High Performance Leadership

What goes into developing leadership character? Values - how you choose to live your life. Ethics -- how you operate. Morales -- how you respect other individuals.  It's also willingness to learn, willingness to hear feedback, willingness to listen. Add more to that (what do you think?) and the list of qualified leaders with positive character gets small. And yet, we need leaders with character. We need leaders who will do the right thing. We need leaders who consider the needs of the whole team, organization, and (yes) planet when making decisions.  Leadership character matters no matter what you lead. -- doug smith

Leadership is more than strength and much more than power. Leading by strength alone ultimately fails. High performance leaders find balance, centeredness, subtlety. They exercise a skillful combination of clarity, courage, creativity, and compassion. And they do not give up or force the issue thru strength alone. Leading by strength alone ultimately fails. Why fail? Learn, and then do better. -- doug smith P.S. I'm still learning. How about you?

Values evolve over time. If values are ever true, they refine without denying what once was. They grow. They distill. They find ways to self-generate the results they aspire to. Here are some values I've refined into calls to action. I don't just agree with them, I expect to do them. To show them. To act on them. Sometimes it goes well, and often I fall short. The journey is a long one, so keep going. Here are my current calls to action: Be your best Stay curious Say yes! Communicate, Connect, Interact! Challenge yourself Reach out with compassion Expand your possibilities Appreciate Play nice, work hard, stay smart Learn constantly What are your values? What are your calls to action? -- doug smith

It's not always easy. We don't always succeed. There is so much distance between some of us that the easier path is to isolate, seclude, allude, and dig in. Hiding from the truth does not keep it at bay. Pretending that ignorance is fine is...not. I have often failed to understand someone -- sometimes for lack of trying enough and sometimes because they were not telling me the truth when I thought that they were. But making the effort -- that's where I rest today. It's not enough to hope I've got it right. I must work at it, dig deeper, ask better questions, and stop judging. All tough, but helpful. All the tools of love. Understanding someone is an act of love. Do you understand? -- doug smith

High performance leaders solve problems. They solve their problems and they work with their team members to solve collective team problems (because any team problem becomes a collective problem - impossible to isolate.) Using the right balance of clarity, courage, creativity, and compassion high performance leaders facilitate the kind of dialogue that challenges, encourages, cooperates, and collaborates. They talk about it. Their team talks about it. They get it done. It can be rough going solving problems. Personalities can get excited. High performance leaders find ways to remain centered. How? Of course it depends. Here are some ways to remain centered when you're solving problems: Breathe Pause Maintain respect Think creatively Consider many, many possibilities Suspend your inner judge and stay curious Trust that others have ideas as great as yours There's more to it of course. Solving problems is a dynamic, difficult adventure. But by taking the time to...

It may be natural to think of ourselves first. It's perfectly normal to look out for our own interests. But, that's different than self-centered. We need to consider others in our actions and especially in our solutions. As leaders, the purpose behind our purpose should be to make things better -- for ourselves AND for others. The strongest action is seldom the self-centered one. -- doug smith

Have you ever inherited a big mess? When I first became a supervisor, a long time ago, the people who were assigned to me did not make a cohesive, collaborative, or cooperative team. We were one hot mess of humanity, working to meet personal production goals. I could have blamed upper management for selecting that team. I could have moaned about their previous supervisors. Maybe I was too young to be cynical. What I did instead was dig in, try different things, get to know my people, and give them every opportunity to succeed as a team. I could have done better, but maybe the learning was the best outcome. We grew together as a team, and in turn mysteriously grew as professional individuals as well. No matter how much of a mess you inherited it's still up to you what you do with it. Choose wisely and you'll like what you get. And if you don't? You get to keep choosing (and working) until you do. What kind of mess have you been blaming someone else for? Isn't i...

Centered leaders remember that people are not perfect and are not surprised by their imperfections. -- Doug Smith

It's not easy. It takes a level of trust most of us are not prepared for. It requires a level of radical truth that exposes the scars and wrinkles of the world. It's this simple, and yet not easy: say what you mean, ask for what you want. Why is that so hard? We fear that others might resist our desires if they knew them. We fear we might hurt others' feelings. Or maybe, just maybe, what we truly want is not what we think we should want. Maybe it's not even in our best interest. I reflect on that sometimes. Is what I want, what I want? What case am I building for now and for the future? How will my task list look to me ten years from now? Is my agenda a secret because it's too small? I don't have the answer today. Today, I'm just a little tired of people who say they have all the answers, even in topics they clearly are not qualified to be experts in. But, can they -- should they -- express their views? Of course! Say what you mean, ask for what...

Are you asking the right questions? One of my mentors, Lester T. Shapiro, told me that the primary role of leaders is to ask relevant questions. I heard that over twenty years ago, and it is as true today as it was then. Leaders ask questions. Questions to challenge. "What was the best thing about the performance? "What could we have done to make the performance better?" "What will you do differently next time?" Questions to probe. "What stands in your way?" "When will you achieve that goal?" "When will you know when you will know?" "What would make this goal even more noble, more ambitious?" Questions to motivate. "When have you overcome something like this before?" "Who do you know who has done something similar?" "What makes you feel good about this goal?" "Who will you help the most by achieving this goal? Questions. The secret to leadership success is ask...

