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Changing Leaders and Leaving Legacies

Most leadership models have the assumption of oligarchy – leadership is done by a few leaders over many followers. If polyarchy is fast replacing the old oligarchy assumptions does this make these old leadership models redundant? 

Barbara Kellerman (2012), Harvard professor, author, Forbes top 50 business thinker, and one of the best leadership minds of our day, wrote in her book The End of Leadership, “Everything is vulnerable to the vicissitudes of change—a general rule to which leadership is no exception” (p. xv).  With that said, she continued, “It was presumed until only recently that leaders should dominate and followers defer.  Leaders were generally expected to tell followers what to do, and followers were generally expected to do as they were told.  No longer.  Now followers are far sturdier than they used to be, stronger and more independent” (p. xvii).

In explaining the growth of polyarchy and confirming Kellerman’s words, Obolensky (2010) said, “The ‘death of deference’ seems sharper today than ever before.  We hold our leaders to account more now than we have done” (p. 4).  He explains this is a result of, “structures becoming more fluid and traditional boundaries becoming more dynamic.” Moreover, “knowledge and wisdom are becoming wider spread, and this means that leadership needs to be more dynamic and honest” (p. 6).

With leadership being redefined and becoming more personal than corporate, this shift does not negate or eliminate the traditional models of leadership.  Rather, it recognizes and respects their insights and builds upon them instead of replacing them.  Obolensky (2010) agrees and stated, “Traditional leadership models can be seen in a new light using different assumptions” (p. 195).

Reflecting on traditional leadership from the perspective of complex adaptive leadership, address the implications and how they will affect you as a leader in the future. 

One of my favorite books is Alan Deutschman’s (2007) Change or Die in which he said, “Experts identified the odds of people changing are nine to one” (p. 2).  In other words, only one person out of ten actually changes.  The other 9 (or 90 percent) choose to remain on the same course while ignoring the facts around them.  Deutschman discusses change in the area of health care, the criminal justice system, and autoworkers.  Three areas ripe with leaders and followers.  And though most of the statistics showed people couldn’t change, there were leaders within each industry that showed people can change—and would change—with the right leaders in place.

By studying complex adaptive leadership, the reality of complexity and adaptability was enforced, then reinforced, and then reinforced again.  Comfortable is easy.  Change is hard.  Obolensky’s text and the Strategic Leadership course has encouraged and inspired me to learn the traditional models of leadership theory while adding and building upon them with a polyarchic perspective.

I entered this program 9-weeks ago with a view of leadership that generally had a hierarchical and oligarchic concept but still believed in the power of the people.  Being raised in the military will do that to a person.  However, like Kellerman, Deutschman, and Obolensky have stated, times have changed and leadership has changed with it.  By understanding the shift, I have been positioned to empower others in a more pronounced fashion and recognized that the process is the point and path of leadership influence.

What impact will they have on your future strategy?

Being equipped and empowered as a complex adaptive leader, my actions and strategy going forward will be more fluid and flexible.  Rigidity stifles creativity and in the process, a leaders potential as well.  By flowing rather than directing, my leadership has become more guide than director; more coach than title. 

Marcus Buckingham (2012), in Leadership Development In the Age of The Algorithm said, “Virtually every corporate and academic leadership development program is founded on the same formulaic model.  It tries to collect all the various approaches to leadership, shaves off the weird outliers, and packages the rest into a formula” (p. 88).  My strategy will not only be flexible but more personal.  Rather than fitting people into processes, I believe we can build processes from the people. 

We are in the age of individualism.  And while that can carry some social and moral challenges, it also brings with it a spirit of innovation and creativity as the world has never seen.  Technological breakthroughs, cross-cultural relationships, and a global marketplace have created a virtual playground of possibilities.  My strategy will open the door for people to explore and create opportunities for them to connect with a larger crowd.

I use a lot of quotes from other people as I have great respect for those whose words I repeat.  

So, with that, I’ll finish my last Embry Riddle blog with an excerpt from Seth Godin’s book, Tribes.

Godin (2008) said all you need to know is two things (p. 71).

