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Callan…Coffee…Contemplation for the Week of December 1st
December 1, 2014 | No Comments »
Leadership Lullabies
One of the toughest tests of leadership is telling truth from fantasy, especially fantasies centered on our egos and the reputations of our groups. Over a period of time, if we lack truthful feedback mechanisms, we can become sleepwalkers—unquestioningly believing the press clippings about our personal leadership and the performance of our groups. I call this being in a state of “leadership lullabies,” because of the way we can slowly induce such illusions, and more dangerous yet, increasingly destroy any contrarian voices who may awaken us from such a dreamlike slumber. So, how do we avoid leadership lullabies? First, by developing the self-discipline and moral courage to look at our own attitude, behavior, and performance. Leaders must constantly ask themselves: Do I truly live up to the personal standards I set? Second, within our groups, leaders must create clear, candid feedback loops revealing when the real does not align with the ideal. Great leaders possess inner-discipline and moral courage to stay wide awake and, therefore, resist the siren’s call of leadership lullabies.
Reading as Action
Great leadership is the admixture of thought and action. Today, I want to reflect on the latter. Interestingly, as I’ve grown as a leader, I’ve come to view reading as a form of action. I find reading to be an intentional means to hone one’s intellect, remain curious and questioning, and develop a broad understanding of history and historical context needed for wise action. Reading is a leader’s investment in preparing for a future crossroads…a time of destiny we know will come, though we never know exactly the time, circumstances, or conditions of its arrival. Reading keeps one mentally sharp, emotionally engaged, and vitally wrestling with old assumptions and new possibilities. Moreover, reading provides a more truthful personal lens on living and leading, allowing one to possess the discernment to reduce complexity and theory down to their most basic elements. Great leaders read deeply, because they are people of action. We don’t read to go back in time; we read to bring the wisdom of deep time into us.
The Wilderness
A common theme in all heroic lives is a “wilderness” period. In mythic hero tales the wilderness was often a barren place; a desert, a vast ocean, a deep forest, or a high mountain. Understood correctly, this wilderness period in a hero’s development represented a phase of imbalance, loss, or defeat. Odysseus had wilderness periods, but so too did real heroes like Lincoln, Churchill, and Gandhi, to name a few. The wilderness appears at first to be signal defeat. But what we soon learn is the wilderness period is really a chance for conversion and rebirth into a truly great leader. The wilderness provides the crucible–the alchemic fire and pressure needed to transform the hero from the inside, out. The wilderness period is necessary for greatness; it is the essential cauldron needed to unleash the heroic Self. And the lesson for us? Whenever we find ourselves lost or adrift as leaders, we too are in the wilderness, a time of tests and trials. What we do in the wilderness, within ourselves, makes all the difference in our destiny.
Talk Without Speaking
To be a highly effective leader one must speak and do so publically. Our people need to hear us directly, in terms of our vision, ethos, and cornerstone principles of our organizations. What I constantly remind myself of, though, is this fact: Most of the time our communication is done by talking without speaking. What do I mean? Our message is most strongly conveyed through personal modeling and example setting. The greatest delivery system for our message is ourselves—the messenger. Who we are, how we live our lives, how we treat others, and the quality of our inner life are the strongest ambassadors of our message and beliefs. Moreover, how well we personally align with our message will determine, more than any other factor, whether that message is believed, accepted, and embraced by others. Leaders must model, in both action and deed, the core components of their vision, ethos, and virtue. When message and messenger are fully aligned, magic happens. When misaligned, illusion and confusion reign. Great leaders learn to talk without speaking.
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 November 24th
November 24, 2014 | No Comments »
Accidental or Intentional?
In a most basic sense, there are really only two leadership end states: Accidental or Intentional. And the same can be said for things like organizational ethos, virtues, standards, and behaviors–they will become either accidental or intentional. Think of this distinction analogous to how a vacuum gets filled: Any void will be consumed one way or another, either accidentally (bad) or intentionally (good) with a very mindful design. So what is the lesson for all leaders? We must be very mindful and intentional with those highly-discretionary elements of our leadership; things like vision, ethos, virtues, values, performance standards, and core behavioral expectations. If we constantly refresh these elements, they become intentional qualities filling the sails of our organizations like a positive and prevailing wind. Conversely, if we fail to intentionally strengthen these things we will hit a wind hole and our sails will become slack, and our ship will become adrift. Great leaders are highly intentional helmsmen who remain always mindful to fill their sails with a positive wind.
Hands or Hearts?
I am surely not the first to say this, but the most toxic, and ultimately destructive, leader-follower relationship is a transactional one. A transactional leader is one who sees people as subordinates and as assets, and thus interacts with them in a purely transactional way. I give you a dollar in pay, you give me back a dollar’s-worth of effort. Sit at your desk, do you work, go home. Repeat again the next day. A person working in this kind of wasteland experience will give to their boss, and to their company, at best only their hands. They will do just the technical and functional things asked of them, no more. Alternatively, a heroic leader, operating out of a heroic paradigm, creates transformational relationships based on common purpose, meaning, service, and a passion for excellence. Heroic leaders touch hearts before they ask for hands, for as they rightly know, it is in hearts and souls where championship performance, and greatness, reside.
