Notes on 'Leadership' from the book, "True North" by Bill George

I recently finished reading the book, "True North" by Bill George, former CEO of Medtronic. It was a great learning experience because it relates directly to real life experiences and shares the wisdom of over 125 leaders with varied experiences. I started consolidating some profound notes and felt they had to be shared. Here we go!

True North is the internal compass that guides you successfully through life. It represents who you are as a human being at your deepest level. It is your orienting point - your fixed point in a spinning world - that helps you stay on track as a leader. Discovering your True North takes a lifetime of commitment and learning.

* The difference with authentic leaders lies in the way they frame their stories. Their life stories provide the context for their lives, and through them they find their passion and inspiration to make an impact in the world.

* ..the worst thing people can do is to manage their careers with a career map...being flexible and venturesome in stepping up to unexpected opportunities..

* Your development as a leader is not a straight line to the top but a journey filled with many ups and downs.

Ann Fudge (Young & Rubicam CEO): "Don't worry about the challenges. Embrace them. Go through them even if they hurt. Tell yourself, there is something to be learned from this experience. I may not fully understand it now, but I will later. It's all part of life, and life is a process of learning. Every challenging experience develops your core of inner strength, which gets you through those storms. Nothing worth doing in life is going to be easy.........Leadership is leaving something lasting, whether it is how you treat people or how you deal with a problem."

Jeff Immelt (GE): "Nobody wants to be around somebody going through a low period. In times like that you've got to be able to draw from within. Leadership is one of these great journeys into your own soul."

* The key to learning from failure is to avoid denial and be honest with yourself.

Mike Baker (Arthrocare): What matters is not how often you have been on the canvas, but whether you get up, how you get up, and what you learn from it.

* The role of leaders is not to get other people to follow them but to empower others to lead. They cannot elicit the best performance from their teams if they are in the game primarily for themselves. In the end, their self-centeredness keeps other people from leading.

* When you become a leader, your challenge is to inspire others, develop them, and create change through them...Only when leaders stop focusing on their personal ego needs are they able to develop other leaders.

* Your journey to leadership is likely to take many unexpected turns. Life is full of challenging situations, including ethical dilemmas, midcourse career changes or burnout, seemingly intractable interpersonal challenges with colleagues, marriage and family issues, failures and loneliness. At times, you may feel you are losing your way or have gotten off course..Getting back on track alone is very difficult. That is when you most need your support team.

* Have you defined what success means for you and for your life? Unless you have thought through the answer to that question, you are at risk of letting others define success for you or trying to keep up with their definitions of success.

Ann Moore, CEO of Time, Inc.: "Follow your compass and not your clock."

Andrea Jung, CEO of Avon: ...Achievement was less about getting all A's and more about trying."

Anne Mulcahy, ex Chair & CEO, Xerox: "I get things done by identifying with the people in the company and by trusting them. I care most about building a good team to lead the company."

* Feelings of despair among leaders are quite common, but most do not have the courage to admit it. In times like these, you need the support of your colleagues.

Some of the things leaders do to gain the respect of their colleagues:
* Treating others as equals.
* Being a good listener.
* Learning from people.
* Sharing life stories.

Empowering people to lead:
* Showing up
Showing up at important events or at unexpected times means a great deal to people and enables them to see their leaders as real people.
* Engaging people
The most empowering leaders are those who engage a wide range of people. That means being with them face-to-face....and being open and vulnerable with them.
* Helping teammates
Merck CEO Roy Vagelos: "People love to have involvement of the leader. They feel you want to help them and are part of the solution."
* Challenging Leaders
Often, the most empowering response is to challenge people's ideas, to ask why they are doing something a particular way, and to help them sharpen their ideas through dialogue.
*Stretching People
Most people want to be stretched in assignments that enable them to develop. The leader's key is to sense when people are ready for such challenging experiences. Yet it is also important for your team to know that you will be there to support them if necessary. Just knowing you have support from your leaders if things go wrong is very empowering. It enables you to recognize that you will not be hung out to dry, so you can take on stretch goals and significant challenges without the fear..
* Aligning Around a Mission
Individuals usually have their own passions that drive them. If the leaders can demonstrate how they can fulfull their purpose while achieving the organization's mission, the alignment can occur.


As you think about your leadership style and power, ask yourself these questions:
* Is your leadership style consistent with your leadership principle and values? Is it even inconsistent?
* How do you adapt your style to the circumstances facing you and to the capabilities of your teammates?
* How do you optimize the use of your power in leading others?

* If you simply adopt an organization's normative style or try to emulate someone else's style, your lack of authenticity will show through. Under pressure and stress, leaders tend to revert to their least attractive styles - from being highly directive or passive aggressive to completely withdrawn.

