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Category: Leadership

A Year of Change

Posted on by phil_eastman on December 26, 2012

Candace Sweigart wrote for the December edition of The Leadership Advisor.  You will enjoy her perspective and practical advice.

 

Early this year Phil Eastman and Lorene Rasmussen approached me about writing the last newsletter of the year for the Leadership Advisors.  Knowing that I had recently given birth to my firstborn son, and that I was embarking on a major career change, they suggested that I write on the topic of change.  I responded with, “Of course! What an honor.  And I’m sure that I will have a lot to write about at the end of the year.”  I had no idea how true that statement would be, with a newly walking toddler and a small business, also in its infancy, both of which are on my mind as I write.

I tell people I meet that I had two babies this year: a baby business and a baby boy.  I hoped, when I agreed to write on this topic, I would be at the top of my “change mountain” and able to look down with great wisdom upon everything I had learned this year. The truth is, I am still very much in the throes of my change journey.  For this reason, my musings are survival techniques that are helping me this very moment.

So much has been written about change.  There are countless advice columns and bulleted lists of the steps you should follow to successfully deal with change.  So, to write something novel is a daunting task.  We all know change is inevitable and we witness the evidence not only in our environment, but our daily lives constantly, as well.  And, we know that given the right toolset, fortitude and attitude, we will rise out of the change mire as an even better person and leader than when we first began.

But what do we do when we are knee deep in huge change in our lives?  Whether we are dealing with professional obstacles or personal life upheaval, change is so hard.  It is a source of enormous stress and it challenges us at every step.

As I’ve nearly survived my first year both as an entrepreneur and as Mom to an ever-changing infant, I can say there are definitely some key survival strategies that have helped me in my journey

1.  Embrace the chaos

One of the main reasons I fear and do everything in my power to avoid inevitable change is that it is not neat and tidy.  Change often introduces new ground that I’ve never covered before.  As a mom, I couldn’t believe how I was living life “by the hour” with a newborn and how much chaos was introduced. No matter how many books I read prior to the arrival of my son, there was no way I could truly prepare for the way this change would create chaos.  I remember reflecting to my closest friend that it was difficult to even find the time to brush my teeth because so much was going on.  And sleep?  Forget it.

At the same time, as I begin investing more time and resources into my business I noticed a similar pattern forming.  There was so much to think about, so many decisions that need to be made, and so many “firsts” in the early days of becoming an entrepreneur.  After trying for months to get both my infant child and my infant business to “fit into my plan,” I eventually had a bit of a minor breakdown in which I just submitted to all of the chaos.  And as I did, I learned that there were a lot of really great things happening in the midst of change.  Simply admitting that you are in flux and submitting to it a bit can provide relief and perspective.

2.  Prioritization is key

As a new business owner, I find so many things vying for my constant attention on a daily basis.  Sometimes my action items have their own action items, and everyone who walks through my door with a need is a priority.  When in a constant state of flux, I find myself having difficulty identifying which things should be done first and often get overwhelmed.  In an attempt to bring some order into the situation, I started creating lists and attempting to organize myself as much as possible.  I quickly learned that I was just documenting what I already knew.  I had lots to do, but wasn’t taking time to clearly identify what really needed to be done.

In our culture, we pride ourselves on being “perfectionists,” on pushing ourselves past our boundaries and working hard to complete everything on our plate, even when it is unreasonable.  Often in a change environment, there will be far more tasks and work needed than can be completed. If everything is a top priority, nothing is, and we are far less effective.  One of my greatest tools right now is the ability to look at my work realistically and prioritize the work that really needs to get done.  Understanding my priorities helps take a bit of the pressure off when I just can’t complete everything that is asked of me.

3.  Over communicate

Early on in my career, I experienced organizational change for the first time when the firm I was working for went through a major merger.  It was a very stressful time for the company and caused many changes to the business, as we knew it.  What was really interesting to me was that management stopped communicating, both with each other and with the employees.  We stopped having regular meetings; we stopped hearing what was going on, and even stopped talking to each other.  I was amazed to see a company that was formerly great to work for turn into a place I didn’t enjoy.  My coworkers were the same people, but overcome with fear and stress, they stopped communicating.

Throughout my career, I’ve seen the same pattern repeated.  When change becomes intense, people stop talking.  Contrary to natural inclination, this is a time where strong listening and communication skills are needed more than ever.  Change is frightening and uncomfortable, and one of the best survival techniques is to keep the lines of communication wide open.  We are social creatures and so much stress and misunderstanding can be eliminated by effectively communicating.  In leadership roles, we don’t want to burden our employees with bad news during change, but the absence of communication causes misunderstandings and fear in an already difficult situation.

