~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LEADERSHIP WIRED John C. Maxwell's FREE Semimonthly Newsletter Designed To Maximize Your Leadership Potential. June 2004 - Volume 7, Issue 12 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In This Issue: * Maxwell Moment – Self-Improvement, Part 1 * Leadership@Large – Surveying the Leadership Landscape * Book Review – Prescription for Effective Leadership * Quick Quotes – Why Change? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Maxwell Moment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SELF-IMPROVEMENT, PART 1 By Dr. John C. Maxwell Home improvement is big business these days. If a trip to your local Home Depot or Lowe's store doesn't convince you (as a group, home improvement retailers rang up an estimated $197 billion in sales last year), just check out the latest edition of TV Guide. From hit television shows such as Trading Spaces to entire cable networks like Home and Garden Television, the airwaves are full of programming geared toward helping people with little or no construction experience, transform their kitchens, bedrooms, and backyards into the living spaces of their dreams. There's nothing wrong with making your home more livable, inviting, attractive, or efficient. But while you're working on that—or at least learning how to do it by watching television or reading magazines—don't neglect another area that could always use a little improvement: yourself! In the last issue of "Leadership Wired," I talked about some misconceptions people have about success that keep them from achieving their full potential. As you may recall, I stated that the secret to success doesn't lie in some mysterious formula that can only be known by a chosen few. It is determined by your willingness to improve yourself—every day, starting today. In my life, I choose daily to improve in several key areas: intellectually, physically, relationally, and spiritually. These daily improvements aren't necessarily huge; in fact, taken individually, they may seem rather minor. But, as I once heard a teacher explain, "Daily goals are reached by doing things which may be uncomfortable at first but eventually will become habits. And habits are powerful things. Habits turn actions into attitudes, and attitudes into lifestyles." You may classify areas of potential improvement differently than I do. But the categories you choose to work on aren't nearly as important as your overall commitment to improve. Are you improving every day? Have you developed the daily discipline to say, "I'm working in these specific areas"? Do you have a clearly defined target—a way to know when you've achieved your desired result? Whether you want to hone your public speaking skills, become a better listener, lose weight, get more organized, or advance in some other way, here are some insights about improvement that will help to guide you as you grow. 1. Don't be afraid to admit you were wrong. Acknowledging your mistakes proves you're wiser today than you were yesterday. If you never admit you're wrong, you're saying, "I'm not growing; I'm not wiser." 2. You will never change your life until you change something that you do daily. This is a huge concept to grasp. People always tell me, "I'm going to make some major changes.' My response to that is simple: Certain aspects of your life might need a significant overhaul, but I don't need to know about those big changes. I'm more interested in the minor change you plan to make today. Personal improvement starts when you change something you do daily—a routine, a habit, a way of working, or interacting with other people. In the next issue of "Leadership Wired," I'll give you several more thoughts that will assist you with your self-improvement projects. In the meantime, think about the parts of your life that need a little work. Choose one or two, and figure out what you can do each day to improve in those areas. The daily changes you make may not be as dramatic as the before and after pictures you see in your favorite home improvement show. But chances are, they'll be much more rewarding. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Leadership@Large ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MAKING MEETINGS WORK How many hours a week do you spend either leading or participating in meetings? And how many of those hours are truly productive—even enjoyable? If your second answer is considerably lower than your first, you're not alone. According to Michael Doyle, co-author of the 1978 classic, "How to Make Meetings Work," 25 million meetings are held each day (up from 11 million a day 26 years ago), and most of them don't work. "They bring down morale and blow holes in the workday, and pitifully few constructive ideas come of them—which, of course, means that yet another round of meetings is called," writes Inc.'s Patrick J. Sauer in the magazine's May 2004 issue. Leaders who are tired of wasting time—and money—in meetings may find some creative solutions in Sauer's article, "Escape from Meeting Hell." For example, to keep people from slumping in their seats and zoning out, hold a "standing meeting" from time to time. Such meetings should focus on immediate problems, says one CEO who favors this approach. To keep meetings short and to the point, consider holding them at 5 p.m. on Friday. "The natural itch to start the weekend drives people to the heart of the matter," writes Sauer. "They figure out what needs to be done and go home.' Stuart Levine, a consultant with 25 employees, hands out Tootsie Pops to people who offer intriguing thoughts in meetings, while another CEO awards $50 for ideas he deems good and