1. Individuals have far more power than ever before in history.  One person can change an industry.  One person can declare a war.  One person can reinvent science or politics or technology.
2. The only thing holding you back from becoming the kind of person who changes things is this: lack of faith.  Faith that you can do it.  Faith that it’s worth doing.  Faith that failure won’t destroy you.

Change without faith is scary.  Change without knowledge is deadly.  Fortunately, I have grown in faith and knowledge over the past two years.  I am leaving this course and this program with a desire to be better.  To make a difference.  To leave a legacy. And for that I am eternally grateful. 

Steve

References:

Buckingham, M. (2012). Leadership Development in the Age of the Algorithm. Harvard

            Business Review, 90(6), 86-94.

Deutschman, A. (2007). Change or die. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

Godin, S. (2008). Tribes. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

Kellerman, B. (2012). The end of leadership. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

Obolensky, N. (2010). Complex adaptive leadership. Burlington, VT: Gower Publishing.

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Leadership: The Inner Voice of Change

Dan Cathy (2011) said, “Being a leader means being able to help others discover and then live out their potential by inspiring them to seek it every day” (p. 27).  Inspiration must be accompanied by practical application.  My passion to inspire followers flows from one of my core principles of leadership: Continuous growth.

            My life and leadership are anchored in the belief that I must maintain a state of learning and intellectual exploration.  Obolensky’s (2010) survey/test of my leadership in light of his Telling, Selling, Involve, and Devolve matrix highlighted two areas of potential improvement.

            First, the test determined that I currently lead from an Involve/Sell perspective in which it is harder for me to “let go and allow follower’s room for growth,” and secondly, I may be “working harder than necessary.”  Delegating was a difficult challenge for me early in my leadership.  Over the years it has become easier although it rears its ugly head at time.  By establishing trusting relationships, I have been able to delegate more often and in the process, avoid micromanaging. Moreover, the survey identified that I may also be using too direct of an approach in my leadership.  

            Operating from a place of continuous growth and improvement, these insights have helped me create an atmosphere where followers can lead and grow along with me. I’ve found that one of my greatest achievements is sharing in the successful maturation and development of those that I lead.  Watching younger men and women take the initiative and demonstrate courage in leadership has become the most satisfying aspect of leadership.

Has your thinking changed over the course of the past six weeks, if so; why, and, if not; why?

            The Strategic Leadership course and Obolensky’s Complex Adaptive Leadership have equipped me with the tools necessary to face and direct complex situations.  In the military, complexity is ubiquitous.  Traditionally, leaders were taught to understand the intricacies of each situation, to understand the enemy, and to lead with directness—believing the mission must always come first.  However, the military has changed, warfare and strategy has changed, and I have changed. 

            This course has caused me to look at every situation and realize there will be uncontrollable dynamics hidden within each one.  With countless leadership books in my office, Obolensky’s desire to “build on and not replace” them has equipped me to integrate his teachings into the writings of other great authors like Kouzes, Posner, Heifetz, Godin, Maxwell, Collins, and Kellerman.  Obolensky (2010) said, “Complex Adaptive Leadership is not about throwing away traditional leadership wisdom.  It is about challenging the underlying assumptions of leadership and seeing leadership in a different way, which means letting go (but not necessarily abandoning) some long held beliefs” (p. xiv).

            This course and assignments have pushed me to implement new interpersonal strategies, pause before acting, and release control to both the situation and the people.  With these tactics, I’ve been educated in the potential of people and the power of the process.

What is the significance of this in the context of your future leadership goals and objectives?

            In an article titled, Change Starts at 4 A.M., Tim Willard (2011) said, “As leaders, we are often pressured to stay ahead of the pack.  In order to do so we set out to be razor sharp.  We seek to grow our influence; we pride ourselves in our professional acumen and our ability to see beyond the status quo.  And, in the right order and context, these things are fine” (p. 97).  Recognizing the value and power of change, Tim continued and added, “But if we truly desire to be a voice of change, industry standard is not enough.  As we peer into the rich concept of change we come face to face with a definition of leadership that will, if we let it, change us” (p. 97).