4.  Assemble a support team

One of the best resources to me over the past year has been both mothers and small business owners who have already blazed the trail I’m currently on. Many times, I have asked them for advice and to act as a sounding board as I work through challenging decisions and issues.  Wisdom from someone who has already successfully made it through similar change can be an oasis during stressful times.  It was only three days after I had my son that I felt an incredible connection to all of the men and women who had gone through new parenthood before me.  Their words and advice of “sleep when the baby sleeps,” and “they grow so fast, so cherish it” meant so much to a newly struggling mom.

As an entrepreneur, I’ve been able to avoid traps and issues because my colleagues have been there to give advice and point me in the right direction.  Great change can be lonely, but there are many great resources waiting on the sidelines to help if you reach out and ask.  Support during change is the best survival technique, yet it is often one of the tools that I neglect to call upon the most.

5.  Give yourself a break

When we are setting out to do great things, to build great businesses, to raise great human beings, it is so easy to take the stumbles and pitfalls to heart and become defeated.  I’ve learned over the past year that I will fail.  I will fail daily. The best way to cope with it is to embrace it, and give myself a break.  I have set the bar high.  I want to be the very best mother the earth has ever known, while simultaneously building a strong, thriving, and successful business.  So, when I see myself forgetting to pay attention to important details, or accidentally sending my son with a coat in the chilly winter months, it is easy for me to be critical.

Out of sheer necessity, I’ve realized that the only way to surviving change is to be good to myself and allow plenty of space for mistakes.  Better yet, these mistakes are actually signs that I’m doing the right things.  One of the biggest reasons I fear change is the vulnerability it causes.  It places me in a situation where I’m not set up to succeed.  I’m going to have to toil and struggle to reach my goals in the midst of transformation, but it is easy to forget that mistakes are often what actually lead to success.  In a changing environment, I cannot be perfect, but I can be perfectly adaptive. Sometimes it just takes a little bit of a smile and easygoing attitude when things don’t go just so.

As I reflect on the changes of 2012 and the potential changes of 2013, it is with great anticipation and confidence that I continue my journey.  It may not always be pretty, and the struggle can sometimes seem insurmountable, but it is worthwhile and enriching.  I know, like the many that have gone before me, I too one day will be standing at the top of my “change mountain” looking back on the wonderful growth that came during these moments. Assuredly, I will even reminisce fondly a bit about these great times of change. In the meantime, I know there are at least 25 high priority items in my inbox and a diaper that needs changing.

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Tradition

Posted on by phil_eastman on October 16, 2012

I know you will enjoy this guest blog posting from Tom Rasmussen.  Tom works for Micron Technology as a Business Intelligence Engineer. He holds a Bachelor of Music Performance from University of Idaho and a Master of Divinity from Seattle School of Theology and Psychology.

“The art of progress is to preserve order amid change, and to preserve change amid order.”
- Alfred North Whitehead, English philosopher

As anyone who has ever managed change knows, the inertia of tradition is incredibly difficult to overcome. Reflexively, it is thrown in the face of change initiatives as a counterpunch.  The power of tradition is especially potent in organizations with long and successful pasts.  For those who achieve longevity within an organization, tradition brings back memories of the glory days and offers the temptation to say, “It worked well then, so why not now?” However, tradition does not have to be change’s antagonist.  Rather, tradition can be a powerful force FOR change.

Leonard Sweet, a futurist friend of mine, loves to hyphenate common words in order to emphasize their meaning.  For instance, he might write remember as re-member.  Doing this helps us notice that the root word is member which means …a distinct part of something.  So to re-member is to put the distinct parts of something back together.  Any parent who has watched their child play with Legos has observed  them take distinct blocks (members) and re-assemble or re-member them in many ways.  The same Legos that formed a house yesterday can be re-membered into a spaceship today. We applaud our children for the creativity to see new possibilities from the same set of blocks.

Can we choose to remember the traditions of an organization in a similar fashion? I think so.  That does not mean inventing traditions that never existed. Instead, much like Lego blocks lying on a table, we take the building blocks of traditions and assemble them in new ways which, while still being true to the original, result in innovative and creative solutions.

