Lessons in Leadership - Dana Deem, MTAS Management Consultant

Lessons in
Leadership
• Dana Deem, MTAS
  Management Consultant

Leadership 101
• A leader who is really in charge never has to
  mention the fact.
• His or her authority is based upon respect
  more than anything else.
• You can’t order people to respect you, respect
  must be earned.

Character Makes A Difference, Mike Huckabee

Leadership 101
• If people follow your orders only because they
  have to, they will do the bare minimum that is
  required.
• If however, they respond because they want
  to, because you treat them the way they like
  to be treated, they’re happier, more through,
  more encouraging to others, always looking
  for ways to do the job better.

Leadership 101
• A big part of dealing with people is to treat
  others as you would have them treat you. If
  you don’t want people yelling at you, don’t
  yell at people. If you don’t want to be
  betrayed by people, don’t betray others.
                 Mike Huckabee

Leadership 101
• The people who call, write, or visit your office
  are not the problem, irritation, or
  interruption, they are your job. Our challenge
  is not to get those people out of the way so
  we can do our work, our work is to help those
  people. Those people are citizens of your city
  and we work for them!

Leadership Defined

• Leadership is not position, Leadership is the
  ability to offer service and the willingness to
  take action.

                     •   Phillip Van Hooser

The Characteristics of a Good Leader
             From “The One-Minute Manager” By Kenneth Blanchard

 • Challenges me to do my best
 • Sets a good example
 • Explains the reasons for procedures
 • Helps me polish my thoughts before I present
   them to others
 • Lets me make my own decisions

The Characteristics of a Good Leader
                  (cont.)
•   Does not seek the limelight
•   Won’t let me give up
•   Cares about me and how I’m doing
•   Gives personal guidance and direction
•   Is empathetic & understanding
•   Is firm but fair

The Characteristics of a Good Leader
               (cont.)
• Keeps a results orientation
• Makes me work out of my own problems or
  tough situations, but supports me
• Lets me know where I stand
• Listens exceptionally well
• Doesn’t put words in my mouth
• Is easy to talk with
• Keeps the promises they make

The Characteristics of a Good Leader
                  (cont.)
• Keeps me focused on the goals ahead
• Works as hard or harder than anyone else
• Is humble
• Is proud of those managers they have
  developed
• Gives credit where credit is due
• Never says “I told you so”
• Corrects my performance in private

The Characteristics of a Good Leader
                   (cont.)
     Never flaunts authority
•   Is always straight-forward
•   Gives at least a second chance
•   Maintains an Open Door Policy
•   Uses language that is easy to understand
•   Lets bygones be bygones
•   Inspires loyalty

The Characteristics of a Good Leader
                   (cont.)
•   Really wants to hear my ideas & acts on them
•   Lets me set my own deadlines
•   Celebrates successes
•   Is open and honest
•   Doesn’t hide bad news
•   Gives me enough time to prepare for
    discussion

The Characteristics of a Good Leader
                   (cont.)
• Is enthusiastic
• Follows through
• Is patient
• Wants me to “stretch” my skills
• Gives me his full attention & won’t be
  distracted
• Has a sense of humor
• Handles disagreements privately

The Characteristics of a Good Leader
                   (cont.)
• Reassures me
• Makes me feel confident
• Tells me “the whole story”
• Says we instead of “I”
• Makes hard work worth it
• Can communicate annoyance without running
  wild
• Is courageous

The Characteristics of a Good Leader
                 (cont.)
• Insists on training
• Is a stabilizing influence in a crisis (Stonewall
  Jackson, Mayor Guialani on 9/11)
• Gets everyone involved
• Wants me to be successful
• Is optimistic
• Operates well under pressure
• Has a reputation for competence

The Characteristics of a Good Leader
                   (cont.)
• Has a good understanding of the job
• Is tough and tender
• Believes we can do it
• Sets attainable milestones
• Communicates philosophy & values
• Wants to make the organization the best in the
  industry
• Is there when we need him

The Characteristics of a Good Leader
                (cont.)
• Enjoys his or her job
• Likes to spend time with us

Commandments For Leaders
• Be fanatics about honesty and integrity.
• Learn to listen; Listen to Learn.
• Invite dissent.
• Share your feelings.
• Be Cool, control your emotions, especially your
  temper.
• Strive to Earn Respect by:
            » Consistency
            » Quality Decisions
            » The ability to get along with people

Good Leadership Qualities
•   Good Listener
•   Integrity
•   Coach
•   Good Communicator
•   Set the Example
•   Empathetic
•   Winners
•   Lead by Example

Learning To Lead

Successful leaders don’t need rows of sharp
      teeth to swim with the sharks.

