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Archive for February, 2014

Callan…Coffee…Contemplation for the Week of February 24th

February 24, 2014 | No Comments »

President’s Day: Individuals of Character can Change History

In honor of President’s Day it’s wise to remind ourselves that  great men and women, people of great character, can shape the destinies of nations and the arc of history. George Washington was such a man. Washington’s noble character, not his generalship, was the immovable object against which the British empire finally broke. And it was Washington’s character that rallied his soldiers during their many long retreats, galvanized the infant nation during its darkest hours, and set the standard for a dignified transfer of power for all other presidencies. Washington was the first to model to the world that renown in America would be based on one’s character and behavior, not one’s birthright, rank, or position. Washington was truly indispensable to his nation’s destiny, but in leaving his post willingly and with such honor, he made himself dispensable, his greatest act of significance and heroism.

Success

Leaders want to be successful both for our personal goals and the broader goals we set for our teams. However, we often fail to fully understand the term success. Our modern world often equates success with outer trappings like rank, title, salary, or the size of our house. Our modern world also likes to believe in the myth of instant success, an illusion born of a mania for instant gratification. The truth is real success doesn’t follow a rags-to-riches trajectory. Heroic leaders don’t rise from nothing, nor do they make it alone. True success is neither cheap nor easy, but rather, the by-product of a life-long pattern of successful behavior that results in personal readiness. Success thus comes at the nexus of challenge and readiness. If we are ready when challenge or opportunity emerge, we’ll be successful, and not just for ourselves, but for a greater good. We can’t control the nature or timing of the challenge, but we can control our readiness through practice, preparation, and rehearsal. Understood such, success is a self-disciplined pattern of action—a habit pattern–that great leaders cultivate into their lives.

Significance

The ultimate measure of leadership effectiveness is significance: Did we leave a legacy that is elevating, worthy of following, and enduring? Does our example stand the test of time? Did we make the group better for having led it? I like to think of significance like footprints in the sand. If we are significant as leaders, we leave a  trail of trustworthy guideposts for others to follow once we are gone. This residue of example is crucial because we will not always  be there to personally shepherd the group. Moreover, enduring organizational excellence is never determined by a single charismatic leader. Greatness has to be cultivated into the group, deep in the groups’ ethos, so the group can thrive even without the presence of the senior leader. Heroic leaders become significant by creating a self-disciplined pattern of behavior based on noble purpose, honorable aspiration, right action, and a commitment to something greater than self.  This is the road less taken, but it’s the only path enabling the leader to become the lesson.

The Leader as a Visionary – Part I

One of the core roles of a leader is that of Visionary—clarifying the future for the groups we lead. All groups, regardless of mission, vocation, size, or function want to know this from the leader: Where are we headed, and why? And they want leaders to answer those questions with absolute clarity. The concept of leader’s vision is often misconstrued to mean a soothsayer or prognosticator, which is wrong. A leader’s vision does not predict the future. Rather, a leader’s vision describes what we will be in the future. An effective leadership vision therefore has these key qualities: (1) it provides the necessary context; (2) it is compelling and hard to resist; and (3) it makes the pain of changing worth the effort. In this sense, vision is an ideal end state—a clear point of aim and an azimuth of march. But here’s the really important truth all leaders must embrace with regard to their vision: Initially, the messenger is more important than the message! People must first buy into you, the leader, before they will accept your vision. A leader’s credibility and trustworthiness is crucial. First you, and then the vision.

The Leader as a Visionary – Part II

Aristotle said, “The Soul never thinks without a picture.” This reminds us of the need for mental images in conveying our vision. A leader’s vision must resonate with people’s hearts and souls, more than their heads.  Human beings are deeply drawn to meaning as expressed in mental pictures and imagery. Therefore,  great leaders often make use of stories, parables, and pictures in delivering their vision. Stories, parables, and pictures help us imagine the vision in both a personal and group context, and more importantly, move us out of our rationalizing minds and into our intuitive souls—the source of all heroic action. That said, once leaders clarify their vision, they should make maximal use of group gatherings and explain their vision through compelling stories and mental images. And in doing so regularly, and consistently, this storytelling helps remind leaders that vision is often more a matter of renovation, than creation. Become a great storyteller, touch people’s souls, and you’ll move people confidently towards your vision and into the future.

Check back next Monday for a round up of this week’s social media shares. Or check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or Pinterest to see our posts every day!