Consider two great American retailers. For most of the twentieth century the Sears catalog was an iconic part of Americana. A quote from the Sears website states: “The 1943 … Sears catalog serves as a mirror of our times, recording for future historians today’s desires, habits, customs, and mode of living.”   As a child of the sixties, I remember the excitement of receiving the Christmas edition. It contained the stuff of my childhood dreams. However, the catalog had already earned its place in retail history long before I was old enough to lust over its pages.

The first Sears catalog appeared in 1888. It capitalized on the most current social and technological trends of the day.  Here again is a quote from the Sears website:

“The time was right for mail order merchandise. Fueled by the Homestead Act of 1862, America’s westward expansion followed the growth of the railroads. The postal system aided the mail order business by permitting the classification of mail order publications as aids in the dissemination of knowledge entitling these catalogs the postage rate of one cent per pound. The advent of Rural Free Delivery in 1896 also made distribution of the catalog economical.”

The convenience of mail order provided a growing America everything from grooming supplies to barber chairs, clothes to washing machines, and house wares to actual houses.

By 1993 however, Sears decided to end the long tradition of the “Big” catalog.

One year later in 1994 an entrepreneur by the name of Jeff Bezos founded Amazon.com, arguably one of the largest retailers on the planet today. One can buy nearly anything through Amazon. The selection and variety of goods available would impress even Richard Sears.

My purpose is not to compare these two giants of retail but to highlight my belief that, perhaps Amazon picked up the true tradition behind the Sears catalog.

I came across a statement the other day that stuck with me.

 “Traditions are not the same as the old ways. Traditions are values that serve to define the mores and boundaries of a culture, society, or organization. They can be stories or myths that illustrate why we believe in one idea or value or another.”  (Adapted from Dr. Ed Brenegar).

In 1993 many people no doubt mourned the passing of the “Big” catalog tradition. That tradition was refined and enhanced for over a hundred years. It changed from relying on mail to including phone orders, followed by FedEx and UPS replacing older modes of delivery. But it was still the good old paper catalog, useful for propping up babies at the table, holding open a door, and furnishing the good old outhouse.

But was the catalog the true tradition or did it merely represent the old ways?

Here are some statements from both Sears and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Regarding customer service:

  • “We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.” – Jeff Bezos
  • Richard Sears illustrated the cover of his 1894 catalog declaring it the “Book of Bargains: A Money Saver for Everyone,” and the “Cheapest Supply House on Earth,” claiming that “Our trade reaches around the World.” Sears also knew the importance of keeping customers, boldly stating that “We Can’t Afford to Lose a Customer.”

Regarding new products and services:

  • “There are two ways to extend a business. Take inventory of what you’re good at and extend out from your skills. Or determine what your customers need and work backward, even if it requires learning new skills. Kindle is an example of working backward.” -  Jeff Bezos
  • Always looking to cater to customer needs, Sears employed translators who could… “read and write all languages.” He featured new items such as barber chairs, disc graphophones, and basketballs and goals (hoops). The next year he sold the Eveready searchlight and the babygate, and the company announced the opening of the Sears camera factory. The wig department added wigs for African-American men and women.

Both companies were on the cutting edge of utilizing the emerging technologies of their era. Sears capitalized on the growth of the postal system and railroads; Amazon leveraged the internet and automated warehousing. Both companies realized the value of reaching a customer base diverse in both tastes and geography.

While the differences between the two are certainly significant, I would assert that the values that the original Sears catalog created are very close to the values that undergird Amazon. Imagine if in 1993 Sears’s leadership realized that the real tradition was not the catalog but the value of selling anything to anyone anywhere and offering a great customer experience.

Perhaps there are corollaries in your organization. In the twenty-first century, it is nearly impossible for an organization to go through a decade and not require change. At times, it may feel as though tradition is the enemy of that change. But look deeper into the DNA of your organization. Find the truest and best traditions and re-member them into your best allies for challenging and changing the old ways.

 

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The Power of Influence

Posted on by phil_eastman on September 11, 2012

The words “influence” and “power” have similar definitions, but very different effects when leading others. Power makes people comply; influence leads them to commit.

Influence suggests persuading, encouraging, and reasoning with others to both think and behave a particular way. Influencing convinces people to believe in a particular action.

Power based on position, connections, or resources may control someone’s behavior, but not their thinking or beliefs. People may do what we say because they fear our power over them. Power may make people comply with our wishes, but they’re not likely to commit themselves until we influence their hearts and minds.

Make sure you’re not using power when influence would be more effective.

