Is this Leadership?

Gerald says, "Thank you all for coming to this required workshop.  Our first order of business will be to define the top three things which, if we don't get a handle on immediately, will hurt the company and maybe even bring us close to closing within a year or less."

Bill, standing in the back of a group of about nine, thinks, "Like I had a choice to be here!  In fact I've got so much work piled up right now I don't think I'll ever catch up and I have to take time out for this stupid workshop.  We did something like this last year and after all our talk nothing was done.  It was a complete waste of time."

Sheryl, standing near the front of the group, thinks, "I'm impressed that our boss wants our input on these items.  I can't wait to hear what the others have to say.  I know I can think of a couple of things right now that I've noticed need immediate attention."

Rick, says, "Gerald, so, who do you want to do this?  Are we brainstorming, working in small groups, or what?

Gerald responds, "Good question Rick.  Here's is the process we'll use.  First we'll identify the major areas which are part of our company in a quick brainstorm.  I figure there are about four or five of these but I could be wrong. Once those are identified, we'll put each area on the top of a large poster page and stick them to the wall.  Next we'll divide into groups and move from poster to poster with the sound of this chime.  Each group will work together and write on the poster the things they can think of that fit the description of critical activities that have to be solved within the next 12 months or less.  When the chime sounds we'll rotate clockwise to the next poster.  If your group wants to add to the list, simply write the new point down, if you have a comment about a point already there, i.e. you agree, disagree, or want clarification, use the sticky notes you were given when you came in.  Alright, let's get started."

some time later after 

Gerald, "OK, looks like we've got quite a few items to consider!  Since this took longer than I expected, I'll take all the posters and condense the information and let you know the results.  Thanks for taking the time to participate everyone, great meeting.  Did everyone try the trailmix that Betty made?"

Gerald got back to his office and thought, "this was a waste of time.  I could have identified the same things without wasting my time and everyone else's.  In fact, since the responses are so self-evident, I don't think I need to even try to compile all these notes and some of the handwriting is almost illegible anyway."

Nothing was passed back to the group and no mention of a focus on any major emphases was announced.  Everyone got back to business as usual.

You may say this can't happen but I can tell you the truth I've sat through this exact scenario more than once.
Is this leadership?  Have you experienced this?  Have you had a better experience?  Post a comment.

Is there any room in your Cup?

I just recommended three leadership books to a young man who is being moved more and more into leadership at his work and has been specifically told that delegation and scheduling are two areas where he needs to improve.  I'm sure there are many other books which would more precisely address these two issues but here are the ones that came immediately to my mind:

• The Greatest Management Principle
• Switch
• Execution

Of course there are many others, such as The Leadership Challenge, which provide a broader foundation of leadership, yet, these three would definitely be at the top of my "to read" list for new leaders, especially if they already had strong relational skills.

Relational skills is where many struggle and if that were the problem, then, of course, the reading list would be a little different:

• How to Win Friends and Influence People
• 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
• The Greatest Management Principle

What's sad is that the Greatest Management Principle, found on both of these lists, is out of print.  However, Amazon lists used copies for as cheap as a penny.  If you don't own this book you are missing out. 

 Probably the biggest challenge isn't in which books you've read or should read as much as putting what you have learned into practice.  Taking the theory into the real world is where the rubber meets the road.  Finding someone with whom you can talk about the theory and how you've tried to implement it can be extremely useful and allow you to more quickly reach a level of competence.  This person is typically called a mentor.  Don't wait for a mentor to find you and impart their great wisdom, instead seek out one or more mentors and place yourself intentionally in their life. 

I'm reminded of a scene from a movie where a young man holds out a cup to be filled, but the older man pouring the drink continues to pour even after the cup reaches the top.  The message of this is that if your cup is already full, i.e. if you already think you know everything, how can any more be added?  I wonder how many of us suffer from this blind self-confidence (pride) which does not allow any room for new, or wiser, thoughts.

ACCESS 2014 Conference

If you are working in the area of Distance Education, particularly if you are at a Christian institution which delivers distance education you should be planning on attending the ACCESS conference coming up on March 9-12 at Palm Atlantic Christian University.  I have attended these conferences for several years now and can definitely tell you that this is a group which believes in collegial support and networking.  The sessions are always useful, the networking is great and, hey, who doesn't want to visit Palm Atlantic in March?

The ACCESS website is www.accessed.org which has all the details of the event.  There is an announcement below about the Keynote address and the conference from the Executive Director of ACCESS, Dr. Mary Lowe, below:

From the Executive Director

The keynote address at ACCESS 2014 will be delivered by Dr. Phil Cooke. Phil is a “media guru,” someone who has his finger on the pulse of our digital culture. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to transform your thinking on perception, media, and the power of change.

Telling Your Story in Today's Digital Culture

Phil Cooke, film maker, author, founder and CEO of Cooke pictures

As an academic leader, educator, or administrator in today’s media-driven culture, the greatest challenge is getting your message heard.  No matter how important your subject, talent, skill, or message; if no one’s listening, then you’ve failed. What makes you stand out?  What makes you unique? Distance education is now and it’s time to make an impact but how can we connect with people who need it the most.  The world is changing at the speed of light. At ACCESS we’ll look at today’s culture of disruptive change and learn how to use that to our advantage.