Callan … Coffee … Contemplation for the Week of February 17th

February 17, 2014 | No Comments »

Heroic Leaders Possess Self-Discipline

The central maxim of our Callan Course philosophy is this: Great leadership starts with self-leadership; self-leadership starts with self-mastery, and self-mastery is achieved through self-discipline. Self-discipline is a habit born of an intention–achieved by the daily, purposeful allocation of time and energy to mastering ourselves. And like all successful habits, we must combine the intellectual acceptance of the need for the quality (self-discipline) coupled with the tangible actions that create a pattern of behavior.Think here of the master archer: The most crucial thing the archer will ever do to master his craft, to become an expert marksman, is develop self-discipline to master himself—the shooter. Heroic leaders, like the master archer, are also shooters, and our arrows are made of our leadership influence. We will consistently place our arrows of influence in the center of the target by mastering ourselves through self discipline.

Heroic Paradigm – Part II

Our paradigm, the lens through which we view life and leadership, is the most crucial determinant of great leadership. I often describe three basic paradigms that leaders can adopt. The first is accidental leadership, where one devotes almost no thought, preparation, or practice to the art of leadership. The second paradigm is cafeteria leadership, where one simply picks and chooses the leadership actions that fit one’s mood, whim, or disposition. Neither accidental nor cafeteria style paradigms are noble, elevating, or capable of producing greatness. The third and correct paradigm of leading is Heroic Leadership. A Heroic Leadership paradigm is based on a conviction that leadership is a master craft, requiring great exertion, life-long preparation, and daily devotion to self mastery. A Heroic Leader never separates one’s life from one’s leadership. To remain heroic we must constantly clean the lens, transform our eye, and re-tune our ear.

Leadership As A Journey

We refer to leadership as a journey to reinforce this core truth: Leadership is a master craft requiring lifelong development. That leadership is a journey also reminds us that true mastery will always defy instant gratification. To pursue heroic leadership, we must go through life’s test and trials, not around them. There are no menus, checklists, gimmicks, shortcuts, or killer apps we can download to achieve instant leadership mastery. And, though demanding, the journey to heroic leadership is, in the end, its own reward; it calls forth our best selves, and for the groups we lead, it provides a beacon of noble purpose to guide towards the future. The journey’s path can thus be shown, and the terrain described, but each leader must answer the call to heroic leadership and begin walking. Seen correctly, the journey is not just necessary as a means to excellence, but more importantly, the journey is the handmaiden of our character and our significance.

Transformation

There’s been much written about transformational leadership from the vantage point of how leaders transform others. A far more important viewpoint is self-transformation: How Heroic Leaders transform themselves. Self-transformation, borne of the leader’s journey, produces an authentic, centered, and wise leader. Like a diamond imbedded in coal, our heroic self is initially buried under surface level limitations, namely—our egos. And like a diamond, our heroic self will only emerge through crucible-like conditions that burn away the external layers and reveal the hidden gem. Consider this axiom: to reach the high ground of leadership, we must first endure the desert. We must leave our comfort zone, cross thresholds, endure tests, and be re-renewed in the cauldron of experience. The shaping events in our lives, properly understood, create inner conversions—a continual turning around and a letting go. Paradoxically, we must first to go inward, and then and only then–upward and outward.

Heroic Leaders are Resonant

Leadership at its core is influence, and at the core of influence is resonance. Do we resonate with those we lead or not? Consider an orchestra conductor. A great conductor—a maestro–takes a group of disparate musicians and through his artful influence, creates resonance. Resonance is perfect pitch, tone, tenor, and tempo. Beautiful music. This orchestra appears to operate as a single, seamless entity. They have moved from E Pluribus, to Unum (from many, one). Conversely, a bad conductor takes that same group of musicians and due to his lack of leadership influence, creates dissonance. Dissonance is horrible pitch, tone, tenor, and tempo. Like fingernails across a chalk board! Great leaders are maestros; they take once disparate groups—raw elements—and turn them into gold. The gold they create is reflected as unity, cohesion, and shared intent. Leaders become resonant with those they lead by consistently modeling  excellence, trustworthiness, and foremost—authenticity. So…do you resonate with your group? To know, look to the quality of the conductor. Be a maestro!

Check back next Monday for a round up of this week’s social media shares. Or check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or Pinterest to see our posts every day!

