~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LEADERSHIP WIRED John C. Maxwell's FREE Semimonthly Newsletter Designed To Maximize Your Leadership Potential. May 2004 - Volume 7, Issue 9 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In This Issue: * Maxwell Moment – From Ordinary to Extraordinary * Leadership@Large – Surveying the Leadership Landscape * Book Review – Living Dangerously * Quick Quotes – The Necessity of Sacrifice ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Maxwell Moment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FROM ORDINARY TO EXTRAORDINARY By Dr. John C. Maxwell When you hear the word ordinary—in reference to a person, a restaurant, an athlete, an actor, or anything else—what comes to mind? If you're anything like me, you automatically think of words such as average, plain, common, and ever day. You're probably not thinking in specifics—ordinary people and places simply aren't that memorable. Now switch mental gears and ponder what you think of when you hear the word extraordinary. Are words such as amazing, outstanding, brilliant, and exceptional coming to mind? I expect so. You might even be thinking of a particular individual who fits this description—an incredible football player, a captivating public speaker, a Nobel Prize-winning poet, a gifted pianist, or cellist. This little exercise might seem to indicate that there is a huge gap between being ordinary and being extraordinary. It might lead you to believe that if you're an ordinary person with an ordinary job, you have no hope of ever achieving success or doing something that really makes a difference. This is a commonly held belief, but I'm here to tell you, it's not valid. Think of it in terms of professional baseball. If a player on your favorite team had a lifetime batting average of .340, you would consider him to be an extraordinary hitter—definite Hall of Fame material. At the same time, if another player on the same team consistently averaged around .240, you would probably think he was just okay—if you even knew who he was at all. There would be worlds of difference between these two players when it came to fan recognition, playing time, and, of course, salary. But think about it. What do their batting averages really say about these players? For every 10 visits to the batter's box, the first player gets a hit 3.4 times, compared with 2.4 times for the second player. Percentage-wise, that's not a great difference. And that's my point. In baseball, as in other areas of life, there's not much difference between ordinary and extraordinary. But that little bit makes a huge difference in four key areas. Extraordinary individuals: 1. Garner more respect. 2. Add more value to other people. 3. Make much more money. 4. Are perceived differently by the people around them. Look closely at the two words we've been discussing: ordinary and extraordinary. What's the difference between the two? Five little letters that make up the word extra. That's it. Just put "extra" in front of ordinary and you get extraordinary. So what does it take to move from ordinary to extraordinary? Think about it in terms of the topics we've covered in recent issues of "Leadership Wired." If you want to go from ordinary to extraordinary—in your role as a leader or in any other area of life—give a little extra effort. Spend a little extra time. Seek a little extra help. Possess a little extra realism. Make a little extra change. That's all it takes—a little extra. Let me add two more areas where a little extra will help you make the leap to the next level. 1. A little extra attitude. You see, motivation determines what you do, ability determines what you're capable of doing, and attitude determines how well you do it. When I see a person operating with excellence, I know it's because he or she has a good attitude. In writing about the Olympics, the late sports columnist Jim Murray commented that, in the history of the Games, the difference between gold medalists and silver medalists in all the timed events was less than one-tenth of a second. "That's not ability," he said. "That's attitude." 2. A little extra planning. Robert Eliot, a cardiology professor at the University of Nebraska, has some great advice about this he said, "It's important to run not on the fast track, but on your track," "Pretend you have only six months to live, and make three lists: the things you have to do, want to do, and neither have to do nor want to do. Then, for the rest of your life, forget everything on the third list." What does it take to come up with such lists? A little extra planning. You might think of yourself as pretty ordinary right now, but what would happen if you moved your life up just one notch? What would happen if you added a little extra in any of these areas? Remember—the distance between ordinary and extraordinary is not that great, but the resulting difference in your life when you make that leap could be far greater than you could even imagine. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Leadership@Large ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNDERSTANDING YOUR FRAMEWORK What is your leadership orientation? According to the Center for Creative Leadership's April e-newsletter, our assumptions about leadership have a powerful impact on the way we function in leadership situations. For example, someone who holds a traditional view of leadership—that it is the "result of a certain set of skills, perspectives or characteristics of a single person"—will operate differently than someone who believes in what the CCL calls "connected leadership" —the new notion that "leadership is something that occurs between people, groups, and systems," rather than something that is "exclusively owned or exhibited by individuals." The e-newsletter outlined several questions that can help you understand your leadership orientation, as well as the leadership framework of your organization or company. Here are a few: * What is leadership? * What does leadership look like? * What is effective leadership? * Who participates in the leadership process? * Can leadership be shared? * Is leadership a means to an end or an end in and of itself? For more information, see: http://www.ccl.org/CCLCommerce/news/newsletters/enewsletter/24/ APRdeveloping.aspx _________________________________________________________________ KEEPING E-MAIL IN ITS PLACE Intrusive. Disruptive. Counterproductive. Does this describe how you feel about e-mail these days? If so, you're not alone. "Managers complain that the relentless flow of computer messages disrupts thought processes and kills creativity," writes Carol Hymowitz, a columnist for The Wall Street Journal Online. "There is no quiet time available during the work day, or even after office hours, to digest