Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D. author of The Courageous Life, is an organizational consultant with a special interest in coaching courageous and effective leaders.
The leadership practice of being fully present - and in the moment - is one of the most powerful and difficult leadership practices an individual can master.
Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee discuss this topic in the article ”In a Bad Spot? Try Mindfulness.”When navigating through uncertainty - especially during times of rapid change or crisis - the ability to be fully present is critical:
“In high-pressure situations many people point outward: They find reasons for their problems outside of themselves. They blame others or the situation, and they look for excuses. Good leaders point inward: They take personal responsibility for what is happening and what needs to be done, even when circumstances play a definitive role. Dan Sontag routinely asks himself, ‘What is my part in creating this situation and what do I, personally, need to do about it?’... In high-pressure situations most people look outward: They try to find reasons for their problems outside of themselves.”
The ability to be fully present, and to respond appropriately to a situation unfolding before you requires self-mastery. Take one wrong step… and a situation can spiral out of control. So when going through a time of uncertainty, remain mindful by first pointing inward - by being self-aware, and making sure you first gain a honest understanding of yourself, your environment, and the people around you.
Wednesday, 17. March 2010 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.
“My life is my message.” - Mahatma Ghandi
Everyone’s life is driven by something. People can be driven by their problems, deadlines, a painful memory, haunting fears, or by some subconscious belief. Rick Warren mentions five common (yet negative) motivations that can “drive” a person:
1) Guilt:These individuals spend their life running from past regrets and hiding under the covers of shame. Guilt-driven people are imprisoned by past failures, and thus are unable to embrace a new future. Many times they unconsciously “punish” themselves by sabotaging their own success. ** We may be products of our past, but we don’t have to be imprisoned by it. Moses’ past included murderer - yet he later led an entire nation from slavery into freedom.
2) Resentment and Anger:These people are addicted to past hurts. Instead of releasing their pain through offering grace and forgiveness, they choose to relive a hurtful situation over and over in their minds. Those who hurt us in the past cannot continue to do us damage unless we choose intoxicate ourselves with resentment. The Bible says, “To worry yourself to death with resentment would be a foolish, senseless thing to do.” (Job 5:2)
3) Fear:Fear-driven people miss great opportunities because they are too afraid to venture out into the unknown. Instead of embracing the future, they prefer to play it safe and maintain the status quo. Fear is a self-imposed prison that will keep a person from becoming all that God intends them to be. We must step into our fears with the weapons of faith and perseverance. 4) Materialism:The drive to always want more “stuff” is based on a misconception that having more will make us more happy, more important, and more secure - but all three beliefs are not true. Self-worth and net-worth are not related.
5) Need for approval:These individuals allow the expectations of others to control their lives. I don’t know every key to success, but one key of failure is to try to please everyone. Being controlled by the opinions of others is a sure way to miss our purpose in life - as we instead constantly wonder around looking for the approval of… anybody.
In his book, “Leading the Revolution,” Gary Hamel notes there are two kinds of leaders: 1) “Value Squeezers” – who try to milk additional profits out of existing ways of doing things, and 2) “Revolutionaries” – who continually enable the flow of new ideas to maintain a competitive advantage. Hamel believes strategic leaders are revolutionaries who champion continuous improvement by creating organizations that operate by the following rules:
1) Set Unreasonable Expectations – This notion is consistent with Collins & Porras’s book “Built to Last” which found that perpetually successful companies set “Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals (BHAG’s)” that stretch people to do more than they thought possible.
2) Maintain An Elastic Business Definition – Don’t get locked into one view of who you are as a company. If Canon had always thought of itself as a “camera company,” it may never have invented the laser jet printer.
3) Create A Cause, Not A Business – Create energy by defining an engaging purpose for your company that goes beyond mere profits.
4) Listen To Revolutionary Voices – Many companies are led by people who want more and more of the same, and thus they tend to be unsympathetic to revolutionary voices within their organization. Yet those voices may well be the ones that will enable a company to keep its competative edge into the future.
5) Create An Open Culture For Ideas – If an organization does not systematically solicit (and reward) new ideas, they will die.
6) Create An Open Pipeline For Capital – Let managers invest freely in ideas they believe will better serve the needs of customers.
7) Create An Open Market For Talent – Attracting, and then keeping, talent is a key strategic opportunity for many organizations.
8) Encourage Low-Risk Experiments – Enable people to conduct small experiments to grow revolutionary ideas.
9) Grow By Cellular division – When these little experiments succeed, don’t stifle them by bureaucratizing them. Spin off small, elastic departments that are free to quickly bring a promising idea into reality.