* Authentic leaders understand they need power to get things done, but they learn to use it in subtle ways. They prefer to persuade others to adopt their point of view or to build a consensus rather than forcing subordinates to go along with them. In so doing, they win trust, loyalty and support of their teammates. That in turn leads to better decisions and a higher level of commitment to shared goals.

* In leading, you must always understand the situation in which you are operating, as well as the performance imperative. You should also think carefully about the kind of relationship (dependent, independent, interdependent) you want to have with your teammates and what type of relationship will enable your team or organization to achieve its business imperatives.

You cannot find the fulfillment of leadership by observing leaders from the sidelines...You have no choice but to get in there and get your face marred by dust and sweat and blood. That is what life and leadership are about...The fleeting symbols of external gratification will vanish like the wind. What will remain are the memories.

Learnings From My Cross-Cultural Experiences

Working and living across countries/cultures may present great opportunities but at the same time, they hold numerous challenges. Ability to manage across cultures is a competence that is becoming really important as the world gets flatter and more companies decide to go global. Adapting and succeeding in a very different culture are not easy. Some people choose to be oblivious of this topic and that impacts personal and professional growth. Though there're numerous studies and research articles on this topic, I would like to share some of my key learnings, personal experiences and observations. This list is neither comprehensive nor listed in the order of importance.

1. Respect
Being sensitive to and noticing some of the key threads in norms and behaviors in the new environment within and outside office is an important starting point. This helps to understand how things work and what's respected in the new setting. Many of the norms would be very different and may seem strange initially. The global professional needs to be respectful of the differences and try to understand the background with reasoning. Respecting individuals and cultural norms is a critical factor in adapting to any new culture.

Communication is key to avoiding misunderstandings. Many times during initial stages of interactions, it's useful to explain the reason behind doing or asking for something that impacts others. This avoids confusion and helps to build trust especially in the initial stages of relationship building.


2. Flexibility/Openness
This is vital for success in a different cultural setting. There is a possibility that one may feel insulted or not respected in some instances. Chances are that everyone may not be aware of the nuances about other cultures and interaction styles. Stephen Covey's teaching, "Seek first to understand, then to be understood" is a very useful advice to keep in mind while interacting with people from a different culture. In other cases, someone may just not be respectful or culturally intelligent. This could lead to frustrations. Being flexible and open helps to build a working relationship and trust. In my opinion, the burden of responsibility falls on the global professional to tackle an unpleasant situation with emotional maturity and intelligence. It's very useful to have a positive 'forgiving' and 'forgetful' (unpleasant events) attitude - easier said than done.

3. Coping with the unknown,fear of failure and patience
There're a lot of unknowns in a new environment. I'm not sure if anyone is perfectly comfortable facing unknowns. Finding information through formal and informal channels is very helpful to put one at ease. One has to also find appropriate ways to cope with stress related to uncertainties and the new environment. There may be different approaches for different people. Hobbies and avenues for entertainment provide useful options. People generally do take a certain period of time to adjust and feel comfortable in a new environment.

Even if one has good competencies, there will be mistakes along the way. On the other hand, fear of failure can inhibit people from trying out or getting exposed to new things. The normal tendency may be to stay within one's comfort zones. There will be misunderstandings. Having lots of patience to understand, learn from mistakes, adjust and work one's way through multiple and varied scenarios is important.

One of the leading experts in this field Fons Trompenaars advises, "We need a certain amount of humility and a sense of humor to discover cultures other than our own; a readiness to enter a room in the dark and stumble over unfamiliar furniture until the pain in our shins reminds us of where things are." Management guru Tom Peters writes, "If you come to another's turf with empathy, sensitivity and open ears - what the Zen masters call 'beginner's mind' - you're halfway home".

How We Manage Through Tough Times, As Individuals & Leaders

This is my first blog post since March. I've been thinking a lot during the past few months about leadership during tough times and our own individual behaviors. Many of these thoughts come from my observations, experiences and are relevant to what's happening in the world today.

It is during tough times that we get tested personally on multiple fronts:
* Our core values.
* Our emotional intelligence.
* How we care about, treat and support our key stakeholders - both in personal and professional lives.
* How well we prepare for the future (will be ready to run at high speed when things get better?) - both mentally and physically.
* Most importantly, our perseverance and ability to rebound from tough situations.

As we know, life consists of ups and downs. We'll live in a fool's world, if we believe things will continue to be good or bad. Additionally, there will always be some things that worry us. Kahlil Gibran's quote is so good to remember, especially during tough times - "Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens".

What really matters is that we don't lose focus during the tough times, fight adversity with "stubborn perseverance", refuse to give up and work towards possible solutions.

From a leadership perspective, some of the most important behavioral things that a leader can do during very difficult times is not just be realistic but more importantly followup the realism with encouraging the organisation and being optimistic about future potential. Optimism is contagious when it comes from a trusted individual. Being a 'cheer'leader and building focus, energy level and high hopes for the future are equally important elements. Most times, the followers feed on the energy of their leaders. This is of course not easy to do as leaders themselves will be going through a tough phase. Leaders should always remember that every single move, especially during tough times is keenly observed by the rest of the organisation. What they do, talk about, and how they behave have a big impact on the organisation.

