The Leadership Coach™ » Leadership

Are You Punishing Loyalty?

Paul Andrew — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:04:41 +0000

Maybe you’ve had an experience like this?

I called my cable television provider a few weeks ago because I’d seen them advertising some special deals for the holidays. I’ve been with them for a few years, and their hold message repeatedly claims that I’m a “valued customer”.

Well it turns out that their advertised rates are only for new customers and as an existing “valued customer” I did not qualify. On pressing the salesperson I discovered that the only way to qualify would be to close my account, wait 30 days, then reapply as a new customer.

This is called punishing loyalty.

I wasn’t on contract. Needless to say they lost me to a competitor.

In a day when business leaders talk so much about customer loyalty, why do we allow business strategies that punish loyalty? Why do we so often reward the fickle and neglect the faithful?

Sadly TimeWarner is employing a philosophy of value that can be seen in all kinds of organisations.

So what else does punishing loyalty look like?

Managers who take their longest-serving staff for granted.
Leaders who wait for everyone to arrive before starting meetings punish the timely and reward the tardy.
Companies that lure new staff with premium salaries while loyal team members are trickle-fed CPI increases.
Fostering “squeaky wheel” cultures where those who complain or rock the boat get your attention and those who are conscientious and compliant get ignored.
Offering the best price/ best deal/ best seat/ best project to the last on board.
Shipping substandard products to the passionate early adopters that require endless patches/ fixes/ recalls (think software giants).

If new customers or new team members around you feel special, while the loyal ones feel unappreciated, it might be time to rethink your values.

I’d love to hear your comments and feel free to use the links below to share this article with others
——————–
Paul Andrew is Founder of The Leadership Coach™

He is a Keynote Speaker and Management Consultant based in New York

Armchair Critics

Paul Andrew — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:14:29 +0000

Through the years of leading people experience has taught me that there will always be armchair critics, the only question is how I will respond to them.

While I welcome constructive feedback and critical thinking from those who share my values, I have no time at all for the armchair critic.

Armchair critics are the backseat drivers of this world. Rather than do something they prefer to criticise those who do. They can usually be found in the company of other critics picking apart what people do and say, from the safety of their comfort zone.

I heard someone say recently that, “Critics are like the eunuchs in a harem – they know what you’re supposed to do, but can’t do it themselves.” Sadly for all the impotence in their actions, their words still have the power to discourage and distract you if you let them.

Truth be told, I’ve let the critics get to me too many times over the years. I got defensive. I stewed on their accusations. I got my eye off the ball and focused on the hecklers. And as long as I focused on the critics in the grandstand I couldn’t play the game on the field to the best of my ability.

I’m determined to stay open to the right opinions… the voices of those who know and believe in me.. the perspective of people working alongside me. In fact I’m in very a dangerous place as a leader if no-one can question me.

We see journalists, police officers and presidents alike weighing the value of information that comes to them on the basis of the credibility of the source themselves. A reliable source who is close to the events is a precious resource. But if the source is without credibility and proximity it’s unlikely anyone will even read their “information” let alone act on it.

So leaders, let’s develop the habit of weighing criticism according to its source before we react. And at the same time, let’s cultivate a circle of trusted advisors around us who can speak truth from a proven track record and a shared vision.

Leave the armchair critic to his armchair. It’s called a La-Z-Boy for a reason.

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.” – Theodore Roosevelt (Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910)

I’d love to hear your comments and feel free to use the links below to share this article with others
——————–
Paul Andrew is Founder of The Leadership Coach™
He is a Keynote Speaker and Management Consultant based in New York

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The Most Crowded Marketplace Of All

Paul Andrew — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 17:55:12 +0000

I have always pursued the ideal that if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well.

As I’ve worked with leaders around the world, I have discovered that mindset is not only a more satisfying way to live but it’s also a hallmark of those who rise above their competition.

The most crowded marketplace of all is mediocrity.

Think of your own industry. How many leading companies or organisations are there that have clearly risen above the crowd? And by comparison, how many of the “mediocre masses” are there? The eagles have a different experience of this world than the pigeons.

