Smashing Paradigms - An Exercise of Leadership By John Baldoni

The ability to look at the world as it is and envision something new and improved is a valued trait of leadership. An act of creation, however, as the literature of India tells us, is born of destruction.

Say the word "destruction" and you immediately think of blowing up bridges, knocking down buildings, or leveling factories-all physical actions. But sometimes the boldest form of destruction is one that calls for deconstructing existing paradigms, or mental models, that stifle progress. That form of destruction may be the most dramatic -- as well as renewing -- form of leadership.

Skeptics told Fred Smith his idea of an overnight delivery service would never fly. Experts scoffed at a college kid Michael Dell's plan to build a computer company that would sell direct to customers. Sophisticated analysts ignored Sam Walton as he built his Arkansas-based store into a national chain.

None of these entrepreneurs listened to the naysayers. Their personal leadership smashed an existing paradigm, the set of beliefs that framed the world as others saw it. Each of these business leaders replaced the shattered paradigm with another more dynamic and robust paradigm that embraced the needs of new and emerging groups of consumers.

Every entrepreneur has a bit of paradigm-smashing within herself. Entrepreneurs are those who look at the situation and say, "why not?" They seek new solutions to old problems, or new solutions to emerging issues. This mindset is equally true of transformational leaders. A transformational leader is one that envisions a tomorrow that is totally different from the present one. She persuades other to follow his vision, and in the process completely reinvents the organization.

When you run a business, or lead an organization, you learn very quickly that you need to experiment. Entrepreneurs and transformational leaders must be innovative, creative, flexible, adaptable, and yet, responsible.

Here are some ways to smash existing paradigms ...

* Re-frame the problem - Many companies have created multi-disciplinary teams as a means of doing business. Yet when serious problems occur, old behaviors often arise. Hand-shaking gives rise to finger-pointing as team members relate difficulties to functions. You hear things like: "That's a marketing problem… Or, that's the job of engineering." Henry Ford once said, "Don't find blame, find a remedy." And it's true.

The purpose of cooperative teams is to find solutions together. For example, a marketer might look at what is perceived to be a "logistics problem" and then adopting the perspective of the customer, come up with ideas to solve the problem. Equally so, an engineer, trained in root-cause analysis, might find a new approach to a "marketing" problem. The challenge is to bring different view points together to spark creative thinking.

* Look for ideas and solutions in unlikely places - The best solutions may require looking in places that are less than obvious. One manager of an apparel maker a practice of interviewing teens while they stood in line at rock concerts in San Francisco. By talking with the kids and getting to know their likes and dislikes in clothes, the manager was able to help the design department create clothes that would be more appealing to younger buyers.

Similarly, Nokia, the Finnish telecommunications company, sends its engineers to Southern California to get an appreciation of life in the trend-setting lane. By observing the way people use wireless communication devices currently, Nokia's engineers may be able to design new products that not only complement consumers' current lifestyles, but anticipate coming life changes and thereby position their company to be a next generation provider of leading-edge products.

New ideas abound. They are always in the air. The challenge is to put yourself into a place where you can breathe that "new air." When it fills your lungs, you may find yourself with a bold new vision of the future.

* Experiment - Success depends sometimes in serendipity, or being in the right place at the right time. 3-M's Post-It Notes occurred when Arthur Fry, a researcher working with adhesives accidentally got some "sticky stuff" on a piece of paper. Noticing how the adhesive allowed the paper to be stuck and removed several times, he pursued the idea further. It is for this reason, among others, that 3M actively encourages their research people to spend 15% of their time on developing their own projects. You never know where the next great idea will come from.

* Take risks - It's one thing to create a new product by happenstance, it's another to put it into production. That's where risk management comes into play. In the two examples of Hewlett-Packard and 3-M, both companies pride themselves on innovation and therefore are receptive to new ideas. These companies, I am certain, build a sense of risk into their business models. Try as we might to manage all of the variables, we know it's impossible. Sooner or later, a company must trust its instincts and invest in ideas that show promise, but are not yet proven.

* Do it again... and again! Our society lives on the cusp of rapid change. What works one year may not work the next. Therefore, leaders must be prepared to innovate on a regular basis. To do this, they must establish a culture of continuous innovation; in doing so, they enable their people to experiment as they create a new future.