10) Share The Wealth – Hamel wrote, “You can’t reward entrepreneurs like you reward stewards.” If a revolutionary comes up with a great idea, he or she naturally wants to enjoy in the benefits of that idea.
We all have a reptile living in our brain. And that reptile is an… Alligator!
You see, our most basic survival behaviors originate from our brainstem. This part of our brain is often called the “gator brain” because this part of the brain is similar to the ENTIRE brain of an alligator.
An alligator is driven by a set of very primitive instincts. To find food, defend their territory, protect themselves, and reproduce… When something new, or unfamiliar, approaches a gator, they tend to revert to one of these four primitive choices in terms of how they respond to what is confronting, or unknown to them: Kill it, eat it, run from it (or mate with it… we will ignore that for now).
So what does this mean for you and I?
When you and I are confronted with something new or unfamiliar, our brainstem will many times try to take over and make our conscious mind respond much like an alligator in the wild - to do whatever it takes to maintain our security, or protect us from making any type of uncomfortable change.
Fortunately, we have another section in our brain (not present in an alligator’s brain) called the neo-cortex, which has the ability to override the primitive instincts of our brainstem. This other part of the brain competes with our “gator brain”, drawing us to treat newness with curiosity and intrigue - encouraging us to defer judgment and look for the exciting possibilities that may exist in a new idea or circumstance.
So when we face a new or difficult situation, which part of our brain is going to win… our gator brain, or our innovative brain? We always have the power to choose our response. Innovative individuals (and teams) do not allow the instincts of the “gator within” to prevent them from seeing the possibilities that can be realized. Creative individuals (and teams) have re-habituated themselves - so that their first response to a new idea, or even an opposing force, is to look for a pathway that leads out of the swampy waters.
Wednesday, 03. March 2010 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”- Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, Inc.
“Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship. The act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth.” - Peter F. Drucker, Leadership guru and author
As a leader, how can you improve your ability to implement new and innovative ideas?
There are many practical behaviors and disciplines you can develop to help yourself be a more innovative eader. The following are a few ideas you may want to start playing with:
* Regularly approach conversations with the perspective that the greater wisdom is in the person you are talking to. It’s your job to uncover innovative ideas, so when in a conversation, make sure you truly listen - versus just waiting to speak next. This will keep you attuned to any nuggets of innovative wisdom that may cross your conversational path.
* Invite and reinforce the flow of feedback from others into your life and work - even if it is painful. There is one executive who never gives a first pay raise to an employee until they specifically challenge his opinion or thinking in some way.
* As you move through your day, notice moments of frustration. As you journey though your day, and something causes frustration - like you just can’t get something done, and something or somebody is impeding you - Notice it. Label the frustration, then discern the root causes of frustration. Later, when you have cooled off, put some energy into creating ideas on how this frustration can be prevented, rerouted, or positively used in the future.
* At the end of each day, review the day and ask yourself, “What good questions did I ask today - and how well did I listen?” “What specific innovative ideas did I come across?” “At what points in my day was I not attune to new truths or wisdom that may have crossed my path?” - Then write any newfound ideas down, and if appropriate, start moving forward a new direction.
Sunday, 28. February 2010 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.
Any leader, not matter how good they are, usually deals with 3 types of employees or volunteers: 1) Committed (or Engaged) Employees.
2) Compliant (or Disengaged) Employees.
3) Non-Compliant (Or Actively Disengaged) Employees.
For example, if you are familiar with the TV show “The Office” – you see all three types of these employees present. (The show is worth watching for a comic portrayal of many leadership topics.) In The Office you have employee named “Dwight,” who is an example of a highly committed and engaged employee (though a little weird). Jim is an example of a nice, yet compliant/disengaged employee. And Stanley is an example of an actively disengaged employee.
- So how does a leader deal with these 3 types of employees or volunteers? How should a leader deal with a “Dwight”, “Jim”, and a “Stanley?”
** First; a Leader needs to understand the mindset of each type: 1) Committed (or Engaged) employees have a good understanding (and belief) about where the organization is headed – and know where they fit in to that vision and plan. 2) Compliant (or Disengaged) employees question, or are not sure if they believe, where the organization is headed – and are usually unclear where they fit into that vision. 3) Non-compliant (or Actively Disengaged) employees do not believe in the vision, nor do they want to fit into that vision.
** Second, a Leader needs to find out which category each employee (or volunteer) is in. You do this by: 1) Continuously clarifying and preaching the vision and purposes of your organization, business, or church. Never stop defining reality and pointing to the future. 2) Take time to carefully observe your people and systems in action. 3) Actively listen and seek feedback regarding how the organization as a whole, and specific employees, are doing. Use surveys, listening sessions, stay connected to the grape vine… to get first-hand knowledge. 4) Then with all this data you have collected, discern where each employee is at. 5) Bring needed change and clarity(see below.) Also, make sure you resource whatever changes you make! 6) Say Thank You to your employees who are adding value – and then start steps 1-5 again.
