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Wally Bock is an author, speaker, consultant and coach who helps leaders improve the performance and morale of their teams. Wally is the author of Performance Talk: The One-on-One Part of Leadership (http://www.performancetalk.com/) and the Three Star Leadership Blog (http://blog.threestarleadership.com/). You’ll also find tips and resources about all aspects of leadership at the Three Star Leadership site (http://www.threestarleadership.com/).
November 1, 2007
A malaise exists in many organisations which limits their ability to achieve even modest goals. It is not specific to any industry or any country. It is not specific to public or private enterprise. It is specific to leaders who do not want to, or are incapable of, leading.
The malaise is a tendency amongst leaders to identify a weakness in their organisation or across their industry and to do very little about it. The usual expectation is that someone else will fix it. That someone else is often government or government sponsored or controlled bodies. Sometimes, however, the solutions are left to that invisible duo, ?them? and ?they?.
Leaders of organisations who find a weakness affecting their ability to reach their goals must practise self help. If they are insightful enough to determine the problem, then surely they can go to the next step and devise solutions without the need of government intervention.
It is fine for organisations to seek help from government or other parties. But when that help is not forthcoming because of a lack of resources or other priorities, the treatment for the diagnosed ailment can only be found in the hands of the ?physician? doing the diagnosis.
Examples of this malaise are all too frequently apparent.
For example, associations that decry the lack of specific competencies in their industry as a whole, push the problem to government to ?improve? the education system. This is a natural reaction and probably one of several worthy options to explore.
However, if the curriculum changes required are too expensive, too elitist or just plain inappropriate for the majority of school leavers, then the government may well not accede to the request fully. The answer is not to berate the government for a decade for taking no action, but to take action within the industry.
When I completed university with a science degree, the clearest piece of knowledge I had was that I had just learnt to learn and that my greatest level of knowledge and skill building was ahead of me. I was not surprised to find that Shell has extensive supervisory, management and leadership training programmes.
If competency shortfalls are a real problem for an industry then it is in that industry’s interest to fix it by building industry wide training, skill building and coaching programmes to address the shortfall.
The same problem of lack of competency occurs at organisational level too. For example, organisations often lack project management skills. Organisations without project management skills tend to run bad projects; missing milestones, having cost overruns and not delivering the intended outcomes.
At some stage or other the organisation will review a project, especially after a poor project and ask the question, ?Why do we always run bad projects?. The answer of course is, ?Because we have few or no people with project management skills?.
The solution is to buy or build the skills. Unfortunately, when the solution tends to be nobody’s responsibility the building of skills requirement only gets raised again after the next poor project with the question, ?Why do we???. This scenario is frighteningly common.
One organisation I know, knew it had a chronic inability to prioritise the large number of important projects. This inability was causing frustration and wasted effort in the seven figure bracket. They set up a project to develop a detailed prioritisation process that utilised their extensive IT capability for assessment and communication of priorities.
The project manager was pulled off the project before it was completed. At subsequent management meetings over the next two years, the lack of a robust prioritisation process was debated, discussed and glossed over without any action to fix it.
The malaise identified by these three examples characterises a leadership style which is shallow, indecisive and seeks to shift the burden of accountability for setting and achieving bold goals to ?others?.
The malaise occurs even when opportunity beckons. Instead of identifying a problem, leaders identify an opportunity with attendant risks. Instead of analysing the risks poor leaders analyse the opportunity to the point of paralysis. Rather than understanding the risks in detail and addressing them through detailed contingency plans, they avoid the risk altogether by taking no action.
Leaders are paid not just to understand problems. They are also paid to take action. They are paid to provide the leadership of their teams so they are compelled by example to take well considered decisions to progress the organisation towards its goals.
Leaders must take it upon themselves to make ?it? happen. Shuffling off responsibility for action to committees, subordinates, government departments and forever bemoaning the lack of action is not good enough.
Leaders are in the position of being able to both diagnose the ailment and treat the ailment of an organisation. If they won’t do it, who will?
