Management as the Alternative to Tyranny

The alternative to autonomous institutions that function and perform is not freedom.  It is totalitarian tyranny.

If the institutions of our pluralist society of institutions do not perform in responsible autonomy, we will not have individualism and a society in which there is a chance for people to fulfill themselves.  We will, instead, impose on ourselves complete regimentation in which no one will be allowed autonomy.  We will have Stalinism rather than participatory democracy, let alone the joyful spontaneity of doing one’s own thing.  Tyranny is the only alternative to strong, performing autonomous institutions. 

Tyranny substitutes one absolute boss for the pluralism of competing institutions.  It substitutes terror for responsibility.  It does indeed do away with the institutions, but only by submerging all of them in the one all embracing bureaucracy of the apparat.  It does produce goods and services, though only fitfully, wastefully, at a low level, and at an enormous cost in suffering, humiliation, and frustration.  To make our institutions perform responsibly, autonomously, and on a high level of achievement is thus the only safeguard of freedom and dignity in the pluralist society of institutions.  Performing responsible management is the alternative to tyranny and our only protection against it.

ACTION POINT: What steps can you and others take now to improve the performance of the institution for which you are responsible?

Integrity in Leadership

The spirit of an organization is created from the top

The proof of the sincerity and seriousness of a management is uncompromising emphasis on integrity of character. This, above all, has to be symbolized in management’s “people” decisions.  For it is character through which leadership is exercised; it is character that sets the example and is imitated. Character is not something one can fool people about. The people with whom a person works, and especially subordinates, know in a few weeks whether he or she has integrity or not.  They may forgive a person for a great deal: incompetence, ignorance, insecurity, or bad manners. But they will not forgive a lack of integrity in that person.  Nor will they forgive higher management for choosing him.

This is particularly true of the people at the head of an enterprise.  For the spirit of an organization is created from the top.  If an organization is great in spirit, it is because the spirit of the top people is great.  If it decays, it does so because the top rots; as the proverb has it, “Trees die from the top.”  No one should ever be appointed to a senior position unless top management is willing to have his or her character serve as the model for subordinate.

ACTION POINT:  Align yourself with people who have integrity.

Making Magic at Disney

...but what really drives the magic is the extraordinary service

The enchanted realm called Walt Disney World is about the size of San Francisco, or twice the size of Manhattan.  It is the largest tourist destination and one of the biggest convention sites in the world.  With it's 59,000 cast members, it is the largest single-site employer n the world.

It has thrilling attractions and great shows that bring millions of people a year to Disney World.  Those are extremely important, of course, but what really drives the magic is the extraordinary service.  Each of the 59,000 cast members is trained to treat each and every guest with the utmost care and respect.  And they do this consistently because they are treated exactly the same way by the Disney leadership: with the utmost care and respect.

If that sounds like a commercial fluff feel-good Disney movie, it is not.  It's a rational, muscular, no-nonsense business strategy.  And it's results are reflected in Disney's robust bottom line, not to mention its astonishing 70 percent return rate among visitors and the lowest employee turnover rate of any major company in the hospitality industry.  The formula is simple: Committed, responsible, inspiring leaders create a culture of care, which leads to measurable business results and a strong competitive advantage.

ACTION POINT: Commit to creating a culture of utmost care, respect and extraordinary service.

Steve Jobs 7 Principles

His innovative spark changed the world we live in today.

Steve Jobs recent resignation marked the end of one of the most inspiring careers in business history.  Some people will impact an industry, Steve Jobs revolutionized several, computing, telecommunications, music and movies.  His innovative spark changed the world we live in today.

Research identified 7 principles that were central to Steve Jobs and Apples success.  They are:

1. Do what you love -"Life is too short for living someone elses dream"

2. Put a dent in the Universe - In the 70's when computers were only in the hands of a few hobbyist's, Jobs had the vision of computer in the hands of everyday people.  The Mac was born.

3. Connect things to spark your creativity - Job's once said that "creativity is connected things."  People with a broad set of life experiences can often see things that others miss.

4. Say no to 1,000 things -  Steve Jobs was proud of what Apple does, but he is also proud of what Apple chose not to do.  Job's said innovation comes from "saying no to 1,000 things.   This speaks to simplicity.  Simplicity is the elimination of clutter.  There is only one button on a Ipod, Iphone, and Ipad for a reason.  It's simple.

