Leading When the Walls Are Falling Down

As anyone who has not been asleep for 40 years can tell, the world has changed. For two decades it was assumed by many that the future would be much like the present only more so. All organizations would grow, future visions would be easy to formulate, and all investments would average 8-15%, unless they were with Mr. Maddoff, and then it would by 20-30%. Well, the sugar plum fairy has been destroyed by environmental toxins in the form of greed and hubrus. An old saying of my grandfather, and probably yours also, was "if it looks to good to be true, it probably is". So here we are with businesses scrambling to survive, lots of good folks hitting the food pantries they used to donate to, and a general anxiety felt across all ages. Parents have the sad task of telling children they may not be able to support their desired college for awhile. Families giving up their home to live with relatives or at homeless shelters. Since most of us only remember the great depression through the stories of our elders, it seems we are visiting the past.
We are generally a compassionate country, and still remain so in the midst of this reorientation to a new reality. However we have lost any compassion for those who seem to have escaped from the morass of their doing with only a few less millions than they had a year ago. The general population finds little sympathy for Ruth Maddoff who now must live on only 2.5 million. The anger was palpable when senior executives of financial firms were rewarded on their way out the door with obscene amounts of cash. It is one task to stabilize our financial system, it is a far greater task to reestablish the trust in its leadership. There is far too much belief that the fox is in charge of the hen house.
Well, you know all the stories, so I will refrain from retelling them all here. The question remains of how to lead in the midst of such climactic change that no part of society is untouched. The answer is found all around us. Volunteers are helping find food and housing and health care for those who have lost it all. Community folks are opening their hearts and smaller wallets to keep the most hurt among us covered with the basics. Churches are rediscovering there basic ministries by opening facilities to house the homeless and feed children. All kinds of support groups have emerged to network for any available jobs, part time or full time. Those who can are going back to school to get ready for new kinds of jobs that will emerge. This is creating such a jam at the doors of universities that they are having to set limits which is, in turn, giving growth to online resources for job searches and education.
For the first few months there was a bit of shock in the populace that left us stopped short, trying to figure out what to do or not do. Now the elements of leadership, individual self-leadership, and organizational leadership are accelerating as people flip on their innovation, second-wind effort, brush off old skills, and start creating a better, more honest world.
Leadership is all around. The Gen X folks have grabbed hold of the reins in some areas and are prodding the Boomers to get moving. Yes, some of the Boomers are escaping to Panama or Belize or some other country where the rest of their retirement account will stretch further, but many are tossing off the retirement hat and re-engaging in new jobs or old ones to lead the way through this. How can you tell these leaders are authentic and trustworthy? Because they are sharing the risk with us all. They are giving much of themselves and not asking others to carry it all. And if you look in their eyes, you see a passion. For some it is a passion they have not felt for some time, but have rediscovered. They are doing what matters, and they love it. Leadership is all around us, of all ages, and you may be one of them. If so, great. Lead On. Let's all work for a more sane, inclusive, equitable and considerate future. Let's encourage imagination, support innovation, restore the damage done by our past illicit appetites, and leave a much better place for the next generations.

Until next time,

Larry

Leadership in a Time of Rapid Change

"These are the times that try men's souls" is a quote that has been applied to numerous moments in history, and is certainly applicable for many now. Only a few pockets of certainty remain as the economic implosion has rippled out in shock waves to people of all socio-economic categories. It is a time that has seen leaders crash and burn, and in their ashes are the retirements plans, investments, and jobs of millions of others. Obviously this has triggered anger, even outrage, from those who are the mostly innocent victims of the unbridled risk taking of people not even known to be part of the lives of the victims. There are few around the globe who have escaped the fear, loss, and deprivation of the last months. What happened to leadership? The headlines have focused on a cluster of financial leaders who moved from their moral anchors to engage in a massive game of obscene profits and life threatening risk.
Less obvious in the news are the thousands of leaders who have exchanged predictability in their job with sleepless nights of wrestling for answers to keeping their businesses alive and their employees employed. Just recently the stories are emerging of companies and communities who are pulling together to share the burdens, resources, and pain. It is in this group that heroic leadership is becoming evident. It is in these scenarios that we learn once again, that leadership is not a label on the door. Leadership is the behavioral expression of the richest core values of caring for friends, neighbors, employees, and strangers. It is in this group that leaders arise as the need for leadership emerged. Leaders have stepped up, not because of pay, not because of position, not for ego, but because someone, or many someones, needed a leader.
Each person is a leader if they respond to the need when it rises up before them.
It is clear that this time in our collective history we are experiencing the complex interconnectedness of the global community. Only a few decades ago a community would pull together to rebuild a burned barn for a neighbor, repair a damaged house for a person down the street, or replace the daily goods of a family whose possessions had been scattered by tornadic winds. In the growth of population, the increase of diversity, and the busyness of our lives we lost our neighborhoods and scarcely know one another. That is changing. We are once again helping each other pick up the pieces, hunt for or create jobs, support one another in grief.
Vision may be global, but all action is local. As we move through the months ahead we will be reminded of the skills we have been too busy to grow, the talents we may have overlooked, and the people we need and who need us. Our country, businesses, and communities need leaders who lead from the heart now more than ever. They also need leaders who look after others before themselves. Let's all step in and step up. Use these times of chaos to build the base for new beginnings. Encourage others, and rebuild your tool kit for the future will never be like the past. But it can be better.

