Monday, December 28, 2015

Leadership – Taking the Higher Ground

Introduction:
We want to finish the year on a hopeful note.  It is easy to focus on the what’s wrong, why it’s wrong and what can be done about it.  There remains a tremendous amount of improvement, but by taking the higher ground we hope to explore those leadership qualities that exemplify what can be so good and effective about leadership and being a leader.

Over the years we have tried in our Update articles to examine many different aspects of leadership and management.  At times we focus on issues that directly apply to senior leaders, but always with aspects that apply to lower level leaders also.  In this issue we want to focus on some basic tenets of leadership that are applicable to all levels of leaders – first line supervisors through senior managers and executives.  We believe there are two fundamental tenets that are essential to becoming an effective and high performing leader: Self Awareness and Personal Integrity.  Probably you are thinking, of course these apply to everyone and are “a given”.  However, the business landscape is littered with cases where leaders – and too often the well-publicized examples are CEOs – have destroyed organizations and people by completely forgetting these fundamental tenets.

As a leader – be it first line supervisor, middle manager or executive – you have responsibilities to advance the organization and provide sound direction to your subordinates.  You directly or indirectly also have responsibilities to the shareholders and suppliers.  The goals of the organization, the expectations of the shareholders and the needs and demands of the suppliers can create conflict with your responsibilities to nurture and develop your staff and your own self.  Let’s take a look at that self and all those potential conflicting pressures.

As a reference we are going to use some work done by professors Panos Mourdoukoutas, Ph.D. and Michael Soupios, Ph.D. of Long Island University who published The Ten Golden Rules of Leadership.  In their book they looked at principles from ancient philosophers.  We do not want to discuss ancient philosophers, but do feel that a few of the rules provide the basis of what we think is so important to developing strong and effective leaders at all levels of the organization.  Those rules are “Know Thyself,” “Live Life by a Higher Code” and “Never Underestimate the Power of Personal Integrity.”  Now let’s look at those questions we posed previously and see how these rules can help develop answers to those questions.

Know Thyself:
Who are you?  What is your personal philosophy?  What standards do you hold your employees to and what standards do you hold yourself to?  Should you expect the same from yourself as you do from your employees or should you expect more?  As one might expect, we are going to suggest that as a leader, one should expect more from themselves to be a true leader.  But, we’ve got some thoughts before we get to any conclusion.

We are not going to delve into a deep psychological dissertation or anything close to that.  But, we do think it is important that you take a little time and think about this question.  This can be a difficult task and it not something that many are willing to spend time doing.  One of the first things we do when we embark on a leadership program (not a leadership training event), is to administer an assessment.  We have used both the DISC and Myers Briggs instruments.  These instruments provide a framework to gain an objective perspective of one’s personality.  They also provide insights into the range of profiles others may possess.  So the benefits are many.  First, gaining insight into oneself is essential.  What are one’s profile strengths as well as traits they struggle with?  This information creates awareness and hopefully it guides an individual to leverage their strengths and be cautious of those traits that they struggle with while attempting to improve on them.  It also provides knowledge on how to deal with others who may have the same or different traits.  With this as a baseline additional self-examination can occur. 

The Myers Briggs assessments state:
Knowledge of type (your personality type) can enrich your life in several ways. It can help you
·         Better understand yourself. Knowing your own type helps you understand the assets and liabilities of your typical reactions.
·         Understand others. Knowing about type helps you recognize that other people may be different. It can enable you to see those differences as useful and broadening, rather than annoying and restricting.  You can use this knowledge as a tool in effectively communicating.
·         Gain perspective. Seeing yourself and others in the context of type can help you appreciate the legitimacy of other points of view.

You can then avoid getting stuck in believing your way is the only way. No perspective is always right or always wrong. Reading about type and observing yourself and others from the standpoint of type will enrich your understanding of personality differences and encourage constructive uses of those differences.

To give you another perspective of the MBTI we are providing you with the MBTI Grid illustrating the 16 types and linking them to perhaps the most significant movie franchise.  You may be able to relate to one of these individuals/types.


More so, with self-assessment information, the journey can begin.  This is where values come in.  In addition to one’s personality profile, values are another important component in the puzzle of ‘Who are you?’ Once again, introspection is essential here.  Examining one’s value system is challenging, but keenly important when it comes to leadership. As part of identifying values, identifying their origins is important.  How did I get to the point where these are my values?  Where did they come from?  Research has shown that one’s value system is created around 10 years old.  The point here is this form of introspection is difficult to do, but we consider it essential.  You want to grow and be an effective leader, but first you need to understand where some of what you expect of others comes from – your values system.

