Remembering Two Great Leaders

April 4th marked the anniversary of the loss of two great leaders. While a few days late, would you take a minute to reflect on these two great Americans and what they accomplished in their short lives and what they still contribute to us even after they are gone?

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lost his life at the early age of 39 on April 4, 1968. His "I have a dream" speech (watch it here and note...no teleprompters!) still serves as a means by which we can all measure ourselves as leaders:

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."
And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

A great speech, a great speaker, and a leader who embodied vision and sacrifice. And unfortunately, a superb leader who left us too early to see his vision realized.

Another leader, one whom you likely do not know as well, gave his life on April 4, 2003 at the too young age of 33. SFC Paul Smith was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by President Bush for his actions in combat in Iraq. Would you read his story here and learn why so many still take pride in the courage and leadership of this great Non-Commissioned Officer?

On April 4th we lost these two great leaders, separated by 35 years, joined by the fact that they left us too early. Fortunately for all of us, their legacy as inspirational leaders, as leaders of passion and courage, lives on with so many of us. That legacy, remembered today for their ability to influence long after they are gone, is what leadership is all about. And that...is Leader Business.

Presidential Leadership

With all the talk in the last several months of presidents and their capacity to lead, it is no surprise to see who landed on top of C-SPAN's survey of Presidential Leadership. Yes, once again, President Lincoln takes home the top honor. (For more on President Lincoln's leadership, see the collection of Lincoln's Lessons over at Leading Blog)

Here are the top 10 presidential leaders according to the collective wisdom of the historians in this survey group: Lincoln, Washington, FDR, Teddy Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, Jefferson, Eisenhower, Wilson, Reagan.

Three things interest me in the survey. One, it intrigues me to see some presidents rise (Grant, Clinton, Kennedy) and fall (Wilson, Cleveland, Carter) over time. It is clear that the passage of time allows us to reevaluate leadership, put it in context, and decide again on the value of various characteristics. I suspect this is what allowed the historians to better appreciate Clinton's relations with others and his overall vision and what will likely allow us to give a fair shake to the contributions of George W. Bush, much the way people have come to now view President Truman.

Secondly, these characteristics used in the survey are a good measure of executive leadership (with my interpretation in italics):

-- Public Persuasion (Communication, consensus building)
-- Leadership in Crisis
-- Economic management (Fiscal discipline and competence)
-- Moral Authority (Ethics, culture, character, guidance)
-- International Relations (Relationships)
-- Administrative skills (Management)
-- Relations with Congress (Relationships)
-- Vision / Setting an Agenda
-- Pursued equal justice for all (Ethics)
-- Performance within context of the times (Rise to the challenge)

Thirdly, on this President's Day, it is interesting to see the cream rise to the top. Lincoln received top marks for leadership in crisis, moral authority, vision, equal justice for all, and performance within context of his time. Washington was on top in economic management, moral authority, international relations, and admin skills. Between them, they have set the bar high for other Presidents and for that matter, all leaders. So you see, this is not just Presidential business...it's Leader Business.

Photo courtesy of www.americaslibrary.gov

The Seagull in the Mirror

A new friend of mine sent me "Squawk" by Travis Bradberry. My friend felt that it had hit her between the eyes and might have a similar impact with me.

Subtitled "How to stop making noise and start getting results," "Squawk" is a leadership fable about "how one seagull manager learned the three virtues of great leadership." Seagull managers swoop in, squawk loudly, dump orders with formulaic advice, and blow back out, leaving a mess in their wake.

The fable focused on three key elements to overcome seagull management:

Whereas the seagull manager creates the need to swoop in and set his team straight, the superior manager gets everyone headed in the right direction from the very beginning by ensuring that expectations are full-fledged. Whereas the rare visit from the seagull manager results in a lot of squawking, the superior manager maintains a steady flow of clear communication. And whereas the seagull manager manages his team's performance by dumping on everybody, the superior manager focuses on performance -- ensuring that positive and negative feedback are delivered in small, digestible doses.

The issue is not whether or not we are seagull managers. Rather we need to be able to recognize when we are acting like one...and what to do about it. Lord knows there are plenty of "squawking" seagulls in the military. I should know -- too often I have a tendency to blow in and start squawking and appreciated the chance to look into the mirror and see the seagull in me!

Check out the book. My friend was right -- not only did I enjoy the book but...I clearly needed to read it (thanks Angela!). If you have some seagull in you, pick it up. Overcoming seagull management is...Leader Business.

Bo Knows Leadership 2

I wrote previously about how Bo (Schembechler) Knows Leadership after reading some of the leadership lessons on Michael McKinney's Leading Blog. Now I've read the book -- and wanted to pass along some more leadership gems from this "throw back" leader!

