A521.9.4.RB_RuggerioSteven

                                                   A New Type of Leader

My home library is full of leadership books.  Maxwell, Collins, Godin, Yukl, and Wooden to name a few.  At the end of this week another author will be added: Stephen Denning.  Reading his (2011) book The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling in my recent graduate class was a privilege.  I just finished the last chapter aptly titled, A Different Kind of Leader and it ranks as one of the best chapters I’ve ever read pertaining to character, integrity, courage…leadership.  It would serve me well to read it once a month.

At the beginning of the chapter Denning identified six specific dimensions of his “new leader.”

First, the interactive leader works with the world rather than against it.  This can be difficult for the type-A leader who wants to control and direct with incentives and mandates.  However, when leaders look at the situation from all perspectives, they can gain a greater clarity to the possibilities often overlooked.  Denning (2011) said, “Independent of hierarchical position and power can be exercised from wherever you are in the organization” (p. 270).

I ran into a similar situation as a lay leader at my last church. While I was not on staff and held no formal title, my leadership was apparent.  Every Saturday morning I held a men’s group open to men at our church and other churches in the area.  It started with eight men but grew to 50.  Rather than offer support, the pastoral staff felt threatened because a large group of men were meeting with someone who was not being paid (and therefore, could not be controlled).  This eventually led to the group’s demise since the group met at the church.  Looking back, if the leadership at the church had realized “leadership is not in title only,” they could have provided needed resources and benefited from the growth of all the men.

Secondly, interactive leadership both adds and subtracts elements from the leadership palette.  In leadership, there is no “one size fits all” method.  As a result, interactive leaders supplement the traditional management functions of command and control with delegation and authenticity. Interactive leadership also subtracts; removing manipulative and intimidation behaviors. Leadership cannot be practices in a vacuum.  It is the “whole-person” concept.  As Denning (2011) stated, “It’s not possible for leaders to exercise manipulative and spinning behavior in one part of their conduct and expects to be accepted as open, truthful, and trustworthy on other domains” (p. 270)

The third dimension of an interactive leader is interactive leadership builds on personal integrity and authenticity.  This is my favorite dimension.  All leadership rests in this characteristic.  Denning (2011) said, “Because you can communicate who you are and what you stand for, others come to know you and respect you for that.  Because you speak the truth, you are believed.  And, because you make your values explicit and act in accordance with those values, your values become contagious and others start to share them” (p. 270).

As a minister and marriage counselor, my life is always on display.  How can I tell men to unconditionally love their wives if I am not?  How can I speak of the value of integrity and honesty if I am lying and manipulative?  In short, I can’t. No one can – at least not for very long. For example, last year my wife and I spent time with my family in New York.  During our visit, we knew they watched how my wife and I related to one another.  By the end of our three-day visit, my parents and my brother and his wife were treating each other better.  They were holding hands, helping each other, and speaking like they had recently fallen in love.  On the way home, my wife and I discussed the power of authentic love and leadership. Our demonstrative care and respect for one another was contagious. 

The fourth dimension of the new leader is interactive leadership doesn’t depend on the possession of hierarchical authority.  As stated earlier, “anyone and everyone who can help clarify the direction or improve the structure, or secure support for it, or offer coaching that improves performance is providing leadership” (Denning, 2011). 

Fifth, interactive leadership benefits from an understanding of the different narrative patterns that can be used to get things done in the world.  The ability to use narrative depends on emotional intelligence.  Daniel Goleman’s book, Emotional Intelligence should be mandatory reading for leaders and managers.  Too often, people in authority look “outwardly” and never take the time to examine the motives and thoughts of their own thinking.  The strength of the interactive leader lies in their knowledge and application of emotional intelligence.