So here are a few exits on the highway to mediocrity that you might consider if you long to escape the throng-

1. Do less.
Thin out how much you do… in order to do what you do with excellence. Hold three events not ten. Offer two services instead of seven. Creativity is as much about what you leave out as what you leave in. And often doing too many things is the enemy of doing the most important things with excellence. Often, but not always…

2. Do more.
At the risk of contradicting myself, sometimes the answer is to do more. Go beyond what others offer. Market research would have told Ford and Jobs that people just wanted faster horses and smaller phones. Instead they gave them something more, something they didn’t even know they needed until they experienced what “more” looked like in the automobile and the iPhone.

3. Do it differently.
There’s a wine shop in my neighbourhood that I like. They’re not the closest, the largest or the cheapest. But they do something their competitors don’t- they get out from behind the counter and talk about their wines. They make it fun and educational without making customers feel inferior. Remember that whether you’re selling a product or a service, you’re really selling an experience. So do it differently.

So if you’re ready for the air up there, scorn mediocrity and ask yourself, “How could we do less, do more or do it differently?”

I’d love to hear your comments and feel free to use the links below to share this article with others
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Paul Andrew is Founder of The Leadership Coach™
He is a Keynote Speaker and Management Consultant based in New York

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Work Horses And Show Ponies

Paul Andrew — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 22:10:53 +0000

I’ve come to realize that being gifted and being productive aren’t always the same thing. Every leader makes a largely unconscious choice to encourage either show ponies or work horses in their leadership stable.

Show ponies remind me of those team members that are gifted to the eyeballs, look the part and parade around to be judged on their appearances.

On the other hand, the work horses are best known for their strength and productivity, and they are valued for their output. They’re both horses, but they’re two different animals to lead.

Show ponies need constant grooming

If you find your team members need continual affirmation and attention, or for their egos to be stroked… perhaps you have some show ponies in the stable. There’s a lot of coddling, sheltering and special treatment required to protect them from anything that might cause a blemish or real exertion.

Show ponies don’t like to work hard

It’s usually easy to spot a show pony when the team is working hard. You’ll find them excusing themselves from responsibilities, “supervising” in some self-appointed role, or absent with something they deemed more important. The truth is they have little stomach for hard work (and leaders- make no mistake, the rest of the team know it.)

Show ponies shine in the limelight

Unlike their sudden absence during hard work seasons, the show pony is front and centre when there is attention or applause to be gained. They were born for the spotlight, where the work horse earns their keep far away from the crowds and accolades.

Personally, I’m most grateful for those selfless, unassuming and hard-working individuals who care more about getting the job done than who gets the credit. They’re low maintenance and high output. Give me that rugged beauty over pampered perfection any day.

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I’d love to hear your comments and feel free to use the links below to share this article with others
Paul Andrew is Founder of The Leadership Coach™
He is a Keynote Speaker and Management Consultant based in New York

The Inner Circle Test

Paul Andrew — Wed, 18 May 2011 15:39:57 +0000

Real leaders surround themselves with people who challenge them, not people who worship them.

You can tell a lot about a leader by the sort of people they surround themselves with. Often the conversations on this subject focus on the calibre of those you have in your inner circle, and I agree with that to a point. Getting highly capable people around you is a real key to your next level of success. But… a high calibre / low diversity team is not the answer.

Weak leaders seek “yes men” and agreement.
Sadly it’s possible to train your team to blindly agree with everything you say and do. With enough fear, manipulation and control even a high calibre can become vulnerable and find themselves telling the emperor his new clothes are splendid when the truth is that he’s naked.

Weak leaders create monocultures.
In a monoculture there’s an overwhelming prevalence of one way of thinking and acting. It’s like a clone army. We dress the same, talk the same, see the world the same. It doesn’t take very long for a culture like that to isolate and ostracize a new person who is different.

