Callan…Coffee…Contemplation for the Week of December 22nd
Collateral Benefit or Collateral Damage?
Leadership is influence. The moment one walks into a room with other people, a leadership affect is rendered. The only question at that moment is: What affect? Leaders will, as a function of their self-mastery or lack thereof, create either collateral benefit or collateral damage. Reflect for a moment on great leaders you’ve known. Whenever they moved into leadership action, regardless of circumstance or condition, their affect was always collateral benefit; they made others better and made situations better. Alternatively, think of weak leaders you’ve known. When they enter the exact same room and engage the same people, the affect is collateral damage; people are diminished, the situation becomes worse, the atmosphere becomes toxic, and the future becomes bleak. Great leaders, by virtue of self-mastery, self-regulation, and self-control, consistently create collateral benefit.
Window Dressing
In assessing performance, both personal and organizational, it is tempting for leaders to believe their press clippings instead of honest truths. We can fall prey to “window dressing:” Fancy pretenses that, on the surface, look and feel fine, but upon closer examination, are mere facades to the reality lurking under the surface. Window dressing takes many forms. Individually, leaders can adorn themselves with ornate titles, swank offices, and luxury perks. Organizationally, window dressing manifests as slick advertisements, bloated mission statements, and luxurious equipment. So, what is the problem with window dressing? It almost always operates at the detriment of our integrity—personally and organizationally. Great leaders shun window dressing and focus instead on the window—built on foundational excellence and professional simplicity.
How Leaders Grow
How do leaders grow? I cannot think of a better answer than this: Leaders grow whenever they are thrown outside their current terms of reference and learn to adapt. When we are in our comfort zone of known rhythms and known conditions we settle into leadership auto-pilot. In this comfortable zone our leadership can, and almost always will, plateau. In my life, all of my leadership growth spurts came whenever I was thrown off balance. Life has a way of nudging us out of our comfort zones, calling us to leave home, and it is often these periods of imbalance that become the crucibles hot enough to convert us. When we are thrown outside our known references we are like the aspiring swimmer thrown suddenly into the deep end of the pool; we must grow to first survive, and then, thrive. Leadership development is constant movement between known and unknown. And it is in the unknown, where all reference points are lost and our comfort zone is broken, where we often transform and grow the most.
The Need to be Seen and Heard
Recently I saw a classic photograph of Winston Churchill from WWII. The photo showed him standing atop a pile of rubble during the height of the Nazi blitz on London, surveying the scene with his jaw jutted forward in defiance, cigar clamped tight in his mouth, and his eyes trained forward with resolution. This photo reminded me of this timeless truth: Leaders need to be seen and heard. Most of us will never find ourselves on Churchill’s grand stage. But all leaders, regardless of circumstance, must communicate with those they lead in a way that clarifies, inspires, reassures, and reminds. Real leadership communication cannot be done virtually via email or proxy. Leadership is an affect, and the affect we seek is positive influence. To create unity, momentum, resolve, and esprit, leaders must emerge regularly from their private dwelling, much like Churchill did every day, gather physically with those they lead, and be seen and heard. Yes, Sir; being there matters!
The Unyielding Strength of Dreams
A key quality distinguishing great leaders from average ones is their ability to create a compelling vision: Who we are, where we are headed, and why it is important we go there. Leadership vision is admittedly pure art, and yes, some people are born with this ability, but we all learn to discipline ourselves to become better at this vital capability. Why is vision important? Because of the unyielding strength of dreams! When groups galvanize around a collective dream of who we can become, there is a magic in that alchemy, and it is that magic that defines champions. Reflect for a moment on great champions; sports dynasties, long-enduring Fortune 500 companies, great civilizations or cultures. What they all shared in common, the real catalyst of their supreme excellence–was a dream of what they could become. And the genesis of that collective dream was a leader’s vision from the coach, the CEO, or the Head of State. Think here of John Wooden and his UCLA dynasty as but one example. The “Wizard of Westwood” had a vision of greatness, not merely X’s and O’s. He understood the strength of dreams.
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