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Harvard Business Review, Character and Leadership

Posted on by phil_eastman on July 25, 2012

The June 2012 edition of the Harvard Business Review is dominated by the subject of leadership.

Managing Risks:   A New Framework is about risk but has powerful leadership overtones. How Managers Become Leaders discusses the seismic shifts of moving from manager to enterprise leader.  Leadership Is A Conversation challenges to stop talking to people and start conversing with people.  Leadership Development In the Age of The Algorithm from Marcus Buckingham introduces a new paradigm of scalable and indivudalized ledership development and the interview with with Unilever CEO Paul Polman inspires leaders to lead into the future.

But this is not about a stellar leadership issue of the Harvard Business Review, it is about the thread of character that runs through all the articles in the magazine.  In September of 2009 I published The Character of Leadership:  An Ancient Model For a Quantum Age.  The book argues that great leadership is fueled by great character because leadership is an inside out proposition.  Your character is inexplicably tied to the leadership you demonstrate.  The model contains seven elements, Faith, Justice, Temperance,  Hope, Wisdom, Love and Courage.  The model has its origins in ancient philosophy and so my role was only to adopt it and adapt from a leadership perspective.  the goal of the model is to share the connection of leadership to character and to advocate for a positive, proactive, progressive discussion about the need for character development as part of leadership development.

I was so excited to see the threads of The Character of Leadership in the articles in HBR this month.  Clearly the authors and editors did not think of my model when the wrote or published and clearly my bias toward a character and leadership perspective is always present in my work and my reading.  But even this those realities in place I see the Character of Leadership in the discussion of what it takes to manage risk, the seismic shift from manager to leader.  In Leadership Is a Conversation there is authenticity, love.  In Marcus Buckingham’s article the notion of context is so prevelent.  He talks of individualiezed and scalable approaches which what I advocate about developing character.

The model really shines through in the interview with Paul Polman the CEO of Unilever.  His bold and transformative objectives for the company resonate with faith, and instill hope while showing a sense of Justice, Temperance and without a doubt boundless courage.

Get the magazine and read it cover to cover and you will see that character and leadership really do matter.

 

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Setting a Direction in the Face of Uncertainty

Posted on by phil_eastman on April 29, 2012

Jean De Luca is the President and CEO of Delta Dental of Idaho.  Jean authored this post to share some of her experience with strategic leadership.

 

The strangest advice I read about in the Five Temptations of a CEO by Patrick Lencioni was to “choose uncertainty over clarity.”  After all, isn’t the job of a leader to provide clarity and direction to the team?

After considerable reflection, I realized that Lencioni’s advice encourages us to take a leap and make a decision – to set a direction – even when we may be wrong or don’t have enough information to be entirely certain.

The health benefits and insurance industry has historically experienced only incremental changes over the last 25 years.  In today’s market, we find greater uncertainty due to the continued increase in health care costs and the complexities of national health care reform which will bend the cost curve and reduce the number of uninsured.

Although trends point toward probable future scenarios, health reform and the roles of players in the delivery of healthcare continues to change and evolve with tremendous frequency.

As the CEO of Delta Dental of Idaho, a long-standing dental benefits carrier in the state, I have concluded that it is not possible to be certain regarding the future direction of the company. While some on our team may crave more directional certainty, most understand that identifying a course of action and being open to asking tough questions to improve that “certainty” are more important.

As a team, we invested time determining what “is known” to lay a strong foundation for the best decision-making possible.  An important step in this process was the ability to probe and challenge one another’s thoughts and ideas.  Not only did this improve the decision-making process, it also helped increase buy-in and accountability…all essential factors in achieving successful results.

Creating a culture that openly talks about conflict and demonstrates a comfort with conflict is not easy. Defensiveness will occur and trust will be challenged – anticipate it. Team members who risk vulnerability to raise questions and benefit from a supportive environment for constructive conflict will increase their trust in one another.

It’s important to seek “the stories at the water cooler” that reveal on-the-job realities to determine how an increased acceptance and support for conflict impacts the organization. While maintaining a positive and supportive team environment is always desirable, we must challenge ourselves to address those issues that are not always pleasant to discuss with openness and courage.

It is difficult for almost everyone to experience the fear of being wrong. The tendency to hesitate before setting a direction until certainty or unanimous agreement have been achieved can cause the decision to be made too late to be successful.

As leaders, we need to take a position and seek feedback, both internally and externally from our customers, stakeholders and board, before moving forward with a plan. Next, we must move fearlessly into action, then measure results and improve future direction after giving the plan an opportunity to succeed.