Weak leaders equate “different” with “bad”.
The low diversity team rejects someone different in much the same way as a body can reject a transplant. They sense different DNA and in thousands of microscopic ways they attack it until it’s removed. This team sees it as a negative to be different. Something that person needs to work on, or overcome in order to “fit in”.

Real leaders enjoy the different perspectives that diversity brings.
We can all see the same issue from our different viewpoints, and all be “right”. I’ve observed some world-class leaders in action and their capacity to bring diversity to the table is clear. They synthesize the best of these perspectives and then set the direction of the organisation. Interestingly they experience greater unity later having had the disagreements up front, where weak leaders discourage disagreement upfront and often experience disunity later.

Real leaders are comfortable with a certain level of tension.
I don’t mind a level of tension in my team. There’s a healthy tension that drives creativity, and without it we’ll likely oversimplify our challenges. The quality people and the quantity people are both right. Sales people should push the design team to get a product to market, and the design team should push back so it’s of the highest standard. Don’t let conflict get personal, or it’s effect be cumulative… but declare war on mediocrity and may the best idea win.

Real leaders unify their team through what they have in common.
Rather than fixate on the differences in their team, effective leaders use their common ground as the focal point. Perhaps they share a common goal, a common enemy, or a common value. When they keep these at the centre, they enable a team that would otherwise fragment to stay united.

So take a moment now and put yourself to the Inner Circle Test. Have you made diversity your friend or your enemy?

I’d love to hear your comments and feel free to use the links below to share this article with others
——————–
Paul Andrew is Founder of The Leadership Coach™
He is a Keynote Speaker and Management Consultant based in New York

Everyone Leading

Paul Andrew — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 16:12:29 +0000

Truly great teams are places where everyone leads. While most organisations are content to build leadership structures, the best companies instead build leadership cultures.

Leadership is more than a title, a job description, a corner office or place on the org chart. Leadership is as much about how we carry ourselves, and how we carry the vision, mission and values of our organisation as it is about how many people report to us.

I have a goal: Everyone leading.

Sure, someone needs to have the final say on the direction of the team. But everyone should approach the challenges and opportunities faced by the whole group as a leader, not as a mere passenger.

When everyone is leading-
* A high level of ownership is standard fare.
* There’s a pipeline constantly producing quality candidates for senior roles.
* Those at the top spend far less time motivating or micro-managing their people.
* Innovation comes from team members everywhere, anytime.
* The culture of the organisation is reinforced and multiplied.
* People bring their “A game”, every game.

It’s a goal worth pursuing.

If you want a team that is comfortable to lead then just build a mediocre team full of workers and followers instead.

Franky, when everyone is leading you’ll have some strong personalities to contend with… frank opinions will be shared… conflicts will occur… boundaries will be tested… change will be par for the course. But that’s the sort of pressure that can turn everyday coal into a diamond.

Maybe today is the day to promote everyone on your team to leadership.

The L-Myth

Paul Andrew — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 22:03:16 +0000

In his bestselling book “The E-Myth” Michael Gerber attacks some common misconceptions around what it means to be an entrepreneur. He debunks why people become entrepreneurs, what a business really is, and helps explain why so many people struggle with their small business that was supposed to give them “freedom”.

I believe there’s an L-Myth too. The Leadership Myth has kept many a capable person from believing they could lead others.

Millions of people have accepted fallacies like these-
* “Real leaders are born leaders” – as though it’s a birthright… yet so many of us need to lead, even when it doesn’t come easily
* “You need to be an extrovert to be a leader” – as though it’s a personality type… yet some of the best leaders in history were quiet achievers or introverts
* “The leader has to be the smartest person in the room” – as though it’s an IQ test… yet many smart people don’t lead, and many world-class leaders didn’t finish school let alone their PhD
* “You can’t learn to be a leader” – as though it’s a completely mysterious art… yet there is a science of leadership too

In many ways I write these articles on The Leadership Coach™ for the 90% of leaders who find themselves leading out necessity. Not because they were born leaders. Not because they love the limelight or were the best and brightest. But because there was a need or an opportunity and they stepped up.

