The Leadership Advisor

Character and Leadership in Egypt

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 14:53:00 +0000

The unfolding events in Egypt are a powerful and present reminder of the need for character in leadership. To be sure President Mubarak's character has been evident over his 30 year reign. The problem is that his character does not reflect the character of his people or take advantage of the best Egypt has to offer the world.

Leadership that relies on fear and control eventually comes to an end at the hands of the captives. Only at that time does the dictator try to placate the people with small reforms that have little meaning.

My hope for Egypt is that its greatness will be renewed through leaders that possess the character and leadership that Egypt deserves.

Everyday Courage

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 01:04:00 +0000

One of the greatest benefits of the times in which we live are the stories of inspiration and courage that cross our paths every day. I have mentioned before that I find myself most challenged with the element of courage in my leadership and my personal life. Perhaps that is why I am so captured by stories of courage in others. Early in the month I shared on our Facebook page the story of Katie Jeter. She has demonstrated profound courage in pushing past the obstacle of disease and amputation to continue to play her favorite sport, hockey.

What I see in Katie is an ability that takes many leaders years to develop - the courage to firmly push past obstacles and boldly seize opportunities. I am grateful for Katie’s example of personal courage. I know this same quality will permeate her leadership for years to come.

As inspiring as Katie’s story is, what about leaders who don’t find themselves in the type of personal or professional challenge that requires bravery? Is it possible that the type of courage that leaders must demonstrate is more mundane? Is it possible that it takes courage just to get up and face the ordinary challenges of the day?

I think we may focus too much on the extraordinary and miss the courage demonstrated by leaders each day. I saw two demonstrations of courage in leadership this month in our own practice.

One day early in the month I had a rare opportunity to drop in on a friend who is the CEO of a local organization. The company he leads has been through the depths during the recent recession, and although they have found the bottom, they are still struggling on a daily basis to overcome the effects of the economic downturn. Throughout this decline, my friend has stayed in his role despite the fact that he could move on at any time to a much more desirable situation. He has persevered not because he is dedicated to the company and the industry but because of his sense of responsibility to his team. This type of courage to keep on is an inspiration and epitomizes the courage to lead captured in The Character of Leadership model.

The second situation of courage comes from a new client. I was asked to provide coaching to an executive in need of some new abilities to lead her team. I don’t do a lot of individual coaching but was inspired when I chatted with this new client. What I loved in our conversation was her passion to learn new skills, to see her organization from a more strategic perspective, and to tap into a coach to expand her ability. It takes courage to ask for and implement help.

Even though we can see a great demonstration of courage in Katie’s story, let’s not overlook the courage of everyday leadership: the courage to stick with an ailing company because it is the right thing to do, or the courage to learn and grow.

Leadership Action

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 15:30:00 +0000

It is the action, not the fruit of the action that is important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there will be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result. Mahatma Ghandi

The Character and Leadership of Parents

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 22:04:00 +0000

The following essay was written by my friend Kent Oram. He has graciously allowed me to share it with you. It is a wonderful testament to the power of character and leadership in parenting. Enjoy.

Honor and Action

My parents passed away during 2010. It has been interesting, challenging, and enlightening. I am aware of the importance our decisions have not only on our lives but on the lives of those around us. Never has this truth been more evident than it is as I consider the lives of my parents.

Until the day he died, my dad said "I am who I am.” If I work diligently, someday I might measure up to the life embodied by those simple words spoken by that simple man.

My mother said "be satisfied with what you have and who you are. If you want to change one of those, work on who you are."

They were imperfect people who raised imperfect children. They lived humble lives and were never pretentious. Their hard work and example shows those who knew them the pathway to real happiness is not lined with possessions or riches. It is lined with memories of a life where principles and beliefs are aligned with actions. Knowing they had faults helped them focus on capitalizing on their strengths. They called it “determination.”

If you asked them to do something, you never had to worry or follow-up.

Once in a very great while, you would hear a benign curse fall from their lips. Always, you would witness immediate regret for ill chosen words.

They had no difficulty determining right from wrong. At the same instant, they were not judgmental and always full of love. Now and then, I would hear “I love you but not what you are doing.” There was no dichotomy in those words when spoken by my parents.