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Kevin Dwyer is Director of Change Factory. Change Factory helps organisations who do do not like their business outcomes to get better outcomes by changing people’s behaviour. Businesses we help have greater clarity of purpose and ability to achieve their desired business outcomes. To learn more visit http://www.changefactory.com.au or email kevin.dwyer@changefactory.com.au
?2006 Change Factory
To see more articles visit http://www.changefactory.com.au
October 23, 2007
As a new CEO, your employees expect you to be an extrovert with an outgoing, gregarious personality. Most people have the perception of a successful CEO as being an extrovert. But, in reality, you are a successful introvert who has mastered the ability to act like an extrovert.
There are many ingredients to success and many entrepreneurs who are introverts have their own challenges to deal with when it comes to business success. Introverts typically find several traditional situations too exhausting and draining.
According to research, about 70 percent of CEO?s describe themselves as ?introverts?. The list of well-known ?Who?s Who? of corporate introverted CEOs includes: Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, movie magnate Steven Spielberg, and Sara Lee?s Brenda Barnes. Introverts make up 40 percent of the population. Considered as introverts, these CEO?s, at times, are able to move far enough towards ?extrovert status? to be considered ambiverts. Ambiverts are those who fall in the middle between extroverts and introverts. At times, they can function well in many different situations.
Thriving in corporate America as a shy/introverted executive, you may find yourself moving up the corporate ladder in your organization. Take into consideration the characteristics possessed by introverts. Introverts value privacy, need quiet time alone to recharge, feel more comfortable being alone than being with others, prefer to know a few people well (this fits for many CEOs who are ?lonely at the top? and confide in a small circle of friends), like to work independently or with one or two other people, prefer to focus on one thing at a time, communicate best one-to-one, and prefer to communicate in writing instead of through talking. Before speaking, introverts think first then act on what they think about. They prefer listening more than talking, rehearse things before saying them, and are perceived as ?great listeners?.
One common trait of highly successful executives is that of being creative. Since introverts spend a lot of their time alone, they are among the most creative individuals in business. Introverts, who are highly effective in completing tasks, can usually get away with saying little, but when they do speak, it is meaningful.
Introverts are also considered self-sufficient, confident, hardworking, having firm goals, reserved, being educated to overcompensate for the lack of social skills, and being Rhodes Scholars. Among people with PhDs, there are three introverts to every one extrovert.
On the other hand, extroverts typically have lots of friends; feel drained when they are bored and alone; are energized when they are with other people; are motivated to action; tend to be sociable with others, talkative, and assertive; prefer face-to-face verbal communication rather than written communication; are ready to share personal information easily to others; and respond to situations quickly. Jonathan Rauch, a self-proclaimed introverted correspondent for The Atlantic and a senior writer for National Journal, wrote a short article on introverted CEO?s that states: ?Leave an extrovert alone for two minutes and s/he will reach for his/her cell phone.? Rauch also said that ?In contrast, introverts need to turn off and recharge.?
Introverts are among the most successful people in the world. As an introvert, you need to find your own ingredients to success. For as an introvert, while you may not appear as if you have mastered the ability to act like an extrovert, you have the ability to demonstrate that you can be just as successful as other people. Introverts have to train themselves well enough to work through their reserved characteristics and know what they want to do with their career. As an introverted entrepreneur, you have a lot to offer the business world, but you still prefer to grab as little of the spotlight as possible. Donot let being an introvert stop you from reaching your goals − you have the ability and skills to get the job done!
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Neal Burgis, Ph.D. is the founder and CEO of Burgis Successful Solutions, an executive coaching firm. He has 18 years of experience in helping others with their goals and performance levels. He specializes in executive coaching on work balance issues of performance, leadership development, self-confidence, customer service and improving interpersonal skills, as well as being a sounding board.
Neal holds a B.A. in Psychology, an M.Ed. in Counseling and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. He is a National Certified Psychologist and is certified as both an Executive Coach and a Business and Workplace Mediator.
Neal He can be reached at: nburgis@successful-solutions.com, or 602-405-2540.
October 18, 2007
There are many factors that contribute to effective leadership, and I will address five of them here. An effective leader is crucial to any successful business, whether it is an offline or online business.
The first characteristic of effective leadership is empathy, an understanding and identification with another person’s feelings, situation and goals. Showing such empathy even in difficult situations will win you kudos with the staff. In the event of a conflict, a good leader will be able to empathize with both sides, while being able to negotiate an amicable solution. Your staff will work much better with you when you show some empathy.
