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The Leadership Advisor
"Helping Leaders Develop Leaders"
July 2009 - Volume 4 Edition 6
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Freedom

"One man with courage makes a majority." ~ Andrew Jackson

"We judge ourselves by our motives and others by their actions." ~ Dwight Morrow

"A good leader inspires people to have confidence in their leader. A great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves." ~ unknown

"Leaders must be action-oriented to navigate the challenges that confront them and take advantage of the opportunities that emerge daily." ~ Phil Eastman

"The only difference between a rut and a grave is their dimensions." ~ E. Glasgow

Daytimer
As the Leader, leadership is something I do when I have spare time.

By Phil Eastman

There is a real dilemma facing nearly every organization we work with; how much time and money should be spent developing their leaders. We have a pat answer; more than you are spending now. This initially sounds self-serving since as consultants we naturally want our clients to spend more money with us. That, however, is not the reason for our answer.

There is a leadership myth that persists in organizations. The myth is that leadership is something that leaders do in their spare time. The current global economic slowdown is perpetuating this myth. The slowdown has cut (across the board) the amount of money being spent on developing leaders but more importantly it has cut down on the amount of time that leaders have to lead. Compressing organizational charts and the real need to do more with less have given way to the easy elimination of time for leaders to perform their distinct and critical roles. The good news is that the economy will eventually regain its footing and leadership development programs will once again be in vogue. The more insidious challenge that will persist after the economy improves is the belief that leadership is a spare time activity.

The root cause of this myth is leadership's lack of tangibility. As a banker for seventeen years, my roles varied but I spent the last ten years of my banking career in various executive level positions. Rising through the ranks quickly illuminated that banking work became less important than my leadership work. I realized that leadership is really less dependent on industry and organization because as you move up the organization the challenges and opportunities are more people oriented that industry oriented.

Illustrating this reality was a casual comment made by my wife Connie. One day I came home to my family and Connie asked me a rather odd but poignant question. She asked, "What do you do." My first response was to give her the answer found in my job description. I was the Executive Vice President responsible for all lending activities. I hesitated however and gave her the real response, "I don't do anything." It was true that my days were busy with all sorts of meetings, challenges, opportunities and decisions but what she really meant was what did my work produce, was there anything tangible at the end of my day's effort and the honest answer was that I did not produce anything tangible. My work was to lead and that meant days spent listening, talking, deciding, encouraging, correcting, explaining, thinking, planning, and debating. So to answer Connie's question another way if by "do" she meant activities that moved the bank forward, then I was very productive because although my role was lending oriented my real job was to lead.

I read an interesting article the other day that debunked the notion that people multi-task. In reality, the human brain is not capable of doing two things at once. That means that when we are attempting to focus on two activities at the same time we are in fact jumping back and forth between activities and likely both activities suffer. When we do not allow leaders the time to lead, we are really asking them to choose between leadership and something else. Because in most organizations we pay people to produce tangible results, leadership becomes the thing we do when we have spare time.

The challenge here is real. Because effective leadership is the lever that hoists the productivity of others, you will find greater organizational success, even in economic turmoil, when leadership becomes the primary focus. Leadership is not something we do in our spare time. Leadership is a full time job!

As the Leader, leadership is something I do when I have spare time, is #6 in a series of leadership myths, Phil is having fun exploring, along with Australia.

Phil Eastman is a partner in the Boise-based consulting firm, Leadership Advisors Group. He combines more than 25 years of leadership experience with his passion for consulting, coaching, and teaching to help leaders grow, build teams, and improve organizational performance. Eastman has served in numerous corporate and community leadership roles. His corporate experience includes 17 years in the banking industry where he served as Chief Credit Officer and CEO. As a consultant and coach, Eastman works with a growing and diverse group of clients in a variety of industries and countries, where he focuses his efforts in strategic planning, change management, and leadership development.

Eastman earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Management and Organization from Idaho State University, and holds a Master of Arts degree in Theological Studies from Bethel Seminary. He is a 1991 graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School where he is also an instructor. Eastman's first book, The Character of Leadership: An Ancient Model for a Quantum Age, is slated for publication this September.
Lorene in London
By Lorene Rasmussen

Running a family business during an economic downturn is tough business for sure. So imagine what a royal pain it would be, when the family business consists of operating an entire country during war, runaway inflation, a debased currency, social upheaval, religious dissention, and scandal. That is exactly what Queen Elizabeth I was facing when she ascended her throne in 1558, as a 26-year old woman, in a man's world.

As the daughter of the Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I is still considered one of the great monarchs of England, and a figure of "extraordinary historical importance," writes Alan Axelrod, author of Elizabeth I, CEO: Strategic Lessons from the Leader Who Built an Empire.

Although I read his book over five years ago, my recent trip to London, England gave me a richer context for where this young, fascinating, female ruler not only transformed her country into the richest and most dominate empire of the day, but also made it the naval power and cultural capital of the world.

Westminster Abbey is the place where kings and queens have been crowned and buried since 1066. One of the exhibits was the gold-painted and much worn wooden coronation throne. This throne has been part of every English coronation since 1308. Not only did Queen Elizabeth I sit on this throne during her coronation in 1558, but so did the current Queen, Queen Elizabeth II, when she was crowned on June 2, 1953.

My personal time at the Tower of London was far more pleasant than any time Queen Elizabeth I spent there. In 1547, after the death of her father, King Henry VIII, and during the bloody reign of her half-sister Mary, Elizabeth was accused of armed rebellion and became a prisoner in the Tower of London. Although eventually released, Elizabeth could do very little but standby and watch her country being torn apart by Queen Mary.

