Layoffs abound. Pfizer, a pharmaceutical giant, recently announced 8,000 job cuts. Home Depot, the biggest home improvement retailer in the U.S., said it will eliminate 7,000 jobs. Even the State of California is letting 20,000 go. The economy lost 2.6 million jobs last year, the most since 1945, and it shows no signs of improving in 2009.

Large companies are hemorrhaging. General Electric Co., a bastion of the economy, posted a 46 percent drop in fourth-quarter earnings. Aetna Inc., the third-largest U.S. health insurer, reported a 57 percent drop in profit. Coca Cola, American Express, and J.C. Penney…the list goes on.

Small businesses are similarly feeling the pain. So too are non-profits, where corporate and individual charitable givings are down significantly while demand for services such as employment assistance, food banks, and shelters are growing.

It’s tough out there. For everyone.

Your employees, no doubt, are feeling the pressure along with you, adding to the challenges you face as a leader. At the very time when you need your people most focused, productive, and engaged, anxiety and stress preoccupy their attention.

Worried about their future with the organization, people gossip and commiserate around the “water cooler,” discussing “what’s really going on with the company,” reinforcing a downward spiral of negativity and pessimism. As job cuts become a real possibility, morale plummets and productivity declines. Following a layoff, those who remain are often overburdened with work and worried that they are next on the chopping block. Stress mounts, and people begin to forget facts and appointments, miss deadlines, and exhibit poorer judgment in their decisions.

What is a business leader to do?

The answer: provide highly effective leadership at all levels of the organization – leadership that keeps employees engaged, focused, and productive in the midst of turbulent times.

Here are seven leadership responses that will help you provide that kind of leadership:

1. Pay attention to the messages you are sending.
   During high stress times, trust in your leadership is challenged. Your employees question your messages, wondering whether you are telling them the truth or have a hidden agenda. They monitor your level of confidence and your attitude towards the crisis. Even if you don’t express it out loud, what you believe and feel will leak out through your behavior. It is what you do, not what you say that employees tune in to.So, take a good look at your own beliefs and feelings (anxiety, anger, fear, etc.) around the challenges your organization is facing. You may need to work hard at reframing your concerns and worries into positive talk and galvanizing action. Focus on a positive vision for the post-crisis world. Stress to your employees what is still working, highlight your company’s strengths, and proclaim your confidence in your people. Finally, remember that the decisions that senior leaders make must be perceived as fair to all. It is very difficult for employees to see co-workers let go while executives maintain their pay levels and perks. Pain needs to be shared between all in tough times – and it must be perceived as shared.
2. Make the tough decisions quickly but don’t just react.
   Times of economic crisis do require tough decisions. Reducing the number of employees may be absolutely necessary. The same holds true for deep budget cuts, reducing spending, letting go of non-core parts of your business, or cutting back on training.Once you make a tough call, announce and implement it as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the normal company grape vine will go into overdrive. Rumors will spread with lightning speed, with little concern for getting all the facts straight. Anxiety will spike, resentment build, commitment decline and that all-important trust will rapidly erode.

   This said, pressure and worry can prompt us to “just do something.” The temptation is to go into reaction mode and not think about the long-term impact of our decisions.

   This is particularly true with layoffs. Reducing head count as a first response to crisis undeniably saves money, but it can be costly in other ways, including:

   • the loss of good people
   • increased anxiety and resentment on the part of those still employed
   • greater stress from increased workloads
   • lower levels of serviceSmart leaders use layoffs as a last resort. First, take a good look at alternative measures such as reduced work weeks or job sharing. This will boost employee goodwill, loyalty, and commitment – the very elements you need during an economic downturn. Wise leaders act, they don’t react.
3. Focus on the vision.
   The effective leader is able to pursue her vision in the midst of adversity. There are three key elements to this.First, she balances crisis-driven short-term decisions with her long-term, strategic objectives. This ensures that the organization both survives (in the short run) and is positioned to take advantage of better conditions when they arrive.

   Second, she uses her vision to be alert to opportunities that may arise in the midst of the crisis. For example, if delivering an outstanding customer experience has been part of her competitive strategy, diverting precious limited resources to maintaining that level during the downturn will garner even deeper customer loyalty, securing her competitive advantage in the long-term.

   Third, she and her leadership team provide direction and hope to her employees by continuing to emphasize the vision. This frees up workers psychologically to focus their energy on the work that needs to be done today.

4. Keep people informed.
   Based on a genuine desire to protect your people from anxiety and keep them focused on their tasks, it is tempting to hold back information about what difficult decisions you are planning on making, or on how the firm is really doing, or who will be impacted by your decisions.Yet, communicating openly, frequently, and as candidly as possible has never been more important. During difficult circumstances, employees want and need to feel a closer connection to their leaders. People prefer difficult news to no news.

