Mr. Persistent to Mr. President

My mom used to say, “learning is like a box of Cracker Jack; you never know what the prize will be.” Okay, full disclosure. My mom never said that. But learning from moment-to-moment and from everyone you encounter is how great leaders become great leaders. Leadership can be the prize inside of learning.

Case in point: Barack Obama. No, this is not some partisan missive. No matter who you voted for a few weeks ago, whether you have any background in marketing and promotion or not, you have to be blown away by the campaign leadership and focus that catapulted him into the presidency.  He learned and led moment-to-moment which allowed for strategic adjustments. The adjustments allowed him to overcome all of the odds and the list was long.

How’d he do it? What does it have to do with leadership? How can you learn from it? Let’s take a look:

1.) Obama didn’t let any perceived lack of qualifications stop him. Despite the potential gaps in his resume, he truly believed he was right for the job. He closed the gap between his beliefs and behaviors. He put on the “presidential” cloak and never took it off. People called him determined and persistent. On January 20, 2009, they will call him Mr. President.

Do you find yourself simmering in your own stew as others are promoted before you? Perhaps you need to put on the cloak. In other words, you must act and behave as if the position you desire is yours. When you do that, those in power see you in the position already and their decision is an easier one.

2.) Obama was always on message with his vision. By any standards, he is a master at the podium. He is a great storyteller and millions of people were drawn to him because of that.

Do you need to master the oratory like Obama? No way. But you can become a first-rate storyteller. First, you must be passionate about what you want. Then like Gwen in my book, The Offsite: A Leadership Challenge Fable, you may use the step-by-step process of my Never Ending Story formula to create a story of the future that others will be drawn towards. Once written, share often.

3.) Obama certainly challenged the process. From the outset, his team ran their campaign differently than most past campaigns. Through innovation and technology, they used their network to expand the campaign network to millions of enthusiastic volunteers in every state in the country. I don’t believe any contemporary candidate has ever run a truly 50 state campaign.

Obama constructed and worked his network. Are you building yours?  Great leaders are always building their relationships by helping others accomplish their goals. How are you doing with the servant leadership framework we share in The Offsite? Remember, giving always creates receiving.

4.) Obama enabled others. The vote tally is only one indicator. I’m sure we won’t need to look too far or too wide to find people who now see the world with new eyes. I look forward to hearing many stories of those whose lives were changed by volunteering in a campaign that was so well organized.

What do people say about working with you? Have you had your feedback today? Great leaders always ask my Four Commitment Questions™: What can I do more of? What can I do less of? What can I start doing? What can I stop doing?

5.) At times during the primary season when all seemed lost, what did Obama do? He encouraged his volunteers by repeating the story of what the world would look like if “they” won. Once they refocused on the vision, they were off and running again.

There’s no question that times are a bit tough these days. Despite the current reality, are you upbeat about the future or is your language dragging the team down?

When you speak with Obama volunteers, you hear stories about community, passion, celebration and recognition for their efforts. If I paid a visit to your workplace, what would I learn about you and your organization?

In these troubled times…Training? Forgetaboutit!

Now is the time to cancel your leadership training. You read me right. If you’re planning a leadership “training”…forgetaboutit!

Okay, let me be crystal clear about this. If your approach to educating folks on leadership is the same as sending them to an Excel spreadsheet class, then don’t waste their precious moments or your money. Especially in these troubled times.

However, if you want to gain the most from the experience and perhaps open a few eyes to the possibilities of what a leadership culture can do for individuals and organizations by all means bring them into a room and create a conversation around things that matter. But push the delete button on the training.

The difference is like night and day, profit and loss, success and failure.

Creating a leadership conversation assumes people are adults and if they haven’t been around the block a few times at least they know where the sidewalk is and how to stay under an umbrella when it’s raining. (If those criteria are not met by all means go ahead and do a training.)

I was having just such a “conversation” with someone the other day. They were telling me how frantic things are now that the economy is playing hide and seek.

“What can I do in these tough times, they pleaded. We are all running like crazy hoping to outlast this crash.”