  “Blazing Flashes of the Obvious about
               leadership”
           Major General Perry M. Smith USAF (RET)

Learning To Lead
• Know Yourself, all leaders should realize they are, in
  fact, four or more people. They are:
      •   Who they are
      •   Who they think they are, these are never the same
      •   Who their bosses think they are
      •   Who their subordinates think they are
   – Leaders who work hard to get feedback from
     many sources are more likely to understand and
     control their various selves and hence be better
     leaders.

Learning To Lead
• Develop Mental Toughness

    • Leaders must be brutally honest with
      themselves or they will slip into the
      terrible habit of self-deception. Even the
      best leaders make mistakes, by correcting
      mistakes quickly a good leader can
      become a superb one.

Learning To Lead
• Be Magnanimous

  – Leaders who share their power and their time can
    accomplish extraordinary things. The best leaders
    understand that leadership is the liberation of
    talent; hence they gain power not only by
    constantly giving it away, but also by not grabbing
    it back.

Learning To Lead
• Squint with your ears

  – The most important skill for leaders is listening.
    Leaders should “Squint with their ears”. Too many
    bosses are thinking about what they will say next,
    rather than hearing what is being said now.

Learning To Lead
• Trust your instinct and your impulse

  – If something smells bad, sounds funny, or causes
    you to loose sleep at night, take another look.
    Your instincts combined with your experience can
    prevent you and your organization from walking
    off the cliff.

Learning To Lead
• Learn by Failure

  – A good leader will learn much more from failure
    than from success. Having learned from your
    failures you will become more tolerant of the
    honest failure of others. When a major setback
    comes along, try to treat it as a marvelous
    learning experience, for most certainly it will be
    just that.

Learning To Lead
– Be Decisive

– Top leaders usually must make prudent decisions
  when they have only about 60% of the
  information they need. Leaders who demand
  nearly all the information are usually months or
  years late making decisions.

Learning To Lead
• Avoid the cowardice of Silence

  – During meetings, so called leaders often sit on
    their hands when it is time to raise a hand and
    speak up. Leadership requires courage – courage
    to make waves, courage to take on our bosses
    when they are wrong and the courage of
    conviction. Every Robert E. Lee needs a James
    Longstreet to tell him exactly the way it is.

Learning To Lead
• Be goal Oriented

  – Leaders, even at a lower level, must try to set
    some long-term goals for their people and for
    their organization. People want to know where
    they are going and in what order of priority.

Learning To Lead
• Follow the “Platinum Rule”

  – The golden rule is marvelous. But in leadership
    situations, the “Platinum Rule” may be even
    better; “Treat others the way they would like to be
    treated.”

Learning To Lead
• Thank the Invisible People

  – There are lots of fine people doing great work
    who seldom get thanks because they are
    “invisible.” They work so quietly and so
    competently that they are often not noticed by
    the leader.

Learning To Lead
• Help your people understand you.

  – When you take over a new organization, get your
    key people together and tell them about your top
    priorities, and what your pet peeves are. Your
    employees have a right to know what you expect
    of them.

Learning To Lead
• Smoke out those of low integrity.

  – In almost all large organizations, someone is
    walking out the back door with something.
    Expense accounts, personnel records, supplies,
    you name it.

Learning To Lead
• Concentrate on performance, not just results.

  – How you get results is important. Leaders who
    don’t concern themselves about the process and
    the performance that leads to the results are
    making a big mistake. Always ask yourself what it
    took to gain those great results.

Learning To Lead
• Get ready for the future.

  – All leaders must work hard to build the future, for
    that is where they and their people will spend the
    rest of their lives.

Leadership Lesson from Pearl Harbor

USS Aylwin
• Moored in Pearl Harbor on 12/07/41
• Ensign Stanley B. Caplan Commanding
  – He had 8 Months of prior sea experience
  – Half the crew and all senior officers absent
  – Ensign Caplan had to make crucial decisions fast
  – He ordered the ships boilers started and readied
    the ship to get under way
  – The Aylwin was the only ship to move out of the
    harbor

Leadership Lesson from Pearl Harbor
• As the ship got underway …………
• Ensign Caplan never hesitated ……….
• You could also be thrust into the role of
  making crucial and timely decisions.
• You may find yourself making spot
  judgements, rendering important decisions,
  and taking fast action, all under STRESS ……..

