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Closing the Leadership Gap

Has your own attitude to leaders changed in your life, and if so, how?

When I joined the Air Force in 1984, the concept of leadership was much different than it is today.  At 19-years old, my view of leadership consisted of my parents, the best athlete on our sports teams, and my shift supervisor at McDonalds.  That would all change the minute I stepped off the bus at 2300 hours at Lackland AFB in Texas for Basic Training.  I knew right away who was the leader and who wasn’t. 

The Air Force quickly presented me with facts and expectations.  From team exercises to classroom training, the first few weeks of Air Force life cleared demonstrated the importance of awareness and knowing one’s place in a larger mission.  As time progressed in my career, I began studying leadership primarily for promotional opportunities.  Leadership was clearly a military imperative and they had their historical share of great leaders.  I studied names like Billy Mitchell, General Henry “Hap” Arnold, the Wright brothers, and the first enlisted man to win the Medal of Honor, John Levitow.  The Air Force described these leaders in great detail and in the process I couldn’t help but notice many of the people that I worked for did not resemble the people I was studying. 

It was during my first enlistment that I realized the leadership learning process would teach me how to lead but also how “not to” lead.  With real-life experiences, hours of study, and the onset of a strong desire and ability to lead, my perspective, style, and influence was beginning to grow. 

What started as studying leadership for promotion has become a desire to help others.  The more I have learned about leadership, the more I have become focused on helping others.  In the early years, my leadership was more about my career, my reputation, and me. Thirty years later, my leadership is based on authentic character and compassion for others.

If we take as a starting point the attitude to those in authority/leaders as held by your grandparents, and then look at those attitudes held by your parents, and then by you, and then by the younger generation, is there a changing trend? If so, what is it?

As I stated earlier, leadership has evolved from a one-man-show into a more holistic approach with leaders identified throughout the chain-of-command.  Traditionally, leadership was reserved for those at the top of the organization chart with a corner office.  Over the years, it has slowly moved down to take a collective perspective with strong leaders at each level.

From the quality initiatives to organizational innovation, the trend of leadership is sliding away from singular individuals and to teams and work groups.  While the benefits of teams and delegation have always been known, it has only been in the past twenty-years that it has been respected as its own entity rather than something the “top leader” recommends. 

Why do you think that this has occurred?

In 1980, the General Motors plant in Fremont, CA closed its doors.  High levels of animosity existed between workers and managers.  Eventually, five thousand workers were laid off and managers had lost all faith in their ability to motivate and inspire their workforce. 

Part of the problem dates back to the early 1930s with fear and intimidation ruled the workforce.  And reeling from the Great Depression, workers would stand for almost anything to get a paycheck.  In the 1950s, American workers began to unite and form unions.  While these factions protected the workers, they did little to mend management and labor relations.  The Fremont plant seemed an unpleasant extension of the distrust and ill will that seemed to permeate the American workforce.

In Change or Die, Alan Deutschman (2007) describes how Toyota stepped in with a plan to revive the operation.  By establishing trust and treating workers with respect, Toyota chief’s changed the hearts and minds of the former employees.  They hired back nearly all of the 5,000 workers and turned the plant around.  Toyota’s philosophy was based on two ideas and this is one of the reasons we have seen a leadership change over the years.  Deutschman stated, “The first was that the average worker is motivated by a desire to do a job that enhances his self-worth and earns the respect of other workers.  The second premise was that the worker is inspired by an employer who places value in the worker’s input” (p. 107). 

MacGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y in the 1950s began to highlight a new way of thinking and in the process created a new way of leading.  Seeing value in people, giving them room to grow, and encouraging them rather than abusing them has produced greater results, more innovation, and fewer turnovers.  It works in the office, at home, on the ball field, and in the boardroom. 

Additionally, while we live in a world with more information about leadership and leadership practices, why is it that we have an apparent gap in the quality of our leaders?

In their book Why Are We Bad At Picking Good Leaders? Cohn and Moran (2011) started their introduction by stating, “Let’s face it, we are lousy at picking leaders.  Why does this happen? Why don’t’ we do a better job of picking effective leaders? For starters, because sleeking the right people can be very, very hard” (p. 1).  Our society is a performance-based arena where the best and brightest individuals sit atop an empire saturated in media coverage and fanfare.  As history has shown, most people don’t care how they got there. 

I believe Bill George (2007) said it best in his book True North, “Under pressure from Wall Street to maximize short-term earnings, board of directors frequently chose leaders for their charisma instead of character, their style rather than their substance, and their image instead of their integrity” (p. xxv). 

When current leaders and large groups of people select leaders without considering the person’s emotional intelligence or their inner qualities of integrity, character, and compassion, they are taking a significant risk with their business, their team, and their organization. 

How do you think we can close this gap?

From personal relationship to professional assignments, if we hope to minimize the quality gap in leaders than we must focus on the internal attributes before we are blinded by the external possibilities.  Cohn & Moran (2011) identify seven leadership attributes of integrity, empathy, emotional intelligence, vision, judgment, courage, and passion.”  They said, “These seven qualities must be taken as a whole to capture the essence of leadership” (p. 8).

From Kouzes & Posner to Jack Welch and John Maxwell, it is incumbent on today’s leaders to look deeper than a sales report by placing more value on the how and not merely the what.  I think Stephen M.R. Covey (2006) said it best in his book The Speed of Trust when he said, “The ability to establish, grow, extend, and restore trust with all stakeholders—customers, business partners, investors, and coworkers—is the key leadership competency of the new global economy” (p. 21).  And then, most importantly, he highlights that trust is a function of two things: character and competence. 

Competence is extremely important in leaders. However, if we ignore a leader’s character, we do so at our own peril.