This class, the discussions, Obolensky’s text, and the assignments have all impacted my definition and understanding of leadership.  But, the greatest change and the deepest challenge came as I sat alone and reflected upon my life and my leadership.  Am I making a difference?  Are people better because of me?  Are my motives clear, and more importantly, pure?  Have I become a better employee, pastor, husband, father, and friend?  These are the true metrics.  Like Willard said above, industry standards and bottom line profits cannot be the sole litmus test of our effectiveness as leaders.  The true test is, “Have I helped others become better?”  I believe I have.

My present and future leadership and influence will be determined not only by the immediate result but the long term—and sometimes painstakingly slow—changing of those whom have allowed me access to influence.  This course has helped me become a guide: One that is confident in complexity and adaptive in attitude.

Steve

Cathy, D. (2011). Chick-Fil-A Leadercast Journal. Voices of Change, 1-134.
Obolensky, N. (2010). Complex adaptive leadership. Burlington, VT: Gower Publishing.

Willard, T. (2011). Chick-Fil-A Leadercast Journal. Voices of Change, 1-134.

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The Butterfly Marriage

Change or Die.  The title itself is enough to cause a bookstore browser to stop in their tracks.  For someone fascinated with the process of personal transformation, it called to me among a thousand other titles.  With a subtitle that asks, “Could you change when change matters most?” the intrigue was irresistible.  Alan Deutschman (2007) said, “Change doesn’t have to be something that happens to you.  You can make it happen—actively, intentionally, and deliberately—if you develop an understanding of how change works” (p. 121). 

As a marriage counselor, I am saddened when I encounter insufferable anger and pain between two people who once promised to “love each other until death do they part.”  And, while the unhappy couple believes their current predicament is a result of one or two annoyances, it’s usually the result of an accumulation of a thousand little choices.  And, getting back to the place of peace often requires a journey of a similar path.  

Weddings are transcendent.  The bride is beautiful and the groom is nervous.  Families come together and celebrate the beginning of two people becoming one.  While the details of planning and pulling off such an event are complicated, the merging of two lives is chaotic.  The groom enters the marriage with pride, sexual expectations, family struggles, a history of mistakes, and an unchecked ego.  The bride meets him at the altar with bags of insecurity, unrealistic romantic expectations, family dysfunction, and a past she wants to forget.  John Eldridge calls marriage a “divine conspiracy.”

Before the honeymoon ends, husbands and wives quickly realize that their wedding day will prove to be the easiest day of their marriage.  Nick Obolensky (2010) highlighted Ian Stewart’s definition of chaos theory as, “an apparently complicated, apparently patternless behavior that actually has a simple deterministic explanation” (p. 63). 

She can’t understand why he doesn’t want to talk anymore and he is upset that their intimate times have become less and less.  Before long, arguments increase, contempt creeps in, and the wedding day that was filled with promise and hope has all been forgotten.  And now, chaos ensues.  Days become filled with frustration and regular doses of angry looks and hopeless sighs.  Happiness and hope have vanished and love seems all but lost.

As mentioned earlier, when couples request marital counseling, they often believe if their spouse would stop doing one thing, they would regain their happiness.  But, it is never one thing and it is never one person.  Rather, there are hundreds of little decisions and choices that both spouses have made that have caused their marriage to arrive at the brink of dissolution.  And, getting back to the place they hoped for when they said, “I do”, while difficult, is possible if both husband and wife make a few small choices.  These choices highlight the butterfly effect.

Obolensky (2010) said, “Within complex organizations, small changes can yield large results” (p. 66).  Princeton.edu defined the butterfly effect as, “a metaphor that encapsulates the concept of sensitive dependence on initial conditions.  Small changes at one place in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere." 

Like complex organizations, marriages have many layers from financial budgets and job descriptions to vision casting and culture wars.  When marriages find themselves in a downward spiral, there are two small decisions that spouses can make that will have a large effect.  These choices are tone and time.

The expression “familiarity breeds contempt” is used quite often in marriage.  However, the problem is not with familiarity but forgetfulness.  We forget our vows.  We forget marriage takes work.  And, worst of all, we forget that our spouse is a person with value and purpose.  Mel Schwartz (2010) from Psychology Today said, “Disrespect, dishonoring, and negative energy all too often become familiar territory in relationship.”  He continues, “The difficulties that marriages endure are caused by a turning away from each other.  When we do so, we begin to take each other for granted."  One of the first places this shows up is in the tone of our voice.

