what leaders fear most

Yesterday I was interviewed by one of our freshmen as a part of an assignment for her Life & Leadership Class (taken by all new students).  She had a series of questions that were prescribed as a part of the assignment...and then, as we finished, she said she had one more question for me that was not a part of the assignment.  She looked at me and asked, "What are you most afraid of?"

I must admit that the question took me by surprise, so I gave myself some time by asking her why she was asking that question.  Apparently she asks this question of a lot of people and, as she told me, most people answer in the same way and she was wondering if I had a different answer than others.  I proceeded to share my thoughts, which led to a longer discussion of the paradox of leadership fears and, of course, the conversation went on from there.

So this morning has me thinking about the fears leaders face and how they use those fears to improve their organizations and their own personal leadership (as fate would have it, last night I ran across the November 2016 Harvard Business Review which is entitled "What Really Keeps CEOs Awake at Night").  This morning's blog is a list of possible things that leaders may fear most...and why those fears are important to a leader's development.

• the fear of failure...while I do not believe this is the most important fear (nor the most relevant), it is a fear that keeps leaders focused on some very important metrics and ideas
• the fear of success...if the organization is successful beyond its wildest dreams, will the leader be able to respond in a way that can truly build on that success
• the fear of being found out...I cannot take credit for naming this fear, but many leaders are afraid that others will find out that the leader is not the smartest person in the room (which is the way it actually should be)
• the fear of not being relevant...just when leaders believe that their organization is well known and important within the marketplace, it becomes crystal clear that not everyone knows the organization, much less believes in the organization and its promise. Building the brand should be on every leader's mind all the time
• the fear of losing the best people...most people are replaceable - and others are not.  Taking care of the very best people in the organization has to be one of the leader's top priorities
• the fear of a disaster...whether natural or not (fire or firestorm), it only takes one disaster to cripple an organization.  Being prepared for the worst is a good trait for leaders to have
• the fear of someone doing something stupid (or illegal)...similar to above, these type of mistakes can have a devastating effect on the organization.  Policies, guidelines, and values can help mitigate some of the stupid (illegal) things that others might do
• the fear of putting the organization at risk...any long term decision and/or expenditure has the chance to hurt one's organization over time.  Demanding multiple options and getting all the facts before making a decision can help navigate these issues
• the fear of not being afraid...I saved this one for last, because this may be the most important fear of all.  For many leaders, when things are humming along and all seems well with the world, hubris can easily take over as the dominant character trait.  Leaders who begin to believe their own press...leaders who are no longer afraid of their own mistakes...leaders who act as if they are the golden child of the organization - these are the people who put the organization at the most risk.  My advice for leaders is "be afraid...be very afraid!"

Take a few moments today to determine what it is that you fear most...and then embrace that fear as a way to move your leadership - and your organization - forward.

the agony of victory

Growing up, I would anxiously wait for Saturday afternoons when I would be able to watch ABC Television's Wide World of Sports.  As the opening credits began to run, I would wait anxiously to view the famous (and not so famous) clips of sports history and hear the iconic words spoken over those images "the thrill of victory...and the agony of defeat."  Those words echoed in my mind over the past 7 days as I watched my beloved Chicago Cubs win (after many ups and downs) their third straight National League Division Series.  Four days of waiting for the first game to being...five excruciating games.....two long days built in for travel...over twenty hours of actual baseball (not to mention the pre-game and post-game shows)...and the stress that went with each pitch along the way.  As I began to remember October 2016 (when the Cubs became World Series Champions), I realized that if the Cubs kept winning again this year I would once again be handing over my entire month to this passion...and I would once again be consumed by the stress of each game...and I would once again spend my days reading and talking about the playoffs...and I would once again stay up later than I should more nights than not (last night's game went until 12:45 EST - so happy to be living in CST).  Suddenly I realized that there was an AGONY TO VICTORY, something I would have to endure if I was a fan (and please remember that for about 54 of the 58 years of my life, my Octobers have been mostly normal).

All of this thinking about baseball got me thinking about leadership...and what, if any, parallels might exist for leaders in terms of feeling the agony of victory.  Here are a few thoughts on this Friday morning:

• leaders want to be successful, but are they willing to pay the price for continued success?  It's never enough to win only once...success is about winning (translate that for your own life or organization) time over time.  Finding new ways to win...keeping everyone focused on winning...and being willing to stay the course after surprising setbacks can be very agonizing.
• once the leader and their organization wins, everyone expects them to keep on winning.  The pressure from the outside (be that customers, employees, or boards of directors) has caused more leaders to leave their roles, even after they have had some good runs.  Not being able to satisfy one's constituents can be very agonizing.
• winning comes at a cost of both revenue and people.  Finding the resources to win (and win big) is hard work, especially when raising cash from investors or donors and trying to create a margin that will sustain winning over time.  Getting the right people on the team to do the hard work of winning time after time means making hard decisions (including decisions about one's own leadership ability).  Making and executing on these decisions can be very agonizing.
• leaders know that sometimes they (and their organizations) have to lose in order to win.  Most people end up in leadership roles because they have learned how to win, enjoy winning, and have been rewarded for winning.  Doing something that will lead to losing (even if it is short term for the good of the long haul) is antithetical to most leaders and can be very agonizing.

