~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LEADERSHIP WIRED John C. Maxwell's FREE Semimonthly Newsletter Designed To Maximize Your Leadership Potential. June 2006 - Volume 9, Issue 8 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In This Issue: * Maxwell Moment – Leadership Lessons from Lewis & Clark (Part 1) * Leadership@Large – Surveying the Leadership Landscape * Book Review – "Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars" * Quick Quotes – Intiative ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Maxwell Moment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM LEWIS & CLARK (PART 1) by John C. Maxwell Before beginning, I'd like to thank my friend Ed Rowell. His research and thoughts played a major role in this study. On May 21, 2004, Americans celebrated the beginning of perhaps the most amazing journey in American history. Two hundred years prior, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark left St. Louis, Missouri at 3:30 in the afternoon heading upstream on the Missouri River. Their expedition, dubbed the Corps of Discovery, had been commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to find the mythical "Northwest Passage," an all-water trade route across the continent to the Pacific Ocean that explorers had searched for almost 300 years. At stake was the fur trade, the continent's most easy exploitable natural resource. Lewis and Clark had never seen the Pacific Ocean, nor did they have an accurate sense of how far west the continent stretched. Once they were a few days west of St. Lewis, their opportunities for communication with home were nonexistent. When they returned to St. Louis down the same river, they'd covered more than 8,000 miles and been gone for 28 months. Long feared dead, they came home as national heroes. Even today, their journey overland across the continent is among the most courageous journeys ever conceived and attempted. Along the way they were to develop an accurate map of the Missouri River basin, record all available information about natural history and geology, and report on and begin building relationships with native tribes they encountered. They discovered 120 new species of animals and 178 new species of plants. They were the first Europeans to cross the Continental Divide. They were the first to see herds of buffalo, numbering in the thousands, grazing on the largest grassland in the world, and they were the first white men that most of the tribes they met had ever seen. One of the most remarkable accomplishments is that in spite of the brutal grind of moving people, boats and tons of gear upstream, serious accidents, life-threatening weather, and less than peaceful contact with some of the continent's earliest residents, the Corps of Discovery experienced just one casualty. It was a grand journey that still inspires and awes after two hundred years. But there are no great journeys without great leadership. And the journey across the American Continent is a case study in leading where no one has gone before. Without trust, the journey is over before it begins. When asked to lead the expedition, Meriwether Lewis immediately contacted a man that he had served under in the army, William Clark. Lewis was a self-aware man, and he recognized that Clark's strengths would counter each of his own weaknesses. Four years older, Clark had a strong leadership resume, having served as a company commander. He was a popular, tough, and a fearless woodsman. Clark had been raised in Kentucky, was an accomplished river explorer who was usually with the fleet. Lewis, on the other hand, was of Virginia aristocracy, having lived much of his life among the educated, successful gentry of the day. Lewis loved to walk and was often out front, days ahead, scouting out the route. And when it came time to buy horses to get across the mountains, he knew a good animal when he saw it. Lewis was the camp doctor, Clark the camp counselor. Most importantly, Clark offered a stability that Lewis was unable to give. Lewis suffered, as his father had, from a "melancholic spirit," or "depressions of the mind." Most modern scholars look at the evidence and believe that he was bi-polar, or manic-depressive. The journey gave him reason to shove back the darkness, and his ability to keep going is a testimony to his sheer strength and will. Lewis' offer to Clark was to be an equal leader in every conceivable way, including rank and pay. Because the army bureaucracy refused to recognize a co-commander, Clark did not receive his promised captain's commission. The two leaders never mentioned it to the men, and for the next seven years, only Lewis Clark, and Jefferson, and a clerk or two at the War Department knew the truth. When asked as an old man to describe their relationship, Clark replied, "Equal in every point of view." "Most of all, Lewis knew that Clark was competent to the task, that his word was his bond, and that his back was steel. And Clark knew the same about Lewis. Their trust in each other was complete, even before they took the first step west together. How this closeness came about cannot be known in any detail, but that it clearly was a long time before the expedition—that cannot be doubted." Our true self-awareness