Secondly, an effective leader shows a tenacious determination and resolve, never wavering in spite of obstacles. Together with a positive attitude, this can turn around an almost impossible situation, thus enabling others to see the brighter picture and carry on with the task at hand, keeping the end result in mind.
Thirdly, one must be able to detach themselves from the situation and analyze it from a distance. The effective leader is calm and composed in the face of turmoil and uncertainty. This stability like a rock gives a certain sense of character and offers some peace of mind to others who may be mindlessly caught up in that turmoil.
Fourthly, a leader must have excellent communication skills. He must be comfortable running meetings and making presentations. His presentation skills have to be excellent, and be able to convey accurately the essence of the subject at hand and be able to address any ambiguities before they come up. Such communication skills will have to be learned along the way to being a good leader or manager.
Lastly, an effective leader has to be resourceful enough to find the resources that are needed. Not every leader will have an intimate knowledge of the subject, but he will be able to turn to the people in the know and gather any necessary resources as required.
I have covered five important characteristics of an effective leader. Although there are many more characteristics of effective leadership, I believe that these are five crucial factors that will have to be learned by anyone who wishes to become a great leader. These characteristics can be learnt by anyone, whether they are currently an effective leader or not, however, this is not something that you learn in school.
And thus I close this with a quote from John F. Kennedy
‘Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.’
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Shafir Ahmad publishes his ezine at http://www.ShafirAhmad.com - For more leadership and other personal development information, please go to http://effectiveleadership.nmaskuri.com/?sa
September 21, 2007
Most types of sports equipment like a golf club, a tennis racquet or a baseball bat have a certain spot that, if the ball hits it, will give the player the optimal result. Hitting this sweet spot yields a long drive down the fairway, a swift crosscourt return or home run swing. Every sport has a sweet spot of some type. If you have experienced it, you know when you hit the sweet spot, you barely feel it. The ball goes where you want it to go - even further and faster. Doesn’t get any better than that!
But what about the sport of leadership? Aren’t we professional athletes in our own right?
Those in professional sports practice 90+ percent of the time and actually ‘play for keeps’ less than 10 percent of the time. As professional leaders, we are almost always ‘playing for keeps.’ So it’s particularly important that we take time to plan and ensure that we are optimizing our sweet spot.
Did you know the average person possesses between 500 and 700 different skills and abilities? A common defining moment for people is finding that skill or ability that’s right in their sweet spot. As leaders, we have a huge opportunity to help our employees find their sweet spots, too.
The first step is ensuring a good fit between an employee’s natural abilities and interests and the requirements of the job. This would ensure the ‘highest and best use’ of their talents toward the realization of our high-definition vision. Wouldn’t we just love having every single team member working in their sweet spot? We would always be in ‘the zone’ and work would feel like play.
Our ability to match sweet spots to job requirements is the best predictor of job success and, ultimately, of excellent performance. It all starts with a moment to plan for the use of talent on our team.
Let’s not forget about ourselves in this matching process. Gaining insights into our own sweet spot as leaders helps us better determine how to design roles and deploy the talent on our team. For example, if my sweet spot is conceptually designing complex deals, I better ensure I have a strong analyst on my team. If my sweet spot is analyzing lots of details and numbers, I want some conceptual, big picture thinkers on my team.
Want to know an easy way to find your sweet spot? Look at the intersection of these two questions:
1. What am I absolutely passionate about?
2. Which tasks are very easy and natural for me to perform?
Most of us vividly remember the moment we found our professional sweet spot. Others told us we made it look easy, that we really excelled and we looked like we were having a ball. Think of the last time when others made these comments to you. What were you doing? Like finding any sweet spot, it’s worth hitting these questions around for awhile and practicing our answers before we can serve up a winner.
Ralph V. Gilles understands this process. He dropped out of college and was spending most of his time, by his own admission, slacking in his parents’ basement, eating granola, watching ‘Dukes of Hazard’ reruns and lamenting the sorry state of automobiles being made in America.