They had their sight on a target. Like all humans, their vision was obscured now and then. Unlike many humans, they fought with all the fervor they could muster to regain their vision of their goal as quickly as possible and move towards it again. Their pursuit of their life’s goal was relentless.

I will miss them but I have their example to follow. Perhaps, if I work at it, 40 years from now, someone can write something like this about me.

Now, why do I write this to my friends? Recently, it has been troubling to watch as some around me struggle. Some behaviors are simply out of harmony with beliefs. Some attempt to offload accountability and find they cannot. One cannot talk about dignity and respect during the day and mock those values during the night.

As I have reflected, I have thought of my own imperfections. Together, let us resolve to align our actions to be more in harmony with our beliefs. Let us be kinder and gentler. Trust and be trustworthy. Be humble. Seek to make a positive difference in the lives of those who surround us at work and at home. Live a life we can happily hope others will follow.

I will follow my own advice and honor my parents’ legacy through my actions. What will you do?

Fallow and Fertile

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 13:02:00 +0000

It is my habit to listen to NPR when I am traveling. This week I caught part of an interview by Terry Gross of Fresh Air with Bruce Feiler. The point of the interview was Feiler's book The Council of Dads but during the interview the subject of rest came up.

It used to be the practice of farmers to let their fields lie fallow every seventh year. This year of rest would regenerate the land and allow it to be more fertile. Today, many farmers supplement the land with chemicals and nutrients to maintain productivity. This artificial fertility allows production to go on uninterrupted by rest.

If the land needs to be fallow to be fertile how much more do we need rest to be productive?

What Kind of Leader Am I?

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 14:00:00 +0000

The following question came to me after this person had completed The Character of Leadership assessment and received the situation worksheet. I thought it was a great question.

I thought after filling the questionnaire I would be placed as maybe a democratic leader, autocratic or whichever. In other words my question is what kind of a leader am I?

Here is my response:

That is a great question. I tried to stay away from the notion of classifying leaders into groups and rather pose a model that would have leaders contemplate their character components. One of my overriding principles is that leadership must fit the context in which it is demonstrated. Consequently I wanted to make sure I was not too prescriptive in what should make up a leader's character but rather to challenge leaders to consider that for themselves.

For instance there are certain leadership norms in the United States that would not translate well into another society. My hope is that organizations around the world will tailor the behaviors inside the model to fit their particular situation. Having said that I did want to provide leaders a model that would allow them to contemplate their character and leadership.

I hope that helps. If you want to explore this further just let me know.

Anthony Graves' Courage, Hope and Justice

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 12:33:00 +0000

Last week I heard a stirring radio story about Anthony Graves. Anthony spent 18 years behind bars including 12 on death row for a crime that he did not commit. Beyond the obvious indictment of a justice system involved in this story the evidence of courage, hope and the eventual justice done by the current prosecutor are inspiring.

I encourage you to read the story in Texas Monthlyhttp://www.texasmonthly.com/2010-10-01/feature2.php and then to watch the post prison interview http://www.texasmonthly.com/multimedia/video/home/15314 of Anthony Graves. You will be inspired but his grace, hope and his own sense of doing what is right even when it was difficult and potentially could have cost him his life.

The Character of the Senate Race in Illinois

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 16:40:00 +0000

Yesterday I watched Meet the Press. This is a program that I have watched intermittently for a number of years. Sitting in my office, working in the quiet of Sunday morning I listened casually as David Gregory introduced the program’s content. The program yesterday consisted of a debate between the two candidates, Mr. Kirk and Mr. Giannoulias for U.S. Senate in Illinois. I did not give the debate my full attention until Gregory turned the questions to matters of character. Mr. Kirk has been accused exaggerating his military record and Mr. Giannoulias accused of making loans through his family owned community bank to known mobsters.

Since these are not the typical matters of Senate races I paid attention to how each answered. Mr. Kirk took complete responsibility for the exaggerations of his record stating that it was his fault and no one else’s. He also stated he loved this country. However he did not answer the deeper question, why had he exaggerated his military record.

Mr. Giannoulias was asked directly if he had known that certain borrower from his bank were known members of the mob. His response was “I didn’t know the extent of their activities.” Again he did not answer the question implied buy not stated by David Gregory. To what extent did you know their activities.

