new year...new leader

As this New Year began, I made several resolutions - first, to lose some of the extra weight I have gained over the past year; second, to spend more time reading in the mornings; and third, to spend time talking with people who do "cool" jobs that I could consider during the next 25 years of my life.

As a leader of others, I have also made some resolutions having to do with that aspect of my calling and vocation - let's call these my New Year's Leadership Improvements:

• to listen more...more specifically to not begin answering a question (or respond to a comment) before the other person has finished talking and I am completely clear on what they are asking or saying.
• to ask more (and better) questions...as much as I want to tell my story and give my opinions, I know it is better for the other person to discover what is inside of them if I want them to reach their full potential. Asking better questions means that I will follow Peter Block's advice and ask questions that are 1) ambiguous; 2) personal; and 3) evoke some anxiety (see Peter Block's book Community: The Structure of Belonging).
• to achieve more goals...I like vision and strategy, but it is difficult for me to sometimes get things done. I will designate on my calendar specific "red" days (referring to the Birkman Assessment Colors) to get after tasks and accomplish that which is necessary to move the organization forward.
• to coach others...as my role expands, I need to delegate much of what I do to others in the organization, so I will spend more time with those individuals who have the responsibility to carry out some of those goals and activites, helping them grow as leaders and managers.
• to build a succession plan...I am a big beleiver that the work of the organization must continue when and if I (or others) move on. Planning for this includes selecting the right people, letting the organization know about that, then training them to take over. Not only does this help the organization, but it also builds leadership capacity in others.
• to serve the region...having recently been elected to the ECHO (Ending Community Homelessness) Board, I want to expand my capacity to serve that need, and see where else I may be able to lend some time and/or expertise to make this region a better place. I have been blessed by so many people in the greater Austin region who give tirelessly of their time to this place I now call home, so it is now time for me to give back also.

That's my New Year's leadership resolutions. What are yours? Have you written them down? Is the focus of them on yourself, on others, or on your organization Have you asked yourself why they might be important to you? What type of accountability do you have in place to accomplish them? Remember that you still have 348 days still left to make them happen. Enjoy the journey - and make a difference!

forgiveness as a leadership tool

I had a phenomenal experience yesterday in class where I had to ask forgiveness from a student, and when he replied "don't worry about it" we as a class had a 15 minute dialogue around the ability to say "I forgive you" and how powerful those words are in a leadership position. I believe most people are afraid to say "I forgive you" because they think that those words nullify any consequences that should follow the inappropriate behavior. But perhaps one of the great things I have personally practiced...and that I teach my students to say are the words "I forgive you AND you're fired" (or fill in the approriate consequence).

The power of forgiveness lies in the fact that through those words realtionships can be healed and people can be freed from their guilt. The consequences will still follow (if you embezzle money from the organization, and upon being caught show true remorse, I will forgive you AND fire you...my hope is that you will know you are forgiven and can then move on with your life in a new position). If leadership is about people and influence, then I need to be a person who understands the need for people to be FREE in their lives - and carrying around guilt will keep one burdened in a way that will never allow them to live out their gifts.

This begins in simple ways:

1. a report is late in getting to your desk - your colleague says they are sorry it is late - you look at them and decide to say "I forgive you." It may seem silly, but imagine the impact it has on that individual.
2. a spouse says a harsh word - as soon as it is out of their mouth they say "I'm sorry" - your first response can be "I forgive you" - imagine the differnece that can make in a relationship.
3. a co-worker speaks a harsh word about you behind your back - you hear about it and confront them. When they apologize, you look at them and say "I forgive you AND is there anything I am doing that caused you to say that?" Imagine the rich conversation that can take place at that moment.
4. one of your reports is abusive in their relationship to another employee - when their behavior doesn't change, they are put on notice. Finally you have to terminate them from their position. They come to your office in tears realiziung now that their behavior was inappropriate, and ask for another chance. You look at them and respond with "I forgive you AND I have to let you go because of the hurt you have caused others in this organziation and your continued behavior does not show that you have the ability at this point to make the necessary changes." Imagine the effect this can have on the worker - AND on the organization itself.

