What fears are holding you back? Luck is when preparation and opportunity collide

Sometimes I am bemused by coincidences.  Having announced two days ago that I will be steeping down from my present job early next year, I was attracted to a brief mention of a blog post I would ordinarily have missed.  But, a post by The Savvy Intern by YouTern jumped out at me - a reminder that we should not fear rule your life or career.

Was it a coincidence?  I doubt it.  More likely the post had passed my sight, but I remained unconscious to it until this time when I was "prepared" for it.  

Some people are often described as lucky, because they "get the breaks" before others, or "they always seem to be in the right place at the right time".  That's not the way it happens - more often than not they will have been reflecting on what is happening around them, they will have thought deeply about what they want to do, and to achieve, they are looking for the breaks - so they see the opportunities more clearly and quicker than others.  That's the essence of luck...been prepared so you can see the opportunities.  Are you ready?

And the blog itself.....  here is a snippet.

What fears are holding you back from going after the job or life, that you want? Being more concerned with what other people think about our choices or our actions, is strange – why would someone else’s internal thoughts be more important than honoring our own desires? It sounds odd when laid out like that, huh?

Read the full post here, it is good: Don't Let Fear Rule your Life and Career   

I understand that Melissa Anzman (@mellymelanz) is the author of the post.  She has a great website on redefining your career.  Go and have a look at Loosen Your White Collar. Fall in Love with your Job (Again)  

Success is harder to handle than failure.

Holding organisations together when all is going well is not an easy task.  When all is going well you can inadvertently wander away from core business. Success bring a certain amount of freedom to explore, and can lead to complacency and slowness to respond to circumstances. Success is not often something for which we prepare. 

It is in that context that we can ask:

Why have so many seemingly successful companies failed in recent years?  Why is there widespread anxiety over company/organisational leadership?  Why are so many countries questioning the quality and effectiveness of their political leadership?

Is it a lack of preparedness?  Is it an inability to cope with success?  Have we even thought about what success is?

The following examines some issues relating to responsibility, ethics and power in leadership.  I have drawn on some older material to help my reflection, and suggest that we seldom consider how we should prepare for success as a precursor to good performance.  None of this is new, but has it been forgotten?

Leadership has been described as a serious meddling in the lives of others (De Pree, 1991:7).  This implies that leadership embodies a responsibility of leaders for, or toward, those who are led. 

Yet a common scenario in modern business (since the late 1980s) is:

... good, respected and successful leaders, men and women of intelligence, talent, and vision who suddenly self-destruct as they reach the apex of their careers.  (Ludwig and Longenecker, 1993:266).

An Australian newspaper article from that time (Barker, 1995:14) reported that a concern for ethics in business is:

... a response to what is now called “ the excesses of the eighties” - the economic damage done to the nation and individuals by greedy, irresponsible and often corrupt business people who were feted as national heroes.

Ethics in management is a significant theme in the recent.  But why is it that leaders get caught up in a downward spiral of unethical decisions?

Ludwig and Longenecker (1993:266-267) seek to:

... debunk the notion that ethical failure of our leaders is largely due to lack of principle and/or the tough competitive climate of the 80s and 90s. (Equally, we could say the same for the more recent past)  Rather, we would like to suggest that many of the violations we have witnessed in recent years are the result of success and lack of preparedness in dealing with personal and organisational success.

Other evidence (Barker, 1995; LaBier ,1986) supports this contention that little attention is placed on preparing people to deal with the trials and dilemmas associated with success in modern society.  As success is the goal of every leader (Ludwig and Longenecker, 1993:270) it is surprising that it does not rate more significance in management and leadership literature.

The biblical story of David and Bathsheba is used to outline four potential by-products of success:

·      lose of strategic focus;

·      privileged access;

·      control of resources;

·      inflated belief in personal ability to control outcomes.

Ludwig and Longenecker (1993:267-269) write that “... the good and successful King David of Israel, believing he could cover up his impropriety, took Bathsheba to his bed while her husband was off in battle.” 

