reading leadership

How do you read? Is it merely for pleasure...do you let the words just soak into you and enjoy the pleasure of the writing...do you bask in the action that takes place between the good guys and bad guys...do you read to learn and gain new knowledge...do you read because you think your should?

I often find myself reading through what I call "leadership lenses." And I have found that fiction provides a great opportunity to learn about leadership and its many facets in life. We are shaping a new leadership course here at Concordia University Texas and I recommended that we look at including a work of fiction because it allows students to talk about leadership from the human experience - and isn't that what leadership is really about?

Here are a few of my favorite examples:

Lord of the Flies by William Golding: Sure we all read this in junior high or high school but reading it through leadership lenses provides a whole new picture of groupthink, use of power, and the difference between management and leadership (think Piggy and Ralph). It is a quick read - and full of good action.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card: I am not a science fiction fan, but I could not put this book down once I began reading it last summer. It's leadership themes include leadership development, leading peers, and whether leadership characteristics are innate or not.

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier: A young adult classic, this novel talks about standing up for what is right, leadership courage, and speaking up to authority. Another great story with leadership implications (and a quick read).

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand: Not such a quick read (694 pages in the paperback edition) but a fascinating story of power, focus, vision, and organizations. Many people do not agree with Miss Rand's philosophy, but the story is incredible and has many discussion points on leadership.

So start reading - only this time read through leadership lenses. And if you have any suggestions to add to this list, let me know so i can add them to my own summer reading list.

we do what we say we do

MISSION - it tells us what an organization does. Sounds simple, but often times the mission is nothing more than a nice statement that no one knows, remembers, or even cares about. More often, even when people know it, they seldom live it out.
I am proud to announce that Concordia University Texas lives out its mission of developing Christian leaders. I had the chance on Saturday, February 28, 2009, to witness this happening in three different venues:
1. Four of our students were at the Hatton W. Sumners Student Leadership Conference hosted by the UT Center for Ethical Leadership in the LBJ School of Public Affairs. They heard great speakers, did some self-reflection, worked in teams, and palnned for their own leadership development. Concordia made it possible for these four students to attend this great conference and develop as Christian leaders.
2. I watched the Concordia baseball team win yet another game. As I was talking with our athletic director, we both commented that our coach, Mike Gardner, is a class act that cares more about student development than winning (and by the way, he also does win). It struck me that as these young men learn about baseball, they are also developing into Christian leaders.
3. CTX's music department hosted a one-day conference on contemporary worship on Saturday. I sat in on a couple of sessions, and they were crowded with students and other adults from the community (and even from as far away as Dallas). The thought struck me that through this event, Concordia was - you guessed it - developing Christian leaders (both its students and others from the community).
So how cool is all of that? That's one day - a weekend day at that. Imagine what happens at Concordia in a week's time? We really do live out our mission...because we do what we say we do!

stop the blaming

Want to know why it takes so long to solve problems? Its because people blame others for starting the problem. Think about it...once a problem is encountered, the person whom it is affecting should attempt to solve it right away. If that person needs help, then they should go to whomever they think can best help solve the problem, and the two of them should dialogue about solutions toward fixing the problem. They should then decide on a solution and move forward with it, informing everyone who needs to know how the problem has been solved. A couple of emails...a few face to face chats...a little bit of research...sometimes having to give something up to get something else...but the problem is solved and people move ahead.

What I keep seeing happening is that when someone encounters a problem, they immediately want to blame someone or something else as the cause of that problem occuring. They do not want to take the responsibility of fixing it - or of sitting down with another person and listening to all sides of the issue. Most problems/issues are very minor - but they take up so much energy because people begin to lose focus on the problem and instead focus on blaming others. What can we do?

Here are a few thoughts from my lifetime of fixing problems:
1. Consider problem solving a part of your job. If people did not make mistakes, most of us would not have jobs to begin with.
2. Address problems as fixable - there is always a solution out there...it justs may take some time to get at it.
3. Realize that problems occur because of mistakes - and mistakes can be corrected. Correct the mistake and move on.
4. Don't blame anyone for causing the problem (remember, people make mistakes). See the problem as a problem, NOT as something that someone else did to mess things up. A problem is not a person - it is an inanimate thing that you can have control over.
5. As you go about fixing the problem, don't let the mistakes of others get you upset. Forgive others as you fix the problem.
6. Once the problem is fixed, do not dwell on the past - move forward and wait for the next problem to come your way.

Jefferson Howell

I had the opportunity to interview General Jefferson Howell yesterday as a part of our Spend Your Lunch with...Speaker Series. "Beak" was leading the Johnson Space Center at the time of the Columbia explosion which killed all seven crew members on board. His reminiscing of the event and his actions brought to mind several thoughts on leadership:

1. Leadership is about people - General Howell took care of the families of the astronauts as well as the extended family of all those who worked at the Johnson Space Center

2. Leadership is about mission and vision - General Howell had to get everyone re-focused in order to get back into space. Rather than playing the blame game, he helped them move forward again after the devastation.

3. Leadership is about people AND mission - General Howell could never just focus on one or the other. He had to make sure that people were taken care of and that NASA moved forward in in its mission. The interesting paradox is that as he took care of people, the mission was accomplished even more quickly.

One other of "Beak's Rules of Leadership" included the adage Don't argue with an idiot. Arguing with an "idiot" can take a lot of time and no one really wins. I'm going to remember that for awhile - but I am going to remember General Howell and his leadership style for much longer!