Steve

References:

Cohn, J., & Moran, J. (2011). Why are we bad at picking good leaders? San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Covey, S.M. (2006). The speed of trust. New York, NY: Free Press.

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

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Money Isn't Everything

In Arc of Ambition, Champy & Nohria (2000) said, “People who reach exceptional heights may differ from each other, but one thing they all share is a clear goal born of some organizing purpose that summons their talents, aims their efforts, and steers them in the right direction.  A compelling purpose is the ambitious person’s true north, keeping him or her on course” (p. 115).  In short, “the need for meaning drives achievement.”

In a private meeting, Pierre Hessler demonstrated what it means to be a coach, a mentor, and a leader, when he told Andy Mulholland to be careful about making decisions solely for money.  He challenged him to consider three other motivators when moving forward into one’s destiny and purpose.  Sometimes it takes another person to shake us loose from the allure of money.  Caught by the windfall and an imagination run amok, we can easily find ourselves shaking hands and agreeing for a larger piece of the pie only to find later that we’ve sold our souls for a higher salary.  Mulholland’s three motivators are grounding and help provide a perspective to minimize future regret.

First, Mulholland proclaimed that we should, “Do interesting work.”  Whetten & Cameron (2011) identified “What motivates workers?” and found, “While research results highlight differences in what organizational members tend to see as highly motivating aspects of their work, on average, employees placed the highest value on “interesting work” (p. 346).  This scored higher than job security, good wages, and even good working conditions.

Secondly, Mulholland identified, “To expand skill set.”  Growth is a natural by-product of a successful venture.  If something is alive, it grows.  If it isn’t, it dies; and sometimes, slowly and painfully.  Mulholland’s point on “expanding skills” ties into the growth potential of individuals.  Stagnancy and complacency drain the life out of a person’s purpose.  When companies provide opportunities for employees to grow and expand their abilities, they receive an inherent benefit that is much more rewarding than a scheduled paycheck.  Growth is life.  When leaders stretch and enhance a follower’s skill set, they connect to the inner drive and motivation in a way that money can’t.

Lastly, Mulholland identified the most important aspect of motivation, “To be recognized and valued.”  Recognition and affirmation are powerful motivating tools when used authentically and correctly.  I realized the positive and negative effects of affirmation versus pay when I was studying for promotion in the Air Force.  Regardless of the number of “weighted” factors that were involved in the promotion system, if one did not study the material, they would fail to get promoted.  Therefore, I studied diligently for 2-3 hours each day over a period of six months. 

Hoping to motivate me, my wife calculated the pay increase if I got promoted.  Knowing there would be early mornings and long nights; she identified the financial increase and posted it on my desk as a motivator.  However, regardless of the pay increase, when I would get tired and dreary from the long hours of studying, the potential pay increase did not shake me from my slumber.  Rather, what worked without fail was an exercise I conducted in my imagination.

When an individual is promoted, the squadron senior leaders (to include the commander) file into the promotee’s office and congratulate him or her while handing them their new stripe.  The other “non-promotees” are bypassed and ignored with a “better luck next year” pat-on-the-back.  I was one of the non-promotee and the sting of the failure was greater than the joy of promotion.  When I would get tired and distracted from studying, I would remember the feeling of being “bypassed” and the accompanying pain of defeat.  That “office” moment motivated me much more than a few hundred dollars a month.

In True North, Bill George (2007) said, “Many leaders turn down higher-paying jobs early in their career decisions in order to pursue roles they would enjoy.  They came out ahead in the end—in both satisfaction and compensation—because they were successful in doing what they loved” (p. 110). 

My personal motivations include Mulholland’s three key elements of interesting work, professional growth, and making a valuable contribution.  In addition to those, I am also motivated by personal growth, helping others develop, and being true to my beliefs. 

Mulholland highlighted the importance of expanding one’s skills and the external and intrinsic rewards that accompany professional growth.  In a similar fashion, I am motivated by a deep desire for personal growth.  There is no better time in the history of the world to be a leader than today.  My daily decisions are designed to strengthen my integrity, fortify my character, and enrich my gratitude.  Rather than leave these qualities to chance, I intentionally pursue opportunities that will enhance my personal development as a husband, father, and leader.

The best avenue to develop these attributes is by “helping others grow.”  By focusing on other people and facilitating their personal development, everyone becomes stronger.  Witnessing follower’s growth and development motivates me to be even better.  By pouring my life into others, I realize that my legacy will outlive me.  With half of my life behind me, I find great fulfillment in knowing that today’s investment into other people will still be making a difference long after I am gone.

And lastly, the most important motivating factor for me is to be true to my beliefs.  Without core convictions and a foundation of faith, I am nothing more than a few catch phrases surrounding the power of positive thinking.  By living according to principles greater than me, I am able to avoid destructive pride and selfish motivations.  Holding fast to my faith and a belief in servant leadership, forgiveness, love, and mercy, I will demonstrate that money, power, and success is not the pinnacle of a life well lived.  Rather, by living according to my beliefs and caring more about others than my own comfort, I hope I encourage others to do the same.  I’ve found that modeling behavior is much more inspiring than mere demands or instructions.

Finally, to quote Bill George again, “Discovering your True North takes a lifetime of commitment and learning.  Each day, as you are tested in the world, you yearn to look at yourself in the mirror and respect the person you see and the life you have chosen to lead.  Some days will be better than others, but as long as you are true to who you are, you can cope with the most difficult circumstances that life presents” (p. xxiii).

My True North is a great combination of Mulholland’s interesting work, professional growth, and lasting value integrated with my personal development, an authentic care for others, and a foundation of faith and principles.   

Steve

References:

Champy, J., & Nohria, N. (2000). The arc of ambition. Cambridge, MA: Basic Books.

George, B. (2007). True north. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

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