|
If You Lead, Will They
Follow?
By Sue A. Murray
Copyright 2003
Introduction - I know that at this point, you are tired of lectures,
so this will not be one. I'll keep it short and sweet. Of course,
when I gave the inaugural lecture of the new entrepreneurial
program here at UD, my 45 minute lecture went over two hours,
but that was just because the students had SOOOO many questions.
Besides, Blake will "gong" me if I go over my allotted
time.
Well, here you are on the brink of attaining a great milestone
in your life. I imagine it was hard for most of you - it certainly
was for me, trying to juggle home, work and school. Some of
you will use your skills to rise through the ranks of the corporate
business world. Some of you will start your own businesses and
build your dream. Some will return to their homeland to put
their new skills to work for their family and country. All are
admirable pursuits. In the next few years, many of you will
rise through the ranks due in part to hard work, the education
you just completed and desire. But once you attain a position
of leadership - will the people you lead be happy and willing
to follow - or will you be a one-person parade? If you are their
leader, why aren't they following?
There are many types of leadership. There is leadership through
fear and intimidation Good examples of this style of leadership
are Idi Amin, Osama Bin Laden and Sadaam Hussein. There is also
leadership by inheritance or tradition. Some examples of inheritance
that come to mind are the British royal family, the Kennedy's,
and the Bush family (of course, Barbara is the real leader there).
The military is a good example of traditional leadership - generals,
admirals, etc. - their rank implies leadership. If you think
of military leaders, typically you would think of Patton, MacArthur
and Colin Powell. There is also leadership by position or expertise.
People who fall into this category would be doctors, lawyers,
judges, and athletes. It might also include folks like Alan
Greenspan. The last category is leadership by agreement or acclaim.
You would include elected leaders, church figures (the Pope,
Mother Teresa) and those individuals who earn a position of
leadership through their actions and the respect of their peers
and employees.
There have been many great leaders. Throughout history, you
find references to many impressive leaders, both male and female.
Those that easily come to mind are figures such as Washington,
Jefferson, Lincoln - but we must also not forget the heroic
leadership of simple folks like Harriett Tubman - a tiny, poor,
illiterate wash woman who, in the 1850s, guided over 300 people
to freedom in the underground railroad. She was fondly called
Moses by the people she served. More recent world figures that
come to mind might include Ghandi, Lech Walensa and Nelson Mandela.
Even in Texas we have had a few great leaders over the years,
starting with the leaders of the Alamo. The men there followed
their leaders straight into the jaws of death. How's that for
leadership? I'm not sure my staff would be so accommodating……
But more recently, we have Amon Carter, The Bass brothers and
Barbara Jordan - all leaders in their own right. If we turn
to the business world, we have a plethora of leaders, starting
with Henry Ford and moving forward to the likes of Lee Iacocca,
Jack Welch, Bill Gates, Herb Kelleher and Michael Dell. You
can probably think of many more.
So, think about the leaders you admire. What do they have in
common? What traits do they exhibit? How did they get to their
leadership position? There has always been a debate about whether
leaders are born or made. When I studied psychology in undergraduate
school, the big debate was nature or nurture - which is basically
the same question. Personally, I like the comment from John
Maxwell, a leading author on leadership. When asked if leaders
are born, he always answers "Yes, of course they are…..I've
yet to meet one who came into this world any other way!"
So, do leaders run in families? Thinking about the Rockefellers,
Kennedys and Bushes, you might believe so. But not all the family
members were leaders. In a lot of cases, it is more a desire
to serve or to emulate their parents. Some feel obligated to
try to be leaders because they feel it is expected of them.
Many military families go through this experience. But many
times, those that come from a family of leaders may not be personally
suited for leadership and ultimately, they fail.
What researchers have found is that leadership ability depends
less on birth than on learned skills. For example, when I was
growing up, I was shy and introverted in school. Even though
I got good grades, I wanted to hide, not lead. I was not encouraged
to be a leader, and in fact, obstacles were often put in my
way. But as I grew older and more confident in my abilities,
I saw that it was possible, but I knew I had a great deal to
learn. Personally, I think great leadership is a combination
of personal traits and solid education. There are a few innate
traits that you must have to be a good leader. One is common
sense. I know a lot of people who are book-smart but common-sense-dumb.
The other is your ability to feel, to relate to people. Without
other people, whom will you lead? Most great leaders also were
born with a good sense of intuition (of course, in a woman it
is highly developed!) You will also need to develop a good set
of morals and values. Some of this is intrinsic; more develops
as you mature.
So, to be a good leader, you need to start with a solid foundation
of common sense, intuition and morality. From there, through
education and experience, you build your leadership and personal
skills. You have made the first crucial step by attending this
university and graduating here tonight. But there is so much
more. Even now, I attend five to six seminars and conferences
a month. I readily admit that there is still much I do not know.