These five steps demonstrate that a culture of innovation can be nurtured if we have the willingness to get beyond current thinking, or existing mental models.

While both entrepreneurial and transformational leaders can take a measure of satisfaction in smashing paradigms, they must create something worthwhile and positive to take its place. For example, Fred Smith dreamed of express delivery and fulfilled his dream by creating a hub-and-spoke system of air freight. Michael Dell imagined a better way of offering computers to customers, and in the process built a company to deliver custom-made machines direct to customers in rapid frames. Sam Walton envisioned a nationwide span of stores providing high-quality goods at low prices and made it happen with a network of rural-based hyper-markets.

The lesson for leadership is this: before you tear down walls, think about what will stand in their place. This lesson is particularly apt for transformational leaders. A leading example of this type of leadership is Jack Welch of General Electric. When he assumed the chairmanship in 1981, his mission was to establish leadership in every business category in which GE competed.

If this were not possible, GE divested itself of the business. His actions, which earned him the nickname "Neutron Jack," transformed a bloated Goliath into a competitively-lean enterprise that is number one or two in every one of its market. In the process, GE has become the most highly capitalized business in the world, worth in excess of $200 billion.

Not every paradigm needs smashing. Paradigms do serve a useful purpose; they frame our world in ways that affirm our values and our future. For example, the U.S. Constitution represents a paradigm of equality and justice for all. Anarchists may advocate smashing it, but most of our citizenry would opt for adherence, with an occasional improvement, such as the Amendments that abolished slavery, enfranchised women voters, and Prohibition. (The next time you hoist a pint, or sip a Chardonnay, murmur thanks to the paradigm-busters of the 1930s.)

Paradigm-smashing is a prerogative of leadership, but leaders must understand that de-struction demands con-struction. They must be reasonably certain their new paradigms will allow for a more viable, more improved, more just tomorrow. Good leaders understand this intuitively, which is why we look to them for guidance and direction.

(c) John Baldoni - All rights reserved
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John Baldoni is an internationally recognized leadership expert, executive coach, speaker and author of seven books on leadership. His newest book, Lead by Example: 50 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Results (Amacom) describes how leaders encourage others to follow their lead. John writes the "Leadership at Work" blog for Harvard Business Publishing and as well as his own leadership blog. John’s website, www.JohnBaldoni.com, contains coaching podcasts and videos, leadership articles, and information about his books and workshops.

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The Two Qualities of Top Leaders By Brian Tracy

There are two essential qualities of leadership. Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric says that the "Reality Principle" is the most important of all. What this means is the practice of realism in all things.

Practice Intellectual Honesty ...
Realism is a form of intellectual honesty. The realist insists upon seeing the world as it really is, not as he wishes it were. This objectivity, this refusal to engage in self-delusion, is a mark of the true leader.

Don't Trust to Luck ...
Those who exhibit the quality of realism do not trust to luck, hope for miracles, pray for exceptions to basic business principles, expect rewards without working or hope that problems will go away by themselves. These all are examples of self-delusion, of living in a fantasyland.

See Things As They Are ...
The motivational leader insists on seeing things exactly as they are and encourages others to look at life the same way. As a motivational leader, you get the facts, whatever they are.

You deal with people honestly and tell them exactly what you perceive to be the truth. This doesn't mean that you will always be right, but you will always be expressing the truth in the best way you know how.

Take Responsibility ...
The second key quality of motivational leadership is responsibility. This is perhaps the hardest of all to develop. The acceptance of responsibility means that, as Harry Truman said, "The buck stops here."

Win By A Narrow Margin ...
The game of life is very competitive. Sometimes, great success and great failure are separated by a very small distance.

In watching the play-offs in basketball, baseball and football, we see that the winner can be decided by a single point, and that single point can rest on a single action, or inaction, on the part of a single team member at a critical part of the game.

Get the Winning Edge ...
Life is very much like competitive sports. Very small things that you do, or don't do, can either give you the edge that leads to victory or take away your edge at the critical moment.

This principle is especially true with regard to accepting responsibility for yourself and for everything that happens to you.

Refuse to Make Excuses ...
The opposite of accepting responsibility is making excuses, blaming others and becoming upset, angry and resentful toward people for what they have done to you or not done for you.