Callan … Coffee … Contemplations for the Week of February 10th

February 10, 2014 | No Comments »

Heroic Leaders Know Honor is Worth More Than Glory

Heroic Leaders know that when honor is abandoned for personal glory, convenience, instant gratification, or self-gain, that loss of honor becomes a fatal wound, seriously diminishing the leaders trustworthiness. Conversely, Heroic Leaders know that when honor is upheld during trying times, that act is galvanizing and reinforcing of the leader’s trustworthiness. When we abandon honor we descend, when we uphold honor we elevate. Seen this way, honorable behavior relies on moral courage. Moral courage reminds us of this eternal maxim: The more it costs us to defend and uphold, the more it is worth! Honor can be an inconvenient thing, as honor requires leaders to see beyond the moment, to reach beyond personal glory, to refuse the temptation of instant gratification, and avoid the well-worn path of convenience. To remind ourselves of the value of personal honor, and the necessity of moral courage in upholding our honor, we should always remember these facts:  (1) You won’t recognize honor if you don’t practice it; and (2) you can’t expect honor from others if you don’t model it yourself. Honor requires the leader to apply judgment, and in doing so, choosing elevating over descending.

Embracing the F-Word: How Leaders Use Failure as a Teacher

No matter how well prepared we are as leaders, we will occasionally fail. What defines a champion is the ability to rise off the mat and respond without losing our integrity and core purpose. We therefore must confront these truths: We learn more from failure than from success; failures will be mostly unexpected; the playing field is never level; and failure is the most direct path to truth. Leaders must embrace failure as a necessary teacher. Failure, if properly understood, can become the handmaiden of our self-mastery and of the evolving excellence of our teams. To develop an ability to bounce back from failure without losing our core purpose, leaders must cultivate resilience, hardiness, and mental toughness in their teams. Leaders cultivate these attributes by intentionally placing themselves and their teams in situations that test the limits of endurance, push past thresholds, and call forth fortitude. When leaders embrace failure in this way, we emerge from the crucible stronger, more confident, and more hardy. Such is the stuff of champions.

Fly the Middle Way: Great Leaders are Simplifiers

In Greek mythology, Icarus is told by his father to resist the urge to fly either too high or too low and instead—to fly the middle way. This myth is a great metaphor for leaders too. Great leaders learn to fly the middle way by not being susceptible to extreme lows (negativity, pessimism, cynicism) or extreme highs (untamed emotion or uncontrolled passion). As such, great  leaders take complex issues and simplify them to their core element–the “main thing.” A key way for leaders to fly the middle way is to master quiet time. Leaders must set aside quiet time every day to think and reflect, be that in a designated venue removed from work or going for a walk or run. It is in the solitude of quiet time that deep thoughts emerge…and leaders are able to move beyond the surface-level frenzy of work and clarify the “main things.” Great leaders understand that effective leadership is about focus, awareness, deep knowing, and informed action, and one can only activate these qualities by flying the middle way.

Heroic Leaders Possess Vitality and Energy

One of the foremost qualities of a heroic leader is the ability to point to a better future. In this sense, leaders are like beacons, clarifying where we are headed, why we are going there, and the ultimate end states of our actions. In this beacon-like role, leaders must consistently project vitality and energy; a confident and optimistic attitude that cuts through the fog of uncertainty and orients us toward the future. Vitality and energy are equally a mindset and a way of living. Vitality is a mindset in terms of personal paradigm—how the leader views his role as exemplar of spirited leadership. Vitality is a way of living in the sense that one adheres to a vigorous and strenuous lifestyle. Great leaders understand that an organization without energy and vitality is like a waste land, barren of purpose, spirit, and strength. To combat this waste land experience, great leaders use their personal vitality to infuse vitality in their followers, and by doing so, they bring renewed life and a
contagious optimism to the group.

Heroic Leaders Possess a Deep Wellspring of Decency

Decency is too often shunned as a core leadership virtue because it is viewed, incorrectly, as somehow being “too soft.” That is an unfortunate perception, because it is wrong. Decency is not a tactic or a technique, it is a virtue! Decency reflects our character, and flows from a deep sense of gratitude and respect. Decent leaders project civility, trustworthiness, respect, and honor in all human dealings, even when under extreme pressure or in dire conditions. Decency, like all core virtues, is “non negotiable” and does not change with situations or conditions. Instead, decency serves as a firm anchor point, buttressing us against the ever-changing winds of politics, passion, or convenience. Decency is neither soft nor weak as a leadership virtue; it is made of the most solid and sturdy substance a leader can possess: Character! We are reminded of the importance of decency in this quote attributed to Kass: “We stand most upright when we gladly bow our heads.”