Missing from each gentleman’s answers was a the frankness to answer directly how these mistakes happened, the circumstances within which they happened, and whether they would do the same thing again. We had a powerful glimpse into the character of each candidate yesterday and one can only hope that when the Illinois voters cast their ballots on November 2 that one of the choices will be “none of the above.”

280,690

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 16:13:00 +0000

We released The Character of Leadership: An Ancient Model for A Quantum Age one year ago and it has been a great year. I did not set expectations for the book and the model but I had hopes for its acceptance. Having learned over the years to moderate expectations I relied on my hopes as a way providing motivation to put The Character of Leadership Model in the hands of 100,000 people in one year. We established several channels through which we could pursue that goal. Those channels consisted of:

Web site
Book sales
Assessments
Speeches and presentations
Published articles in trade publications and newspapers
Our newsletter

Through those channels as we finish our first twelve months we have placed the model in the hands of…drum roll... 280,690 people in 90 countries and territories. The best part of these numbers however is that momentum is building for the model. I have four speaking engagements in the next month and two speaking engagements already booked for 2011. Book sales are increasing, free assessments have increased substantially and the reach of the model has expanded with sales in Australia and a recent conversation about translating the book for use in Uganda and Rowanda.

My purpose with this information is twofold; first to thank you for your support and encouragement. This year, when I became discouraged someone would call, send a note or comment that some aspect of The Character of Leadership had made a profound difference in their leadership.

My second purpose is to ask for your help. We have found a reception in the lives of leaders with our proposition that the fuel for great leadership is great character by offering a prospective and positive model for developing character and leadership. You can help me by telling your colleagues how to engage with The Character of Leadership, writing a book review on Amazon or Barnes & Noble, inviting me to speak to your groups and recommending organizations that would like to adapt and adopt this model as a way of forming the character to lead.

Today more than ever I am convinced that the challenges we face are not economic, environmental, social or legal; they are challenges of character and leadership. Let’s work together to meet those challenges with the expansion of The Character of Leadership. Let me know where and how I can help.

Thank you for your support. I am looking forward to another great year for The Character of Leadership!

The Guy with the Matches

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 14:24:00 +0000

Last week there was a media frenzy surrounding the firing of Department of Agriculture employee Shirley Sherrod. The news has covered what happened but has not focused on who started the fire. In his article for the Detroit Free Press, Mitch Albom rightly indicts the man responsible, Andrew Breitbart. He lit the situation on fire with an irresponsible portrayal of a good person as a racist. This was certainly a demonstration of Mr. Breitbart's character. Unfortunately, not the type of character we want emulated by leaders.

As I read Albom's article I was struck by how much character mattered in this whole situation and how it is that only person that displayed the character to lead was also the victim. Shirley Sherrod was composed, collected and clear as she dealt with the situation. She was was the picture of character under fire and yet maintained her dignity and integrity throughout. That is the character we should foster in leaders across America.

Well done Shirley and thank you for the great example of character.

The Value of Values

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Mon, 31 May 2010 03:11:00 +0000

Values that serve us well are enduring principles that enable us to maintain our integrity and self-respect no matter the circumstances. Effective leaders routinely exhibit positive, constructive values in their words and deeds, even when the going is difficult.

In healthy organizations, values aren’t merely words on a poster or in a brochure. They are alive in the organization. You see these values at work everywhere you look. When actions run counter to the organization’s values, everyone knows.

We value the things we give most of our time, attention, resources, and reinforcement. This holds true for us as individuals and for our organizations.

What values drive your thinking and behavior? What are your organization’s real values? Are these values all they should be?

The Leader's Lack of Vision

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Mon, 31 May 2010 03:10:00 +0000

Leaders may feel compelled to have a vision because they believe it’s what they’re supposed to do, or they may avoid a vision because they believe it has no real value.

Stephen Covey described vision as “seeing the end from the beginning.” Vision is a clear statement of what an organization seeks to become over time through the collective efforts of its members.

Many leaders mistakenly believe that everyone expects them to determine the vision alone. In fact, very few leaders single-handedly envision their organization’s future. As a leader, your job is to work with your team to collectively determine this future state of being. Creating the vision together develops unity and commitment.