Growing up, Gilles was typical of most boys who played with Hot Wheels and Formula 1 model cars. But, as a teenager, he also was extremely talented in sketching vehicles. In fact, his aunt wrote a letter to then Chrysler Chairman Lee Iacocca, saying he should hire her 14-year-old nephew.
A Chrysler executive responded, recommending three design schools. Soon afterward, however, the letter was lost and forgotten. Meanwhile, the car-crazy Gilles completed high school and enrolled in college to study engineering, but dropped out quickly. His reason: ‘I was in a funk and was really not sure I wanted to be an engineer.’
As he continued his granola, ‘Dukes of Hazard’ routine down in the basement, Ralph’s older brother, Max, recalled the letter from Chrysler. He remembered that one of the recommended schools was Detroit’s College for Creative Studies. Upset to see Ralph wasting his time and talent, Max pushed his brother to apply to the local school although the application deadline was only a week away and would require 10 sketches.
At that point, the whole family became involved, making Ralph coffee so he could complete his sketches, cheering him on and helping wherever they could. By the end of the week, Ralph was covered in pencil lead, but the sketches were complete, so his mother sent the packet to the school by overnight delivery.
Today, Ralph V. Gilles is recognized as the innovator of the Chrysler 300 sedan and the Dodge Magnum Wagon I in addition to being responsible for the 2002 Jeep Liberty, 2003 Dodge Viper SRT-10 and several concept cars. Dubbed as the Chrysler Group’s newest darling, Gilles has earned numerous national and international accolades. He has since been promoted to Design Director for Chrysler.
If we consistently misidentify sweet spots, we will find our team stuck in a funk, like Gilles.
If we correctly match employee’s sweet spots to the job requirements, we will all be living the sweet life!
Today’s fast-paced, efficiency-minded organizations make it especially challenging for leaders to always ensure a good fit. It’s common to find employees picking up the slack for positions that have been eliminated. If personnel reductions aren’t executed carefully, the remaining employees can find themselves underemployed and consumed by ‘leftover’ tasks that drain their time but don’t tap their minds.
These situations start a cycle of ‘lowest and worst use’ of talent, resulting in a downward spiral of self-doubt, anxiety and frustration. If you’ve ever experienced this, you know it feels more like a sour patch than a sweet spot.
To prevent this cycle and the resulting decline in team performance, we can plan the work for our teams to optimize sweet spots by:
- Combining tasks that require similar skill levels, so we can more easily match an employee’s sweet spot with the position’s requirements.
- Automating repetitive tasks.
- Streamlining inefficient processes and eliminate redundant tasks that rob us from getting the highest and best use of our talent.
- Outsourcing tasks that require a high level of people power but have little impact on our organizations. Stay within our own sweet spots and let other vendors use their sweet spot to serve us.
Take a moment to optimize the sweet spots on your team - including your own. It’s a defining moment for most people when they can arrive at work on Monday morning and say, ‘How sweet it is!’
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Author Lee J. Colan is a highly sought-after executive advisor and leadership expert.
He has published seven books including the best sellers Sticking to It: The Art of Adherence and Passionate Performance.
Learn more by visiting http://www.LeeColan.com
or calling 972-250-9989.
September 17, 2007
In my experience most leadership team members spend a day a month meeting together and the other 29 days complaining about what a waste of time it was and how they aren?t talking about the ?real issues?.
Almost everyone I say that to cracks a wry smile. We?ve all seen it. Most of us have suffered the effects of it. Many of us have even been part of it. It seems to me that most organisations seem to survive in spite of the fact that their leaders don?t work effectively together ? and yet few organisations are actually doing much about it!
But, before we get too smug, aren?t we all members of ?leadership teams?? Whether it?s the team that heads our part of the organisation, things we?re involved in outside work or being part of the team that runs our household and family - we all have leadership roles which we share with others.
I call this kind of leadership Collective Leadership and I think it is a vital area that is little written or spoken about.
Levels of leadership
Essentially, collective leadership is where we need to lead together to achieve things that we cannot do alone.
It has been said that ?nothing very significant in life can be achieved alone? and it is easy to agree. Collective leadership, however, challenges our ideas of leadership.
Generally, when we talk about leadership we are talking about an Individual with some sort of positional power or authority whose role is to set direction first and then mobilise people towards it second.