David is not where he is supposed to be (loss of strategic focus), he “delegated, then ignored what was happening”.  David had time on his hands, and a viewing position atop the palace roof to view Bathsheba at bath (privileged access).  David then manipulates the situations (controls resources, and tries to control outcomes) sleeps with Bathsheba who falls pregnant, brings her husband in from battle in the hope he will sleep with his wife and cover-up David’s impropriety, and eventually causes the husband to be killed.  The manipulation is exposed.  “David, in short, chose to do something he knew was clearly wrong in the firm belief that through his personal power, and control over power, he could cover up”.

When kept within reason, privileged access and control of resources are positive and justified requisites for success.  Privileged access is “essential for comprehensive strategic vision” and control of resources is “necessary for the execution of strategy” (Ludwig and Longenecker, 1993:269).  Loss of strategic focus and inflated belief in personal ability are essentially negative (see Table 3)

Table 3:  Possible outcome experienced by successful leaders

	Positive/Benefit	Negative/Disadvantage
Personal Level	Privileged Access Position Influence Status Rewards/Perks Recognition Latitude Associations Access	Inflated Belief in Personal Ability Emotionally Expansive Unbalanced Personal Life Inflated Ego Isolation Stress Transference Emptiness Fear of Failure
Organisational Level	Control of Resources No Direct Supervision Ability to Influence Ability to set Agenda Control over Decision Making	Loss of Strategic Focus Organisation on Autopilot Delegation without Supervision Strategic Complacency Neglect of Strategy

                                                                                (Source: Ludwig and Longenecker, 1993: 270)

The benefits of success to the leader and the organisation are obvious.  Less readily apparent is the personal “dark side” of success which revolves largely around three psychological issues outlined by Ludwig and Longenecker (1993:270-271).  These are:

·      Climbing the success ladder exposes leaders to negative attitudes and behaviours.  There may not be apparent, but nonetheless come with the territory of successful leadership.  Negatives that could be reinforced include unbalanced personal lives, a loss of touch with reality and an inflated sense of personal ability.

·      Leaders may become emotionally expansive - “their appetite for success, thrills, gratification, and control becomes insatiable”.  They can lose the ability to be satisfied.  They can become personally isolated and lack intimacy with family and friends, losing a valuable source of personal balance.  They “literally lose touch with reality”.

·      Other factors include stress, fear of failure and the “emptiness syndrome” (“Is this all there is to success?”)  An inflated sense of ego can lead to abrasiveness, close-mindedness and disrespect.

Success does not necessarily lead to undesired behaviour as Ludwig and Longenecker (1991:271) are careful to record:

We are not suggesting that all successful leaders fall prey to these negatives that are frequently associated with success, but rather want to make the case that success can bring with it some very negative emotional baggage.

However, it is useful to recognise the seven lessons from David’s experience (Ludwig and Longenecker, 1991:271) provide a useful framework for reflection:

•  Leaders are in their positions to focus on doing what is right for their organisation’s short-term and long-term success.  This can't happen if they aren't where they are supposed to be, doing what they are supposed to be doing.

• There will always be temptations that come in a variety of shapes and forms that will tempt leaders to make decisions they know they shouldn't make.  With success will come additional ethical trials.  

• Perpetrating an unethical act is a personal, conscious choice on the part of the leader that frequently places a greater emphasis on personal gratification rather than on the organisation’s needs.

• It is difficult if not impossible to partake in unethical behaviour without implicating and/or involving others in the organisation

• Attempts to cover-up unethical practices can have dire organisational consequences including innocent people getting hurt, power being abused, trust being violated, other individuals being corrupted, and the diversion of needed resources.

• Not getting caught initially can produce self-delusion and increase the likelihood of future unethical behaviour.

• Getting caught can destroy the leader, the organisation, innocent people, and everything the leader has spent his/her life working for.”

The important lessons for Ludwig and Longenecker (1992:272) is for leaders to recognise it could happen to them, and to be aware that:

Ethical leadership is simply part of good leadership and requires focus, the appropriate use of resources, trust, effective decision making, and provision of model behaviour that is worth following.  Once it is lost it is difficult if not impossible to regain.

