Real Leaders Don't Boss Read online

  Bill Walsh, legendary San Francisco 49ers football coach, was not revered simply because his teams won NFL championships and Super Bowls or because he was considered an innovative football genius. According to former all-pro quarterback Steve Young, Walsh could “see the future potential of another human being.”7

  Special Events

  Times may be tough economically, but real leaders understand why now, especially, is the best time to reward employees. Sure, everyone would love a pay raise. But that simply may not be possible for many companies in tough economic times. However, tough times are not a license to disregard employee accomplishments. Rather, they may be the best times to give your staff a lift. Make a big deal of the fact that profits have remained steady during the recession (That is a big deal!) or that the company team working together nabbed an important contract.

  Consider involving yourself in carefully planning a strategic special event. That does not mean simply throwing a party. It does mean that as a leader, it is your responsibility to seriously sit down and decide the goals to be accomplished with the event—honor top performers, for example, or launch a new marketing strategy, or, with the help of your team, introduce new products or services in the community. Done right—not necessarily extravagantly and employing a set agenda—a special event can strengthen a company’s mission, solidify its corporate culture, and enhance pride in the organization.8 All these factors are essential to sustainable growth. In lieu of a specific agenda, an employee appreciation dinner or lunch can be significant to let your people know that you are thinking of them and are grateful for their service.

  Special events can send a positive, powerful message to employees and to the community, too.9 The message of an outward-focused special event can:

  Instill a renewed sense of confidence and morale among employees, customers, board members, suppliers, investors, and the media.

  Enhance an organization’s reputation.

  Mend “broken fences” that may have been knocked down during the past years of financial upheaval.

  Restore and reinforce core values, meaningful traditions, and desired behaviors of the corporate culture.

  Share the company’s valued history, traditions, and key messages.

  Raise community consciousness and influence public perceptions of the business.

  Make a meaningful, positive statement about the company’s future.

  Present a unique opportunity for the CEO and the executive leadership team to chart the direction of the business (and report on the company’s long-term health).

  Provide an opportunity for employees at various levels of an organization to interact in a congenial setting.

  Don’t forget to encourage your own employees to volunteer for community organizations whose appeal they find compelling and whose special events can make a difference.

  It is also important to recognize contributions in and by the community, and reinforce your company’s brand at the same time. A brand, after all, instantly conveys a message, including an organization’s reputation, standing, mission, and values. The brand also creates a reaction in people that reveals how much they trust the organization and desire its products or services. A strategically and carefully planned community appreciation event or open house will not only help to polish your brand, but will give you a good idea of your brand’s standing in the community. Community perception of a brand can make or break a company’s success. Special events can backfire, though, if they’re not clearly thought out with specific goals in mind, and if the staff is not in place to carry them out.

  Even if the special event is meant for a company’s employees, the CEO may wish to invite community leaders in for a closer, more personalized look at the company and its people. Inviting a few strategically chosen community members and leaders can present an unmatched opportunity for sharing the real company culture and community, so long as this does not shift the focus of the event from its primary purpose. If employees sense the event that is supposed to honor them is really just an opportunity for the executives to look good in front of community leaders, it will backfire.

  If the company is facing changes or looking to expand into new markets or offer new products, a special event can be a great way to introduce the changes in a way that fosters ownership. It helps employees feel on board for the new direction, and creates momentum for going forward.

  Giving Back to the Community

  Leadership, as you’ve read in these pages, takes many forms: formal and informal, highly visible and subtle as well. Real leaders give back to their communities in much the same multi-faceted way and, in doing so, are role models for others to follow. Leading with the example of having a positive impact on those less knowledgeable or less fortunate teaches other aspiring leaders to always be humble and compassionate in how they live their lives.

  Dusty Baker is legendary and his legacy is powerful—not just in Major League Baseball. Baker is the only man in MLB to be named manager of the year three times. The current manager of the Cincinnati Reds, Baker also played 16 seasons with Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Oakland; went with his teams to three World Series; and won the pennant in 1981. He was named to the All-Time Los Angeles Dodgers team and as a manager named to the All-Time San Francisco Giants team. But beyond his sports leadership accolades, honors, and awards, Baker is a real leader who believes in giving back.

  A prostate cancer survivor, Baker deeply believes in helping educate others about prostate cancer. He is active in fund-raising efforts for prostate cancer research and treatment, too. “Sometimes you wonder what’s your purpose on Earth,” Baker said. “I know baseball wasn’t my only purpose. Maybe I’m supposed to spread the word and help people with cancer.”10 Baker also founded the nonprofit Dusty Baker International Baseball Academy, which focuses not only on athletics but also on “the core principles of developing self-confidence, self-reliance, and self-discipline.”