I actually believe that leadership is more an attitude than it is a position. That it’s more about the way we carry ourselves and our organisations than it is about the corner office or the fancy title.

Everyone leading. That’s the goal. Thinking like leaders, acting like leaders, making choices like leaders, carrying the vision like leaders, taking responsibility like leaders.

So great companies don’t build leadership structures, they build leadership cultures. They harness the latent leadership in all of us.

It’s time we rethink leadership.

So what do YOU think are the myths or half-truths people believe that keep them from becoming the leaders they could be?

I’d love to hear your comments and feel free to use the links below to share this article with others

Paul Andrew is Founder of The Leadership Coach™
He is a Keynote Speaker and Management Consultant based in New York

Have You Capped Your Potential?

Paul Andrew — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 19:29:19 +0000

There’s an unusual looking building I often walk past in New York at 11 Madison Avenue. Today it is home to Credit Suisse’s World Headquarters. Back in 1909 the Met Life Tower on the site was the tallest building in the world. In the decades that followed, the enormous base of what was to be a record breaking 100-story tower was constructed… but then the Great Depression hit.

As the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building soared to new heights, the decision was made to cap the Metropolitan Life North Building after finishing only the 32-story base of the planned tower. So here it stands today with the all the potential and foundations in place for a structure more than three times it’s final height.

11 Madison Avenue is a beautiful building inside, but it’s not the tour map icon it would be if it had reached it’s potential.

I wonder if you’ve settled for reaching only a third of your potential as a leader?

There are many reasons why leaders cap their potential. Some fear failure and settle for achievement that’s comfortable. Some suffer failure or disaster and don’t want to experience the pain again. Some are plagued with self-doubt or insecurity. Some dwarf their plans in tough times. Some get jaded and lose that child-like faith that they can live a life worth noting.

I wonder what your real potential is?
I wonder what future plans are gathering dust rather than gathering momentum?

I wonder. But you know.

I’d love to hear your comments and feel free to use the links below to share this article with others

Paul Andrew is Founder of The Leadership Coach™
He is a Keynote Speaker and Management Consultant based in New York

On Being A Champion

Paul Andrew — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 17:03:20 +0000

“Champion” is a noun, but it’s also a verb. I believe a leader’s ambition should be both: to be a champion, but also to champion others.

There’s something unattractive about the person who is great at what they do, but lets it go to their head. They forget that true success is not measured only their personal performance. Real, enduring success is about the whole team winning.

Be The Champion
There’s no doubt that your personal example is your most potent tool in influencing the success of others. As leaders we can’t say “Do as I say, not as I do” and expect to build a culture of greatness. Leadership begins with self-leadership. So there’s no escaping the leader’s personal responsibility to be a champion.

• Are you the best example of the values and goals you want to see in your team?
• Does the level of your achievement inspire those around you about what’s possible?
• Or do you make excuses for your own performance, while expecting others to rise to the occasion?

Champion Others
When I champion members of my team I develop the greatness in them. As long as it’s sincere (and not manipulative) there is real power in celebrating the strengths of those you lead. But it takes a secure leader to be able to make heroes of others without feeling like less of one themselves.

• Do you constantly search for opportunities to give your people the limelight, the credit and the spoils of war?
• How often do you use your meetings to praise individuals publicly? Or are your meetings more about fault finding?
• Is the legacy of your leadership that people slowly become the champions you had told them they were right from the start?

As leaders let’s remember “Champion” is something to both be and do.

Breaking It Down

Paul Andrew — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 17:53:48 +0000

I have a love/hate relationship with IKEA. On the one hand they sell exceptionally cost-effective furnishings that can often look good for the price. On the other hand I so often find that the frustration of dealing with their products overshadows the money I save.

Take the shelving system I bought last weekend for example: they didn’t include the screws needed for attaching the shelves. Worse though, when I opened the “instructions” what I actually found was simply a picture of the parts and then a picture of the finished product. No steps. What could have been a simple assembly process turned into trial and error, hours of aggravation, and the inevitable discovery at the end that I had some pieces left over whose purpose remains unknown.