Snide comments, condescending tones, and sarcastic remarks are verbal ways spouses use to devalue their partner.  In an attempt to feel superior and gain an edge in marriage, spouses speak to one another in ways that communicate disrespect and dishonor.  These hidden messages convey a lack of love and slowly create distance and division.  To begin changing the atmosphere in a home, spouses should begin to change their tone.  By using a softer, gentler, more understanding tone of voice, spouses will be more apt to listen and be drawn into a conversation rather than preparing their rebuttal.

McKay, Davis, & Fanning (2009) described fighting between intimates as “an inevitable, natural, and potentially beneficial process for mutual problem solving” (p. 150).  However, they also identified fair-fighting strategies.  Sarcasm and patronizing tones create communication barriers and lead to further problems later.  Changing your tone and speaking with respect begins to rebuild damaged emotions while immediately creating an atmosphere conducive to positive communication.

The second small decision that spouses can make that have a large effect on their marriage is time.  The most precious resource at our disposal is our time and how we spend it communicates what we value and consider a priority.  Wearing a wedding ring and sharing a mortgage does not make a marriage.  Marriages, like organizations, decline from neglect.  To turn things around, spouses should begin to invest small amounts of time focusing solely on their relationship.  Friday date nights, conversations over coffee, and attending marriage seminars are all small ways to communicate care and concern for the marriage.  Too often, spouses believe they have to rearrange their whole life and give up hobbies to repair a marriage.  The road looks too daunting so they avoid it altogether.  However, we have seen that small investments of time now pay large dividends later. 

Simply changing one’s tone when speaking to their spouse and setting some time aside to talk can help a husband and wife begin to see their relationship with a new perspective.  When a spouse turns toward their marriage instead of away, mutual respect, honor, unity, and empathy being to emerge. 

Let me add a note of caution: These two choices are not a panacea for all marriage problems as many spouses are suffering from great betrayals and significant emotional struggles.  In the same way, some organizations need complete makeovers whereas others need to make small changes. 

The goal is to start somewhere.  The butterfly effect has proven that small strategies and decisions can elicit large dividends later.  If you want to recapture those earlier dreams and desires from your wedding day, then make some time for your spouse and speak to them in ways that draw them to you rather than push them away.

Steve

References:

Deutschman, A. (2007). Change or die. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

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

Obolensky, N. (2010). Complex adaptive leadership. Burlington, VT: Gower Publishing.

Schwartz, M. (2010). Does Familiarity Breed Contempt? Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/shift-mind/201010/does-familiarity-breed-contempt

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Self-Awareness: Five Core Aspects and the Path to Great Leadership

Sir Isaac Newton’s Law of Motion states, “Things that are still stay still and things that are moving keep moving with a steady speed unless a force of some kind pushes or pulls on them” (Woodford, 2013).  Too many people are paralyzed to pursue their purpose for fear of making the wrong choice.  Unsure of the details and afraid of ending-up at a place not of their choosing, they ask me, “What if I am wrong?”  To use Newton’s insight I often tell them, get moving towards your dreams and make course corrections along the way.  It’s easier to change directions than to initiate movement from a static position.

I began to feel the call to pursue additional education in the fall of 2011.  I considered a doctoral program; however, in the end, based on costs and time requirements, I enrolled in the M.S. in Logistics and Supply Chain Management (SCM).  One of the reasons for pursuing this curriculum was it would provide me with more marketability in my current profession.  Obtaining an M.S. in SCM along with an MBA achieved in 2004 would provide me the resume punch needed should I my current contractual position be eliminated.  And then something began to change.