Any one of these three behaviors can trip you up and be enough to cost you the game: If you run into an obstacle or setback and you make excuses rather than accept responsibility, it's a five-yard penalty. It can cost you a first down. It can cost you a touchdown. It can make the difference between success and failure.

If, when you face a problem or setback, and you both make excuses and blame someone else, you get a 10-yard penalty. In a tightly contested game, where the teams are just about even, a 10-yard penalty can cost you the game.

If, instead of accepting responsibility when things go wrong, you make excuses, blame someone else and simultaneously become angry and resentful and blow up, you get a 15-yard penalty. This may cost you the championship and your career as well if it continues.

Lead Yourself, Be A Role Model ...
Personal leadership and motivational leadership are very much the same. To lead others, you must first lead yourself. To be an example or a role model for others, you must first become an excellent person yourself.

Action Exercises:

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, be completely honest and realistic with yourself and every difficult situation in your life. Resolve to face the truth, whatever it is. Don't wish, hope, pray, ignore or play games with yourself.

Second, accept complete responsibility, especially when things go wrong. Refuse to blame others or make excuses. You can tell the strength of your character when you are under pressure. Be calm, controlled and constructive at all times.

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Brian Tracy is one of the world's leading authorities on personal and business success. His fast-moving talks and seminars are loaded with powerful, proven ideas and strategies that you can apply immediately to get better results in every area. Visit the Brian Tracy web site.

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Leadership Lessons from AA By Joe Tye

Almost every recovering addict I've ever spoken with eventually uses the word "miracle." And many of these people have been led to their miracle through the principles of AA. That's actually a pretty good metaphor for the very best that organizational leadership has to offer: helping people achieve the miracle of personal transformation.

In this article I'll share several lessons from AA that are directly applicable to being a more effective leader. If you find this to be thought provoking, check out the book The Spirituality of Imperfection, for more on story-telling as a pathway to authenticity. (Authenticity is Core Action Value #1 and Leadership is Core Action Value #12 because the one begins a journey that culminates in the other.)

Fake it till you make it: I was once speaking with a movie producer who told me about the time a young wannabe actor approached the great Spencer Tracy and asked him for the ultimate secret of mastering the acting craft. He said Tracy didn't even look up from the script he was studying, just said "Don't get caught at it."

To be the best leader you are capable of being means to be growing and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, and this means to be continuously rehearsing for roles that are (by definition) uncomfortable. So, you fake it till you make it, because if you don't, you stagnate.

Change your behaviors: In AA, they say that one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome. By that definition, I know a lot of crazy people (you might be one of them).

For example, to always be complaining about how you never have enough money without taking action to earn more or spend less, or both, is crazy.

Lisa Bluder, head coach of The University of Iowa women's basketball team, closes her emails by saying that if you want to have what you've never had, you must be willing to do what you've never done. And thus do miraculous things come about.

Foster relationships based on mutuality: In AA, the relationship between the drunk and his or her sponsor is that of a mutually interdependent dyad, not of a supervisory paternalism. They both need each other - equally. In his Pulitzer Prize winning book Leadership, James MacGregor Burns wrote that "transforming leadership" is never a one- way street, but always a relationship in which both leader and followers are transformed. In other words, mutuality in action.

There's a lot more we can learn from AA, and we can be inspired by the courage and humility of those who transform the inner demons of addiction into guides for helping others grow (a journey Richard Tripp describes in his book Pleas e Underestimate Me). This is ultimately something all leaders must eventually do, each in their own way.
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Joe Tye is president of Paradox 21 Inc., which provides corporate training and culture change initiatives based on a proprietary curriculum of The Twelve Core Action Values of Personal Leadership Effectiveness. He is also the author of several books and audio programs on personal, career, and business success, and a popular motivational speaker. Visit www.JoeTye.com

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Making A Business Movie By Brian Tracy

Everything worthwhile is achieved by a variety of people coming together to perform a variety of jobs, all of which are coordinated and sequenced together to achieve a final result.

Today, this model of the virtual corporation or the virtual team is becoming the key to success in both individual and business life.

Assembling Your Team ...
A perfect example of the virtual project team would be the video crew that makes my video training programs. This crew consists of about 10 people, most of whom know each other but all of whom work independently from each other.

