the art of leading

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Leaders are supposed to create momentum of change when there is dire need for it. So when you identify an area that should change, be it in business or in politics or in whatever arena, act upon it and don’t just hand the task to “the government” or “the powers that be”. At least try. This article talks about this: Poor Leadership; Poor Results

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The “First 100 Days” . Every new president or executive has some variation of it. Those 100 days represent what may be instilled in the minds of many people for years to come. Those 100 days are the first impression.

When someone starts out, be it in the political or in any other arena, she’s generally given the benefit of the doubt. She hasn’t done anything wrong in the public eye (of course, she hasn’t done anything). Everyone is putting their hopes on the new leader. The new leader has a fresh canvas to draw a legacy on.

This is exactly what Cristina Fernandez, wife of Argentina’s actual President, has. She’s the President-elect of Argentina. Before this victory as her country’s first elected woman President, Fernandez had a respectable career in her own right, prominently holding a couple of public offices.

Of course, this doesn’t guarantee her a position of true leadership. Fernandez has the benefit of a great “first impression” among Argentinians. But now she has to earn and practice true leadership. This is where the “First 100 Days” come in handy. She can use that time to establish her independence of criteria and to cement her leadership style.

Most importantly, she can use it to DO things, which is what leaders are supposed to do anyway. In fact, it may be the single best time to do things, because of the carte blanche that is somewhat given to the newly elected. There may be considerably more leeway in this period than in others, where political mistakes may already have created too many enemies to get anything done.

So, Mrs. Fernandez, make Argentinians proud of their choice, and keep in mind the power of the “First 100 days”.

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Reading this will reassure you of your capacities. Sometimes we need to raise our awareness of our true worth. Leadership 425: Self-Trust

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Jim Blot, of Fast Company, points out the real causes of  today’s leadership shortage and goes on to talk about the three dimensions that go into Developing the 3-Dimensional Leader. Well worth the read.

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Old Fast Company article about different types of leaders and nice examples: The Three Ways of Great Leaders

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The following is an excerpt from the book Beat the System
by Robert W. MacDonald

Being an entrepreneur is simply living a business life as it should be led.

Mention the word entrepreneur and most folks conjure up an image of a wild
dreamer who goes into business by the seat of his pants and risks all to
make some elusive pipe dream come true. Nothing could be further from the
truth.

The word entrepreneur was gifted to us by the French (along with wine,
mayonnaise, and arrogance). It comes from the French word entreprendre,
which simply means to undertake or to set out on a new mission or venture.
As you can see, nothing in that description harkens any visions of
high-stakes gambling or wild-eyed schemes to turn a buck.

Sure, there are those over-the-top entrepreneurs who perpetuate that
swashbuckling image. Guys like Sir Richard Branson exude the sort of
swaggering, risk-taking conduct that the term entrepreneur usually evokes.
Branson, of course, is the founder of Virgin Records and an eclectic stable
of pubescent virgins: Virgin Atlantic Airways, Virgin Mobil,Virgin
Blue,Virgin Cola,Virgin Express,Virgin America, and so on.

One minute Branson’s risking millions of dollars founding a new company, and
the next he’s risking life and limb setting a world powerboat record or
attempting a transglobal hot-air balloon flight. I can almost see Brad Pitt
reprising the Branson role now.

Will the Real Entrepreneur Please Stand?

The image of the entrepreneur as a daring adventurer who recklessly gambles
with his life and fortune is grossly inaccurate. Historically, we think of
such luminaries as Henry Ford,Thomas Edison, and J. Pierpont Morgan as the
epitome of the entrepreneur. More contemporary figures include Steve Jobs,
the Apple entrepreneur; Bill Gates, the tycoon of computer operating
systems; or Fred Smith, the founder of FedEx. These are the kind of
entrepreneurs that management consultant and author Peter Drucker had in
mind when he said “an entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to
it, and exploits it as an opportunity” (Innovation and Entrepreneurship, New
York, NY: Harper Collins, 1993).