Leading With The Facts

I have been watching "leaders" lately to see what I find similar or different about them. The most convenient place for observation is obviously the media. Some leaders seem to influence through a moral argument that what they propose is the right thing to do. Some make the case for historical comparison, that what they propose is similar to an event or process that was successful in the past. Some build an argument that time is of the essence since elements are coming together that require a timely response, while yet others say that action should not chosen without clear, on-the-ground information that justifies the action. I would suppose there are times when each of these approaches fit the need of leaders. Clearly there are times when urgency precludes the time it might take to gather sufficient information to know beyond doubt what to do. It is also that we place on leaders that they make every effort to lead with a clear moral intent. The fuzziness here comes with one's choice of moral field. Is it the greatest good for the greatest number, or is it defense of the few against the greater number giving voice to the voiceless? I would suggest that there are almost always more facts available for situations than are brought to bear on the decisions of leaders. There is a human dilemma that creates great stress when some of the facts do not support what we thought we wanted to do. In a day when technology allows much more information to be gathered from many more sources more quickly, I believe I will follow the leader who makes every effort to know the knowable. If that turns out to be blindsided later by new, now knowable facts, I will certainly accept the error. Should a leader make a case on other grounds and miss the mark, I am likely less supportive. When I am the leader I would hope for a similar response. Want to lead, do your homework.

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Purpose of Leadership

The purpose of leadership has been defined by numerous authors, the most common being that leaders inspire others to respond to a vision of the future and become motivated to help achieve that future. In general that definition probably applies to business, politics, religion, and most other formal and informal settings. It is noteworthy that the definition does not indicate the vision need be moral, worthwhile, needed, or beneficial. What seems to be true is that those who follow leaders become convinced that their own personal self-interest is addressed by following. This would certainly be true of those who follow gang leaders. Their safety, inclusion, monetary gain, and personal power can all be at stake. At time the decision to follow may be to weigh the benefit of following against the cost of not following. It would probably imply a high personal cost to have said "no thanks" to Hitler, or Mao, or perhaps even Osama bin Laden.
Usually beneficent leadership requires that the promoted vision of the future includes not only personal well-being, but a positive outcome for numerous others. It is clear that many of us embody a desired vision of a better business, community, church, or world. Only some rise to requirements to lead us to such potential ends. Some succeed and some fail, but most obtain our admiration and often our allegiance.
In a political year we probe our candidates for their vision of a preferred future, and attempt to measure their capability to lead us to that future. It is easy for one to speak of a dream, and less easy to speak of how one builds the road to such a dream. Whether we are trying to lead our families, our church, business or community, we face a similar dilemma. Can we articulate a future that is both desired and doable? If so, what are the competencies needed to be that effective leader?

Starting the Discussion - Leadership

The subject and practice of leadership has focused my attention all my life. I have been fascinated by men and women who exhibit the behaviors that motivate others to follow their vision. I have also been astonished at the many situations in which leadership was desperately needed and so obviously absent. I have engaged in scholarly pursuits of leadership and in practical applications. Though the dissertations were informative, it is the engagement with leaders in the process of enhancing their leadership impact that has most motivated me. In this blog I invite all those with similar concerns and observations about the presence and absence of leadership to share your insights.
Leaders may have any number of technical areas of expertise, but it appears that the qualities of their humanness is what sets them apart. Leaders in whom I have deep respect exhibit an integrity that is palpable, a humility that is endearing, and a courage to move themselves and others to do what needs to be done.
I hope you will share with me what you experience as the most essential criteria of leadership and your experiences of becoming one or working with other leaders. I cherish the opportunity to learn from you.

Larry

Dr. Larry E. Webb