LEADERSHIP

ExcellenceTHE MAGAZINE OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, MANAGERIAL EFFECTIVENESS, AND ORGANIZATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY This issue sponsored by

JUNE 2008

Go for the Gold Tough Calls How to Play Office Politics

Noel Tichy RealReal InnovationInnovation Leadership Consultant

“Leadership Excellence is an exceptional way to learn and then apply the best and latest ideas in the field of leadership.” —WARREN BENNIS, AUTHOR AND USC PROFESSOR OF MANAGEMENT w w w . L e a d e r E x c e l . c o m LEADERSHIP

THE MAGAZINE OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, MANAGERIAL EFFECTIVENESS, AND ORGANIZATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY VOL.Excellence 25 NO. 6 JUNE 2008

Bear Clings to Coat-tails?

Many leaders ignore problems in the hope that they will fade away, but when a bear market or big problem is attached to your very coat-tails, you may then need to face the facts and take drastic survival measures.

NOEL TICHY AND BRAD BIRD MALCOLM GLADWELL Go for the Gold WARREN BENNIS Real Innovation Haphazard Hiring Get in shape for the Making Tough Calls You need to create a Most job interviews business olympics ...... 16 Use mental frameworks creative culture ...... 7 are minefields ...... 12 to guide judgment ...... 3 AMY KATES ALAN BRACHE MARSHALL GOLDSMITH Leadership Roles MICHAEL A. GENOVESE Innovation Check-Up Mission Control Design jobs to provide AND THOMAS E. CRONIN Assess your health Clarify your goals and needed development ‘Lead Me Alone’ on nine variables...... 8 your purpose...... 13 experiences ...... 17 Leadership is replete with paradoxes ...... 4 DAVID COTTRELL STEVEN BARRY RALPH JACOBSON Energy = mc2 Corporate Gravity Mobilizing Talent RAM CHARAN AND Learn a simple lesson You can escape its Four leadership actions A.G. LAFLEY from Einstein ...... 9 powerful pull ...... 14 get people’s attention . . .18 Innovation Myths Debunk the myths and MITCH DITKOFF ADRIAN GOSTICK AND MONICA WOFFORD change the game...... 5 Creativity SCOTT CHRISTOPHER Office Politics Set the preconditions Light Leadership You can play and win even LES WALLACE AND for creativity ...... 10 When you lighten up, when you can’t vote . . . .19 JAMES TRINKA you get more done . . . . .15 High-Impact Leaders TERRY BACON KENNY MOORE You don’t need to wait Balanced Leaders EDDIE ERLANDSON, Leadership Development for permission to start Assess your balance and KATE LUDEMAN AND You may think that it’s having impact...... 6 dark-side tendencies . . . .11 CATHERINE LUDEMAN-HALL all a lot of hooey...... 20 Subscription and Renewal Rates: $129 annual (12 issues) ...... $199 two years (24 issues) E D I T O R’S N O T E $279 three years (36 issues) (Canadian/foreign add $40 U.S. postage per year.)

Corporate Bulk Rates (to same address) Leadership Development $109 each for 6 to 25 $99 each for 26 to 99 Call for rates on more than 100 copies: Share your teachable point of view. 1-877-250-1983 Back Issues: $10.00 each Fax (one article): $8.00 build on strengths and dare the difficult. Leadership Excellence (ISSN 8756-2308), pub- by Ken Shelton lished monthly by Executive Excellence Publishing, 1806 North 1120 West, Provo, UT 84604. Excellence in Learning Article Reprints: T THE LINKAGE ORGAN- This month, we are introducing 12 new For reprints of 100 or more, please contact the izational Development learning modules as part of our Excellence in editorial department at 801-375-4060 or send A email to [email protected]. Summit in Chicago on May E-Learning initiative. To create a better 14, Noel Tichy invited me to share my learning experience for online train- Internet Address: http://www.eep.com “teachable point of view” on leader- ing, we are partnering with Proton Editorial Purpose: ship. I said, “Leadership is first and Communications and their innova- Our mission is to promote personal and organi- zational leadership based on constructive values, foremost about having followers, and tive Learning Management System, sound ethics, and timeless principles. that suggests having something—a branded ProLearn, to enable you to Editorial: vision, mission, purpose, direction, easily access and manage great con- All correspondence, articles, letters, and requests product, personality, brand, promise, tent online while tracking learner to reprint articles should be sent to: Editorial Department, Executive Excellence, 1806 North or resource—that attracts people and progress. Our Leadership Learning 1120 West, Provo, Utah 84604; 801-375-4060, or Noel Tichy engages them, day by day, in a Modules are designed as online [email protected] meaningful, win-win exchange of time, tal- courses with audio, text, illustration, inter- Contributing Editors: Chip Bell, Dianna Booher, Kevin Cashman, ent, and money and engenders loyalty and action, and tests. These modules can be eas- Jim Loehr, Norm Smallwood, Joel Barker, Joseph trust.” ily integrated into training programs as a Grenny, Jim Kouzes

I then challenged my learning group to blended solution or as a primary source for Executive Excellence Publishing: develop and share their teachable POV on online training, education, and certification. Ken Shelton, Editor-in-Chief, CEO Trent Price, General Manager leadership development. We came up with To sample a learning module, visit Rob Kennedy, Business Manager this: “A program or process that prepares www.LeaderExcel.com. Nancy Low, Marketing Director Geoff Pace, Sales Manager and develops people to accept more respon- Sarah Hayes, Circulation Manager sibility, often a sense of ownership associat- Best Programs and Practices The table of contents art is a detail from ed with a company, position or project, and We again invite your nominations and Lawrence and the Bear (image cropped) © James achieve results that are valued by the stake- submissions for our annual listing of Best Christensen, and is courtesy of the artist and holders in ways that build relationships and Leadership Development Programs (visit art print publisher Greenwich Workshop. make wise use of resources.” www.LeaderExcel.com to access last year’s For additional information on artwork by James Christensen, please contact: I likewise encourage you to develop a ranking or to submit for this year). We are Greenwich Workshop teachable POV on leadership and LD. partnering with Rob Lebow to provide you 151 Main Street Saymour, CT 06483 with a more objective assessment and rank- 1-800-243-4246 Developing Strengths ing of your leadership program. www.greenwichworkshop.com At the annual HRPS global conference in And on November 14, at the annual Best Full view of table of contents art. April, Marcus Buckingham of Discover Your Practices in Leadership Development Confer- Strengths fame, advised focusing on person- ence in Washington, D.C., we will announce al strengths. His “build on your strengths” this year’s winners. I invite you to visit POV is a popular counterbalance to behav- www.LeadershipBestPracticesConference.com to ioral feedback that focuses on competency register for the conference. deficiencies more than on personal strengths. In his counterpoint article, Ron Crossland Example of Excellence of Bluepoint Leadership Development, I recently received a nice email from notes: “Learning occurs more rapidly Regina Troxell, Director of OD at The Copyright © 2008 Executive Excellence Publishing. No part of this publication may be reproduced or when we apply ourselves to unfamil- Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. transmitted without written permission from the iar things. Our ability to self-renew She nominated her boss Susan publisher. Quotations must be credited. and grow stronger requires that we Croushore, President and CEO of The tackle new activities—explore and test Christ Hospital as my favorite leader. ourselves against abilities and situa- “Susan is a courageous servant tions that cause us to feel like begin- leader who is passionate about the ners. Daring the difficult develops a mission of nonprofit healthcare. She Susan Croushore person more than simply building on inspires us to strive toward excel- strengths or focusing on weakness. Over lence and quality service. Transformational time, people who focus solely on strengths changes in our organization have not (and allows lesser strengths to atrophy) deterred Susan’s unwavering commitment may narrow their ability to learn or to tap to employee engagement and community latent talents and strengths.” involvement.” LE I think they’re both right and that the mix of LD activities should reflect this insight: Editor since 1984 2 June 2008 Leadership Excellence LEADERSHIP JUDGMENT organization and critical stakeholders to create the ongoing capacity for good judgment calls. This is why cultivating solid relationships is crucial. Social- Making Tough Calls network intelligence involves getting Great leaders exercise wise judgment. valid data from your direct reports. • Organization knowledge: Good leaders continuously enhance the to make adjustments. Resources, peo- team, organization, and stakeholder ple, capital, information and technolo- capacity at all levels to make judgment gy must be mobilized. During this calls. Organization knowledge means phase, feedback loops allow for adjust- knowing how people will respond, ments. Leaders need to oversee the adapt, and execute decisions. execution to ensure their calls produce • Stakeholder knowledge: Good lead- by Noel Tichy and Warren Bennis the right results. ers engage customers, suppliers, the During all three phases, adjustments community and boards in generating HE ESSENCE OF LEADERSHIP IS THE can be made (“redo” loops). Using knowledge to support better judg- Tability to make consistently good feedback and adjustments, leaders can ments. This contextual intelligence judgment calls. Leaders are remem- revise calls to maximize results and enables them to know the territory. bered for their best and worst calls, outcomes. In positions of leadership, especially when the stakes are high, the importance of judgment calls is Three Judgment Domains information is limited, and the correct magnified by their impact on the lives We identified three leadership judg- call is not obvious. In the face of ambi- of other people. The judgment calls ment domains: guity, uncertainty and conflicting that leaders make can’t be viewed as 1. People: Leaders can’t set sound demands, the quality of a leader’s single, point-in-time events. Yes, lead- direction and strategy or deal with judgment determines the organiza- ers do, at some moment, make a call. crises without smart judgment calls tion’s fate. What really matters is not But unlike umpires and referees, they about the people on their teams. Sound how many calls leaders get right, or can’t quickly forget them and move judgments about people require lead- even the percentage of correct calls, ers to: anticipate the need for key per- but the actual number of important sonnel changes; specify leadership calls they get right. Effective leaders requirements with an eye toward the pinpoint the make-or-break decisions future; mobilize and align the social and get most of them right. network to support the right call; make the process transparent so it can be Right Calls When It Counts Most deemed fair; make it happen; and pro- How can you make good judgment vide support to achieve success. calls when it counts the most? There is 2. Strategy: When the current strate- no one-size-fits-all way to make a gic road fails to lead to success, leaders judgment call. Every organization has must find a new path. The quality and distinct problems, people, and solu- viability of a strategic judgment call is tions. However, leaders who have ahead to the next play. Rather, the a function of the leaders’ ability to “good judgment” repeatedly make moment of making the call comes in look over the horizon and frame the calls that turn out well, largely the middle of a process. right question and name the people because they master a process that with whom they choose to interact. unfolds in three phases: Knowledge Resources Good execution and good operations 1. Preparation phase: This phase Leaders make judgment calls in aren’t enough to fix a business with a includes what happens before leaders relation to those around them. flawed strategy. make the decision: sensing and identi- Relationships are crucial sources of 3. Crisis: During crises, leaders need fying the need for a judgment call, information and must be managed to to have clear values and know their framing the issue and naming the peo- achieve desired outcomes. Leaders ultimate goals. Crises handled poorly ple involved in the call, and mobilizing must use their knowledge of self, the can lead to the demise of the enter- and aligning the right people around social network, and the organization. prise. Errors made in crises aren’t any the decision. Faulty framing and nam- The quality of your judgment calls more likely to be fatal than errors in ing result in bad judgment calls. depends on your ability to get infor- judgment regarding people and strate- 2. Call phase (making the judgment mation that is relevant, meaningful, gy, but disastrous consequences call): There’s a moment when leaders and timely; marshal resources; and brought on by bad calls at these make the call, based on their views of interact well with constituencies. This moments often come quickly. the time horizon and the sufficiency of requires four types of knowledge: people’s input and involvement. This • Self-knowledge: Leaders who make Character and Courage is what leaders do in that moment. good judgment calls can listen, reframe Great leaders are celebrated for The critical domains are judgment their thinking and give up old para- their judgment. Fortunately, judgment calls about people, strategy, and crises. digms. Self-intelligence is an awareness is a skill that can be developed and 3. Execution/Action phase: Once a of your values and aspirations. refined. Good judgment is not just a clear call is made, execution is critical. • Social-network knowledge: Leader- matter of intellect or of the ability to You can’t walk away from a call: you ship is a team sport. There must be make the right decision in an instant, need to make it happen and continue alignment of the leader’s team, the but of character and courage: Leadership Excellence June 2008 3 • Character provides the moral com- LEADERSHIP PARADOX managing contradictions. Leaders with pass—it tells you what you must do. high emotional intelligence and robust • Courage produces results, ensuring empathy recognize the moods and that you follow through on decisions. ‘Lead Me Alone’ needs of the moment, and fashion No matter what processes you fol- Master the seeming paradox. their leadership style to respond low, no matter how hard you try, with- accordingly. This requires leaders out character and courage, you can’t capable of discerning the mood of the clear the high bar of judgment. You moment as they shape policies and may luck into making some good deci- appeals to deal with the context. This sions and sometimes obtain good requires “style-flexing” —something results, but without character and few leaders can do. You first need to courage, you will falter on the most recognize the contradictions, and then difficult and most important questions. devise strategies to deal with problems. Character and courage are the bedrock by Michael Genovese and Thomas Cronin Leaders are not slaves to this dichot- of good judgment and decisions. omy. They may educate, persuade, and When we ask leaders to list the bad EADERSHIP, LIKE LIFE, IS REPLETE WITH move colleagues and citizens at times decisions they’ve made in their lives, Lparadoxes. Healthy individuals when the needs of society clash with many of them will say: “I knew in my learn to manage the paradoxical ele- the mood of the times. Indeed, one key gut what I should do, but I didn’t do it.” ments in their personal life, and effec- element of leadership is to identify the Having a set of standards or values isn’t tive leaders manage the contradictions needs of the times and to solve the enough. Even character isn’t enough. and paradoxes of public life. problem at hand. Leaders are not pas- Having the courage to act on your stan- We each have two great needs: the sive observers, they must lead. dards is part of what it takes to exercise need to be an individual, and the need This requires a multidimensional good judgment, and to be a good leader. for community and connection. The leader. Lincoln was such a leader. He When you make the call, make it need for individualism is setting off on was arguably the most “complete” per- clear—and explain the rationale. our own course. It involves our choices son ever to serve in the White House. of what to do, how to live, and what to He had good judgment, empathy, polit- Storylines: Teachable Points of View us is the good life. We have rich choices ical skill, wit, intellect, and determina- Winning leaders—ones who contin- and opportunities, and neither the unex- tion. He managed the vast ually make the best judgment calls— amined nor uncommitted life are worth contradictions of the Civil War with have clear mental frameworks to guide living. For individuals, skill, imagination, ruthless- their thinking. They tell visionary sto- examining choices is a key ness, compassion, and dis- ries about how the world works and in self-discovery, learning ciplined focus. Lincoln was how they envision results. They ener- how to cope with life’s often the master of contra- gize and enroll people through stories. uncertainties, and to “know dictions, not their victim. Winning leaders are teachers, and they justice and act justly.” Conversely, George W. teach by telling stories. They develop a And yet, as powerful as Bush is mostly a one- teachable point of view: valuable is the need to become one- dimensional leader—I’m knowledge and experiences that con- self, an equally compelling the decider” or “I’m a war vey ideas and values to energize oth- pull leads us in the direc- president.” He can’t recog- ers. This teachable POV is most tion of connection and nize the paradoxes of valuable when it’s weaved into a story- community. We are politi- power, the need to integrate line for future success. As a living story, cal, or at least social animals, and we hard power with the softer power of it helps the leader make the judgment hunger to be a part of something big- enlightening, persuading, convincing call and makes the story become reality ger and more meaningful than our- and bringing people along, more often because it enlists and energizes others. selves—a family, religion, or a political asserting than educating, and is seldom Winning story lines address three community. We need others to find a adept at managing paradoxes. areas: Where are we now? Where are sense of purpose, to win affection, and Leading amid paradoxes requires we going? How are we going to get to make ourselves complete. the leader to 1) read the signs; 2) adapt there? The inspirational storyline To be alone, to be with others—we a strategy to the demands/needs of boosts the motivation for change and can’t escape these dual needs, and we the times; 3) work to persuade follow- defines the goal. The storyline is never must find ways to serve and satisfy ers; 4) devise a governing strategy; 5) complete, as it’s always being modified both. To be an isolated lone wolf is to manage the machinery of government; by the leader’s judgments. But without be incomplete. To give ourselves total- and 6) reevaluate, reexamine, and a solid storyline, the leader’s judg- ly to the community is to be a servant revise. Effective leaders are good diag- ments are disconnected acts that may of others and not master of ourselves. nosticians, artful prescribers, effective not mean anything on an emotional Leaders recognize these dual forces— mobilizers, and luminous managers. level. Storylines are necessary to moti- we want to be lead, yet we want to be Lead me alone; lead us together. vate and energize everyone to move left alone—and effectively manage the Give me my space; bring us together. forward and make things happen. LE contradictions. But how? No wonder so few lead effectively. LE