But I actively try to be a better leader and person by learning
as much as I can. There is no shame in admitting you do not
know something. People will respect you more for owning up to
it. Just try to learn from every situation, even mistakes. You
will find that much of leadership is learned by interaction
with your peers, family, employees and friends.
What makes a great leader, then? Well, there are three basic
characteristics. The first is principles - your values and ethics.
You must communicate them to others and live them every day.
If people do not respect you and your principles, they will
not follow you. The second characteristic is vision. To have
goals, engage in planning and prepare for every situation. It's
rather like a chess game, thinking many steps ahead and gauging
what your opponent might do. When you demonstrate this ability,
people believe in you and admire your foresight. The last characteristic
is the ability to energize your followers. This is accomplished
by sharing your ideas and goals with them, making them a part
of the picture. Being their teacher and mentor, respecting them,
bringing out the best in them while letting them know you care.
Don't be afraid to let them see you are human and make mistakes;
they will be able to relate to you more. And in all this, keep
a sense of humor and have some fun. Trust me - you'll live and
be around to lead longer if you do.
All of this sounds pretty simple - right? But it is amazing
how many books have been written on the subject and how many
examples there are of bad leadership. Here's one example of
principles and values. There is a company whose main tenets
are communication, respect, integrity and excellence. Sounds
great, right? Who would not want to work for a company with
those principles. Well, the company who has them is…. Enron.
You cannot open the business section of the paper without seeing
another scandal. Everyone from perfect Martha Stewart to Anderson,
Tyco, investment firms and now Boeing. When will it stop? What
kind of leaders are these?
Ok, how about vision? In the 1960s, Thomas Watson, head of
IBM, predicted that the world would need only five mainframe
computers. Or later in the 1970s, when IBM said they could not
see why individuals would ever need a personal computer. Gee,
Bill Gates and the guys from Apple did not look at it that way,
and see what happened! Instead of a chicken in every pot, we
now have a computer in almost every home, sometimes more than
one.
Now for the last characteristic - energizing your followers.
We have many good examples. There is Ghandi, with his civil
disobedience that led India to self rule in 1947, Martin Luther
King and his March on Washington and even Herb Kelleher who
was honored on boss's day in 1994 with a full page ad from his
employees, thanking him for listening to them and being supportive.
All of these people were not only leaders, but also teachers
who could share their vision and get buy-in from their followers
and employees.
You will make mistakes as you grow your leadership skills.
Just look at "G. Dubya". His faux pas are legendary.
The stuff Letterman thrives on. But he can also admit his mistakes,
select talented people to help him and build on a strong set
of values. Do I make mistakes? Sure - everyone will. But I learn
from them, try to correct them, adjust company policies and
move on. Trust me - this is tough to admit for a Virgo who is
a born perfectionist.
Now, before I close, I would like to share some of my favorite
quotations on leadership.
Eisenhower - "You do not lead by hitting people over the
head - that's assault, not leadership"
JFK - "Leadership and learning are indispensable to each
other"
Peter Drucker - "Management is doing things right, leadership
is doing the right things"
Ralph Nader - "The function of leadership is to produce
more leaders, not more followers"
John D. Rockefeller - "Good leadership consists of showing
average people how to do the work of superior people"
Anon - "A real leader faces the music, even when he doesn't
like the tune"
Eisenhower - " Leadership is the art of getting someone
to do something you want done because he wants to do it"
Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf - "Leadership is a combination
of strategy and character. If you must be without one, be without
the strategy"
Anon - "Blessed is the leader who seeks the best for those
he serves"
Margaret Thatcher - "Being in power is like being a lady
- if you have to tell people you are, you aren't!"
Anon - "A good leader inspires others with confidence in
him; a great leader inspires them with confidence in themselves"
Manual on military leadership - "Good leaders develop through
a never-ending process of self-study, education, training and
experience"
Charles Lauer - "Leaders don't force people to follow -
they invite them on a journey"
To summarize, I would like to share a few observations:
Choose the principles of leadership and live them every day.
Bring your personal values to work.
Remember, leaders shine in a crisis because they planned well
(just think about the leaders that came forth during 9/11).
Values are the glue that holds the team together.
If people respect you, your values and your vision, they will
follow.
Take the time and effort to give back to the community.
In closing - if you have respect for yourself, respect for
others, and you earn your followers' respect by demonstrating
strong ethics, principles and integrity, then the next parade
you have will be well attended. Thank you.
Contact Information
Phone: 817-251-5046, 800-668-0943
Fax: 817-251-5073
E-mail: educorp@educorptraining.com
2020 W. Northwest Highway Suite 108
Grapevine, Texas 76051
|