After several months of reading and developing a new strategic planning process, here are the steps that I plan to use in moving forward “in the face of much uncertainty:”

  1. Identify strengths of our management team and improve the way we work together in using these strengths.
  2. Mine for conflict and allow time for discussion when developing a strategic plan.
  3. Set timelines for developing strategies and tactics that have definable goals and measures.
  4. Manage to these timelines and create accountability for the results.
  5. Revisit the goals and results quarterly (if not more often) and adjust the goals as needed.

As uncertainty moves onward towards certainty, it’s important to have the courage to evaluate past goals, perhaps determine that the old goals are no longer working, and engage your team to work together thinking out of the box, to innovate, and improve your collective results.

Does your business face uncertainty? How comfortable are you and your team with conflict? And, finally, do you have the personal courage to ask the tough questions that might indicate your direction could be wrong?

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The Power and Plague of Assumptions

Posted on by phil_eastman on April 2, 2012

Spending time with many people in different organizations in the course of month is challenging and invigorating.  It is also interesting how there are often themes that play out in those otherwise unrelated connections.  This month the theme in many of my interactions has been assumptions.  I suppose these themes appear because this subject has been on my mind, rather than due to some cosmic connection between my far-flung client engagements.  Nonetheless this month has been about assumptions.

The ability of human beings to make assumptions is both powerful and dangerous.  At their worst, assumptions are the basis of stereotypes and biases that are harmful, dangerous and sometimes deadly.  On the other hand, assumptions are useful as they allow us to quickly categorize situations based on experience.  Our ability to assume and its risks and rewards are interesting, but even more powerful is our ability to investigate our assumptions.

The ability to check our own assumptions is a critical leadership capability.  It is especially powerful as a leader takes on increasingly responsible roles in an organization and begins to build influence across an organization.  What often puts leaders in new and challenging roles is the ability to make accurate and timely decisions and to think strategically about the organization.  What distinguishes a leader from the rest is the ability to periodically investigate their assumptions about the organization, its markets, products and people.  This ability allows for an organization to mature as well as grow.

The past month has been full of strategic leadership work for me.  In that work it has been fun to share with leaders the capabilities of strategic leadership and, in the process, help them use those skills to investigate their current assumptions about their organizations.  Their assumptions about the capability of their own teams, the quality and reach of their products and services, the nature of their industry and competition, the depth of their operating systems have all come into view.  In some cases their assumptions were accurate, in others flawed.

As leaders, it is not only our responsibility to provide direction, align resources and execute plans but to periodically stop and review our own assumptions.  The ability to honestly ask ourselves whether our response to a situation is based on our assumptions is paramount to great leadership and great organizations.

When facing your leadership opportunities, this month I want to challenge you to ask yourself this question.  “To what extent is my response to this situation based on assumptions?”  Because our assumptions are powerful, emotionally charged and long-lasting, they can begin to feel as though they are concrete constructs.  Rather they are really just paradigms chosen to make life simpler, more predictable and easier to navigate.

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It’s Worse Than You Think

Posted on by phil_eastman on April 2, 2012

As part of our ongoing effort to expose our readers to different voices in leadership here is a guest posting from Deni Hoehne, SPHR, GPHR.   Deni  has 17 years of HR experience.  She currently works as the Sr. HR Director for Talent Development for a global engineering and construction firm.

Congratulations.  You have distinguished yourself with excellent performance, proven integrity, and steadfast determination, and been rewarded with a progressive career into management and leadership.  There’s one thing you may be forgetting: what it’s like to be in the beginning of your career, when you had less authority and less experience.  When an issue or problem emerges from the workforce and reaches your level, you may have lost some of your empathy for how the employee(s) involved really feels, and your actions could result in a severe negative impact to that employee’s engagement in your organization.

You didn’t intentionally lose your empathy for your coworkers as you climbed the ladder, but you have evolved into such a different person due to your experience in the workplace that it can be hard to remember what it was like to be in their shoes.  Your work life is marked by decision-making, direction-setting, strategic planning and meetings with clients and other executives.  You have the ability to influence your work world and the experience to know how to adapt to challenging circumstances.