So why do we do it?  Why would anyone put themselves through this type of agony just to win?  I believe it is because the thrill of victory far outweighs the agony of defeat for both the leader and their organization.  When leaders and their organizations win (assuming that "winning" leads to the betterment of the common good), the world might just be a better place.  For me, when Concordia University Texas experiences the thrill of victory, more people have been developed as Christian leaders and are serving their organizations in a manner that makes the world a better place.  Why wouldn't I want to keep winning?  Why wouldn't I go through the agonizing times to experience the thrill of accomplishment?  Why wouldn't I spend hours of my time consumed about my organization in order that the university reaches its vision?  For leaders, this is their adrenaline - to experience the agony of victory to achieve that in which they completely believe.

A final personal note: in 2012, the Cubs hired Theo Epstein to be President of the organization and from 2012-2014, Cubs fans experienced the agony of defeat just as they had for the past 100+ years...and the past three years have been glorious.  As a life-long Cubs fan, I am thankful to Theo (who had been used to winning in Boston) for being willing to experience the agony of defeat during those years to build a winning franchise.  I am hopeful that he - and many others - will also be able to experience the agony of victory so that I can continue my own agony of victory for many years to come.

reading macbeth

This past weekend I read Shakespeare's Macbeth, a play many of us read (or were supposed to read) in high school or college.  While I thought I had read the play in the intervening 40 years since high school, I was surprised that I had not and remembered very little of the play.  It was fresh to me, intriguing, intense, full of high drama, and a study in leadership.  My regular readers know that when others ask me for recommendations of leadership texts, I will refer them to the great literature of the world - fiction, poetry, philosophy, and drama.  Shakespeare is one of my favorites to recommend including Hamlet, Henry V, Richard III, and now Macbeth.  Here are five leadership lessons I learned from reading Macbeth.

1. Ambition can be a dangerous thing: Once Macbeth (and for that matter, Lady Macbeth) decided he should be king, there was nothing that would get in their way.  Their ambition to have control of the country drove their every motive and action, stopping at nothing to achieve their goal. To be ambitious is a good thing...to have it be the sole driver in one's life can lead to dire consequences.
2. Supporting voices are not always in one's best interest: Lady Macbeth was her husband's biggest supporter - and also the instigator behind him committing his first murder.  Just as Macbeth was ready to back away from his evil ambition, she spurred him on to move forward, no matter the cost.  Having others support you is a good thing...having them be in control of your decisions can lead to dire consequences.
3. Be careful of the voices in one's head: For Macbeth, it was the witches in which he believed; if they said he would be king, then of course he would be king.  There are many ways people hear voices direct them into action, be they spiritually based, supernaturally based, or internally based.  Believing in and listening to spiritual authorities can be helpful...not being skeptical of  and letting those voices go unchecked can lead to dire consequences.
4. Always believe there is a time to turn back: There are several moments in the play in which Macbeth can make a decision not to act and turn around his course toward destruction...and then the reader realizes that Macbeth is doomed because he can no longer change course.  Consistently asking questions and having the courage to stop one's course of action is a key to leadership.  Moving forward despite tough circumstances is necessary for leaders...moving forward when one knows they should stop can lead to dire consequences.
5. Know why you want to lead: Macbeth's reason for wanting to be king is that he was told by the witches he would be king.  He never stops to ask the existential question of why he really wants this role and why the country needs him in this role.  Perhaps one of the most important questions those aspiring for leadership positions can ask is "Why do I want this position?" Striving for a leadership role is a noble undertaking...striving for a leadership role with no solid reasons can lead to dire consequences.

So what will you read this weekend?  More than likely many of my readers will have a copy of Macbeth somewhere on their bookshelves at home; others may need to visit their local bookstore or library; others will no doubt order it on Amazon and receive it the next day (I love Amazon Prime!); and others will find a film version of the drama on Netflix.  I would encourage you to read it once through (perhaps with a modern translation on the opposite page); then read it again while listening to it (download from your streaming provider); and then read it a third time with only the original language.  In addition to the great story, Shakespeare's language is incredible, the poetry is fantastic (especially in the scenes with the witches), and the multiple phrases that have become part of our everyday language are fun to see in their original context.  My hope is that this blog (along with the others I have written) will not be "a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."