  Reflecting his values that combine sportsmanship, scholarship, and humanity, the following Ralph Waldo Emerson quotation hangs in his office:

  To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.11

  Enduring Leadership

  Historically, an important mark of a successful leader has been whether his or her accomplishments endure through time. Despite today’s rapidly changing global economy, that measure of true success remains the same. Real leaders such as Dusty Baker make a difference in the lives of those around them and in the companies, workplaces, and communities where they work and live no matter the changing times or external forces.

  Real leaders create and leave legacies for those who come after them. Those legacies can be sweeping and grand, such as Ray Kroc and the business model he developed for McDonald’s that revolutionized the fast-food industry, or Jack Welch, who as the leader of General Electric rebuilt the once-struggling company into a giant powerhouse.

  Or, a leadership legacy can take place on a much smaller scale, but just as powerfully for the individuals involved. The way Senator Lugar mentors interns in his Washington, D.C., Senate office is a great example. His willingness to spend time with those young people creates a lasting impression—a legacy. Not only does it help these young leaders in their personal leadership growth, but it also creates a precedent that they will likely follow in the future with their own people.

  A Model for Others

  I was privileged to have worked with a number of outstanding physicians during my time in the healthcare industry, including a select few whose extraordinary medical skills were exceeded only by their humanity. For nine years, I worked with Richard Schreiner, MD, in his dual role as chairman
of the department of pediatrics and as physician-in-chief of Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. A neonatologist by training, Schreiner transformed a good pediatrics department into a preeminent one, which continues to serve as a model for other hospitals across Indiana and the United States.

  Schreiner readily admits that he had no specific management training before taking over the department of pediatrics, only a passion to provide children with the best care possible.12 Yet, his personality and desire to succeed exemplify several attributes that today’s leaders should emulate:

  Technical excellence with an unparalleled sense of modesty.

  Frugality in business, but an unbounded generosity toward his patients and their families.

  The humility and wisdom to hire and retain a highly accomplished, collegial, and caring team of medical professionals (including Drs. Jim Lemons, neonatology; Ora Pescovitz, endocrine/diabetes; Howard Eigen, pulmonary; and others, including Jay Grosfeld, a pediatric surgeon and chair of the surgery department).

  A record of supporting employees, constantly encouraging them to treat one another, very ill children, and their parents and families in the most caring way possible, while avoiding the temptation to micromanage them.

  A bronze statue of Dr. Schreiner now stands in the lobby of Riley Hospital. It is fitting that Schreiner never sought such an honor. Instead, a colleague, supported by his legion of friends and associates, commissioned a teenage sculptor to create a life-sized statue of his likeness, a testament not only to one of the giants in pediatric medicine, but also to a leader who transformed the hospital and the department of pediatrics into a national center of excellence.

  The Happiness Factor

  Is your office or company a happy place? Seriously—if someone walked into your office or company or place of business for the first time today, what would be his or her impression? If he or she were to think that this is a happy and productive place, that’s a plus. A happy workplace is a sign of tangible leadership. This cannot be overemphasized: happy workers make the best workers. Performance of a team is often determined, in part, by whether their leadership celebrates their successes and allows them to celebrate.

  How would you rate your workplace on the “happiness” scale? If it scores low, what tangible things can you do to make it a happier and more productive place? Do your company and its leadership celebrate the successes of employees? If not, why not? What can you do to make a difference?

  A positive company culture can help curb absenteeism, boost morale, and enhance productivity. Leaders should present a positive attitude, which includes a smile, a sense of humor, and a supportive manner when dealing with staff. Real leaders expect high standards and values among their employees, and they model and reinforce those standards of honesty, resiliency, commitment, and integrity in their own behavior. All of this contributes to the company’s culture and influences how the company is led and managed. Some company cultures are stronger than others, but all influence the selection of personnel, workplace ethics, and relationships—among employees, with customers, and with the community. Some cultures are longstanding, whereas others have been formed more recently. Companies with strong corporate cultures that have contributed to long-term success include GE, Procter & Gamble, Four Seasons, Abbott, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, and BMW.

  A leader doesn’t have to be charismatic, tall, attractive, or wealthy to be successful, but it is important to be able to propel others to achieve success. What are the traits that help to build inspiring leaders? What can you do to acquire those skills and strengthen existing ones? In the absence of external leadership, what can you do to unlock your internal leadership passion? How can you encourage others to do the same?

  You Can Do It, Too

  Some concrete steps that you can take to enhance your real leadership positioning include:

  Praising others when appropriate, and constructively counseling them at other times. Remember: a leader must also be a teacher.

