Economic Resilience Zone:    Resources    Mega-Maps (under development)

Events:

11 August 2011, The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel MD:  “EMP: Threat and Opportunity”

8 June 2011, The Tower Club, Tyson's Corner, VA:  “It doesn’t do you any good if you’re open for business and your customers and suppliers aren’t”

Events (archive):

Recommended reading:

CEOS SAY THE DARNEDEST THINGS!  (PART II)

by Jeff Lesher, Certified Master Coach

You’ll recall from Part I that I read the September 2008 issue of Inc. Magazine, featuring the “Inc. 500” entrepreneurial businesses, with great interest.  One of the things that caught my eye was a sidebar in which several CEOs are quoted about their leadership styles.  What these comments reveal is the struggle many entrepreneurs have as they try to extend their personal brand through others in order to grow and sustain their respective businesses.  I am more encouraged by their comments on leadership than I was by their approach to selection.  Effective leadership is so critical to execution, though, being encouraged isn’t enough.

We know that leaders greatly influence their organizations.  Whether that influence is positive and productive depends a lot on how leaders fundamentally change the way in which they do their work to contribute effectively through their employees, many of whom they have no direct contact with.  This transition can be especially challenging for those who have grown the business they lead because they can come to believe that they are the only ones who truly “get it.”  In once again assessing if the organization’s performance is more a function of design or chance, we look this time at how CEOs define their leadership styles in the Inc. 500 CEO Survey “Forward, March.”  Below is a sample of what they said, which I’ve organized and commented on in terms of the good, the good potential, and the honest.  Just for fun, I also included an extra category called the “Huh?”

• The Good – “I tried different approaches, from being a friend to demanding excellence, but I have found the single best way to lead is to show respect to your staff and allow them to grow in their positions.”

Analysis: There’s a lot to like here, but what I responded to most was the fact that this CEO has experimented and evolved.  There also is an understanding that people are dynamic and should be encouraged and enabled to evolve as well in how they fulfill a role versus perform a job.

• The Good Potential – “General George Patton said it something like this, ‘Never tell people how to do things.  Tell ‘em what needs doing, and they’ll surprise with their ingenuity.’”

Analysis: People do need some sense of “how” things should be done in an organization, but I took this CEO to be confident that the context was well established, understood, and/or supported by his management team.  What I would add to his approach is the business reason “why” they are doing “what needs doing.”  Understanding this is highly motivating and is shown to lead to better results.

• The Honest – “Very hands on.  Too much, actually – I overcommit myself and do not delegate as much as I should.”

Analysis: I’ve never worked with this CEO, but I often have worked with his type.  I respect his awareness.  This can be a key asset in changing – which he will have to do if wants to grow his business from the current 60 employee business to something far more substantial.  And, if such growth isn’t the plan, he’ll need to commit himself to sponsoring and enabling others…or start a new company where he can be at the center of it all.  For him to maintain his health, sanity, and enjoyment in his work, he needs to find ways to revel in the success of his employees, his company overall, and its clients.  I hope he does.

• The Huh? – “Laid back with a single focus: the client.  I wear sandals and shorts to work and lock people out of meetings when they’re late."

Analysis: Laid back, but locks people out of meetings.  Client-focused without a clear connection as to how that focus is inspired by him through this “leadership style.”  The reality probably is better than the quote, though a quick look at their website suggests they are a technology company that hasn’t learned to speak the language of business very persuasively.  The two might be interrelated.  Here’s hoping for a more people-focused approach internally and externally.

None of us are perfect.  I like to say that processes such as evolving one’s leadership skills and style are rocket science…not brain surgery.  The difference is that, in rocket science, we have the latitude to fail, learn from our successes and mistakes, and do better the next time…without great harm being done.  So, for all you would-be rocket scientists out there, put on your safety goggles and go!

Jeff

jlesher@aksciences.com

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Boyce, VA USA;  Manama, Bahrain

Last modified: 07/19/11