Commitment

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Mon, 31 May 2010 03:09:00 +0000

Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi said, “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their field of endeavor.”

The same can be said for the quality of teams and entire organizations. That means leaders must inspire people to commit to be their best instead of merely complying with minimal performance standards.

Inspiring commitment requires creating conditions in which people choose to devote themselves to individual and collective excellence. Such an environment explicitly encourages, reinforces, and rewards optimal performance.

In the end, people commit themselves to a team or organization when they believe their leaders value them and the best they have to offer. They have to know that their best matters. The leader’s challenge is to show them it does.

Wisdom

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Mon, 31 May 2010 03:09:00 +0000

Wisdom is an important leadership characteristic, but one that we may not sufficiently recognize or value. The mere mention of the word can conjure up images of white-haired old men telling tales to bored faces. However, cultivating wisdom is essential to productive living and leading.

Wisdom is applying our accumulated knowledge to life. We become wiser over time as we learn to discern reality from fantasy, and what works from what doesn’t. Wisdom is developed by people who learn from their failures and successes.

People tend to follow individuals they believe to be wise. The wise leader demonstrates thinking that is simple, common sense, and practical. The wise leader cuts through the noise and gets to what really matters in dealing with life’s challenges.

The Competent Leader

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Mon, 31 May 2010 03:08:00 +0000

Competent leaders are known for the proficiency they’ve acquired in some field of endeavor. Their proficiency typically includes a relatively high degree of technical knowledge in their area of expertise. More importantly, they realize that it’s their ability to accomplish objectives through the competency of others that defines them as an effective leader.

These leaders are comfortable with what they know and with what they don’t know. They aren’t interested in being “know-it-alls.” To the contrary, they need and want to rely on others for the more complete set of skills and perspectives required for an organization to perform optimally in pursuit of its goals.

Competency among leaders is the ability to inspire, develop, support, reward, and reinforce people in the organized quest for a worthy end. Competent leaders recognize that success is not about them; it’s about the people they lead.

Communication

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Mon, 31 May 2010 03:08:00 +0000

Communication is the continual process through which we relate to other people. It’s the way we exchange ideas, feelings, knowledge, and information. It’s how we build relationships of trust and respect.

Successful leaders communicate both to share their perspectives and to understand the views of others. These leaders build trust and respect by demonstrating interest beyond themselves and their own agendas.

This give-and-take works best when people interact face-to-face in an environment where all views are respectfully sought, heard, and understood.

A significant percentage of a leader’s time should be spent consistently communicating with people to understand, teach, motivate, and reinforce.

Composure

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Mon, 31 May 2010 03:07:00 +0000

People expect their leaders to remain composed, calm, and steady, particularly in times of tension or crisis.Even the most passionate leaders must exhibit steady, reassuring behavior, even when pressing circumstances make self-control difficult.

Composure means keeping a level head, focusing on what needs to be done, and preventing emotions from overwhelming the organization’s guiding principles, competence, and common sense.

The composed leader projects confidence, even when she’s not feeling all that confident. She becomes a calming influence. Even when she’s unsure, a leader must display faith in her ability and that of her team to succeed. Such composure may very well be the glue that keeps the team together and functioning.

Press On

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Mon, 31 May 2010 03:07:00 +0000

For some, courage is a trait they must call upon often in their lives. For others, it is a recently discovered characteristic they weren’t sure they possessed.

Whether it’s long-standing or newly discovered, courage -- the ability to press forward through our fears and doubts toward a worthy goal -- is an essential characteristic of leaders. People tend to follow individuals who display the courage to overcome obstacles.

You can develop courage by examining your fears and understanding them. Then put your fears in perspective by measuring them against the value of the goal you seek to lead others to achieve.

Courage is not being fearless. Courage is moving forward in spite of your fears.

Credibility

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Mon, 31 May 2010 03:06:00 +0000

Credibility is essential to developing a reputation for personal integrity and trustworthiness, fundamental attributes of all effective people and their leaders. We build credibility with others over time by consistently doing what we say we’ll do. The phrase, “walk the talk,” means we routinely behave in harmony with our stated values and intentions.