5. Create insanely different experiences -   Jobs created many product innovations but he also innovated around the customer service experience.  The Apple store concept was not about moving boxes but about enriching peoples lives.  As a result Apple stores make more money per square foot than any other retailer and they are packed morning to night.

6. Master the message - Great ideas are nothing if they can't be communicated.  Steve Jobs is the world's greatest corporate storyteller.  His presentations informed, educated, inspired and entertained.  Steve Jobs thought visually, his presentation slides used very few words.  People remember information better when it's presented with words and pictures.

7. Sell dreams, not products - Steve Jobs captured our imagination because he really understood his customer.  Your customers don't care about your product, they care about themselves, their hopes, their ambitions.  If you help your customers reach their dreams, you'll win them over.

ACTION POINT: Get your Apple on.

Leading Others

Managers need to lead their team

Leadership is the process of providing direction, influencing and energizing others, and obtaining follower commitment to shared organizational goals. Managers need to lead their team, setting ethical boundaries for them to follow, developing a power base for influencing them to change in positive ways, and helping them improve through coaching and mentoring.

Few of us would be likely to steal or cheat, but how principled would you be, or should you be, when faced with a routine business situations involving ethical choices? As a leader, you need to have a clear understanding of your ethical principles and set a consistent example for your team.

Ethics refer to the rules or principles that define right or wrong conduct. In the workplace, acting ethically is not just an abstraction, it is an everyday occurrence. Consider the dilemma; an employee, after some pressure from you, has found another job. You are relieved because you will not have to fire him; his work has been substandard for some time. But your relief tuns to dismay when he asks you for a letter of recommendation. Do you say no and run the risk that he will not leave? Or do you write the letter, knowing that you're influencing someone else to take him on?

ACTION POINT: Establish ethical boundaries for the guidance and operation of your team.

Leading Teams

I always tell people the same things about being a leader...

Recently some words of wisdom about leading a team were sought from one of the division managers. This was the response.

I always tell people the same things about being a leader –

• Care – about the organization, your people, your performance, etc

• Set the example – you are in a fishbowl; people are watching your every move

• Don’t ask others to do something you’re not willing to do yourself

• Delegate – you can’t do it all yourself

• Don’t be afraid to make the hard calls

• Be yourself…if you’re an a__hole, be an a__hole; people will see through phoniness

• Don’t walk past a mistake – you just set a new standard

• Focus down rather than up – take care of your subordinates and they will take care of you

• Get more with sugar than vinegar

• The “Golden Rule” works

• “Servant-leader” attitude – focus on how you can best serve your organization

• Being a good leader is very hard work


ACTION POINT: Work hard at leading your team.

How to Care for Yourself

Neglect yourself and your own needs, and you'll soon be overwhelmed by the pressures that build on those in leadership positions.

Leadership is principally concerned with key tasks and perspectives--but it also has its personal side. Neglect yourself and your own needs, and you'll soon be overwhelmed by the pressures that build on those in leadership positions.

There are several things--small and large--you can do to avoid the darker side of leadership--the stress that often accompanies the role. The fact that you are succeeding in your career and that your leadership and vision are bringing benefits to the organization should ease your mind. Nevertheless, be wise and try these stress-relieving tactics.

• Talk regularly with a confidant--for example, a spouse or trusted friend--about your chief concerns at work.
• If you don't have a mentor, get one. You should be mentored by at least one relatively senior and influential guiding light who is invested in your development and success, and whose advice you can trust without hesitation.
• Take advantage of professional development seminars that help refine your leadership skills.
• Find a sanctuary, a place you can go to at regular intervals that affords you "a view from the balcony": the chance to reflect on overarching patterns and issues in your work life.
• Don't take things personally if someone criticizes you. As the leader, you're often the lighting rod for other issues.
• Practice relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, taking a short walk, or stretching your body.
• Don't forget to exercise regularly--it relieves stress, helps you sleep better, and gives you more energy.
• And remember: Delegation is not a sign of weakness. It makes you a better leader, develops the potential of your staff, and helps you avoid burnout. So, go ahead, shed some tasks. Delegate to subordinates whatever responsibilities you can, but don't pass of just the tedious tasks. Once you've delegated a task, make sure not to let it get pushed back up to you.

ACTION POINT: Acknowledge the stress you feel. The burdens of leadership can be daunting.

How to Acquire Leadership Skills

Be aggressive about becoming a leader.