With all this said, what do you believe in terms of a moral compass and how you should act?  What are your worries and what are your goals?  We certainly can’t answer these questions for you, but encourage you to spend some time thinking and writing down these self inquiries.  In the context of proactive initiatives, journaling is an effective way to follow along on your journey. 

We suggest, on a daily basis, recording how you react to the events of the day, how you feel about the outcomes, what you might have been able to learn and do better next time, and what you felt you did a good at dealing with.  This can be accomplished in any manner that is easiest for you. With technology as it is now, there are several options available, and we can make recommendations if you would like.  Journaling is an effective tool, takes a bit of time and provides a wealth of learning and perspective as you explore and implement your strengths and challenges.  Periodically go back through your journal and see if what you noted was in fact you or was it what you would like to be or think you should be.  Also, revisit your assessment information/report if available and compare with your notes.  These techniques provide benchmarks for you as well as aid in your self-assessment/introspection and will pay huge dividends.

Here’s another thought in the context of self-examination.  “What do people say about you when you are not in the room?”  We realize this may not be the most ‘modern’ concept.  Much of today’s society minimizes the notion of worrying about what other people think, but let’s put it in a leadership context.  As a leader, you are essentially on stage.  You are being evaluated all the time. Those you lead see you, place judgement and see both your strengths and struggles.  Their view may not seem fair or accurate but it is how they see you.  Remember perception is reality to those perceiving. We believe one behavioral trait that is keenly important is consistency.  Inconsistent leadership is essential like no leadership.  But consistency is tough to accomplish.  Just look at any politician and it’s readily evident that consistency is difficult.  Again, if as a leader you are aware of the importance of consistency, and you keep a quality journal, you will be able to assess your behavior and adapt as appropriate.

Your Standards: “Live Life by a Higher Code”
As a leader you undoubtedly have expectations for your employees.  Some may be as basic as getting to work on time each day or following the company rules or completing the work assigned to them.  These are good but they certainly are not really standards that will help the employees develop and grow and help your organization grow stronger.  Have you thought about more in-depth standards that will benefit the employees, the organization and in the long run yourself? 

Let’s go back to values.  As part of a value system, there is a ‘band-width’ around each value.  What we are suggesting that living one’s set of values or a specific value can have a range of standards by which several individuals measure their adherence to the value. As examples, some values include; cooperation, trust, dependability as well as many others.  In the context of our discussion of standards, different people most probably have different ideas of what the standard of cooperation means; a band-width of understanding.  What one person does and believes they are cooperating may not be the same for another and most likely is not. We will leave it to our readers to think about how this concept fits the other listed values or their own values.  In the context of leadership and living life by a higher code, the leader must be the example that he/she expects from their people.  If there is a high and low end of the bandwidth, the leader has to aspire and behave on the higher end.  In here lies the issue, what is the higher end look like?  We provide an example.

Let’s look at it from an organizational perspective.  There are certainly company rules and maybe regulatory rules that an organization must follow.  However, those are just that – rules.  The rules impact the operation but they alone should not define the character of the organization.  Much the same, there is the letter of the law, but there is also the intention of the law.  As a leader one has great influence. 

How you interact with your organization; how you treat your employees; how you behave in front of them and away from them all influence the support and dedication you will get from them.  Yes, they have a job to do and are expected to do that job but the atmosphere in which the job is performed and the smooth functioning of them as a team is influenced by how you behave.  If you demand timeliness from your employees but you yourself come and go at will sends a message that you don’t really care about timeliness.  If you are a stickler for grammar and spelling in documents produced, but you put out sloppy or grammatically incorrect memos to the team, it shows a different standard for yourself.  We contend that as a leader in the organization you should have a different standard for yourself.  That standard should be higher than what you hold your employees to.  This actually goes back to a topic we wrote about several years ago, Servant Leadership.  Leadership is not a privilege nor an entitled position to be taken advantage of, or that has disproportionate benefits.  Leadership is servitude to the people you are responsible for as well as the mission of the organization.  That means the standards by which you behave and are the role model must be the high water mark and goal for those who you lead.
Personal Integrity:
Integrity defined:
The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. "he is known to be a man of integrity."