Leadership Lesson from Pearl Harbor
• How will you cope with these situations?
  – Knowledge
  – Training
  – Experience
  – Intuition

  Can you think of an example from your career?

Leadership Lesson from Pearl Harbor
• So what happened to Ensign Caplan?
  – His Commanding Officer, the same one left behind
    on that fateful morning…….
  – Recommended Ensign Caplan for special
    commendation
  – Cited Ensign Caplan for superbly taking command

Quotations from General Colin Powell,
        A leadership Primer
• Lesson one
  – “Being responsible sometimes means pissing
    people off”

     • Good leadership involves responsibility to the welfare of the
       group, which means that some people will get angry at your
       actions and decisions.

Quotations from General Colin Powell,
        A leadership Primer
• Lesson Two
  – “The day your people stop bringing you their
    problems is the day you have stopped leading
    them. They have either lost confidence that you
    can help them or concluded that you do not care.
    Either case is a failure of leadership.”

Quotations from General Colin Powell,
         A leadership Primer
• Lesson Three.
• “Never neglect the details. When everyone’s
  mind is dulled or distracted the leader must
  be doubly vigilant.”
     • All great ideas and visions in the world are worthless if
       they can’t be implemented rapidly and efficiently.
       Good leaders delegate and empower others but they
       pay attention to details every day.

Quotations from General Colin Powell,
         A leadership Primer
• Lesson Four.
• “You don’t know what you can get away with
  until you try.”
     • You know the expression “It’s easier to ask forgiveness then
       permission?” Well, it’s true. Good leaders don’t wait for official
       blessing to try things out. They’re prudent, not reckless. But they
       also realize a fact of life in most organizations: If you ask enough
       people for permission, you’ll inevitably come up against someone
       who believes his job is to say no.

Quotations from General Colin Powell,
        A leadership Primer
  • So the moral of the story is don’t ask. Studies have
    shown that less effective middle managers endorsed
    the sentiment, “If I haven’t explicitly been told YES, I
    can’t do it.”
  • However, more effective middle managers believed, “If
    I haven’t been explicitly been told no, I can.”
  • There is a world of difference between these two
    points of view.

Quotations from General Colin
    Powell, A leadership Primer
• Lesson five.
  – “Keep looking below surface appearances. Don’t
    shrink from doing so just because you might not
    like what you find.
     • “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” is the slogan of the complacent, the
       arrogant or the scared. It’s an excuse for inaction, It is a mindset
       that assumes that today’s realities will continue tomorrow in a
       tidy, linear and predictable fashion. Pure fantasy.

Quotations from General Colin Powell,
         A leadership Primer
• Lesson six.
  – “Powell’s rules for picking people” look for
    intelligence and judgment and most critically, a
    capacity to anticipate. Also look for loyalty,
    integrity, and the drive to get things done.
     • How often do our recruitment and hiring processes tap into these
       attributes? More often than not, we ignore them in favor of
       length of resume, degrees and prior titles. It’s hard to train
       someone to have integrity, judgment, energy, and the drive to get
       things done. Good leaders stack the deck in their favor right in the
       recruitment phase.

Quotations from General Colin Powell,
         A leadership Primer
• Lesson Seven.
  – “Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers,
    who can cut through argument, debate and
    doubt, to offer a solution everyone can
    understand.”
     • Effective leaders understand the KISS Principle. They articulate
       vivid, overarching goals and values, which they use to drive daily
       behaviors and choices among competing alternatives. Their
       visions and priorities are lean and compelling; their decisions are
       crisp and clear, not tentative and ambiguous.

The 20 Sins of Leadership
      Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP
• 1. An obvious lack of self-discipline:

  – Make no mistake about it. Followers are very
    attentive to the words and deeds of their leaders.
    From personal observation, followers determine
    what the truly important and acceptable
    behaviors are within the organization.

The 20 Sins of Leadership
       Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP
• 2. Using poor judgment:

  – Some leaders lose their ability to lead because of
    temporary lapses in good judgment. They speak
    before they think. They decide before all the facts
    are in. They allow emotions to control their
    actions.

The 20 Sins of Leadership
      Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP
• 3. Being insensitive to the needs of others:

  – If your subordinates sense a sincere concern on
    your part, their attitude toward you and
    ultimately toward the organization will be
    different.