   So, ramp up the degree and frequency of communication. And make sure it’s two-way! Here are a few suggestions:

   • Increase your leadership team’s visibility and accessibility. Walk around more than usual.
   • Use email, company intranets, newsletters, and other means to keep people in the loop.
   • Hold town-hall meetings, department meetings, and lunch discussions to provide a format for people to ask questions and have their emotions and concerns heard.
   • Acknowledge, without minimizing, what you hear about what they are feeling.
   • When people grossly exaggerate the likelihood of a negative outcome, calmly suggest that the possibility is very remote.
5. Involve people with today.
   The busier people can be, the less they will be inclined to dwell on worries and “what if” thinking. So keep a shorter term focus than normal:
   • Recognize and celebrate small victories and accomplishments, even completed pieces of a larger project. It builds morale and creates a sense of momentum and progress.
   • Place special emphasis on places where people touch the customer.
   • Encourage employees to look for opportunities everywhere to do things more efficiently or try something new. This keeps everyone thinking about “what’s possible, instead of “what’s wrong.”
   • When you hear someone complaining about something, gently reframe their thinking by first acknowledging, “Yes, it is frustrating.” Then, ask them, “what can you do about it?” You are refocusing them on things they can either influence or control. This builds their sense of empowerment.
6. Demonstrate caring – even when letting people go.
   In global research conducted by the Towers Perrin group, the number one driver of high employee engagement is a sense that the leaders of the company genuinely care about the well-being of their employees.1When you must lay employees off, how they are treated is crucial. Those who remain will respond to the thoughtfulness and caring demonstrated in your downsizing process with increased commitment to your organization. People know tough times require tough actions, but they want to know that their former colleagues have been treated with as much consideration as possible.
7. Invest in your leaders and key players.
   It is easy to ignore your best performers during tough times, relying on them to do their jobs while you focus on managing the crisis. This is a mistake. If your A-players feel ignored or taken for granted, they may consider greener pastures elsewhere, either during the downturn or certainly when times are good and competitors come calling.Make sure that you stay connected to these individuals, keeping them enthused about their prospects with your company and about the organization’s future. Due to their professionalism, top performers may not complain to you, but rest assured, they experience the same anxiety and doubts as your other employees do.

   As for your top leadership team, spend some time, perhaps in a low-profile retreat meeting, to build cohesion so that team members address their own fears, affirm their belief in the enterprise, speak with one voice and together commit to successfully bringing the organization through the dark times to a brighter future ahead.

   Coach your mid-level managers and supervisors on how to talk to their direct reports when negativity, resentment and despair arise.

   Taking care of your leaders and your top talent will give your organization an immediate and enduring edge over your competition – who may well be floundering, searching frantically for a tactical solution to turn things around in the short run.

In Conclusion

Tough times do end. That’s the good news.

But until they do, effective leadership is one of the few keys you have to surviving and ultimately thriving.

These seven leadership responses offer a roadmap to navigating this tumultuous environment and arriving at the best possible destination on the other side.
1 Towers Perrin White Paper, Managing Amid Market Turmoil: Top Priorities for Business and HR Leaders.

Yet, the key to the oak’s imposing stature is what lies beneath the soil out of view–its root system. And the oak’s root system is just as impressive as its visible features.

As an example, the California Valley Oak’s taproot can reach 60 feet deep, to search for groundwater. Some of its roots extend out more than twice the drip line. The oak tree’s extensive root system anchors it against storm conditions and allows it to absorb water and nutrients from the soil. Its roots are the source from which the visible tree’s greatness springs.

What the roots are to the mighty oak, six particular characteristics are to great leaders. Like roots, they may be invisible to the eye, but they are the true source of an exceptional leader’s actions. If these unseen leadership roots are not sunk deep in the soil of one’s life, the results will reveal themselves in visible leadership that is at best stunted and at worst diseased. Great leaders grow deep roots!

Integrity

Ultimately, you’re not a leader if no one is following. In other words, exceptional leadership requires a climate of trust where people give you their wholehearted commitment. And nothing destroys that trust faster than a perception of hypocrisy and duplicity. Thus the importance of integrity.

Integrity means that the inner and the outer aspects of a person’s life form a unified whole. That what you project in public is essentially matched in private. That your stated values actually govern your behaviour. That your word is your bond.

Integrity is cultivated and maintained by making repeated decisions to live up to one’s values and commitments. It’s often difficult. Frequently inconvenient. And we certainly do and will make mistakes. But over time, people need to see that we are basically trustworthy.

No integrity = no trust. No trust = no followers.

Vision

Great leaders are captives. They are captivated by a clear sense of purpose and they rally others around that purpose. Vision involves having a clear picture of a meaningful future that you are committed to and passionate about creating.JackWelch

In the words of Jack Welch, GE’s noted CEO, “The leader’s unending responsibility must be to remove every detour, every barrier to ensure that vision is first clear, and then real.”

To do that, leaders must feel the vision deep within. Great leaders have a deeply rooted sense of vision. Exceptional leaders do not so much possess a great vision as they are possessed by a great vision.