It’s no surprise that graduate work takes an incredible amount of energy, time, and discipline.  Halfway through my fourth class I began to lose steam and felt I made a mistake in pursuing another degree.  Part of me loved the learning but another part was searching for the passion necessary to call up the discipline needed for late nights and long hours.  Then, while leading a men’s group on a Saturday morning, my dilemma was addressed.  As I was speaking to the men about faith, I stated, “We often make decisions out of fear, e.g., fear of failure or fear of losing our security.”  And then, a small voice inside me said, “That’s what you did.”  Literally, as I was speaking to the men, I felt addressed that I had fallen prey to the very same thing I was warning them against.  After men's group, I pulled my son-in-law aside and told him what had happened.  I was conflicted, uncertain, and yet humbled by the moment. 

It was less than a week when I realized, yes, I was driven and called to go back to school; however, I chose the SCM program out of fear.  I thought, “If I lose my job, firms will have to hire me with these credentials.”  At the same time, I looked at the Embry-Riddle site and noticed they just initiated a Leadership curriculum.  The moment I saw it my heart came alive!  The more I read about it, the more excited I became.  After speaking to my wife about changing majors, I called my employer and the university and “changed course.”  Two of the four classes transferred and now I am two classes form completing this curriculum.  Throughout the program, my family has commented on the light in my countenance and the love I express for the material.  They contrast the two programs and can easily discern that I made the right choice.

I share that story to show that the level of my self-awareness began before taking my first class in the MSLD program and has deepened ever since.  From my first MSLD class Organizational Leadership; I knew I was on a journey unlike any I’ve ever pursued.  Each course has challenged me to evaluate my self-identity and motivations.  They have encouraged me to look at my past and its affect on my present decisions.  Interestingly, from the outset, many would think this curriculum is about “looking outwardly” and leading others.  And while that is true, I believe it is trumped by the leadership axiom, “The first person you should lead is yourself.”  In the light of that perspective, this program recognizes that we can only take people as far as we’re willing to go ourselves.  The deeper we are willing to look inside of ourselves, the further we can look to lead others.  

In Building Below The Waterline, Gordon MacDonald (2011) referenced “having a keen self-knowledge” as one of the traits of a leader.  He said, “If we don’t know ourselves and what shaped us, what neutralizes us, and what our limits are, we invite disaster.  Many men and women in leadership positions are insecure.  Some struggle with large unresolved areas from the past.  Unless the past can be resolved, it often becomes an Achilles’ heel in leadership” (p. 7).  The five core aspects of self-awareness are the primary principles expressed through every course of this curriculum.  Decision-making, teamwork, ethics, and change are woven throughout these qualities.  They highlight and define us individually and lead and guide us collectively. 

Over the next few minutes, I’d like to provide a short summary of each aspect; its meaning, and how it has been strengthened in my life as a result of this curriculum.

Emotional Intelligence

On June 5^th, 2011 I purchased Daniel Goleman’s groundbreaking book Emotional Intelligence.  It provided me with countless insights and strengthened my resolve to improve my relationships and influence.  Goleman (1995) said, “Handling emotions in someone else—the fine art of relationships—requires the ripeness of two other emotional skills, self-management and empathy.  These social abilities allow one to shape an encounter, to mobilize and inspire others, to thrive in intimate relationships, to persuade and to influence, and to put others at ease” (p. 113). 

Without the slightest doubt, my emotional intelligence has matured and developed.  Goleman breaks his emotional intelligence into four quadrants: Self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.  Each of these quadrants has been thoroughly strengthened by the MSLD course material and discussions.  For starters, it has encouraged me hold my tongue and listen intently to what people are saying rather than seek to solve problems with my first opinion or suggestion.  And, it goes without saying that one of the greatest leadership traits lacking in so many leader is the art of listening.

                          Personal Values

Whetten & Cameron (2011) said, “Becoming more mature in values development requires that individuals develop a set of internalized principles by which they can govern their behavior” (p. 72).  Much of the disappointment we see in our leaders today is a result of values infractions.  Bad decisions made from a good heart are much more palatable than good decisions made from a bad heart. 