Becoming a leader does not occur by osmosis. If you want to be a leader, you need to work at it. You probably have some of the skills mastered already. You may have excellent communications skills, or you already have a pretty good idea of what your vision is. You may even have that gift to inspire others. but if you lack some skills, knowledge, or experience, go out and get them!

How? Here are some suggestions:

Enroll in formal leadership programs. There are plenty of management training programs; aim for the ones designed specifically for leaders. Offered by consulting companies or universities, these programs may include focused weekend workshops or yearlong programs that cover the whole range of leadership skills. The training techniques may vary from case discussions and role playing to games that simulate analytical or decision-making situations.

Learn from experience. Even here, however, don't learn passively. Think strategically about how you will gain the experience you need. here are some ways to gain real leadership experience:

Ask to be assigned to challenging projects that will provide new and unusual problems to solve, such as joining a cross-functional team or a team working on a merger or acquisition.

Stay Alert. Try to observe situations from different perspectives. Watch how different people approach and solve similar problems.

Don't be afraid to fail. You probably learn more from failing once or twice than from succeeding all the time. The important thing is to take responsibility for your failure and recognize how you could do better the next time.

Get involved in a variety of assignments; don't just do the same old tasks over and over again.

Ask for feedback. Find out from others how you are doing. Be open to helpful criticism.

Elect to join job rotation programs. These programs can help you develop your managerial, technical, business, and communication skills in diverse roles.

Find a true mentor. Mentoring may seem like an excellent source for gaining knowledge about leadership, but the results have been mixed. The mentor should have the experience you want to gain, a genuine willingness to help you along, and a positive relationship with you.

ACTION POINT: Identify the programs, experience and mentors that will develop your leadership skills.

Pragmatic leaders--from the Ideal to the Real

Pragmatic leaders face the realities of the business environment


The most apparent characteristic of pragmatic leaders is their focus on the organization rather than on people. Pragmatic leaders face the realities of the business environment; they listen to and understand the truth, whether good or bad, hopeful or daunting. They are effective because:

Have a vision that is recognizable as a variation of the status quo

listen carefully to their people

make realistic decisions for the good of the organization

manage by the numbers

put the right people in the right positions to get the job done

delegate responsibilities to people they can trust

Pragmatic leaders may not be as flamboyant or exciting as other types of leaders, but they get the job done. Pragmatic leaders are most effective when an organization is going through rough times or when the business environment is too turbulent to see far ahead, when a short-term, familiar vision is necessary.

After all, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were successful in attaining the goal of the Northwest journey. When they reached the Pacific Ocean in April 1805, Lewis wrote the he was "much pleased at having arrived at this long wished for spot."

ACTION POINT: Use pragmatism to focus on the needs of the organization.

Charismatic Leaders Seem to Shine

The cult of the heroic leader remains strong. Loren Gary

A charismatic leader may seem to be born with a gift to inspire. Particularly during a crisis, people turn to this powerful voice for a grand vision and hope for solutions. Such a leader can clarify the situation for his people and instill the confidence they need. People feel safe handing off a problem to this type of leader.

What makes charismatic leaders such champions? They differ from the norm in greater self-confidence, energy, enthusiasm, and unconventional behavior. Charismatic leaders tend to:

have a clear, fresh, new, and creative vision

be completely devoted to their vision

make great sacrifices to achieve their vision, taking personal risks--financial, professional and
social

create a sense of urgency among their followers

gain the absolute trust of their followers (and also their fear)

use persuasion rather than forceful commands or democratic appeals for consensus to
influence their followers

A charismatic leader is most successful during a crisis. For example, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a charismatic leader who led the United States out of the Great Depression and readied the nation for World War II. On the other hand, Adolf Hitler was also a charismatic leader who gave his defeated nation a new vision of power an might. Thus, charismatic leaders can have great power and influence, but how they use it determines whether their inspiration works for good or not.

However most organizations are not in a continual state of peril. A lofty vision for achieving a grand mission may not be attainable, and the value of inspiration may dissolve into a need for everyday, step-by-step progress. Thus, charismatic leaders are not always the best type of leader.

ACTION POINT: Balance the strengths of charismatic leaderships with the ongoing needs of your organization.

What Makes an Effective Leader

There are many kinds of effective leaders

Effective leaders are not born with the gift of knowing how to lead. Rather, they gain experience, they absorb knowledge, they see and listen to the world around them--both inside the organization and beyond.