Concern

Great leaders have a deeply rooted concern for those whom they lead. Effective leaders care about the success of others. They care about the well being of those in their charge. They do not use people as simply as a means to an end. They genuinely want others to develop to their full potential.

Concern has both a soft and hard side. Sometimes it requires a gentle touch, bringing hope and renewed commitment to discouraged followers. Some times it involves demanding that others be accountable for their actions so that they are stretched and pushed to be their best. What binds the two sides together is a genuine desire to see others achieve their best while achieving the organization’s goals.

People will follow leaders whom they sense genuinely care for their wellbeing – even to the ends of the earth. Ask Ernest Shackleton. After leading an expedition to the Antarctic in which his 27 crew members faced eighteen months of extreme challenges and the constant threat of death, 8 of the crew signed up to do it all again when Shackleton organized another Antarctic expedition a few years later. What motivated them to risk their lives again? Those who kept journals commented on Shackleton’s genuine concern for the lives of his men. They wanted to be around someone who really cared for those he led.

Creativity

“I’m not creative.”

This lament is one I have heard time and time again from leaders, executives and managers. I don’t believe it!

Part of the problem is how we define creativity. Creativity is often thought of in terms of artistic expression in music, writing or the visual arts. These certainly are expressions of creativity, but they are not the only ones. As an aspect of leadership, creativity is often expressed in problem solving.

In the movie Apollo 13, there is a scene where a number of engineers are given an assortment of objects and told apollothat these were all the pieces of equipment that were available to the astronauts to fashion a filter that would purify the air of carbon dioxide. The engineers’ task was to create such a filter from items that were never intended for that purpose within a short period of time so that the astronauts could replicate it. That demands creativity!

Our situations may not be quite as life-and-death. But the challenges facing business leaders today—global competition, constant technological change, finding and keeping high performers, mammoth customer expectations, to mention just a few—demand creative leadership responses.

Creativity is natural. Current thinking by creativity researchers contends that the question is no longer, “Are you creative?” but rather, “How are you creative?” Our challenge is to discover and honor and develop our natural creative energies. One very useful resource to discover and develop your form of creativity is a book by Marci Segal, Creativity and Personality Type.

Results-Orientation

Effective leaders have a results-orientation. Ultimately, leadership is about taking people somewhere and accomplishing something. Results are determined situationally, but ultimately, results are what define whether a leader is successful or not. Being liked, being right, being recognized, or being secure are ultimately unworthy and ineffective ends for a leaders. True leaders are committed to worthwhile results and govern themselves and their people with these results in mind. It is this orientation that pushes leaders to be creative in solving problems, to subordinate their lesser motives, and to persist in the face of obstacles.

When it became obvious to Ernest Shackleton that the original objective for his expedition—to be the first team to cross the Antarctic from sea to sea—was no longer achievable, he replaced it with a more significant goal: the safe return of all 27 crewmen to England. Shackleton’s commitment to this result governed all his decisions from that point on. His attention to group morale, shelter, and physical provision were part of this. The risks of actions were weighed against risks of inaction in getting everyone home. Everything was filtered through the grid of achieving this result.

So effective leaders have a results-orientation. But the best leaders understand that in most situations the best way to get results is through people. That’s why the “Concern” characteristic discussed in a previous paragraph is one of the six character roots. People will respond positively to an emphasis on results when it is tied to a concern for them as individuals. If people feel they are merely a means to a leader’s ends, minimal effort, resentment, resistance, and perhaps ultimately sabotage are likely results.

Courage

Leaders are often called upon to take courageous actions. Confronting poor performance, deciding who to lay off, announcing unpopular decisions, implementing change that will cause significant distress for people, staying optimistic in the face of problems, and advocating on behalf of your followers to those above you in the chain-of-command are a few of the myriad ways in which great leaders demonstrate courage.

Examples of courageous leadership are the stuff of legends and movies. One of my favorites is the portrayal of William Wallace by Mel Gibson in the film, Braveheart. Wallace’s stirring words to his fearful followers, quaking in the presence of the English army, “They may take away our lives, but they’ll never take away our freedom,” were coupled with a willingness to lead his men into battle. His courage inspired and fortified the resolve of his countrymen ultimately leading to a routing of the English forces.

Our acts of courage may not be so grandiose or visible but they are still fundamental to being an effective leader.

Cultivating the Soil

The six characteristics we have explored— integrity, vision, concern, creativity, results orientation, and courage—are to leadership what the roots are to the oak tree.sixcharacteristics

Roots are a system. They form an integrated whole that together supply the nutrients which the tree needs to survive and prosper. In the same way, all six characteristics must be present and healthy for maximum leadership effectiveness. To the degree that any one of these is absent or poorly developed your leadership will be stunted or ineffective.

So, the final step is to do some self-analysis and lay out a plan of personal development. When you have identified your strengths and areas of development you need to find ways to maximize your strengths and work on your weaknesses. One of the best ways to do the latter is to find a mentor who is strong in the areas of your weaknesses and have that person give you some coaching.