original. "Recognizing contributions gets the intellectual capital flowing and brings the more introverted off the bench," Levine says. For more information, visit: http://www.inc.com/magazine/20040501/escape.html _________________________________________________________________ BOOMERANG TREND A small-but-growing number of troubled companies are looking to the past for help. They're bringing back retired CEOs in hopes that these former executives will be able to stabilize operations and turn things around. Such leaders are called "boomerang CEOs," according to USA Today corporate management reporter Del Jones. He recently spoke with one such leader—Jamie Houghton, the former CEO of Corning who also happens to be the great-great-grandson of the company's founder. Houghton was called upon to rescue Corning after its stock dropped from $113 a share in late 2000 to about $1 in 2002. Although he technically fits the definition, he doesn't consider himself to be a boomerang CEO. "Boomerang means that the person who throws it out expects it to come back," he told Jones. "When I retired, there was no expectation that I was going to come back." Although Houghton acknowledges that it's sometimes necessary to bring back a former leader, the boomerang CEO trend does bother him. 'It's not good. I don't like it," he says. "If you do succession planning right, this should not happen. But it may be needed from time to time when there are circumstances that come up that shake a company to the bedrock. My druthers is to have a succession planning system so that when I walk out the door, my successor's there and that's the last of it. It's better to turn the company over to new eyes and new ears." For more information, visit: http://usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2004-04-18-advice-houghton_x.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Book Review ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PRESCRIPTION FOR EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP The Leadership Pill: The Missing Ingredient in Motivating People Today By Ken Blanchard and Marc Muchnick (Free Press, 2003) The premise of "The Leadership Pill" is so simple it's almost cliché: You don't become an effective leader overnight; it only happens over time, as you use integrity, partnership, and affirmation to gain the respect and trust of your people. Ken Blanchard, who has garnered a large and devoted following with bestsellers such as "The One Minute Manager," "Raving Fans," and "Gung Ho!," and co-author Marc Muchnick illustrate this important truth by telling a parable about a competition between two leaders with vastly different leadership styles. To achieve results with his underperforming team, one of these leaders relies on an highly touted "leadership pill" containing "extracts from the lessons of results-oriented leaders like Patton, Napoleon, and Attila the Hun". The other competitor— known only as "the Effective Leader"—rejects such "command-and- control" methods, choosing instead to motivate his team of slackers by demonstrating integrity, building a culture of partnership, and making people feel valued. The outcome of the competition is obvious before it even begins: It takes time, but the Effective Leader's team eventually turns into an efficient, productive, highly motivated unit, while the other team—after getting off to a fast start—gradually falls apart. "The Leadership Pill's" angle is intriguing and the underlying message—while certainly not new—is powerful. Leaders at any level would do well to heed the nuggets of leadership wisdom that are sprinkled throughout the book and listed together on page 110 ("Praise is the easiest way to let people know they are appreciated," "People will think for themselves when you quit doing it for them," etc.). Unfortunately, the predictability of the story line, a lack of depth in certain sections, and the authors' overuse of business jargon is somewhat frustrating, particularly for readers who prefer more substantive leadership material that is heavier in practical application. (I must admit that reading "The Leadership Pill" immediately after finishing Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky's excellent book, "Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leading," may have negatively influenced my impression of Blanchard and Muchnick's work. But such comparisons are impossible to avoid in the business of book reviewing.) That said, if you're waiting for a plane or a dentist appointment (or anything else that requires you to sit for 30 or 40 minutes) and you want a quick, entertaining dose of leadership inspiration, "The Leadership Pill" might be just what the doctor ordered. My final diagnosis is this: Judging by the numerous reader reviews on Amazon.com, if you're already a raving fan of Blanchard's, you'll likely be gung ho about "The Leadership Pill." If not, you might want to look elsewhere for your next dose of leadership reading material. - Review by Lois Flowers, INJOY consulting editor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quick Quotes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WHY CHANGE? "There is a certain relief in change, even though it be from bad to worse! As I have often found in traveling in a stagecoach, that it is often a comfort to change one's position, and be bruised in a new place." - Washington Irving "He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery." - Harold Wilson "Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation." - Robert F. Kennedy _________________________________________________________________ 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.