~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LEADERSHIP WIRED John C. Maxwell's FREE Semimonthly Newsletter Designed To Maximize Your Leadership Potential. February 2006 - Volume 9, Issue 4 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In This Issue: * Maxwell Moment – Credible Communication * Leadership@Large – Surveying the Leadership Landscape * Book Review – Self-Deception * Quick Quotes – Taking Risks ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Maxwell Moment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CREDIBLE COMMUNICATION by John C. Maxwell Before jumping into this edition's lesson on credibility, I'd like to thank John Baldoni for the wonderful thoughts he provided in "Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders". His ideas helped to shape this lesson, and I would recommend his book to LW subscribers studying communication. Credibility is a leader's currency. With it he or she is solvent; without it he or she is bankrupt. Consider this metaphor: A leader with credibility has a pocketful of coins. As long as the pocket is full, the leader is believable, worthy of respect, and able to be trusted. Each time the leader breaks a promise or acts inconsistently with professed values, he or she must pay out some of the coins in their pocket. When the coins are gone, so is the leader's credibility. No amount of persuasion or personal appeal will be able to buy it back. Once lost, respect and trust take years to regain. Here are the four keys to establishing credibility in your leadership: 1) Speak the truth. Be honest and upfront. Transparency breeds legitimacy—make it a priority to be open with financial statements, policies, and decision-making rationale. When I began my pastorate in San Diego, I followed the founding pastor who was retiring after having led the congregation for 27 years. He had a tremendous amount of trust in his bank account with the people, and he deserved it because he was a phenomenal leader. As a young man, coming in after the departure of such a well- respected and admired veteran, I knew my success hinged upon my ability to earn the trust of the church. So, one Sunday night a month, for several months, I would invite congregants to the church and spend a full hour answering any questions they had for me. At the first Q&A session, 600 people came. My sincerity and openness in fielding questions disarmed them, and it laid a solid foundation of credibility from which I could operate. 2) Don't hide bad news. With corporate scandals at Enron, WorldCom, and Arthur Andersen seared in our collective memories, we have entered an era in which transparency is demanded like never before. With multiple information channels available, bad news always becomes known, so it behooves management to be candid right from the start. Winston Churchill is a classic example of a leader who communicated bad news frankly and honestly. In the midst of World War II, he let the British know they were in their darkest hour, their backs were up against the wall, and that democratic civilization rested upon their ability to win the war against Hitler. He never sugarcoated anything, and his sincerity instilled a grim determination in his people to sacrifice and persevere. 3) Never over-promise. Do not make promises you cannot keep. Why do you think politicians have such a poor reputation? It's very simple. They promise the world and seldom deliver. I am naturally optimistic, and as my children were growing up, I found over-promising to be a weakness of mine. I would talk with my kids about going to exciting places and doing fun activities, but then my schedule wouldn't allow me to follow through with my intentions. I had to be very careful about what I said so that my children would be able to trust my words. Remember: A highly credible leader under-promises and over-delivers. 4) Do what you say you will do. Follow up and follow through. Unfortunately, many in the corporate world politely make offers with no intent of carrying them out. After meetings and phone calls, follow up with a reminder email outlining the action items discussed and agreements made. How many times have you been in a business meeting that ended with warm handshakes but empty commitments? When you say you'll pass along a friend's contact information to a business associate, do it. When you agree to meet with a potential partner, make it a point to schedule the meeting onto your calendar. Diligent follow through will set you apart from the crowd and communicate excellence to those you meet. Credibility is the bond between the leader and the follower, and it forms the bedrock of why people will do what the leader asks of them. Even the best leaders may suffer a blow to their credibility. This may be the result of a mistake or error in judgment. Or, circumstances may conspire against the leader, such as adverse market conditions or the failure of a supplier or partner. As a leader, how can you restore damaged credibility? Let me give you three steps. 