There are several examples of leaders who demonstrate high levels of integrity.  Some of them include Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa.  To illustrate both the quality of integrity, and how complex real life situations can be, we provide a few brief descriptions/case studies.

Colin Powell (excerpted from a paper authored by Hale C. VanKoughnett U.S. Department of State, titled Integrity: The Foundation of Leadership
On his first day as Secretary of State, a crowd in the Department of State main lobby gave him an unprecedented welcome. This greeting was because of his status as a war hero and respected leader. During his tenure at State, he was sidelined from White House decision making concerning the Iraq War. Some believe that Powell surrendered his integrity when he did not make a stronger case against invasion—or resign—rather than support a position with which he did not agree. One can also posit that he was either loyally supporting his Commander in Chief or attempting to remain on the inside to influence policy. But no matter how one feels about his actions regarding Iraq, it would be very difficult to argue that Powell proceeded with an eye toward personal gain. I, therefore, do not believe that this incident calls into question his integrity. Powell’s emphasis on leadership, training, increased staffing, and accountability made him a respected figure at State long after he last passed through the lobby of the Harry S. Truman Building.

Regarding Abraham Lincoln (excerpted from Lincoln’s Honesty by Gordon Leidner of Great American History, reprinted from Washington Times Civil War Page on February 20, 1999. Copyright 1999 by New World Communications, Inc.
By the time Lincoln was president, statements he had made previously, such as "I have never tried to conceal my opinions, nor tried to deceive anyone in reference to them," and "I am glad of all the support I can get anywhere, if I can get it without practicing any deception to obtain it" had become a source of strength for him as a leader.
Everyone, even his bitterest political opponents, knew exactly where they stood with Lincoln. Because he didn't have to waste time convincing his opponents of his sincerity, he was able to devote his energies to solving political issues and winning the war.
Lincoln as commander in chief was honest and straightforward with his generals, always telling them directly what he did and did not appreciate about them. An example of his candor is the following excerpt from a letter to Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker in early 1863:
"I have placed you at the head of the Army of the Potomac. Of course I have done this upon what appear to me to be sufficient reasons, and yet I think it best for you to know that there are some things in regard to which I am not quite satisfied with you. I believe you to be a brave and a skillful soldier, which of course I like . . . I have heard, in such a way as to believe it, of your recently saying that both the army and the government needed a dictator. Of course it was not for this, but in spite of it, that I have given you the command. Only those generals who gain successes can set up dictators. What I now ask of you is military success, and I will risk the dictatorship."
Finally, in search for the reason Lincoln was so adamant about honesty, a quote by one of his closest friends, Leonard Swett, is revealing:
"He believed in the great laws of truth, the right discharge of duty, his accountability to God, the ultimate triumph of the right, and the overthrow of wrong."

The concept of Personal Integrity dovetails well with our earlier articles of this year regarding Authenticity.  When we overlay leadership on these concepts we can see how they all fit together resulting in effective leadership. 

Our first article of 2015 introduced the relationship between Values, Power and Consistency in the context of leadership authenticity.  Our second article provided real life examples of authenticity or lack of it.  Realizing that we had more questions than answers we highlighted the questions as follows:
·         Can authenticity be taught or even learned?
·         How might one actually teach authenticity?
·         Does it take practice to achieve authenticity in leadership?
·         How would one know if they are making progress or can one even achieve an end point?
·         Is there an end point?
·         What are the measures along this journey?

With this article, we reinforce the self-awareness and introspection component that we addressed in the last two articles on authenticity, but now we are tying in the concept of living one’s beliefs and values with integrity.  But how does that translate into something we can tangibly suggest that should be done differently?  As expected there is a wealth of writing on this subject by scholars and practitioners.  As an example one practitioner suggests.

“The root of all integrity judgments is a sense of consistency or congruence between seemingly disparate elements. To have integrity means that things fit together in a coherent form.”

“More expansive definitions of integrity suggest that not only is integrity defined by internal consistencies (such as word/deed consistency), it is also defined by the external consistency of those actions with either individual moral frameworks or community moral frameworks.”

