the art of leading

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Think ahead-be prepared

In the Mafia, Families maintain a position roughly equal to that of Vice-President in business terms. They call that person the Underboss. The Underboss is the second-in-command of the family. Their specific tasks may vary from family to family. Sometimes they have autonomous power to run a large part of the business ventures with the sole obligation of reporting to the don, who’s #1. Other times that person doesn’t have such broad capacity. The most common thread, though it varies, is that the underboss is frequently groomed to replace the don in case of death or incarceration.

This is a perfect example of planning for the future. It involves putting the future of an organization in the top of the priority list. Granted, many leaders in many walks of life have been great icons without having a succession plan in place. But their organizations have faltered after their exit. In the Mafia, though, the main Families have remained the same throughout some decades: the Sicilian Mafia, the Camorra Mafia, the Calabrian Mafia, the Sacra Coronas Unita, and La Cosa Nostra (American Mafia). Obviously, the underboss many times has been ousted before becoming don. But the fact remains that the family has created new leaders that subsequently rise to power and guarantee relative stability.

Today’s business world, I believe, should take heed. Many companies hire CEO’s from outside their cultures. Their success is dependant on the “flavor of the day”, evidenced by the high turnover rates. I’m not saying this is inherently bad: fresh perspectives aid a lot in solving different situations. It’s just that I believe that the best leaders see themselves as having the additional responsibility of assuring the organization’s future and not just think about the present moment. The best leaders should develop themselves as mentors to others. This provides flexibility and security in case of unforeseeable circumstances.

Mafiosi understand the importance of mentorship. You should too. Not only does it bring considerable benefits to an organization as a whole, but it also aids in the personal development of everyone, hence breeding more productivity and loyalty.

Categories : General Leadership, Mafia, Mentorship // 1 Comment »

Clear goals will take you further

Alphonse “Scarface Al” Capone was a ruthless murderer. But he also had a dogged determination to reach his goals. The ultimate one was to dominate the criminal scene of Chicago-and dominate he did. Over time he was the most powerful man in the Chicago crime scene. His power expanded from downtown Chicago all the way to its most suburban areas. But there is something to learn from this madness: this was his goal from day 1. He would not accept anything less. It wasn’t enough for him to win a war against the North Side Gang-he had to completely decimate it and earn total control.

What can we learn from Scarface? For starters, his non-complacency. The man always had a higher step to climb. In business and in life in general, many aspiring leaders set goals only to be unwilling to put forth the effort that is required to reach it. Many stop short just because they believe that what they have gotten is enough and there’s no need to keep striving for more. Well, I’ve got news for those people: you’re just lazy. Complacent people never go out of their comfort zones to explore the possible depths of their possible achievments.

Persistence pays off. The most successful Mafia leaders know that their goals wouldn’t be reached overnight. A lot of small events need to occur: befriend key people, gain the trust of the higher ranks, slowly chip in at the power structure, do a couple of ‘favors’, and so on. They know they have to climb up the ladder and lay the foundations of power. In other words: attaining leadership prowess requires a large dose of patience. Normal people aren’t exempt from that rule. Even so-called “born leaders” usually don’t reach the apex of their influence without being patient.

Another Mafia tip regarding goals: when working them out, you need to be decisive. Countless Mafia leaders, from Luciano, to Lansky, to Siegel, to Genovese, to Costello, to Capone, have botched operations. Al’s famous St Valentine’s Day Massacre was perhaps the worst of them all. But indecisiveness wasn’t a common trait in that group. Disastrous blunders didn’t keep them from being sure about what they were doing. Perhaps they learned and changed their strategy next time, but they were just as decisive with their next action. Indecisiveness in the Mafia is synonymous with giving opportunities to the enemy. In the business world, indecisiveness is synonymous with giving opportunities to the competition. It also gives way to half-hearted effort, since you are unsure of wether the action you are taking is the right one. Well, even if it turns out to be a mistake, don’t hesitate while you are in the middle of it.

Categories : General Leadership, Goals, Mafia // Add Comment »

There’s a pretty widespread consensus, I would say, about how the Mafia is, basically, bad. What I’ll talk about in this article will not try to prove the contrary. I agree with that opinion: organized crime is absolutely detrimental to society and should be totally shut down. But, like it or not, many Mafia Families have been very successful organizations, wielding a lot of power and money. A big part of that political and economic power has been due to the use of force and violence, which is not a desirable factor. But another significant part is linked with certain leadership tactics and qualities. In the following days I’d like to point out and explain what I believe are the top 10 tactics that everyone should learn from the Mafia. As in the business world, there have been ‘bad’ and ‘good’ leaders in the Mafia and in organized crime in general. The ‘bad’ ones can teach us what not to do, while some ‘good’ ones can teach us qualities that anyone who aspires to exercising influence on others should want to develop.

