~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LEADERSHIP WIRED John C. Maxwell's FREE Semimonthly Newsletter Designed To Maximize Your Leadership Potential. April 2006 - Volume 9, Issue 7 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In This Issue: * Maxwell Moment – Words To Learn By * Leadership@Large – Surveying the Leadership Landscape * Book Review – "The Leader Within" * Quick Quotes – Confidence ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Maxwell Moment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Words To Learn By by John C. Maxwell In my years studying leadership and evaluating leaders, I have stumbled across a leadership shortcoming that continually amazes me. Leaders will manage a team, work with the same individuals every day, yet hardly know anything about their people! These leaders have never prioritized acquainting themselves with the dreams, thoughts, hopes, opinions, and values of those they lead. The best leaders are readers of people. They have the intuitive ability to understand others by discerning how they feel and recognizing what they sense. I have found that leaders overestimate the amount of time and effort needed to get to know someone. In fact, in only one hour with you in private conversation, I could, probably by asking three questions, find the passion of your life: What do you dream about? A person's dreams are powerful revealers of passion. When a person starts to talk about their dreams it's as if something bubbles up from within. Their eyes brighten, their face glows, and you can feel the excitement in their words. What do you cry about? Passion can be uncovered by peering into the hurts deep inside a human soul. The experience of pain or loss can be a formidably motivating force. When listening to a story of grief, you hear a voice thick with emotion, you see watery eyes flooded with feeling, and in that moment you glimpse the intense connections between a person's deepest pain and their greatest passion. What makes you happy? I have fun hearing what makes people tick and seeing the smile that comes when they talk about where they find joy. Enjoyment is an incredible energizer to the human spirit. When a person operates in an area of pleasure, they are apt to be brimming with life and exuding passion. If you can uncover a person's dreams, hurts, and joys, you've discovered the central dimensions of their life. This lesson is designed to show you the types of questions that can draw out the passion inside of a person. I've included my own answers to give you an understanding of how the process works. Try to limit your answers to one or two words. Also, notice how each question is asked both positively (what makes you happy) and negatively (what makes you cry). I have found that by expressing opposite feelings and emotions, you reveal your true inner self. To maximize this lesson, I'll give you four easy assignments. 1. Ask yourself and answer the questions posed in the lesson. In doing so, you'll enhance your self-awareness. 2. Share your answers with your team to allow them to learn about you. 3. Ask your team to answer the questions to encourage their self- discovery. 4. Ask your team to share their answers with one another. This practice will bring team members closer together. What is your biggest asset? My greatest asset is my attitude. I discovered this when I was in high school, and the coach of my basketball team appointed me as team captain at the beginning of the year. I was surprised, because I wasn't the best player on the team. John Thomas was the best player. I was the second or third best player, but I wasn't the best. I was sitting on the floor of the gymnasium with my teammates, and I think the same question was in all of our minds—why is John Maxwell going to be the captain of the team? Anticipating our questions, our coach gave an explanation, "Of all the players on this team, the kid with the best attitude is John Maxwell. He doesn't get discouraged, he believes that we'll win the game, and he's going to be the captain of the team." What is your biggest liability? My biggest liability is unrealistic expectations. As with many weaknesses, my unrealistic expectations are the Achilles Heel of my strength. Many years ago I quit hiring, and I have stayed away from it ever since because I'm a terrible hirer. Why? Because I naturally look for the best in people. When I see a potential employee, I see the raw talent, and I begin thinking how I can help shape the person into a star. I've had numerous failures hiring lousy leaders because I convinced myself I could mold a flawed leader into a top performer. What do you like most from others? For me, it's encouragement. Encouragement is the oxygen of the soul, in that it allows you to breathe. Encouragement supports and sustains leadership, especially during the hard times. What do I like least from others? I cannot stand people who make excuses—blamers, complainers, and explainers who refuse to accept responsibility for their mistakes. I admire a person who will admit their faults since it shows me the inner character of that individual. I can accept another's imperfection if they take ownership of their errors because we're all human, and we all fail from time to time. What is the best thing to have? I think the best thing to have is friends. For me nothing compares to the joy and fulfillment of going through life with friends you can laugh with, cry with, and celebrate alongside. What is the worst thing not to have? I can't imagine a life without hope. Even if my health is failing or my financial situation is grim, if I have hope, I can see a way out of my difficulties. Hope is the foundation of all change. When people come to me as leaders and they say, "I want to create change within my organization. What should I do?" My response is the obvious answer, "You have to create hope." Nobody changes unless they think life is going to improve. Hope is the motivation that allows people to change. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Leadership@Large ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONFIDENCE Widely recognized as the greatest basketball player in the history of the game, Michael Jordan separated himself from the competition as much by his confidence as by his talent. Never intimidated by an opponent or fearful of failure, Jordan's aura of confidence infected his team and paved the way for the Chicago Bulls to win six NBA Championships. While other performers may have faltered on the game's biggest stage, Jordan's supreme confidence led to stellar personal performances in the NBA Finals for which he was named the Most Valuable Player in all six of the Bulls' victories. "Confidence" was the title and theme of Rosabeth Moss Kanter's bestselling book, released in 2004. Recently, Stuart Crainer from the European Foundation for Management Development, interviewed Kanter to discuss how her research for the book had impacted her view of leadership. Among Kanter's responses, two thoughts stand out. Kanter found that confident leaders expect success, and learn from losses. Expect Success In the interview, Kanter describes confidence as "the expectation of a positive result." She believes the anticipation of success gives leaders the resolve to work diligently and to endure hardships. Ultimately, confident leaders are willing to put orth effort because in the end they expect their effort to reap rewards. In the words of Michael Jordan, "You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them." Jordan always expected to win, always expected to make the game-winning shot, and always expected himself to be the best. His confidence inspired him to practice rigorously and sustain his intense conditioning because he believed the hard work would pay off in victories and trophies. Learn from Losses In writing "Confidence", one lesson Kanter learned was that "you learn more about winning from losing." She found the response to setbacks to be the main separator between successful and struggling leaders. Leaders prone to panic in crisis were frozen by failure. Sidetracked by difficulty, these unconfident leaders had limited effectiveness. On the contrary, confidently composed leaders weathered the storms of tough times to achieve success. In high school, Michael Jordan was not deemed a good enough ballplayer to make the varsity team. Rather than quitting or blaming the coaches, Jordan worked tirelessly in the off-season to make the team the next year. The next year, he not only started on the team, he starred on it. Likewise, after five years in professional basketball, Jordan's Chicago Bulls had not yet won a title. Rather than blaming his teammates, coaches, or management, Jordan continued to hone his game. Adding new skills to his already prodigious talent, Jordan would carry the Bulls to a string of championships. For the complete interview with Rosabeth Moss Kanter, visit the European Foundation for Management Development at: http://www.efmd.org/html/Knowledge/cont_detail.asp?id=050209igbk&aid=060330pnhr&tid=1 _________________________________________________________________ THE LEADER-COACH In the comedy "What about Bob", Bill Murray plays the character of Bob Wiley, a neurotic man with every conceivable fear and insecurity. Looking for help, Bob calls upon renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Leo Marvin. Dr. Marvin shares with Bob the secrets of his new book, "Baby Steps", and works with Bob on a plan to cure him of his phobias. Grateful for Dr. Marvin's insights, Bob leaves the office with a newfound optimism. However, his panic attacks soon resume, and it becomes clear that the restoration of Bob's health demands more personalized attention than a program or an instruction manual can give to him. Bob craves someone to walk with him step by step as he recovers. His anxiety and neediness drive him to track down the famous Dr. Marvin on a family vacation. The ensuing antics between the needy patient and the self-important psychiatrist form the basis of this comedy. While Bob is an exaggerated caricature compared to a normal worker, his hopes in Dr. Leo Marvin have merit in expressing the qualities followers wish to find in a leader-coach. First, employees want a leader-coach who is willing to intentionally spend time with them. Next, they are searching for more than task knowledge—they are looking for a leader-coach to aid their development. Finally, they want to be involved in an environment where they are challenged to grow. In a recent article adapted from Sharon Ting and Peter Scisco's work, "The CCL Handbook of Coaching: A Guide for the Leader Coach, the Center for Creative Leadership" breaks down the basic characteristics of the leader-coach. Leader-coaches are intentional. Leader-coaches strategically spend time discovering the strengths, weaknesses, goals, and values of those they lead. With an accurate picture of an employee's dreams and desires, the leader can coach the individual in areas which appeal to the employee's internal