1) Acknowledge the mistake When decisions turn out unexpectedly, the leader owes his or her followers an explanation. The egos of leaders can make them quick to assign blame or make excuses, but the problem compounds when a leader does not acknowledge mistakes. The acknowledgement should be on the front end, and should be voluntary. A forced acknowledgement ("Because I got caught, I'd like to acknowledge this") does nothing to reestablish trust. 2) Apologize Admit what you did was wrong, accept responsibility, and say you are sorry. To do it may be painful for the moment, but it will shorten the agony and enable the leader to put the incident behind him or her. 3) Make Amends Find a way to make amends to the people you've wronged. Make restitution to those you've harmed. You may not be required to do so, but a trustworthy leader goes the extra mile to remedy strained relationships. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Leadership@Large ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LEADING LEADERS Have you ever been a part of a caravan of cars heading toward a remote campsite? Many times, the organizer of the outing is the only person who knows the directions to the camp. Imagine if this organizer neglected to give out directions or maps to you or any of the other vehicles before the trip. Once on the road, you would be forced to follow the car in front of you, weaving in and out of traffic to keep pace, and cutting across lanes to try and make the same turns and exits as the other cars. As stressful as this sort of driving would be, imagine if you lost sight of the leader on the winding back roads of the countryside. You would have no directions, no sense of your location, and no mobile phone reception to call for assistance. You would be incredibly frustrated, and that frustration would be justified because the leader treated you like a follower instead of empowering you with maps and directions to reach the camp on your own. "The best way to foster leadership is to treat people like leaders." So says Jeffrey Pfeffer in his February 6 article for "Business 2.0" in which he spotlights the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra's innovative approach to leadership. The award-winning Orpheus Chamber Orchestra wows crowds around the world with virtuoso performances of Stravinsky, Mendelssohn, and Mozart. Garnering prestigious awards (a Grammy in 2001) and accolades (Musical America's "Ensemble of the Year" in 1998), the New York-based orchestra fills the world's finest concert halls with adoring audiences and the some of the sweetest sounds on earth. Astonishingly, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra has no conductor. Its 28 members alternate roles and share responsibilities. From guiding rehearsals to interpreting selections, the leadership of the group rotates among its musicians. Not that Orpheus lacks any semblance of structure (it has a managing director), but authority is dispersed broadly throughout the orchestra. The orchestra's novel structure has attracted the eyes of academia and the attention of corporate executives. Orpheus' managing director, Ronnie Bauch, regularly speaks in the nation's elite MBA programs and has presented the Orpheus management style to organizations in Germany, Japan, France, and the USA. Bauch illuminates two main dangers plaguing authoritarian leaders who fail to cultivate leadership in their subordinates: 1) Authoritarian leaders stifle employee creativity and limit employee potential by dominating decision-making. Such behavior on the part of the leader gives rise to a "why bother" attitude among workers, who feel powerless to effect change and hopeless of having a significant impact. 2) Authoritarian leaders pigeonhole employees and prevent them from acquiring new skills. By placing followers in narrowly defined roles, a leader inhibits them from broadening their perspectives and discovering hidden talents. Nobody wants to feel like they are forever following. We quickly tire of staring at the backs of those in the lead. For both its musicians and its audience, that's why Orpheus did away with a conductor. You can discover more about the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and its innovative leadership structure by visiting: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2006/01/01/8368117/index.htm _________________________________________________________________ NAVIGATING CHANGE AND COMPLEXITY A leader's panorama reveals a cluttered landscape of shifting realities and future uncertainties. The diversity of options can paralyze a leader who is unable to focus amidst the boundless possibilities. In his December 12, 2005 article for "Fortune Magazine", Richard S. Tedlow chronicles the leadership journey of Andy Grove, the man who piloted Intel during its meteoric rise during the late 80s and early 90s. A brilliant leader, Grove's experiences in managing change and conquering complexity are a treasure trove of life lessons. Two main themes emerge from an examination of Grove's leadership. 