forces us to place trust in others. Lewis knew his limitations, and he sought a leader with abilities to complement his strengths and weaknesses. In selecting Clark, Lewis showed maturity in realizing he could not lead the way alone. In allowing Clark equal rank and an equal share of the credit, Lewis demonstrated remarkable security. Competence is essential if trust is to be continued. Lewis and Clark had differing skills, but each was a greatly talented man. From their diaries, it is obvious that as the journey progressed, their trust in each other deepened. They had a sense of great security because of the mutual confidence they placed in each other. Trust is not unfounded. Trust must be built upon competence. Trust is strengthened when trust is proven. The two officers would have one opportunity after another in which they literally put their lives into the hands of others on the expedition. Surmounting each challenge, their trust increased as they proved their merit. The highest level of trust is expressed in obedience and submission, even when there is a lack of understanding or agreement. At one point on the journey, the explorers came to two rivers and had to decide which one was the Missouri River. Lewis and Clark's choice went against the general consensus of their men. Even while disagreeing, the men were willing to trust the judgment of their leadership. The submission of the team at such a critical juncture demonstrates their absolute faith in their leaders. The reward of trust is an intimate relationship that few ever experience. There is an intimacy when proven by time and experience and competence, that only people that have gone through that trusting experience ever realize. The attitude of the men displayed their intimacy: "they would triumph together or they would die together". ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Leadership@Large ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ INUNDATED INBOXES Monday morning has barely begun before we find ourselves buried under a barrage of emails awaiting attention. Instead of a fresh start to a new week, a feeling of disquiet creeps upon us. A cluttered inbox can have the same unsettling effect as an unkempt room, making us feel disorganized, messy, and overwhelmed. In a September 2005 article for Forbes.com, Scott Reeves shares secrets to trim down overstuffed inboxes. Many mistakenly blame a high number of incoming messages on their overcrowded inboxes. However, volume has little to do with email management. A user with an organized approach to emails may receive 100 emails a day without undergoing an unhealthy buildup. On the other hand, a worker with poor inbox management may only receive 10 new notes yet suffer from an untidy email account. Separate personal email from job-related messages. Notes from friends and family can quickly fill a work account and make an inbox seem unmanageable. Set aside a few minutes to check a personal account and respond to messages. Ask your buddies to use your personal account and avoid emailing them from work. Sort your email so that the oldest messages show on top. The temptation is to read and reply to messages as they arrive. This can be a dangerous habit since old messages tend to become buried at the bottom of the inbox. Also, instead of focusing on priorities, people who immediately respond to new emails can get caught spending too much time on insignificant items. Rather than browse a number of newly received messages, read and respond to email that can quickly be completed and deleted. Mike Hurst, president and founder of Creative Good, a consulting firm in New York recommends the 2-minute rule. If a message requires a reply of two minutes or less, then immediately answer it so that the email can be filed or trashed. Never go more than a day without emptying your inbox. Develop an organized plan to place emails in appropriate files that can be easily searched and located simply. For messages demanding time-consuming tasks or responses, prioritize them and block off time on your calendar to chip away at them. For the full text of Scott Reeves' article, visit: http://www.forbes.com/careers/2005/09/22/email-microsoft-work-cx_sr_0922bizbasics.html _________________________________________________________________ BRAIN DRAIN From science to psychology, skilled performers from poor nations immigrate en masse to richer, more developed nations. Social scientists began to recognize this trend in the 1960s and nicknamed it "brain drain." Some countries see as many as 80% of their post-secondary graduates choosing to live and work abroad. Brain drain deprives third world nations of the human potential necessary to improve and advance their societies. Yet, who can blame these talented individuals for moving elsewhere to pursue higher pay, better working conditions, and access to superior resources? On a smaller scale, the business world mirrors the global labor market. Top talent migrates wherever it is best compensated, equipped, and developed. In the competition for the finest workers, companies cannot ignore the need to attract high- capacity employees. How can an organizational climate be created that lures rather than leaks top talent? In his article, "Talent