The Tower's original purpose was a royal residence and fortress for "William, the Conqueror" (1077- 1097), to help keep the Londoners in line, but it later served as the Royal Mint and Jewel House. However, its most infamous reputation is that of a prison and execution site of any who defied the Crown, which included Elizabeth's own mother, for not producing a son.

Today, the Tower's tour guides are 25 very entertaining and handsomely dressed retired military officers called the Beefeaters. They accept this assignment and live out the rest of their military careers on the Tower grounds, relating the stories of its bloody history to over three million visitors a year, and proudly serving Queen Elizabeth II.

One might ask, "what can a manager/leader in the 21st Century learn from the queen of a renaissance kingdom that flourished some 460-years ago?" Simply put lots! As George Santayana once said, "those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat the errors of the past." At the time of her death, England was the richest and most powerful country in Europe and on its way of to being the premier empire of the world. Therefore, journey with me a few more paragraphs as we stroll through old London town and partake of Queen Elizabeth's leadership wisdom.

Elizabeth took the throne after her half-sister "Bloody Mary*" died of ovarian cancer. Few mourned the wicked queen's death. But many were still distressed to think woman would rule them, again. Having the knowledge of her people's concern, Elizabeth "instantly demonstrated a charismatic rapport with the crowds who clogged the streets of London . . . she came as a breath of fresh air . . . she made it clear that she meant to return England to greatness in trade and among nations." Elizabeth worked slowly (as not to disturb the comfort of the old ways), yet confidently gathered the brightest political and economic minds to be her inner circle of advisors.

As Queen Elizabeth settled into the royal throne, her most notable leadership skill was making the most of limited resources. With the aide of trusted advisors and the Privy Council, she was able to formulate a strategic plan to help reunite a diverse and divided nation, create social reform, manage the catastrophic issues of homeland security, find meaning in the ongoing war, and deter economic disaster. The Queen's overarching vision to restore England to its regal position was communicated regularly and vehemently.

At the time of Queen Elizabeth I, the English Channel was a place of legends and naval wars. Today, under the narrowest portion of the channel between Dover, Britain and Calais, France lays the world's longest undersea tunnel, 32.4 miles long. The American Society of Civil Engineers identified the tunnel as one of the seven wonders of the modern world when it opened in May 1994. We boarded the Eurostar Train in London, England and in just over two hours, we were in Paris, France.

As the CEO, Queen Elizabeth believed she could ask nothing from her leaders that she herself would not face, so in 1588, "she donned the breastplate of a cavalry officer and rode on a prancing steed" to face the Spanish Armada that were sighted on the English Channel, ready for war. Both, soldiers and sailors waited and with military precision England defeated its greatest enemy. "It was arguably the Queen's finest hour."

Throughout her 45-year reign, Elizabeth could have been the poster child for Dale Carnegie's 1936 bestseller, How to Win Friends and Influence People. Although she was wholly about substance, she never let her style suffer. One witness noted that the Queen walked "with a most smiling countenance for everyone." She knew how to work the crowd and loved do it for the sake of her country. Elizabeth managed by wandering around and getting to know her countrymen which was even more rare then, than it is today. When was the last time you or your leader just hung out in the cubicle farm that houses the day-to-day operations of the organization?


The Queen's ability to phrase a request as a request and not a command, proved to be a most persuasive technique for facilitating open communication among her people. Elizabeth welcomed criticism but also expected accountability within the royal ranks. Although she did not want blind obedience or subservient loyalty, she desired the hearts of her people. She knew if they loved England as much as she did, they would accomplish whatever necessary to restore it to its former greatness.

My recent trip to London gave me a new appreciation for the country that gave the United States of America a reason to battle for its own well-deserved independence. Ironically, we spent the July 4th Holiday in Europe. While waiting for the "tube" (subway) 22 of us United States tourists broke into "The Star Spangled Banner" complete with the impromptu but well known ending "Play Ball!"

*Mary was the offspring of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon (widow of Henry's brother Arthur), and was named the successor to his throne. As a devout Catholic, Mary "lurched toward a civil war over the Reformation." During her reign, over three hundred Protestant leaders were labeled heretics and burned at the stake.*

Lessons from a Queen is #6 in a series of informal book reviews.

Lorene Rasmussen is the Partner for Business Operations which guides and supports the daily and strategic operations of Leadership Advisors Group. She combines a unique sense of fun and organization to ensure operations run smoothly and that clients receive the highest quality service possible. Lorene earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Boise State University and is a certified Life Coach through Genesis Enterprises in Seattle, Washington.
The Book Cover
The Character of Leadership: An Ancient Model for a Quantum Age

Author, Philip Eastman ll

In his book, The Character of Leadership: An Ancient Model for a Quantum Age Phil simplifies an ancient model that will help 21st Century leaders understand that leadership is not merely a list of behaviors, but also a matter of character.

"The Character of Leadership prescribes the antidote for today's "what's in it for me" leadership culture. You will be compelled to action by Phil Eastman's straightforward style and incisive wisdom." ~ Tony Greer, Plant Manager - R.C. Bigelow Inc.

Save the Date:
Join us as we celebrate the launch of Phil's new book!

Thursday, September 3, 2009
5:30p - 8:00pm
BODO Tully's on 8th Street
Boise, ID
Leadership Advisors Group helps clients achieve success through:
  • Competency based and character driven leadership development.
  • Comprehensive, flexible, and focused strategic plans.
  • Results oriented change management.

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"The last of human freedoms - the ability to chose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances." ~ Viktor Frankl, Holocoust Survivor

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Phil Eastman & Lorene Rasmussen
Leadership Advisors Group

phone: (208) 344-0471
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