Jim Collins, Author of Good to Great
He found the CEO’s with extraordinary results, what he calls “Level Five Leaders” were not ego-driven but self effacing. They blended extreme personal humility with fierce resolve. Instead of being I-Centric they channeled their ego needs away from themselves and towards the larger goal. When interviewed these leaders talked about other’s contributions. Collins reported that they would say things like “I don’t think I can take much credit. We were blessed with marvelous people.”
Woodrow Wilson
“Absolute identity with one’s cause is the first and great condition of successful leadership.”
Vulnerability
A leader without admitted weaknesses has no need for teammates; a leader who reveals no vulnerabilities provides no opportunities for teammates to make a significant contribution. Grady Wilson said of Billy Graham, “He was painfully aware of his humanity—he has flaws, and he’s the first to admit them.” Billy didn’t try to hide what he couldn’t do. His vulnerability and style of working side by side made his team well aware of both his strengths and his weaknesses.
Teamwork
The leader’s attitude toward the team largely determines how strong it will become. The Billy Graham team became strong because Billy nourished it and gave each member ample opportunity to exercise significant responsibility. Cliff Barrow describes Billy’s relationship to the team. “He sought God’s will, he was God-dependent, motivated by his love for God and man. He was self-effacing, but he was secure in the place of God’s appointment. He was anointed of God. He was considerate. He was not authoritarian. He knew that in the multitude of counselors there is safety. His decisions were based on mutual agreement rather than on a dictatorial basis. He thought about and relied on the counsel of those he trusted. He never was demeaning nor reprimanding. He trusted people and respected their contribution.”
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Urgency
In his book “On What Leaders Really Do”, John Kotter claims that infecting others with a sense of urgency is the difference between effective and ineffective leadership. Urgency is more important than even the leader’s own work ethic. “Sooner or later, no matter how hard they push,” writes Kotter, “if others don’t feel the same sense of urgency, the momentum will die far short of the finish line.”
Change
Leadership, by definition, means change, which makes criticism inevitable. Even if the road ahead is progress, change produces disequilibrium, uncertainty, and a reluctance to part with the past.
“Leaders take people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” Rosalynn Carter
Abraham Lincoln’s Leadership Lessons:
1. Settle on your deepest convictions about your mission. Lincoln’s goal was to save the Union (USA). Bill Waugh was asked to become chairman of the Salvation Army. He chose as his theme “keep the purpose of the organization clearly in mind and don’t get diverted from it”. A leader must seek the depths of conviction so that when the fierce storms come, priorities and stance are clear. One way to filter criticism is to reject any that distracts from the organization’s main purpose. Billy Graham frequently would hear out a critic, then explain his calling and his determination to fulfill that mission, inviting the critic to help with what he was compelled to do.
2. Ignore most of it. Lincoln often chose to ignore criticism. He said “ I abstain from reading the reports of attacks upon myself, wishing not to be provoked by that to which I cannot properly offer an answer.” Sometimes if a racehorse pays too much attention to a horsefly, it makes the fly too important. Some people’s only taste of success is the bite they take out of someone whom they perceive is doing more that they are.
3. Don’t respond reactively. Many times Lincoln would write a heated letter of response to critics, but then he would hold it and just leave it in his desk.
Optimism and Hope
General Dwight D. Eisenhower was in the dark tunnels under Gibraltar when he came to view communicating optimism as a requirement of leadership. Deeply discouraged by military reversals, his depressing quarters, and the power of the enemy, he realized he couldn’t allow the troops to be further demoralized by his mood. As a student of leadership, he believed it could be developed by “studious reflection and practices.” As he thought through his situation, he concluded he had to share enthusiasm- first, so he himself would not be demoralized; second, to inspire others. He wrote in his diary, “ I firmly determined that my mannerisms and speech in public would always reflect the cheerful certainty of victory—that any pessimism and discouragement I might ever feel would be reserved for my pillow. I adopted a policy of circulating through the whole force I did my best to meet everyone from general to private with a smile, a pat on the back, and a definite interest in his problems.”
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” Martin Luther King Jr.
Empowerment
Inspiring and challenging others, watching them rise to their full potential, is the complex yet enormously rewarding role of the leader. Warren Bennis observes that the successful leader is not the “one with the loudest voice, but the readiest ear”, and that “the real genius may well lie, not in personal achievement, but in unleashing other’s talents.”
Okay so what did you think? Which quotes or thoughts resonated with you the most? Have you ever shown vulnerability when leading a group of people? Have you ever felt like crying in your pillow like General Dwight D. Eisenhower? Let's hear from you please leave a comment and thanks for reading, until next time all my best! Jer
No comments:
Post a Comment