• As a leader, is your vision an “IKEA instructions experience” for your team?
• Do people around you seem to spend a lot of time trying to clarify what you see or what they’re supposed to achieve next?
• Do you convey a big picture outline sketch of the finished product you see, then direct people back to a list of resources and leave them to “figure it out”?
• Do projects take much longer than you think they should?

Maybe this is an opportunity to ask whether or not you’re taking the time to break it down for your team.

Like it or not, most team members need both the vision and the next steps. This is not about micro-managing. And it’s not an anti-vision message either. In fact, if you can’t show people a vision of what you’re trying to build then all the steps in the world may be nothing more than “busy work”… or as the old adage goes, “climbing the ladder, only to find it’s leaning against the wrong wall”.

But let’s face it – it’s faster and more fun to come up with ideas than it is to break those ideas down into a plan that people can actually execute. I’ve consulted with organisations that clearly had “vision fatigue” – the cumulative effect of endless ideas and initiatives that rarely get executed. Whether it’s you, or someone else whose gift is turning ideas into plans, don’t underestimate the price we pay for not translating all that possibility into steps our team can actually take.

So if there’s an aspect of your vision that seems to have stalled why not take some time this week with a few of your top producers to break it down. Create a plan. Lay out a sequence of steps. Clarify the starting point. Set some milestones. Then see if pictures and plans produce better results than pictures alone.

I’d love to hear your comments and feel free to use the links below to share this article with others

Green Light Policy

Paul Andrew — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 16:36:29 +0000

Most teams have their default setting set to “wait”.

If you see an opportunity, write a plan, submit it to the right people, chase it up, wait for a decision to be handed down. Wait.

If there’s a problem, tell the right person about it or ask what you’re allowed to do about it. Wait.

If in doubt about what to do next. Wait.

Before taking a risk. Wait.

As a result…
* Productivity is lost.
* Opportunity is lost.
* Ownership is lost.
* Momentum is lost.
* Sometimes the client is lost.

By contrast, a few years ago I heard a successful leader say he simply lives life with a “Green Light Policy”. His default setting is set to “act”.

So unless he’s explicitly given a red light (no) or an orange light (not yet) he moves forward assuming he has a green light (yes).

That’s deceptively simple. So simple in fact that you could underestimate its power.

At this point in the conversation some leaders become tempted to point the finger of blame at their team for being “passive” or “indecisive”. But before we jump to labeling people we should first check if the culture we’ve created for our organisation is to blame.

* Can people assume a green light or does your culture require them to check every time they move forward?
* Why give someone a role without empowering them to act?
* Is the bottleneck in your organisation strangling movement?

Maybe initiative starts with removing the roadblocks.

Sure, mistakes can be made when people act. But action is also the source of innovation. And I believe inaction kills even more enterprises than mistakes do.

So what sort of culture does is take to work using a Green Light Policy?
1. Preferring action over perfection
2. A tolerance for mistakes made thoughtfully
3. An intolerance for over-complicating things
4. Encouraging individual initiative
5. And giving clear boundaries within which to act confidently

I’d love to hear your comments and feel free to use the links below to share this article with others

What’s The Story?

Paul Andrew — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:45:52 +0000

Great leaders have long understood the power of stories. A well-told story can achieve what operations manuals, mission statements, KPI’s and staff meetings rarely do.

Renowned business author and speaker Tom Peters, in his book Leadership, said “A key – perhaps THE key – to leadership is the effective communication of a story”. That’s a big statement, and yet as I continually study great leaders past and present I see the use of stories as one of their primary weapons of choice.

Perhaps you don’t consider yourself a “storyteller”, a “speaker” or a “motivator”. And yet it seems people are hard wired to respond to stories. The evidence is all around us – but unfortunately some of us reserve our stories for parties and BBQ conversations and neglect their power to focus and energise those we lead in the workplace.