These business entrepreneurs and others like them had strong beliefs about a
market opportunity and were willing to accept what others viewed as a high
level of personal, professional, or financial risk to pursue that
opportunity. They all understood that the real risk for a true entrepreneur
is in not taking the risk of success because the true risk is in not
risking. It would be a mistake to limit our concept of the entrepreneur to
these business giants. The true entrepreneur is not defined by the size of
the empire, but by the style of the emperor. By that I mean that you can be
an entrepreneur by running a mail room just as much as by starting a FedEx.
An individual managing a computer department can be just as entrepreneurial
as Bill Gates. The guy who owns a gas station can be just as much of an
entrepreneur as the guy who started Ford Motors.

A true entrepreneur is not determined by the measure of his or her results,
but by how those results were attained. Being an entrepreneur is more about
attitude than aptitude. There have been some very talented business managers
who failed because they failed the test of entrepreneurialism. (We call them
bureaucrats.) Likewise, there have been some people with very little
apparent talent who achieve remarkable success as entrepreneurs. (These
types are usually abysmal failures in a bureaucratic world.)

Entrepreneurialism is a way of living life, not a way of managing life. The
real entrepreneur has a certain spirit, an élan and an approach to issues
that is just different. And that is the key. In a system that demands
sameness, the entrepreneur is willing to be different. Only by being
different can things be made better. That is the philosophy at the heart of
being an entrepreneur.

Taking this approach, a more useful definition of an entrepreneur might be
this: “An entrepreneur is an individual with the experience to recognize an
opportunity, the inherent instinct to visualize its fulfillment, and the
courage to reach for it. An entrepreneur is, by nature, a leader who has the
talent to clearly, simply, consistently, and relentlessly communicate his
vision to employees and to others; one who can motivate others to be
successful because they believe it is in their own best interest to do so.
And it is.” Although I used the masculine tense in this definition, an
entrepreneur can be male or female, young or old.

Using this definition, then, “an entrepreneurial culture consists of a group
of individuals who have suppressed individual interests in an effort to
achieve group success because group success will advance their individual
interests.”

These are pretty solid definitions but the devil is in the details — the
actual practice of instituting an entrepreneurial culture in your job, your
department, or your business. The good news is that entrepreneurs are made
not born. The better news is that anyone with the right desire and
commitment can achieve success as an entrepreneur. The secret to being a
good entrepreneur lies in the simplicity of the concept. In reality, it is
easier to be a successful entrepreneur than a bureaucrat. The entrepreneur
acts with instinct and good common sense, while a bureaucrat has to know and
follow the strict rules of the system.

The key to becoming an entrepreneur lies in the implementation of basic
concepts and, as the title of this book suggests, there are only 11 simple
secrets to learn to make it happen. But there is no need for you to carry
out this task with the precision of a military field manual. The secrets are
simple to learn, but don’t let their simplicity fool you:

Secret 1: Build parallel interests.
Secret 2: Be an architect of the future.
Secret 3: Be decisive, multifaceted, and ethical to a fault.
Secret 4: Know the risk — measure the reward.
Secret 5: Communication — be a shower not a teller.
Secret 6: Power to the people.
Secret 7: Become a trust builder.
Secret 8: Sharing wealth increases wealth.
Secret 9: Be constant, consistent, and concise.
Secret 10:  Treat important people like important people.
Secret 11: Do simple things — simply do them.

Learning These Secrets

The important thing to remember in putting these 11 practical secrets to
work in your life and in your business is to remember that together, they
present a cohesive philosophy for being an entrepreneur. When I say
philosophy, I mean that these secrets are a way to think and behave, and as
such, it’s extremely difficult to distill them into a series of steps the
would-be entrepreneur can invoke like a some-assembly-required Christmas
toy.

The reality is that these secrets do not stand alone. They are
interdependent. It’s not like you can accept five of the secrets and ignore
the others. This really is an all-or-nothing proposition — a little like
constructing a building. Each of the beams used in a building are strong
and, in and of themselves, important. However, no single beam or even
several are enough to support the building. They all need to be used and put
in their right place. When in place, they support each of the other beams.
Using the secrets to build an entrepreneurial culture is much the same.