1) Today's leaders must be evolutionary—expecting change and flexibly adapting to it. As Tedlow writes, "Change is not only constant but accelerating, reality will transform itself more swiftly than most humans—or most companies—are hard-wired to handle." Amidst the blur of advancement in the computer industry, Grove epitomized evolutionary leadership, "forcibly adapting himself to a succession of new realities." Interpreting oncoming changes and confronting their significance, Grove was able to foster an attitude of adaptation. In today's business climate, the rapidity of change may have reached all-time high, and the capacity to adjust to advancement has become a vital quality of successful leaders. Leaders, like their companies, must have the agility to realign perspectives at an ever-increasing pace of change. 2) Today's leaders must reduce complexity and navigate shifting realities with a simple and unwavering vision. Grove was able to capture the essence of vast quantities of information, and clearly navigate a complex environment with clarity of thought and action. As a young leader, Grove was inspired by a "Time Magazine" excerpt about movie directors: "Any director must master formidable complexity. He must be adept at sound and camera work, a soother of egos, a cajoler of the artistic talent. A great director has something more: the vision and force to make all these disparate elements fuse into an inspired whole." Under the clipping, Grove marked "My job description?" At an early age, Grove identified the need for simplicity and cohesion in his leadership. Throughout his career, he led with the awareness that truth was to be prized and fought for. He was skilled in cutting through the haze of myriad data and focusing on essential facts. For the complete text of Richard S. Tedlow's article on Andy Grove, visit: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2005/12/12/8363124/index.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Book Review ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SELF-DECEPTION "Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box" By The Arbinger Institute (Berrett-Koehler, 2000, 2002) They always feel embarrassingly revealing—the moments when we're confronted with our own shortcomings. The times our sharp words prompt a loved one's hurtful expression or when our unguarded anger crushes the confidence of a coworker. These sudden realizations leave us grappling with the shameful reality of our distorted self-perception and asking: How could I be so blind? In "Leadership and Self-Deception", The Arbinger Institute exposes a damaging tendency toward self-deception in the workplace. The book blends the cross-disciplinary perspectives of philosophers, businesspersons, and psychologists to lay bare the harmful effects of self-centeredness in individual lives and corporate cultures. Framed as a story, the book avoids the dryness of a scholarly dissertation, yet preserves the richness and depth of its multi-talented, academic authors. An easily digestible narrative, readers can identify with the struggles and problems of Tom, the book's central character, as he gains awareness of his self- deception. In a nutshell, self-deception is presented as "the inability to see that one has a problem," and "the resistance to the suggestion that one has a problem." According to the authors, "of all the problems in organizations; it (self-deception) is the most common—and the most damaging." In the story, Bud and Kate, executives of the fictional corporation Zagrum, refer to self-deception as being "in the box." Throughout the book they share their personal experiences with Tom to help him escape self-deception and get "out of the box." A person gets out of the box when they "experience themselves as a person among people rather than the person among objects." Chapter 6's example of two airplane passengers paints a clear contrast between in-the-box and out-of-the box behavior. The self-deceived view others as problems to be managed, resources to be used, or distractions to be ignored. People who escape the box are able to respond to others as human beings with emotions, hopes, and dreams. LW subscribers will want to explore chapters 12 and 13 on the concept of self-betrayal—the doorway into the box. When we recognize the needs of others, we are faced with the option of assisting them or ignoring the need. Choosing to reach out validates the humanity of others and keeps us out of the box. Failing to do so betrays our conscience and plants the seeds of self-deception. "Leadership and Self-Deception" challenges the way we live and work. Tugging at the heart from start to finish, the book brings us face to face with our motives and perceptions. In wrestling with self-deception, the book forces us to examine our behavior by asking a profound question: Do we treat others as objects or value them as humans? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quick Quotes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TAKING RISKS Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. - Helen Keller To win without risk is to triumph without glory. - Pierre Corneille Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go. - T.S. Eliot _________________________________________________________________ Leadership Wired is written by Dr. John C. Maxwell and is available via e-mail on a free subscription basis. You can subscribe at: 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) 2006, INJOY, Inc.