That’s not necessarily the work world that your staff lives in.  Most employees have less influence and less ability to deal with difficult situations (especially with other coworkers).  When they have an issue, they typically try to ignore it and hope it goes away (it never does). When whatever they do to try to deal with the issue doesn’t work, they talk to coworkers.  Coworkers offer suggestions and “I’m on your side” support.  They may escalate it to their supervisor, if the supervisor isn’t the one creating the issue.  And then they may go to HR.  Employees continue suffering with the issue while going through a weeks- or months-long resolution process.  By the time the issue is brought to your office, it’s because no one else has the authority or know-how to resolve it.

When the issue arrives at your desk, remember: It’s worse than you think.  That employee is intensely unhappy about a chronic issue.  When an employee is dissatisfied or distracted, hours of productivity will be lost.  Coworker or client relationships may have been damaged.  The employee may be looking for another position, putting at risk all your investment in their training and development.

It’s also a big deal to the employee’s supportive coworkers, who are all on the employee’s “side” and watching you carefully to see how you’ll handle it.  Will you walk your talk and demonstrate how much you care about your employees?  Will you deal with everyone fairly?

So when an employee issue works through the process, and you are asked for an action, remember what it was like to be in your employees’ shoes.  Address the issue promptly.  Take action to relieve your employees from a highly dissatisfactory situation.  Don’t wait until you come back from that business trip, or let it slip off your priority list in favor of another high-level meeting.  Demonstrate your integrity by respecting the employee’s perception of the situation and devoting the time that your “most important asset” deserves.  Promote your employees’ engagement in your organization by showing that you care about the quality of their work world as much as you care about a strategic plan.

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Return on Relationship: The Naked Truth of the Authentic Leadership

Posted on by karlmeinhardt on January 25, 2012

Authenticity.  Even the word feels weighty. And when combined with the word “leadership” it gets even more intense. Over the last decade authentic leadership has been the focus and target of many leadership models. For good reason; authentic leaders hold the keys to establishing inspired, motivated, and passionate organizations. Ask any leader you meet: Do you want an inspired organization? Do you want your workforce to be passionate and motivated? Unequivocally the answers will be “YES!”

In my book The Leaders New Clothes: The Naked Truths of Leadership there are seven Naked Truths of Authentic Leadership. The first and most important is about how you are perceived as a leader by those you lead. It states that:  “Perception is all there is – you are the leader you are perceived to be.” How you are perceived by your employees affects the culture inside the organization. Imagine being more than just perceived as but instead KNOWN to be an engaged leader that listens to, interacts with, and learns from the employees in the organization! That is the definition of authentic leadership.  The impact of such authenticity would be far reaching and better than any perception of one as a leader. So here’s a good question: Do you even know how you are perceived by your employees? For many of us the answer is “No, we really don’t know.” By the way you can go ahead and read that as, “I am naked.”

Yes. Yes you are!

Now more than ever there are great social enterprise networking tools that can create and nourish a connection with those we lead. Along with mobile access, these internal social networks afford leaders amazing a real time, all-the-time connection to their employees, to the issues facing the business, to new product ideas, and to every aspect of the business.  What an amazing opportunity to build an authentic relationship with the groups, division, and employees in the company!

Make no mistake about it however, there is risk. Entering into an authentic relationship requires new levels of transparency from the front-line to the C-suite. This is exactly why we see many leaders commit to providing the social network for the rest of the organization but exclude themselves from the conversation. They are content with providing transparency for the rest of the organization. This is more risky than actually engaging and setting the tone, direction, and authenticity of the conversation.

As they have with Social Media in general, leaders ask “What’s the ROI on the time commitment and costs?” And while that is a fair question, unfortunately ROI is the wrong metric for relationships. Instead leaders should be seeking the Return on Relationship, or the ROR.  What is the ROR on authentic leadership engagement in the social enterprise? It can be what all leaders seek: a motivated, inspired organization that is passionate about the company and its mission.

I firmly believe the ROR is worthy of the risk of engagement. Take a look at CEO’s that have embraced the concept and have seen huge benefits. Brian Dunn at Best Buy, Michael Dell, Tony Hsieh at Zappos, Gary Kelley at SouthWest and others engage socially with their employees and customers to foster a greater following inside and outside their companies.  Consider Bill Marriott, CEO of Marriott, who wrote this on his blog, “What’s the big deal? This is just another way for me to talk to my customers and listen to my customers.” He knows that having a relationship with his customers keeps him on top of their feedback and interests. His relationship with customers and employees cultivates social influencers and evangelists.

It’s no secret that the way we communicate inside the organization is rapidly changing with advent of social organizations. Leaders can authentically participate for a maximum ROR or they can be naked: perceived as disconnected, uninterested, or not present. Just remember that if you start down the authentic relationship path you must commit to it. Otherwise you will be in violation of Naked Truth of Leadership number three: “If you are not ready to act, don’t ask!”