Having surveyed the root system, let me discuss briefly the type of soil in which the oak tree of leadership greatness grows best. You will see from the diagram above that there are two primary nutrients necessary for optimal soil conditions.

The first of these is self-awareness. Daniel Goleman, author of Working With Emotional Intelligence, says of self-awareness:

Self-awareness serves as an inner barometer, gauging whether what we are doing is, indeed, worthwhile….Choices made in keeping with this inner rudder…are energizing. They not only feel right but also maximize the attention and energy available for purusing them.i

Being deeply aware of your core psychological needs, values, talents, character strengths and weaknesses, as well as your preferred styles of interacting, learning and decision-making is critical for personal and interpersonal effectiveness. Great leaders, like healthy trees, are both deeply rooted and highly flexible. In fact, it is the very strength of the root system that determines how flexible and adaptable the visible tree is in stressful or stormy conditions. Leadership roots grow best in soil rich in self-awareness.

Personally, I have found personality type to be the most powerful and practical lens for developing deep self-awareness. In coming to understand my innate temperament pattern, interaction style and preferred cognitive processes (three key aspects of someone’s personality type), I have discovered powerful truths that have guided my personal development and interpersonal effectiveness. As an introduction to these three aspects of your personality type, I can recommend nothing better than three books by Dr. Linda V. Berens: Understanding Yourself and Others, An Introduction to Temperament; Understanding Yourself and Others, An Introduction to Interaction Styles; and The 16 Personality Types.

The second key nutrient for leadership sustaining soil is self-leadership. Self-leadership builds on self-awareness. It takes the knowledge of one’s self and transforms it into wisdom for action. Self-leadership is all about making choices to shape one’s own destiny. It involves a proactive, rather than reactive stance towards one’s own development and maturity. It involves assuming, at a very deep level, full responsibility for one’s life and future.

One of the sayings that I have posted above my office desk are the words of Stephen R. Covey, “The best way to predict your future is to create it.”ii That is a self-leadership perspective. Developing the six character roots of an effective leader is neither accidental nor easy. But a great leader accepts the responsibility to grow them and resolutely pursues their development.

Conclusion

Technology continues to evolve at breakneck speed. Global trade continues to expand. Social, political and environmental problems threaten stability and safety. Great leaders are needed now more than ever in business, government, and our communities. Will you accept the challenge to grow these six roots? Will you do whatever it takes to cause your oak tree of leadership to flourish, offering its shelter and strength to those around you.

©2009 Scott Campbell

i Daniel Goleman, Working With Emotional Intelligence (New York: Bantam Books, 1998.), pp. 57-8.
ii Emphasis mine.

On October 27, 1915 Ernest Shackleton gave the order to his crew of 27 men to abandon ship. The goal of his expedition—to be the first team to cross the Antarctic continent from sea to sea—had long since been abandoned, replaced by the determination to return all his men back home to England alive. Shackleton and the crew of the Endurance had already endured 281 days of entrapment in an ice floe, including 70 days of pitch-black darkness—the long Antarctic winter night. Now, their ship had been crushed beyond repair, forcing them to abandon its shelter and relative comfort. This small band was left hundreds of miles from the nearest community, with no means of communication, with no one knowing their whereabouts, and with very little material resources.boat

Three lifeboats, camping-gear, dog sled teams and several months worth of food rations were all the supplies they were able to salvage from the Endurance. Attempts to drag the lifeboats across the ice to open water quickly failed, forcing them to set up camp and wait for warmer weather to break up the ice sufficiently for them to set sail for the whaling station on South Georgia Island. On November 17th, they watched in dismay as the ship Endurance sank beneath the ice. During the six months of encampment on the ice floe that followed, Shackleton worked relentlessly to keep his men hopeful, focused, positive and cooperative. Ice floe soccer games, Saturday evening sing-a-longs, a clear and regular daily regimen for all and regular personal time with each of his men were some of the methods he used to accomplish this.

By April 9, 1916 the ice had disintegrated to the point where they could launch the lifeboats. So began an attempt to sail to a whaling station on South Georgia Island, the nearest inhabited place. Gale force winds, however, drove them westward instead of east, forcing them to land on the deserted and desolate Elephant Island some 800 miles from South Georgia Island.

Undaunted, Shackleton and a crew of 9 took the largest lifeboat in a second attempt to reach South GeorgiaLaunchingTheJamesCaird2 Island. After 3 weeks at sea, encountering colossal waves that threatened to overwhelm them, sleeping in freezing wet sleeping bags, and struggling at times against near hurricane strength winds, they managed to land on South Georgia Island – only on the wrong side of the island. Unable to row the boat around the southern tip of the Island due to the relentless strengths of the wind, Shackleton and two of his crew decided to climb over the mountains and glaciers and walk 17 miles to the whaling station – something never before accomplished.