information, to ponder fresh ideas, to concentrate wholeheartedly on a difficult problem, or even to daydream. Instead, the expectation that messages from colleagues, bosses, customers, and suppliers will be answered promptly requires that employees think only in short bursts, moving quickly from topic to topic." Needless to say, such a system is not conducive to effective leadership. Of course, given the importance of electronic communication in today's marketplace, it would be difficult—and probably unwise—to disconnect completely. So what can a leader do to ensure that e-mail remains a helpful tool, rather than a hard taskmaster? Hymowitz tells of one executive who "logs off her e-mail for at least two hours a day to grant herself time to write long memos and reports—and think." And when this particular executive is online, she doesn't read every message. "Instead, she tells colleagues to phone her when they send an important e-mail, so that she can quickly handle it." Another executive who had gotten into the habit of answering e-mail while talking on the phone finally redesigned her office and the way she works to help her concentrate better. She put her computer on one desk and her telephone and notes on another. "In the morning, after greeting her staff, she turns first to her computer to answer e-mail," Hymowitz writes. "Then, she moves to the adjacent desk for several hours to phone clients." For more information, see: http://www.careerjournal.com/columnists/inthelead/2004324- nthelead.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Book Review ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LIVING DANGEROUSLY Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leading By Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky (Harvard Business School Press, 2002) If you had to paint a portrait of a dangerous profession, what would it look like? Firefighters braving flames to rescue children from burning buildings? Army Rangers covertly battling enemy forces? Steel erectors straddling beams dozens of stories above the earth? CEOs leading their companies through massive change? Although it would be tough to dispute the hazards associated with the first three jobs, most people probably wouldn't think of leadership as being particularly dangerous. But while the vast majority of leaders will never face perils that are actually life -threatening, they often are called upon to engage in work that is risky, both professionally and personally. "To lead is to live dangerously because when leadership counts, when you lead people through difficult change, you challenge what people hold dear—their daily habits, tools, loyalties and ways of thinking—with nothing more to offer perhaps than a possibility," Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky write in "Leadership on the Line." "People push back when you disturb the personal and institutional equilibrium they know. And people resist in all kinds of creative and unexpected ways that can get you taken out of the game: pushed aside, undermined, or eliminated." Heifetz and Linsky, both faculty members at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, say the dangers of leadership take four basic forms. Particularly in situations that require adaptive (as opposed to technical) change, leaders risk getting marginalized (by allowing "themselves to become so identified with an issue that they become the issue"), diverted ("by getting lost in other people's demands and programmatic details"), attacked (through criticism, character assassination, physical assaults or misrepresentation) or seduced (by flattery or a desire for your allies' approval). Understandably, such possibilities cause some people to avoid the tough work of leadership altogether. They're just not willing to step out and make themselves vulnerable. But the authors assert that, despite the dangers, leading is a worthwhile endeavor. "By making the lives of people around you better," they write, "leadership provides meaning in life. It creates purpose." To survive the dangers of leading, you first must be aware that such hazards exist. But you can't stop there. You also have to figure out how to respond in the throes of opposition and resistance. In "Leadership on the Line," Heifetz and Linsky offer a practical strategy for doing this. Among other things, they stress the importance of stepping back occasionally to gain perspective and diagnose what is really going on around you, staying close to your allies and enemies, using stress productively to work the issues, and holding steady under intense criticism. The authors offer many compelling examples of people who successfully practiced these techniques, as well as many who did not (and what happened to them as a result). They draw from the experiences of presidents of countries and companies, non-elected government officials, civil rights leaders, journalists, community activists, middle managers, and even fictional characters from movies and plays to illustrate their points. After using the first two-thirds of "Leadership on the Line" to deal with how leaders can respond to resistance from other people, Heifetz and Linsky then turn the focus inward, rounding out their work with an insightful section called "Body and Soul" that is a must-read for every leader. In a few powerful and sometimes even poignant chapters, they cover topics not typically discussed in business literature. For example, they discuss the importance of managing inner hungers (for power, control, affirmation, recognition, and intimacy, among others) that can "disrupt our capacity to act wisely or purposefully." They also provide valuable advice about how leaders can anchor themselves "in the turbulent seas of the various roles" they take on in life. One key element that sets "Leadership on the Line" apart from other leadership books is the authors' willingness to expose themselves when it comes to discussing their own shortcomings and vulnerabilities. Their own stories flow naturally within the book, adding a personal touch that enhances their credibility and reinforces the strength of their message. You might not agree with them about everything, but you can't help but respect them for putting themselves on the line in writing this book. - Review by Lois Flowers, INJOY consulting editor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quick Quotes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE NECESSITY OF SACRIFICE "He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much." - James Allen "The future belongs to those who are willing to make short-term sacrifices for long-term gains." - Fred A. Manske, Sr. _________________________________________________________________ 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) 2004, INJOY, Inc.