Leadership

General MacArthur on Leadership

Douglas MacArthur was one of the finest military leaders the United States ever produced. John Gardner, in his book On Leadership described him as a brilliant strategist, a farsighted administrator, and flamboyant to his fingertips. MacArthur’s discipline and principled leadership transcended the military. He was an effective general, statesman, administrator and corporate leader.

William Addleman Ganoe recalled in his 1962 book, MacArthur Close-up: An Unauthorized Portrait, his service to MacArthur at West Point. During World War II, he created a list of questions with General Jacob Devers, they called The MacArthur Tenets. They reflect the people-management traits he had observed in MacArthur. Widely applicable, he wrote, “I found all those who had no troubles from their charges, from General Sun Tzu in China long ago to George Eastman of Kodak fame, followed the same pattern almost to the letter."
    

  Do I heckle my subordinates or strengthen and encourage them?

  Do I use moral courage in getting rid of subordinates who have proven themselves beyond doubt to be unfit?

  Have I done all in my power by encouragement, incentive and spur to salvage the weak and erring?

  Do I know by NAME and CHARACTER a maximum number of subordinates for whom I am responsible? Do I know them intimately?

  Am I thoroughly familiar with the technique, necessities, objectives and administration of my job?

  Do I lose my temper at individuals?

  Do I act in such a way as to make my subordinates WANT to follow me?

  Do I delegate tasks that should be mine?

  Do I arrogate everything to myself and delegate nothing?

  Do I develop my subordinates by placing on each one as much responsibility as he can stand?

  Am I interested in the personal welfare of each of my subordinates, as if he were a member of my family?

  Have I the calmness of voice and manner to inspire confidence, or am I inclined to irascibility and excitability?

  Am I a constant example to my subordinates in character, dress, deportment and courtesy?

  Am I inclined to be nice to my superiors and mean to my subordinates?

  Is my door open to my subordinates?

  Do I think more of POSITION than JOB?

  Do I correct a subordinate in the presence of others?

Great leaders go beyond their title

Joan Lloyd  

Are you a leader others look up to? Whether your title is fancy or plain, would you say you are successful?

There was a time in my life when I looked up to people in powerful jobs and thought that they had it all ... success, power, happiness. After working my way up a few corporations and many years as a consultant with a bird's eye view, I came to know the truth: that there are many roads to success, happiness doesn't automatically come with a big paycheck and real leadership doesn't come with the title.

I study successful leaders. After all, my job is to help people build a successful career. And while there are many individuals who understand the technical parts of their business and are wizards in their industry, in my view, there are very few who have mastered the art and science of great leadership.

Here are some of the characteristics that I think make the difference.
• They are courageous. When times are tough and hard decisions need to be made, they step forward and make the call. While others are running for cover, they are willing to do what they think is right and take responsibility for the outcome.

• They can envision the future and are able to help others see it too. They believe so strongly in their picture of a desired future that their steps are a decisive march in one direction and their actions leave a clear path to follow.

• They make the most of even the smallest opportunity. Because they are so clear about their vision, they are quick to see a potential advantage or an alternative solution to a problem. Their pace may be slow and steady but they are alert to any avenue that will help them reach their goals.

• They don't need to waste time playing political games. While they have the emotional intelligence to deal with different personalities, they don't stoop to manipulation, social climbing or patronizing behavior. They don't need to.

• They add value. Rather than take the easy way out, they look for problems to solve and apply themselves to untangling the mess. They are willing to move laterally within the company or move to an undesirable area of the organization to get the job done.

• They are survivors. Rather than whine about fairness, they empower themselves to do whatever it takes to rise above adversity. Entitlement and victimization are not on their radar screen.
• They get a thrill from developing others. They make it a point to know the career goals of the people around them and then look for opportunities to put in their path. They are also quick to give credit and visibility to others.

• They believe in the inherent goodness and integrity of people and treat their coworkers and employees as though they have the best intentions. This trust is rewarded more than it's betrayed because people want to live up to this trust in them.

• They are students who never stop learning. They read books, attend classes and seek advice from those who can teach them how to approach challenging situations. They study behaviors and are close observers of people and strategies. Mistakes are opportunities to learn lessons.

• They have a servant mentality. They dedicate themselves to the outcome, not to personal recognition. Given the choice, they would rather see the team win and don't need to be the "star of the show."

• They are dependable to a fault. Everyone knows that their promise will be kept and a deadline will be met. Great leaders know that their word is the currency on which trust and credibility is built.

• When they're wrong they admit it and make it right. They don't blame others or faulty circumstances. They have the backbone and the character to own up to their mistakes. They don't wallow in their error or seek reassurance; they suck it up and move on.

• They have integrity. Even if it's easy to take the road to personal gain, they won't go down that path if it is at the expense of someone else. They make decisions as though a room full of people was observing each action. Instead of doing what is fast and easy, they will slow the process, if necessary to do what is right.