Effective leaders are also capable of assuming the leadership qualities needed for specific situations. There are many kinds of effective leaders--among them the charismatic leader, the transformational leader, the pragmatic leader--but these distinctive qualities can blend together in one person in different ways at different times.

ACTION POINT: Recognize that leadership takes on many different forms.

Leading or Managing?

The primary difference is that managing involves coping with complexity; leading, coping with change.

Are leadership skills the same skills effective managers use? Yes, to a degree. Managing and leading are complementary and often overlapping activities. The primary difference is that managing involves coping with complexity; leading, coping with change. At the same time, managing requires leadership skills, and leading requires management skills.

Management skills will always be essential, but in responding and adapting to the changing socioeconomic realities of today's market's, managers, even middle managers, are increasingly be called upon to be leaders as well.

MANAGEMENT SKILLS LEADERSHIP SKILLS

Planning and budgeting Setting a direction
Organizing and staffing Aligning people to a vision
Controlling and problem solving Motivating and inspiring


ACTION POINT: No matter what the current economic, political, and social realities may be, the challenge for leaders today is to define their special goals or vision, to acquire as many management and leadership skills as possible, and finally, to know when to sue them to influence others to reach those goals.

Expand Your Leadership Skills

...few leaders today use formal authority and the power to command and control

There will always be a time and place for charismatic leaders, but few leaders today use formal authority and the power to command and control; rather, they influence and motivate people to achieve clearly defined goals. The power to influence and motivate requires skills such as:

Communication skills to speak and write persuasively

Interpersonal skills to listen and hear what people are really saying

Conflict-resolution skills to handle the inevitable times of friction and tension

Negotiation skills to bring differing groups together

Motivational skills to convince people to strive for the same goal

ACTION POINT: Develop the skills required to motivate and influence people.

The Challenge of Contemporary Leadership

The definition of leadership is to have inspired, energized followers. - Warren G. Bennis

Leadership used to be viewed as innate. Epitomized by heroic, Lone Ranger types, it was seen as a mystical blend of courage, charisma, and even a flair for the dramatic. But beyond those traits, to paraphrase Louis Armstrong, if you had to ask what leadership was, you'd never know.

Fortunately, we've all grown wiser--or at least, we've had the lesson drummed into us by a business climate that is increasingly competitive and volatile. Yes, leadership still calls for courage and decisiveness in the face of conflicting demands. For example, the ability to make trade offs between people, resources, money, and deadlines--often causing short-term pain for the sake of long term benefit--remains a vita element of effective leadership. But the changing structure of organizations, the growth of alliances and joint ventures between organizations, indeed, the changing nature of work itself--all call for more practical and diverse approaches to leadership.

ACTION POINT: Identify practical, courageous and diverse leadership approaches that will inspire and energize your team.

Leading People II

"Cheshire Puss," she began, rather timidly,... "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.

So where can you start? Start with the purpose. It does very little good to spend time trying to influence others if you have not idea for what purpose. What is the vision? Where are you trying to go? What are you trying to accomplish? This sound so simple, but it is absolutely critical. Good leaders know what they are trying to accomplish. Not only do they know where they are going but why they are going there. If you cannot answer these questions--where are you going and why--you will spend a lot of time rushing to and fro but getting nowhere. Remember the classic scene from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland?

[Alice] was a little startled by seeing the Cheshire Cat sitting on a bough of a tree a few yards off.

The Cat only grinned when it saw Alice...

"Cheshire Puss," she began, rather timidly,... "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.

"I don't much care where--" said Alice.

"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat.

"--so long as I get somewhere," Alice added as an explanation.

"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."

The Cheshire Cat is right. If you do not know where you are going, any path will do. But once you do know where you are headed, then you can focus your resources and motivate and inspire people to get the work done. Remember, if you are going to be a leader, it is not about what you do, it is about what others do. As a leader, you influence others to help you accomplish the common objective.

One last word of caution. Don't wait for others to clarify your vision. In our work in organizations, we are forever hearing the comment, "If only they would tell me where we are going, I would know what to do." That simply tells us the speaker is not a leader; he's a follower waiting for someone else to lead. And guess what! You already know more about your job, your life, your customers, your hopes and desires than "they" do. What are you waiting for them? Leaders do not wait.