Categories : Systems // Add Comment »

Some interesting links about leadership (and some other things):

Miki Saxon of Leadership Turn talks about three things that are simple, but are key to practicing leadership. Three Basics of Leading

Leaders need to be in shape! The Zen Habits blog tells about some ways we can fire ourselves up to exercise. 31 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Exercise

Very interesting slide show, over at slideshare.net, about the history of leadership, posted by the user Tudor. A Brief History of Leadership

Interesting way to look at leadership, over at Reason-2-Smile’s Weblog: Leadership: Habit of Asking

Jonathan Frye of LeadershipJot.com remembers us about the importance of being a model to others. A Unique Indicator for a Leader from an Employee Break Room

Not directly about leadership, but it’s always good to have knowledge about a variety of things, and Steve Pavlina provides that. Proof

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By, Dr. Anthony F. SmithAuthor of The Taboos of Leadership
People have paid me a lot of money over the years to answer the following
question for them: How do I become a great Leader? I will often answer them
with the following questions:

Q: How do you become a great parent?

A: Do great parenting, day in, day out, over a sustained period of time.

Q: How do you become a great consultant?

A: Do great consulting, day in, day out, etc.

So, how do you become a great Leader? You guessed it, do great Leadership,
day in, day out, over a sustained period of time!

The field of Leadership Development, with its plethora of books, seminars,
courses, videos, and executive coaches, has become a billion dollar
industry. Unfortunately, I believe that much of what is embodied within the
industry is simply misleading and deceptive. Books such as ‘Leadership for
Dummies’, ‘The Idiots Guide to Leading’, and ‘Leadership Made Easy’, all
capitalize on the fact that many want to be a leader, but few are actually
able, or want to put forth the effort required to really become one. (How
would you feel about a book entitled “Brain Surgery for Dummies”?) At one
point, we need to get real about leadership. Like diet programs that claim
you can eat all you want and still lose 20 pounds in a week, leadership
“products”, make similar claims, and therefore resort to oversimplified
theories and falsehoods that invite leader want-to-be’s to consume anything
that looks like a magic pill to Leadership. Well, unfortunately, there are
no magic pills to becoming a Leader, just like there are no magic pills to
losing weight, getting fit, making a million dollars, or shaving 10 strokes
off your handicap in golf. Simply stated, becoming a Leader occurs when one
exercises the arduous process of effective Leadership, day after day, week
after week, and year after year.

Q: So, what is Leadership you ask?

A: Leadership is a process (not a position) whereby an individual works
through a series of iterative stages by;

Stage 1

* creating a vision,

* establishing an objective and set of goals,

* setting direction,

Stage 2

* and following through by intentionally seeking to influence followers
(both established and potential),

* to perform the various tasks needed to realize the vision,

* to their full potential,

* for as long as possible,

Stage 3

* until the vision and goals are realized.

One can look at this definition as a “check-list” to Leadership; Do I have a
vision; a picture of a desired end state that is compelling to others? Are
people performing to their full potential? Who do I need to help me realize
this vision? Am I intentionally seeking to influence people to perform their
best? What else needs to be done, and who should do it?

Now, I realize individuals may find themselves at various points in a given
stage, before they choose to engage in the process of leadership. For
instance, one may be working in a division, or an organization, that already
has a clearly established vision, set goals, etc. In such a case, assuming
that the individual agrees with the vision, the leadership process begins at
Stage 2. We all must realize that part of the difficulty of leadership is
that some people are great visionaries, but lack the competence and EQ to
influence others to rally around their vision. Others, may not be great
visionaries, but are very influential and inspirational to those around
them.

What I have observed in my years of studying leaders, is that very few have
all the gifts and talents themselves; what many of the great ones do have,
is a self awareness of what talents they do have, and the self confidence
and security to surround themselves with others who can compliment them, and
compensate for their own lack of skills.