Before I go on, let me clarify what I mean by the term “Mafia”. Today, the word is used to describe any type of organized crime group. The original sense referred to the organized crime groups of Italian, mainly Sicilian, origin. The Mafia isn’t one general umbrella of crime groups. It’s more of a classification that consists of many Families. Unless specified otherwise, this article uses the Italian Mafia as its focus. So let’s see what are the top 10 things leaders can learn from the Mafia, starting with loyalty:

Loyalty is priceless

Mafiosi hold loyalty in a very high pedestal. Those who aren’t loyal will pay dearly (read: DIE). But apart from violence, many leaders in the Mafia have been famous for creating intense loyalty among their Families through the implementation of various tactics. I believe two are worth mentioning:

The first one is to respect to be respected. This may be seen as a variation of the famous Golden Rule: do unto others as you would like others to do unto you. If you want others to look up to you with a sense of respect, then start respecting them. In the Mafia, people who disrespect their peers suffer the consequences, because they are seen as unworthy of recognition. The legitimate world also works like that. You don’t believe me? Then go out and try to get a promotion after insulting your boss. Or perhaps insult potential costumers and see if they’ll buy from you. It’s human nature to mirror the attitudes of others.

The second way that Mafia leaders garner loyalty is by taking care of their people. That creates a sense of trust and gratitude among the crewmembers that is likely to be repayed with loyalty. Haven’t you noticed what happens when a supervisor treats employees as disposable objects and doesn’t care for their lives? That attitude creates animosity that eventually leads to reduced productivity. They’re unhappy. They want to get rid of that boss. But when employees feel cared for, they usually are much more effective. Mafiosi have their own ways to care for their people. They may give lavish gifts or donate a variety of things. But there are many ways that you can demonstrate care and concern for your followers. Details such as asking about loved ones or talking about common interests are usually enough for people to feel cared for. Another way may be by publicly defending them. The most effective, though, is a show of trust. When people feel trusted, they feel that you think highly enough of them to count on you. Garner loyalty by trusting others, taking care of them, and respecting them. Loyalty is priceless: Mafiosi know it, and you should also know how to get it from others.

Categories : General Leadership, Loyalty, Mafia // 2 Comments »

Successful investor. Best-selling author. Oscar-award winner. Movie producer. Multimillionaire. Savvy businessman. Ten years ago nobody would have fathomed that those terms would someday describe Al Gore. Yet they do. In the past decade he has founded Generation Investment Management and Current TV, produced An Inconvenient Truth, and wrote best-selling books such as his last one, The Assault on Reason. Granted, you don’t have to agree with his politics or views. But nobody can deny that he has transformed himself from a mocked and non-charismatic politician into a thriving businessman and leader in environmental issues.The former Vice-President has somehow found the way to revamp his image and increase his level of influence.

In my humble opinion, the key has been increased self-confidence (see Self-Confidence to be a Leader for a better explanation). He just seems happy with his work, and that is projected into the increased assertiveness of his public speaking and other dealings. This ‘reinvention’ or ‘transformation’ has catapulted him into a new, higher level of influence. This new ‘leadership’ is demonstrated by the fact that many people would like for him to run for President in 2008. Now, people actually listen to what he has to say. People watch his Oscar-winning movie, read his best-selling books, and invest in his companies. Today another of his initiatives, Live Earth, takes place. It’s the latest example of his newfound scope of influence.

I repeat: you don’t have to be a tree-hugger to appreciate the importance and potential of reinvention. Sometimes leaders reinvent themselves slowly. Other times they make a total overnight transformation. Sometimes these reinventions are for the worst. Many times they revitalize leaders and increase their level of influence on others. Try it. Get out of the rut and do things differently than before. Find new ways to live and set new goals. Your reinvention might be just what is needed to become a better leader.

Categories : Confidence, General Leadership, Personal Development // Add Comment »

The last two steps are the closing and the follow-up:

Closing

This is what makes someone a salesperson. Someone who has a positive self-image, has a group of prospects, and has a planned presentation, but does not close the sale, is not a salesperson. That person may be good at building relationships, but not at selling. Buying costumers are needed. In the same way, someone who goes through all the previous steps but does not gain any followers cannot be called a leader. Gaining a follower is the equivalent to making the sale. You have to be sure to motivate people to follow you. Here, what becomes important is that you do all the little things that, again, makes people happy to follow you. You close the sale when the prospect decides to become your follower. But this will only happen after you have provided all the tools that are necessary to reach a conclusion. If you have, all you can do is urge the person to make the right decision.

Follow-up

When the product is sold, a transaction occurs. The seller sells, and the buyer buys. You have met your goal! The problem with this statement is that a true salesperson doesn’t just want to make that one-time deal. The true salesperson doesn’t want this sale merely to stay as a one-time transaction. The true salesperson wants to make it a continous transaction. In other words, to gain a repeat costumer.

Leaders want repeat followers. They want loyal followers. They want people who stay committed to their mission and who are willing to continously work on it. The way to build this relationship is to deliver the value that you promised. Not only that, but also to offer continous support in the journey to reach that goal. A leader should not, for example, gain a great following only to turn around and abandon the mission.