Leading People

Leading, simply defined, is the abilty to influence others to mvoe toward the accomplishemnt of common goals.

The word leader evokes images of great men and women who, in moments of crisis, rise up to make a great difference in the course of human events. We enjoy books about them, we watch movies about them, and we tell stories about them. Unfortunately, this image creates the belief that in order to lead we somehow have to be at that golden moment and have the ability to inspire thousands. Not so, Leading, simply defined, is the ability to influence others to move toward the accomplishment of common goals.

Mothers and fathers lead. Little children lead. Unit heads lead. And you can lead. In fact, you probably already do. Think about the times recently when you have influenced others by the decisions you made, by how you choose to spend your time and money, or by simply engaging in a conversation that affected what others were doing.

ACTION POINT: Recognize that you have the ability to lead.

Abraham Lincolns 2nd Inaugural Address

Weeks of wet weather preceding Lincoln's second inauguration had caused Pennsylvania Avenue to become a sea of mud and standing water. Thousands of spectators stood in thick mud at the Capitol grounds to hear the President. As he stood on the East Portico to take the executive oath, the completed Capitol dome over the President's head was a physical reminder of the resolve of his Administration throughout the years of civil war. Chief Justice Salmon Chase administered the oath of office. In little more than a month, the President would be assassinated.

Fellow-Countrymen:

At this second appearing to take the oath of the Presidential office there is less occasion for an extended address than there was at the first. Then a statement somewhat in detail of a course to be pursued seemed fitting and proper. Now, at the expiration of four years, during which public declarations have been constantly called forth on every point and phase of the great contest which still absorbs the attention and engrosses the energies of the nation, little that is new could be presented. The progress of our arms, upon which all else chiefly depends, is as well known to the public as to myself, and it is, I trust, reasonably satisfactory and encouraging to all. With high hope for the future, no prediction in regard to it is ventured.

On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war. All dreaded it, all sought to avert it. While the inaugural address was being delivered from this place, devoted altogether to saving the Union without war, urgent agents were in the city seeking to destroy it without war—seeking to dissolve the Union and divide effects by negotiation. Both parties’ deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came.

One-eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union even by war, while the Government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it. Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with or even before the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph and a result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh." If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."

ACTION POINT: With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

Teach Managers How to Think, Not What to Think

This is called Disruption.



Clayton Christensen came back to academia as a forty-year-old doctoral student. He developed this model from his research that showed that what cripples successful companies is rarely that somebody comes into their own market with a better product but rather that somebody come in at the bottom of the market with an inexpensive, simple product that caters only to the needs of the least-demanding customers. And then they move up.

What we showed is that, over and over again, when a well-run company focuses on listening to its customers and investing where profit margins are most attractive, those paradigms of good management that they follow help the leaders move up market but paralyze them when somebody comes from down below. And they just can’t attack below.

Toyota attacked the American market, not by making Lexus’s, but with this crummy, little, rusty subcompact model called the Corona in the 1960’s Then they moved up market to Tercels, Corollas, Camry’s, Avalon’s, and Forerunners. And then they make Lexus’s.

Every once in a while, the leaders in the industry—GM and Ford—would look down at Toyota coming u at the and say, “We ought to go compete against those guys.”” And so they’d send down a Chevette or Pinto. But then they’d compare the profitability of a big Ford Explorer or A Cadillac Escalade, and it actually didn’t make economic sense. This is called Disruption.


ACTION POINT: Consider possible disrupters in your marketplace.

Integrity in Leadership

The spirit of an organization is created from the top.

The proof of the sincerity and seriousness of a management is uncompromising emphasis on integrity of character. This, above all, has to be symbolized in management’s “people” decisions. For it is character through which leadership is exercised; it is character that sets the example and is imitated. Character is not something one can fool people about. The people with whom a person works, and especially subordinates, know in a few weeks whether he or she has integrity or not. They may forgive a person for a great deal: incompetence, ignorance, insecurity, or bad manners. But they will not forgive a lack of integrity in that person. Nor will they forgive higher management for choosing him.

This is particularly true of the people at the head of an enterprise. For the spirit of an organization is created from the top. If an organization is great in spirit, it is because the spirit of this top people is great. If it decays, it does so because the top rots; as the proverb has it, “Trees die from the top.” No one should ever be appointed to a senior position unless top management is willing to have his or her character serve as the model for subordinate.

ACTION POINT: Align yourself with people who have integrity.