In closing, let me make one point clear; it is my intent to encourage as
many people as possible to exercise leadership as often as they possibly
can, for as long as they can!

When people are lost because they lack a “vision”, and you happen to “see”
an end goal that they can not see, then at least exercise Stage 1 of
leadership. By doing so, it doesn’t necessarily mean you will emerge as
their “leader”, but you will have engaged in “leadership.” If one of your
colleagues is not performing to their “full potential”, intervene and
intentionally try to influence them to raise their performance. Remember,
human performance is nothing more than the function of one’s skill and will
to perform a task; therefore, if one is not performing to their potential,
it is either because they lack the skill, or the will, to do their job.
Figure out what is impeding their performance and try to either coach them
to build their skills, or inspire, challenge, and motivate them to raise
their will to perform. Let’s be clear;

Everyone can not become a leader, but every one can engage in a lot more
leadership!

When I wrote my book, The Taboos of Leadership; The Ten Secrets That No One
Will Tell You About Leaders and What They Really Think (Jossey Bass, 2007),
I was accused by some that by “revealing” the un-savory aspects of
leadership, I was discouraging many from wanting to lead. Unfortunately,
they missed my message. As I state in my book, if we are serious about
trying to build the Skill and Will of future leaders, we owe it to them to
disclose the truth, as difficult as they may be, so that they may be better
prepared to engage in leadership, day in, and day out, over a sustained
period of time, thus increasing the probability that one day they will
indeed become great leaders themselves.

Leadership is the one and only path to becoming a leader.

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By Christine Comaford-Lynch, Author of Rules for Renegades

Great people can make a mediocre product a success. But mediocre people can make a great product a disaster.

Experience has taught me that you don’t have to have a great product. A good
product is ok. Great people make the difference. Fact: You need a great team
in order to succeed. Fiction: You need to have that great team in place from
the get-go. Building teams takes time.

So let’s discuss who you need on your team, how to build/support/retain that
team, how to find your team members, and who your extended team members
should be. All the other risks you face, such as market size and technology,
won’t have half the impact of your team.

Tip #1: Be Diverse

A successful team must be composed of diverse players. You’ll need
Visionaries, Leaders, Implementers and Infrastructure Builders/Supporters.
Visionaries appear at all levels, but must, of course, be highly visible in
executive management. These are the people who will “see” the future of the
products or services of your company as well as new markets you should
enter. Leaders will also be in executive management as well as throughout
the ranks. Leaders have the uncanny ability to make their mission everyone
else’s. A great leader can inspire and motivate people to do anything.
Implementers make things happen. They build the products/services and market
and sell them. The Infrastructure Builders/Supporters will create the
foundation, processes and procedures of the company to keep it running
smoothly.

The Visionaries need the Leaders to check and disseminate their vision, the
Leaders need the Implementers to execute their orders, and everyone needs
the Infrastructure Builders/Supporters to support the company’s operations.
If you are missing one of these roles, fill it soon. In the meantime hire a
temp executive - a rent-a-controller is better than no controller.

Tip #2: Rock The Culture

The best way to build, support and retain a great team is to encourage a
rockin’ culture that everyone wants to be part of! Your company should have
values that everyone agrees to uphold. These should be posted visibility,
printed on coffee cups, etc. Everyone throughout the organization must be
empowered to “call” any team member on not honoring the values. Here are
ours: add massive value, take ownership, make and keep commitments, respect
one another, and be positive. I’ve seen solid, enduring, and humane work
environments created by endorsing values and I’ve seen the opposite without
them.

Encourage the following virtues too: humility, communication, empowerment,
generosity, focus, fiscal responsibility, innovation, and patience.
Remember: hiring grade A people creates grade A teams. Fill the top slots of
the org chart with grade A people, then let these execs flesh out their
teams. Communicate cross-company weekly - people like to know what is going
on. And finally, help every team member envision their next promotion or
two. I once had a startup where I told the senior execs that I expected them
to start their own companies in a few years (that was their “next
promotion”). I told them to learn all they could, then when the time came
I’d help finance their new ventures. Talk about building loyalty!

