Month: February 2017

People often ask me, “What are the essential attributes of leadership?”

It’s a big question — but let me borrow from something I heard from Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC’s “Hardball.” He said a political pollster told him once that every great leader need to demonstrate three things:

Motive. Passion. Spontaneity.

Motive, passion and spontaneity complement one another. A leader who is motivated, passionate and spontaneous can use these attributes to build what all leaders need: trust, that bond that links followers to the individual and the cause.

First posted on Smart Brief 8.13.2013

Working hard is a laudable American tradition, but so too is working long hours. According to the World Tourism Organization, Americans take the fewest vacation days of any nation in its report — just 13 paid days. Compare that to 42 days for Italian, 37 for French, 35 for German, and 25 for both Korean and Japanese workers.

Enough is enough. Working diligently and deliberately is a must; working through exhaustion is folly. Here are five reasons why you need to take a break.

1. Break from the routine. As much as you enjoy work, there are aspects that become routinized. The positive aspect of routine is that it sets patterns for getting things done in order and on time. The downside of routine is that it leads to staleness and sterility. Getting out of the work routine is vital to maintaining a healthy outlook on work. It can freshen your attitude.

2. Reconnect with family. Work is only one part of your day. For most executives, the most neglected part is time with spouse and children. Road trips play havoc with family life. Setting aside time to be present with loved ones is not only good for them, it’s good for you.

3. Get in touch with self. Kick back and think about where you are in life and what you want to accomplish. Ask yourself what is fulfilling about your job and use the answers to consider making changes. No matter how good things are, we can always make improvements. Also, use the time to think about how you can do more for your direct reports, perhaps starting with giving them more responsibilities.

4. Let your mind ruminate. The pace of work can be unrelenting. So many senior executives tell me that the only time they can think is on an airplane. Use the vacation as your long plane ride without the cramped seating and stuffy air.

5. Smell the roses. Make certain that your vacation isn’t so packed with activities that you don’t have time to sit and reflect.

Leaders are only a phone call away from an emergency, but by taking a break they demonstrate that a change of scenery is in order. It breaks up the work routine and allows the executive a change of pace.

The challenges facing you seldom disappear with time. But coming back to them after an absence allows you to face them with a renewed sense of vigor and purpose. Time spent away from the office may also have given you an opportunity to think of new approaches, or reconfirm your intended strategies.

First posted on HBR.org 8/31/2009

Management can sometimes be an act of faith, particularly when the people you hire have a questionable past.

One approach to giving people a second chance is to sit down with them and ask them to write about what they want to achieve and how they want to be remembered.

The savvy manager who can connect with such an employee not only gives the person a second chance, but he or she also creates an environment where the past can be put into the past and the future can be created together.

First posted on Smart Brief on 8/16/2013

When a leader — be it a president or a CEO —  huddles with a speechwriter to determine exactly what to say and how to say it, he would do well to recall the example of Winston Churchill. As Oxford philosopher Isaiah Berlin wrote in Mr. Churchill in 1940, “The Prime Minister was able to impose his imagination and his will upon his countrymen. . .and lifted them to an abnormal height.”

Furthermore, and here’s the key point, Churchill made the British people feel as if they were part of the action and vital to the cause of victory. Churchill gave voice to personal involvement, or what we might today call “engagement.” That is the challenge that every leader faces when pushing a significant change initiative.

Communication is critical to creating engagement, and toward that end I offer the four-step communications model for creating buy-in that I discuss in Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders.

1. Inform. Explain the situation in terms that are both general and specific. Generality provides context; specifics provide expectations. For example, make the case for your initiative, ask people to support it, and tell them why.

2. Involve. Once people understand the facts as well as what is expected of them, they decide to participate or not. Critical to gaining commitment is communicating “what’s in it for me” (WIFM). You must make the specifics clear, and show what people will gain by supporting your initiatives.

3. Invite. Once people understand what is expected of them, ask for their support. Never assume people will follow you until you ask them. Be specific and persistent as in, “Can I count on your support for this initiative?”

4. Ignite. This final step is not always possible but it’s one that separates the ordinary from the extraordinary. It is when you invoke, as Churchill did, the commitment of individuals to pull together for a cause greater than themselves. Excite the imagination by talking about what will happen when your initiative is a success.

Keep in mind that these steps are dynamic. That is, a leader can move from one to another and back again to inform, understand, and push for commitment. It is a fluid process that requires a combination of will, patience, and fortitude to execute.

One further point: never assume that once people buy into the process, and understand the WIFM, that you can stop communicating. That was the genius of Churchill. His speeches throughout the war years were designed to rally the British and they did that through his use of a brilliant combination of rhetoric and storytelling. Churchill made his followers feel vital to the cause.

That is the challenge facing any leader pushing through a significant change initiative. Make people feel as if they have a role to play and know why their participation matters. Asking people to become involved is essential to getting people behind the leader’s message. Doing this turns support into action.

First posted on HBR.org 9/03/2009