Leading In Times Of Change

It is always interesting to see what resonates with people. My last blog was loosely based on a comment from former President Bill Clinton about the power of example rather than the example of power. It wasn't about the election, it was about leadership.

Any of you that have read my various articles and information about the difference between compliance and commitment are familiar with my bias towards creating organizations that people embrace rather than organizations where they purely comply. I think creating those kinds of organizations is the key role of leadership.

Marcus Buckingham author of First Break All the Rules among other new age management "bibles" calls it creating clarity. Richard Rumelt, professor of management at UCLA's Anderson School of Management refers to it as removing the ambiguity, and cites it as the most important role in management. Roger Deprey, in his Human Resources Pyramid, describes the six questions every employee seeks to have answered.

This week I got to read something from another distinguished leader who I respect and admire- former Secretary of State and military commander General Colin Powell. He talked about us being in a place where people want to see leaders with passion, a clear direction, and a moral compass. He goes on with a great quote that I think bears repeating-"Every soldier or employee needs to know why their job is important, not why yours is. It's the leader's job to communicate this clearly; give them the tools to get the job done and to inspire them to want to do the things they must to accomplish the goals or the mission."

He goes on to share some other key insights," If a leader doesn't have the insight into the team to do something about the lesser performers, the team loses respect. It is always painful, but almost immediately after you have taken action a cloud lifts off the organization."

My friend and colleague, Joseph Skursky of Market Leader Solutions, captures this in his philosophy of Hire Hard, Manage Easy, and talks about the hidden costs of not removing non-performers from your organization because " recruiting a new person is so painful." To Powell's point, that is simply not true.
In these particularly turbulent times General Powell also leaves us with these key thoughts-
"...as a leader your job is to always believe things can get better. You are the leader, you set the example. You will know you are a good leader when your troops will follow you if only out of curiosity."
You have heard me describe this phenomena more than once- power is something you take or achieve with your office or position, leadership is something your earn.

And once again we see trust as the critical factor- as General Powell suggests" ... the leader's job is to keep the organization together with the Super Glue of trust."

Sound familiar? Not charisma, not systems, not technology, but trust.
Commitment is better than compliance. Engaged employees are a competitive advantage. Trust is the essential element in both.

Now more than ever our employees and our communities need us to step up and lead. We must set the example. We must make the hard decisions. We must look forward.