Monthly Archives: February 2012

Explicit Hiring Criteria

Posted on by
Reply

I get this from Tom Peters the author of the Classic Management Book, “In Search Of Excellence” as well as many other terrific books and writings. Tom is very active on twitter and his postings and retweets are not to be missed. I suggest you check him out on twitter and follow him. @tom_peters.

A recent twitter post speaks to hiring criteria. Tom spells it out for his criteria:

Enthusiasm. Passion. Energy. Engagement. Curiosity. Breadth. Smile. Thoughtfulness. “We”. Listening Intensity.

For the leader this has many implications. For one, imagine yourself as a leader of a group of folks who largely possess the above traits. Such a leader can not fake it, this group would demand a strong leader who also possesses the above criteria, but also has the ability to lead such a team.

One attribute of such a leader is the ability to get the hell out-of-the-way. A group with these traits, once they understand what needs to get done, will find the way to get it done. How many managers can effectively find the balance to step in and out as needed?

Another implication is a group with these traits may stand out in a company that may not quite be comfortable with this approach. The energy, the questions asked (why do you do it that way?), the passion involved … this can be very different, but exactly what is needed.

Imagine a leader with these qualities as well as a team of dedicated employees with these attributes. Wow – truly we move together.

Thoughts from the Boat

Posted on by
1

I expect I will return to the boat off and on in this blog.   As I mention in my Bio, I was once a rower.  I rowed crew in high school and college.  Actually once a rower is not true.  Rowing becomes a way of life and one never stops being a rower once fully involved although I have not been on the water for years.

Rowing is used often as an example of perfect teamwork.  Even those who have not rowed can work out that each rower from their body movements to the unison of the oars through the water, needs to be in synch.  As such perfect teamwork.

Along with this teamwork there is leadership.  Because of the focus on teamwork though we often do not think of leadership in a sport such as rowing.  For other team sports we do often talk about leadership and publicly identify the leaders on specific teams.  These leaders do what they need to do to influence their teammates toward reaching their best performance.

From my experience each successful boat I rowed in had its leader.  Often it was me and many times it was others.  I have been in boats that should have been fast and competitive.  The technical ability and experience of the rowers said as much.  Yet, these boats did not perform as we expected.  As I look back, the lack of a leader was the issue.  This is where I became aware of the  need for myself to grow and behave as a leader.

The leader for my sport was never the coach.  He was responsible for the technical training and boat selection.  Of course he would work to motivate his rowers and set us up to understand and reach our goals.  As such, a leader, but my point is that you need to get into the boat to really lead.  In an eight man shell the leader could be anyone 1 through 8. For those in the know we can think of the #8 seat or stroke seat as the leader.  In practice this person is often the leader due to the fact that we all need to follow his lead with our rowing.  Yet it often held that the boat leader sat in the middle of the boat.  He had the positive traits of a leader from communication skills to trustworthiness.

All rowing coaches work to get their teams to visualize success.  We walk though in our mind the perfect stroke and unison with our teammates who are also focused on the perfect stroke.  The boat leader though is the one that can make it happen.  He is right there stroke for stroke with his teammates.  He can stop the boat to speak to the team and make adjustments to get the feel just right.  Trust me for all the power involved there is a feel that is so important to propel a crew shell at top speed.

All rowers seek the perfect stroke where it  all comes together.  The concept is called swing. Swing at its essence is when all the moving parts in the boat become one.  The feeling is nearly effortless and the boat rising up in the water.  Eight rowers become one.  It is rare and fleeting.  The best crews, while racing fast and winning races, still do not achieve it often.  In seven years of competitive racing, I experiences swing only a handful of times.  I am convinced that great coaching and technical ability set the groundwork to allow for swing.  Yet the leadership within the boat made it happen.  We each knew our roles and who in the boat needed to speak to keep us on the path.

Rowing, a great example of teamwork, leadership and the motto of “we move together”.

If interested here is a link to a rowing blog that describes swing very well.

http://inner-rowing.blogspot.com/2011/10/swing.html

Leadership Relationships

Posted on by
Reply

Relationships begin with the person in the mirror.

Your relationship with self involves your ethics, character, principles, purpose, motivation and conduct. How would you describe yourself using these points? Who are you is the start of how you are with others.

As a leader it is easy to recognize that you have a relationship with those that you have authority over. Hey, you are their leader right? Yet you also have a leadership relationship with those with authority over you and also your peers.

For the relationship with self I focus on two overarching elements. The first is the concept of discipline. I define discipline as the ability to make and keep promises and to honor commitments. It is the key to overcoming the pull of the past.

The second element for self is the concept of strength. This is the capacity or potential for effective action and the ability to maintain a moral or intellectual position firmly. For strength we first think of the physical. Yet strength is also important for the mental, emotional and even spiritual side of you.

For the relationship with others I focus on two key and important elements. The first is trust. You need to operate with integrity, disclosing your own position, remain open to new ideas and support others.

The second element for your relationship with others is alignment. This is where any member of your circle can state the purpose, values, goals, and vision for the group.

An understanding of your relationship with the person in the mirror and all those you work with is important for your success and reaching the goal of we move together.

Welcome to my Leadership Blog: We Move Together

Posted on by
1

With this blog I will present my own thoughts, ideas and random musings along with the best on leadership from business, sports and society in general.

Why a blog on leadership?  At its essence Leadership is a process of influence.  Great leaders move the world around them and have influence to bring true change.  The change can be a big item such as introducing a new product or something much smaller with a single person influencing a group of people to bring their all to a task at hand.

The world needs leaders.  I see myself as a leader and I want to help others become stronger leaders.  I myself seek to be a better leader everyday and will do so through my focus on this blog.

Why the title of “We Move Together”?  For me a key component of leadership is movement.  We are here and need to go there.  By the way, where is there?  Without question leadership requires specific personal traits.  I call this the Relationship with Self.  Leadership though also requires a relationship with others.  Leaders move people forward.  At it’s best, leaders pull people forward and rarely need to push.  Yes, we move forward together.