What Do You Value?
Leaders must regularly ask themselves this direct question: What do I value? The places we’ll likely see the answer to this question are where, and to what ends, we invest our time and resources. Where we spend our time reveals what matters most to us. This is true of our personal and organizational values. If we value money and profit, we’ll see the preponderance of our time allocated to a bottom-line focus. If we value personal prestige, we’ll see the majority of our time and resources devoted to self-aggrandizement. I have come to believe the highest leadership value, and therefore, the greatest allocation of time and resources, should be on developing other leaders. I call this the lens of “leaders cultivating leaders.” There is no greater strategic imperative than allocating most of our time to the development and succession of emerging leaders. In such an environment, intentional acts like mentoring, coaching, succession development, and knowledge transfer become the coin of the realm. So, what do you value? Look at where, and to what ends, you allocate your time.
High, Clear, Firm
An important question for leaders to contemplate is, “What drives high performance in our people and teams?” I have come to answer this using the following model: High Expectations; Clear Goals; and Firm Accountability. First, leaders must create high expectations for leadership, performance, and behavior. With high expectations, leaders set and then constantly drive towards championship standards and elevated definitions of excellence. High expectations pull people out of their heads and into their hearts, the source of all great achievement. Second, leaders must set clear goals focusing on these cardinal points: Where are we going, and why are we going there? Clear goals allow people to focus their attention, galvanize around common purpose, and harmonize in unity of effort. This shared intentionality is the hallmark of great teams. Finally, leaders must cultivate firm accountability in their people and their organization. We must be accountable to ourselves, our teams, our ethos, and to our standards. Teams anchored on this High-Clear-Firm model will out-perform teams that are not and will flourish across time.
Reignite & Reinvent
Two essential qualities of heroic leadership are the ability to consistently reignite and reinvent. We must reignite our inner motivation, passion, and commitment for self-leadership. Over time, if we are not aware of our inner world, we become fatigued and the fire once burning brightly begins to dim. To combat this atrophy, leaders must re-stoke the flames of expert leadership through any and all measures that bring vitality, energy, optimism, and conviction. Similarly, leaders must consistently reinvent themselves and their organizations to meet ever-changing conditions. Interestingly, to effectively reinvent we must simultaneously stand firm on those non-negotiable elements (character, virtues, ethos) while agilely modifying those elements meant to be negotiable (tactics, techniques, procedures, policies). Furthermore, to reignite and reinvent, leaders must have a “beginner’s mind”—a willingness to constantly learn, explore, and question the status quo. Reignited and reinvented leaders confidently pull themselves and those they lead towards the bright headlands of a better 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 November 17th
November 17, 2014 | No Comments »
Experience It, Own It, Teach It
What is the best way to learn leadership? Experience it, own it, and then teach it. It may sound counterintuitive, but I must admit this fact: I have learned nothing of significance about leadership from studying a list of traits or a checklist of do’s and don’ts. I have, however, learned the most important leadership lessons through reflection and experience. To really learn leadership, we must solve its mysteries ourselves. These lessons cannot be handed to us; they most be discovered. And once discovered, then and only then can they be personally owned. There simply is no other way. If you doubt this, ask master craftsmen from other vocations how they learned their craft—a painter, a pianist, a dancer, a wood worker—and I am sure they will tell you the same truth of self-discovery and self-mastery. And once we’ve come to own leadership truths, the next best way to keep learning is to teach what you have learned to others. We learn best by teaching–by giving away our gold.
A Culture of Leadership
When one looks at successful organizations, it’s tempting to look at bottom-line measures of accomplishment–revenue, profit, and market share. I prefer to look at a top line measure: a culture of leadership. I look for organizations where leaders lead leaders, are dedicated to succession development and mentoring, and genuinely commit to developing one leader at a time. A culture of leadership is a talent mindset seeking to attract the best and brightest, cultivate champions, and create a life-cycle of heroic leadership. Why is a culture of leadership so essential to enduring success? Because well-honed talent, turned into self-motivated champions, truly drives a company’s success across time. It is not the bottom line, it is this top line that endures. Understood correctly, a culture of leadership should be the cornerstone of an organization’s strategy. We don’t alter or sacrifice our strategy to do this; it is our strategy! Leaders must therefore change their gaze from looking downward toward the bottom line and gaze upward to the top line by creating a culture of leadership.
Wall Art
Walk the corridors of most companies and you’ll likely find a neatly framed corporate mission statement. Most will be professionally printed, prominently displayed, and written in soaring language. The problem is, this style of mission statement is really meaningful only to the person who wrote it. For the rest it simply becomes wall art; passed by frequently as one moves up and down the corridor, but seldom read and probably never a catalyst for personal motivation. Why? Because a company’s mission only becomes motivating when it becomes personal! Leaders must therefore find creative ways to facilitate this conversion; find ways to make an abstract mission statement a personal mission. Leaders can lead this conversion by explaining the meaning of the mission to people directly, and then, create actual experiences for people to “feel” the mission. People must experience the mission to truly know and then own it. Leaders must transform their mission statements from wall art to living levers of personal motivation.