Development: the Architecture of a Talent Pipeline That Works", Jeffery Gandz looks at ways businesses can avoid brain drain and appeal to the best and brightest potential employees. According to Gandz, businesses with a steady flow of talent into their ranks practice the following principles: "Zero-Talent Outages" Talent-conscious companies always look to develop a pool of capable employees to replace retiring or transitioning workers. "Succession not Replacement" Companies with an eye for talent look beyond filling the gap created by a departure. They view each opening as an opportunity to find an even better worker to step into the role. "Reputation as a Talent Magnet" "Talent can recognize other talent." Peak performers are attracted to an atmosphere in which they can sharpen their skills by interacting with talented peers. Gandz also warns against pitfalls that can clog the talent pipeline: Resist the temptation to trim training and development budgets. When the financial squeeze is in effect, don't drain your training allowances. As Gandz writes, "Training and development is usually the first casualty of budget cuts," and its absence robs a company of vital human potential. Dodge the deep freeze. When a company's coffers grow cold, the temptation can be to suspend all hiring until a more lucrative season. While limiting new hires can be wise, inflexibility can cause an organization to miss out on prospective all-stars. Prune low potential personnel. Why waste valuable training and resources on dead-end individuals? Tactfully terminate employees with limited capacity and no signs of growth. For the complete text of "Talent Development: the Architecture of a Talent Pipeline That Works", visit the Ivey Business Journal online at: http://www.iveybusinessjournal.com/article.asp?intArticle_ID=611. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Book Review ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars" By Patrick Lencioni (Jossey-Bass, 2006) Friction between teams generates a tense and tenuous work atmosphere. Turf wars and territorialism ruin business results and squelch employee satisfaction. Anyone who has undergone battles between departments can attest to the detrimental impact these clashes have on both morale and productivity. At times, the divide runs deep, splitting opposing sides into bitterly entrenched conflict. How can an organization avoid the pain and damage associated with interoffice skirmishes? In "Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars", Patrick Lencioni defuses the infighting and backbiting that can threaten to implode a company. As founder and president of The Table Group consulting firm, Lencioni writes from his experiences as an advisor amidst the frays of Fortune 500 power struggles. Written as a fable, the book is a pleasant read, largely free from the terminology and theorizing which weigh down many business texts. Albeit fictional, in the character dialogue the reader can sense Lencioni's familiarity with real life instances of boardroom bickering and office drama. The first portion of the story introduces the reader to Jude Cousins, the main character, and a recently self-employed consultant. A casualty of an unsuccessful merger, Jude discovers silos (page 43), and embarks on a quest to eliminate them from the businesses retaining his services. At first failing in his attempts to demolish the silos, Jude's observations lead him to a growing awareness of what is need to counter the paralysis of turf wars (pages 100-109). He finds that an organization needs a rallying cry or thematic goal around which to unite. Throughout the remainder of the book, Jude counsels his clients, including his former employer, on how to eliminate silos from their workplaces. The whole fable lays out Lencioni's argument for thematic goals, which he summarizes in "The Theory" section toward the end of the book. In this section (pages 175-188), LW subscribers will find the meat of the book. Lencioni defines a thematic goal as, "a single, qualitative focus that is shared by the entire leadership team…and that applies for only a specified time period." The thematic goal serves as a bridge between an organization's vision and day-to- day activities by "making the vision more tangible and by giving the tactical objectives more context." Work environments have varying degrees of interdepartmental tension, but divisional competition is a nearly universal employee experience—which is why LW subscribers will likely find great value in reading "Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars". Patrick Lencioni is a first-rate author, and "Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars" continues his string of engaging and instructive works. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quick Quotes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ INITIATIVE "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved." - William Jennings Bryan "All glory comes from daring to begin." - Eugene F. Ware "One of the strongest characteristics of genius is the power of lighting its own fire." - John W. Foster _________________________________________________________________ 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.