Check back next Monday for a round up of this week’s social media shares. Or check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or Pinterest to see our posts every day!

Callan…Coffee…Contemplation for the Week of February 3rd

February 3, 2014 | No Comments »

Heroic Leaders Focus on Virtues

I find it compelling (and telling) that Aesop’s Fables, written by an ancient Greek who lived in the 6th
century BC, remain so relevant today. I believe Aesop’s Fables endure, even in our modern world, because Aesop wrote principally about virtues, not values. There is nothing wrong with values, per se; however, values tend to be of thinner substance than virtues. Values can be situational, relative, and easily won or abandoned. Think of it: Anyone can have values, even criminals, gangs, and despots. Virtues are sturdier because virtues require personal judgment; often require personal sacrifice and moral courage to uphold; take time to master and turn into habits; and point to timeless wisdom anchored in humanity’s most noble aspirations. By anchoring ourselves on classic virtues
such as honor, courage, service, wisdom, altruism, and merit, these virtues help form a sturdy bulwark against what Lincoln called “the silent artillery of time” and thus help us stand most upright when times get tough.

Why Ethos is the Key to Organizational Excellence

Ethos is a Greek word meaning “the essential character or spirit of a group.”  Ethos is the deep perennial knowledge and communal roots that define the spirit of a people. Ethos is what is passed from generation to generation to form a deep sense of common identity, common purpose, and common reference.  When alive and thriving, ethos provides to the group answer to these three elementary question: Who are we? What do we do? What do we stand for?  Ethos is akin to the underground root system of a tree, in that ethos is the life-blood and wellspring of the organization’s enduring  health, vitality, and resilience. When ethos is built and sustained by leaders, ethos protects the organization from living solely in a present-tense culture, allowing the organization to feel its past in the wind while confidently looking forward towards the future. Ethos is a affect image…touching hearts and souls in a deep and powerful way, and as such ethos instructs, informs, galvanizes, and reinforces cultural expectations and aspirations.

Heroic Leaders Embrace Paradox

Leadership is a master craft, and like all master crafts, gaining true excellence in leadership requires embracing paradox. Not everything about leadership is linear or simple. Heroic leaders, in mastering themselves and gaining true inner authority, have to accept and internalize leadership paradoxes such as these:

• To get, you must give
• To excel, you must release power
• To speed up, you must slow down
• To lead others, you must master yourself
• To win, you must occasionally fail
• To detect, you must reflect
• To integrate, you must disintegrate
• To get hard results, you must master soft skills
• The higher you go, the less you need to know (technically)

Heroic Leaders Avoid the Slippery Slope

Like Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey, all leaders will occasionally be lured by the siren’s call to the shores of ignoble behavior. It is tempting to follow the siren’s call and step onto the slippery slope towards our lesser ambitions, and when we do, we end up crashing on the shore and shipwrecking our integrity, our honor, and our trustworthiness. When leaders step on the slippery slope, they fall prey to these toxic mindsets and  behaviors:

• Convenience
• Instant Gratification
• Victimization
• Cynicism
• Rights without Responsibility
• Entitlement without Sacrifice

Like Odysseus before us, we must lash ourselves to the mast of moral courage, avoid the slippery slope, and chart a wiser course to uphold our integrity and our honor.

Heroic Leaders Understand the Necessity of “No”

Like the mythic Pandora, leaders often mistake success as saying “yes” to everything. And like Pandora, when leaders lift the lid of the box and say “yes” to everything, they unleash a torrent of unfocused tasks and misguided energy that results in chaos and confusion. Why do leaders often fall prey to this Pandora effect and focus on doing more and more and more? Because of the chimera of activity and business! When leaders perceive busyness, they automatically correlate that busyness to production and effectiveness, which is often the opposite of what is actually achieved. Busyness and unfocused energy creates dissipation, not focus! Heroic leaders therefore understand the necessity of saying “no.” Heroic leaders must discipline themselves, and their organization, to focus on their ethos, their core strategy, and their ultimate end states, and say “no” to things that do not align with these core purposes. Great leaders instill in themselves and their organizations a willingness to ask these crucial questions: What should we stop doing? What should we never do? In this way, leaders foster a discipline for “no” and create healthy mechanisms for removal.

Check back next Monday for a round up of this week’s social media shares. Or check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or Pinterest to see our posts every day!