The MSLD program has taught me three significant keys in living and leading from my values.  First, write them down.  We have an inherent value system that guides our decisions on a daily basis; however, writing them down and looking at them further solidify their importance in one’s identity.  Secondly, understand how your values may conflict with other people’s value systems.  Education is a great path to diversity and acceptance.  While we can disagree about our beliefs, we do not need to be disagreeable and judgmental.  And lastly, every profession, whether corporate or non-profit, requires leaders to stand upon principle and core values.  This curriculum has continued to enforce the importance of upholding the values of honesty, integrity, transparency, humility, compassion, and courage.  Gini & Green (2013) said, “The moral quality of leadership is summed up in the understanding that real leaders are ethical and possess both virtue and character” (p. 9).

Cognitive Style

Whetten & Cameron (2011) define cognitive style as, “the inclination each of us has to perceive, interpret, and respond to information in a certain way” (p. 74).  Each of us view the world—both input and output—through a series of frames; references built from our personal experiences, education, and expectations.  These frames help us evaluate and interpret and respond accordingly (as defined above).  While they help us organize information they can also act as an inhibitor.  Our frames can cause us to misinterpret, judge wrongly, and miss potential benefits.  The MSLD curriculum—along with my daily devotions and faith—continue to enrich my ability to “see life from another’s perspective.”

People unconsciously process millions of bits of data all day long.  The MSLD path has encouraged me to operate with a greater intentionality on the three learning styles: knowing, planning, and creating.  Though we all vary in each of these, as leaders, we will be called upon to operate within each realm.  Awareness and adaptability of these traits has improved not only the decisions I make, but also how and why I make them.

Orientation Toward Change

In Change or Die, Alan Deutschman (2007) said, “Change is a paradoxical process, and trying to change your own life means opening yourself up to new ideas and practices that may seem illogical or even insane to you, at least until you’ve experienced them for long enough to develop a new understanding” (p. 151).  There is no avoiding it or ignoring it.  One rarely fully understands it or appreciates it.  But, like no other element in leadership—change—with all its troubles and opportunities, our personal approach to it can make or break our ability to lead others.  Whetten & Cameron segment change orientations into two dimensions: tolerance for ambiguity and locus of control.  Both have shown me my strengths and inclinations.  Throughout this curriculum, I’ve been forced to manage both aspects whether in school, at work, with my family, or in ministry.  Approaching ambiguity with a better sense of confidence and operating as a strong “internal” has allowed me to learn from each situation and make the best decision going forward.

Core Self-Evaluation

Whetten & Cameron (2011) define core self-evaluation as “the fundamental evaluation each person has developed about himself or herself” (p. 80).  The past two years have made me more confident and courageous.  It has strengthened my resolve to help others and to lead with compassion and energy.  With only two courses left before graduation, I can clearly demonstrate a greater ability to promote teamwork, cast vision, articulate goals, and lead by example.  I am a better leader today than before beginning on this journey.  Not because I know more but because I have become more.  As Whetten & Cameron (2011) clearly articulated, “People with high core self-evaluation scores have also been found to have higher levels of life satisfaction and personal happiness and lower levels of personal stress” (p. 81).

One of my favorite leadership books is The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes & Posner.  They (2007) said, “Leaders must keep hope alive, even in the most difficult of times.  Without hope there can be no courage—and this is not the time or place for the timid.  This is the time and place for optimism, imagination, and enthusiasm” (p. 349).   The five core aspects of self-awareness continue to refine my ability to lead with courage.  There is no better time in history to be a leader than today.  And rather than pursuing the masses and standing on stage to lead thousands, it is just as important and effective to lead one at a time.  One person can make a difference.  And, the beautiful thing about that strategy is everyone knows at least one person.

Steve

References

Deutschman, A. (2007). Change or die. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

Gini, A., & Green, R.M. (2013). 10 virtues of outstanding leaders. Malden, MA: John

Wiley & Sons.

Goleman, D. (1994). Emotional intelligence. New York, NY: Bantam Dell.

Kouzes, J.M., & Posner, B.Z. (2007). The leadership challenge. San Francisco, CA: John

Wiley & Sons.

MacDonald, G. (2011). Building below the waterline. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson

Publishers Marketing.

Whetten, D.A., & Cameron, K.S. (2011). Developing management skills. Upper Saddle

            River, NJ: Pearson.

Woodford, C. (2013). Motion. Retrieved from

http://www.explainthatstuff.com/motion.html