Two days later, after experiencing bitter cold days, sleepless nights and a descent of more than 900 feet in less than three minutes by sliding, like children, on their coiled ropes and hoping for a safe landing, Shackleton and his two crewmen straggled in to the whaling station. So haggard and disheveled did they look at this stage that when two small boys playing outside saw them approaching, they ran screaming into the whaling station absolutely terrified. Without taking any rest, Shackleton led a rescue party to pick up his men on the other side of the island. As soon as possible, Shackleton took a ship to rescue his remaining crew on Elephant Island. As he approached the island, Shackleton demonstrated his profound concern for the men under his leadership by yelling, “Are you all well?” On hearing the reply, “All safe, all well,” he responded, “Thank God.”

Shackleton may have failed in his initial objective—to traverse the Antarctic—but he succeeded famously in his greater goal – the safe return of all 27 of his crewmen.

Knowing now a small piece of this incredible journey allows us to appreciate better these words from Sir Ernest Shackleton’s diary:

“Optimism is true moral courage.”

People will follow leaders who demonstrate it. Eight years later, when Shackleton mounted another expedition to the South Pole, in spite of all the dangers and difficulties they previously experienced, eight of the crew members from the Endurance expedition signed up to do it all over again. One of the recurring themes in the surviving diaries kept by several men during the Endurance expedition was the remarkable constancy of Shackleton’s positive outlook and the courage and strength which his men drew from it. These men wanted to follow Shackleton because he lived the words, “Optimism is true moral courage.” And our people will follow us – to the edge of chaos if necessary – if we demonstrate the same.

Some of us who find ourselves in positions of leadership are fortunate that we are by nature optimistic. We may have blips of negativity, moments of discouragement and despair, but we tend to rebound fairly quickly. But for many of us, optimism does not come naturally. We are more prone to negative, pessimistic outlooks and responses. The good news is that optimism can be learned. Here are two suggestions from Dr. Martin Seligman, author of Learned Optimism.

First, identify your specific pessimistic beliefs. Negative beliefs are often rooted in learned helplessness and as such, can be unlearned. But often they go entirely unnoticed in our minds, consequently, disempowering and defeating us without any opposition. So the first step in overcoming pessimism is to become consciously aware of the specific beliefs and assumptions causing it.

LearnedOptimismSecond, dispute with yourself the validity of these beliefs. You can do this in several ways. You can examine the factual evidence for a negative interpretation you have made or conclusion you have reached. It may be that your conclusion is based more on assumptions or mistaken information rather than what actually happened. Additionally, you can re-assess the expected consequences of the facts involved so you don’t catastrophize them, blowing them out of proportion and discouraging yourself in the process. Finally, even if your facts and interpretation of their consequences lead to a negative conclusion you can reconsider the usefulness of dwelling on them. While your thoughts may be technically accurate, they may in the long run be self-defeating, such as a bomb demotion expert dwelling on the fact that the bomb could go off and kill him/her. Such beliefs, while true, may cause the individual to shake and shiver, thus increasing the likelihood that the bomb will blow up!

However, we do it, do it we must. We must learn to be optimistic when leading at the edge of chaos. Our people need us to. And when we do, they will follow us to the edge of chaos and through the chaos to the calm, order and triumph on the other side. And then, like Sir Ernest’s men, they will sign up freely to do it all over again, just for the chance to be serving with us, and following our leadership—even when it takes them to the edge of chaos.

©2009 Scott Campbell

It’s 9:01 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, Friday, May 18, 2001. I am writing this on an Air Canada plane flying from Toronto to Los Angeles. I will be spending the next two days working with Dr. Linda Berens. Linda is one of the leading theorists in North America regarding personality type. She heads Interstrength Associates, an organization devoted to promoting the understanding and ethical use of personality type.

At the end of June, I will have the privilege of co-facilitating a 2-day training session with Linda at this year’s Annual Meeting of the Association of Psychological Type in Minneapolis. We will be teaching the methodology of the Interstrength Self-Discovery Process™. During the next two days we will be planning our 2-day session. We will also, no doubt, spend a lot of time theorizing and dialoguing about the wonderful world of personality type.

I am, to use Interstrength’s terminology, a Catalyst in temperament. Catalysts are driven to find and live out a deep and meaningful purpose for their lives. We also feel driven to help others discover their true potential and purpose so we can make this world a much better place to live. If you are gagging at this point, that suggests that yours is not likely an Catalyst temperament. Nevertheless, I encourage you to read on!

My Idealist nature may explain why I was so struck by Orison Marden’s words, quoted at the beginning of this article. I read them about ½ hour ago in Robert K. Cooper’s new book, The Other 90%. I would like to suggest that you read this quote again before continuing.

“Slumbering powers.” It’s a marvelous phrase. It conjures up in my mind the image of a sleeping giant. Awesome power, but quite harmless until awakened.

Marden suggests that this tremendous untapped leadership potential exists in each of us. “Forces that would revolutionize their lives if aroused and put into action.”

Is he right?

Or is he merely an idealistic Pollyanna? A hopeless, if well-intentioned, romantic?