So how are you at saying those three words? Take time right now to say them outloud - see how they sound - practice them while driving in your car...in your shower...while mowing the yard. And the next time someone says "I'm sorry" be sure to pause and remember to say "I forgive you." Imagine what might happen...

when leaders can't lead

As I considered what to name this blog, I vacilated between using the word "can't" and "won't." I suppose that the word "can't" implies the inability to do so, either through lack of knowledge or resources. The idea behind "won't" is that someone has the knowledge and resources and willfully chooses not to use them in their leadership role. Once this blog is finished, I will leave it up to the reader to decide which term may be the most appropriate...

How many times during the course of one's career do people observe a leader who continues to do things that defy the imagination? How one treats people...the decisions one makes...the policies one enacts...the lack of decisive action when needed...the inapproriate comments and behaviors...the unwillingness to listen...the unwillingness to use people's passions and gifts...the stupid things one says and does...and like most of the other lists in my blogs, this one too could go on and on.

When I observe these types of behaviors in people who have been placed in leadership positions (note the difference between leaders and people placed in leadership positions) I do not know if they are incapable of acting in a manner that for all intentional purposes is the exact opposite of what leaders should be doing - or if they choose in the moment to wilfully act in that manner. It does not make any sense to me that a mature person, who has the ability to read and observe other leaders, would behave in such a manner that would be degrading to individuals and harm an organization. I am not talking about leaders making mistakes - that happens all the time. I have lost my temper...I have made bad decisions...I have acted in my own interest rather than that of the organization...but I beleive they are few and far between - they are, what we would call, lapses or mistakes. What we all observe from time to time are those people in leadership positions who consistently and wilfully make decisions that hurt people and the organization. And for most of these people, I assume (and I could be wrong here) that they have been told about these behaviors, and yet they stil continue to function in this manner. Someone please help me understand this phenomenon...

So here is what I think - and then I will share what may be done:

• I think that many people move forward in their careers by behaving badly, but that it does not hurt others or the organization because either a) they are so low on the organizational chart that no one notices or cares as long as the work gets done; or b) they are lone rangers who are incredibly successful and their organization (or industry) is afraid to hold them accountable for fear they may leave
• I think that often times people are rewarded for results, and that the bad behavior becomes tolerated, which then becomes part of the culture, which then becomes institutionalized. How can a leader who behaves badly be called to account when that is the way other people in leadership positions behave within the organization?
• I think that some people just don't know any better - they were treated this way in the past and that is the only way they know how to function in a leadership role (we all know of parents who abuse their children because they were abused as a child)
• I think for many people in ledership positions it may be scary to change their behavior - they have built their reputation on a certain way of behaving (and many times wear it as a badge of honor) and to ask them to change seems to them an impossibility

So what can be done?

• Leaders need to be held accountable - when they behave badly someone needs to stand up to them and hold out the mirror. If the person holding the mirror needs protection, then the organization should provide that in some shape or form
• Leaders need to learn - no one shuld be beyond improving their leadership skills and abilities. I wonder how many leaders who won't/can't lead have attended serious leadership training and development courses recently?
• Leaders need to focus on people - while those in leadership positions are held accountable to results, they should also be accountable to people. At the end of the day, all an organization has is it's people - and they need to be taken care of and handled in a way that builds them up and uses their gifts
• Organizations need to know the results of a leader's bad behavior - when someone leaves an organziation because of bad leadership, that person needs to let the organization know - so that others may not need to suffer in a similar position.
• Build a culture that holds leaders accountable for their actions, not just their results - if an organization believes that people are important, then those in leadership positions need to act in a manner that supports that value.

All this being said, there are those leaders who often "suffer in silence." Becasue they play by the rules...because they put people first...because they do not bully others...because they are making decisions that are for the good of the organization AND its people...because they are constantly learning how to improve themselves...because they can say "I may be wrong"...they often get overshadowed by those who can't/won't lead. I believe that these leaders need recognition for what they do - and for who they are...they should receive the necessary resources needed for their departments...they should receive the acknowledgement that they deserve...they should be listened to more closely than others...and they should be the ones of whom it will be said, "Well done, good and faithful servant."