For more information, please visit: www.accessed.org and click on ACCESS 2014 under Events

I'll look forward to seeing you there.
 

The Advantage - Book Review

The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business by Patrick Lencioni

Unlike most of Lencioni's books this is not a parable.  Instead it draws together the principles presented in his books into a cohesive strategy for implementing organizational health.  At slightly less than 200 pages, it is an easy read, yet full of the kind of information that can enhance productivity at the same time avoiding the dysfunctions which seem to plague most businesses.  

I am constantly amazed that with this kind of excellent material available there are so many CEOs whose grasp of leadership is either poor or nonexistent . . . and I wonder how they came to their position to begin with and somehow manage to keep it in spite of such poor leadership?  Ahhhh well, I think some things are beyond my powers of comprehension.

In Advantage, Lencioni identifies four core disciplines for a healthy, productive organization:

1.  Discipline 1: Build a Cohesive Leadership Team

2. Discipline 2: Create Clarity

3. Discipline 3: Overcommunicate Clarity

4. Discipline 4: Reinforce Clarity

He states throughout the book that the concepts he is presenting are not that complex, but are too often ignored by organizational leaders as being somehow beneath them.  I have experienced this and know his observation to be true.  

I've included a few quotes from the book which I found insightful/helpful:

"...the seminal difference between successful companies and mediocre or unsuccessful ones has little, if anything, to do with what they know or how smart they are: it has everything to do with how healthy they are." p. 8,9

"the only reason that a person should be on a team is that she represents a key part of the organization or brings truly critical talen or insight to the table." p. 24

 "When leaders preach teamwork but exclusively reward individual achievement, they are confusing their people and creating an obstacle to true team behavior." p. 26

"...peer-to-peer accountability is the primary and most effective source of accountability on the leadership team of a healthy organization." p. 54

"Firing someone is not necessarily a sign of accountability, but is often the last act of cowardice for a leader who doesn't know how or isn't willing to hold people accountable.  At its core accountability is about having the courage to confront someone about their deficiencies and then to stand in the moment and deal with their reaction, which may not be pleasant.  It is a selfless act, one rooted in a word that I don't use lightly in a business book: love."p. 57

"...the only measure of a great team -- or a great organization - is whether it accomplishes what it sets out to accomplish." "See, no matter how good a leadership team feels about itself, and how noble its mission might be, if the organization it leads rarely achieves its goals, then, by definition, it's simply not a good team." p. 65

"...healthy, alignment is about creating so much clarity that there is as little room as possible for confusion, disorder, and infighting to set in." p. 73,74

"there is probably no greater frustration for employees than having to constantly navigate the politics and confusion caused by leaders who are misaligned." p. 75

"Once an organization successfully identifies and describes its core values and separates them from other kinds, it must then do its best to be intolerant of violations of those values.  It must ensure that every activity it undertakes, every employee it hires, and every policy it enacts reflects those core values.  Few organizations actually take this important step, instead allowing their values to be minimized as mere idealism." p. 101

"Many leadership teams struggle with not wanting to walk away from opportunities that seem basically good and easily justifiable outside the context of having a strategy, but which would distract the organization and pull it away from its stated intent." p. 117

"On a cohesive team, leaders are not there simply to represent the departments that they lead and manage but rather to solve problems that stand in the way of achieving success for the whole organization." p. 123

"...almost no employees willingly leave an organization where they are getting the levels of gratitude and appreciation that they deserve just to make a little more money, unless, of course, they are so grossly underpaid that they can't justify staying in the job for the sake of their livelihood." p. 168

Using the concept of an organizational playbook Lencioni describes a process which if followed will generate clarity and functional alignment capable of achieving high performance.  I will definitely be using this information to guide me in my new position and with my new team.

I highly recommend this book and encourage you to add it to your library.

Right, right??

There is a passage in the book of Judges in the Old Testament which says "every man did right in his own eyes," with the emphasis (implied) on "in his own eyes."  I interpret this to mean, and I think the context supports this interpretation, that doing the "right" thing and doing the "right thing by MY definition" are not necessarily the same thing.  The adage "Might makes Right" is a falsehood spread by those who those who have the Might, i.e. power, and think it entitles them to determine the definition of right.

I think this harks back to the WIFM (What's in it for ME?) principle, or the Greatest Management Principle about which I've written quite a bit about before.  MY interpretation of right is always going to have the flavor, if not the actual stink, of self interest.  We might be able to separate ourselves from this influence briefly from time to time but without an external, and higher, standard of RIGHT that bias will eventually (and always) present itself.

With that being said, it IS possible to do RIGHT.  To do the RIGHT I simply have to recognize that higher standard, which known by another name is God's LOVE, and act in accordance with that.  Love which seeks the good for others ahead of our own.  It really is LOVE which defines RIGHT.  I actually wish this was simple, and certainly it is easier for those who have accepted Christ as Saviour in their lives, but even Christians can stumble in doing right if they lose sight of Love.

I've written before the we "leak," meaning that what we have learned, and thought we could never forget, slips away from us without a reminder from time to time.  Please consider this a reminder to LOVE, and in so doing you will you will be doing RIGHT in God's eyes and will reap blessings in your soul . . . right?