The Day After Talent
We are all born with native talents, whether we catalogue them as left-brain or right-brain, IQ, or any other intelligence category. However, as many scientific studies have confirmed, our native talent will take us only so far in leadership and life. Which begs this question: What happens the day after talent? What do leaders tap once their native talent plateaus? I believe the answer is grit. Grit is a uniquely American word born from our resilient frontier mentality that shaped the American ethos. Grit is a deep determination to not simply set challenging goals, but to see them through no matter the odds. Grit is a bone-deep toughness and tenacity—a kind of pluck—providing the backbone to remain resolute despite long odds. And let’s face it; leadership is full of long odds and daunting challenges. Grit is what we are left with once our talent has been maximized. Grit is what lets us move beyond the inevitable limitations of our talent set point. And when all else is equalized in terms of talent, it is grit that sets apart those who thrive from those who stall. Great leaders develop grit to handle the day after talent.
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 November 10th
November 10, 2014 | No Comments »
An Integrated Life
One of the critical flaws with modern leadership teaching is presenting leadership as a situational tactic, where one merely reaches into a hat to pick out a trick for the moment. What a wrong and diminished view of leading, as it turns leadership into a menu-driven tactic that can somehow be reduced to simple gimmicks. As we’ve so often reflected here, leadership is a way of life. Choosing to lead means we commit to attaining an integrated life, where who we are, how we live, and how we see, are fully aligned with how we lead. We may have many virtues and many qualities, but we should have one integrated life. As I say in many of my classes: Whom we see in the mirror when we look at ourselves should be the same person others see when they look at us. A truly authentic leader, one whom has gained self-mastery, self-awareness, and self-control, has integrity. An authentic leader is recognizable to self and to others as the same person….no schisms, no situational personas, no gimmicks. Leadership has no grab bags; leadership is a way of life.
One Stone at a Time
On a recent trip back home to Boston, I was reminded of the many stone walls adorning the area. These stone walls, though serving a functional purpose, are also great reflections of craftsmanship, built with great care, one stone at a time. And what a great metaphor for heroic leadership and team building, because leaders are much like master wall builders. First, we must master ourselves and our craft. The quality of the wall will be determined, in its purest sense, by the mastery of the wall builder. The same is true of leadership; our affect will be most determined by our inner mastery—the richness of our interior life and the integrity of our inner world. Moreover, to build a truly enduring wall, each stone must be placed precisely, with consideration to itself and the other stones around it. And so it is with developing other leaders and cultivating our groups: One student at a time; one lesson at a time; one year at a time; one generation at a time. Great walls are built one stone at a time until they emerge as great structures. Likewise, great teams are built one person at a time, until they emerge as unified champions.
Heroic Ambition
In our modern world, ambition often carries a negative connotation. Why? Because too often one’s ambition is aimed only at personal gain. However, there is a positive interpretation, what I call heroic ambition, that is a prized virtue and also necessary to reach peak achievement. By heroic ambition I mean elevating desire; a purposeful intention and passionate commitment to something greater than self, something true and right, and something uplifting. The magnitude of ambition is not the defining issue; it is the quality of ambition that is crucial. Heroic ambition forces us to move out of our heads and into our hearts, the source of all great transformation and vitality. Likewise, heroic ambition aligns us, and those we lead, with deep wellsprings of meaning and purpose. When we know the “why” in any endeavor, as the saying goes, we can withstand any what. Leaders, when anchored in heroic ambition, become beacons for those they lead. This is why there is really no greater question to ask oneself than this: To what do I devote my full measure?
Leadership Potential
Nature or nurture? This question arises constantly as people seek an answer to possibly the oldest and most vexing question about personal leadership: Are leaders born or made and can everyone be a great leader? The quaint and politically correct answer is yes, we are all born leaders and we can all be great. The truthful answer is no, not everyone is born to be a great leader. But here’s the important point: We all have leadership potential than can be cultivated and improved. In my view, whether or not we become “great” misses the point. What is far more important is that we teach everyone to see themselves as a leader, and learn to see the world, and act in the world, as a leader does. Everyone has leadership potential. The acme of heroic leadership is to see and then release potential in others. The correct prism of development we must always retain is this: one leader at a time, one day at a time, leader after leader, day after day. There simply is no other way. The ultimate test of a leader and committed mentor is to unlock the latent potential in others.
The Turn
A hard truth all leaders must accept is, initially, people have not yet decided to willingly follow you. Yes, you may carry certain authority and power related to your rank or position, but these external trappings alone will not entice followers to willingly give their best. All followers begin in terms of psychological disposition as subordinates. Their psychological posture is akin to backs turned to the leader—facing away. They are waiting for the leader to resonate and do so in a way that naturally invites them to turn around, face the leader, and then give their full measure. Leaders must “lead the turn.” And how can we best do this? By seeing people not as subordinates, but as leaders! We must embrace a culture of “leaders leading leaders”—to generate this psychological turn and move people along a development continuum that begins as subordinates but then moves to follower, member, and then leader. If we lower our gaze to leaders leading subordinates, we get mediocrity. When we elevate our gaze to a paradigm of leaders leading leaders, we release excellence and discover the realm of champions.