This model is increasingly flawed in the modern world. However senior we get, we keep discovering that we don?t have direct or complete authority over the people we need to influence to accomplish things. Even where we do, our ability to exercise that authority is significantly diluted by the agendas of others and their ability to find creative ways to achieve their ends whilst doing the minimum possible to help us meet ours.
So why is it so hard to make leadership teams work?
The core of the problem is in the division of responsibilities. Ever since Henry Ford invented the production line, we have been ever more keen to divide up work and give people individual accountability for elements of it.
The big advantage of this is that each person can focus and specialise on their part of the jigsaw and, over the years, we have become more and more creative at ways of reinforcing that focus through measurement, performance management and reward of all kinds.
The challenge that this brings is that when groups with different responsibilities come together they become representatives for their agendas rather than members of a collective team. This in turn leads to meeting agendas that are typically full of items from each department seeking the support of the heads of other departments.
In this way the leadership team?s time together becomes crowded with decisions on marketing or operations or HR etc. Limited time means that, as a result, the big issues like strategy, customer service, processes, people and leadership are either not discussed at all or don?t get enough time.
Because they affect everyone they can only be progressed by the leadership team working together so they tend to remain unresolved as running sores. These in turn create a series of problems and symptoms in Marketing and HR and Operations that require top team agenda time??.
So what can we do to get our team working?
The first thing to do is to clarify what the big, collective issues are. My experience is that there is rarely a consensus on this and the way to begin is to talk to each member of the team to find out their views before presenting a consolidated view back to the team for discussion and agreement.
Once this is clear and agreed, meeting agendas can be changed to reflect these priorities. This will involve some debate and creative thinking about where the decisions that the team were previously making should be dealt with.
The team is likely initially to need help to work together in new ways. Typically these will be more ambiguous than the tactical content that dominated previously and will require new ways of preparing, discussing and listening in order to make progress.
It is also common for there to be relationship issues which need to be addressed (see ?Have you ever wondered why? leadership team members don?t seem to get on? on the website or in this newsletter.)
Can we do it alone or do we need help?
In my experience few teams are able to make this shift alone. A combination of busy agendas, tricky relationships and force of habit mean that it is very helpful to have someone else help to identify and consolidate the issues, manage the changing agenda and support the team through the change. The right person will be able to engage with the big organisational issues and will also be skilled with people.
If you need support or ideas for your leadership team, then the best way to begin is with a conversation. We don?t believe in a ?hard sell? and often find that people get value out of the exploratory discussion - whether or not we go on to work together. There is more about this on the Team Coaching page.
Good luck with your (collective) leadership challenges?
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Chris Henderson is the principal and founder of Leadership Connections.
He has experience in a wide range of leadership and management areas, including leadership coaching, team development, leadership development, leadership assessment, balanced scorecard, talent management, performance coaching and people strategy.
Chris has an MSc in Organisation Consulting & Development from Ashridge Management College as well as various other leadership-related qualifications and accreditations.
Chris can be contacted via http://www.leadershipconnections.co.uk
June 27, 2007
Our founding forefathers were willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of freedom from Britain. We can learn a great deal from the leadership of the revolutionary time period - just from reading what they said at the time. Let’s take a look at quotes from men who founded our country on freedom.
From the beginning of time, we can learn from leaders. They offer great wisdom in their actions and the comments stated. Take a few minutes to see what some American Revolution men say.
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George Washington:
Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for ’tis better to be alone than in bad company.
Patrick Henry:
Books and friends should be few but good.
Benjamin Franklin:
Be slow in choosing a friend; slower in changing.
Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox:
Promises that you make to yourself are often like the Japanese plum tree - they bear no fruit.
Martha Washington:
I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.
John Witherspoon:
That religion which God requires, and will accept, does not consist in weak, dull, lifeless wishes, raising but a little above a state of indifference. God in His Word, greatly insists upon it, that we be in good earnest, fervent in spirit, and our hearts vigorously engaged in mercies.
John Paul Jones:
Whoever can surprise well must conquer.
John Adams:
Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom.
James Madison:
I am still determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions and not upon our circumstances.