motivations. Aside from the benefit of understanding an employee, a leader- coach bestows value and importance by intentionally giving attention to those on the team. When employees feel anonymous they atrophy, but when they feel appreciated they tend to respond by giving their best efforts. Leader-coaches focus on performance and development. Whereas in the past leaders primarily looked toward productivity and results, today, leaders must place great importance on developing their personnel. With a highly mobile workforce of growth-focused employees, leaders cannot afford to treat employees as cogs in a machine. Workers want to expand their skills sets in addition to being part of a successful team, and if they're not being developed, they'll soon be departing. An employee enjoying growth opportunities will be more likely to offer loyalty and commitment to organizational performance. Leader-coaches take a systemic perspective. While leaders may take interest in individual employees, leader- coaches see their role as creating a culture of leadership growth. Such leaders tailor tasks to present new and strategic challenges to those they manage. Leader-coaches, in tandem with employees, may make a habit of scheduling extended learning experiences with the purpose of highlighting the growth within their team or department. A leader-coach with enthusiasm for personal and team development initiates a contagious climate in which growth is sought after and prized. To learn more about leader-coaches, visit the Center for Creative Leadership: http://www.ccl.org/leadership/enewsletter/2006/APRdayswork.aspx?pageId=1545 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Book Review ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE LEADER WITHIN "The Leader Within: Learning Enough about Yourself to Lead Others" By Ken Blanchard, Carl Edeburn, Michael O'Connor, and Drea Zigarmi (Prentice Hall, 2005) The landscape of leadership is diverse, encompassing a variety of personalities and preferences. From boisterous and bold to shy and steady, each person's unique disposition is a blend of qualities naturally suited for leadership and characteristics that run contrary to leading effectively. The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates famously encouraged each of his pupils to "know thyself." Thousands of years later, his advice still has merit. Self-awareness allows leaders to play toward their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. In "The Leader Within", the authors combine their experiences as corporate consultants with the results of a 7-year study of American CEOs to lead the reader toward greater self-knowledge. Throughout the book, the authors suggest behavioral adjustments that can help leaders reinvent themselves in response to an awareness of their specific internal makeup. As with many books written by multiple co-authors, "The Leader Within" is absent the emotional edge and passionate presence that flows from a single author. Highly cerebral in its tone, the book will appeal to the studious more than the sensate. "The Leader Within" reads like a textbook. The book is theoretical, information heavy, and filled with definitions. Even its models and graphs (see pages 38 and 169) are highly complex. The book almost has to be studied rather than read in order to be fully digested. While its textbook style can be unexciting, "The Leader Within" is jam-packed with highly relevant content. The most useful section of the book is the discussion on the leadership behaviors of directing and supporting in Chapter 6. "LW" readers will find tremendous value in the tips for leading employees of varying commitment and competence levels. "LW" subscribers will want to hone in on the concept of a leader's persona highlighted on pages 164 through 168. Persona is described as, "a 'cloak' or 'mask' between the real self and the outside world." Persona is the leader's attempt to balance the ideal self in light of roles, the expectations of others, and their own values and disposition. Persona is crucial to a leader's flexibility and ability to adapt. For the understanding of self and team members, leaders will enjoy perusing Chapter 3's DISC model along with the values profiles in Chapter 4. Although generalized, the profiles can help identify the styles, strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies of assorted personalities. The authors of "The Leader Within" believe that "who you are (inside) governs, to a large extent, how you act and react (outside)." The book meets its stated purpose "to help you understand how your personality or character shapes the way you lead." At its best when the authors move away from theory or definitions and toward specific applications (see Chapter 6), "The Leader Within" has immense value in guiding a leader toward self-examination and the resulting improvements that can be made thorough increased self-awareness. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quick Quotes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONFIDENCE "People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within." - Elisabeth Kübler-Ross "You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them." - Michael Jordan "Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside of them was superior to circumstance." - Bruce Barton "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson _________________________________________________________________ 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.