Transformational Leadership Strategies

My client was apparently already planning their fireworks celebration.  “We want to be ranked as one of the top 100 best companies to work for,” he exclaimed. “The top 100 get all that great publicity and are affiliated with business powerhouses like Qualcomm, SAS, and The Four Seasons Hotel & Resorts.  We would be crazy not to go for it!  We already have many initiatives focused on our employees, so how hard could it be?  We’re going to go for it this year!” Oh, I hated to be the rain on his fireworks. “Hold on a minute!” I said, ready to duck.  “Maybe you don’t need to be on the list.  In fact, maybe you shouldn’t be on the list.”

“Be the one that when you walk in the room, luck shifts to the one who needs it.”  That’s a quote from Rumi, my favorite 12th century poet.  Have you ever known anyone like that?  Someone who just left you feeling better when they were around; like things were just going your way?  Have you ever been that person?  Maybe you’re asking yourself, “What does this have to do with leadership?” The answer is simple; everything.  It has everything to do with leadership.

Sometimes the best intentions are not enough to protect an organization from unethical behavior.  To examine how this happens and how to protect yourself, let’s look at Frank’s dilemma.  Frank was successful in his career and a long-time employee. Unfortunately, he was not self-aware to see when he was getting off track.

Have you ever been so engrossed in a task that you lost track of time?  So focused that even though you may have been hard at work for several hours, you still felt energized and motivated to continue?  Sure you have.  Everyone has experienced this state, which psychologists call a state of “Flow”.

Two weeks ago Linda met with Bill, one of her direct reports, to give him an important assignment.  She explained to Bill that she needed him to prepare a draft of a one-hour presentation to the Board.  Bill walked out of the meeting with a commitment to Linda that the presentation draft would be ready for her review in two weeks.

THE THREE FACES OF LEADERSHIP. Whether getting buy-in, increasing quality, or managing through change, nothing impacts your leadership effectiveness more than the face you wear.  There are three faces of leadership that we choose from as we lead; the face of leadership past, leadership future, and leadership present.  We wear one of these faces at all times, even when we’re alone. 

At Farr Associates, we frequently discuss specific courses of action that leaders can take to increase quality, productivity and profitability. We also frequently explore the importance of self- awareness. What we sometimes forget to do is to explore why the connection between the two is so important and how ultimately self-awareness can lead to the type of personal character that creates leadership excellence.

Imagine this:  You are at a used bookstore and wander over to the bargain table where you pick up an old textbook from the 1970s.  As you flip through the pages your eye catches a page containing a small but interesting section titled, “The Lottery Experiment.”  As you read the short paragraph you learn about a 1975 experiment completed by Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer in which she took a group of subjects and gave half of them a randomly assigned lottery number and the other half she gave a blank piece of paper to write down any lottery number they wanted.  Then, just before doing the lottery drawing, she offered to buy back the tickets.

Each January first I imagine standing on top of a giant calendar as if I am standing on top of a snow covered mountain.  It is sunny and bright; the air is crisp; and the mountain is freshly covered in a fluffy blanket of new snow. I shuffle my skis to get the adrenaline stirring and survey the slope.  The mountain is full of promise and opportunity -- I am the first skier so the path is unwritten. I can do this anyway I want, I just have to decide how to attack the mountain. 

Santa Claus is a legendary leader and not just for six or seven-year-olds. No, even the older, seasoned and experienced leader can learn a lesson or two from Old St. Nick. Now, many of you might question this statement or even quit reading this blog, thinking this has nothing to do with leadership. But ask yourself this: How can one person from the North Pole make sure that every child’s (and adult’s) Christmas list is checked, toy-making elves managed, and reindeer reined, all while smiling and wearing the same red, wool suit?