Walking into a local bookstore both exhilarates me and depresses me. I love to read and could “lose myself” in a stack of books for days on end. But perhaps it’s the overwhelming number of books---especially the self-help ones---that immediately cause me to lose heart! So many theories, so many methods, so many solutions; and after reading a few…so dizzying in their duplication. It’s almost like studies on coffee or sugar or diets or sleep . Or whatever else. Evidence on both sides, depending on bias and bent, will determine outcomes. So confusing!
This last June I read 6 books on leadership. By the end, I was almost paralyzed with introspection. Principles (almost identical) were used to “prove” two opposites of leadership. Studies would theorize that leadership was highly complex (are leaders born or made, for example), or naively simple (you just know it when you see it).
At the risk of jumping in and adding to the layers of confusion, I want to offer a simple, but not easy, approach to leadership. My contention is that leaders must…
Possess 3 internal qualities (extraordinary leaders are born with them)
Answer 4 questions (to accomplish something)
Grow in 4 progressive disciplines (good leaders are made by them)
THREE FROM BIRTH
First, there is a quality of unquenchable optimism in the greatest of leaders. This DNA is not trainable, in my opinion. You either have it or you don’t. It goes to the heart of how I would define a leader, “The ability to take others to a brighter future.”
Every leader who brings others to a different place has the ability to generate hope. In fact, my belief is that before anyone exercises faith (perseverance), they must first embrace real hope. Leaders who lead (they can’t help it), are fascinated by the future. The interesting thing is that no matter how bleak the circumstances are, the authentic leader honestly believes the future will get better! This quality, in a word, is wrapped up in VISION. He or she has the uncanny ability to focus on things that are “to be” rather than on how things “are”. What generates hope in others is that there is a reality or believability in the words and actions of this person. Otherwise, the inspiration or enthusiasm quickly evaporates into foolhardiness. This visionary becomes known as the dreamer!
Second, there is an appropriate ego within great leaders. A quiet, controlled confidence attends the man or woman who guides others into a better future. Accompanying the leader who gets things done is the mirror-window mentality: when things go right he looks out the window and praises those who helped get it done ; when things go wrong, he looks in the mirror and takes responsibility. In a word, he gains respect because he has “an accurate assessment of himself before God.” He or she realizes that “apart from Him, they can do nothing” but because of an in-born sense of destiny there is an unshakeable sense of calling and a determined staying power. Quitting isn’t an option.
Third, and most important: leaders must be clear. Leaders can be wrong but they cannot be confusing. There is an inborn sense of discernment that forms great leaders…an ability to ferrot out the good, better, best with a sense of priority. There are NOT 16 things that are equally important in the project, job or plan: because every leader knows you have to be a river not a swamp. Not only does an identity come from narrowing the focus, but a feeling of the good kind of pride evolves from a team going in the same direction.
Leaders have come with all kinds of personalities; even varied levels of character. Some have meant their ends for good, others for personal agendas that ended up being evil. Yes, there are leaders that accomplish good and leaders that produce chaos. What determines that? I believe there are 4 progressive disciplines that despite being 1) Optimistic, 2) Humble and 3) Clear can lead to either good or bad results.
FOUR THAT ARE LEARNED
The first discipline that can be learned is embracing a vision. An ancient text says, “Without a vision the people perish.” That means without a view to the future, the people that follow will “lose heart” or literally faint. They want to quit. So what exactly IS a vision? There are three things that intersect when a vision becomes reality. First, there is a need to clarify the WIN…. meaning it is clear what the overall objective is, and a reason to celebrate when the objective has been reached. If the team does not know where it’s headed, any port in the storm will do. Or as the old adage says, “If you aim at nothing, you hit it every time!”
It has been said that only a few think or talk about the future. Most of us think or talk about the past or the present. Obviously, visioneering is a quality of LEADERSHIP. My personal belief is that about 5% of the population have the make-up to be “natural” leaders. But just like in writing (only a few Pulitzer prize winners), the vast majority can learn leadership knowledge and skills that make one a better leader…or writer. The second quality that makes up a vision is the determination to take STEPS, not get caught up in concepts. This is the part of the vision known as a strategy. HOW will the team proceed? Three to five steps hammered out on an annual basis will be the best route to achieve a vision, normally a 3 year process. As a friend of mine says, “We normally tend to overestimate what we can do in one year, and underestimate what we can do in three…”
The third quality of a vision that works is the need to narrow the FOCUS. This is the 3 month plan that jumpstarts the vision. What do you want to do on a consistent (daily) basis over the next 90 days? At this point, everybody on the team plays a role according to their own giftedness or strength. Just like in baseball, you know you WIN if you score more runs than your opponent (and that requires a scoreboard). The strategy (thinking concrete steps) is whether you play “small ball”, play strong defense or rely on your power hitters, etc. Finally, each player must FOCUS on his strength: whether that’s as a clean-up hitter, lead off hitter, starting pitcher, closer, etc.
