It's About Leadership, True Leadership

The current edition of Fortune Magazine features, as its cover story, the building of great leaders. While it's always nice for Fortune to highlight and publicize the need for leadership -- winning in business is all about the people, after all -- their articles were infuriating on a number of levels.

Let's count the ways:

• Who's the dude to the right? Yes, it's Fortune's graphic representation of a corporate leader, borrowed from the magazine's cover. Am I alone in this, or might this portend a rather conservative, traditional, narrow-minded, 'corporate' approach to leadership? (I know, I know. Don't judge a book by its cover. But does anything scream 'old-school' more than that graphic?) While it's wise not to make too much of the illustration -- it does, indeed, telegraph the view Fortune has when it comes to what they call 'leadership'. It's so last century.
  

• The article describes how Fortune, with the help of Hewitt Associates and the HR services firm RBL Group, went about selecting those companies most successful at developing leadership. Here's how they did it:
  

  To create the ranking, we surveyed more than 500 global companies in search of the top businesses at attracting, retaining, and nurturing talent. After several rounds of analysis and interviews, we turned to a team of respected judges from around the world to help select the final list.

  By the way, reading the fine print about the study's process yields no additional information. Nothing about, say, criteria, definition of 'leadership', or, frankly, anything that would allow the reader to have any sense as to how these firms and the 'respected' judges selected their finalists. The judging on Dancing With The Stars, I'm told, has more rigor.
  
  The results were hardly surprising. Twenty-five companies are named. Terrific organizations, many with a long history of developing strong executive talent. Hard to find fault with this group. Of course, one wonders, why these companies were selected and not the other 475 or so that participated in the study. Ah, but why quibble. It's the usual suspects.
  
  And, finally, there are the findings about how these companies develop their next set of leaders. Developmental assignments, many of them outside of the United States. Some that stretch the individual's comfort zone, challenging the person to perform in uncharted territory, so to speak. Wow. So that's how they do it. Who would have thought?

What really bothers me about this -- and most articles about leadership, for that matter -- is that Fortune confuses management with leadership. No doubt these companies are developing strong, capable managers via developmental assignments. No doubt these people are able to oversee large, complex operations. No doubt these individuals produce healthy returns to their organizations. But, are these companies developing leaders? I wonder.

So, let's talk leadership. True leadership.

As a working definition, something Fortune, Hewitt Associates and the RBL Group seemed to overlook, I'd propose that:

Leadership is the ability to produce amazing results -- results not previously thought possible -- through people.

It's a mouthful, to be sure, but a good mouthful, no? Amazing results, results not previously thought possible, through people. Show me someone who can do that and I'll show you a true leader.

I'm glad you asked, because I have someone in mind.

This guy. Robert Mondavi.

Never have I known an individual who could instill more significantly a captivating vision, an urgency for unparalleled quality, and a drive for excellence in people than Robert Mondavi. He changed -- arguably created -- the California wine industry, redefined wine's place in the lives of millions, and became the icon and shining light for thousands of people lucky enough to have worked with and around him.

Robert built leadership daily. With a singular focus and a relentless passion for quality, Robert inspired everyone to produce outstanding results, whether it was in the rolling of the hoses in the cellar, the topping of wine barrels, the nurturing of vines, the washing of wine glasses, the gracious approach to visitors, the marketing and selling of wine, or in the hiring and development of top talent. He challenged, he stretched, he drove people. Everyone felt essential, everyone felt accountable, and everyone performed. Or they were asked to play elsewhere.

Robert would claim repeatedly to anyone within earshot that it was about producing wine that is "worthy of being in the company of the world's greatest wines". (Actually, 'repeatedly' does not begin to describe how often he voiced this mantra.) But I believe Robert had another goal: That of producing people who are worthy of being in the company of the world's greatest. For Robert knew that wonderful wine came from wonderful people. "Find me talented people, people filled with excitement," he'd tell us, and "we'll teach them how to make great wine."

And the people-related results of Robert's approach? The California wine industry is now filled with owners, CEOs, Presidents and other executives who were developed and, importantly, inspired by Robert Mondavi. Indeed, Robert's legacy is, in part, a who's who list of those who now lead the wine industry and those who remain in the business creating some of the world's most amazing wines. Taste his wines and you'll taste his passion for people.

For me, that's leadership. Producing results, through people, that are beyond what was previously thought possible. Find people who can do that and you'll be in the presence of true leadership.

Maybe next year, Fortune, you'll keep this in mind.

In the meantime, we miss you, Bob.