High performance leaders drive results without crushing people. You can be exacting, and even demanding, without being a jerk. Centered leaders realize that people work best when they are challenged, supported, and appreciated. Drive that train fast -- but don't run over anyone. -- Doug Smith

How centered are you? Don't ask me! That's the kind of humility-busting question that invalidates whatever answer I could muster up. Centered? Sure. How centered? It depends on when you ask. High performance leaders stay centered. They come off their center sometimes, sure. We all do. No one is perfect. And being centered does not imply perfection. It implies control. It conveys flexibility. It denotes composure in the face of pressure. High performance leaders maintain their composure in the face of unrelenting pressure. You know, the world that we're in. Staying centered is a practice, a discipline, and perhaps a bit of good fortune. I'm working at it everyday. How about you? -- Doug Smith

Why would anyone not support one of your goals? It seems clear to you. You know the benefit. You see the value. It's an easy choice. Why isn't it getting the support that you want? People need help. We don't always understand a goal the first time we hear it. Or even the second. Or third. We're all so busy, that for any one goal to catch our attention (especially if it's not even our ow goal) it had better be clear, creative, courageous, and compassionate. In other words, it must prepare to do bold things in a kind way. When we can frame our goals from that point of view, they seem much more compelling. People who stand in the way of your goals don't yet understand them. So make sure that people understand these keys to your goals: - the financial value - the personal value (how it effects people positively) - what makes it cool (how is it amazingly creative?) - the adventure (where's the challenge in it that makes it almost a dare?) Include...

Four types / Four strengths Since about three-quarters of the world sees things differently than you, doesn't it make sense to stay curious about their views? Three-quarters? Where does that come from? If you've ever taken a personality quiz, chances are that it plotted your personality in one of four types. Some use colors, some use words, some even use animals, but you get the picture. At one fairly simple level we subdivide into one of four types. If you fit one of the types, that means that three other types are different. Three-quarters of the world. While it might seem like a simplification, time after time it holds true. And whether it's three-quarters or some other portion, it does make sense that there are different types and different views out there. Without staying curious we miss the possibilities. When our minds are always made up -- based on our own sketchy and incomplete view of the universe -- we can miss massive opportunities. We can stay bli...

Do you ever get stuck in a negative phase? When things get rough (professionally OR personally) it can hit me right in the leadership center and throw me off kilter. That's no way to set an example and it's no way to lead. People count on their leaders to keep their focus and remain positive, even when the world is throwing a crap sandwich down the lunch box of life. Sometimes I have to talk myself into a positive point of view. When I do, it works. So if you need to, talk yourself into it. Stay positive. Given the choice between falling into the gnarly crack of negative thinking and keeping the course with positive energy, I'd go with positive. How about you? -- Doug Smith

" Leadership is based on inspiration, not domination; on cooperation, not intimidation." -- William Arthur Ward Is it possible to be a high performance leader and still be kind, compassionate, participative? Absolutely. In fact, that's the best way to sustain leadership and success -- by combining courage with compassion, clarity with creativity. Centered leaders focus on both people and results, with no compromise to either. If the pie isn't big enough, bake a bigger pie. If the solution leaves out constituents, choose another way. Leadership isn't easy - that's why so few people really rise to the call. It's essential, it's necessary, it's vital -- and it's your choice. How will you lead today? -- Doug Smith

How tight are your boundaries? When I worked at GE an expression that was popular was "boundaries". We were boundaries in our search for solutions, in our work to satisfy customers, and in our pursuit of profit. Boundaries were permeable, not insurmountable. With one exception: integrity. That was one boundary that could not be stretched, could not be crossed, and could not be ignored. But for other boundaries much of the time our sense of what the boundary is depends on our perspective. How fixed it is depends on our creativity. How cold it is depends on our compassion. How formless it is depends on our clarity. And how limiting it is depends on our courage. We need to consider all four of these leadership strengths when we find ourselves held by boundaries. Without examining our boundaries and staying curious about why they are there or what function they serve we stay stuck. Stuck is not where we want to be. To get past stuck might take creativity, and it certainly...

What do people look for in a leader? I believe that there are four key strengths that leaders must develop: clarity, courage, creativity, and compassion. As leaders we should develop these in connection with each other. I was thinking about this as I was leading a workshop on controlling chaos yesterday. When we are leading our way (and others' way) through difficult situations it is no time to be shy. It's not the time to sit back and wait for something to happen. It's not the time to get passive. High performance leaders make their expectations clear. They raise the bar. They look for people to give their best, speak up, and be assertive. It's easy to go over the edge, though. It's easy to fall into an extreme. Leaders do it frequently and are often portrayed in the media as strong and confident even though that occurs at the expense of other people's self-esteem and well being. Centered, high performance leaders do not lead and achieve at the expense ...

Just because someone tries to give you a problem doesn't make it yours. Leaders get shoved problems all the time. Because your good at solving things, people are inclined to help you with more work. Do you really want more work? One of the first jobs of a high performance leader is to develop the people on the team. Teach them to resolve conflict. Train them to solve problems. Help them achieve their goals (but don't achieve them for them). It takes more time. It takes more patience. It's the centered, high performance approach to leadership. Building your team frees you up to stay strategic. Building your team makes your team not only more effective but also happier. Isn't that what you want? So the next time you see a little reverse-delegation heading your way, cut it off at the pass. And pass it right back. -- Doug Smith

We are the giants that are so dependable. We have risen from the ground,weathered the seasons and the storms. We stand tall against all skies, the bright blue ones and the ones that are grey and daunting.  Yes my friend,we are as the mighty oaks. Beautiful and majestic and vital in a very special way.  -- David Spiegel Do you have a mentor? Is there an older person in your life you trust who can guide you and coach you as you work on your goals? I've been fortunate enough to have worked with some strong and bold mentors. They haven't always been older than me. Sometimes a great mentor is younger than you, and when you get to be my age, it's highly likely than many younger people can provide expert advice, guidance, and coaching. In fact, most of the best coaching I receive now comes from people younger than me. Here's my point. Whether the guidance and feedback comes from someone older, younger, or the same point, don't disregard it. Think it over. Evaluate i...