Stories that can be retold
Perhaps the real power of stories is that they can be shared again and again. Stories get wings. They go viral. Since moving to New York City I’ve been captivated by the work of charity: water and I’m amazed by their ability to tell stories. Like the story of the Bayaka people whose way of life and means of support have been devastated by the destruction of their environment. With a few minutes of video I’m reminded that I can make a real and lasting difference to a people I may never personally meet. Stories compel action.

Stories that convey the essence of your vision
I was coaching a client recently who was nervous about an upcoming networking event where she would have three minutes to talk about her business. She’d done it once before and was disappointed with the results, after cramming all her “USP’s”, services and packages into a well-honed spiel. As we the conversation changed direction she told me the moving story of one of her clients that she had recently helped to overcome real adversity. All I did was help her to join the dots- that single true story conveyed the essence of her business better than any spiel could.

Stories that leave room for imagination
Please, don’t fill in every blank in your story. Let it breathe. Allow mystery. Nothing takes the fun out of a story (or makes me feel like I’m back in school) more than turning a story into a lesson by finishing with “and the moral of the story is…” We unconsciously push back on the conclusions you draw for us, but we unconsciously accept whatever conclusions we draw for ourselves. Stories can engage the heart and animate the imagination.

Stories that lift and inspire
I’ve been deeply challenged and inspired these last few weeks by the true story of a brother who quite literally gave his life to save his brother. Chad’s life was threatened by an incurable liver condition, so his brother Ryan gave part of his liver in a transplant that tragically resulted in Ryan’s death a few days later. He’s a modern day hero. The story was told on US news channels and has quickly spread around the world. I’m inspired by the whole family’s deep love and personal faith. I’m challenged to be a better husband, a better brother, a better dad, a better man.

So, leaders, what’s the story?

I’d love to hear your comments and feel free to use the links below to share this article with others

Also, click here to find out more about booking Paul Andrew to speak at your event or organisation

Bottleneck

Paul Andrew — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:18:02 +0000

What if one person, one department, or one process was seriously limiting the impact of your whole organisation? What if growth wasn’t so much about turning up the water, as it was about getting the kink out of the hose? What if the pressure you felt was largely created by the significant difference between the levels of energy your team is bringing (input) and the results they are creating (output)?

In other words, what if you had a bottleneck?

You know you’ve got a bottleneck when every decision goes back to the “Bottleneck” (insert a name, department, or committee here). Team members hesitate to innovate, initiate or make any commitments without Bottleneck’s blessing. So Bottleneck is usually busier than everyone else. Bottleneck tends to have a love/hate relationship with their predicament – reveling in the power and prestige one day, and retreating from the pressure and politics the next.

There are many reasons why teams end up with these choke points in their organisational flow. It can be the result of controlling individuals in leadership roles who are reluctant to empower others for whatever reason. Sometimes it’s the result of a good intention to prevent catastrophe of some sort by ensuring “everything gets checked”. Poorly designed workflows can funnel everything through an under-resourced part of the organisation. In fact even talent can cause it – so the “numbers guy” or the “creative genius” can’t keep up with all the things they’re supposed to stay across.

Search and destroy. If you want big results from small changes then hunt down your bottlenecks. This is not a witch-hunt though and it’s not a blame game… it’s a ruthless analysis of where your choke points are and then eliminating them.

Change a workflow. Push decision-making power down the line. Add team members to a pivotal department to increase flow. Remove hoops to jump through or steps in the process. Make action more important than perfection in your culture (suggestion: read that again). Strip job roles back to what is core. Identify and abandon 20% of your current projects or products that create the least results. Simplify.

Would you allow me to be your leadership coach for a moment? If you were my client and we just had this conversation about bottlenecks I’d probably suggest you had some work to do before we talked again in two weeks. I might recommend you get away from the busyness of business for an hour or two and systematically think through your organisation to identify the bottlenecks. Then you’d develop specific solutions for getting each kink out of the hose and commit yourself to immediate action.

Sound like a huge return for a few hours spent. So, why don’t you?

