Is It Really So Difficult?

An economy teetering on the edge. A fragmented, dysfunctional Congress, seemingly more concerned with bickering and how not to stimulate growth than it is about job creation. A stock market that makes the most harrowing roller coaster seem tame by comparison. Consumer confidence at a 3-decade low. No plan – actually, not even talk of a plan. So much for providing some confidence. So much for providing even a modicum of hope.

Feels for all the world like we’re on our own.

So we ask yet again: Where is leadership?

Talk about a teaching moment. Too bad it’s come at such a high price.

Let’s start at the beginning. What is leadership and what does it look like? We have our point of view about leadership – and there’s been only, what, a thousand books written on the topic? Of course, it's one thing to write about it and another thing altogether to doing it. (Which, of course, reminds me instantly of Woody Allen’s classic line: “Those who can, do. Those who can’t do, teach. Those who can’t teach, teach gym.”) Even so, how do real people define leadership?

Since we didn’t know, we asked. Last week, on the streets of Berkeley, Costa Mesa, Danville, Huntington Beach, Los Angeles, Napa, Newport Beach, Oakland and San Francisco. (Yes, another Southwest Airlines week for me.) Not a terribly scientific sample, but fascinating nevertheless.

We asked one question: What’s it take to lead?

On a tangential note: When was the last time you tried to have a conversation with a stranger on the street? Not the easiest thing to do, as it turns out. Such paranoia! Such a need for privacy! I wasn’t asking for money, for a petition to be signed, for anything but to talk for a few minutes. Sadly, my ‘hit’ rate was only about 25%. Go figure.

So, what did we learn?

This Thing Called Leadership

Our sample of 75 teens, adults and seniors had a few choice things to say about leadership. When asked ‘What does it take to lead?’, we were told, in no uncertain terms:

• Courage. Internal strength, fortitude, with frequent references to three parts of the anatomy, one distinctly male (hint: backbone and guts were two; you know the third);

• Charisma. Because you have to get others to follow;

• A big idea. Something that you want to see accomplished;

• Responsibility. A belief that it’s up to you to get it done;

• A calling. Something that drives you, compels you to move to the front;

• Thick skin. Because you’re bound to upset some people, maybe a lot of people, along the way; and
  

• Stamina. Because nothing worthwhile happens quickly.

A rather insightful, opinionated group from 22 states and 9 foreign countries. (Ah, tourist season in California.)

In many ways, they’ve provided a useful shortcut to understanding leadership. It is about courage. It is about having an idea that you believe to be worthy. It is about you deciding to get it done. It is about being compelled to move to the front of the pack. It is about having a thick skin to weather the criticism and the stamina to see it through to fruition. And, of course, it is about having the wherewithal to motivate others to do what they didn’t think possible.

Not surprisingly, these behaviors are precisely what we teach in our leadership programs. Sure, we consider theories, research and case studies. But, more importantly, our focus goes beyond the academic and is on making participants in our programs look and act like leaders. Because getting something worthwhile done is what leadership is about. And there’s plenty of worthwhile things to get done in just about every organization on this planet.

A critical point here: Leadership is not theoretical, academic, or philosophical. Leadership is about getting something done, something others wouldn’t have thought possible. Leadership, therefore, is a set of behaviors. A set of complex behaviors, to be sure, but behaviors that are tangible and observable.

Leadership is also a set of emotions that help manifest the essential behaviors. In many ways, leadership is about connecting the 18 inches between the head and the heart and using both in tandem to get something meaningful done. (Thank you, again, Joey Loudermilk of Aflac fame, for this lasting and compelling image.)

If you have a few minutes – and all too little leadership in your organization – you might give us a call. We can show you how to change that situation. We can show you how to develop and hone the behaviors essential to effective leadership. You and your organization will reap the rewards for years to come.

In the meantime, we need leadership now. Wherever you are, whatever your job, it’s time to step up if you have an idea to help your organization or your country. There’s no shortage of need. There is, though, a terrible shortage of bold ideas to accelerate growth. And as we’ve seen all too clearly in these last few months, there are far too few people willing and able to assume that critical and essential leadership role.

It just might be your time. Or ours.