A second discipline that can be learned is separating out fact from fiction. You might call this the ability to grasp reality. Maturity is an adjustment to reality! This is a function of MANAGEMENT…primarily of one’s resources. We have to manage ourselves before trying to manage others. There are a minimum of 4 categories of resources. How much we have and how we use them will always reflect reality.
They are:
Money
Time
Energy
Competence
How we use the first two, time and money, will consistently reflect our values. If you gave me your vision statement, I could tell in 30 days whether you meant it or not. How? By looking at your checkbook and examining your calendar. How you spend your money and time will tell me everything I need to know about a person’s values. A litmus test on life is found in the verse, “Where your treasure is, there is your heart also…” Energy refers to “counting the cost” of executing your vision. There is only so much energy we have, and to commit to anything requires toil and sweat. Competence is all about using our strengths well---that we all have a strength that 10,000 other people do not and it’s up to us to identify it, develop it and use it to maximize the team’s effectiveness.
Here’s the key question: Should a person’s vision outrace their resources? The answer is a qualified yes. If the gap is reasonable, the will to act is one of faith. If the gap is extreme, the will to act is based on foolishness.
There is a third discipline: the development of character. This is a function of COACHING. A good coach (like “iron sharpens iron”) pulls character out of the one being coached. Fundamentally, a coach gives the coached a plethora of opportunities that will expand the possibilities for victory. There are at least three things a coach does:
Provide Information
Encourage Application of Relevant Ideas
Press the one coached onward in Perseverance
The coach will instruct and inspire towards excellence. We have all stood on the shoulders of giants. In the midst of inevitable failure, we have all needed the hand of someone who has gone before us, picks us up and encourages us to finish strong.
Finally, we learn thru taking risk…and this takes courage. This is function of PLANNING. The old saying that we must plan our work and work our plan is true. Or as one wise management consultant said,
“Sooner or later, all organization must degenerate into work!” A plan is based on a three month commitment and is driven by a proper understanding, in my opinion, of goals vs. desires (Surprised By Serenity and the CD “The Power of Purpose” talks more about this concept of planning).
Planning is the master key that unlocks the power of choice and action. Life is so daily! One idea that has helped me many times is the 212 degree illustration. At 211 degrees water is hot. At 212 degrees water boils, creates the steam that drives the train. In life (whether it’s in athletics, business, finances) it is always ONE more degree that makes the difference. If you ate a candy bar and immediately ballooned to 300 lbs., there’s one thing for sure: we’d stop eating the candy! But that’s not how it works and we know it. It’s inch by inch…no sidewalk suddenly cracks or no marriage suddenly ends…but it’s a daily eroding that does the damage. Same principle applies in success. If you and I make one more phone call, schedule one more appointment or work a little bit harder, we will not have a ticker tape parade thrown for us at the end of the day! But…as each day unfolds and turns into weeks and months, the key to success is one small victory after another. Momentum is really just a series of small victories. We all want the product without the process---but reality says that normally success comes step by step, not hitting the lottery.
Thus, four disciplines: vision, reality, character and courage are learned thru the crucible of life…from others and our own experiences.
These four disciplines operate under the four functions: leadership, management, coaching and planning.
Here’s the secret that creates harmony---they all flow in that order!
We start with a vision in mind. We move to managing resources to implement the vision. We need the help of a coach. Finally, we need to act courageously, not just talk a good game.
For example, why is that it is often times difficult to find a good coach? I believe it’s because we have not established a clear-cut vision nor counted the cost of investing our resources! When the first two are completed, it is amazing how a person will show up to help. Again, the cliché is accurate, “When the student is ready, the teacher shows up!”
FOUR QUESTIONS THAT MUST BE ASKED
In conclusion, what brings this matrix alive? There are four key questions that follow each discipline and function. Asking these four is a good place to begin any business/ministry/gameplan.
They are:
What do I want to do 3 years from now? (This is the vision question and takes leadership)
What resources will I spend in order to get what I want? (This is the reality question and takes self-management)
Who can I associate with that will help me get what I want? (This is the character question and takes a coach to guide us)
Will I plan my work and work my plan? (This is the courage question and takes planning in which we take control of our own behavior)
Finally, let’s see if all four disciplines and four questions are necessary to complete a thorough gameplan.
If we take away vision, but have the other three, what are we? At best, a good manager…but not a leader.
If we take away reality, but have the other three, what are we? We are a dreamer, but not a visionary.
If we take away character, but have the other three, what are we? One that may lead people down the path of destruction/evil. History has shown us men like Hitler, Castro, or Mussolini that have had vision, used resources and taken action---but have left chaos in their wake.
Last, if we take away courage, but have the other three, what are we? We are passive and ultimately become critical or negative. We develop an attitude of entitlement. Or as they say in Texas, “We are all hat and no cattle!”