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 November 3rd
November 3, 2014 | No Comments »
It’s Personal
I often here the phrase “it isn’t personal” when listening to people talk about work, projects, goals, or company missions. Though I appreciate these comments trying to distinguish work and individual impulses, I think we are missing a key fact of leading and following, which is this: Nothing is motivating until it is deeply personal. There are many beautifully written mission statements adorning the walls of corporate headquarters everywhere, but I doubt a single one of them, in itself, inspired individuals to wholeheartedly give their best. It is not until the company’s mission becomes a personal mission that this conversion occurs. It is not until the ethos and purpose of the company becomes a personal conviction that motivation, passion, and real ambition are released. Leaders must cultivate this conversion by enabling the general mission to become a personal mission. I believe this conversion takes place slowly, built on painstakingly-laid foundations of trust, meaning, high purpose, and high standards. So yes; leading, and the choice to be a champion, is very personal.
Restlessness
Though leaders seek to gain balance in their lives, the reality is, great leadership requires times of restlessness and imbalance. Why so? Because great leadership demands unquenchable curiosity driving us always to do something more. This restlessness is not only healthy, but necessary for elevating leadership and organizational excellence. Restlessness is what keeps leaders attuned to change, but equally, always pointed towards the future. Great leaders have a natural questioning in which they constantly test the status quo and consistently challenge dogma and ideology. They value truth over ego, and excellence over the bottom line. I like to think of great leaders assuming the posture of an Olympic sprinter in the starting blocks awaiting the starter’s gun. They touch the ground with their hands to remind them of the non-negotiable center of their character and ethos, but simultaneously, they are poised like a catapult to move into action and engage an uncertain future. This restlessness keeps them coiled like a spring—pointed toward the future–always dedicated to above-and-beyond excellence.
A Daily Choice
Part of the reason I pen these reflections is to remind myself that leadership is a daily choice. Yes, we must develop an enduring leadership paradigm to guide us over the long term. But the more pressing reality is we wake each day with a choice to make; to lead or not lead. And more importantly—we choose the quality of our leadership response to even the smallest of things. Yes–leadership is a choice. We must start each day with a kind of personal huddle; a brief pit stop before we rush into each day, where we can center ourselves and remind ourselves of our capacity for heroic leadership that day. Great leadership is not just one’s capacity to respond to a momentous occasion; rather, it is an intentional choice to live our life heroically, in even the smallest opportunity provided. Heroic leadership is a mindset—a conscious approach to life. The important thing in leading is not the magnitude of the opportunity, but rather, the quality and consistency of our response. Every day, we face this choice. Every day, we must answer. In the end, this daily choice makes all the difference.
Creative Tension
Contemplate innovation for a moment. Do you believe great creativity comes mostly from thinking outside the box? I did too, until I reflected more deeply on the nature of explosive change and further examined the alchemy behind ingenuity. What I now believe is this: Innovation occurs best in a place of creative tension, where leaders can accommodate both a non-negotiable core and radical change. It seems to me any great revolution or breakthrough comes when leaders can, on the one hand, stand firm on the non-changing core of their organization (ethos) while simultaneously embracing an openness to change (tactics or techniques). We have to stand firm on perennially significant elements like ethos while accepting a kind of indifference to those things that must, and can, change. The more I study how great leaders navigate the roiling waters of change, the more I am certain the ability to hold oneself in creative tension between non-negotiables and negotiables is the key to innovation. Peak performance and true ingenuity break forth only when the two are combined.
Surviving Versus Thriving
I believe all organizations—companies, teams, militaries, non-profits—exist on a continuum ranging from surviving to thriving. At any time, an organization can move left or right on that continuum. There is no guarantee a currently thriving organization will stay at peak performance. Similarly, there is no reason a merely surviving organization cannot, through revitalized leadership, re-emerge as a thriving enterprise. In my study of history, and in my personal experience, I believe bad things happen when we start to confuse leadership with surviving. The slippery slope to a survival mindset begins when leaders get comfortable with the status quo, embrace self interest, and worship stale dogmas, static ideologies, and group think. When leaders embrace a survival mindset, heroic impulses die and heroic leadership vanishes. When organizations focus on surviving, elevating purposes get replaced by personal greed and covering one’s backside. Great leaders never confuse leadership with surviving, and thus, they keep themselves and their people thriving.