** Third, a Leader needs to act Courageously by making specific decisions on how to deal with, or develop, each employee. 1) For Committed employees, a leader needs to promote, mentor, and resource their continued work and development. 2) For Compliant employees, a leader needs to co-create a plan (with the employee) to move them from a compliant – to a committed employee. If they do not make progress, the leader needs to marginalize that employee or volunteer (or possibly even remove them) from the organizational culture. 3) For Non-Compliant (or actively disengaged) employees, using a short timetable, a leader needs to confront reality and co-create a proactive plan to move them toward engagement – and if no improvement is made, remove them from the organization. Their negative weight to the culture and vision is too great a price to pay.
Tuesday, 23. February 2010 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.
Dee Hock was the founder and CEO Emeritus of VISA International, an organization that to this day is regarded as the most profitable business on earth. He is a very highly respected leader of leaders - the following are a few of his quotes:
* “Hire and promote first on the basis of integrity; second, motivation; third, capacity; fourth, understanding; fifth, knowledge; and last and least, experience. Without integrity, motivation is dangerous; without motivation, capacity is impotent; without capacity, understanding is limited; without understanding, knowledge is meaningless; without knowledge, experience is blind. Experience is easy to provide and quickly put to good use by people with all the other qualities.”
* “If you don’t understand that you work for your mislabeled ‘subordinates,’ then you know nothing of leadership. You know only tyranny.”
* “If you look to lead, invest at least 40% of your time managing yourself - your ethics, character, principles, purpose, motivation, and conduct. Invest at least 30% managing those with authority over you, and 15% managing your peers.”
* “If you’re in such a position of power and your ego is such that this is not possible, then its essential to have a small cadre of very bright, committed people who are questioning, exploring and understanding emerging concepts.”
* “It is essential to employ, trust, and reward those whose perspective, ability, and judgment are radically different from yours. It is also rare, for it requires uncommon humility, tolerance, and wisdom.”
* “Lead yourself, lead your superiors, lead your peers, and free your people to do the same. All else is trivia.”
* “Make a careful list of all things done to you that you abhorred. Don’t do them to others, ever. Make another list of things done for you that you loved. Do them for others, always.”
* “Money motivates neither the best people, nor the best in people. It can move the body and influence the mind, but it cannot touch the heart or move the spirit; that is reserved for belief, principle, and morality.”
Saturday, 20. February 2010 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.
“What we’ve discovered, and rediscovered, is that leadership isn’t the private reserve of a few charismatic men and women. It’s a process ordinary people use when they’re bringing forth the best from themselves and others. Liberate the leader in everyone, and extraordinary things happen.” — James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner
Leadership is a verb, not a noun. Leadership is action, not a position. Leadership is defined by what we do, not the role we are in. Some people in “leadership roles” are excellent leaders. But too many are simply bosses, “snoopervisors,” bureaucrats, dictators, or simple babysitters. Conversely, others who have no formal leadership role in an organization often “lead” in very effective ways.
The process of becoming a leader is a journey of personal development - and though much of this journey involves finding our own way, there are several key “mugs” of development that need to be kept filled… These are:
* Choose Not to Lose. Learning to focus on the possibilities, not our problems is a key lesson of leadership. When faced with obstacles or failure, those who overcome adversity, and learn from those experiences, are the ones who consistently find success.
* Focus and Context. Our Focus and Context is shaped by three vital questions: Where am I going? (my vision); What do I believe in? (my principles and values) and; Why do I exist? (my purpose or mission).
* Responsibility For Choices. Leadership means accepting responsibility for our choices. Leaders realize that their choices, more than chance, determine their circumstances. They refuse to succumb to a victim mentality.
* Authenticity. Leadership isn’t just what we do, it’s founded on who we are. Genuine leadership comes from within. It’s authentic - based on honesty, integrity, and trust.
* Spirit and Meaning. Material success is never enough. Effective leaders take time to align what they do with their deepest desires, values, dreams and passions.
* Growing and Developing. The popular goals of security, stability, and predictability are deadly. The closer we get to these dangerous goals, the more our growth will be stunted. True and lasting security comes from a commitment to continual personal growth and development.
* Mobilizing and Energizing. Highly effective leaders boost the energy of others with their passion and appreciation. They engage people’s hearts as well as their minds. They get them involved, participating, and aligned with the higher vision and purposes of the organization.
The more the world changes, the more the principles of leadership stay the same. And they apply to all of us, no matter what role we play in society or organization.