John Bacon teams with Bo to write Bo's Lasting Lessons. It details the football career of Bo Schembechler, Michigan's coach from 1969-1989. As a military leader, I appreciated Bo's approach to people-centric, disciplined, focused leadership. The man cared deeply about every member of his team, understood that character counted, and was committed to winning as a TEAM. Here are just a few of the gems in the book:

-- On the importance of mentors: When you're starting out, it's better to make peanuts for a great leader than it is to get some big salary from a mediocre one.

-- On seeking opportunities for advancement: For God's sakes, quit worrying about your next job. Just do the best you can at the job you have now, and the offers will come. Wait for the right opportunity, and turn down all the rest. It will make all the difference.

-- Famous Michigan football motto: THOSE WHO STAY WILL BE CHAMPIONS.

-- On taking over as a new leader: One of the most common mistakes new leaders make...is to ignore the history of the organization they just took over, or even to disrespect it. When you become the leader, do not start your reign by dismantling or ignoring the contributions of those who came before.

-- On the importance of giving everyone a meaningful role on the team: Ultimately it makes no difference what (minor role players) accomplish. They're all on your team, and whatever your team achieves, every one of them must feel like this is my team, and we did this together. Because you did!

-- On people: You can NOT be a leader unless you like people! You've got to spend time with them, so you know them. You've got to be interested in who they are, what they do away from the job, and how they think. Your people have to know that their value to you and your organization is not determined just by what they do, but by who theyu are.

-- On mission-focus: I don't care what your business is -- whether you're running a company or a classroom or a Boy Scout troop: You need to find a way to instill game day urgency in everything you do.

-- On the basics: Blocking and tackling! Blocking and tackling! Blocking and tackling! Every business has its blocking and tackling, and if you can't do those basics well then nothing else matters.

-- On teaching: Crunch time is not only what you're paid for, it's also one of your best opportunities to teach your people, because they're alert. When they're under pressure, that's when they learn best.

-- On decision making: And when you're facing a big decision and you don't have much time to make it, you've got to pull the trigger. Not making a decision is the worst thing you can do. So long as you feel you made the right decision based on the information you had at that time, there's no need to fret about it. If it fails, you'll know what to do next time.

No...football is not business. Football is not combat. But leadership is leadership. And after reading this book, and having seen Bo give a speech before he left us in November 2006, I am confident that Bo Know's Leadership! Hooah!

Our Calendars Don't Lie

Calendars don't lie. They tell us in a snapshot what our top priorities are. We can say that something else is important to us. But if we look at our calendars...and don't see any time and energy against those top priorities...well, I'm not sure they are truly priorities.

I try to review this issue regularly with my secretary and executive staff. I ask these questions:

-- What are my priorities and where are they reflected on my calendar?

-- Am I focused on what is important...or sidetracked by something else?

-- Are we aligning our time, energy, resources, and leadership against those things that truly enable the success of our team?

So what is important to you?

-- People? Where have you allocated time for counseling, leader development, hiring, or recruiting?
-- Communication? Where is your investment in time to listen to subordinates...or to let them know what is happening across the organization?
-- Execution? What are your top money-makers...and does your calendar validate this?

This is the secret to time management and effective strategic leadership: Determine what is important...and put first things first. Check out how you are using your time and ensure you are focused like a laser beam on what really matters. Our calendars don't lie! That's Leader Business.

We Were Soldiers...and Leaders

I found this on YouTube and thought it might inspire you as it did for me. Hal Moore is the retired Army officer who was the central figure (played by Mel Gibson) in the movie "We Were Soldiers" and the in the book by the same name. This guy is the real thing! Here are his 4 Principles of a Leader.




Principle #1: 3 Strikes...and You're Not Out. Leaders must constantly display the will to win, by their actions, words, tone of voice, and look in their eyes...no matter what. Never give any hint or evidence of doubt of a positive outcome. Inspire confidence. Be visible on the battlefield.

Principle #2: There is always one more thing to do to influence any situation in my favor...and after that one more thing...and after that one more thing. Regularly separate from the action and ask: "What am I doing that I should not be doing...and what am I not doing that I should be doing to influence things in my favor?

Principle #3: When there's nothing wrong, there's nothing wrong...except that there's nothing wrong. This is when leaders should be most concerned.

Principle #4: Trust your extincts. They are a product of your education, reading, personality, and experience. Act fast, impart confidence to all around you, don't second-guess your decisions, and make things happen. Face the facts, deal with them, and move on.

An American hero and terrific leader. General Moore "wrote the book" on the business of leaders. Enjoy! Hooah!