The 20 Sins of Leadership
      Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP
• 4. Being too strict the or too lenient:

   – Extremes of any sort can be deadly to aspiring leaders.
     The wisdom to recognize the appropriate times to “loosen
     up” or “tighten down” is key. Too strict and followers
     perceive you as being heavy handed and authoritarian.
     Too lenient and they become frustrated with the lack of
     structure. Hold everyone responsible for their individual
     behavior.

The 20 Sins of Leadership
      Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP
• 5. Being cold, aloof, or arrogant:

  – How can we reasonably expect that our
    employees or our followers to respond to our
    leadership if we as leaders have not made every
    effort to let them know that we are there for
    them?

The 20 Sins of Leadership
         Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP

• 6. Doing too much and leading too little:

   – Often it is easier to do it yourself! But that’s not the job of a leader. A
     leader must be able to show their followers that they are willing to do
     what is necessary to help, while keeping in mind the true
     responsibility of the position. Remember, the successful leader is not
     the one who can do the work of ten followers; the successful leader is
     the one who can get ten followers to work.

The 20 Sins of Leadership
       Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP
• 7. Promoting the impression of favoritism:

   – If the truth were known, most of us would admit to having
     favorites. Our favorite employees are usually the ones
     who consistently make our jobs easier. Yet there is a major
     difference between having favorites and showing
     favoritism. Every employee expects to be treated fairly
     and equitably by their leader. We must be ever so careful
     to meet those expectations.

The 20 Sins of Leadership
     Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP
• 8. Betraying individual trust:

  – It’s hard enough to earn the trust of another. It’s
    harder still to reestablish trust once it has been
    lost. Be leaders of integrity! Don’t make promises
    you can’t keep. Maintain confidentially. And by
    all means, if you tell someone you will do
    something – do it.

The 20 Sins of Leadership
      Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP
• 9. Holding Grudges:

  – A strong argument could be made that grudges are
    the equivalent of cancer to leadership. Grudges
    can destroy the delicate fabric of leadership. Why?
    Followers are fearful that their mistakes are never
    really forgiven and certainly not forgotten.

The 20 Sins of Leadership
      Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP
• 10 Micro-Managing:

  – Leaders do well to remember that there is more
    than one way to successfully complete most jobs.
    The process of micro-managing everything that
    your followers do can lead to a predictable “well,
    why don’t you do it yourself” attitude.

The 20 Sins of Leadership
     Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP
• 11. The inability to think strategically:

  – Employees like to know there is an organizational
    master plan in which they are playing a part. If
    leaders are unable to communicate that plan to
    their followers, or if followers don’t recognize
    their the significance of their contributions,
    individual motivation can be lost.

The 20 Sins of Leadership
     Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP
• 12. Staffing ineffectively:

  – The best leaders have learned the importance of
    surrounding themselves with capable, determined
    followers. The best organizations recognize that to be
    successful, you must hire for attitude and train for skills,
    not the other way around. They dedicate the time and
    resources necessary to identify and retain the best suited
    employees.

The 20 Sins of Leadership
    Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP
• 13. Unwillingness to adapt:

  – Let’s face it. Not everyone thinks, acts, reacts or
    works the same way. People are all different, but
    we still have to work with them. The leader who
    makes a special effort to understand the
    differences in his followers is the one that
    employees tend to rally around.

The 20 Sins of Leadership
      Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP
• 14. Reflecting poor attitudes toward
  organizational policies and procedures:

  – Like it or not, the attitudes and behavior of followers are
    often a mirror image of the exhibited attitudes and
    behaviors of their leaders. Leaders should never express
    their disapproval or contempt for internal policies,
    decisions, or procedures to their followers.

The 20 Sins of Leadership
      Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP
• 15. Establishing unclear or vague parameters:

  – A leader may not always be able to predict what their
    followers will do, say or think. However, employees must
    always be able to predict what their leader will do say or
    think. As a result, followers will be able to adapt and
    adjust their behavior to that of the leader. Simple but
    effective.

The 20 Sins of Leadership
       Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP
• 16. Failing to act when necessary:

   – This may be one of the most common stumbling blocks to
     effective leadership. Most of us dread conflict and
     confrontation. We avoid it as long as possible, hoping the
     problem will go simply away. Does it? Of course not!
     Usually the problem grows and festers during our period of
     procrastination. The most effective leaders act when they
     know they should.