Noel Tichy ([email protected]) is a professor at the Ross School Style Flexing Michael A. Genovese holds the Loyola Chair of Leadership at of Business, Univ. of Michigan. Warren Bennis is management Loyola Marymount University. Thomas E. Cronin is the professor at the Univ. of Southern California, founder of USC’s Effective leaders balance the need to McHugh Professor of American Institutions and Leadership at Leadership Institute. They are coauthors of Judgment: How be left alone with the need to be a part Colorado College. They are co-authors of The Paradoxes of the Winning Leaders Make Great Calls (Portfolio).Visit www.usc.edu. American Presidency (Oxford University Press). of something bigger. Leadership ACTION: Exercise wise judgment. requires dealing with paradoxes and ACTION: Master the paradoxes of leadership. 4 June 2008 Leadership Excellence CHANGE INNOVATION products. New products are, of course, important but not the entire picture. When innovation is at the center of a Innovation Myths company’s way of doing things, it finds ways to innovate, not just in It is really the game changer. products but also in functions, logis- tics, business models, and processes. A number one in India by using innova- process like Dell’s supply chain man- tion to create 200 million customers. agement, a tool like the monetization Through observing the unique needs of eyeballs at Google, a method like of Indian customers, particularly in Toyota’s Global Production System, a rural villages where most of the popu- practice like Wal-Mart’s inventory lation resides, it segmented them in management, the use of mathematics by Ram Charan and AG Lafley new ways and put new features on by Google to change the game of the handsets relevant to their unique media and communications industries, NNOVATION IS SHAPING CORPORATE LIFE, needs. In the process, it created an or even a concept like Starbucks’ Ihelping leaders conceive previously entirely new value chain at price points reimagining of the coffee shop—these unimagined strategic options. Most that give the company its desired gross are all game-changing innovations. So acquisitions, for example, are justified margin. Innovation, thus, creates cus- was Alfred Sloan’s structure that made on the basis of cost and capital reduc- tomers by attracting new GM the world’s leading tion: the merger of two pharmaceutical users and building car company for decades, companies and the global rationaliza- stronger loyalty among as was P&G’s brand man- tion of overhead and operations and current ones. That’s a lot in agement model. the savings from combining two sales itself, but the value of inno- Myth 2: Innovation is forces and R&D labs. However, you vation goes well beyond only for geniuses like can only buy earnings through acquisi- that. By putting innovation Chester Floyd Carlson (the tions for so long; and cost-control is a at the center of the busi- inventor of photocopying) defensive strategy. ness, from top to bottom, or Leonardo da Vinci: Innovation enables you to see many you can improve the num- Throw some money at the potential acquisitions through a differ- bers; at the same time, you oddballs in the R&D labs ent lens, looking at them not just from discover a much better and hope something a cost perspective, but also as a means way of doing things—more produc- comes out. This is wrong. The notion of accelerating profitable top-line rev- tive, more responsive, more inclusive, that innovation occurs only when a enue growth and enhancing capabili- even more fun. People want to be part lone genius or small team beaver- ties. For example, the innovation of growth—not endless cost cutting. away in the metaphorical (or actual) capabilities of P&G were enhanced by garage leads to a destructive sense of its acquisition of Gillette. Its market- A Culture of Innovation resignation; it is fatal to the creation of leading brands (such as Gillette, Venus, A culture of innovation is different an innovative enterprise. Of course, Oral B, and Duracell) are platforms for from one that emphasizes mergers and geniuses exist and, of course, they can future innovations; and core technolo- acquisitions or cost-cutting. Innovation contribute bottom-line-bending inven- gies in blades and razors, electronics, leaders have an entirely different set of tions. But companies that wait for electromechanics, and power storage skills, temperament, and psychology. “Eureka!” moments may well die strengthen the technology portfolio The M&A leader is a deal-maker and waiting. And remember, while da from which P&G can innovate. transaction-oriented. Once one deal is Vinci designed a flying machine, it Innovation also provides an edge in done, he moves to the next. The inno- could not be built with the technology entering new markets. In large part, it vation leader, while perhaps not a cre- available at the time. is P&G’s revived innovation capacity ative genius, is effective at evoking the Myth 3: Innovation is for the future. that is enabling it to make inroads into skills of others needed to build an True innovation matters for the pre- developing markets, where growth is innovation culture. Collaboration is sent, not for centuries hence. Another greater. Innovation puts companies on essential; failure is a regular visitor. genius, Thomas Edison, had the right the offensive. Consider how Colgate Innovation leaders are comfortable idea: “Anything that won’t sell, I don’t and P&G, effective serial innovators, with uncertainty and have an open want to invent. Its sale is proof of utili- have innovated Unilever out of the U.S. mind; they are receptive to ideas from ty, and utility is success,” he told his oral-care market. The company that different disciplines. They have orga- associates in perhaps his most impor- builds a culture of innovation is on the nized innovation into a disciplined tant invention—the commercial labo- path to growth. The company that fails process that is replicable. And, they ratory. “We can’t be like those German to innovate is on the road to obsoles- have the tools and skills to pinpoint professors who spend their lives cence. The U.S. domestic automakers and manage the risks inherent in inno- studying the fuzz on a bee,” he said. and major companies such as Firestone, vation. Not everyone has these attrib- Myth 4: Innovation is a one-time Sony, and Kodak all used to be indus- utes. But companies with a culture of event. Generating ideas is important, try leaders, even dominators. But they innovation cultivate people who do. but it’s pointless unless there is a all fell behind as their challengers inno- repeatable process in place to turn vated them into second place (or worse). Debunking Seven Myths inspiration into financial performance. Peter Drucker once said that the The idea of innovation has become We see innovation as a social process. purpose of a business enterprise is “to encrusted by myths. Here are seven: To succeed, leaders need to see innova- create a customer.” Nokia became Myth 1: Innovation is all about new tion not as something special that only Leadership Excellence June 2008 5 special people can do, but as some- LEADERS IMPACT create availability to keep passion high thing that can become routine and and course corrections timely. How methodical, taking advantage of the High-Impact Leaders much of your time do you commit to capabilities of ordinary people, espe- being live in the bullpen where the cially knowledge workers. It is easy to Here’s a day in the life. action is—not to manage, but to invest put it off because you are rewarded for in relationships? Amazing communica- today’s results, because you don’t tion opportunities arise when you know where to find ideas, because move among teams, reinforcing focus innovation is risky, or because it is not and showing interest in their efforts. easily measured. But these are excuses, Developing trust is a hands-on invest- not reasons. We have both practiced ment. People need to see the “person innovation as a process that all leaders behind the position.” So, be open can use and improve. It involves more by Les Wallace and James Trinka about who you are, where you see the people, and is more manageable and organization going, and hear out peo- predictable than most people think. VEN AS YOU DISPLAY THE BEHAVIORS ple’s questions, fears, and ideas. Myth 5: Innovations happen in iso- Eand competencies of a leader, you 3. Develop others. Developing others lated silos or think tanks. Making inno- still need to stay out of the mire and is a high ROI behavior. This is not train- vation routine involves people. In real accelerate your impact. Even the best ing. Showing an earnest interest in life, ideas great or good do not seam- leaders fall into a trough and must helping people grow, expressing appre- lessly work their way from silo to silo. find a way to re-energize and re-focus. ciation in their learning and accom- No, from the instant someone devises a As we look at a day in the life of plishments, and helping them find solution or a product, its journey to the high-impact leaders, we see that they greater opportunity to learn at work— market (or oblivion) is a matter of mak- invest in five key strategies: this is how leadership succession ing connections, again and again. 1. Focus. They arrive at work daily becomes real. Development occurs best Managing these interactions is the crux clear on the strategic transformation at when applied to the challenges and of building an innovation organization. which they must succeed. Eighty per- opportunities of current work. In lead- Innovation is a social process, and this cent of their day is focused on the vital ership development program, leaders process can only happen when people few priorities necessary to move the can be seen teaching, mentoring, coach- do that simple, profound thing—con- transformation agenda forward: com- ing, and advising people. Developing nect to share problems, opportunities, municating rationale, celebrating short- others also grows their competencies in and learning. Anyone can innovate, but term wins, empowering communication, employee few can innovate alone. coalitions of other leaders to engagement, innovative Myth 6: Innovation can’t be plan- keep moving. The day-to- thinking and leading change. ned. You as a leader can map, system- day urgencies draw the 4. Permission to tinker. atize, manage, measure, and improve other 20 percent of the day. Why do high-impact leaders this social process to produce a steady However, because they have have so many breakthrough stream of innovations—and the occa- created leaders at all levels, ideas? Why do they have sional blockbuster. Innovation is not a there are fewer exigencies. more creative, innovative mystical act; it is a journey that can be Busy is the enemy of initiatives? Because they cre- plotted, and done over and over again. accomplishment. High per- ate a climate where people It takes time and steady leadership, formers often have too many are comfortable challenging and can require changing everything priorities because they feel they can assumptions. Rather than being defen- from budget and strategy to capital cover more ground. High-impact lead- sive when their ideas or processes are allocation and promotions. It requires ers accelerate their impact, knowing questioned, they appreciate the possi- putting the customer front and center, they have the right priorities in the first bilities. They also encourage tinkering and opening up the R&D process to place, by limiting their targets and with processes and products. They outside sources, including competitors. focusing on the vital few three to five encourage people to experiment and But it can be done. key strategies. By narrowing the field create a climate of “how can we Myth 7: Innovation happens in large, of impact, and then accomplishing improve” thinking. well-financed companies. Size doesn’t something, leaders give hope, demon- 5. Balance. High-impact leaders matter. Innovation can happen in com- strate movement, and energize others. know they don’t live to work. Despite panies as large as P&G, Best Buy, GE, Great leaders regularly cull their investing long hours when required, Honeywell, DuPont, and HP and as commitments. Quarterly they look they also navigate the work-life dilem- small as my father’s shoe shop in Hapur, over their commitments and give up ma by making their family and per- India. When I was nine years old, we some. Cutting one meeting a week sonal growth time meaningful. Most targeted a line of shoes at the “rich peo- enables them to reinvest time and high-impact leaders have a personal ple” largely associated with the local energy around the vital few priorities. health regimen, build time in their grain trading exchange. We became 2. Relationship capital. People, not year to recharge their energy, and number one in town in less than two plans, deliver outcomes. Trust, encour- make and keep learning commitments. years, and the profits from this innova- agement, appreciation, coaching, and Are you waiting for permission to tion funded my formal education. LE information are the raw materials of lead with high impact? If so, act human effort. High-impact leaders now—you don’t need permission! LE A.G. Lafley is chairman and CEO of P&G, one of the most admired companies and a developer of business leaders. Ram know that one of their vital few com- Les Wallace, President of Signature Resources Inc., and Jim Charan is coauthor of Execution. Visit www.ram-charan.com. mitments must be investing in this Trinka, Technical Training Director of the FAA, are authors of They are coauthors of The Game Changer (Crown Business). human capital. Leaders don’t lord over A Legacy of 21st Century Leadership. ACTION: Make innovation your game changer. their associates to manage effort—they ACTION: Encourage tinkering. 6 June 2008 Leadership Excellence CHANGE INNOVATION innovation. Passionate involvement acter. That brings the audience into the can make you happy, sometimes, and character’s mind.” Once I gave that miserable other times. You want peo- answer, everyone felt, “OK, we’re Real Innovation ple to be involved and engaged. moving toward a definite destination.” Learn lessons from Pixar. Involved people can be quiet or loud, but they all have a restless, probing Managing Morale nature: “I want to get to the problem. The thing that has the biggest im- by Brad Bird There’s something I want to do.” If pact on a movie’s budget—but never you had thermal glasses, you could shows up in a budget—is morale. If see heat coming off them. you have low morale, for every $1 you T PIXAR, WE’RE WOR- Team dynamics is part of innova- spend, you get about 25 cents of value. Aried about becom- tion and creativity. In making a film, If you have high morale, for every $1 ing complacent. When you’re trying to get people from differ- you spend, you get about $3 of value. I came here, Pixar had just made three ent departments to collaborate harmo- Leaders should pay much more atten- hit movies—Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, and niously. When I directed The Iron Giant, tion to morale. Toy Story 2. I was coming off a film The I inherited a team that was broken—a When I worked on badly run pro- Iron Giant, a highly regarded financial bunch of miserable people who had ductions, I learned how not to make a failure. And yet I was told, “The only just gone through a horrific experience film. I saw directors restricting peo- thing we’re afraid of is complacency— on a previous film. When the time ple’s input and ignoring any effort to feeling like we have it all figured out. came for animators to start showing bring up problems. As a result, people We want you to come shake things up. me their work, I got everybody in a didn’t feel invested in their work, their We’ll give you a good argument if we room and said, “As individ- productivity went down, think what you’re doing doesn’t make ual animators, we all have overtime hours increased, sense, but if you can convince us, we’ll different strengths and and the film became a do things differently.” weaknesses, but if we can money pit. This company had nothing but suc- interconnect our strengths, The first step in achiev- cess, yet invited a guy who had just we are collectively the ing the impossible is believ- come off a failure to come in and greatest animator on earth. ing that it can be achieved. shake things up! My first project at So I want you to speak up. Once, during the making of Pixar—The Incredibles—was every- I’ll say what I think will The Incredibles, we had a thing that computer-generated anima- improve a scene, but if you meeting where anybody tion had trouble doing. It had human see something different, could bring up concerns. characters, hair, water, fire, and many disagree. I don’t know all Somebody said, “Is The sets. The creative heads were excited the answers. I might not have it right. Incredibles too ambitious?” I said, “No! about the idea of the film, but once I You might. Show me.” We need to be doing stuff that’s ‘too showed story reels of what I wanted, One guy did just that, and I said: ambitious.’ Once you’ve had some suc- the technical teams thought, “This will “That is better—great.” Everybody saw cess, you don’t then play it safe—you take 10 years and cost $500 million.” that he didn’t get his head chopped do something that scares you, that’s at So I said, “Give me the black sheep, off. Our learning curve went straight the edge of your capabilities, where you artists who are frustrated and malcon- up, and the animation team grew might fail. That gets you up each day.” tents who have another way of doing stronger, because we all learned from If you’re dealing with a storytelling things but see little opportunity to try each other’s strengths. medium—a mechanized means of pro- them, since the established way is When Pixar asked me to take over ducing and presenting a dream that working well. We gave the black sheep Ratatouille, the project had been in you’re inviting people to share—you’d a chance to prove their theories, and development for five years but was better believe your dream, or else it’s we changed the way many things are not in any shape to produce. Once I going to come off as patronizing. My done here. For less money per minute was in a room with about 30 people. goal is to make a movie I want to see. than was spent on the previous film, At this stage, the rats in the movie had If I do it sincerely enough and well Finding Nemo, we did a movie that had already been articulated—how the enough—if I’m hard on myself and three times the number of sets and muscles and controls work on the not completely off base, not complete- everything was hard to do—all characters. Because people were wor- ly different from the rest of humani- because the heads of Pixar enabled us ried about the audience’s reaction to ty—other people will also get engaged to try crazy ideas. rats, all of the rats were designed to and find the film entertaining. Some purists in computer graphics walk on two legs. I thought that was a are brilliant but casual about budgets mistake, so I said, “We have to get Creative Culture and scheduling. I had to shake the them to walk on all fours. And Remy, To stimulate a creative culture at purist out of them—frighten them into the protagonist rat, has to be able to Pixar, in the animation area, the work realizing I was ready to use “cheats” to walk up on two legs.” Everybody said, space is unhinged. People can create get something on screen if they took “Ugh!” and asked “why?” any front to their office. A loose, free too long to achieve it in the computer. I wanted to say, “Because I’m the atmosphere facilitates creativity. This horrified them, but helped them director—that’s why.” But I thought, Steve Jobs basically designed our understand that not all shots are creat- these guys have been sent down blind building. In the center, he created this ed equal. Certain shots need to be per- alleys for two years. So I said, “This big atrium area. Initially that might fect, others very good, and others just movie is about a rat who wants to seem like a waste of space. He did it to good enough to not break the spell. enter the human world. We have to prevent everybody working alone in Involved people make for better make that a visual choice for the char- their individual areas. Steve put the Leadership Excellence June 2008 7 mailboxes, meetings rooms, the cafete- CHANGE INNOVATION 4. Human capabilities: Is innovation ria, and, most insidiously and brilliant- one factor you use to screen potential ly, the bathrooms in the center—so that Innovation Check-Up hires? Do you have programs that you run into everybody during the develop innovation skills and knowl- day. He realized that when people run Make it part of your annual physical. edge? Hiring innovative people is one into each other and make eye contact, way to foster innovation, but innova- innovative things happen. by Alan Brache tion skills and knowledge can also be We also have optional classes—we taught, and creativity nurtured, with call it “PU” or Pixar University. If you proper training and instruction. work in lighting but you want to learn NNOVATION IS THE BEST 5. Information/knowledge manage- how to animate, you can take a class Iway to remain at the ment: Do you have information sys- on animation. Pixar encourages people top of the competitive tems and face-to-face communication to learn outside of their areas, even to marketplace and ensure you are per- vehicles that enable people to learn move from one area to another. forming at peak. But while innovation from past innovation successes and is a hot topic, what does it really mean failures? Innovation begets innovation. Be Open in Conflict to be an innovative company and how You need ways to share creative ideas The best leaders are somewhat sub- can you know if you are innovative? and actions that stimulate innovation. versive, because they see something a Innovation leads to performance. The 6. Structure and roles: Do structure different way. My producer, John pursuits of total quality, reengineering, and roles enable innovation to blos- Walker, and I are famous for fighting and Six Sigma often yield impressive som—or not impede the flow and pur- openly: he’s got to get it done, and I’ve cost reductions, cycle-time reductions, suit of new ideas? While most firms got to make it as good as it can be and quality improvements. However, restructure more than necessary, clarity before it gets done. On The Incredibles you can’t streamline your way to of roles can either support or hinder DVD, there’s a moment when John growth. Gains in “how” you do busi- the processes that deliver innovation. says, “I’m just trying to get us across ness must be dovetailed with expand- 7. Culture: Does your culture and its the line.” And I say, “I’m trying to get ing the horizon of “what” business you reward system encourage innovation? us across the line in first place.” I love are in. Companies that rely on innova- Culture’s waterfront includes every- working with John because he gives tive thought to advance their product thing from the level of trust, to the will- me the bad news straight to my face. development, sales, and customer ser- ingness to share information, to the Ultimately, we both win. Our movies vice processes must ensure that they are tolerance of risk, to whether meetings aren’t cheap, but the money gets on the encouraging and support- begin on time. One vital ele- screen because we’re open in conflict. ing breakthrough thinking. ment of culture is the formal What undermines innovation are To facilitate profitable think- and informal reward-pun- passive-aggressive people—people ing, you can perform your ishment system. who don’t show their colors in the own innovation health 8. Issue resolution: Do group but then get behind the scenes check by examining nine you have ways for effect- and peck away—they are poisonous. I key variables that impact ively addressing innovation can usually spot those people, and I innovation and assessing issues? In a fast-changing, weed them out. how you rate in each: reverse-engineering world, The leaders who inhibit innovation 1. Strategy: Do you have one lasting competitive are ones who think, “I’m here to teach a clear, comprehensive, spe- advantage can be an ability you.” The best leaders are never self- cific, compelling, well- to build innovation into satisfied. My teachers in animation understood, and inspiring strategy that problem-solving, problem-prevention, were the best in the world. They were establishes boundaries and stimulates decision-making, and plan-execution. masters of the form, but they had the innovation? Strategy formulation is, 9. Leadership: Do your leaders rec- attitude of a student. among other things, an exercise in ognize that they exert primary influ- Walt Disney’s mantra was, “I don’t innovation. And, without a clear, ence on the innovation climate? Are make movies to make money—I make viable, and compelling vision, the inno- they effective role-models for innova- money to make movies.” It seems vation required for strategy implemen- tion? Leaders must establish a strategy counterintuitive, but for imagination- tation is not fomented and channeled. and ensure that innovation goals are based companies to succeed in the long 2. Processes: Is innovation built into being met, innovation is rewarded, run, making money can’t be the focus. process design/redesign efforts? Do you and innovative people supported. I believe in pushing teams beyond have a process for adopting innovation? You can’t purchase and install inno- their comfort zones, encouraging dis- If process (re)design is limited to waste vation in 30 days; however, you can sent, and building morale, even if it elimination, you won’t gain competitive define, measure, and influence it by means working with “Black sheep”— advantages. Without a process to engen- pulling these nine levers. Whether your restless contributors with unconven- der, evaluate, and respond to innova- need is for growth through product tional ideas. I want my films to make tion, worthwhile creative ideas are less innovation, protecting market share money, but money is just fuel for the likely to surface and be adopted. through competitive advantage inno- rocket. What I really want to do is to go 3. Goals/measurement: Is innovation vation, reducing cost through process somewhere, not just collect more fuel. LE built into your performance measures innovation, or all three, you can diag- for all departments and employees? If nose and close gaps in innovation. LE Brad Bird is two-time Oscar-winning director of Disney•Pixar’s The Incredibles and Ratatouille. This article is adapted with you don’t measure innovation, you Alan P. Brache is the VP of Client Solution Design, and mem- permission form his interview with McKinsey Quarterly. signal that it’s not important. And, you ber of the Executive Leadership Team of Kepner-Tregoe. Visit Visit www.Pixar.com. can’t determine if the strategy’s inno- www.kepner-tregoe.com. ACTION: Create an innovative culture. vation requirements are being met. ACTION: Use this innovation check-up. 8 June 2008 Leadership Excellence LEADERSHIP ENERGY the effort is converted to pure energy, which is then multiplied by energetic 2 leadership, resulting in more energy! OE can be positive or negative. Energy = mc Positive energy is only possible when Learn to energize your team. the critical factors of success are identi- fied and the team is focused on activi- ties that lead to these success factors. Negative energy happens when there is by David Cottrell for the development of nuclear energy lack of clarity or confusion. Confusion and weapons. In many ways, his theo- saps energy and prevents the organiza- ry changed the course of history. tion from moving toward success. E’VE ALL HEARD Leadership Energy (E=mc2) borrows The leader’s role is to create a cli- Wthe term organi- some principles of Einstein’s theory mate where positive energy becomes zational energy, but the and applies them to organizations: E the conduit for more positive energy. concept is difficult to define or mea- represents your organization’s energy; When you hire the right people, sur- sure. In defining organizational energy M represents mass—the people; and c2 round them with support, help them (OE), it’s useful to first define what it’s represents your leadership energy and direct their positive energy and be a not. It is not just short-term enthusiasm its multiplier effect. positive role model, the positive ener- for the latest program, or a week-long Here’s how it works: Every organi- gy level of the team increases. buzz that follows a weekend retreat. zation has mass—and this mass, criti- Energy is not something you can Although excitement and enthusiasm cal to growth and sustainability, is see, touch, or smell. You can only see may be byproducts, OE is grounded in represented by the employees. The its results. The only way to measure an unshakeable desire and commitment critical mass represents a point where energy is to understand the five con- to achieve bigger and better things. there is enough momentum for the ductors of energy. When the conduc- OE begins with leadership energy. movement to sustain itself and even tors are monitored and measured, The potential for increasing OE expand on its own. The critical mass is your OE will be reflected in your bot- resides with everybody, but tapping often moved by a large, sweeping fac- tom-line success. into and releasing that energy is a task Energy is essential to success. If for leaders. If the leadership team is there is no excitement, enthusiasm or energized, the organization will per- passion, there’s no catalyst for achieve- form at higher levels. Leader energy is ment. Your organization is a reservoir contagious. Employees are inspired of vast energy just waiting to be and passionate about achieving suc- released. Your task is to tap into that cess; and customers become motivat- energy, conduct it and multiply it. ed to take the business relationship to In taking on that leadership task, the next level. remember three things: Creating energy is just the first Leaders get what they do. You are step. Once the energy is released, the role model that your team is fol- leaders must then focus that energy to tor, such as a shift in market condi- lowing. People follow leaders—more achieve goals. Whatever your size or tions or the development of a revolu- than value statements, mission state- mission, you can only move forward tionary product. However, mass can ments, memos, and emails. You must when you have an abundant supply sometimes be moved or redirected by continually, clearly and concisely com- of energy contributed by your people. a single element—the smallest change municate an exciting, authentic and Abundant energy, enthusiasm, and might bring about the greatest impact. enthusiastic vision for your people to momentum are often missing because Leadership has a multiplier effect. buy into and treat as their own. of the lack of OE and the inability of Leadership energy must be conducted to The more involved leaders are, the leaders to sustain energy. Also, there’s focus on goals. There are five conduc- better their decisions. You need to be often poor distribution of energy. For tors in our equation: 1) synchronization— in touch with your people and involve instance, if customer service is ener- ensures that all the areas are in synch them in decisions. Often your team is gized, sales energy may be waning. and working together toward a com- better informed than you—just ask Knowing what it takes to generate, mon goal; 2) speed—brings swift, deci- them the right questions, and you’ll sustain, replenish, and leverage ener- sive action if adjustments are required; find that they have the right answers. gy is key to long-term success. Since 3) communication—connects the team to Get the right people in the right your OE ultimately determines your goals and ensures that everyone knows jobs. Nothing is more important to the bottom-line results, you need to mea- their role; 4) customer focus—a strong energy of an organization than having sure OE with the same intensity and connection with customers creates cus- the right people on the team. focus you measure your bottom line. tomer loyalty, which provides the prof- As a leader, you are the energizer. In our examination of OE, we dis- its necessary for continued growth; and Keep your knowledge fresh and your covered an interesting correlation 5) integrity—ensures the organization attitude positive. Develop and apply between how leadership generates adheres to core values like honesty and new skills to accelerate your growth. energy and Einstein’s equation, E=mc2. truth. Integrity is like a master switch. If Your energy is contagious! LE Einstein was the first to propose it is compromised, the other conductors David Cottrell is CEO of CornerStone Leadership Institute that mass and energy were two forms are unnecessary since the OE will be de- and author of Leadership Energy (E=mc2). Visit of the same thing. His deceptively pleted (and the organization harmed). www.CornerStoneLeadership.com. simple formula laid the groundwork When the conductors are present, ACTION: Conduct your leadership energy. Leadership Excellence June 2008 9 CHANGE CREATIVITY tion that exists is often a simulation of an element of stretching involved—the the real thing—upwardly mobile fast effort required to go beyond existing trackers inheriting someone else’s boundaries and extend into an unknown Creativity vision, strategy or ideas, but not in future. Surfers “hang ten.” Astronauts It’s the fuzzy end of innovation. touch with their own inspiration. “push the envelope.” Ski jumpers lean To spark innovation, you need to get far out over their skis. Most people in touch with your intention—what don’t want to extend much because it’s by Mitch Ditkoff really moves you. Intention can take uncomfortable, risky, and subject to many forms—to change, to improve, to ridicule. But rarely is there break- think out of the box. Whatever form it through without extension. Golfers use VERYWHERE PEOPLE takes, your effort needs to be more than the expression “never up, never in” to Eare talking about cerebral or politically correct—it needs describe what it takes to be a good