Tip #3: Choose Wisely

Now that we know who we need and the environment to hire them into, let’s
look at the attributes to seek out.

1. Smarts. Hire the smartest people you can find. They’ll find their way out
of the majority of messes they’ll get into. This takes guts, but
entrepreneurs have them!

2. Pedigree. An MBA doesn’t impress me. A GSD does. GSD = Gets Stuff Done.
Someone who has results, results, results all over their past has a pedigree
every bit as powerful as an Ivy league degree.

3. Commitment. I don’t mean the fluffy stuff. We’re talking the heavy, deep,
man/woman on a mission stuff. When the grenades are flying the committed
person doesn’t go AWOL. There is nothing more powerful than emotional
equity. No amount of stock options even come close.

4. Plays well with others. I became an entrepreneur because I didn’t play
well with others, and thus was not employable. But I learned. And it’s been
one of the greatest lessons I’ve ever embraced.

Numbers 1-3 are required, number 4 can be learned. But you’ll save yourself
a lot of heartache by getting all four up front.

The best way to find your team is by schmoozing. Go to every industry event
you can and tell everyone about your great company and who you are looking
to hire. Then interview wisely. Check out John Kador’s The Manager’s Book of
Questions. It’s a terrific interviewing tool. Also use your extended team
(see below) to check out your potential hires. Give each candidate two
offers: one with a fair salary and fair amount of stock, and the other with
a lower salary and a higher amount of stock. If you have equity to spare,
there’s no sense in burning all your cash on salaries.

Tip #4: Build An Extended Team

Your extended team will be made up of your investors, board members, and
advisors. Regarding investors, pick ‘em well by creating and executing a
capital acquisition strategy (more on this in a future column). The board
and advisors you’ll have more control over. You’ll most likely have a board
of 5-7 people. I prefer seven, with two seats going to investors, and two to
the CEO and one other exec. The remaining seats should be given to people
you trust and who will help you. For advisors, create a board of about ten
people, max. The profile for both directors and advisors is an industry
heavyweight, model customer, credibility booster, as well as savvy business
person with great connections. Make sure that each advisory board member
plays a specific role, such as helps with strategic alliances, or works with
the sales, marketing, or technical teams. This keeps them focused. Keep your
extended team committed and passionate with monthly email updates. Needless
to say, everyone should get stock options (with the exception of the
investors). The amount will range from .25% - 3%, based on the stage of the
company. You’ll lure killer board members and advisors by having a killer
business. But remember that filling in a board will take time. Most startups
don’t fill all board seats within the first year of operations. Be picky!

So build yourself a great team and get cracking on a great product. Then if
it turns out only good, you’ll still be way ahead of the pack!

_____________________________________________________________

Christine is CEO of Mighty Ventures ( <outbind://152/www.MightyVentures.com>
www.MightyVentures.com), an innovation accelerator which helps businesses to
massively increase sales, product offerings, and company value. She has
built and sold 5 of her own businesses with an average 700% return on
investment, served as a board director or in-the-trenches advisor to 36
startups, and has invested in over 200 startups as a venture capitalist or
angel investor. Christine has consulted to the White House (Clinton and
Bush), 700 of the Fortune 1000, and hundreds of small businesses. She has
repeatedly identified and championed key trends and technologies years
before market acceptance. Christine’s best selling book, Rules for
Renegades, is available now on <outbind://152/www.RulesForRenegades.com>
www.RulesForRenegades.com or wherever books are sold.

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Although this article uses the lawyer as an example, “Thought Leadership” is a very useful leadership resource in many areas. Thought leadership could be very effective to persuade others, especially due to the low barriers of entry into the internet, which can be used to distribute information more effectively than ever. Enjoy!

Thought Leadership - A Long-Term Investment by Steven Matthews

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