Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All!

To all of my friends here on the Leader Business blog, please let me wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday season! I thank you for helping shape my leadership journey and for allowing me to be a part of yours! May we continue to grow together in 2010!

Please remember the men and women who are separated from their families during the holidays. As shown in the video above, technology helps close the distance, and I will be grateful for that during my own deployment next year. But they certainly need our prayers for their continued safety and for success in their mission! Thanks to all of them for what they are doing for all of us. Freedom is not free and we should be grateful for those who are paying the price around the world.

Please remember our leaders, especially those who are deployed and doing all they can to keep morale high during the difficulties of separation. On Christmas in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, as was the case in previous conflicts, the mission still goes on. Strong leadership from nameless men and women leaders helps deal with harsh conditions, difficult missions, and the emotions that come with separation during the holidays. Thanks to all of them for what they are doing!

Happy Holidays to the troops and to all of you. That's Leader Business!

Leader Business Question

Would you rather have a leader who is nice, but incompetent, or...one who is mean, yet fully capable?

I recently came across this question in a book I've been reading and it got me thinking. Surely we have all witnessed these diverse leadership styles and personalities.

On the one hand you have everyone's favorite person; someone who makes the team feel good; an encouraging, likable, friendly, approachable leader. And yet they know absolutely nothing. They lack the necessary technical underpinnings to guide the team. Strategy, crisis management, and mission accomplishment are foreign concepts. The very thought of this person ever making a decision sends shivers down your spine. And in a best case scenario, they never have to do so. Staff meetings are fun...but unproductive. These leaders are enjoyable to be around, they generally leave you alone, and they make you feel good.

On the other hand, you have the mean old cuss, the abrasive, spiteful boss who is just impossible to be around. But they know what they are doing. They are absolutely competent with a brilliance that is universally recognized and, at least by those who DON'T work for them, they are great leaders. The reality is often something completely different. They treat people horribly and think little of things like counseling, mentoring, or training. Communication is almost non-existent and empowerment is not in the mix for these abusive bosses.

While these sound like leadership extremes, we see them all the time, don't we? Nice but incompetent leaders who should never have gotten to their positions. Same for mean but capable leaders who know what they are doing but make everyone's life miserable. Both of these types make us question how some leaders get as far as they do.

So which do you prefer? And how do you manage your boss under either of these conditions? Since we don't get to choose our leaders (well...except when we vote for politicians...and when we accept new employment!), we need to be able to operate under either condition. We still have to get our work done and accomplish the mission. We have to protect our teammates from the challenges created by both styles. And we have to learn what we can from either extreme.

What are your experiences with either one? Add your comments and let's discuss! And don't say you prefer one who is nice AND competent. That's too easy! I'm looking forward to your thoughts. That's Leader Business!

Hope is Not a (communication) Method

You know, nothing challenges a team like a lack of guidance from their leader. Nothing frustrates like spinning wheels and putting energy into things that are later suggested to be all wrong. Really boss? That input would have been helpful weeks ago. Had we only known what you wanted, this task would have been easy. Nice to know now. Grrrrr.....

I've witnessed a number of instances lately of leaders putting their respective teams into SPINCON LEVEL 6 (the highest spin level! Ha!) because they are failing to provide the necessary early input that they owe their people. I have seen too many leaders who mistake cheerleading for the need to provide competent, proactive, mission-focused requirements. And there are simply too many leaders out there who sit back and HOPE for positive results without providing their teammates the same thing they want from their own leaders -- enough early guidance to get going and the freedom to operate within KNOWN parameters.

Are you familiar with the axiom, "If you want it bad, you'll get it bad?" It implies that you can only put so much demand on the system (or people) before you negatively impact their outputs. Want an answer right now? You'll get one...but it may not be a good one!

The Leader Business corollary I have been struggling with lately goes like this: "If you don't tell people what you want...you'll get exactly what you asked for!" All too often the reason people don't meet our expectations is that we haven't shared those expectations with them...or anyone else! Understanding why our teammates are not delivering should start with deciphering what exactly we have asked from them. If we haven't asked, then we should shoulder the majority of the responsibility when they come up short! THEY AREN'T MIND READERS!!

As leaders, I think we need to regularly examine ourselves and ask if we are providing our teammates sufficient guidance. Do they understand WHAT is required of them? Do they know the key elements or metrics they must meet? Have they acknowledged any constraints we have provided them regarding timeline, resources, priorities, and alternatives to consider...or avoid?

Now, this is a fine line. Note that the focus above is on WHAT to do. Good guidance is empowering, not overbearing. It enables success by freeing people to operate with the confidence that they understand where they are going and any restrictions to their actions. Good guidance provides clearly identified and defined tasks. Goals, objectives, and parameters are similarly presented early in the planning stage. But just across the line is over-control, suppression of good ideas and initiative, and authoritarianism. Good guidance focuses on WHAT, not HOW. Leaders ensure the team clearly sees the goal line while allowing them to determine how to get there. This is the source of empowerment, inspiration, and initiative.

Our teammates are counting on us. We need to shape their efforts early, before they get started. This is so often THE MOST important element of our communication with them. Do they understand their requirements? Do they know what tools they have to work with? Do they understand the mission? Good leaders know they must give sufficient guidance to their team. They reinforce this guidance regularly to ensure everyone understands their vision and the tasks that enable it. They do not HOPE for success without providing the necessary shaping of people's actions that comes from this dialogue.

What are you waiting for? If you don't think you have done so lately...have this conversation with your teammates. Make sure they know your intent. And if you fail to tell them...don't be upset with the outcome. You'll get exactly what asked from them! We can't HOPE for good things from our teammates. Real leadership demands much more. We owe them the sort of guidance that empowers people to solve problems, generate options, and make things happen, that focuses clearly on WHAT so they can determine HOW. Isn't that what YOU want from YOUR boss? That's Leader Business.