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What can you learn from the quotes of these revolutionary leaders? These men in leadership show us that religion and morality are important to keep our nation free. Leaders of today should learn the lessons from the past if they want to keep our freedom.
Kerry Beck is the author of Raising Leaders, Not Followers, which encourages parents to train their children to be leaders who rule wisely. She would like to give you a free report at the Leadership
Education in the Homeschool Curriculumwebsite.
June 4, 2007
In ‘Handbook For A New Paradigm’ channeled by George Green and which can be downloaded for free at:
http://www.nomorehoaxes.com/shop/download/handbook.pdf
the point is made that: ‘there is no freedom without taking personal responsibility’.
What does this mean and what does it pertain to?
Well it has consequences not only for each individual but also for the entire planetary experience we are currently living.
If you look around you I think you will readily see that the situation on planet Earth is rapidly deteriorating. So who or what is responsible for this situation?
Yes, I know you may ‘think’ that there are ‘forces? that are larger than yourself and that you have no hope of ever influencing that are taking you and everyone else on an unwilling journey to destruction.
I ask you however to look at the basic assumption built into those beliefs i.e. ‘I am small and powerless’.
Now how does that make you feel?
Well if you look at your experience of the effect of that belief you will feel the following: weak, afraid, helpless, alone, anxious, vulnerable, frightened, sad, hopeless, depressed, drained, heaviness and so on.
So what does all of that amount to? Well it amounts to the experience of having declared yourself a ‘Victim’!
A victim is someone who has essentially sold out their ‘power’ and consequently themselves.
Dose that make you feel good? I doubt it.
So now we come back to the issue of freedom and responsibility.
Freedom, by definition, implies just that, the freedom ‘to be’ and to live your life as you desire it. That is the antithesis of slavery and victim hood.
So how does one achieve this? Well one must recognize where the ‘bars’ of the prison are first.
Here is one of them; now watch closely: ‘I am a small, powerless and helpless individual’!
I hope you caught that. If not here it is again: ‘I am a small, powerless and helpless individual’!
Yes! You see the prison is one that is ‘embedded’ right within your mind as negative programming which you, yes you, have allowed to be foisted upon you. In other words you gave your consent to allow such disempowering thoughts/beliefs to exist right within your mind/body.
So why on earth would you allow such a thing to happen given the negative and toxic effects it is having on you?
Well probably because you ‘bought into the lie’ that such beliefs would relieve you of responsibility for having to do anything to change your personal and our collective situation thereby ’supposedly’ taking the ‘load off’ you and giving you a sense of relief. Correct?
So how relieved do you feel as you recall that this has led you into the prison of victim hood you and we find ourselves in?
None!
So how does one rectify this situation?
Well, I cannot recommend strongly enough that you visit Mr. Green’s web site, download his book and read it. It will be, in my view the first powerful step you have taken in your entire life to help rectify your and our collective situations here.
Blessings!
Nick Arrizza M.D is an Internationally known Healer, Speaker, Author, Reseracher and is the developer of the Life Transforming Mind Resonance Process(TM) (MRP)
Web Site: http://www.telecoaching4u.com/IntroConsult.htm
June 3, 2007
Commander Spock: A calculating machine, logic personified. Doctor McCoy: Passionate and compassionate, often ruled by his emotions. Then there?s Captain Kirk: The quintessential leader, the balancing force between the two extremes.
This tug-of-war between cold logic and sheer emotion is one of the things that made the original Star Trek so compelling. In virtually every episode, viewers got to see the tension between Spock?s computer-like view of the world and McCoy?s heartfelt passions? and through it all, you had Jim Kirk, mediating this conflict and serving as the voice of balance in this precarious friendship.
And a precarious friendship it was. No episode illustrates this better than The Tholian Web, in which Captain Kirk went missing amidst the spatial anomaly known as Tholian space. The crew had justifiably given him up for lost, and without Kirk, we saw the friendship between Spock and McCoy disintegrated as their natures repeatedly clashed. With the two officers at each other throats, it took a heartfelt plea from Kirk himself ? delivered through a pre-recorded message ? to remind them of how much they needed each other, and how they needed to balance each other out.