• They define success in their own terms. They don't let others make the rules for their own happiness. Often it's a balance of family life, personal achievement and doing good for others. They don't let other's "shoulds" and "musts" rule their choices. They make up their own minds and set the course for their own lives.

A Leadership Primer

General Colin Powell
Chairman (Ret), Joint Chiefs of Staff

A Leadership Primer
Lesson 1

"Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off."

Good leadership involves responsibility to the welfare of the group, which
means that some people will get angry at your actions and decisions.  It's
inevitable, if you're honorable. Trying to get everyone to like you is a
sign of mediocrity; you'll avoid the tough decisions, you'll avoid
confronting the people who need to be confronted, and you'll avoid offering
differential rewards based on differential performance because some people
might get upset.  Ironically, by procrastinating on the difficult choices,
by trying not to get anyone mad, and by treating everyone equally "nicely"
regardless of their contributions, you'll simply ensure that the only people
you'll wind up angering are the most creative and productive people in the
organization.

**

Lesson 2

"The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have
stopped leading them.  They have either lost confidence that you can help
them or concluded that you do not care.  Either case is a failure of
leadership."

If this were a litmus test, the majority of CEOs would fail.  One, they
build so many barriers to upward communication that the very idea of
someone lower in the hierarchy looking up to the leader for help is
ludicrous. Two, the corporate culture they foster often defines asking for
help as weakness or failure, so people cover up their gaps, and the
organization suffers accordingly.  Real leaders make themselves
accessible and available.  They show concern for the efforts and challenges
faced by underlings, even as they demand high standards.  Accordingly,
they are more likely to create an environment where problem analysis
replaces blame.

**

Lesson 3

"Don't be buffaloed by experts and elites.  Experts often possess more data
than judgment.  Elites can become so inbred that they produce hemophiliacs
who bleed to death as soon as they are nicked by the real world."

Small companies and start-ups don't have the time for analytically detached
experts.  They don't have the money to subsidize lofty elites, either.  The
president answers the phone and drives the truck when necessary;
everyone on the payroll visibly produces and contributes to bottom-line
results or they're history.  But as companies get bigger, they often forget
who "brought then to the dance": things like all-hands involvement,
egalitarianism, informality, market intimacy, daring, risk, speed, agility.
Policies that emanate from ivory towers often have an adverse impact on
the people out in the field who are fighting the wars or bringing in
revenues. Real leaders are vigilant, and combative, in the face of these
trends.

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A Leadership Primer
Lesson 4

"Don't be afraid to challenge the pros even in their own backyard."

Learn from the pros, observe them, seek them out as mentors and partners.
But remember that even the pros may have leveled out in terms of their
learning and skills.  Sometimes even the pros can become complacent and
lazy.  Leadership does not emerge from blind obedience to anyone.
Xerox's Barry Rand was right on target when he warned his people that
if you have a yes-man working for you, one of you is redundant.  Good
leadership encourages everyone's evolution.

Lesson 5

"Never neglect detail.  When everyone's mind is dulled or distracted the
leader must be doubly vigilant."

Strategy equals execution.  All the great ideas and visions in the world are
worthless if they can't be implemented rapidly and efficiently.  Good
leaders delegate and empower others liberally, but they pay attention to
details, every day.  (Think about supreme athletic coaches like Jimmy
Johnson, Pat Riley and Tony la Russa). Bad ones, even those who fancy
themselves as progressive "visionaries," think they're somehow "above"
operational details.  Paradoxically, good leaders understand something else:
an obsessive routine in carrying out the details begets conformity and
complacency, which in turn dull everyone'' mind.  That is why even as they
pay attention to details, they understand the sentiment of CEO leaders like
Quad Graphic's Harry Quadracchi, Oticon's Lars Kolind and the late Bill
McGowan of MCI, who all independently asserted that the Job of a
leader is not to be the chief organizer but the chief dis-organizer.

Lesson 6

"You don't know what you can get away with until you try."

You know the expression, "it's easier to get forgiveness than permission."
Well, it's true.  Good leaders don't wait for official blessings to try
things out.  They're prudent, not reckless.  But they also realize a fact of
life in most organizations: if you ask enough people for permission, you'll
inevitably come up against someone who believes his job is to say "no."  so
the moral is, don't ask.  Less effective middle managers endorsed the
sentiment, "if I haven't explicitly been told 'yes,' I can't do it," whereas
the good ones believed, "If I haven't explicitly been told 'no,' I can."
There's a world of difference between these two points of view.


 A Leadership Primer

Lesson 7

"Keep looking below surface appearances.  Don't shrink from doing so
(just) because you might not like what you find."

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is the slogan of the complacent, the
arrogant or the scared.  It's an excuse for inaction, a call to non-arms.
It's a mind-set that assumes (or hopes) that today's realities will continue
tomorrow in a tidy, linear and predictable fashion.  Pure fantasy.  In this
sort of culture, you won't find people who pro-actively take steps to solve
problems as they emerge.  Here's a little tip: don't invest in these
companies.


