~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LEADERSHIP WIRED John C. Maxwell's FREE Semimonthly Newsletter Designed To Maximize Your Leadership Potential. August 2006 - Volume 9, Issue 13 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In This Issue: * Maxwell Moment – The Tests of Timing * Leadership@Large – Career Conversations, Toronto Turnaround * Book Review – Why Should Anyone Be Led By You? * Quick Quotes – Charisma ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Maxwell Moment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Tests of Timing By Dr. John C. Maxwell The Law of Timing – When to Lead Is As Important As What to Do and Where to Go In my experience, the toughest law of leadership to teach is the Law of Timing. As an intuitive skill, timing is intangible, which makes it extremely difficult to explain. Many veteran leaders describe their timing for major decisions with phrases such as, “I had a gut feeling the moment was right,” or “I sensed we couldn’t wait any longer.” For an aspiring leader in search of answers, this lack of concreteness can be more than a little frustrating. The goal of both this lesson and the next issue of Leadership Wired is to de-mystify the Law of Timing by identifying six areas of awareness that affect timely decision-making. Awareness powers a leader’s internal clock so that he or she can exercise the right timing in decision-making. In this edition of LW, we’ll unpack three of the six areas of the environment to which a leader must be attuned for proper timing. Within each area of awareness, we’ll also look at tests that can be applied to assure the potential success of time-sensitive decisions. Timing’s Areas of Awareness #1 Awareness of the Needs Around You Leaders interact in an environment abounding with needs. Customers, partners, and co-workers all have needs. Needs are all around us, but they are also within us. Leaders are able to look beyond their own needs to sense and respond to the needs of others. The Listening Test - “Am I aware of other people’s needs?” The philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “If a man can make a better book, preach a better sermon, or make a better mousetrap than his neighbor, though he builds his house in the woods, the world will make a beaten path to his door.” But Emerson was wrong! You must beat a path to the customer’s door to find out what he wants and needs. Stunning innovation and brilliantly designed new products are only part of the answer. Fortunately, Mr. Emerson made his living as a philosopher – not as a company president. The Values Test - “Who am I?” The legendary Greek philosopher, Socrates, implored his pupils to “Know thyself.” As true now as it was for the ancient Greeks, leaders clarify the needs around them when they get in touch with their deeply held beliefs and convictions. The Mission Test - “What is my purpose?” Discern the connection between the needs around you and the calling within you. At this intersection, you will make decisions that make a difference. The Priority Test - “Should I do this?” Eradicating world poverty, widening the roads causing traffic congestion in your neighborhood, and finding copy machines that jam less frequently are all valid needs, and each may resonate within you. However, with limited time and resources, leaders must prioritize attention and effort to be effective. In the words of W.E.B Dubois, “Nature makes men narrow in order to give them force.” The Reality Test - “Can I do this?” Before taking action, a leader must honesty assess present resources to determine whether or not the timing is realistic to pursue the remedy for a perceived need. #2 Awareness of the Reality Before You Decisions have consequences—positive and negative, intended and unintended. Leaders with a flair for timing are able to foresee the implications of their courses of action. The Murphy’s Law Test - “What could possibly go wrong? Could I accept the consequences?” Murphy’s Law says that if something can go wrong, it probably will. When assessing the ramifications for decisions leaders must take into account the repercussions of failure. The Common Sense Test – “Does this opportunity make sense or am I trying to make sense out of it?” Opportunities can be alluring, and CEO’s at the highest level have been known to fall in love with impractical and costly pet projects. Plain common sense can be the best deterrent to far-fetched opportunities. The Preparation Test – “Am I prepared to do this?” Consider the sacrifices involved before jumping into an opportunity. Overcommitment is one of the most energy draining and stress-inducing flaws of a leader. However, keep in mind that preparation is not total consensus or knowing all of the answers before starting. All too often, would-be decision-makers keep collecting, analyzing, and reanalyzing information, hoping for that one last convincing detail that will dictate the correct choice. Former Secretary of State and 4-star General, Colin Powell, in a Time magazine interview, said that if zero represents no data and 100 represents all of the data needed to make a decision, he usually waits until he’s at about 60, then he uses gut instincts, intuition, and personal experience to make the choice. The Option Test – “Do I increase or decrease my options by waiting?” Will the passage of time shrink available options or create new ones? Sometimes, the opportunity becomes narrower and more difficult to pursue in the future. However, other opportunities expand in the light of new developments. The Deadline Test – “When is the best time to make the right decision?” Quite simply, several opportunities come with a “take it or leave it” tag. Time dictates that the opportunity immediately be grasped or lost. With other opportunities, time diminishes their value. As Lee Iacocca said, “The right