put- innovation. A Google to be primal, tidal, core. ter. Meaning? You have to putt the ball search will reveal more than 600 defi- What is fascinating you these days? far enough to have a chance of getting it nitions. The two I like the best are What is moving you? And in what ways in the hole. Bottom line, if you want to “The ability to adapt, alter, and adjust can you help others get more deeply in break new ground, you will need to go that which already exists for the sake touch with their intention to innovate? for it. You will need to stretch, extend of adding value” and “The commer- 3. Suspend. Einstein said, “Not every- beyond your normal ways of thinking cialization of creativity.” No matter thing that can be counted counts; and and doing. In the lucid words of writer how we define it, there is no innovation not everything that counts can be count- Arthur Koestler, “If the creator has a without creativity. Creativity is the cat- ed.” He was referring, of course, to the purpose in equipping us with a neck, alyst, the spark, the “fuzzy front-end.” creative part of the human being—the he surely would have meant for us to What, then, are the pre-conditions mysterious, inner dimension long con- stick it out.” for creativity—the mood and mindset sidered the fountainhead of genius, In what ways, this week, can you extend of creativity? While there are many breakthrough, and possibility. Children beyond your normal limits and take a bold models, I’m going to offer you my live in this place. The rest of us only step forward with your hottest new idea? own. Your challenge, as a leader is to 5. Connect. True creativity rarely find simple ways of increasing the pre- happens in a vacuum. On the contrary, conditions for creativity and innovation. it is the product of two or more vari- 1. Attend. Creativity is free. Innate. ables connecting in new and meaning- It doesn’t cost a thing, but you will ful ways. It happens all the time in have to pay something for it—your nature. Water, for example, is really attention, referring to your ability to be just the connection between hydrogen mindful and aware of two things: and oxygen. It happens in the human What’s going on inside you and what’s realm, as well. Roller-blading is noth- going on outside you. Although we ing more than the connection between have five senses, rarely are we using ice skating and roller skating. MTV is them at all times. We look, but don’t visit, preferring the left-brained world nothing more than the connection necessarily see. We listen, but don’t of rationality, logic, and analysis. On between music and television. Drive-in necessarily hear. We reach out, but some level, we all need proof. And banking is car + banking. The origina- don’t necessarily touch. Creative peo- while there is nothing wrong with gath- tors of these breakthrough products ple are doing all three—and then ering data, an addiction to it often sub- and services didn’t pull rabbits out of some. They are tuned in, alert, percep- verts our natural creativity. We know hats. All they did was see a useful, tive, and awake. They are attuned to this. That’s why we go to the movies, new connection between already exist- the world inside them and outside the pub, watch TV, fantasize, read nov- ing elements—and then made the sus- them. What’s going on inside? Feelings, els, and daydream. Whenever we have tained effort to commercialize their ideas, hunches, notions, inklings, some down time, we seek an altered newly conceived connection. Why dreams, thoughts, and visions. What’s state—one that is free of the tyranny of don’t more of us make such connec- going on outside? Market shifts, society, logic. That’s why movie makers ask us tions? Because we stay with what we culture, trends, patterns, people, and to suspend disbelief. That’s why brain- know. We live in a box—whether that feedback from potential users of the storm facilitators ask us to suspend box be defined by our nationality, pro- product or service they are creating. judgment. And that’s why women fession, concepts, cubicle, gender, or Attending to both inside and out- (innately intuitive as they are) ask the industry. The more we get out of that side elements is essential. In what ways men in their lives to stop being so prac- box—or, at the very least, see beyond it, can you pay more attention to both of these tical for a change and actually feel some- the more likely it will be that powerful polarities—the inside and the outside? thing. It is in this state of suspension new connections will reveal themselves 2. Intend. If creativity is the flower that our innate creativity percolates to to us. If you want a breakthrough, it’s of a life, then intention is the root. Many the surface—over, under, and around all time to start looking for new connec- people believe that without intention, the left-brained guardians at the gate. tions—uncommon linkages between there can be no creativity. More than its What can you do this week to suspend this, that, and the other thing. Who (or second cousins—hope, wish, dream, practicality and entertain a new possibili- what) do you need to connect with in a new and desire—intention is the ground ty—even if all the data hasn’t been collect- way in order to jump-start innovation. LE from which creativity springs. One ed? In what ways can you encourage your Mitch Ditkoff is President of Idea Champions and author of reason why creativity is so flaccid in direct reports to do the same? Awake at the Wheel. Visit www.ideachampions.com or individuals (and organizations) is that 4. Extend. Usually, when a person www.awakeatthewheel.info or call 1-800-755-IDEA. there is little intention—and the inten- has a creative breakthrough, there is ACTION: Set the preconditions for creativity. 10 June 2008 Leadership Excellence LEADERSHIP BALANCE balanced leader is frank and straight- forward, especially when dealing with tough issues. 7) Generosity: Balanced leaders are good-natured and soft- Balanced Leaders hearted. 8) Cooperation: Balanced lead- Balance affects effectiveness. ers share ideas, receive ideas openly, consider others’ points of view, partici- pate in and support team efforts, and by Terry Bacon are aware of how they think and feel. work collaboratively with peers. 2) Self-interest: Effective leaders have Five Performance Constructs. These balance between self- and other-inter- constructs pertain to how balanced lead- VER THE YEARS, I ests. 3) Self-awareness: Balanced leaders ers approach work: 1) Conscientious: Ohave studied lead- know their feelings; attend to thoughts, Balanced leaders possess a solid work ership in an effort to intuitions, and emotions. 4) Sense of ethic and performance standards. 2) determine how and why executives security: Leaders with a balanced sense Handling of conflict: They accept con- succeed or fail. We’ve identified 25 of security behave confidently. 5) Risk flict as natural and inevitable; they han- psychological constructs that are the tolerance: Balanced leaders approach dle conflict well. 3) Communication: basis for constructive leadership, and risk in a realistic and calculated manner. Balanced leaders communicate appro- learned that failed executives show 6) Autonomy: Balanced leaders are priately in the right forms to the right predictable behavioral patterns that appropriately independent without people at the right level. 4) Management: cluster into 19 “dark-side” personality being uncooperative. 7) Rational/emo- They are effective managers. 5) Vitality: types or behavioral patterns. These tional balance: Balanced leaders rely in They have high vitality, a huge capacity dark-side behaviors are distortions of differing degrees on logic and feelings to develop and manifest considerable behaviors that, in moderation, are nor- to make decisions. 8) Detail/big picture physical and intellectual vigor or energy. mally positive and effective. focus: Balanced leaders integrate From this research, we evolved a abstract and concrete thinking. 9) Con- The Dark-Side Model Balanced Leadership Construct to stancy: Effective leaders are consistent We identified 19 dark-side archetypes: guide leadership development and and dependable. 10) Need for achieve- Nine Extremist Archetypes. These leadership effectiveness. For example, ment: Balanced leaders recognize the nine types of leaders exhibit extreme if you have a low score on self-aware- need for achievement and affiliation. behaviors that derail them: 1) Mr./Ms. ness, you likely spend little time in Nice Guy—excessively benevolent; 2) introspection and self-development. My Way or the Highway—excessively You base your decisions on the facts, entrenched; 3) Mr. Data—excessively and are poor at managing “people logical; 4) It’s My Baby—excessively problems.” Your lack of empathy possessive; 5) Ostrich—excessively means that, as far as people are con- detailed; 6) General MacArthur— cerned, you just don’t get it. You know excessively independent; 7) Mule— that when people are disengaged or excessively stubborn; 8) Might Is feeling abused, they won’t work as Right— excessively domineering; and hard or contribute as much. So, you 9) Power Play—excessively controlling. might modify your behavior enough to Four Deceiver Archetypes. These improve, but you’ll likely never 11) Need for power: Leaders with bal- leaders are self-interested: 1) Crooks— become an inspiring leader of people. ance see the need for power and influ- excessively self-interested; 2) Coke ence, but they don’t need to dominate Heads —excessively dependent; 3) Short Balanced Leader Construct every situation. 12) Integrity: A leader Cuts— excessively manipulative; and We identified 25 psychological con- with balance has integrity; tells the 4) Pinocchios—excessively ambiguous. structs that, in balance, are the basis for truth; has strong, positive values; and Six Bridge-Burner Archetypes. These constructive leadership. Extreme highs accepts and behaves according to stan- six types of leaders have a history of or lows on any of the 25 constructs can dards of ethics. negative relationships: 1) Duelists— result in unproductive or destructive Eight People Constructs. The eight excessively aggressive. 2) Passive- leadership behavior. Twelve constructs People-Constructs pertain to how lead- Aggressive—excessively conflict- relate primarily to the leaders’ “self- ers relate to other people: 1) Need for averse; 3) Sledgehammers—excessively constructs”—to their individual psy- affiliation: Leaders with balance seek harsh; 4) Users—excessively one-sided; chological makeup. Eight constructs harmonious relationships. 2) Trusting 5) Job Hoppers—excessively transient; deal with how leaders interact with of others: Effective leaders place appro- 6) Egomaniac—excessively vain. other people—the “Other Constructs.” priate trust in the people working for Healthy leaders have a balanced Four of the remaining constructs are and with them. 3) Empathy: A bal- psychological profile, enabling them to “Performance Constructs,” and the anced leader is sensitive and consider- behave sensibly and avoid problematic final one deals with “Vitality.” ate, but also mature in his/her view of extremes. This balanced leader frame- Twelve Self Constructs. Leadership other people, appreciating their work provides a way to understand is highly personal because leaders exer- strengths and weaknesses. 4) Equity: A leader behavior and identify areas for cise their will and often take risks in balanced leader has a strong sense of targeted leadership development. LE pursuit of a personal vision, needing to fairness and avoids playing favorites. Appraisal of others: Dr. Terry Bacon, Ph.D., is CEO of Lore International Institute. influence others to follow them. These 5) Balanced leaders Visit www.Lorenet.com. 12 self-constructs pertain to the leader’s are neither too lenient nor too harsh in self: 1) Self-concept: Balanced leaders their appraisal of others. 6) Candor: A ACTION: Build balance and avoid the dark side. Leadership Excellence June 2008 11 PEOPLE HIRING INTERVIEWS This conclusion, obviously, is at odds with our intuition. Usually, we assume that people display the same character traits in different situations. Haphazard Hiring We underestimate the large role that What do job interviews tell us? context plays in people’s behavior. Psychologists call this tendency—to fixate on supposedly stable character by Malcolm Gladwell means that I shouldn’t be concerned traits and overlook the influence of that I can’t explain why I like a certain context—the Fundamental Attribution T IS A TRUISM OF THE candidate, because, if such judgments Error. And if you combine this error Inew economy that are made without thinking, then sure- with snap judgments, the interview the ultimate success of ly they defy explanation. becomes even more problematic. Not any enterprise lies But there’s a troubling suggestion only do you let your first impressions with the quality of its people. At here as well. I may believe that a per- color the information you gather, but many technology companies, employ- son I meet is an accomplished and lik- you assume that the way he behaves ees are asked to all but live at the able person. But I have no idea how with you in an interview is indicative office. The artifacts of the prototypical honest he is, or whether he is self-cen- of the way he would always behave. It Silicon Valley office—the videogames, tered, or whether he works best by isn’t that the interview is useless; what the espresso bar, the bunk beds, the himself or in a group, or other funda- you learn about the candidate is some- basketball hoops—are the elements of mental traits. That people who simply thing you can’t get from a résumé or the rec room, not the workplace. And see the handshake arrive at the same references. It’s just that the conversa- in the rec room you want to play only conclusions as people who conduct a tion turns out to be less useful, and with your friends. But how do you full interview also implies, perhaps, potentially more misleading, than you find out who your friends are? that those initial impressions matter too suppose. The most basic of human rit- Today, recruiters canvas the coun- much—that they color all the other uals—the conversation with a try for résumés. They analyze employ- impressions that we gather over time. stranger—turns out to be a minefield. ment histories and their competitors’ If we are not people who are shy or staff listings. They call references, and talkative or outspoken but people who then sit down with a perfect stranger are shy in some contexts, talkative in for an hour and attempt to draw con- other situations, and outspoken in still clusions about that stranger’s intelli- other areas, then what it means to gence and personality. The job know someone is to catalogue and interview has become one of the cen- appreciate all those variations. tral conventions of the modern econo- The “structured interviewing” tech- my. But what, exactly, can you know nique is the only kind of interviewing about a stranger after sitting down that has any success in predicting per- and talking with him for an hour? formance. In the structured interviews, A person watching a two-second For example, if I decide that I like a the format is fairly rigid, applicants are silent video clip of a teacher he has candidate and then see behavior that treated in the same manner, questions never met will reach conclusions conforms with my expectations, what I are scripted, interviewers are carefully about how good that teacher is that hear in his answer is toughness and trained, and each applicant is rated on are very similar to those of a student confidence. Had I decided early on a series of predetermined scales. who sits in the class for a semester. that I didn’t like him, I would have Structured interviews have narrow Apparently, human beings don’t heard in that reply arrogance and blus- objectives. Interviewers are seemingly need to know someone in order to ter. The first impression becomes a uninterested in arriving at a sense of a believe that they know someone. The self-fulfilling prophecy: we hear what person—the interview isn’t about get- power of first impressions suggests we expect to hear. The interview is ting to know someone. It’s as much that human beings have a particular hopelessly biased in favor of the nice. concerned with rejecting information kind of pre-rational ability for making When we meet a person, we look at as it is with collecting it. searching judgments about others. the way he behaves in our presence—at Most employers reject the structured What we are picking up in that first the way he talks and acts and seems to interview. For most, hiring someone is instant would seem to be something think—and predict how he’ll behave in a romantic process; the job interview quite basic about a person’s character, other situations. Are we right to do so? functions as a date. We’re looking for because what we conclude after two Behavior in one setting tells you little someone with whom we have a certain seconds is pretty much the same as about how he would behave in a differ- chemistry, even if the coupling that what we conclude after 20 minutes or, ent setting: from how he behaves at results ends in tears and the pursuer indeed, an entire semester. lunch, you can’t predict how he’ll behave and the pursued turn out to have noth- If these clues or cues are immedi- at playtime. How neat her assignments ing in common. We want the unlimited ately accessible and apparent, we are are or how punctual she is tells you promise of a love affair. The structured talking about the existence of a pow- almost nothing about how often she interview seems to offer only the dry erful form of human intuition. In a attends class or how neat her room or practicality of an arranged marriage. LE way, that’s comforting, because it sug- personal appearance. How we behave Malcolm Gladwell is the author of Tipping Point and Blink. gests that we can meet a perfect at any one time has less to do with Visit www.MalcolmGladwell.com. stranger and immediately pick up on some immutable inner compass than something important about him. It with the particulars of our situation. ACTION: Improve your interviewing process. 