Lastly, interactive leadership entails active participation in the world rather than detached observation. Leaders cannot be completely detached from their followers.  The “ivory tower,” us versus them mindset dividing managers from workers must be eliminated.  In the military, many people follow orders merely because of rank.  In fact, many senior non-commissioned officers (NCO) used to tell younger airmen to do something and then tell them it was based on Air Force regulation 6-2.  When the airman would ask, “What is reg 6-2?” the NCO would respond, “I have six striped and you have two. Do it.”

I often thought, if I have to tell you to do something and demand it based on my rank or a regulation, then either you are acting utterly rebellious and disrespectful or I haven’t led correctly.  By integrating into the lives and decisions of employees, leaders can connect on an authentic level.  When I’ve taken action to minimize the gap between myself and my followers, we completed the task successfully AND developed strong levels of trust and cooperation.  Denning (2011) is absolutely correct when he said, “In most leadership situations, trust, respect, and collaboration are simply more effective than preemptive domination” (p. 271).

Legacy leads.

Steve

References:

Denning, S. (2011). The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence. New York, NY: Random House.

                          

A521.8.4.RB_RuggerioSteven

                                                           Contact and Connection

My wife and I will celebrate 29 years of marriage this year.  We started dating at 15 and married at 19.  The differences between dating in 1980 and dating in 2013 are infinitely vast.  Watching my best friend (41 years old) navigate the tumultuous waters of Internet dating is both amusing and confusing.  Scrolling through scores of women, profile after profile, reminds me of how long it has been since I needed a “date.”  Times are different and more and more people are finding love online.  What I find interesting though is my friend discounts woman after woman because they have little in common.  As one who studies marriage, rarely do I find a couple that are perfectly compatible.  Rather, as spouses share their story, I hear about the differences between them and how they’ve “grown” similar.

My wife and I are the same way.  She is relationally conservative.  Introverted by nature, she avoids large gatherings and is more comfortable with one or two select friends.  Meeting new people challenges her to step outside of her comfort zone.  I, on the other hand, am extremely outgoing.  Long before I understood the concept of leadership or embraced my ministry calling, I was leading my friends.  As a teenager, I made the weekend plans for our group.  It was my parent’s rotary phone that rang off the hook every Friday night as friends called to ask where we were going and what time we would meet.  I was the one asked to keep an eye “on things” when teachers left the class.  Yet, I led with humor and camaraderie, not manipulation and intimidation.  Joining the Air Force fresh out of high school opened the door for me to step into greater positions of leadership.  Because of my personality, supervisors often left me in charge or selected me to speak at seminars and banquets.

Nearing half a century old, I’ve found there are three distinct personality characteristics that were evident early in my life and have evolved to equip me as a relational leader: They are, (1) empathy, (2) extroversion, and (3) humor.  The first rule of McKay, Davis, & Fanning’s (2009) guidelines for making contact is “you have to give what you would like to receive, which means the interest, respect, and liking that you want must also be something you offer to others” (p. 209).  One of my strongest qualities is empathy.  Every person has a deep-seated need to know they mattered.  They want to know someone cared.  I care. 

In Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman (1995) said, “Empathy builds on self-awareness; the more open we are to our own emotions, the more skilled we will be in reading feelings” (p. 96).  McKay, Davis, & Fanning (2009) said, “The hallmark of a good conversationalist is the ability to listen in such a way that others feel heard” (p. 214).  My family often comments on my ability to make people feel important, understood, accepted, and appreciated.  I don’t force it or pretend.  In other words, I am not trying to demonstrate empathy and hoping the person senses my concern.  I am empathic and understanding, so they sense my authenticity.  Here’s the thing: I really do care.  I’ve been told I have a “coaches” gift in that I inspire and encourage.  I see in men and women the person they were meant to be but aren’t yet living.  As a result, I have a great passion to draw out people’s potential and inspire them to want to make a difference.   