decision is the wrong decision if it’s made to late.” #3 Awareness of the Influencers Behind You Every organization has key influences that must be on board in order for pivotal decisions to be made. To excel at the art of timing, leaders must court the support of these influencers. The Respect Test – “Have I earned the influencers’ respect?” Everyone has the right to speak, but you have to earn the right be heard. Do your words carry the weight of respect? The Commitment Test – “Are the influencers affirming or committing?” Verbal affirmation is encouraging, but when you begin to confront the obstacles of a new initiative, you had better be sure the influencers behind you are willing to fight with you in the trenches. The Resources Test – “Will the influencers provide what is needed?” Many leaders make the mistake of chasing after attractive opportunities, only to be hung out to dry when a major donor or investor backs out of their pledged assistance. Can you count on the support of the influencers behind you? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Leadership@Large ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAREER CONVERSATIONS The Christmas claymation classic, Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, features the hapless Hermey, a discontented elf who spends his days making toys in Santa’s North Pole workshop. While all of his elfish co-workers love their jobs making toys for girls and boys, Hermey harbors a secret wish to become a dentist. He reads books on dentistry when he should be inspecting toys, and he tinkers with the teeth of dolls when he should be painting cars and wagons. Ultimately, Hermey’s desire to become a dentist comes to light when his daydreaming disrupts the toy-making assembly line. When questioned about his lack of production, Hermey discloses his repulsion to making toys and his dream of becoming a dentist. Hermey is instantly mocked and ridiculed. An elf that doesn’t enjoy toy-making? Unthinkable! Ostracized by his fellow elves and derided by his foreman, Hermey quits his job. Hermey’s dilemma is a comical example, but the number of employees in a similar predicament is astounding. As evidenced in the job-hopping trends of today’s market, workplace dissatisfaction is widespread. Many workers are stuck in roles they would rather leave, simply collecting paychecks while their dreams languish. These workers are hesitant to voice their frustrations to managers for fear of being let go. In a recent article for Fast Company, entitled “Don't Run from Career Conversations,” Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans encourage managers to give their employees an outlet to talk about their passions, hopes, and dreams for the future. By doing so, they believe managers can communicate value to employees and earn the respect and commitment of those they lead. To this purpose, the authors have developed 5 steps for starting career conversations: Step One: Identify Their Abilities Probe the talents and strong suits of your employees. Guide them toward greater self-awareness and use your discoveries to position your employees in their strength zones. Step Two: Offer Your Feedback Kaye and Jordan-Evans advocate giving development feedback to employees that is future-oriented and focused on potential improvements. Such feedback helps employees refine their goals by offering them an honest assessment of their abilities. Step Three: Discuss Workplace Changes While eyeing the future, talk with your employees about upcoming changes in their roles based on the expected direction of your company and industry. Potential shifts may place an employee more squarely within their area of enjoyment or may signal challenges they would prefer to avoid. If an employee chooses to exit the organization as a result of the conversation, then you’ve done them a favor, and prevented your company from having a deeply discontented employee. Step Four: Discover Multiple Pathways Brainstorm the pathways in which you can connect employee desires and company needs. As Kaye and Jordan-Evans write, “When employees analyze their potential development goals in terms of business needs and the strategic intent of the organization, everyone wins.” Five: Design a Course of Action Chart a course that respects your employees’ goals while accomplishing the critical tasks required through their organizational role. Through creative thinking and strategic positioning, you may enable employees to shift responsibilities or relocate within the company while maintaining productivity. For more tips on initiating career conversations, read the full text of Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans’ article by visiting: http://www.fastcompany.com/resources/talent/bksje/051506.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TORONTO TURNAROUND Baseball has always struggled to gain traction on Canada’s sporting landscape, where the terrain of choice is ice. While baseball has been called America’s national pastime, in Canada, hockey dominates the headlines, and baseball season passes by largely unnoticed. Baseball reached its zenith in Canada in 1993, when the Toronto Blue Jays triumphed in their second consecutive World Series. However, after capturing the baseball’s World Series title in 1993, the Toronto Blue Jays plummeted into anonymity during the rest of the ‘90s. Entering the 21st century, the Blue Jays were on the brink of disaster. Attendance was down 55% from the early ‘90s, and the organization had dropped from 5th to 23rd in Forbes’ annual business rankings of the top 30 Major League Baseball Teams. At the same time, fellow Canadian franchise, the Montreal Expos, suffered such limited attendance at home that they began hosting games in Puerto Rico before eventually relocating to Washington, D.C. With many baseball voices predicting the demise