This is one of the things that made Kirk such an effective leader. He could act logically, but he also knew how the human heart ? or for that matter, the hearts of Klingons and Romulans ? operated. His decisions were never based on cold logic alone, nor were they based solely on the heart?s dictates. He knew that logic and emotion could complement each other, rather than simply being at odds.
A perfect example of this was the gambit that he played in The Corbomite Maneuver. In this episode, the Starfleet crew faced a mysterious foe in a giant spherical ship?one that had the Enterprise vastly outgunned. Kirk and company had been checkmated; there was no apparent way out.
Or so it seemed. With a flash of inspiration, Kirk changed the game from chess to poker. Playing a carefully calculated bluff, he allowed his foe to overhear a transmission where Kirk threatened to set off a fictional ?corbomite device? that would completely destroy any opponents and render that sector of space inhabitable. Kirk knew that they were logically outgunned, but that an emotional ploy?an appeal to fear?would do the trick.
The most effective leaders likewise combine both rationality and emotional intelligence. A manager who operates strictly on logic might emphasize the need to produce the best and most economical products in the market; however, someone with a deep understanding of human nature would understand that purchasing decisions are often made on emotional grounds?rapport with the salesperson, for example, or the aesthetic appearance of the product. Products that sell typically incorporate both form and function, logical and emotional appeal.
A cold, calculating manager might recognize the need to confront employees who underperform or misbehave. A manager with high emotional rapport, on the other hand, would emphasize the need to handle these situations with delicacy, so as to provide correction without losing a valuable employee. Correction is often necessary, but an emotionally aware leader can correct people in such a way that they don?t realize they?ve been corrected.
Logic and emotion. Mind and heart. Rationality and compassion. The very best leaders combine these elements, harmonizing them just as Kirk balanced the tension between Spock and McCoy. It?s a lesson that?s worth learning.
About the author:
V. Berba Velasco Jr., Ph.D. is a senior electrical and software engineer at a biotech company that provides ELISPOT analysers, cryopreserved PBMCs and serum-free cell culture media.
May 2, 2007
This highly debated topic is reflected in business articles each year. We tenaciously cling to old beliefs on the one hand and indiscriminately embrace new beliefs on the other. Even when the old beliefs do not seem to be working, we often resist accepting new ones and even when the old way works just fine, we jump to the new one just because it is new; this ambivalence has a long, long history in business. Our beliefs about leadership are no different.
There is a personal and organizational cost of believing that leaders are born. Individuals miss opportunities to excel when they believe that they could not possibly be a leader because they were not born with natural leadership abilities. This lack of individual confidence also translates into lost productivity to the organization. Businesses loose untapped human capital that eventually translates to the bottom line when they seek only those workers that are ‘born leaders’ for promotions or special projects.
I have never met a leader that was not born. We all are born. Some of us may be born with more natural abilities than others, but we are all born. The reality is that leaders are developed. This is accomplished using a number of resources; self-development, mentoring, and coaching. The U.S. Army has done a fantastic job with leader development, especially in the non-commissioned officer (NCO) corps. They utilize the NCO Creed as a creed to succeed. This creed emphasizes the 7 Army Values that spell the acrostic LDRSHIP; loyalty, duty, respect, honor, integrity and personal courage. These values and the creed are all part of their professional development courses. The Army relates these values and the creed back to their business objectives. Something business should take advantage of today.
Individuals and businesses benefit greatly when leadership skills are developed. Individuals increase their value to themselves and their organization when they seek self-development of their leadership skills. These new skills translate into greater responsibilities, opportunities, self-confidence and of course, compensation.
When organizations develop leaders, they expand the potential growth of the businesses output. Furthermore, when a business takes an active roll in developing new leaders it demonstrates a level of commitment missing in the last several decades. This improves both recruiting and retention efforts of the organization.
People drive organizations, not the other way around. Investing in personal development through established organizational values, will lead to a workforce that is both personally fulfilled and professionally productive.
Wesley Ford is the Nation’s LDRSHIP Expert! His primary mission is professionally developing leaders using The Soldier’s Method?. His more than 17 years of experience allows him to speak to and train organizations globally on tactical and strategic issues. Join the Successful Forces by visiting http://www.wesleyford.com.
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