The best example of not following up is the politician who promises and doesn’t deliver. That person ‘closed many sales’, represented by the amount of votes he had, but didn’t follow up, letting the followers down. Properly following up, then, involves staying true to what you believe in, keeping up the things that gained you a following, and offering support for your followers.

Categories : Communication, General Leadership // Add Comment »

The 3rd step is having a planned presentation:

Planned presentation

A lot goes into planning an effective presentation. A rough outline may include finding or creating the potential costumer’s needs, presenting how the product will fill those needs, and responding to objections. Leaders also need to have a planned presentation. This doesn’t imply memorizing every last word. It does mean being able to be organized and coherent when communicating your message. If you start mumbling disparate sentences that are loosely related to that message, prospects will lose your line of thought. For this reason you need to have a proper outline of what you are going to communicate.

You must also be prepared to handle any objections. For a salesperson that may mean prospects complaining about a high price tag. For leaders it may mean people telling you that your cause isn’t worth working for. There are a couple of other suggestions I believe will aid in the leader’s presentation. I believe the leader must emphasize the goal or vision of his journey. It must also contain a reasonable outline of the plan to meet this goal. In other words, the planned presentation is the perfect moment to make others feel happy to do what you’re asking them.

This phase may not be a specific moment in time. It may be a process in and of itself. This includes building trust with the prospect, among other things. But it is a presentation nonetheless. So prepare yourself. You may be totally convinced of your vision, but if you aren’t prepared to present it, it will not be captured by anyone.

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Prospecting

Salespeople need to find others to make their presentations to. They need to find potential clients. If they don’t, who are they going to try to sell to? Leaders also need to prospect. They need to find people willing to listen to them, and they have to try to turn them into repeat costumers, or followers. That’s common sense. There’s one common mistake, though, that many salespeople and leaders make when prospecting: trying to convince EVERYONE.

Doing that may be fine at the beginning. After all, you need to get a feel for your audience, and seed out the most effective methods of finding followers. But ultimately, the smartest way to go about it is to concentrate your efforts in the groups that you have seen are most open to considering your proposal. This implies using economies of scale. For example, a luxury-goods salesperson may not do so well trying to sell his products in a poor neighborhood. People who live there don’t have the buying power to buy those goods. It would be a bad strategy for that salesperson.

In the same way, a leader who wanted to liberate India from English rule, as Mahatma Gandhi did, wouldn’t focus his energy in trying to gain followers in the rich class of the United States. That group had very little connection to his mission! That doesn’t mean Gandhi wasted opportunities to add anyone to his cause. In fact, one of his principal strategies was to persuade rich English men and women that his was a cause worth fighting for. But the most important prospects were found in the poor lower castes of India. Those were the groups that felt the harshest effects of English rule. Those were the groups that were starving to death. They were the ones who had the power to change the course of history, and Mahatma Gandhi knew that. So he focused most of his efforts in trying to convince them. He knew they would be much more open to his message.

Categories : Communication, General Leadership // Add Comment »

Some time ago I listened to Zig Ziglar’s audiobook 5 Steps to Succesful Selling. The first time I played it, all I could relate it with was the selling of physical products, such as lamps, vaccum cleaners, or computers. The second time, I saw how this selling process was also applicable to the selling of services, perhaps management consulting products or legal advice. But the third go-around was the most enlightening one, since I realized the connection between the selling process and leadership: it was one and the same! This obviously does not mean that all good salespeople will necessarily be good leaders. What it does mean is that all good leaders are in a way good salespeople. Leadership involves selling ideas. It involves trying to persuade people to believe in your ‘product’, which is your vision. Leaders want to gain ‘costumers’, or followers. This is definitely not a breakthrough in human history. Many before me have expressed the link between selling and leading. Nevertheless, it is always helpful to point it out. For that reason, I have decided to attempt to demonstrate, in this short introductory series, how Zig’s 5 Steps could be implemented in the development of the leadership process. The 5 steps are: building a positive self-image, prospecting, having a planned presentation, closing, and following up.

Build a positive self-image

I wrote a previous article called Self-Confidence to be a Leader which I believe provides good suggestions on this topic. It talks about the importance of goal-setting, preparation, practice, small victories, and acting confidently. Although self-confidence and self-image may be seen as distinct terms by some, they are synergistic. The key to building a positive self-image, in my opinion, is to have self-confidence. Why? Because to believe that you are capable of achieving success means that you have a positive outlook on yourself. This positive self-image is what prospects, clients, or followers see and respond to. Very few people will buy something from someone who doesn’t believe in what is being sold. They conclude, “If the salesperson wouldn’t buy it, why should I?” Believe in your product. Believe in your mission as a leader. If you don’t, then you have no business trying to sell it. So the first step to become a good leader, as in becoming a good salesperson, is to convince yourself that what you have to offer, be it a lamp or a vision to change the world, is truly worth buying. Then, project that into your prospects.

Categories : Confidence, General Leadership, Personal Development // Add Comment »