Well, let me ask you to consider two questions.

First, have you ever been surprised – amazed even – at the uncharacteristic leadership demonstrated by a companion in responding to a crisis? Perhaps it was the fierce love and boldness your normally timid partner displayed when arguing for adequate treatment for your critically ill child. Perhaps it was a friend’s dogged refusal to give up on their dreams when their personal world came crashing down around them. Maybe it was a flash of creative genius from an otherwise normally less-than-inspired colleague that solved a crucial problem at work.

Whatever the specifics, these moments provide a glimpse of the inner leadership potential of that person. They are a glimpse of their slumbering powers awakened momentarily to confront and overcome life’s challenges.

Here’s the second question. Have you ever been surprised, perhaps amazed, at the uncharacteristic leadership you displayed in a trying situation? Maybe it was your child who was ill, your personal world that came crashing down, or your workplace problem. Perhaps your triumphant response left you wondering where that ability came from!

Upon reflection all of us can answer, “Yes,” to these two questions. Our affirmative responses suggest the truth of Marden’s words.

Slumbering powers exist in all of us. But is it only unforeseen crises that can arouse the giant? Are we destined to live mediocre lives with only occasional flashes of brilliant leadership, temporarily and unpredictably called to the surface for unplanned momentous events?

I believe the answer is, “NO!” We can choose to awaken our sleeping powers, to rouse the giant of our true leadership potential and accomplish more good in the world than we ever dreamed possible

But let’s not kid ourselves. In a world where mediocrity is the norm, where the quest for excellence and greatness is often derided, where our dreams of truly making a difference in the world are cynically trashed, a decision to do what it takes to awaken our slumbering powers may be mocked and resisted by those around us (sadly, often by those closest to us).

And yet, if your heart is stirred by Marden’s words as is mine, I beg you not to let sleeping powers lie. More than ever, the world needs truly great people serving truly worthwhile purposes.

It seems to me that the lifelong journey of awakening more and more of our slumbering powers is well served by three things. I will call them the ABC’s of awakening.

AWARENESS

The first is personal awareness. You need to be aware of where your true potential lies – and where it doesn’t.

I don’t subscribe to the common self-help platitude that you can be anything you really want to be. For almost all my life I have desperately wanted to be much more detail oriented. I have spent a lifetime of missing road turn-offs, forgetting where I put things, missing typo’s on important documents, not noticing exactly how high things are (my head has the scars to prove it!). I have desperately wanted to and tried repeatedly to change.

I haven’t.

My personality type make-up and wiring condemns me to a life of missing details and paying the price for it! I try to compensate for it, but I will never be a master of the minutiae. My slumbering powers exist in a different realm (please notice I said different not superior). My area of true potential, my slumbering powers will be consistent with and the development of my natural talents as an Idealist personality.

This means that I need to be aware of what I can become and what I can’t. I need to stop trying to be what someone else thinks I should be, or what I think I’d maybe rather be and instead accept my true self and my true potential.

Awakening your slumbering powers is similar to an acorn “awakening” to the realization that it will one day be a towering, mighty oak tree. It is foolish for acorns to wish they were pine, willow, or palm trees. Wishing won’t make it so. The acorn needs to accept it’s unique make-up and strive to unleash all of it’s inner potential to be the magnificent oak it was intended. The world needs and benefits from many varieties of leaders, just as it needs and benefits from many varieties of trees.

Understanding personality type is an incredible aid in gaining awareness and acceptance of your true potential. Personality type doesn’t define everything about someone’s unique potential. It operates more like a compass, giving you a basic orientation regarding your particular slumbering powers.

BELIEF

Beyond an awareness of where your “zone of potential” lies, you will also need a deep seated belief that you can access and develop your leadership potential. Many around us will think this pursuit naive, misguided, narcissistic or perhaps even dangerous. So, we may face opposition or ridicule.

believeBut perhaps the greater problem is our own belief that the pursuit will not yield anything of consequence. We may fear ending up disappointed, disillusioned, and discredited by such a quest. Couple our inner disbelief with the outer lack of support, and it is easy to get stopped without ever starting.

How can we overcome this inner denial? How do you develop a deeply-rooted, unshakeable belief that it is possible to be a vastly more effective leader than you currently are, that great slumbering powers lie within and can indeed be roused to revolutionize our lives and the lives of those around us? Here are two suggestions.

First, read the lives of great people. You will notice that especially in their “pre-great” years they were just flesh and blood like you and me. But they chose, often in the face of opposition or ridicule, to do something significant with their lives and in the process found their inner greatness. My personal heroes include Nelson Mandella, Ghandi, Mother Theresa, and Martin Luther King, Jr. These are my heroes and they may not be yours. Whoever it is you admire, pay attention to their beginnings. Almost always they seem ordinary. But history’s great ones found that in serving a greater purpose, their slumbering powers awoke.