Further Reading

Barker G (1995)  The glove that tempers the iron fist.  The Australian Financial Review Magazine. July. pp.14-21

Burdett  J O (1991)  What is empowerment anyway?  Journal of European Industrial Training. 15(6):23-30

De Pree M O (1989)  Leadership is an Art.   Melbourne: Australian Business Library, Information Australia.

De Pree M O (1991)  Leadership Jazz.  Melbourne: Australian Business Library, Information Australia.

Eisler R (1995)  From domination to partnership: The hidden subtext for organisation change.  Training & Development 49(2):32-39

LaBier D (1986)  Modern Madness: The Emotional Fallout of Success.  Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley

Ludwig D C and Longenecker C O (1993)  The Bathsheba syndrome: the ethical failure of successful leaders. Journal of Business Ethics 12(4):265-273

Peace W H (1991)  The hard work of being a soft manager.  Harvard Business Review. 69(6):40-42,46-47

Recruit "constructive" no-men

I recently reviewed an old note book (when I did this by pencil and paper pre-digital and social media!) and came across this great quote.  A wonderful reminder that 1. you should not surround yourself with "yes-men", but 2. a no-man who is just a no-man is a no-no!  (And a reminder that recruiting is perhaps the most important task you will undertake if your business is to be successful!)

"I do not wish to hire yes-men.  Yes-men come cheap . . .what we are looking for is what I call constructive no-men.  My own personal rule for very many years has been that anybody is free to criticise me, to criticise the company, to question or argue against anything that we are trying to do - provided they will satisfy the one criterion that they will tell us what I or the company should do differently."

Source: Harvey-Jones J (1988)  Making it happen.  Fontana, London.  P.89

(posted also to: http://www.youngstapreneur.net/blogs/item/recruit-constructive-no-men)

Places of Realised Potential

People with a commitment to potential see potential not merely as self-fulfillment but as expressing stewardship and servanthood. Is where you work a place where potential can be realised?

 

A place of realised potential:

• Opens itself to change, to contrary opinion, to the mystery of potential, to involvement, to unsettling ideas.
• Offers people the opportunity to learn and grow.
• Offers the gift of challenging work. 
•  Sheds its obsolete baggage.
•  Encourages people to decide what needs to be measured and then helps them to do the work.
• Heals people with trust and with caring and with forgiveness.
• Is a social environment – people in places of realised potential know that organisations are social environments.
•  Celebrates.

Source : Max De Pree (1997)  Leading without power. Finding hope in serving community.  Jossey-Bass  ISBN-13: 978-0787910631

UPDATE: The Green Revolution - get the Norman Borlaug biography for 99 US cents

The previous free offer has lapsed, but available on Kindle for 99 cents.

Today I received a notice from the Council of Agricultural Science and Technology that the Noel Vietmeyer, book Our Daily Bread: the Essential Norman Borlaug, is available free in digital form until midnight October 5th.  I can wholeheartedly endorse the book which tells the story of how a young farmer grew to change the world and save millions from starvation. He is known as a key contributor to the Green Revolution.

If you are interested in history, this is a great starting point.  If you are interested in a food secure world, it is also a good place to start thinking about solutions.  

And if you have children interested in farming or agriculture, or know of young people contemplating as career in agriculture, this is a story of an inspirational personal journey that they will find fascinating.

 

You can access the book, for free download from this link to Amazon

This is a great offer and we should thank Noel Vietmeyer for his generousity.

Talent Development, Star Performers and Bell Labs

The recently published The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation has received wide favourable comment.  Reading it reminded me of an earlier assessment that is relevant in a era where business is acutely conscious of the need to manage talent.

Here is a checklist of behaviours and attitudes encouraged in staff by Bell Labs in an effort to create star performers.

Going beyond the job

• I make the most of my present assignment.
• I do more than I am asked to do.
• I look for places where I might spot problems and fix them.
• I fix bugs that I notice (in programs) or at least tell someone about them.
• I look for opportunities to do extra work to help the project move along more quickly.