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 October 27th
October 27, 2014 | No Comments »
An Invitation
Today I am reflecting on this question: What inspires someone to willingly sacrifice to be great… to be a true champion? I believe the answer is not found in material gain, status, or prestige; those things are all false promises. I believe mastery of any form, be that in leadership, athletics, parenting, teaching, etc., is initially perceived as an invitation to excellence. Motivation is deeply personal; the levers of motivation are inside us. No one willingly chooses to seek perfection simply for a company’s mission statement or set of abstract organizational values. They do, however, seek perfection when those larger purposes become personal purposes. The decision to respond to the invitation to excellence is deeply personal. No one can will us to seek excellence; each of us must be willing to accept the invitation, make the company’s goal our personal goal, and then turn that invitation into inner motivation. The question all leaders must ask, therefore, is this: Do we offer our people the invitation to excellence, and if we do, is it worthy of them accepting?
Immersion
When I reflect on how we learn leadership today, I think a common mistake is to take an outside view; as if we stood external to a concept and looked into it. That has never worked for me. To truly learn leadership, like any master craft, we have to immerse ourselves in it, feel it, and experience it from an inside perspective. When we study great historical leaders, we can immerse ourselves in their experiences and empathize what it was like to navigate their tests, trials, and challenges. We don’t copy them; we learn through immersing ourselves in the feeling of the experience, wrestle with the truths of the experience, and force ourselves to appropriate the truth for ourselves. Likewise, when we reflect and contemplate our own leadership experiences, we re-immerse ourselves into the moment just passed, and if done with moral courage, we likewise mine gold in terms of lessons learned and inner growth. When we immerse ourselves in leadership experience, we actually deconstruct ourselves so we can re-emerge stronger, wiser, and more self-aware.
Discovery
In the past, I have reflected on the nature of motivation, and my firm belief the levers of motivation are on the inside of us, not outside. Too often, we make the mistake of thinking we can motivate others. The truth is, we can only motivate ourselves, and then through our example, hope to inspire others to find their own inner fire. I always try to remember this fact: No mission, no vocation, no job, is motivating until it is personal. I believe this insight is important because it reminds us people are most inspired, and most energized, by what they discover themselves rather than what we discover for them. Again…the levers of motivation are inside us! The leadership lesson is to help guide others to the prize of self-discovery, not give it to them. Leaders metaphorically point to the gem in the ground, and let others dig to discover the reward on a very personal level. In my own leadership experience, this form of self-discovery, this digging for my own leadership gold, has been the highest form of motivation, and likewise, the highest form of growth.
From Disorder to Order
Why is the pursuit of self-mastery the most important requirement for heroic leadership? Because self-mastery, like the champion archer’s stance, is the only way to ensure the arrows of our leadership affect most consistently arrive at the bulls eye of our intent. When we focus on self-mastery and self-discipline, we are in truth moving ourselves from disorder to order. If we don’t consistently allocate intentional time and energy to self-mastery, through reflection, practice, preparation—then we truly never confront ourselves in any real way. Consider this image: Self-reflection and self-mastery are like going outside your warm home every day to jump into ice-cold water. We need the regular shock of honest self-reflection to candidly see our inner disorder, and then, to discern the path to better ordering our lives. We must build these solid inner foundations—a trustworthy inner authority—before we can effectively lead others. We must willingly jump into the ice-cold water of self-mastery to transform ourselves from disorder to order.
Catalyst
At its core, leadership is influence. And much like an chemical reaction, a leader serves as a catalyst for action and behavior. There are always present the raw material to be catalyzed; things like mood, behavior, perspective, attitude, character, ambition, and vision. These raw elements lie somewhat dormant, awaiting the right catalyst to ignite them, and transform them, into purposeful intention. That is leadership, and that is the role of leading. This is why I have long used the image of the ancient Alchemist as a metaphor for heroic leadership. Like the Alchemist, great leaders are always in the lab, perfecting their craft, striving for mastery, and honing their ability to transform raw elements into gold. The craft is never quite finished, nor the goal line ever quite reached. The virtue is in pursuit of mastery. Every day, in even the smallest things, exist opportunities for leaders to serve as catalysts; to be the positive spark igniting once dormant potential into thriving possibility. The raw elements are ever-present. But it is a daily choice for leaders to catalyze them into gold.
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 October 20th
October 20, 2014 | 1 Comment »
Fortitude
That great leadership is the by-product of a life-long journey is most prominently illustrated in the study of history. If one studies the life of any truly significant leader from the past, it becomes clear their individual journey was not only necessary in forging who they ultimately became, but more so, the journey was their destiny. Washington, Lincoln, FDR, Gandhi, King—these great leaders are revered less for what they actually discovered at the end of their personal journey and more for the quality and texture of their character sustaining them through their trials. The common thread, it seems to me, the element allowing each to not only survive the crucible but to emerge stronger and more vital, was fortitude. Their ingenuity, hardiness, grit, and perseverance became the sturdy stock allowing they to risk greatly, and to bear with dignity the very real chance of complete failure. What we discover as leaders is the journey, understood correctly, is the necessary handmaiden of our destiny. And it is our fortitude, keeping us resolutely on the path, which defines who we become and to what purpose we devote our life’s energy.