12 June 2008 Leadership Excellence MANAGEMENT PURPOSE that sales call, they crunched some numbers and realized they were about to agree to a deal that cost the company money? What if they decided to stop Mission Control negotiating and say “no” to the deal? Align purpose and goals. Would they rush back to the office and brag about the bad deal they avoided? Hardly. Avoiding mistakes is an by Marshall Goldsmith Company purpose should come unseen, unheralded achievement, and before departmental goals. Yet many yet, averting a bad deal or bad hire can leaders become fixated on goals in affect the bottom line more than scoring N THE SURFACE, their struggle to meet tight deadlines a big sale. Stopping negative behaviors O“purpose” and with finite resources. The solution is and actions gets no attention, but it “goal” seem to be simi- simple, but not easy. It requires honest, can be as critical as anything you do. lar, if not synonymous, terms. But in perhaps painful, reflection. Review As you evaluate your performance, parsing the definitions, we discover your goals and ask: “What goals are consider the impact of what you are they’re very different concepts. consuming my time and energy and not—or should not be—doing. • Goals are specific objectives we strive the company’s resources?” Rank your to achieve, usually within defined para- goals in terms of cost to achieve. Then Sharing Is Caring meters of space, time and resources. rank your goals in terms of contribution Communication breakdowns hin- • Purpose is the “why” behind any to purpose. When you find clear dis- der operations. Why do these lapses thought or deed. Purpose is not about crepancies, you need to step back and happen? How they can be avoided? achieving a goal—it’s more of a way of realign your goals with your pur- Today, knowledge is power, which life. Purpose is enduring, whereas goals pose—doing what really matters (and makes withholding key data very coun- can be created, adjusted and discarded. stop doing what doesn’t matter). terproductive. Suppressing vital infor- You can see the variation between mation lowers value. This becomes a purpose and goals in what you do at Stop in the Name of Leadership big problem whenever people take work. Goals can be the targets you set Once I heard Peter Drucker say: “We their competitive nature too far. It’s the regarding the recruitment, retention, teach leaders what to do. We don’t teach same old need to win, only more development, and progression of your leaders what to stop. Half the leaders I underhanded. People take the phrase workforce. Purpose should be what the “knowledge is power” too literally, goals serve. You set targets to achieve a thinking the object of the game is to greater overarching aim, one that bene- hoard as much information as possible. fits all stakeholders. For instance, you The problem with willfully with- wouldn’t bring in 1,000 employees just holding information, though, is it to grow your workforce; but you might rarely achieves the desired effect. You bring in 1,000 employees to ensure the might think you’re gaining an edge success of a new growth opportunity. and consolidating power, but you’re We often confuse our goals with breeding mistrust and disdain. To our purpose. For example, I once have real power, you need to inspire taught a leadership development ses- loyalty rather than fear and suspicion. sion for executives and their spouses Often we withhold information in or partners. In the session, executives meet don’t need to learn what to do. unintentional or accidental ways— learned that their partners often felt They need to learn what to stop.” when we’re too busy to get back to ignored or put in “second place” com- Have you ever attended a training people with information they need, pared with work. Many executives session entitled Stupid Things We’re when we forget to include someone in had clearly let their goal (make a lot of Doing That We Need to Stop Doing? our discussions or meetings, or when money) become more important than Or, has your CEO ever discussed his we delegate a task but don’t show or their purpose (create a great life for negative traits and his efforts to stop explain to people exactly how we themselves and their families). destructive behavior? Can you even want the task done. If you don’t see The distinction between a goal and imagine your leader admitting a fault why any of that annoys people, reflect purpose can be lost on managers. For and outlining his aim to stop doing it? on how you feel when no one tells you example, a friend of mine left consult- Probably not. Leadership behaviors about a meeting, sends you an impor- ing to become the VP of HR for a cor- are designed to demonstrate a commit- tant e-mail or memo, or makes you the poration. He reviewed a study of their ment to positive action—we will start last person to know about something. employee benefits and found some listening to our customers (rather than Usually, we don’t withhold infor- were costing the company millions of stop talking about ourselves). Recognition mation out of malice; rather, we do it dollars and delivering little that the and reward systems are designed to give because we’re clueless (but the impact employees valued. When he suggested credit for doing something good—not for on people who are affected is similar). cutting the benefits to save money, he ceasing to do something bad. Yet, they was told he was “confused.” His boss are two different sides of the same coin. Have the Courage to Ask noted that cutting these benefits would Think of times you’ve seen col- Peter Drucker once observed, “The mean a smaller budget and less power leagues go on a sales call, return with an leader of the past knew how to tell; the for the HR department. In building order, and regale anyone who’ll listen leader of the future will know how to their empires, they had forgotten about with a blow-by-blow account of how ask.” If you manage knowledge workers making a ROI for their stockholders. they closed the deal. But what if, during —people who know more about what Leadership Excellence June 2008 13 they’re doing than you do—you know CHANGE RESISTANCE initiative and provided the resources. that it is hard to tell them what to do Similarly, leaders must be clear and how to do it! You need to ask, lis- about the need to grow new business ten, and learn from everyone around Corporate Gravity and look beyond mere incremental you. As Peter stated: “Start by asking Escape its powerful pull. change. Their vision and intent must the question, ‘What needs to be done?’” proactively address the question: Why Leaders who ask co-workers to pro- change? They must provide meaning. vide suggestions, listen to them, learn by Steven Barry Leaders can then provide the neces- from them, and follow-up are seen as sary resources and remove whatever becoming more effective. Also, exter- might restrain people from thinking nal customer satisfaction goes up AVE YOU EVER FELT beyond established brands or business when customer service reps ask, listen, Hcorporate gravity? models. If leaders aren’t clear about learn, and follow-up. When people ask It’s the powerful inertia the vision and intent, new investments you for your input, listen to you, try to of habits or history that prevents new and growth opportunities tend to be learn from you and follow-up to see if ideas from surfacing. You hear it in confined by the boundaries of what they are getting better, your relation- phrases such as “not invented here” people perceive to possible. ship with them invariably improves. and “already tried that—didn’t work.” 2. Conduct, and learn from, experi- So, why don’t leaders ask? One rea- Corporate gravity can secure effi- ments. Just as astronauts perform son is our inflated ego. When I ask lead- ciency, but it unintentionally defines experiments, leaders also often chal- ers to rate themselves relative to their what is impossible—and that’s a prob- lenge the status quo by performing peers, about 60 percent of them rank lem for growth leaders. Corporate experiments—particularly in static, themselves in the top 10 percent; almost gravity often affects the decision-mak- mature, organic growth situations. One 85 percent say they are in the top 20 per- ing process, as leaders tend to get con- of our clients, a regional VP of a global cent; and over 98 percent claim to be in servative. However, as Andre Gide consumer products company that is the top half! Their performance has little said: “One doesn’t discover new lands driving growth by expanding in Asia, to do with their self-assessment! without consenting to lose sight of the has a mantra: “Make a little, sell a lit- When you become successful, you shore for a long time.” tle, learn a lot, and fail cheap.” High- are often delusional about the reasons Have you ever fought corporate performing companies value learning. for your success. You tend to attribute gravity? Does the Law always win? 3. Realize that reentry can be the most good results to your own motivation We find that successful growth leaders dangerous part of the journey. Teams and ability and tend to attribute poor are more likely to challenge involved in experiments results to environmental factors, bad the status quo. When doing usually feel excited and luck, or random chance. When you so, risk is involved—for energized by a new way of over-rate your performance, you can both leader and company. thinking. However, chal- easily justify not asking others for input. Business risk can be miti- lenging the status quo is A second reason why leaders don’t gated with strategic threatening, and the ask is fear. Once I asked a VP of alliances or other means. response is rarely what the Customer Satisfaction, “Should you be The personal risks of chal- teams expect. One thing asking your key customers for feed- lenging the status quo are leaders can do is protect the back?” “Of course!” he said. “Then, more difficult to navigate. thinkers more than they why don’t you do it?” He admitted, Depending on your culture, protect the idea itself. “Because I am afraid of the answer.” the risks for you and your 4. Be prepared to fire your As a leader, start asking key co- team could be imaginary—like fig- booster rockets. As the space shuttle workers: “What needs to be done?” ments of failures past—or very real. blasts off and fights gravity, great ener- Thank them for their input, listen to gy boosters are fired in different phases. them, learn as much as you can, incor- Four Things You Can Do The same applies for growth leaders. If porate the ideas that make the most In facing corporate gravity, growth the experiment meets with initial accep- sense, and follow-up to ensure that leaders are like space travelers who tance and gains steam as a change ini- real, positive change is occurring. fight Earth’s gravity. Space travel is a tiative, the leader’s energy reserve will Ask, listen, and learn from everyone forward-thinking endeavor. Growth be tested. Energy must be maintained around you. You can learn more about leaders also think and forge ahead in during inevitable changes. Similarly, what you most need to know from your ways not clear to everyone at the time. growth leaders must expect the initia- key stakeholders than you can from Consider these four points next tive to plateau. “Boosters” should be consultants. Also, ask the people whom time you challenge corporate gravity: held in reserve to reaccelerate the initia- you love how you can be a better part- 1. Be clear about the vision and tive and sustain growth. For example, ner, friend, or parent. Listen to their intent of a new growth initiative. U.S. milestones might be set (during launch ideas. Don’t get so busy with work that President John F. Kennedy challenged and later) as natural “breaks” to be cele- you ignore the most important people NASA to put a man on the moon and brated and consolidated within the con- in your life. To improve your relation- return him safely to Earth by the end text of continuing change. ships, you need to ask for people’s of the 1960s. He outlined the impor- With the right approach and proper opinions and then follow up and do tance of this feat in the context of long- planning, growth leaders can overcome something about what you learn. LE range exploration of space and its even the laws of corporate physics. LE meaning to mankind. Kennedy didn’t Marshall Goldsmith is the author of What Got You Here Won’t Steven Barry is Lead Consultant within the Growth Networks Get You There. Visit www.MarshallGoldsmith.com. know how it would happen; the tech- unit of The Forum Corp. Visit www.forum.com. nology had not yet been invented. Still, ACTION: Start asking, “What needs to be done?” he outlined the vision and intent of the ACTION: Overcome resistance to change. 14 June 2008 Leadership Excellence LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE In 2007, at our request, the research firm Ipsos conducted a 1,000-person national survey of working adults to Light Leadership measure the effect a manager’s sense of humor has on employee retention. Levity has an image problem. In the survey, participants were asked to rate their bosses’ sense of humor, we interviewed attest that fun is an and in another part of this survey they essential component of their people, were asked how likely it was that they business, and innovation strategies. In would be working for their employer a short, people tend to stay, stay com- year from now. Employees who rate mitted, and give more energy to an their managers’ sense of humor as organization where good times are “above average” (a score of 7-10), rate injected into work. the likelihood that they will be on the by Adrian Gostick and Scott Christopher Moreover, managers who lead with job a year from now at 90 percent, but H, LEVITY. FOR SUCH A SEEMINGLY levity benefit from higher employee those who rate their managers’ sense of Awhimsical concept, it’s amazing engagement and personal financial suc- humor as “average” or “below aver- what criticism it engenders in busi- cess. You have likely known a leader age” on sense of humor rate their ness. In the training and coaching we like this at some point. Maybe you had chances of staying at 77.5 percent. conduct, we can’t seem to get past the a boss who was genuinely funny, crack- According to Tim Keiningham, senior opening hellos before someone brings ing an hilarious comment now and then VP of Ipsos Loyalty, “The connection is up the “dark side” of fun and humor: to loosen everyone up. Or not an anomaly. There is a “You can get too much of a good thing.” maybe you had a boss who significant correlation “People won’t take their jobs seriously.” wasn’t that much of a pun- between your manager’s “Mandatory fun is no fun at all.” “My boss ster or a quick-quip artist, sense of humor and your tries to be funny, but it’s embarrassing.” but she encouraged the group willingness to remain with “I’m not humorous, and I never will be.” to get a little silly once in a an organization.” After a few minutes of furrowed while. She may not have been So, what is levity? Levity brows and volatile verbal exchanges, Paula Poundstone, but she means being light, buoyant we conclude that we are either dead was authentic, genuine, and even. The problem is, that wrong about levity, or we’ve acciden- light-hearted and let people doesn’t sound very desir- tally been booked to speak at the annu- be themselves. able in business. After all, al meeting of Death Row Clergymen. And at its core, that’s what levity is who wants a lightweight, bouncy, goof- Just as we’re ready to surrender our about. It’s not only about having fun off handling finances, piloting their mission to the scoffs and derision, we at work. It’s not just about being plane, or addressing issues with upset discover the best excuse to pursue the humorous. It’s not so much about customers? It’s no wonder that fun topic: The converted. being funny—it’s about being fun. gets a bad rap. So, let’s be clear. These loyal levity believers swim The remarkable case for levity at Levity does not mean silly, inane, or upstream through the flow of confer- work is growing, with the most con- distracting. Levity