Lesson 8

"Organization doesn't really accomplish anything.  Plans don't accomplish
anything, either.  Theories of management don't much matter. Endeavors
succeed or fail because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best
people will you accomplish great deeds."

In a brain-based economy, your best assets are people.  We've heard this
expression so often that it's become trite.  But how many leaders really
"walk the talk" with this stuff?  Too often, people are assumed to be empty
chess pieces to be moved around by grand viziers, which may explain
why so many top managers immerse their calendar time in deal making,
restructuring and the latest management fad.  How many immerse themselves in the goal of creating an environment where the best, the brightest, the most creative are attracted, retained and, most importantly, unleashed?


Lesson 9

"Organization charts and fancy titles count for next to nothing."

Organization charts are frozen, anachronistic photos in a work place that
ought to be as dynamic as the external environment around you.  If people
really followed organization charts, companies would collapse.  In well-run
organizations, titles are pretty meaningless.  At best, they advertise some
authority, an official status conferring the ability to give orders and
induce obedience.  But titles mean little in terms of real power, which is
the capacity to influence and inspire.  Have you ever noticed that people
will personally commit to certain individuals who on paper (or on the
organization chart) possess little authority, but instead possess pizzazz,
drive, expertise, and genuine caring for teammates and products?  On the
flip side, non-leaders in management may be formally anointed with all the
perks and frills associated with high positions, but they have little
influence on others, apart from their ability to extract minimal compliance
to minimal standards.

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Lesson 10

"Never let your ego get so close to your position that when your position
goes, your ego goes with it."

Too often, change is stifled by people who cling to familiar turfs and job descriptions.  One reason that even large organizations wither is that managers won't challenge old, comfortable ways of doing things.  But real leaders understand that, nowadays, every one of our jobs is becoming obsolete.  The proper response is to obsolete our activities before someone else does.  Effective leaders create a climate where people's worth is
determined by their willingness to learn new skills and grab new responsibilities, thus perpetually reinventing their jobs.  The most important question in performance evaluation becomes not, "how well did you perform your job since the last time we met?" but, "How much did you change it?"

Lesson 11

"Fit no stereotypes.  Don't chase the latest management fads.  The situation
dictates which approach best accomplishes the team's mission."

Flitting from fad to fad creates team confusion, reduces the leader's
credibility, and drains organizational coffers.  Blindly following a
particular fad generates rigidity in though and action.  Sometimes speed to
market is more important than total quality. Sometimes an unapologetic
directive is more appropriate that participatory discussion.  Some
situations require the leader to hover closely; others require long. Loose
leashes.  Leaders honor the core values, but they are flexible in how they
execute them.  They understand that management techniques are not magic
mantras but simply tools to be reached for at the right times.

Lesson 12

"Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier."

The ripple effect of a leader's enthusiasm and optimism is awesome.  So is
the impact of cynicism and pessimism.  Leaders who whine and blame
engender those same behaviors among their colleagues. I am not talking
about stoically accepting organizational stupidity and performance
incompetence with a "what, me worry?" smile.  I am talking about a
gung-ho attitude that says "we can change things here, we can achieve
awesome goals, we can be the best."  Spare me the grim litany of the
"realist," give me the unrealistic aspirations of the optimist any day.

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Lesson 13

"Powell's Rules for Picking People:" Look for intelligence and judgement,
and most critically, a capacity to anticipate, to see around corners. Also
look for loyalty, integrity, a high energy drive, a balanced ego, and the
drive to get things done.

How often do our recruitment and hiring processes tap into these attributes?
More often than not, we ignore them in favor of length of resume, degrees
and prior titles. A string of job descriptions a recruit held yesterday seem
to be more important than who one is today, what they can contribute
tomorrow, or how well their values mesh with those of the organization.
You can train a bright, willing novice in the fundamentals of your business
fairly readily, but it's a lot harder to train someone to have integrity,
judgement, energy, balance and the drive to get things done.  Good leaders
stack the deck in their favor right in the recruitment phase.

Lesson 14

"Great leaders are almost great simplifiers, who can cut through argument,
debate and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand."

Effective leaders understand the KISS principle, Keep It Simple, Stupid.
They articulate vivid, over-arching goals and values, which they use to
drive daily behaviors and choices among competing alternatives.  Their
visions and priorities are lean and compelling, not cluttered and
buzzword-laden. Their decisions are crisp and clear, not tentative and
ambiguous. They convey an unwavering firmness and consistency in their
actions, aligned with the picture of the future they paint.  The result:
clarity of purpose, credibility of leadership, and integrity in
organization.

Lesson 15

"Part I: "Use the formula P=40 to 70, in which P stands for the probability
of success and the numbers indicate the percentage of information
acquired."
Part II: "Once the information is in the 40 to 70 range, go with your gut."


Don't take action if you have only enough information to give you less than
a 40 percent chance of being right, but don't wait until you have enough
facts to be 100 percent sure, because by then it is almost always too late.
Today, excessive delays in the name of information-gathering breeds
"analysis paralysis."  Procrastination in the name of reducing risk actually
increases risk.

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