Students of Leadership
A necessary means to stay vital as a leader is to be a life-long student of leadership. The necessity of learning is bound to the fact that leadership is a master craft, and like other master craftsman, we too must constantly hone and perfect our craft. Learning provides a depth and texture to the student as we are availed to broader horizons, better questions, and more vexing challenges forcing us to wrestle with these issues and then appropriate the truths of leadership ourselves. And though it is admittedly important to learn the facts of leadership, an equal, if not more important, gain is what we absorb via the process of learning, which is: self discipline and conviction. When we commit to life-long learning, and purposely apportion time for study and reflection, we are in fact building the muscles of discipline and conviction within our character. And with these traits, when we step into the arena of actual leadership, we will find the inner strength to see challenges through to their necessary end.
No Game Seven Heroics
We often make the mistake of thinking great leadership only comes at momentous occasions like epic battles, tide-turning decisions, or game seven magic. The reality is, most of us will not be called to lead on the national stage or under the bright lights. Our game seven will be played each day far from the big stage and our moments of leadership affect will be drawn through a life devoted to making small things better. But we should never underestimate the real leadership gold embedded in ordinary opportunities. History teaches us it is often the diligent work of dedicated leaders, far removed from the grand stage but making subtle differences, who gradually bend the arc of history and bring about needed change. We can never predict the challenge to be laid before us, the timing of its arrival, or the extent of its value. Instead, we must trust that right action is necessary, in any place and any time, and then trust that our actions, our purposes, and our aspirations have value. We may never pitch in the ninth inning of game seven, but we can always be on the field contributing, where ever the ball is hit.
Deep End of the Pool
A great question leaders should ask is, “What draws people to your organization?” The answer to this will reveal a lot about who we are. What I discovered from my life-changing experience as a US Marine is this fact of talent: Self-motivated people are highly attracted to organizations with a reputation for high standards, elite performance, selectivity, and world-class results. Champions want to swim in the deep end of the pool. Highly motivated people, those with a deep inner drive to excel and be part of greatness, are drawn to highest standards of excellence. Yes, these high standards are much more challenging and difficult, but that is exactly what attracts champions. Too often, organizations reduce standards in an effort to find more people. Great organizations never step on that slippery slope. Leaders must protect their reputation of excellence as a unassailable, non-negotiable cornerstone, for in the long run it is this elite reputation that, like a beacon, draws the best and brightest to you. Champions seek the deep end of the pool.
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 October 14th
October 14, 2014 | No Comments »
Bound & Energized
I believe camaraderie to be the cardinal measure of a group’s enduring excellence. True camaraderie is incredibly hard to cultivate, yet when leaders produce it–the team is unbeatable. I think of camaraderie like mortar binding bricks in a strong wall; it is the element that at once acknowledges the individual component (brick) while honoring the collective purpose (wall). Camaraderie, therefore, is that magical elixir that bounds and energizes champions. When leaders effectively cultivate camaraderie in their groups they bring forth an environment rich in mutual affection, loyalty, and support. Teams become champions when the whole group values and trusts each other. Likewise, individuals become stellar when they similarly share these bonds of trust and respect. Camaraderie is deep mutual affection arising from only two sources: fraternal love and common sacrifice. Why? Because it is only these two things that transform and convert us, and then—elevate us from good to great.
Living at the Double Time
In the military, the command to move from a standard marching pace to a jog is “double time.” Picture the image of a person with one foot planted on the ground and the other foot raised as the jog begins. This is a good analogy of how leaders balance non-negotiables and negotiables. Our one foot planted on the ground represents the non-negotiables– those elements of our personal character and group ethos that should never change regardless of time, situation, or circumstance (e.g., honor, trustworthiness, courage, and cornerstone principles). Non-negotiables are solid touchstones anchoring us in virtuous behavior and collective fortitude. The one foot raised represents the negotiables—those things we should and must alter in response to change (e.g., policies, procedures, processes, techniques, tactics). Our one foot raised keeps us from falling pray to status quo mindsets. Great leaders, and championship teams, are able to masterfully balance non-negotiables and negotiables, and therefore, they confidently run at the double time into a changing future while still feeling their traditions in the wind.
Opportunity
Leaders can make the mistake of waiting for grand opportunities to arise and come to them before they unleash their motivation. What great leaders do is the opposite; they see every opportunity, even small ones, as a potential to mine gold. The former is passive and reactionary—like waiting to be handed the golden fleece. The latter is vital and energized, like going to find the golden fleece in even the most unlikely source. The leadership principle this distinction reveals is the nature of motivation. What leaders must never forget is the levers of motivation are inside of us, not outside. Great leaders are self motivated; they don’t wait for opportunity to find them, they move forward with vitality to find the gem hidden in each opportunity. I believe great leaders seize opportunity because they have great inquisitiveness and unquenchable discovery in their nature and they believe, at their core, there is “always something more” to be known and to be done. We must always dedicate ourselves to seeking the golden opportunity, not waiting for it to find us.