is a way of improv- ence attendees exiting after we have vincing numbers culled from more ing a workplace, a presentation or a concluded our presentations, nodding than a decade of research by the Great relationship that can change your work their heads and shaking our hands as if Place to Work Institute: “Great” com- and your life for the better. we’re the handle on the last water panies consistently earn significantly The word is derived from Latin, lev- pump in the Sahara. “Thank goodness higher marks for “fun.” itas, the same root for the word levitate. you came, that was fantastic,” they’ll Each year, the Great Place to Work And that’s the secret to levity. It raises say. “My colleagues needed to hear this Institute asks people to rate their experi- things. And while some people may message; we’re so bad at this stuff.” ence of workplace factors including, distrust it, when things get tense, drab, As champions of fun at work, they “This is a fun place to work.” On slow, stressful and boring, a fork-full of are among those who chose to lead Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work levity can mean the difference between with the Levity Effect. And thankfully For list, produced by the Great Place to working cohesively towards a goal and for us, they aren’t just a few nuts rele- Work Institute, employees in companies being hindered by contention. gated to back-office jobs. They are that are denoted as “great” responded Of course, we make no claims that some of the most successful, trusted, overwhelmingly—an average of 81 per- levity will fix a toxic culture, make up innovative people. They are living cent—that they are working in a “fun” for poor pay practices, improve your proof that levity is a real, positive, and environment. Employees at the best products, or make your workplace safe. valuable business practice. companies are also having the best time. If you lack those basics, fix those first. Here’s what they’ve discovered: At the “good” companies—those that But most organizations have the With low unemployment rates and apply for inclusion but do not make the basics down. They are simply looking fierce competition for great talent, fun top 100—only 62 employees out of 100 for something more to give them the at work can provide a competitive say they are having fun. competitive advantage. Something that advantage, help attract and retain Need more evidence? As you know, provides a differentiator or edge. employees, and provide the spark to turnover can cost organizations mil- So go ahead—lighten up. LE jumpstart creativity. Sure, it may be lions every year in lost productivity, Adrian Gostick and Scott Christopher are authors of The Levity hard to measure the ROI of go-cart recruiting costs, and other expenses Effect. Visit www.levityeffect.com. outings, dress-up contests, or a per- (one study estimates that turnover for fectly timed punchline, but the leaders each employee is 150 percent of salary). ACTION: Enjoy a little levity in your leadership. Leadership Excellence June 2008 15 PERFORMANCE RESULTS around the need to change and then driving it to conclusion. Even Olympic gold medalists have coaches, and usu- ally, often more than one. Go for the Gold Achieving Results, Leading Change Take seven actions to lead change. Now take these seven actions: 1. Only make commitments you you risk over-committing what you intend to keep. You may not know how and your staff are capable of doing. you’ll get to the end result and meet Don’t think your “yes-saying” is some the schedule constraints, but make sort of noble sentiment of wanting to sure that you’re committed to deliver, serve. Motivation for “pleasing” peo- no matter what it takes. You will build ple generally springs from fear of a reputation for being reliable and act- by Eddie Erlandson, Kate Ludeman upsetting them by not saying what ing with integrity. No one ever won a and Catherine Ludeman-Hall they want to hear. Being too agreeable gold medal without first committing to hurts your relationships and your do so. OR SOME MANAGERS AND THEIR WORK credibility in the long run. Are you 2. Plan carefully for success. Get Fgroups, everything they do seems striving for gold for your team or to agreement from your group and man- to result in gold-medal performance. impress someone else? agers on goals, strategy, and measure- Roadblocks appear to fall away. Goals Do I avoid planning and, instead, ments. Estimate and negotiate re- are achieved even when opportunities rely on the “wing it” approach, assum- sources needed to achieve goals, and or resources are slim, or conditions are ing that “things always work out?” make a game plan. rapidly deteriorating. They have an This set of habits often results from 3. Don’t do it alone. Combat isola- uncanny ability to sell new ideas and procrastination and last-minute-itis, tion by collaborating with others to get buy-in for new approaches that leading to unnecessary stress. Reflect identify cross-functional issues that give them a competitive advantage. for a moment to see if your avoidance emerge from change. Form teams to They consistently do the right thing at is actually a fear of exerting your influ- capitalize on change. Make improve- the right time. Breakthrough perfor- ence, thus leaving yourself open to ments across organizations. Find reli- mance occurs beyond anyone’s expec- able coaches and teammates who will tations, meeting customer needs help guide you to the gold. ahead of competitors. Like gold- 4. Work with your group to identify medal teams, they find a way to work roadblocks. Identify allies who may together, communicate effectively and help diminish barriers to implement- combine their efforts to reach the goal. ing the ideas, and build contingency What prevents your team from plans if insurmountable barriers arise. reaching gold-medal status? You know 5. Anticipate change. Set plans each your staff is talented, but certain peo- year based on multiple scenarios rather ple seem to underachieve. You have a than single forecasts. Operate with hard time convincing your peers to three different forecasts of key condi- support your innovative ideas because tions that impact your operations, and they have little confidence your team position yourself across the uncertainty can deliver. Meanwhile, your team negative feedback about your plans. of which scenario might occur. thinks you don’t support them, and Or are you are afraid to fully invest 6. Take charge of chaos. Propose you can’t get the resources you need. yourself? A great fallback is always, “I incremental and breakthrough changes, It seems that even a bronze medal did the best I could, given I only had including details of purpose, scope, could be a stretch for your team. the last two days to work on it.” Then resource requirements, milestones, Why aren’t you the one who rewrites if it’s not good enough, you’ve already measurement systems, and implica- the rules when times change? You got the perfect explanation lined up. tions. Show the benefits of short-term may be so deeply involved in daily How much preparation and planning successes and long-term wins that sup- fire-fighting that any new ideas seem goes into gold-medal performances? port the company’s direction. impractical. Or you may feel worried Am I afraid to seek help or advice 7. Own your contribution to prob- about your staff’s willingness to adapt from others because this brings up my lems and unexpected glitches. Someone to a proposed change; rather than lead own failure to “think of everything,” may not have done something you them into different thinking, you be- leading to feelings of inadequacy? expected, but look first at your com- come their advocate for the status quo. Examine the last few decisions you munication about your expectations, Here’s what you need to do to take made in challenging situations and not at their failure. By role modeling the reins of change and be heralded as find the common thread in your deci- ownership and accountability, your a highly accountable, results-oriented sion not to reach out to others for their own team will begin to claim their con- leader who leads their team to gold. guidance and input. Do I avoid change tribution to problems, speed up learn- by keeping my head in the sand, “wishing ing, and go for the gold. LE What Holds You Back? away” the reality of a changing world? Eddie Erlandson, MD and Kate Ludeman, Ph.D. are authors of Ask yourself these three questions: It’s hard to face this particular trait but Alpha Male Syndrome (HBS Press, 2006). Their company, Am I a “pleaser,” without the abili- many people focus more on finding Worth Ethic Corp., coaches executives. Visit www.worthethic.com. ty or willingness to follow-through in reasons to justify not making a change Catherine Ludeman-Hall contributed to this article. action? When you avoid saying “No,” than aligning their organization ACTION: Model ownership and accountability. 16 June 2008 Leadership Excellence LEADERSHIP ROLES managers—the rest were technical experts. The technical experts were not being prepared to manage a business portfolio. Nor did the account man- Leadership Roles agers have anywhere to go. Design firms to grow talent. 2. Breadth. Are the jobs too narrow? Sometimes expertise is required. You may want a finance expert to be the by Amy Kates These models put a premium on head of finance. But even positions that leaders with strong integration, team, require deep technical knowledge can and influence skills. Such skills enable be designed to give “extra-role respon- HE MOST POWERFUL larger companies to quickly marshal sibility” to create opportunity to stretch Telement in a succes- resources to address opportunities and and develop the manager. For exam- sion plan is the set of problems without losing out to small- ple, one head of finance was also given experiences that develop managers on er, more nimble rivals. But many com- responsibility to run a small product the job. Nothing prepares someone to panies fail to ensure that these senior division. He gained 18 months of oper- take on a leadership role better than a managers are in jobs that are develop- ational experience, and the account- stretch assignment with the right sup- ing them to be more than just good abilities for both parts of his job were port and feedback. Ideally, experiences team players. Such managers need jobs aligned. The extra responsibility also vary by scale (size of responsibility), that have complex accountability, and forced him to delegate more to his scope (type of skills or knowledge then they need to be rotated across roles finance team. Such dual-hat positions needed), geography, and stage of the in a way that gives them a breadth of can broaden the scope of a high-per- business (turnaround, growth, or start- experience—domestic and international, forming manager’s experience. up). And, they’re complemented by the functions and product units, customer 3. Size. Does the scale of jobs allow conceptual frameworks, coaching, and facing front-ends and operational back- for movement and development? Are skill building that turn experience into ends, and corporate and field positions. there jobs of different sizes that allow applied wisdom. Such development Without this attention to planned for lateral and vertical progression? To builds executives who can take on new development—of the roles and the get a new experience and challenge, challenges in various contexts. people in them—organizations find the could people make a lateral move that Unfortunately, many organizations takes them into a new area but with the fail to prepare their managers to grow same or smaller scope? You don’t want into executives with broad responsi- to increase scale and scope at the same bility. Many companies face a talent time. For example, when one large gap at their senior ranks because lead- retailer moves store managers to a new ers are designing their organizations country, they manage a store of the —and key roles—to get today’s work same size and complexity. Yet such done, but not with an eye to growing moves are considered progressions leaders. They are missing a chance to and rewarded as such. bring talent management, succession 4. General management. A GM has planning, and organization design accountability for a business and over- efforts together into one system. bench is thin when they have an open- sees functional units that work togeth- Companies can’t just compete on be- ing near the top that requires a candi- er. Few organizations have many roles ing a low-cost provider, or by creating date with broad experience in various that are true GM positions—in which a products with cutting-edge features. settings from jobs big enough to test person has full profit-and-loss responsi- They must have excellent products both strategy and execution skills. bility and full control over all levers of distributed through multiple channels, production. But many overlook oppor- and products reconfigured in faster Four Criteria tunities to create roles with GM charac- ways to meet changing customer Next time you consider change, add teristics—setting strategy, accountability needs. They must do this cost effec- one more lens to your evaluation of for the revenue and expense side of the tively and often across geographic bor- options. You’ll already be asking “how profit equation, and a multi-functional ders. The result is fewer organizations do we staff these new or changed team to manage. Do any of the roles, structured into clear product divisions roles?” Also ask, “Can we shape these short of the leader, have these charac- staffed by strong general managers roles to grow our talent?” Look at the teristics? It is not the same to have with end-to-end responsibility for two levels below the leader and assess experience in functional areas and then business results. Rather, we see multi- the roles against four criteria: try to put them together in a GM role. dimensional companies composed of 1. Variety. Are the people who get Experience is better gained on a small fragmented roles, with managers oper- promoted into top spots all of one type, scale that requires a GM perspective. ating in complex matrix relationships such as functional experts, or from one Better yet, it is done before the manager and struggling to get their work done function, such as sales or marketing? is too senior to take on a GM role. through persuasion over resources Have you designed the jobs to require To grow leaders, design jobs to pro- they don’t control. Roles such as such deep expertise that you could not vide developmental experiences your account managers, program managers, imagine a non-expert filling them? next generation of executives need. LE brand managers, operations effective- Could you imagine people rotating lat- Amy Kates is co-author with Jay Galbraith of Designing Your ness, and product development man- erally to gain breadth of experience? Organization and CEO of Downey Kates Associates, guiding agers can carry large responsibility, but For example, in one IT group, two- leaders though the design process. Visit www.downeykates.com. have a narrow scope of authority. thirds of the leaders were account ACTION: Design leadership experiences. Leadership Excellence June 2008 17 PEOPLE TALENT clients, our communities, or humanity. Most people believe that we are head- ed for difficult challenges, and they want to do something about these Mobilizing Talent issues. They would work on substan- How do you win attention? tive issues if only someone were to ask them to contribute. So leaders get peo- ple’s attention by asking followers to by Ralph Jacobson their ability to find meaning, they volunteer to help accomplish higher- often despair. Many leaders struggle to level work. Who will turn down the find meaningful ways to involve their call to make a significant difference, to N THE MOVIE THE RED people. Believing their role to be one address substantive issues, and to cre- IRiver, John Wayne of providing direction, they may give ate new possibilities? rises up out of the sad- fast answers to issues that deserve 4. Meaningful questions. The fastest, dle and with a strong forward motion greater clarity. most effective way to get someone’s commands, “Take ‘em to Missouri.” As attention is to ask them a question. Ask the film concludes, we’re confident that Actions that Get Attention people for an opinion, and most will the herd will reach its intended desti- Here are four leadership actions happily provide one. Most leaders feel nation—on time and within budget. that get attention: their credibility with followers requires Today, the response to John Wayne’s 1. Meaningful information. Today them to provide answers—but their real command might be: “Why not New information is abundant, easy to obtain, authority and power comes from asking Jersey?” “That’s not in my job descrip- and constantly changing. And its validi- deep, relevant, and meaningful ques- tion.” “I am busy.” Frankly, most of ty and accuracy are ques- tions that help people deter- the “hands” missed the cue—they tioned. So, one important mine how they can add were listening to Phish on their iPods. historical source of leader value and improve working They expected their orders to be text- authority is neutralized. But relationships. Questions messaged. Unless the organizers of the information that people slow down frenetic behav- the drive spent time team building, most often need today can’t ior, force people to consider it’s unlikely that the herd reaches its be found on the internet. It their intent, and typically destination on time, within budget. is the judgment that results improve action. Command and control, power and from careful exploration of The nature and rele- leadership authority, no longer muster the facts, the dialogue that vance of the question deter- the desired response. Most of us in our uncovers deeper possibilities, and the mines the attention span and interest 50s and 60s were cued up to listen to purposeful connection in community. of the prospective listener. Narrow authority. When the professor lectured, People crave the wisdom that arises questions hold people’s attention for a we listened. We assumed the validity when rationality, emotion, and inten- short time and don’t build leader-fol- of the content and knew that there tion are put into meaningful action. lower relationships. Sadly, when could be consequences for inattention. 