Maintaining an unbreakable link between our actions and words doesn’t mean people will always agree with us. It does mean that people can rely on us to do as we say and believe. People look for this kind of reliability in the leaders they follow.

Credibility can take time to build, but it can be lost in a moment when our actions don’t match our words. Take care to protect your credibility. No one can lead without effectively it.

Focus

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Mon, 31 May 2010 03:02:00 +0000

The German author and scientist Goethe said, “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”

Myriad people, challenges, and tasks may vie for our attention and resources. Leaders must focus themselves and their organizations only on the truly important, setting aside the less important and unimportant. Stephen Covey describes this prioritization process as “putting first things first.”

Consistently focus on the relative few things most relevant to your purpose, mission, and values. Resist the temptation to elevate the priority of less important seemingly urgent matters beyond their real impact on your success.

Focus often requires leaders to display the discipline, courage, clarity, and commitment to challenge institutional “sacred cows” and popular notions. This leadership competence is as essential as it is difficult and unpopular. Without focus, individuals and organizations lose their way.

The Power of Listening

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Mon, 31 May 2010 02:59:00 +0000

You may have heard it said that we have two ears and one mouth because we are expected to listen twice as much as we talk.

Listening is an essential leadership skill. People truly follow you only if they believe you respect and care about them. Nothing demonstrates greater respect and genuine interest in others than listening to understand their needs, concerns, and views.

By disciplining yourself to listen carefully, you can build the trust that enables you to be an effective leader. With trust established, those you seek to lead are more likely to consider what you have to say.

How much time do you spend listening instead of talking?

The Power of Influence

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Mon, 31 May 2010 02:59:00 +0000

The words “influence” and “power” have similar definitions, but very different effects when leading others. Power makes people comply; influence leads them to commit.

Influence suggests persuading, encouraging, and reasoning with others to both think and behave a particular way. Influencing convinces people to believe in a particular action.

Power based on position, connections, or resources may control someone’s behavior, but not their thinking or beliefs. People may do what we say because they fear our power over them. Power may make people comply with our wishes, but they’re not likely to commit themselves until we influence their hearts and minds.

Make sure you’re not using power when influence would be more effective.

Motivation

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Mon, 31 May 2010 02:58:00 +0000

Dwight Eisenhower said, “Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.”

Effective leaders positively motivate others to achieve goals, overcome obstacles, and develop capabilities.

They motivate first and foremost by consistently demonstrating positive inspiration in their own words and actions, setting an example others want to emulate.

These leaders help others aspire to the best in themselves, including a belief in their abilities and in those of their teammates. They focus individual and group efforts on goals worth reaching, challenging themselves and those around them to work collaboratively for the common good.

And when the going gets rough, motivational leaders remain calm and constructive, keeping themselves and those around them on course toward their destination.

Perseverance

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Mon, 31 May 2010 02:57:00 +0000

Winston Churchill said it best, “Never, never, never, never quit.”

Perseverance is a trait of all great leaders. Leadership is a much about tenacity as it is about talent. Leaders who create a legacy are not those whose paths are uncluttered. Just the opposite, the best leaders have completed quests replete with trials and tribulations.

Whether you were born a leader or learned to be one, consistently exude the will to go around, through, over, or under the obstacles in your path. No matter how many or how daunting the challenges between you and a worthy goal, great leaders never quit.

Whether you’re leading an entire organization, a team, your family, or your own life, make perseverance a defining quality of your leadership legacy.

Development's Master Key

noreply@blogger.com (Phil Eastman) — Mon, 31 May 2010 02:56:00 +0000

Realistic self-awareness is essential to leading organizations and your own life. Self-awareness is how you see yourself, and how others view you. These differing perspectives can lead to reactions you never intended.

For example, the people around you already know your shortcomings. What they don’t know is whether you’re aware of them. Once you indicate that you are aware of your deficiencies, the door is open to developing more honest, effective relationships of trust, respect, and understanding.

Reflect on your strengths and also on your weaknesses that might hinder your full leadership potential. Seek constructive criticism. What you learn will enhance your self-awareness, focus your personal improvement efforts, and open lines of communication, important goals for any effective leader.