of baseball in Canada, the Toronto Blue Jays have engineered a remarkable turnaround in the last 5 years. Fans are coming back to the ballpark en masse to cheer on the Blue Jays, and the organization is decidedly optimistic about the future. In the May 2006 edition of PROFIT magazine, Ian Portsmouth looks at how the Blue Jays have regained momentum. His observations are worth noting and have application for leaders trying to reinvigorate their businesses. Manage expectations When expectations are higher than reality, frustration ensues. In the same division as wealthier franchises Boston and New York, the Blue Jays’ limited payroll faces an uphill battle to compete on the field. Playing against higher-salaried teams, the Jays won’t likely lead the division on a regular basis. With this in mind, the team’s advertising strategy de-emphasizes winning and positions the team as underdogs worth supporting. Appeal to key influencers In the case of baseball marketers, no one carries more clout than a kid. Win the affection and enthusiasm of a child, and you’ll soon see his or her whole family at the ballpark. That’s why the Blue Jays have embarked on a promotional initiative involving contributions to youth league baseball, specialized concessions for kids, and Jays@School, a collection of books featuring the Blue Jays baseball team. Look your part Presentation carries a powerful message. In the late ‘90s, Canada’s general feeling toward the Blue Jays was embodied in the team’s old-fashioned logo—a boring and outdated bird. In 2003, designers gave the Blue Jay a facelift, and the franchise adopted a newer, hipper image. Two recently launched lines of clothing, streetwear and women’s fashion, have sparked a 57% increase in sales of team apparel in just two years. The confident attitude and fresh approach of the franchise continues to be communicated in the team’s advertising and promotion. To read the full text of Ian Portsmouth’s article, entitle “Touch All the Bases,” visit: http://www.canadianbusiness.com/entrepreneur/managing/article.jsp?content=20060407_113258_2620 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Book Review ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Why Should Anyone Be Led by You?: What It Takes to Be an Authentic Leader By Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones (Harvard Business School Press, 2006) What gives you the right to lead? What marks you as a leader? Rank or title, while lending formal authority, fails to qualify a person as an authentic leader. There is no standard formula of qualities that combine to create a leader. In fact, one leader’s strengths and style can vary drastically or even contradict those of another. What then gives rise to an authentic leader? The authors of Why Should Anyone Be Led by You?, Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones, suggest that authentic leaders “have an overarching sense of purpose together with sufficient self-knowledge of their potential leadership assets.” In other words, leaders don’t do everything well, but in certain areas they excel, and these they leverage as leadership. Goffee and Jones are both professors, and, as with most educator-writers, their style is slightly cerebral and tends toward dryness. Why Should Anyone Be Led by You? offers food for thought, but it fails to elicit emotion and connect internally with the reader. The strength of the book lies within its authors’ perspectives. They have a nuanced view of leadership that does not presuppose a mold out of which all leaders are cut. Their message seeks to liberate emerging leaders from feeling they must copy the model of leadership icons, and the authors honor the individual differences that make each leader unique. Chapter 1 presents the three principles of leadership espoused by the authors, and these principles drive the rest of the text. Leadership is nonhierarchical. Leadership is not dependent on title or position. Leadership is situational. Circumstances dictate the behavior of leaders. Leadership is relational. Leadership is not something done to people, but with people. Chapters 2 and 3 stress authenticity as opposed to hierarchy by encouraging leaders toward self-discovery and self-disclosure: “The challenge for all aspiring leaders is to become more knowing and more skilled at disclosing themselves, rather than trying to become someone else.” Given the situational aspect of leadership, Chapters 4 and 5 challenge readers to become experts at situation-sensing and adaptability so that they can read and relate to shifting contexts. “Leaders are not passive recipients of the context. On the contrary, they work with their followers to socially construct an alternative reality.” Chapters 6 and 7 explore the relational side of leadership. LW subscribers will want to look at Chapter 6: Manage Social Distance, which wrestles with the question: should a leader befriend followers? The book wraps up with a chapter from the perspective of followers. Since at times, all leaders follow, how can followership be authentic? What do followers ask of their leaders? What do leaders hope to get from those they lead? All of these questions are posed in Chapter 8. While deserving of a cursory overview, Why Should Anyone Be Led by You? does not present profound material or make a revolutionary impact. Recommendation: skim for content, but don’t worry about digesting it word for word. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quick Quotes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CHARISMA “Charisma is the transference of enthusiasm.” ~ Ralph Archbold “How can you have charisma? Be more concerned about making others feel good about themselves than you are making them feel good about you.” ~ Dan Reiland There is no personal charm so great as the charm of a cheerful temperament. ~ Henry Van Dyke