A second suggestion is for you to reflect often on your own times when you did more than you thought you could. It doesn’t matter how small the action or success may seem. These events are a concrete demonstration that you already possess slumbering powers that once were awakened and can be again. And new ones yet unseen lie dreaming of their opportunity to make a difference in the world.

CHOOSING

Awareness is the first component of awakening our true leadership potential, belief is the second, and consciously choosing to put ourselves in situations that demand effective leadership is the third.

The occasions in our own past where we have surprised ourselves with unanticipated leadership strengths characteristically emerge from unplanned circumstances which created a sense of urgency and need to which we simply responded. Necessity was the mother of awakening.

But why depend on chance and circumstance? We can choose to put ourselves into situations that will require our slumbering powers to awaken and spring into action.

Scary? Certainly.

Risky? Possibly.

Crazy? Definitely not!

I’m not suggesting doing things that require potential powers that we do not possess (that’s why awareness comes first in the list!). But I am suggesting that we consciously, proactively choose environments that keep pushing the boundaries of our current leadership abilities and talents.

Seven years ago I would have laughed at you and thought you were nuts if you had suggested that today I would be a self-employed speaker/trainer travelling around the world working with clients from all levels of government, major corporations, and worthwhile non-profit organizations. But that’s exactly what I am doing. Because I choose to step outside my comfort zone and believe in my slumbering powers. And I am continually realizing that even more worthwhile, challenging pursuits are realizable.

It’s been scary at times, there have been moments where I have questioned my sanity, but mostly my own journey of the last few years has shown me that there are many, many slumbering powers within me waiting to be roused and unleashed. Powers that have revolutionized my life.

It’s a conscious choice to face the fears of failure and possible criticism. But it’s a choice with an incredible pay-off. It’s a choice to accept life’s call to greatness, to make a difference for good in the world, in your world.

Slumbering powers.

Haven’t yours slept long enough?

©2009 Scott Campbell

Take a moment and think of the person whom you have most admired/enjoyed having as a leader. Consider not only your work experience, but also your volunteer activities, religious affiliations, and recreational pursuits.

Now, jot down below the personal attributes and specific behaviors this person demonstrates which you consider to be the source of their leadership effectiveness.

Personal Attributes

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

Specific Behaviors

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

Next, ask two or three of your colleagues, friends, or family members to go through the same process with someone they respect as a leader.

Finally, compare your lists.

My guess is that while there are no doubt some commonalities, there are probably some significant differences. And even the commonalities (for example, “caring” is an attribute I hear a lot) may mean very different things to each of you as you discuss what that actually looks like in behavioral terms.

The point of this exercise is simple. It demonstrates that people like to be led in different ways—ways that are natural to their interpersonal preferences. The results of failing to adapt to others’ preferences—miscommunication, resentment, irritation, and lack of commitment—bear directly upon productivity and quality. Conversely, adapting to others leads to greater buy-in, motivation and understanding—all of which positively affect the bottom line.

There exists a widespread myth that there is one right or best way to lead. Much of the current literature on leadership supports and promotes this myth. However, my experience as a leader and as a leadership development specialist suggests otherwise.

I believe that leadership effectiveness arises out of the combination of two key factors: (1) actions that are appropriate to the dynamics of the circumstances, and (2) an interpersonal approach that is appropriate to the individuals being led.

With regard to the first of these two factors, my business partner, Ellen Samiec, and I have identified five distinct tactics—what we term, “leadership dimensions”—that need to be employed when responding to the varied circumstances and situations leaders encounter. These dimensions address the first half of the equation of leadership effectiveness, actions that are appropriate to the dynamics of the circumstances.

In this article, I want to address briefly the second factor for leadership effectiveness, an interpersonal approach that is appropriate to the individual being led.i

Although there are many frameworks that can give us valuable insights into others’ interpersonal preferences, the one I want to employ is a model of personality type called Interaction Styles.

An Interaction Styles Primer

This model of type was first developed by William Marston in the 1920s, subsequently extended by John Geier through the DiSC instrument, later popularized in the “social styles” literature, and most recently, refined and expanded by Dr. Linda V. Berens. Her booklet, Understanding Yourself and Others: An Introduction to Interaction Styles is an excellent, in-depth explanation of this model. As a theory of personality type, Interaction Styles is distinct from yet consistent with both Temperament theory and Myers-Jungian Type.ii

I define an “Interaction Style” as the preferred way in which a person communicates and works with others to achieve results. Like other models of type, one’s Interaction Style is about preferences, not abilities. This model of type describes four distinct patterns of interpersonal behavior that are consistent over time, but adaptable in the moment. I believe that a person’s Interaction Style is innate, a part of their “hard wiring.” It has a strong bearing on whom you find it easy (or challenging) to relate to and work with.

The following chart is adapted from Linda Beren’s, Understanding Yourself and Others: An Introduction to Interaction Styles.iii It gives you a glimpse of the essential themes and preferences for each Interaction Style pattern. Taking these preferences into account is the key to leading individuals the way they like to be led.