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Authentic Leadership Influence

Posted on by phil_eastman on December 31, 2011

This year has been filled with all types of engagement with all types of organizations and encompassed many subjects.  Amidst all that diversity of audience, venue and content, one theme continues to assert itself: leadership really matters.  It matters because, as John Maxwell put it so well in describing his law of the lid, “no organization rises above its leadership.”

This year I have watched teams soar and sink, and although there have been many unique aspects to each story, the one factor that is undeniable is that the character and competency of each leader was a determining factor in success and failure alike.

In thinking more critically about the specific competency in each situation, I have come to realize the single most important component in each story is the extent to which the leader had sufficient influence to move the people in a common direction, and the ability to facilitate that movement in a non-coercive way that was in the long-term best interest of everyone.  The influence, or lack thereof, in each situation was born out of the leader’s level of authenticity.  Being real as a leader means more than anything to those who follow you.  To be real you must know and cultivate your character.

Simply put, the success of any organization hinges on its leader’s ability to influence people.  The ability to influence is rooted in your authenticity, and authenticity is a matter of character.

My hope and challenge for you is that you will make this coming year one in which you cultivate your character to develop the authentic leadership influence your people need.

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The Emperor’s New Clothes

Posted on by phil_eastman on December 8, 2011

It is good from time to time to return to classic stories of leadership.  This one rings as true today as it did in 1837 when it was penned.  Read it carefully and ask yourself whether you are like the emperor, the ministers and villagers or the little boy.

Hans Christian Andersen

Translated by Jean Hersholt

Many years ago there was an Emperor so exceedingly fond of new clothes that he spent all his money on being well dressed. He cared nothing about reviewing his soldiers, going to the theatre, or going for a ride in his carriage, except to show off his new clothes. He had a coat for every hour of the day, and instead of saying, as one might, about any other ruler, “The King’s in council,” here they always said. “The Emperor’s in his dressing room.”

In the great city where he lived, life was always gay. Every day many strangers came to town, and among them one day came two swindlers. They let it be known they were weavers, and they said they could weave the most magnificent fabrics imaginable. Not only were their colors and patterns uncommonly fine, but clothes made of this cloth had a wonderful way of becoming invisible to anyone who was unfit for his office, or who was unusually stupid.

“Those would be just the clothes for me,” thought the Emperor. “If I wore them I would be able to discover which men in my empire are unfit for their posts. And I could tell the wise men from the fools. Yes, I certainly must get some of the stuff woven for me right away.” He paid the two swindlers a large sum of money to start work at once.

They set up two looms and pretended to weave, though there was nothing on the looms. All the finest silk and the purest old thread which they demanded went into their traveling bags, while they worked the empty looms far into the night.

“I’d like to know how those weavers are getting on with the cloth,” the Emperor thought, but he felt slightly uncomfortable when he remembered that those who were unfit for their position would not be able to see the fabric. It couldn’t have been that he doubted himself, yet he thought he’d rather send someone else to see how things were going. The whole town knew about the cloth’s peculiar power, and all were impatient to find out how stupid their neighbors were.

“I’ll send my honest old minister to the weavers,” the Emperor decided. “He’ll be the best one to tell me how the material looks, for he’s a sensible man and no one does his duty better.”

So the honest old minister went to the room where the two swindlers sat working away at their empty looms.

“Heaven help me,” he thought as his eyes flew wide open, “I can’t see anything at all”. But he did not say so.

Both the swindlers begged him to be so kind as to come near to approve the excellent pattern, the beautiful colors. They pointed to the empty looms, and the poor old minister stared as hard as he dared. He couldn’t see anything, because there was nothing to see. “Heaven have mercy,” he thought. “Can it be that I’m a fool? I’d have never guessed it, and not a soul must know. Am I unfit to be the minister? It would never do to let on that I can’t see the cloth.”

“Don’t hesitate to tell us what you think of it,” said one of the weavers.

“Oh, it’s beautiful -it’s enchanting.” The old minister peered through his spectacles. “Such a pattern, what colors!” I’ll be sure to tell the Emperor how delighted I am with it.”

“We’re pleased to hear that,” the swindlers said. They proceeded to name all the colors and to explain the intricate pattern. The old minister paid the closest attention, so that he could tell it all to the Emperor. And so he did.

