“…men don’t follow titles; they follow courage.” Braveheart
Are you a courageous leader? Do you really know why people do what you say?
Okay, some of you might think it’s a stretch to call what corporate and government leaders do courageous. I’m thinking of former Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke’s recent admission that he colluded with then Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson to mislead the public and shape the government’s messaging during the 2008 Lehman Brother’s collapse in a book called – get this – Courage to Act. Heaven forbid we perpetuate the over-inflated sense of self-importance many senior leaders have. (more…)
I’m not talking about hand-to-hand, gun-to-gun, charge the hill type of courage. No, bravery in battle is not the same thing as courageous leadership. And make no mistake about it—leaders need courage to be successful.
Nobody wants to follow a coward. It’s that simple. And yes, cowardice is the opposite of courage, no matter how much that word hurts. (more…)
If we aren’t careful, we buy into the malarkey that says we can’t motivate without dinero. Hard cash. Moolah. Wampum.
It just ain’t so.
Money has its place. Zig Ziglar was fond of saying that “Anyone who says money doesn’t matter… well, they’ll lie about other things as well.” It does matter. It doesn’t motivate. Except in rare instances of some sales compensation or specific activities fully controllable by the employee. Rare instances.
The rest of the time–it’s all you. So, what to do then? How do I do the motivation-stuff? Simple–use your leadership skills and lead.
Some simple tips to consider…
Be honest and become really trustworthy. Do what you say you’ll do.
Remember always: You are not responsible for a person’s happiness.
Give praise promptly and specifically when it is due.
Root out poor management; it’s a huge drain on staff morale, adversely affecting business performance.
Address poor/non-performance quickly, fairly and unemotionally.
Give your team flexibility, and the room to do their work. Not many people work better with micro-management…
Create a compelling, energizing vision of your future.
Send handwritten notes. Thank yous, Birthdays, Company Anniversaries, or simply for motivation and/or encouragement.
Remind people that you — their leader — are there, and there for them.
Don’t complicate this stuff. It really is this easy.
When I was growing up in Luling, Texas (population ~4,500), my next-door neighbor and best friend was Randy Moore. We did everything together — played baseball together, went swimming together, even worked in his dad’s watermelon patch together. His dad’s name was Marlin.
Marlin passed away recently, and at his funeral service, the pastor described his life as chapters in a book. The Book of Marlin.
Now, working in that watermelon patch all those years, I had the opportunity to hear many chapters and pages of that book played out in real-time. Things like: Boy, that’s a good ‘un. Both sides got to get a horse to make a horse trade. …and many more.
Most of you will recognize the latter comment as the precursor to modern-day “win-win negotiations,” before being named such by some consultant selling a book. The first comment, however, bears a reminder due to its timeless simplicity. Boy, that’s a good ‘un.
Now for those who don’t know about farming watermelons, here’s a lesson: You tell how ripe they are — whether they are ready to eat at just the perfect time — by thumping on them and listening to the sound that comes from the melon. Marlin would walk that watermelon patch (earlier lesson continued — watermelons are raised in ‘patches,’ not fields or farms), thumping every third or fourth melon, listening for that special sound that would have him say… Boy, that’s a good ‘un.
Then, Randy and I would pick it up, load it into the bed of the pickup, and move on. Believe it or not, there’s a lesson for senior leadership here. It was the right time of the year for picking watermelons since we always picked them at roughly the same time. They all “looked” ready on the outside, and seemed mostly identical to each other, except for slight variations in size or appearance. Digging deeper, however… really looking inside the watermelon, told us things we couldn’t tell through simple appearance and timing. Digging deeper, we could tell if they were truly ready.
The same holds true when evaluating and assessing management talent for your organization. They may have been in the right place, at the right time. They may even have the obvious characteristics that we feel will make them successful. But if we don’t dig deeper — really analyze the person from the inside, determining motivation, propensity for future growth, and ability to manage real accountabilities — then we may miss the true indicators of readiness. The thump that tells us, not just with visual and intuitive senses, but with analytical and logical reasoning, that this person is ready.
Only then can we say, Boy, that’s a good ‘un.
Don’t just rely on appearances, tenure, or career sound-bites; assess future leaders by really getting inside them to test their ability to wear the future mantle of leadership for your organization.
Seems we can still learn things from The Book of Marlin.
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There is an old joke/fable that many of you have probably heard… it goes something like this:
One day a manager was scouring the countryside for a solid candidate, but striking out everywhere. The lions were too lazy, the elephants ate too much, the monkeys wouldn’t sit still. Those damned eagles always wanted to be in charge. This manager, beaten and depressed, dropped down and sat in the middle of a field, head in his hands.
A few minutes into his pity party (c’mon, we’ve all been there), he heard a hissing, and looked next to his foot… it was a 6-foot rattlesnake! “Hey, there,” said the snake. “I hear you need help. Just hire me, and all your troubles will be over. I’m crafty, pretty fast, and not trying to climb any ladders.”
Desert Snake close-up portrait
“Wait a minute…” said the manager, “… you’re a snake! I’ll have to check your references first.” So, the manager contacted people whom the snake had been with before, and sure enough, “You don’t have a very good reputation,” said the manager. “They all say that hiring you will just come back to bite me.”
“C’mon,” said the snake. “Those people are just disgruntled, and maybe even a little jealous. Trust your gut — you need me.”
So, the manager finally acquiesced and hired the snake, who turned out to be a super employee. The manager began thinking he nearly misjudged, and that the references were misguided. Then one day, of course, the snake simply slithered up alongside and bit the manager on the leg.
“WHAT???” cried the manager… “You promised that if I would just give you a chance, this wouldn’t happen!”
“Yes, I did,” said the snake, “but you knew I was a snake when you hired me.”
Now, the real joke is much longer (stretched out for dramatic effect), but you get the idea. In this war for competitive, competent talent, it’s easy to ignore our instincts and available proof, and succumb to the belief that, “maybe they’ll work out after all.”
Just like with mutual funds, “Past performance does not guarantee future results.” But it’s all you’ve got. If something looks too good to be true, or you are convinced through judgment, history, or instinct that it’s wrong… run away from it.
e who says money doesn’t matter… well, they’ll lie about other things as well.” It does matter. It doesn’t motivate. Except in rare instances of some sales compensation or specific activities fully controllable by the employee. Rare instances.