McKay, Davis, & Fanning (2009) identified the second basic rule for successfully making contact as, “you have to have an outward rather than inward focus” (p. 209).  Every day each one of us is surrounded by incredible stories.  Some of the stories are joyous, some inspirational, and others painfully sad.  When I look at people at work, at a restaurant, the mall, or the local gas station, I see books, movies, compelling dramas, and untold possibilities.  Every person that walks past each of us is made up of a complex history filled with countless life experiences, choices, and consequences.  There is a desire in me to find out what it is.  I am driven to know them and I’m willing to share my life in the process.

            Outgoing and friendly, my demeanor welcomes strangers.  As an extrovert, I must also use wisdom.  This trait must be managed, as you do not want to appear “strange” but rather “safe” and friendly.  I find great pleasure in meeting new people and the possibility of developing new friendships.  Growing up in alcoholic family, I found an escape in friends and relationships.  While age has taught me to enjoy the solitude of a calm day, the passion of reading, and the quiet time with my wife, I still get energized by crowds.

            I find that most people are guarded.  They walk through offices and social gatherings with invisible walls protecting them from allowing people too close.  I’ve found the best way to disarm difficult people or help the hidden come out from behind their walls is by using humor.  Not slapstick or corny jokes; but rather, real life stories of people dealing with the challenges of life.  In my younger years, I used humor as an escape.  It helped me deal with the difficult situations that unfolded within my home.  As I grew older, I used humor to hide my true feelings.  However, today as a mature adult, I’m able to use humor to bring laughter and joy into people’s lives.  I’ve found people are more willing to trust and be vulnerable when you can make them truly laugh.  Goleman (1995) said, “Laughing, like elation, seems to help people think more broadly and associate more freely, noticing relationships that might have eluded them otherwise” (p. 85).

            Listening with empathy, initiating connection, and relaxing people with laughter have equipped me to flow in and out of conversations within a room or a social gathering with ease.  From story to story and person to person, my wife and family watch as I shake hands and make contact.  The regularly joke and tell people, “Steve is running for mayor.”  These skills have helped me in the Air Force as well.  As a senior leader, empathy facilitated wise counsel.  Being an extrovert equipped me for public speaking and team exercises.  And lastly, in a deployed environment, stress can be very weighty.  Lightening the mood with laughter helps bring balance to an otherwise tense and uncertain situation.

            As an avid learner seeking continuous growth, one of the areas identified by McKay, Davis, & Fanning (2009) that can enhance my communication abilities, is “to take risks, particularly by revealing your negative feelings” (p. 217).  Oftentimes, I’ll hold back on immediately professing certain negative feelings toward another person.  Rather, I ponder the thoughts, weigh them in light of all the information, and often let them fade away.  Unfortunately, they usually come up again but with greater ferocity than had I brought up the feeling initially.  

            My pastor and I had lunch today and he said, “You never know the depth of a friendship until it’s tested.”  By practicing the social contact skills identified in McKay, Davis, & Fanning’s Messages and continuing to develop my leadership skills, I will grow even stronger as a friend and a confidant.

Legacy lives.

Steve

References:

Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence. New York, NY: Random House.

McKay, M., Davis, M., & Fanning, P. (2009). Messages. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

                          

A521.7.4.RB_RuggerioSteven

Wisdom Has a Price

When I was young, my mother used to say, “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.”  Always the optimist, I shrugged it off as parental nonsense and went about my life.  If someone said they were going to do something, I believed them.  I always gave strangers the benefit of the doubt.  I would find out later in life that there is a world of difference between optimism and wisdom.  Optimism sees the good in all situations.  Wisdom looks at circumstances and context, and then makes a careful judgment.  Denning (2011) said, “Negative anomalies far outnumber positive ones.  Hence, we learn more often from failures than from successes” (p. 188).  In short, when it comes to wisdom, some things have to be learned the hard way.

Germany is a beautiful country with wonderful people and I hated to leave.  However, after three years stationed in southern Germany, my family and I were assigned to Langley AFB in Virginia.  July 1995 was one of the hottest summers on record; and while I missed the sights and sounds of Deutschland, it felt good to be back home.  After settling down in a small house in Newport News, an old Air Force colleague called in hopes of getting together.  Hearing I’d been back from overseas for two months, he stopped by to visit and ask for a favor. 