Everyone in my business is now sharing “this or that topic in these troubled times”, so with the previous in mind, I thought I would toss my two cents into the jar with help from my friends at the Tom Peters Company.

In their last newsletter, Tom and friends shared six pieces of advice for tough times. I post them all here with my own specific thoughts added in italics.

1.      Excellence. Get on with doing the business you have and see it through brilliantly. Stick to the basics. Keep it simple! The devil is always in the details.

Don’t paralyze yourself with sloppy thinking. Remember, I am not alone in sharing that thoughts are things. If you think the worst is going to happen, it will. If you have slacked off lately, pull up your “slackey” socks and Step Up to being the best you can be for those you are serving.

2.      Opportunism. There may be a lot of room for it. It will pay off through speed off the mark and excellence in execution.

Show Up for every opportunity that comes your way. And if you can’t take advantage of it for some reason, be sure to share it with a friend who can. Leadership is about helping others and plenty of people need help.

3.      Visibility. March toward the sound of the guns. MBWA. People have to see whom they are working for and whom they are dealing with.

Don’t be shy about your talent. You are a window to the future. Don’t try to blend in with the curtains. Step Up to what needs to be done and as they say in the Nike commercials, Just Do It!

4.      Transparency. Be absolutely straight with people, especially those at the front line. People who play the blame game in any way, shape or form are straight out of here!

Open, honest and authentic. I have been sharing those three simple words for years now. They don’t go out of style. Being straight with people is not a trend or fad. Managing in the muck during these rough times will only drown you in a deeper swamp. Leading will attract those who want to join with you to create “a bridge over  troubled waters” (thanks, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel). It is those who have eagerly joined with you that you will want to party with when the seas calm again. And they will!

5.      Demeanor. Banish “gloomy” from your persona, even it if kills you! But remember, “sunny” is pretty stupid, too. Who do you think you are kidding?

If you walk around with a dark cloud over your head, everyone will be reminded that it is raining deficits and downturns. However, if you pretend that all is well, those close to you will suspect you are smoking something illegal. It’s not just about positive thinking, but rather positive expectations that will do the trick. During a financial crisis like we are experiencing world-wide, it’s time to roll up your sleeves, take firm action, Speak Up and expect your vision to manifest. You do have a Vision Story, right?

6.      Paradox. Have a Positive Mental Attitude and be ready for the worst (this recession might easily go on for 24 months.)

Leadership is about engaging change and being open to the possibilities of what’s next. Hindsight is always 20/20. With that in mind, gather your team and ask them what we “will have” learned from the recession from the vantage point of one or two years from now. Then Serve Up, create a conversation, and do reverse engineering to see what opportunities you might want to explore today.

Each day, newspaper headlines shout about this or that downsizing or “the failure that no one could have foreseen”. To succeed and grow as a leader, you need to make a commitment to yourself and to others. Take the pledge, embrace The Four Commitments… Show Up, Speak Up, Step Up and Serve Up. If you think you can keep your head down and stay out of the firing line or dodge a bullet here or there…forgetaboutit!

The Gift that Keeps Giving

Staying up late the other night, I caught a showing of It’s A Wonderful Life, the holiday classic from Frank Capra.

With today’s dreadful financial news blaring from all forms of media, it is a bit eerie to peek into the make-believe world of Bedford Falls. It just feels a bit too real.

I wondered how many people are out there this year in similar situations such as George Bailey. That started me thinking how comparable George Bailey is to Joe Vanderson, one of the key characters in The Offsite: A Leadership Challenge Fable. They both had to hit bottom before learning what their passion was and what they meant to those around them.

Perhaps, if George Bailey had read The Offsite his life would have been changed for the better without going through so much distress. He might have seen the error in his thinking and embraced my Four Commitments of leadership much earlier.

I heard once that whenever someone purchases The Offsite as a gift for a friend or loved one that an angel gets her wings. Please, this year, we need all the angels we can get. Don’t disappoint them.

Until next year, Happy Holidays everyone…It’s been a pleasure serving you.