Selection is the Key to Success ...
This is the way this type of team comes together. When I decide to create a training program, I negotiate an agreement for the finished product with a person who becomes the project's executive producer.

The executive producer knows where to find the key people to make up the team. And here is an important point: selection is 95 percent of success in management.

Look for Previous Experience ...
For you to select the right people, you must be clear about the key result areas and the standards of job performance.

Most people judge themselves on the basis of what they feel they are capable of doing in the future, but you must only judge people based on what they have actually accomplished in the past. The inability to choose people well for a team can lead to under-achievement and failure.

Know Who You Need ...
The executive producer of the film crew will then begin hiring the individual members of the video shooting team.

First, he or she will hire three cameramen, who come complete with state-of-the-art camera equipment that they either own or rent for this project.

Then there will be lighting and sound specialists. A combination carpenter and designer will be hired to concept and build the set for the video project. A floor director will be selected who will coordinate the activities of the cameramen, the people appearing in the video shoot, the sound person, the light person, and the designer.

Select the Bit Players Carefully ...
In addition to these people, there will be an editor and mixer who will sit in the video sound booth and mix the project as it is shot and edit it afterwards. Finally, there will be a make-up specialist who prepares each of the performers for the shoot.

Field Your Team ...
This makes for a total of 10 people, all specialists who are brought together to focus on the production of a single video project. The actual shoot itself can take anywhere from two hours to two weeks.

When it is over and everyone has done their jobs, the crew shakes hands and disperses in different directions, going on to join other crews for other video shoots under other circumstances.

Continually Revise Team Responsibilities ...
In corporations today, the continuous formation and dissolution of these "virtual teams" is becoming the norm for achieving goals.

People who specialize in their fields are brought together under a team leader to perform a function or do a job and then disperse to become members of other teams performing other functions.

It is into this constant formation and reformation of teams that you must integrate yourself so that you can maximize your capacity to make a significant contribution wherever you work.

These same principles apply to you and to bringing together several people to complete a project.

Action Exercises:

Now, here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, think through the project in terms of the specific jobs to be done and the specific skills that people will require to do those jobs. Select your team on this basis.

Second, take time to discuss and agree on the role and expected contribution from each person. Be absolutely clear with everyone about your final goal or desired result.
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Brian Tracy is one of the world's leading authorities on personal and business success. His fast-moving talks and seminars are loaded with powerful, proven ideas and strategies that you can apply immediately to get better results in every area. Visit the Brian Tracy web site.

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Thoughts on Leadership from a Graduation Ceremony By Lance Secretan

After writing fourteen books about leadership, I sometimes find myself at a loss when I discover my writings in an unusual place. Often, I don't even remember writing what has been recycled!

So I was suprised to see something I had written some years ago show up as part of a graduation speech - the Internet is the uber-recyling entity!

These are some thoughts, written in 1999, about leadership, from my book, "Inspirational Leadership"…

Leadership is not so much about technique and methods
as it is about opening the heart.
Leadership is about inspiration - of oneself and of others.
Great leadership is about human experiences, not processes.
Leadership is not a formula or a program,
it is a human activity that comes from the heart
and considers the hearts of others.
It is an attitude, not a routine.
More than anything else today,
followers believe that they are part of a system,
a process that lacks heart.
If there is one thing a leader can do
to connect with followers at a human,
or better still a spiritual level,
it is to become engaged with them fully,
to share experiences and emotions,
and to set aside the processes of leadership
we have learned by rote.
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Dr. Lance Secretan is one of the world's foremost thinkers about leadership and a renowned pioneer in innovative methods of inspiring people and organizations. The former CEO of a Fortune 100 company and an acclaimed business school professor, Lance Secretan works with a gifted worldwide faculty changing the lives of people and transforming companies and revolutionizing the way they think about leadership. Visit him at www.Secretan.com.

Lance Secretan's book:

Napoleon's Key to Victory By Brian Tracy

The only real measure of business leadership is results. This requires the ability to act boldly with no guarantees of success. The greatest obstacle to overcome is fear of the unknown.

The Key to Confidence ...
Most fear however, is rooted in ignorance. The more knowledge or skill you have in any area, the less fear it holds.