Twice Born
I read a quote the other day that said, “All great leaders are twice born.” How true! In my leadership teaching I often use imagery of classic heroes and hero tales, told via the construct of a heroic journey. What is important in this delivery, and the use of this heroic prism, is the realization that heroic ability is a second act—usually the by-product of many tests, trials, and challenges. Who we are initially, often a limited version of ourselves, must be transformed via some crucible. If not, we remain a prisoner to our ego and our small-minded, private, and selfish world. However, if we stay true to a heroic path and endure the cauldron of experience, we are forced to first move inward and convert ourselves, and then reemerge stronger and wiser to reenter the arena and lead more effectively. We become, in this sense, twice born. Study any truly significant leader, one who has truly stood the test of time, and you will find this conversion element in their biography and clearly see these periods of heroic rebirth and transformation. We don’t inherit great leadership ability; we forge it via the crucible of the journey.
C2
Camaraderie and companionship. I use these two words a lot when reflecting on winning cultures and championship environments. Too often, when trying to determine the difference between good and great, we look solely for tangible discriminators. I think it’s often the more mysterious intangible factors that elevate teams from good to great. Camaraderie and companionship—what I call C2– are two such intangible peak-performance factors. Teams imbued with C2 have deep mutual affection and bone-deep trust making them extremely confident, resilient, and unified. But here’s the important part: If we know that C2 is necessary to produce excellence, why do so few companies produce C2? Why in our modern society do we seem to be losing the conviction that companies should be, and can be, groups of great friends? It is no mere coincidence that the words company and companion share the same root. Leaders must reawaken heroic ambition within their groups and intentionally cultivate deep companionship and mutual regard to ensure camaraderie is not an antiquated concept in the modern workplace.
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Callan…Coffee…Contemplation for the Week of October 6th
October 6, 2014 | No Comments »
Personal and Public
Leadership is an art. One of the finer points of this art is one’s ability to balance personal and public needs. On the one hand leaders must make their leadership resonate with each individual, attuned to the needs of the individual. Leaders do this by cultivating deep, trustworthy, and highly textured relationships with their people–knowing their fears and aspirations; goals and barriers; hopes and anxieties. On the other hand, leaders must make their leadership resonate with the group as a collective entity—what we might call the public face of leadership. I believe all groups have an intrinsic, almost DNA-level need to be part of a great enterprise, a heroic purpose, and a grand ambition. Groups need to feel infused with common purpose and deep meaning to lift them above the tyranny of small private worlds and into something that is magnificent. Groups want high stakes and great challenges, as long as the leader can define those larger purposes with meaning and clarity. Leaders must master the art of leadership and make their leadership both personal and public.
A Creative Redoubt
Leaders need to find purposeful solitude; a trustworthy place for reflection, contemplation, and quiet time allowing better questions and wiser answers to arise. I think of this place of solitude as a creative redoubt—a place were a leader goes to refresh, regain vitality, reawaken purpose, and rekindle heroic ambition. The forms of a creative redoubt are many—a quit room, a long walk, travel to a distant land, the wilderness. The key is to find a place where the normal busyness and chaos of work-a-day life are removed and one feels totally detached. This is what, in past societies was thought of as a retreat; an apt name as one truly does need to retreat occasionally from the world of doing to the realm of thinking. We need a fortress of solitude. Most great leaders I have studied have discovered this vital habit–Thomas Jefferson, Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill to name a few. Truly, each were men fully engaged in the arena, yet they also understood the need to exit the arena to regain balance and vitality.
Distilling Complexity Into Clarity
A vital thing leaders must do is provide a clear and energizing vision of our future end state. In this role leaders must be both idealist and pragmatist–providing us both the dream and the roadmap. Leaders must learn to distill complexity into clarity and provide followers a clear and understandable message touching our hearts and minds. When leaders effectively distill complexity into clarity they galvanize their followers into a great collective impulse—a single intentionality–resulting in unity of purpose and a willingness to sacrifice against great odds. When leaders fail to distill complexity into clarity, they imprison themselves and their followers in the widening gyre of confusion, despair, and fractured relations. Where the former is a kind of high ground of peak experience and flow, the latter is a form of barren waste land characterized by atrophy and stagnation. It’s therefore a leader’s obligation to move us to the high ground; to distill complexity into clarity and create a future end state we cannot only believe in, but more so, readily devote our hearts and minds in getting there.
One Leader at a Time
Today I am contemplating this question: “How does one make their organization better?” There are many possible answers such as good strategy, effective marketing, new technology, increase in market share, better benefits, etc. However, as I reflect on this question I keep coming back to this simple yet powerful answer: Make your individual leaders better! I firmly believe a commitment to grooming and cultivating a “culture of leadership,” one leader at a time, is the surest route to excellence. Though this may seem trite, I deeply believe in this truth to the extent that for me it has become axiomatic: When we develop great leaders, all other problems take care of themselves. We should therefore set our focus on attracting the best talent, and once on board, committing to intentional and long-term mentoring with the objective of creating a culture of leadership. Leaders creating leaders. There simply is no shortcut to excellence. Each day, day after day, one leader at a time.