The 20 Sins of Leadership
      Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP
• 17. Offering personal advise:

  – My advise on personal advise. Don’t give any. There are
    enough problems associated with being an effective leader
    without creating unnecessary ones. Encourage followers,
    praise followers, correct followers when necessary; but
    leave the advise giving to Dear Abby.

The 20 Sins of Leadership
     Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP
• 18. Being overly ambitious:

  – Our society revels in success stories, These rags to
    riches stories are inspirational to all of us. But
    being too ambitious can be seen as a negative by
    your followers.

The 20 Sins of Leadership
    Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP
• 19. Allowing performance problems (their
  own and others) to continue:

  – We cannot and should not be satisfied with average
    performance. Leaders must demand more of themselves
    before they can legitimately expect more from their
    followers. Take time now to identify performance areas
    you can and should improve. Then commit to doing it.

The 20 Sins of Leadership
     Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP
• 20. Allowing their position to go to their
  head.

  – Power and position can be an awesome combination.
    When individuals are placed into positions of leadership
    and responsibility, one of two things normally happen.
    They either grow or they swell. Growth is good. Swelling
    on the other hand is the first step before something bursts
    and rots.

Success
• Success in any endeavor does not happen by
  accident. Rather it is the result of:
  – Deliberate decisions
  – Conscious effort
  – Immense persistence………

  All directed at specific goals.
                                    Gary Ryan Blair

Setting Goals That Work
•   Be Specific
•   Be Measurable
•   Have a Time Limit
•   Be Yours (take ownership)
•   Be in Writing

Why Goals That Work?

Even if you are on the right track,
you’ll get run over if you just sit
there.

                         Will Rogers

The BHAG
From Built To Last
   Jim Collins
    • Big
   • Hairy
• Audacious
   • Goal

BHAGs Make A Difference
• So what good is a goal you don’t think you can
  reach?
• A goal that’s just a little bit too far out of reach
  is one of the concepts that Collins found
  distinguishes great companies from average
  ones.

BHAGs Make A Difference
• 1. A BHAG is a challenge
  – You want a goal that’s just out of reach, even
    when you stretch or jump a little, it’s just beyond
    your fingertips.
  – A BHAG isn’t a goal that’s too far to ever reach,
    that would make you feel defeated.
  – A BHAG inspires you to work harder and more
    creatively, there’s no reason not to reach it, it’s
    just right there……

BHAGs Make A Difference
• 2. Even if you don’t reach it your BHAG will do
  amazing things
  – A BHAG is made to push you, to try harder than
    you have to reach a “normal” goal.
  – So even if you don’t reach it, you’re still going
    somewhere, places you might never have thought
    of before.

BHAG Breakdown
• Consider that Dave Ramsey had written his
 first book, Financial Peace, in 1993, his radio
  show was on one local station, and he was
 doing one-on-one financial counseling… But

        he had a vision, a   BHAG.

BHAG Breakdown
• His vision was to expand into local and
  national media outlets and to develop a
  combination seminar and counseling program,
  the beginnings of Financial Peace University.
  He came up with some two year BHAGs for his
  business.

BHAG Breakdown 1995
• Goal – Radio show in 25 cities, sell 50,000
  copies of Financial Peace, teach Financial
  Peace University in 5 cities
• Reality – Radio show in 1 city, sold 14,000
  copies of Financial Peace, taught Financial
  Peace University in 2 cities.

BHAG Breakdown 1996
• Goal – Radio show in 75 cities, sell 200,000
  copies of Financial Peace, teach Financial
  Peace University in 25 cities.
• Reality – Radio show in 12 cities, sold 100,000
  copies of Financial Peace, taught Financial
  Peace University in three cities.

Was the BHAG worth it?
• Dave clearly missed his goals, but those goals
  propelled him in a direction he might never have
  considered if he hadn’t written them down and
  taken steps to achieve them.
• Today, Dave Ramsey can be heard on the radio in
  over 480 cities, he’s sold over 2 million Financial
  Peace books, more than one million families have
  taken Financial Peace University in this country and
  around the world.

The Lesson of the BHAG
• As you think about your own BHAGs,
  remember that success isn’t reaching a goal.
  Success is the progressive realization of a
  worthy goal or ideal.
• Whether you reach your BHAG right away, or
  if it takes you a little longer than expected, the
  pursuit of your goal – the steps you take
  toward it – are success!

Vision without action is a
daydream.

Action without vision is a
nightmare
                    Japanese Proverb

Questions?
Dana Deem
(731) 425-4782
Dana.deem@tennessee.edu