New ideas and follow-through

• I try to do some original work.
• I look for places where something that’s already done might be done better.
• I have ideas about new features and other technical projects that might be developed.
• When I have an idea, I try to make it work and let people know about it.
• I try to document what my idea is and why it’s a good idea.
• I think about and try to document how my idea could save the company money or bring in new business.
• I seek advice from people who have been successful in promoting ideas.
• I construct a plan for selling my idea to people in the company.

Dealing constructively with criticism.

• I tell colleagues about my ideas to get their reactions and criticisms.
• I use their comments and criticisms to make my ideas better.
• I consult the sources of criticism to help find solutions.
• I continue to revise my ideas to incorporate my colleagues’ concerns.

Planning for the future

• I spend time planning what I’d like to work on next.
• I look for other interesting projects to work on when my present work gets close to the finish line.
• I talk to people to find out what projects are coming up and will need people.

Source:  Kelley R and Caplan J (1993)  How Bell Labs creates star performers.  Harvard Business Review, July-August 1993 pp.128

Mood disorders may help people find leadership clarity

(Note - this post has been modifed since first published 24 hours ago to give additional contextual comment.)

Winston Churchill struggled with depression, and that may have made him a better leader.

Referring to Churchill, Nassir Ghaemi, professor of psychiatry in Tufts University School of Medicine, states: “The depressive leader saw the event of his day with a clarity and realism lacking in saner, more stable men.”  (Johansen, 2012, p.50)

This was one insight that hit me reading “Leaders Make the Future” by Bob Johansen.  Johansen is the former President and now Distinguished Fellow of the Institute for the Future (IFTF) - an independent non-profit think tank that has produced an annual ten-year forecast for over 40 years.  The 10 novel leadership skills he introduces in this book are worthy of deep consideration.

First, I should put a bit more context on the depression issue – Ghaemi’s work suggests that mood disorders may actually help people find leadership clarity in a world of increasing volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA).  He considers that in good times, healthy people function effectively as leaders, but “...in times of crisis and tumult, those who are mentally abnormal, even ill, become the greatest leaders…..Mildly depressed people…tend to see the world more clearly, as it is” (my emphasis).

Johansen contends that “Being normal may be a disadvantage in abnormal times.”  And I am sure he is not advocating depression - rather the need for a mindset open enough to see reality as it is.

There is little normal in a world of increasing volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA), and Johansen argues that leaders operating in this world must learn new skills in order to make a better future including:

1)            Maker instinct (leaders approach their leadership with commitment of a job and energy of a passionate hobby)

2)            Clarity (leaders being clear about what they are making but flexible about how it gets made)

3)            Dilemma Flipping (turning problems that can't be solved into opportunities)

4)            Immersive Learning (learning by doing)

5)            Bio-empathy (understand, respect and learn from nature)

6)            Constructive depolarization (calming tense situations and bringing people from divergent cultures towards constructive engagement)

7)            Quiet transparency (ability to be open and authentic about what matters to you without self-promotion)

8)            Rapid Prototyping (ability to create early versions of innovations)

9)            Smart mob organizing (creating, engaging and nurturing social networks)

10)        Commons creating (stimulate, grow and nurture shared assets that can benefit other players)

The book is probably best suited to a seasoned leader with an experience on which to reflect and make sense of Johansen’s words.  He is effective in explaining the "what" and the "why" but not the "how”, and this is where an ability to draw on an extensive practice would be useful.  Getting through the book is not an easy task, but is one that will be highly rewarding.

My one major insight is that “Leaders make the Future” offers a novel approach to making sense of the present.  If you can do that, you are in a better position to shape the future.

I read many books on leadership.  Not often do I recommend one.  Johansen’s “Leaders make the future” is an exception.  You won’t find it easy, and you will need be prepared to take a time for some deep reflection.  If you care about the practice of leading then you will find Johansen’s ideas as very useful (along with anything written by Max De Pree!!)

Bob Johansen (2012) Leaders Make the Future: Ten New Leadership Skills for an Uncertain World.  Berrett-Koehler Publishers: San Francisco.  ISBN 978-1-60994-487-2