Napoleon Bonaparte is considered by historians to be perhaps the greatest single military leader who ever lived. More than 100,000 books have been written about him since his death on St. Helena.

Pay Attention to Detail ...
Napoleon's courage was legendary but it was not vain or impetuous. Napoleon was famous for his fastidious attention to detail, for taking pains to study and thoroughly understand every military situation he ever faced. He led the French army in hundreds of minor and major engagements and lost only three, the last one being Waterloo.

The more you know about what you face, the lower your level of ignorance, the more courage and confidence you will have naturally. The more time you take to think through a situation, the more capable you will be of dealing with it when it arises. Napoleon planned for every contingency.

Think About the Possibilities ...
He carefully considered and followed through to its natural conclusion every setback or possibility of defeat he might encounter and then he prepared against it.

To be caught unprepared for unexpected setbacks is a mark of weak leadership. Confidence comes from the constructive use of pessimism, thinking about what could go wrong long before it does.

Action Exercises:

Here are two ways you can apply Napoleon's strategy to your situation.

First, become an expert in your field. Never stop learning and growing. The more you know, the more confidence you will have.

Second, get the facts. Double check everything. Be prepared for unexpected setbacks and reversals. The more prepared you are, the more confidence you will have.
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Brian Tracy is one of the world's leading authorities on personal and business success. His fast-moving talks and seminars are loaded with powerful, proven ideas and strategies that you can apply immediately to get better results in every area. Visit the Brian Tracy web site.

Sponsor: If you're looking for a keynote speaker for your next event, seminar, or company meeting learn more about having Josh Hinds (your host here at BusinessLeadershipAdvice.com) speak to your group.

Management and Other People's Knowledge By Brian Tracy

Be a Low Pressure Persuader ...
Management can be defined as "getting things done through others." To be a manager you must be an expert at persuading and influencing others to work in a common direction.

This is why all excellent managers are also excellent low-pressure salespeople. They do not order people to do things; instead, they persuade them to accept certain responsibilities, with specific deadlines and agreed-upon standards of performance.

When a person has been persuaded that he or she has a vested interest in doing a job well, he or she accepts ownership of the job and the result. Once a person accepts ownership and responsibility, the manager can step aside confidently, knowing the job will be done on schedule.

You Have Two Choices ...
In every part of your life, you have a choice of either doing it yourself or delegating it to others. Your ability to get someone else to take on the job with the same enthusiasm that you would have is an exercise in personal persuasion. It may seem to take a little longer at the beginning, but it saves you an enormous amount of time in the completion of the task.

The Best Form of Leverage ...
A key form of leverage that you must develop for success in America is other people's knowledge. You must be able to tap into the brain power of many other people if you want to accomplish worthwhile goals.

Successful people are not those who know everything needed to accomplish a particular task, but more often than not, they are people who know how to find the knowledge they need.

What Knowledge Do You Need?
What is the knowledge that you need to achieve your most important goals? Of the knowledge required, what knowledge must you have personally in order to control your situation, and what knowledge can you borrow, buy, or rent from others?

Two Calls Away ...
It has been said that, in our information-based society, you are never more than one book or two phone calls away from any piece of knowledge in the country. With on-line computer services that access huge data bases all over the country, you can usually get the precise information you require in a few minutes by using a personal computer.

Whenever you need information and expertise from another person in order to achieve your goals, the very best way to persuade them to help you is to ask them for their assistance.

Don't Be Afraid to Ask ...
Almost everyone who is knowledgeable in a particular area is proud of their accomplishments. By asking a person for their expert advice, you compliment them and motivate them to want to help you. So don't be afraid to ask, even if you don't know the individual personally.

Action Exercises:

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, multiply your output and rewards by persuading other people to do the job for you and do it well. Delegation is the key to personal leverage.

Second, identify the most important knowledge you need to do an excellent job and then concentrate on finding and using that knowledge.

The person who can find the knowledge in others is often more valuable than the person who possesses it.
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Brian Tracy is one of the world's leading authorities on personal and business success. His fast-moving talks and seminars are loaded with powerful, proven ideas and strategies that you can apply immediately to get better results in every area. Visit the Brian Tracy web site.

* What do you think of the ideas above? Anything you'd add? Use the comments to join the conversation ... Yours in leadership, Josh Hinds :-)

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