In the long run, leaders leave a legacy and are more remembered for how they got things done, not just what. I strongly believe that in today's world, without the first, the second is not sustainable.

Authentic Leadership

Just finished reading the book, 'Authentic Leadership' by Bill George, former Chairman and CEO of Medtronic.

Here're some great inputs from the book:

* Authentic leaders are guided by qualities of the heart, by passion and compassion, as they are by qualities of the mind. Others follow them because they know where they stand.
* The one essential quality a leader must have is to be your own person, authentic in every regard. Being your own person is most challenging when it feels like everyone is pressuring you to take one course and you are standing alone.
* It is important that you develop a leadership style that works well for you and is consistent with your character and your personality. Over time you will have to hone your style to be effective in leading different types of people and to work in different types of environments.
* Being true to the person you were created to be means accepting your faults as well as using your strengths.

Authentic leaders demonstrate five qualities:
1. Understanding their purpose: Passion
2. Practicing solid values: Behavior
3. Leading with heart: Compassion
4. Establish connected relationships: Connectedness
5. Demonstrating self-discipline: Consistency
Acquiring the five dimensions is not a sequential process; rather, leaders are developing them continuously throughout their lives.

* At some time in your journey you, too, may find yourself in a crucible that tests you to your limits. In this crucible you learn who you really are and what you want to become. Having survived, you will know that indeed you can take on any challenge and come out of it a better person for the experience.
* Leading an authentic life requires openness to all that life has to offer and a willingness to go with the flow of life.
* There are simply no shortcuts to creating long-term shareholder value. Sustainable growth cannot be achieved by a series of short-term actions. Real value can only be created by the hard work of dedicated, motivated employees that develop innovative products and services, establish intimate customer relationships, and build organizations over an extended period of time.
* The key is having people around you who complement your weaknesses and make up for your lack of experience.
* To overcome the many barriers to market leadership, it takes leadership committed with passion for its mission, with a singular focus and commitment to succeed.
* Innovations result from employees with a passion to make a difference in the lives of their customers. By appealing to the hearts of employees, leaders can aspire them to creative results.
* Companies that put their customers first and empower their employees to serve them will inevitably provide greater growth in shareholder value than those corporations that focus primarily on getting their stock price up.
* As a leader, you have the task of engaging the hearts of those you serve and aligning their interests with the interests of the organisation.

Making a difference in the lives of others can bring unlimited joy. Leading a life of significant service can bring unlimited fulfillment. Sharing yourself with others authentically can bring unlimited love.

"The Talent Lie" - Three features of the corporate structure

The following notes are from an article by Ed Lawler in the "Strategy+Business" Summer 2008 issue - he discusses how organisations can walk their executives' talk when it comes to the management of their talent. Many of these points have been discussed in the past by leading HR thought leaders like Dave Ulrich.

* The market value of most companies depend in large part on intangible assets, the most important being human capital.
* Many businesses need workers to perform complex work at a high level.
* Outstanding talent is scarce, and it can be a critical source of competitive advantage.
* When executives say people are important but the organization's practices and structures do not reflect this view, the unspoken message seems to be contradictory.

Three features of any corporate structure that clearly show whether management truly believes in the importance of human capital:

1. Corporate Board
* The board of directors should have access to both the expertise and information needed to understand talent issues at all levels of the organization.
* A board should have atleast one member who has a sophisticated understanding of the research related to human resource management, organizational effectiveness, succession planning, and learning and development.
* Board members should receive regular information about the condition of an organization's talent - and the way it develops and deploys that talent.
* It is particularly important that corporate boards spend time on succession planning for top-level management positions. The board should have up-to-date, in-depth knowledge of what executive talent is available and how well developed it is.
* Good analytic data showing how HR metrics relate to organizational performance should be present.

2. HR Department
* HR should contain some of the top talent in the company, along with the best information technology resources.
* HR should be a valued expert resource when it comes to strategy development, change management, organization design and talent management.
* The function should be staffed with individuals who understand the business - and the intricacies of human capital strategy and management systems.
* Strong HR analytics and a 'decision science' process should be adopted.

3. Information Systems
* To be effective, a human capital information system needs to track the contribution of people to the organization's most critical and strategic objectives. It needs to measure the condition of the organization's competencies and capabilities, especially those that are needed for superior performance.
* The HR department should have IT resources that will enable it to produce the kind of comprehensive, real-time quantitative data that can be used by leaders to make fact-based decisions about talent management.
* HR leaders should not just generate and analyze the data, they should apply it to the most critical decisions.

Source: "The Talent Lie" by Edward E. Lawler III, strategy+business, Issue 51 Summer 2008, Pg 38-42.