Pulling up to my house, the first thing I noticed was his car.  At the time, my family had one car—a 1990 Chevrolet Cavalier.  An efficient car.  Very unfast.  Conversely, my friend drove a brand new, 1995 Nissan 300ZX.  The Air Force was sending him to California for a month and not trusting a parking garage, he asked if I would watch his car while he was away.  Parked next to the Cavalier, my new 300ZX…err, wait, I mean his 300ZX looked like a space-age automobile.  Being a kind and generous friend, I graciously agreed.  After dropping him off at the airport, I immediately settled into the driver’s seat and headed to the car wash.  For the next thirty days, this car was mine.  All mine.

After washing the car at a local do-it-yourself car wash, I pulled the 300ZX forward and began drying it with a new chamois.  Halfway through the drying and shining, a white cargo van with only two windows pulled up beside me.  Two gentlemen quickly exited the van and began asking me questions about “my” car.  What year?  How much did it cost?  How fast have I driven it?  Playing it cool, I smiled, threw some numbers at them, and kept on drying.  Finally, one of the guys began to share with me how his current dilemma could greatly benefit me.  Two great opportunities in one day!  This was amazing!

After salivating over the 300ZX, one of the men began explaining how they worked for a company that installed “home theater speakers” in movie theaters, auditoriums, large music halls, and studios.  As he was speaking, the other gentleman slid open the side door and displayed a van chocked full of new speakers still secured in the box.  Apparently, their company made a mistake and ordered twice as many speakers as needed.  Therefore, they were looking to unload these speakers at a discount price.  As I held the laminated speaker specifications, I quickly observed a price of $1,600 for a set.  Washing a $30,000 sports car led these salesmen to believe I carried that kind of cash in my wallet.  As lie compounded lie, the charade deepened.

I told the men that I did not have that kind of cash on me and there was no way I could afford $1,600 on speakers.  After bartering back-and-forth for a few minutes, they finally asked, “How much can you get today?”  I told them the maximum amount one can take from an ATM in a day is $300.  “It’s a deal!” he said as he shook my hand.  On the way to my house, my excitement was palpable.  Back in the U.S. for only two months and I’m driving a brand new sports car and just saved over $1,300 on home stereo speakers.  Things were really looking up.  Unfortunately, my wife didn’t share my excitement.

“I don’t like it. Something smells fishy about the whole thing.” On and on she went until finally I responded, “Why can’t you be happy for us?”  After we dropped off the speakers, my two new friends followed me to the ATM where I expediently withdrew $300.  Handing them the money and saying goodbye, I revved the engine and headed home to hook up my new system.  In our small house, two large theater speakers would shake the windows.  I couldn’t get home fast enough.

Positioning the speakers in just the right place and rewiring my stereo for maximum effect, I asked my wife to sit down and get ready to be “blown away!”  Click: power on.  We heard some noises…crackle…bzzzz...shhhhh…and then some sound.   No sonic waves.  No rattling windows.  In fact, they actually sounded worse than the speakers I had.  Fighting fear, anger, and disappointment, I assumed something was wrong with my stereo.  Maybe it wasn’t equipped to push a high level of amperage through such massive speakers.   As my wife walked out of the room mumbling a few expletives under her breath, I decided the next step was to take my stereo to an electronics store for assistance.  I planned to do that the next day after I returned home from work.  As it turns out, I would not need an electrician.  The six-o’clock news would suffice.

“Steve! Come in here. You need to see this!” my wife exclaimed from the other room.  Walking into the living room and seeing the white cargo van on the television screen was surreal.  I thought I was dreaming.  Alveta Ewell from WAVY-10 explained: “Two men have been caught running a local speaker scam throughout Hampton Roads.”  As I sunk into the couch and sighed, my previously optimistic worldview exhaled into the living room.  I followed along with the news reporters and opened the back of my speakers with a screwdriver.  There was nothing but a few wires on one of the small speakers.  Outwardly, they looked authentic.  Inside, they were empty, cheap, and hollow.  Just like the salesmen.  Just like me.