The swindlers at once asked for more money, more silk and gold thread, to get on with the weaving. But it all went into their pockets. Not a thread went into the looms, though they worked at their weaving as hard as ever.

The Emperor presently sent another trustworthy official to see how the work progressed and how soon it would be ready. The same thing happened to him that had happened to the minister. He looked and he looked, but as there was nothing to see in the looms he couldn’t see anything.

“Isn’t it a beautiful piece of goods?” the swindlers asked him, as they displayed and described their imaginary pattern.

“I know I’m not stupid,” the man thought, “so it must be that I’m unworthy of my good office. That’s strange. I mustn’t let anyone find it out, though.” So he praised the material he did not see. He declared he was delighted with the beautiful colors and the exquisite pattern. To the Emperor he said, “It held me spellbound.”

All the town was talking of this splendid cloth, and the Emperor wanted to see it for himself while it was still in the looms. Attended by a band of chosen men, among whom were his two old trusted officials-the ones who had been to the weavers-he set out to see the two swindlers. He found them weaving with might and main, but without a thread in their looms.

“Magnificent,” said the two officials already duped. “Just look, Your Majesty, what colors! What a design!” They pointed to the empty looms, each supposing that the others could see the stuff.

“What’s this?” thought the Emperor. “I can’t see anything. This is terrible!

Am I a fool? Am I unfit to be the Emperor? What a thing to happen to me of all people! – Oh! It’s very pretty,” he said. “It has my highest approval.” And he nodded approbation at the empty loom. Nothing could make him say that he couldn’t see anything.

His whole retinue stared and stared. One saw no more than another, but they all joined the Emperor in exclaiming, “Oh! It’s very pretty,” and they advised him to wear clothes made of this wonderful cloth especially for the great procession he was soon to lead. “Magnificent! Excellent! Unsurpassed!” were bandied from mouth to mouth, and everyone did his best to seem well pleased. The Emperor gave each of the swindlers a cross to wear in his buttonhole, and the title of “Sir Weaver.”

Before the procession the swindlers sat up all night and burned more than six candles, to show how busy they were finishing the Emperor’s new clothes. They pretended to take the cloth off the loom. They made cuts in the air with huge scissors. And at last they said, “Now the Emperor’s new clothes are ready for him.”

Then the Emperor himself came with his noblest noblemen, and the swindlers each raised an arm as if they were holding something. They said, “These are the trousers, here’s the coat, and this is the mantle,” naming each garment. “All of them are as light as a spider web. One would almost think he had nothing on, but that’s what makes them so fine.”

“Exactly,” all the noblemen agreed, though they could see nothing, for there was nothing to see.

“If Your Imperial Majesty will condescend to take your clothes off,” said the swindlers, “we will help you on with your new ones here in front of the long mirror.”

The Emperor undressed, and the swindlers pretended to put his new clothes on him, one garment after another. They took him around the waist and seemed to be fastening something – that was his train-as the Emperor turned round and round before the looking glass.

“How well Your Majesty’s new clothes look. Aren’t they becoming!” He heard on all sides, “That pattern, so perfect! Those colors, so suitable! It is a magnificent outfit.”

Then the minister of public processions announced: “Your Majesty’s canopy is waiting outside.”

“Well, I’m supposed to be ready,” the Emperor said, and turned again for one last look in the mirror. “It is a remarkable fit, isn’t it?” He seemed to regard his costume with the greatest interest.

The noblemen who were to carry his train stooped low and reached for the floor as if they were picking up his mantle. Then they pretended to lift and hold it high. They didn’t dare admit they had nothing to hold.

So off went the Emperor in procession under his splendid canopy. Everyone in the streets and the windows said, “Oh, how fine are the Emperor’s new clothes! Don’t they fit him to perfection? And see his long train!” Nobody would confess that he couldn’t see anything, for that would prove him either unfit for his position, or a fool. No costume the Emperor had worn before was ever such a complete success.

“But he hasn’t got anything on,” a little child said.

“Did you ever hear such innocent prattle?” said its father. And one person whispered to another what the child had said, “He hasn’t anything on. A child says he hasn’t anything on.”

“But he hasn’t got anything on!” the whole town cried out at last.

The Emperor shivered, for he suspected they were right. But he thought, “This procession has got to go on.” So he walked more proudly than ever, as his noblemen held high the train that wasn’t there at all.

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Phil Eastman IIThe challenges we face today are not economic, environmental, social, or legal; they are challenges of character and leadership."