Let me know what you discover, and add your comments below

Leading Without Emptying The Ocean

Paul Andrew — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 20:32:24 +0000

I read some very disturbing scientific research recently that you might have read too. The conclusion of the widely publicised project was that 90% of the species we fish for today will be wiped out by 2048 until fishing practices change.

With an eightfold increase in commercial demand for fish since 1950 the report found that our generation is “over-fishing” the oceans to such an extent that we’re crippling the ability of entire species to replenish their numbers. In effect we are eating our children’s fish too and emptying their oceans.

The concept of sustainable fishing practices should challenge us about leadership too. I’ve witnessed many unsustainable leadership practices in my time, as I’m sure you have. Part of the difficulty in identifying unsustainable leadership is that at the time it often seems “productive”, “results-oriented” and even “effective”. It’s not until later that you discover that this type of leadership has left the team utterly dry and depleted. Pity the next leader who inherits the team that has been “fished” to the point of collapse.

In search of solutions, marine scientists are attempting to determine the “maximum sustainable yield” for fishing stocks. Do you know what that maximum yield is for those you lead? Sure, you can get 80 hours a week out of some people for while, but not forever. You can churn through team members with a demanding and controlling approach to leadership and achieve big things for a while, but not forever.

I believe it’s the responsibility of true leaders to understand not only what they can extract from their people but also what those people need in order to replenish themselves for the long haul.

I had dinner with a leader in New York this week who heads up a large and growing non-profit organisation. He was leaving for five weeks of summer vacation, an annual tradition for his family that he defends from all the noise and busyness of leadership because he knows how to replenish their personal reserves. I can imagine the pressures he’d face to shorten that trip, especially since he leads an organisation with a cause. But I’ll wager he’ll still be leading in twenty years.

In the end, sustainability is about prioritising long-term returns over short-term gains.

So how sustainable is your leadership?
• What strategies have you built into your personal work habits to keep you from burning out?
• Is downtime the luxury of a few senior leaders or the mandate of every individual?
• Will your team still have anything left to give in ten years if they keep on giving their time and energy at this level?
• Have you created a culture where it’s a priority for every team member to refresh and replenish themselves?

I’d love to hear your comments, especially on what you’ve discovered about keeping leadership sustainable

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Burn Your Boats

Paul Andrew — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:49:11 +0000

When Alexander the Great arrived on the shores of Persia his army was overwhelmingly outnumbered. Yet he gave the orders to his men to burn the boats. As their only means of retreat went up in flames, legend has it that Alexander turned to his men and said, “We go home in Persian ships, or we die”. Not quite the stirring Braveheart speech, but certainly motivational in it’s own way! What followed was an astounding victory over an army that was in many ways superior. Win or die. Simple.

I’m more comfortable being the “options guy”. I like knowing Plan B (and maybe C too). I want to have contingencies for the worst case scenario. I get some security from having an exit plan. And history is littered with examples of times when just such a retreat plan would have been wise.

But…

There’s nothing like burning your boats to focus your mind on one thing, and one thing only- success. It’s extraordinary what we as leaders are capable of when we are in a corner, with no other option but to give our absolute best (and even beyond that).

I write this edition of The Leadership Coach from New York City. We moved here last week with our three kids under the age of 5. We’ve taken The Leadership Coach global (now with offices in New York and Sydney). Plus we’re launching our own not-for-profit, in the most expensive city in America during the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. In other words we burned out boats. In poker terms we “went all in on the short stack”.

• How about you?
• What risks are you taking in your leadership that have put you and your team “all in”?
• Are your troops fighting with one eye on the battle, but the other on retreat?
• Is your desire for exit plans resulting in mediocre commitment?

Perhaps burning your boats is most important when the odds are already against you. There’s no “test and see” when you are outnumbered 5-to-1, you’ll waste what precious little resource you have. The only legitimate plan is to garner everything you have, and pit it against your competition in a way that circumvents their strength and leverages yours.

That requires 100% commitment. Really trying won’t do it. Giving it a shot won’t either. 100%.

“There is nothing impossible to him who will try”, Alexander the Great (circa 348 BC)

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