  Indemnifying the team concept, but not being afraid to take charge or give others the reins when appropriate.

  Championing your people and promoting them actively.

  Taking risks as appropriate. That means helping the organization and others excel by removing roadblocks and obstacles to their success.

  Sacrificing for the team.

  Being a cheerleader by continuously encouraging your staff to succeed.

  Underscoring your team’s importance to the overall success of the organization by appropriately conveying their contributions.

  Regularly soliciting feedback from your team. After all, the workplace is hardly static; therefore, continuous learning and leading go hand in hand.

  Takeaway

  Worker discontent and distrust in today’s workplace is a direct result of leadership failures.

  Real leaders set the example and step out ahead of the competition. Leadership done right cuts down on workplace stress and promotes enthusiasm, loyalty, and productivity, and improves the company’s bottom line.

  A leader’s vision and values set the stage, and as the leader lives those values and conveys that vision, they become ingrained in the fabric of the organization and, in turn, help foster its corporate culture.

  Community, culture, and creativity working together in an organization fuel bottom-line success.

  Real leaders step back and allow employees to take credit for ideas and actions. Leaders know the importance of assigning the pride of ownership to others. With ownership, employees generally are more committed to an idea or activity. It’s a leader’s job to suggest direction, ideas, and even guide the process to help employees come up with solutions.

  Real leaders don’t play favorites among their staff. Instead, they consciously create a more level playing field for their staff so that all ideas are evaluated on their merits and objective job appraisal trumps cronyism.

  Leadership legacies take on many forms—from the small, thoughtful acts to major, marketplace-shifting strategies. What is universal, however, is that a real leader leaves his or her legacy as a model of behavior for those who follow.

  Tough times are not a license to squeeze employees or to ignore their accomplishments. In rough economic times, it’s more important than ever to recognize that your employees are willing to work harder, not only to maintain the status quo, but also to propel the company forward. Leaders should honor and celebrate their employees.

  Real leaders know when it’s time to move on or out: they leave “at the top of their game” unlike house-guests who overstay their welcome.

  Chapter 6

  Real Leaders Know When to Shut Up and Get Out of the Way

  The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.

  —Theodore Roosevelt

  Real leaders are not egomaniacs who constantly demand center stage, take all the credit, and expect the kudos. Instead, they know when to step aside and watch others be recognized for the success they have achieved. They are willing to allow others to achieve success, and their own success follows. A goal real leaders set for themselves is to build a pervasive culture of “leaders for tomorrow” in their organizations. One of my favorite iterations is, “It is amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit.”

  In Chapter 1, you read President Obama’s thoughts on leadership and the importance of setting the stage, then stepping aside. Real leaders set the stage, and know when to allow those they lead to step to the front. They know how and when to get out of the way. This important leadership practice helps infuse a greater sense of shared ownership and growth in workers and enables the organization to be much more responsive to market challenges. Complacency is replaced with dispatch, autocratic behavior is exchanged for entrepreneurialism, and convention is supplanted by innovation. The result is an organization that is better positioned to react quickly and stay well ahead of the comp
etition, while team members take joy in their work, boosting bottom lines in the process.

  Stepping Aside

  Allan Smith at the University of Michigan is a brilliant example of a leader who lays the foundation and then moves out of the way to watch his organization’s successes mount. Smith enhanced and improved on the university’s decentralized system of operations by delegating substantial autonomy to the deans of the schools and colleges, as well as to the directors of the research institutes. That approach, still in effect today, helped foster ownership among all units of the university. As I mentioned in the last chapter, ownership tends to promote better, more productive performance.

  That’s not the norm, however, in major corporations, public or private. Typically, leaders assume command, then take their place front and center and above everyone. They are positioned to take the glory or the fall, depending on the success or failure of an operation. But as often happens, should a problem occur, instead of taking the fall, the bosses out in front point their fingers at someone else, which further compounds disappointment and disillusionment among employees and staff. Front and center is not always the best location if a leader hopes to get the most from employees and others who follow.

  The best position for a real leader—the role that has the greatest chance of success—is as the facilitator. This means you as a real leader train, teach, support, and guide others, then move out of the way to allow them to succeed. The leader’s real job is to prepare his or her troops for the task or goal and then stand back to allow those troops—employees or whomever—to do their jobs, accomplish the defined goals, and take the credit (or, at the least, move forward with them arm in arm). To further ensure success, a leader knows how to rally his or her troops so that they will understand and support the plan of action, participate in the vision, and respect the process. Followers must understand the leader’s vision, values, character, and beliefs; they must have faith in their leader’s commitment and the achievability of his or her goals.