2. Meaningful relationships. Cred- caught in the need for short-term Today the listener’s benchmark has ibility of the leader is required by fol- financial performance, leaders tend to become relevancy and entertainment. lowers. But many younger employees ask, “What have you done for me late- There are many alternative channels believe the experience of their leaders ly?” Such short-term, narrow questions and messages from which to choose. is less relevant to their situation. Many don’t build leader-follower loyalty. Today, students are more interested in have confidence in their own capabili- If leaders want to get attention, they sharing their ideas than in hearing the ties to determine the course of action need to ask well-crafted, higher-order wisdom of their professors. themselves; they are less willing to questions that encourage people to re- What hasn’t changed is the desire of rely on those above them for direction flect and think. Such questions help most people to make a contribution. or approval. They may not see that improve leader-follower relationships, People are community-seeking, and asking the opinion and direction of decrease political cross-silo tension, many of the ills that keep us from the those above them adds value. This increase engagement and agility. path of greatness remain the lack of shift in role for many leaders may be Rather than tell people what to do, meaningful connection. But clearly, get- disarming. Leaders need to spend the leader needs to create a forum in ting people to pay attention and enroll- more time helping people understand which people are interested in perform- ing them is more difficult. The emphasis the broader perspective, the longer- ing meaningful work. The leader may on the short term, the aversion to tak- term view, the many perspectives, and have to help followers separate the ing risks, and the loosening of commu- the coordinated action that’s needed. important from the critical, the short nity bonds have made the task of 3. Meaningful work. Yesterday lead- term from the long term, the big picture engaging people a greater challenge. ers motivated people by talking about from the immediate. Making work When leaders fail to consider how numbers: “We’re going to increase rev- meaningful creates more chances to their messages and strategies impact enue by 15 percent. We’ll improve the learn and contribute. Improving leader their credibility and long-term employ- bottom line 10 percent.” Many follow- communications and intention increas- ee engagement, their followers feel ers today simply don’t care. If you es employee engagement to accomplish greater stress, show less interest in the want to focus their attention on busi- the most important work. LE long term, have less ability to problem ness, then the better message may Ralph Jacobson is President of The Leader’s Toolbox, and author solve, and less belief in influencing include opportunities for learning and of Leading for a Change: How to Master the Five Challenges their work environment. When they creating meaning. You might focus on Faced by Every Leader. Email [email protected]. perceive that they’ve been robbed of how we can improve the value to ACTION: Mobilize your talent. 18 June 2008 Leadership Excellence MANAGEMENT POLITICS who is not sharing his or her expecta- tions, ask for them. Write them a memo, send them an email, get clear on your expectations—both those expected Office Politics of you and those you have for others. How you can play and win even if you feel you have no vote. 7. Minimize the damage from gossip and attrition. People will talk, no mat- ter what, but you can minimize dam- by Monica Wofford don’t. Some managers will say no, just age from the rumor mill by over- based on the way you ask. The answer informing, adopting a zero-tolerance you get will vary, depending on how negative gossip policy, or encouraging T THE OFFICE, YOU you communicate your need. those who hear gossip to stop it by Adon’t get a chance 4. Stand your ground. You benefit by asking the person if she minds that to vote on your leader. holding to your beliefs and values. If you share what you have heard with If your leader was forced to state a you have no real passion about your the person who is the subject of the platform, what would it be? What if role or the way it should be done, then gossip. Don’t take gossip personally. If all your leaders had to state their case why do you have it? You may not get there’s a revolving door out of your in front of all the people they serve? what you want, but if you show that company, determine why people are Of course, they don’t, or won’t. In you have passion for a certain decision leaving. Avoid hiring too many direct, light of the reality you face in the or way something is done, you will gain commanding, take-charge folks, as office, how do you play or participate credibility and respect. Just be careful they will often butt heads with others. in office politics without being left how you communicate such passion, as Hire those who have a little fun, as it out, cold-shouldered, or worse, “freed that makes all the difference. will keep the team happy. Many com- up” in an attempt to stand for what 5. Become available and needed. For panies hire only “commanders” or you believe is right? If you can’t vote those leaders who are not sure what “organizers.” These individuals are for your leader or boss, how can you their role is or how to perform it, they easily promotable, but not good at play his or her politics and still win? will need you and usually not know people skills when stress is high. Here are eight tips: how to tell you this, without feeling 8. Boost morale and teamwork with 1. Recognize that your leaders are recognition. If there is always doom human. Those in charge may have a and gloom, even the best employees title, a bigger office and more authori- will flee to a happier place. If you have ty, but they are still human. Many low morale, talk about it openly, try to leaders are put into their positions find the source, try to eliminate the because of their tenure more so than source, recognize that it may be tem- their skill level. This can create a fear porary, and check to see if you are cre- among leaders to reveal their lack of ating it by mistake. Low morale can be knowledge. That frustration creates achieved by one bad apple or one bad cover-up behaviors that may inhibit event, as well as a series of changes. your development. Realize that they Has anything bad happened that you are dealing with their own issues, and can control? What can you do to make you may find yourself more forgiving work fun? Do you have fun doing and less demanding. less than powerful. Offer suggestions your own job? Has it been a while 2. Establish a connection. Some peo- with no ego involved and gauge the since you said “good job” or excellent ple are gifted connectors who create reaction. If the leader is receptive, con- work? Keep in mind, many people bridges of communication in relation- tinue to offer suggestions or ask if she will be as pleased with a pat on the ships. No matter your abilities, connec- is open to other ideas. Be available to back, a high five, or a thank-you card, tions can’t be forced. This isn’t simply answer questions and easy to talk as much as they will a raise—provided about finding a few things in common with. Develop your ability to get your you recognize early and often. Ask and commenting on a leader’s family job done and still be available for them how they like to be recognized. picture. Create a comfort level between questions or suggestions to your boss. Give different recognition to different the two of you—one that enables you to You might even try letting her have people. Recognize who values which utilize your skills, speak in a language credit for the idea. Making a boss look kind of recognition Share expectations your leader understands, and do things good can go a long way toward them of team performance and give team in a style they value. It also helps to returning the favor, but it must be done incentives to help members get along. connect if you show that you value without a lot of your ego invested. You may not get a vote in who some of his or her priorities or projects. 6. Share expectations. If people are becomes your leader, but you can 3. Communicate what you need. Do not performing: share your expecta- influence how they lead you. It requires not assume that because a person is in tions, free them up, coach them, give that you become a better leader of your a leadership role that he knows what them a buddy, or change them to a job own actions and behaviors so that you need. Your leaders likely don’t know they can do. The action you take will those you lead will look to you for what you need in the way of resources depend on what you have done about leadership and your leader may take an or tools or guidance. Tell them what his behavior up to this point. Have you interest in following your lead. LE you need in a professional manner or coached? Have you shared expecta- Monica Wofford is a speaker, trainer, and CEO of Monica ask them for those elements you may be tions? Have you given rewards? If peo- Wofford International, helping companies achieve real results. missing and share why you need them. ple are not clear on your expectations, Visit www.monicawofford.com or call 866- 382-0121. Some managers want a “why”, others tell them. If you encounter a new boss ACTION: Win at office politics. Leadership Excellence June 2008 19 PEOPLE TALENT parents and lost his adoptive mother when he was five and two stepmothers by age 10. He was raised by his aged grandmother. Dave wasn’t the brightest Leadership Development of students, dropping out of school at Is it all just a whole lot of hooey? age 15. He got a few jobs, and had to grow down before he grew up. With some luck cooking food in the army by Kenny Moore happiness is intimately connected to it. and later running a KFC restaurant, he Money, fame, and success can’t ensure opened a small hamburger joint and ’VE WORKED WITH MANY our personal fulfillment; however, co- named it after his daughter, Wendy. He Iexecutives over the operating with our calling will. We are later became a philanthropist and lob- years, but rate few as all invited to do so, and do it well. bied Congress to help families adopt exceptional—and they With our own flair, in our own style. kids. He hired a tutor so he could get never attended a leadership develop- We’re not here to live out our parent’s his high school diploma at age 60. ment program (those who did usually wishes or our company’s vision. We’ve • Harold Yuker was born with cerebral were mediocre). Likewise, most “high got more compelling goals to achieve. palsy and forced to go to a school for potentials” do little more than what’s crippled children. But he eventually got considered politically correct to please Growing Up, Growing Down a Ph.D. As Provost at Hofstra University, their superiors and climb the ladder. Being worthy of our destiny requires he ensured other physically challenged Stellar performers share little in embracing our talents and bringing them children would never have to endure common. Some are bold and indepen- to fruition. It’s about being visible and what he did. Harold got laws changed, dent; others, obnoxious and rude. making a difference. Sometimes, the doors opened, and mindsets moved. Several are shy and taciturn. It doesn’t acorn manifests itself early; other times, •Ella Fitzgerald, as a girl, showed up at seem to matter. Mentoring, training it ripens with the passage of years. the Harlem Opera House to tap dance and coaching don’t appeal to them. Growing up into our responsibilities in a talent show. But after she was intro- What they possess is not the product is only part of the journey. There is a duced, she changed her mind: “I wanna of education or development. sing.” And sing she did—to applause. Great leaders are like artists. Picasso Role models abound; look at your said: “I don’t develop; I am.” own family, friends, and firm. They’ve got an acorn and an active daimon. More Where Does Talent Come From? importantly, look within. In reflective There’s a Best Practice business model moments, we’re aware that we have that explains this phenomenon, but it’s particular gifts; we know that we’ve not from Tom Peters or Jim Collins. It’s been called, that we’re here for a higher from another astute luminary: Plato. purpose. Our life journey is replete with Plato’s view of leadership derives from experiences that are bizarre, serendipi- his acorn theory. Here’s how it works: need to grow down as well. Spreading tous, and precarious. And yet we have All of us are born with an “acorn” our wings and soaring to the heights is endured. There is a reason for this. that’s destined to grow into a mighty merely one aspect. Like the mighty Speaking of this longing, Charles oak. This acorn is our calling, vocation oak whose branches reach high into Kingsley said: “We act as though com- or destiny. Before arriving here, we the air, there is a network of earthly fort and luxury are chief requirements were perfectly clear on what our call- roots that must sink themselves deep of life when all that we need to make ing was—but in birth, all remem- into the soil anchoring it for display. us really happy is something to be brances are lost. Plato believed that the The growing down part of the tree is enthusiastic about.” And what could gods send us here with a precise des- as important as its growing up, lest in generate more enthusiasm than living tiny; we just can’t remember what it is. the face of foul weather, it topples. out the mystery of our lives with a To help manage this dilemma, we are The growing up part is public and sense of panache, intrigue, and adven- accompanied by our own daimon often met with attention. Growing ture? Our word enthusiasm comes from (Guardian Angel). It’s our angel who down is private, often performed in Greek, meaning possessed by the gods. remembers our vocation and is the darkness of night and surrounded It’s not by chance that we are here. assigned to make sure it gets lived out. by the mundane affairs of daily life. We have a unique destiny with a clear Peril and misfortune may assail us; Gandhi’s dictum was this: “Almost purpose in mind. And powerful inter- enemies and miscreants may assault us; everything you do will seem insignifi- mediaries have been dispatched to parents and educators may abuse us. cant, but it is very important that you accompany us. So, be bold. Be brave. No need to worry—the acorn will pre- do it. Be the change you wish to see in Take more risks. Stop playing it safe. vail. The daimon is ever near to ensure the world.” Gandhi saw the value of You already are safe. And the next time safe passage. For some, the dangers the prosaic. Engaging in the pedestrian someone offers to send you away for and difficulties have elements of divine aspects of our lives tempers the grand- some Leadership Development, tell necessity: all required to mature the ness of the acorn’s call. Showing up for ‘em to buzz off: you’ve got more im- acorn, crush it underfoot—so that it work, caring for family and friends, per- portant things to do with your time. LE may blossom into a mighty oak. Gods forming daily chores are ordinary but Kenny Moore, co-author of The CEO and the Monk (Wiley), is don’t waste time on fruitless endeavors. critical components of our destiny. Corporate Ombudsman and HR Director at a New York City The Divine has a master plan in place. Fortune 500 company (before that was a Catholic priest). Email Living out our acorn and cooperat- How Destiny Gets Played Out [email protected] or visit www.kennythemonk.com. ing with the daimon is vital, since our • David Thomas never knew his birth ACTION: Live out your destiny. 20 June 2008 Leadership Excellence Leadership Excellence Celebrating 25 Years of Excellence