The Four Interaction Styles

The above chart is meant only to introduce you to the very basics of the Interaction Style patterns and dynamics. The model has much more to it, and I would again encourage you to read Beren’s booklet to introduce yourself to the richness of this framework.

Interaction Styles and Leadership Effectiveness

With regard to leadership effectiveness, the ability to adapt to the Interaction Styles of the individuals we lead greatly extends our capacity to gain their understanding, cooperation, and commitment.

For example, I have a “Get Things Going” Interaction Style. As such, I naturally lead with lots of enthusiasm and excitement. My focus is on getting the energy going in interpersonal discussions and group interactions and I want to obtain an embraced result (i.e., a result to which everyone wholeheartedly commits). I tend not to develop or be comfortable with a predetermined, detailed plan of action, and I don’t want to spend a lot of time discussing and refining details of an emerging decision. Finally, I am generally uncomfortable telling others what to do. I want them to want to do it, so I prefer to inform them about what needs to be done rather than directing their actions. These are some of the natural tendencies of a “Get Things Going” Interaction Style.

While this style works very well for other “Get Things Going” individuals, it can be frustrating and even irritating for the other three styles. For example, my lack of a predetermined and concrete plan of action can irritate a “Chart the Course” type, who may view my leadership as thoughtless, aimless, and overly expressive. An “In Charge” staff member may view my desire for small talk and storytelling as a waste of time and see my lack of specific directives as a lack of clarity or as a lack of commitment to achieving results quickly. A person with a preference for a “Behind the Scenes” style may be frustrated with my “let’s move ahead as long as we have a general agreement” approach. They may experience my fast-paced, consensus decision-making style as a frustrating impediment to taking the time necessary to dialogue, research, and refine our ideas to get the best result possible.

My leadership effectiveness can be greatly enhanced by adapting my approach to try to meet the Interaction Style needs and preferences of the person I am leading, rather than trying to lead him/her from my preferred approach. Remember, people like to be led in ways that fit their interpersonal preferences.

Leadershift

Leadershift is the name I have given to the practice of adapting one’s own Interaction Style to that of others. Becoming proficient at “leadershifting” requires three skills. First, we must be able to identify correctly an individual’s preferred Interaction Style. This ability grows as we familiarize ourselves with the Interaction Styles model. Second, we must be able to shift our energy levels, communication style, and decision-making style to match those of the person we are leading. This comes with conscious effort and trying out new behaviours. Third, we must be able to evaluate how well we are adapting to others’ Interaction Style preferences. This is best done by a combination of (1) observing others’ responses and (2) asking for feedback on our attempts to shift to someone else’s style.

What might leadershifting look like in practice?

Let’s say I am going to delegate a project to one of my staff members. As a “Get Things Going” leader, my natural tendency when delegating would be to:

• connect with the individual on a personal level before getting down to business.
• explain only in broad outline what I want accomplished.
• explore collaboratively a variety of options about how to accomplish the objective(s).
• employ a relatively non-structured, but fast-paced format for the conversation.
• keep the conversation fun and lively.

I have decided which staff member I think is best suited for the project and I am going to speak with them about it. Using a Leadershift approach might involve the following actions.

First, I need to determine their Interaction Style. In reviewing the Interaction Styles patterns, I conclude my staff member probably has a “Chart the Course” style.

Next, I need to decide how I am going to adapt my natural tendencies to this person’s “Chart the Course” preferences when discussing the project and their responsibilities. This would involve at least the following shifts:

• limiting small talk and being more matter of fact and to the point.
• being systematic in how I explain the project’s objectives, timelines, requirements.
• explaining in detail the plan for accomplishing the project.
• pausing to allow them to absorb the details.
• inviting questions about the details.
• not interrupting while they are speaking.

Third, I will need to observe the person’s response to my attempts to shift to their preferences and adapt and learn. It’s easy to stereotype a different style and end up being patronizing, not helpful. So I will watch for clues (verbal and non-verbal) that tell me if I seem to be on their wavelength. And, of course, I can always ask them directly if the way I am explaining things is helpful or what I could do differently to make it better for them.

As you practice “Leadershifting,” it will become more habitual, less conscious, and more effective. You will find individuals responding to your leadership initiatives with more commitment, greater understanding, and better results.

People really do like to be led in different ways—ways that are in keeping with their natural interpersonal preferences. Interaction Styles is one framework that helps us apply that truth for greater leadership effectiveness

©2009 Scott Campbell

i The focus of this article will be solely on leading individuals, as opposed to teams or groups. The principle of adapting one’s own interpersonal approach to others’ preferences remains the same when focusing on team dynamics. The challenge, of course, is to meet the diverse needs and preferences of all team members.
ii For more on the relationship between these three type models, see the appendices in Linda’s booklet.
iii Used with permission from Berens, Linda V., Understanding Yourself and Others®: An Introduction to Interaction Styles, p.23 (Huntington Beach, Calif.: Telos Publications, 2001)