The Crucible

A recent book made me rethink leadership development. It's entitled Crucibles of Leadership: How to Learn from Experience to be a Great Leader and is written by Robert J. Thomas. The author's premise is that one must encounter real "experiences" in their leadership roles to learn - not only about leadership but about themselves AND about how they learn. My freshmen recently took an inventory that told them how they learned (auditory, visual, kinesthetic) - but Thomas goes way beyond that. Learning how one learns can occur most effectively when one experiences a difficulty - reflects on how they weathered that difficulty - and can look from the outside on what they learned from that experience. Sound confusing? I think it is...and that is why so many people never embrace their leadership potential, because this is a difficult exercise.

What I most appreciated about Thomas' work is that he doesn't advocate having to jump out of airplanes (though I still want to do that) or having your company fail and close down (I don't want to do that). He provides the alternative of having to look in the mirror and reflect deeply on who you are and what you believe and WHY you are the way you are. While an individual may be able to engage in that type of behavior by themself, it is often easier with a mentor or coach who will hold you more accountable to your answers.

My crucibles have been many - but one comes to mind that shaped my leadership for years to come. I was a mere senior in high school (17 years old) and I was sitting on my church's worship committee. At a meeting in the early winter, I asked with a "know it all" attitude why we never did anything neat like a Tenebrae Service on Good Friday. My pastor, who was a young buck at the time, turned it back to my and said that if I thought that was a good idea, I should go ahead and plan one. In my arrogance, I said I would. 3 months later, St. John's Lutheran Church in E;lgin, Illinois had their first tenebrae service. I actually came back my freshman year in college to make sure it happened for a second year. As I reflect on that time, my pastor could easily have either dismissed the idea or said that he would do it himself...I could have backed down and said that I was too young or inexperienced or busy...the rest of the committee could have laughed at me and my idea. But I took the challenge - I was supported by others to see it through - and to this day I still open my mouth, suggest new ideas, and end up seeing them through.

So what is your leadership crucible? Can you name one? Do you have to find one? Have you put yourself in a position to have one? Do you need to find a coach who will help you identify that crucible? And most important, are you willing to be a LEARNER who is not afraid of the crucible and what it wil teach you - about leadership, about yourself, and about learning!

Leader, Know Thyself

I recently had a new friend take me through my Birkman report - this was the second time in the past 6 months that I have had this done. I took the inventory about three years ago through a friend who owns Compass Settings. This time, the owner of Strategic Positioning took me through the report, and it just made me smile to realize how closely the report told me who I really am.

For example: in the area of Esteem, the report told me that I tend to deal with others in an open manner, balanced with an insight into their feelings (that is very true - sometimes that keeps me from being more forthright when needed). The report also told me that in this area, I need the respect of key individuals in my life - and that they are genuinely aware of my feelings (again, very true - so much so that I will even ask for it at times). The report finally told me that when I do feel under-appreciated, I will tend to be shy and/or embarassed (again, very true, which seems counterintuitive to the type of person I am, but that's what happens).

So the question I keep asking is how does this knowledge of self affect (read improve) my leadership? Almost all of the literature in leadership discusses that the better the leader knows themself, the more authentic and open they can be with others...the more the leader is comfortable with their own leadership style, the easier it becomes for them to act...the better one understands what makes him or her the person they are, the more empathy they can have for those they lead...the more I know myself, the easier it is to put myself in situations to be at my best when called upon to lead.

One final example: in the area of Acceptance, my most effective behavior by far is being friendly and easy to know with a strong outgoing manner (yes, that is what most people would say about me). On the flip side, I NEED time alone or time with a few people to renew and energize (nothing better than a Saturday morning with a cup of coffee, and good book, and no one else around). Finally, the profile tells me that I can become impatient with group interaction and will tend to withdraw from time to time (you would be surprised how often I have to go and find a cup of coffee during a meeting).

SO - do you know yourself? When was the last time you took a significant inventory that told you who you really were? Are you ready to hear the good, bad and ugly about yourself (which is really just a picture of who you are)? And are you willing to sit down with someone who can help you develop into a better leader throug the use of this type of tool? If so, check out either of the two organizations above or google Birkman, Myers-Briggs, DISC, or other inventories of which you might be aware. And get ready to learn and grow!

The OZ Principle

Part of my Christmas reading plan was to get through a series of business books I had collected on recent trips to Half-Price Books. One of these was entitled The OZ Principle: Getting results through individual and organizational accountability. Written in 1994 by Connors, Smith and Hickman, the book outlines a way to think about accountability - and to rid oneself and ones' organization of the BLAME GAME.

The authors outline a way to achieve accountability throug a 4-step process:
1. See it (having the courage of the Lion)
2. Own it (having the heart of the Tin Woodsman)
3. Solve it (having the wisdom of the Scarecrow)
4. Do it (having the will of Dorothy)

Though it is cute (and perhaps even a bit trite), the book resonated with me to look more closely at how I get things done personally and organizationally. The authors often use the idea of "above-the-line" leadership. Dropping "below the line" means that we will fall into the VICTIM CYCLE where we ignore or deny problems, point the finger at others, cover our own tails, pass the buck, wait for others to tell us what to do, and often just wait and see what will happen. Above-the-line accountability sees it, owns it, solves it and does it.

So what does above the line leadership look like? A few examples from the book:
1. I model accountability and set an example
2. I recognize victim stories when I hear them
3. I use accouuntability as a way to empower others toward results
4. I expect people to coach me to get "above the line" when necessary

The rest - and much more - can be found in this little gem (which is available at a real discount through Amazon Books - especially used editions). Go ahead and get a copy - read it quickly - and then pass it on to a colleague. Yet another way to stay above-the-line!