Themes
What are the themes animating your group? This is a great question on which to reflect, for the answer to this question can reveal much about who we are, to what we aspire, and the nature of our vocation. I believe all truly excellent organizations–sports teams, companies, military organizations, or even societies–have foundational themes that animate them, inspire them, galvanize them, and fortify them. These themes infuse their work with deep meaning, purpose, and conviction. For example, as a US Marine, we were animated by ethos-driven themes like fidelity, honor, courage, and commitment, and a cultural austerity that engendered bone-deep readiness, hardiness and resiliency. These themes were neither technical nor functional; they were a form of perennial knowledge—an esprit de corps—catalyzing companionship, common sacrifice, and indefatigable energy. I believe every leader should pause occasionally, contemplate this question, and determine what themes animate your company. Leaders must discover those themes and bring them to life within their groups.
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Callan…Coffee…Contemplation for the Week of September 29th
September 29, 2014 | No Comments »
The Virtue of Vigor
Vitality is a rare but oh-so-essential quality for leaders and groups alike. Vitality is one of those attributes hard to precisely define, but like other forms of excellence, you know it when you see it. And I believe vitality, as both a personal and organizational characteristic, is born of a vigorous lifestyle. By vigorous I mean heartily optimistic and physically active. I have long believed in the virtue of exercise and physical exertion because I believe a vigorous lifestyle and a vigorous body helps create and maintain a vigorous mind. I find physical activity to be the furnace producing health, hardiness, energy, zeal, enthusiasm, and endurance. And let’s be honest; what leader or group does not prize, and need, these qualities? A vital leader, modeling a vigorous lifestyle, vitalizes all. The dynamism of a vigorous leader is contagious, bolstering all in good times and in bad. In our modern world, growing increasingly sedentary and brittle, it is wise to reawaken the virtue of vigor and the necessity of a vigorous life.
Bending the Arc of History
There’s a tendency to catalogue leaders into two basic groups–either visionaries and pragmatists. That there are such basic dichotomies is true, however, great leaders, the truly significant ones, are neither just dreamers nor just doers. Great leaders are able to see a necessary future, articulate a grand aspiration, yet still summon the internal will to move the levers of influence and remain resolute in execution. Great leaders understand the criticality of balancing inspiration and perspiration; of dreaming big but executing in small, disciplined steps. This agile capability is what enables great leaders to navigate the tension between the ideal and the real, and while honoring both, they resist being dogmatic to either. Great leaders understand the power of an elevating vision—a clear sense of where we are going and why it is worth our collective sacrifice to get there. But they also understand dreams become real only when they are courageous enough, in execution, to dare bend the arc of history towards their end state.
Perennial Significance
A common question I’m asked is, “How do you define great leaders?” My answer is, perennial significance. Today, we mistakenly equate leadership excellence to success; things like rank, position, salary, perks, acclaim, etc. A truer metric for leadership greatness is perennial significance. Think of this distinction using a gardening analogy. A merely successful leader is like an annual plant–blooming and exerting influence once and during a single, tactical lifecycle. Good, yes; but no enduring impact. A significant leader is like a perennial plant–blooming year after year and influencing multiple generations in an enduring lifecycle. Examples of perennially significant leaders would be Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Gandhi, to name just a few. Each was able to think globally, to understand the crucial need of their time, and yet act locally. Their residue, however, continues to bloom even to this day. The question we must therefore ask ourselves is this: What seeds of perennial excellence am I sowing for the enduring benefit of others?
Regulate
In past reflections I’ve commented on the need for leaders to regulate their own behavior through self-awareness and executive control. I believe the same is also true of groups, be they societies, companies, or teams. The degree to which a group can achieve and maintain excellence is very much a reflection on the character and quality of the group as a collective entity. The American founders understood this clearly; the ability to govern and aspire towards democratic ideals was, for better or worse, largely determined by the character, temperance, resilience and fortitude, and responsibility of the masses. This crucial point is important for us to remember today, because, as classic wisdom revealed long ago–we cannot truly legislate group behavior, we can only strive to regulate it. And how do we best regulate our groups’ behavior? Through setting and modeling high standards; establishing healthy expectations, and nurturing a deep respect for virtue and honor. And then, and most importantly—holding ourselves accountable.
Character and Conviction
Two questions I am most often asked are, “What makes a great leader?” and “Who are examples of great leaders?” These are natural questions in the study of leadership; however, the answers we often see are superficial examinations resulting in crude checklists of traits and attributes. Great leaders, I find, are often like classic Greek heroes–a paradoxical admixture of strength and weakness; genius and pragmatism; success and failure; ups and downs. But in managing these strengths and weaknesses, in navigating the labyrinth and enduring the crucible, their greatness is slowly cultivated and revealed. Therefore, I find a better approach to studying great leadership is to reflect on historical examples and do so from this prism: character and convictions. I believe we see most clearly a leader’s excellence reflected in their character and convictions born of their struggle and ultimate triumph. Who they became (inner authority and self-mastery) and to what high purposes they aspired (heroic ambition) came via the crucible, not by avoiding it. We cannot copy them, but we can understand the journey.
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