I recently went on the Internet and found there is a nationwide scam known as the “White Van Speaker Scam.”  In hindsight, the red flags and ignorance are embarrassingly obvious.  Riding high with my friend’s car, I felt invincible.  In Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath (2007) said, “The story’s power is twofold: It provides simulation (knowledge about how to act) and inspiration (motivation to act).  Note that both benefits, simulation and inspiration, are geared to generating action” (p. 206).  In the forty-eight hours from the time my friend called and Alveeta reported, I learned three valuable lessons.

First, integrity trumps a good deal.  If something appears shady, stick with your inner compass.  Mom was right.  If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.  Secondly, listen to wise council.  Friends and family can see things where our emotions blind us.  Finally, be yourself.  Sports cars and sound systems are shallow definitions of masculinity.  Remember: Having the courage to share our embarrassing stories may save another person a lot of heartache.  As Denning (2011) stated, “Listening to stories isn’t merely entertainment: it leads to the acquisition of vicarious experience by those participating” (p. 193).  If that’s the case, file this story in your memory bank and be wary of white vans filled with speakers.

Legacy learns.

Steve

Reference:

Denning, S. (2011). The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Heath, D., & Heath, C. (2007). Made to Stick. New York, NY: Random House. 

A521.6.3.RB_RuggerioSteven

                      An Unbeatable Team: Air Force Maintenance and Supply Personnel

New York Times best-selling author Patrick Lencioni (2005) said, “Teamwork doesn’t require great intellectual insight or masterful tactics.  More than anything else, it comes down to courage and persistence.” Furthermore, he continued by stating, “I honestly believe that in this day and age of informational ubiquity and nanosecond change, teamwork remains the one sustainable competitive advantage that has been largely untapped” (p. 3).

When most people think of teams their minds race to football championships and World Series wins.  Corporate gurus use Google, Southwest Airlines, and GE as standards of great teams.  Teams operate every day all over the world.  From the Girl Scouts to the Marines, teams permeate every facet of our lives.  Since, as John Maxwell said, “One is too small a number for greatness,” then true success lies in the ability to synergize efforts and create great teams.

The F-22 Raptor is known as the greatest advanced fighter aircraft ever created.  Yet every pilot will tell you, they accomplish their missions because of the teamwork on the ground.  Nowhere is this more important than during a deployment.  The combined efforts of the maintenance and supply team are instrumental in facilitating successful flying scenarios.

Denning (2011) identified six elements of high performance teams in his book The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling.  By demonstrating the following principles of high performance teams, the deployed coordinated efforts of maintenance and supply create meaning beyond operational success:  

1.     Actively shape the expectations of those who use their output and then exceed the resulting expectations.

a.     When fixing aircraft in a deployed location, it is essential that maintenance personnel receive their parts when they need them.  Backorders cause delays and missed opportunities.  Supply personnel help shape the expectations of maintenance by ensuring the right part is available when needed.

2.     Rapidly adjust their performance to the shifting needs of the situation. They innovate on the fly, seizing opportunities and turning setbacks into good fortune.

a.     Maintenance personnel understand the challenges of meeting mission requirements with reduced budgets. It is not economically feasible to deploy with every part just in case it may be needed.  As a result, when parts are unavailable, maintenance personnel must act fact and take subsequent steps to avoid delay. Cannibalization (removing parts from one jet and install it on another) is one way maintenance maintains available aircraft.

3.     Grow steadily stronger.  

a.     In a deployed environment, maintenance and supply personnel increase the knowledge of each other’s strength and weaknesses.

b.     When deployed, personnel work in close quarters. The austere situations, while difficult, facilitate a greater understanding of each other.  As a result, by finding the strengths and weaknesses of a maintenance crew, supply personnel can anticipate potential system failures and plan accordingly.