or 25 years, our three monthly magazines Team Leadership F have been the source for the best and ($10/month) Leadership Excellence brightest insights from all the top consultants, Leadership Excellence ■ 1-year (12 issues) $129 coaches, authors, and executives. brings together the best ■ 2-year (24 issues) $199 Use our FREE Development Tools: thinking in the world, from ■ 3-year (36 issues) $269 all the top practioners, in a • Personal Excellence Plan, an easy-to-use time-effective format. guide designed to help you create and imple- ment vision, mission, goals, and priorities. Recent contributors include: Marshall Goldsmith, Jim Collins, Tom Peters, Anne Mulcahy, Warren Bennis, Michael Porter, Margaret Wheatley, Patrick Lencioni, and many others! • Excellence Worksheet, the perfect way to bring Excellence into your personal study or team meeting.

Sales/Service Leadership 20-Year Instant ($5/month) Sales & Service Excellence Consultant Sales & Service Excellence ■ 1-year (12 issues) $59 CD archive: com- prehensive, covers seven dimensions of ■ 2-year (24 issues) $99 sales, marketing, and service searchable data- ■ 3-year (36 issues) $139 excellence. base of the best ideas and strategies Recent contributors include: Tom Hopkins, Jim Rohn, Dianna Booher, Oren Harari, Debbie Allen, Adrian Gostick, T. Scott Gross, Brian Tracy, Jeff Thull, and many others! on management, leadership, and produc- “Sales and Service Excellence is crisp, succinct, and actionable—a nice change from tivity. Instantly access the perfect article Harvard Business Review, whose articles are interesting but too academic to be useful.” —PETER G. BALBUS, CEO & MANAGING DIRECTOR OF PRAGMAXIS for your presentation, meeting, or per- sonal study with over 3,200 articles by best-selling authors, leadership experts, coaches, and consultants. Self Leadership ($8/month) Personal Excellence CD or Online Access: Personal Excellence ■ 1-year (12 issues) $99 ■ $199 focuses on seven dimen- ■ 2-year (24 issues) $169 sions of personal devel- ■ 3-year (36 issues) $229 opment and leadership. Please start my subscription! Recent contributors include: Laura Schlessinger, Tony Alessandra, Tom DeCotiis, Kurt Please sign me up for the item(s) checked. DuNard, Bob Davies, Marshall Goldsmith, Wayne Dyer, Peter Block, and many others! Name ______“Personal Excellence is the only reading you’ll need to do for continual self-improve- ment both personally and professionally!” Company______—SHARLENE HAWKES, FORMER MISS AMERICA, AWARD-WINNING ESPN BROADCASTER Address ______Master of Excellence Leadership Package • 1-year Leadership Excellence ______• Your choice of 1-year Sales & Service Phone ______Excellence or Personal Excellence • 20-Year Instant Consultant leader- Email ______ship library CD • 3-book package on leadership* ■ Visa ■ MC ■ Amex ■ Disc ■ Bill me

■ $329 (save over $150)** # ______exp. _____ Signature ______

LEADERSHIP Get Started Fax this form to 801-377-5960, call 1-877-250-1983, email [email protected] or visit www.LeaderExcel.com Today! PERFORMANCE SYSTEM

*Books may be different than shown. ** For Canadian and International subscriptions, add $20 U.S. postage per year—all three publications include Leadership Excellence, Sales and Service Excellence, and Personal Excellence.