Again, like everything we write about there is no silver bullet answer or magic answer that applies to all. The process is holistic and an ongoing journey.  But, we truly believe that even though there is no straight line path to excellent leadership there are things that a person can do to straighten the path while achieving positive results along the way. You have heard us say that we don’t believe in “to do” lists, so we are going to provide some techniques that have proven effective throughout our careers.  The difference between these techniques and “to do” lists is every person must contextualize the technique for themselves, but we hope that the sequence provides the framework along with a commitment to self- assessment along the journey.

Suggested Techniques to consider
This is typically not a straight forward endeavor, but is worth doing.
  1.  Participate in a formal personal assessment.  In some cases, use different instruments and compare the findings.  Consider a 360-degree assessment in which you get feedback from your boss, your peers and your subordinates.  Gives you different perspectives.  (360-degree assessments are provided by the Center for Creative Leadership, and we have the certification to administer them as one of the tools in our leadership workshops)
  2. Identify your values that includes:
          Common understanding of what is and what is not a value
  • What should our organization, company, team stand for?
  • What should be the values by which we operate?
  • What do we want our customers to say about our organization when we are not in the room?
  • How do we want our employees to answer the question, "What's it like to work here?"
  •  What are our organization's priorities in terms of which behaviors are rewarded and which are punished?
  • As leaders, what can we do that will demonstrate the future state?
  • Do any of the organizational expectations conflict with my internal views?  How do I or should I reconcile this conflict?

    Define each value specifically for you – what does it mean to you?
    How am I going to live each value on a day-to-day basis?
    What is the expected outcome or measure?
An example for the value of Respect is provided below:
Respect is fundamental to my value system.  I am very specific about what Respect means to me.  It includes:
•     Showing appreciation for others
 •     Being open to other’s ideas and their validity
 •     Treating others as I expect to be treated
 •     Showing consideration for individual differences
 •     Treating our people with fairness without favoritism
 •     Providing for individual growth by recognizing needs
 •     Providing recognition for accomplishments

In my day-to-day endeavors, respect sets a standard for how I interact with each other.  It establishes a positive, productive, and open work environment.  In our future, the value of Respect enhances relationships with my coworkers, clients and vendors.

    3. Make a commitment to keeping a daily journal, as difficult as it may initially seem, stick with it. Document the good and the not so good along with what was going on that may   have impacted your behavior.

    4.  Periodically review your assessment result reports and make adjustments

    5. Routinely review your journal – look for patterns

    6.  Be very conscious of your interactions with others – especially your subordinates – and try to        sense how you are being perceived/accepted.  Is there a positive or negative vibe in the    interactions?  This may be impacted by the type of discussion you are having, but still you need to be conscious of the interaction.  Talk with and not to people.


Summary:
Our focus in this article is on introspection and trying to understand your personal values, your moral compass and the importance and impact of personal integrity.  It builds on our previous two articles which focused on Authentic Leadership.  We are trying to take this to a more personal level so that you, our readers, can focus on your own self and how you live your life and interact with people at all levels.  The techniques we suggest will aid you in your business and your personal life.  You could well find that once you understand yourself you are not in harmony with what is expected by your organization.  That of course will lead you to making hard decisions; but we suggest that being at peace with your moral compass and your personal integrity is much more important in your life.  As always, we ask for your feedback and suggestions.  We try to write these articles to cause you to think and to, we hope, eventually lead to stronger leadership skills regardless of the industry or business.

Looking forward to 2016

While we  continue our quest for answers to some of the most perplexing leadership issues, we are also probing ways to support and enhance the quality of leadership.  One of the biggest leadership challenges to Executives and CEOs is getting honest, truthful, candid, objective, qualified inputs and feedback, in a safe, non-threatening environment, to help in sorting out issues, ideas and problems and strategies.  

We also recognize that living at the top of an organization is a lonely place to be.  Decisions impact employees, clients, customers, families, stockholders, and stakeholders.   Leadership is a difficult role, constantly requiring assessment/feedback, adjustment in style, methods and measures.  In addition, objective input prevents narcissism, builds and retains effectiveness and authenticity as a leader, and ensures ongoing support of those being lead.

With this said, in 2016, we will be  introducing “The Inner Circle.”  The Inner Circle is a resource to senior executives, on their terms. The Inner Circle can be a sounding board, a place where CEOs can solicit our thoughts, assessments, and insights on issues, as well as individualized coaching, mentoring and/or assistance. We will say more about this in the coming year.  Best wishes for 2016!



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