4.     Grow individually. Mutual concern for each other’s personal growth helps develop interchangeable skills and create greater flexibility.

a.     Raising the bar, minimizing failures, and providing the necessary training when necessary result in a stronger deployed team and ultimately, a stronger Air Force as well.

5.     Purposes become nobler; team performance more urgent and team approach more powerful.

a.     Supporting the world’s best fighter aircraft is a daunting task. Maintenance and supply personnel do not take it lightly.  Combining skills to support the freedom of American citizens generate pride and enthusiasm in the Air Force support units.

6.     Carry out work with a shared passion.

a.     Working side by side in a deployed environment, both maintenance and supply have a great desire to see the Raptor where it should be—in the air.  When an F-22 is parked on the flight line unable to fly, both maintenance and supply personnel take whatever actions necessary to fix it and get it flying again.

Though the effectiveness of deployed maintenance and supply personnel are measured with different metrics, the end result is the same: mission capable aircraft. Supply measures stock levels, fill rates, and issue effectiveness.  Maintenance keeps a close eye on cannibalization rates and aircraft turn-times.  However, both units understand the overarching metric and shared value of the equipping the Air Force to fly, fight, and win. 

Denning (2011) said values are often diminished when there are “Sayings without substance” (p. 158).  Moreover, he continued, “Shared values in an organization create trust.  People have confidence that others will do what they say” (p. 149).  Deploying tons of support equipment, nearly one hundred people, and twelve aircraft to a potentially dangerous environment requires trust on many levels. 

The patriotic motivation undergirding the Air Force core values of Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do act as catalyst for creating teamwork and maintaining focus.

There are many relational interactions among military members.  Denning (2011) identified four patterns of working together (pp. 161-162).

1.     Work group – defined responsibilities and report to the same person. Little need for collaboration.

2.     Team – Each member has defined responsibilities and the work itself depended on the ebb and flow of the organization; required gathering intelligence, identifying threats, and accomplishing objective.

3.     Community – self-organizing.  The leadership responsibilities were shared by those who volunteer to facilitate meetings, organize events, and contribute expertise and information to the group.

4.     Network – rarely meet face-to-face. No mutual engagement to do anything in particular except stay in touch by way of a list.

One of the Raptor success stories with teams occurred in a value stream mapping (VSM) event to curb the high failure rate of canopies.  The team brought together expertise from many areas to improve the identification, repair, and investment toward canopy support.  Improving canopy management required a high degree interaction among the team members.  Each expert contributed potential process improvement ideas and sought to make changes where necessary.  At the conclusion of the 5-day process, transportation times were decreased, turn-around times improved, and failure rates dropped by 12 percent in the first six months.

Conversely, as part of a senior manager directed work team, we were assembled to improve support of the Raptor’s Air Recharge System.  While supply brought the necessary historical data to the equation in a timely manner, the engineers were caught dragging their feet and causing significant delays in improving the process.  By the time they arrived with the data, some of the historical data collected by supply was outdated.  Since work teams often have their own timeframe to accomplish objectives, it required a great degree of flexibility from the supply team.  When supply complained about the engineer delays, the group supervisor was often reluctant to apply pressure to the engineers.

Looking back, it may have reduced frustration if the supply managers waited on the engineer data rather than conducting a tremendous amount of research and leg work up front.  By communicating a new schedule to the group supervisor, some of the deliverables could have been reworked to facilitate a better investment of people’s time.

To quote Lencioni (2005) again, “The true measure of a team is that it accomplishes the results it sets out to achieve” (p. 7).  In short, a team is only as successful as its end goal.  Keeping shared values in mind, coordinating with respect toward the team member’s expertise, and maintaining focus are key factors motivating high performance teams.

Steve

Reference

Denning, S. (2011). The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Lencioni, P. (2005). Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-

            Bass.