Ah Leadership…
Anyone who thinks that leadership is easy is grossly mislead. Most likely they have read too many idealistic books and articles or have suffered under a barrage of poorly developed leaders. It’s always nice to look back upon how we became leaders and what things we did or didn’t do to become great. In those early years it all started with aspirations driven by a desire to accomplish visible results. Ironically money or fame never was a part of those early expectations. In preparation I relied upon my formal education and supplemented it with a passionate pursuit of as much experience perspective as I could get. Some was good but there was a whole lot of purist positions that were interesting but suffered from inordinately high cost to apply. My leaning never was to emulate but rather to study the conditions and the reasons behind why real success stories were achieved.
First Encounter
For the most part work and the vocations I was involved with became a passion. While many find enjoyment from recreational pursuits, which I also had many, I really enjoyed my work. In doing so it is my speculation that it helped to show my bosses my attitude, aptitude and committed purpose. It started small with overseeing the work as a team, each of us having a part but the burden of assembly placed on my plate. Thinking back it didn’t involve a promotion, a title or even more money but simply a task assigned. In those early years I learned the importance of team work, but more specifically team cohesion. From top to bottom and side-to-side the people were expected to work together and when it didn’t intersession had to take place in a firm but compassionate fashion. Allot of those little bumps resulted from a lack of shared vision, a sense of priorities, lack of knowledge and positive stroking. In this latter area stroking I found was something that was most effective when delivered under proper circumstances. It was never really my strong suit and because of that I had to develop the ability with the right mindset, attitude and realization of value.
Big Shoes
Over the next eight years I managed to reach a point in which my employer came to me and reached out with a formidable offer. At the time, working for a Fortune50 company, a post assignment represented an operation the size of many medium to large businesses both in terms of staffing, size and challenges. The concept of ‘smooth sailing’ was not akin to many assignment and in this particular case it was a ship slowly sinking that needed saving. 80% of staff were turning over annually, budgets were out of control for value achievement, and the relationship of the division with others was a best abusively poor. Lots of things were going wrong, little time to make corrections, decisions had to be accurately AND foremost self-esteem had to be brought back. I won’t go into all of the various things that were done but the key decision that I made from the onset was to display virtues that the group (600+) could respect, rely upon and trust. Without the virtues of the leadership being first and foremost nothing else would have mattered. Collaboration, team work, and technologies would not matter because the trust in leadership would not have been there. It is also important to note that timing and luck is always appreciated even though it cannot be relied upon. In my parting statement to the group was simple, “what you see in who we are is the rewards earned by each of you”.
Fast Forward
Over the last several decades I have repeatedly been consulted for issues or decisions being considered. While many emanate from problems there is a percentage that are clearly forward thinking considerations being given to potential opportunities. While I never have stopped reading on leadership and many other topics I have come to appreciate that actions of leadership speak far louder than words on a page. Even when the pages are supported by real situations one cannot help be acknowledge that contextual variations create barriers to transitioning and making changes new tradition. Since the start of the 2nd quarter 2020 leadership has been subjected to challenges well beyond what we could imagine. Workplace settings have changed, operations have been suspended, customers have been equally impacted and all of that skilled experience we have accumulated has been turned upside down. As noted previously, leadership is not easy and certainly is not without substantial risk, and these conditions present the challenge as to whether we are truly leaders or simply custodians for managing human capital.
Over the last six weeks I have received many emails and phone calls seeking direction. I must admit that it came as a surprise because leaders (especially C-Level executives) are not apt to reach out except in cases of survival or desperation. Maybe this is the case now, but my response has been universally calm, taking in/absorbing, contemplative and pragmatic. Let me also say it is delivered in an impartial and unbiased as is possible and centered on establishing ownership of the final resolution decision.
If the pandemic wasn’t enough we are presented with social upheavals and trade contentions that make normality a long ago memory. Leaders are then presented with the decision as to whether to be engaged or not? In those early leadership years I easily remember that the shift from staff to leadership represented a significant change from the technical aspects of the job to one in which a significant amount of time was spent on directing human aspects. Emotions, position statements, vision and key strategic and sometimes tactical decisions. All of which left the door wide upon for attack, whether from above or below the potential barrage response was ever present. The most feared was the no response since you never could read whether it was ambivalence or agreement. As a matter of personal discipline I prefer to refrain from opinions relative to politics, religion or social events. While these matters have to be considered rendering an opinion can win as many acclaims and it can create a degree of separation, thus the rational. In the context of leadership I want to refer to the corporate response to the death of George Floyd and Black Lives Matter. On topic, the question becomes a matter of reaction to this horrible event that has unleashed a wave of dissension. Just a couple of days ago (06/22/2020) I received a source listing of 269 corporate statements in response to George Floyd’s death and support of the BLM cause (Breitbart – 06/10/2020 – Ashley Rae Goldenberg/Tim Jones). As we all media related sources one must give appropriate consideration to credibility, authenticity and the level of prejudice involved. It was interesting, after deeper investigation, to learn that of the 269 enterprises that 52 had C-Level leadership statements, the others were corporate position statements. As is often the case the marketing, public relations or human resource functions are charged to render routine position statements on social situations. Driven by a corporate policy protocol these are often undertaken in an automatic fashion unless interceded by leadership, as was the case with those noted. This is not a question of right/wrong decision, intent or position but rather the illumination of the humane side of leadership.
Final Deep (and Personal) Dive
As a leader how much of your skin do you wish to show? Is it appropriate to show only when it’s beneficial or is it a right fit for you to show it at all times? There is an upside and a downside that all hinges on sincerity and not aligned to with opportunistic intent. This determination is driven by the relationship of the enterprise to it’s consumer audience. It is essential that it is honest, truthful and appropriate for the situation and not as a creative media opportunity. The general public has become acutely attune to sincerity, not always accurate but often the ripples of disturbance is enough to create a tidal wave. If we look deeper a leader examples they possessed the ability to walk tall, be truthful, decisive and compassionate. What this culminated in is a source of respect that would serve as a safe haven in the midst of massive turmoil. Often this form of leadership is under constant attack because it fails to emulate past leadership styles, whether failing or not. It also creates divides in organizations whether those who align with strong leadership suffer being ostracized. This equates to a commitment to achievements over opinions, often takes time but outcomes become difficult to refute.
As leaders it’s what you can do that is a measure of your executive leadership. It’s not about producing results at the fist of commands, but it also isn’t producing results at high costs that are contributed to hand holding capitulation and pandering. It’s what we might consider to be the sweet spot/balance between firm respect and compassionate consideration. The time for adjusting your leadership profile is in the present moment. Its ideally suited to positive and formative change, to correct past behavior but also to recast anew a persona befitting of the new normality that we are all facing.
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Clarity Group Global is an intellectual decision validation institution dedicated to the support of leaders, companies and organizations that face challenging choices. Making right decisions that produce significant value equates to less disruption and chaos, "non-tradition made exceptional".