is a full participant and benefits from the opportunity to hear from all participants, and for them to hear from the leader. This is critical in today's environment where the leader often doesn't have all of the information. Margaret Wheatley, who wrote the foreword for my book, talks about this as the need for today's leaders to be hosts rather than heroes. That is, leaders play the critical role of creating the conditions and opportunities for their teams' success rather than single handedly saving the day. Leaders need to gather their people and resources together and engage a constructive process to tap into everyone's best thinking and build commitment to results. LW: What types of decisions warrant this kind of treatment? Maruska: I've used it in every kind of situation, from decisions that involve hundreds of millions of dollars for Fortune 500 companies to decisions for start-up firms that are trying to figure out the roles that people should play. It works at all different levels, and it also works in community groups and family situations. The process I've outlined brings people to a coherent set of tools they can use in any environment. Now, where you use it and how often you use it is really a function of how important the issues are and how intense the feelings are. But, you can have a small issue that people have very intense feelings about, and need this process to get through it so that personal differences don't fester and infect bigger issues. LW: What if the decision-makers don't know, like, or trust each other? Maruska: This process has worked even with parties that have been in litigation with each other and that have spent tens of thousands of dollars on lawyers to fight each other. They've been able to come together. This is a great way to understand other people with whom you're working--to have people talk about what their hopes are and why they are important to them. It quickly gets you to a discussion of what's most central to the people that you're dealing with and how that relates to the issues that you're addressing together. From that foundation, people are able to make intelligent decisions together and quickly resolve their issues. So it works in even the most contentious environment. In fact, I often get called in when everything else has failed. For example, an R&D team in a Fortune 100 company had spent three months arguing about a core issue they needed to resolve. Products worth billions of dollars hung on the decision. They couldn't resolve it because they didn't have a process to bring their best thinking together, and in the absence of that, they started to work against each other rather than with each other. In an afternoon, using this process as I guided them through it, they came up with a decision that they all got behind. LW: We've all heard the phrase, "the buck stops here." Does this method have any relevance in situations where the leader has the ultimate responsibility for making the decision? Maruska: Absolutely. While the leader may bear the ultimate responsibility for the decision, this process gets everyone to the same conclusion together. This saves time and builds momentum for more rapid and effective implementation. Leaders don't lose responsibility. They gain support for the best results. -- Interview by Lois Flowers, INJOY consulting editor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quick Quotes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CHARACTER CONSTRUCTION "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved." - Helen Keller "Good character is more to be praised that outstanding talent. Most talents are to some extent a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece--by thought, choice, courage, and determination." - John Luther "You can not dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself [into] one." - James A. Froude _________________________________________________________________ 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.