Tinelli on Leadership )
Ideas you can use today Issue 57 - September 30, 2009
In This Issue
  • Leadership and Legacy.
  • Leaders and Fear.
  • Teddy Roosevelt and Leadership - Part II.
  • I'm often struck by the number of companies that do little to develop their leadership talent, what seems to me a fundamental element of business success.

    If you want to develop and implement an effective leadership development program, give me a call. I can help.


    Archie Tinelli, Ph.D.

    Leadership and Legacy.

    I'm writing this from Greece, where I recently visited the new museum below the Parthenon.

    The Parthenon was built on the Acropolis during the reign of Pericles, more than 300 years B.C., to embody in Pentelic marble the best that Athens had to offer. Its legacy lasts today, more than two thousand years later.

    Leaders could learn from Pericles by building their own lasting legacies. Of course, building a lasting legacy is not easy. It takes more than just wishful thinking. It takes passion, patience, persistence, and perspicacity.

    Passion - A sincere desire to make a lasting difference.

    Without a deep-seated belief that a lasting difference matters, leaders won't make it happen. For most leaders, unfortunately, the pressures of the day, the need to make their short-term numbers, and the need to fight the numerous daily fires diverts their attention from the effort of leaving a lasting legacy.

    I've worked with several leaders who have a passion for making a lasting difference, some of which are: transforming the culture to ensure more agility and accountability; setting the stage for long-term growth by developing a strong cadre of future leaders; or restructuring the business to ensure its survival amidst the economic travails and hyper-competition.

    Persistence - A continuous, long-term effort, despite obstacles and missteps.

    It's easy to commit to making a difference when things go your way. It's far harder when things go awry. The best leaders don't let land mines detour them.

    When his company was bought and he had concerns as to whether he would even have a job, Chris didn't stop his efforts to improve the visibility and value of the marketing department. He knew the business would be better off in the long run, whoever owned it, if the marketing department was more robust and relevant.

    Patience - A capacity to allow events to unfold at their own pace without you becoming frustrated.

    Leaders can become frustrated when things don't happen fast enough. In those cases, the best leaders realize that things sometimes unfold at their own pace and in their own way. Instead of becoming upset, they accept the situation as it is. They know that, with time, things will work out.

    Betsy wanted to improve the sales capacity of the business, but she realized that several steps had to be taken, each of which required time and effort, before she could get the firm to where she wanted it to be. She started by improving the infrastructure for tracking relationships and possible sales opportunities. She knew that this first step had to play out on its own time frame before she could take on the next step.

    Perspicacity - An understanding of what it takes to institutionalize lasting changes.

    Many of the leaders I've worked with just don't have the insight to know what will and won't work in making a lasting change. They often confuse the issues and focus on the wrong things, or they don't know which strings to pull to make the changes last.

    Janet thought that if she pushed hard to have her direct reports improve profitability, increase top-line revenue, and penetrate new markets, that the growth she wanted would just happen. She failed to recognize that her impatient, hard-driving style and her obsession for minutely tracking progress would ultimately undermine her efforts.

    Creating a lasting legacy separates mediocre leaders from great ones. What can you do to become the Pericles of your business?

    Leaders and Fear.

    A recent Forbes article on CEO power stated, "the best leaders aren't afraid to surround themselves with powerful people - even if they might eventually pose a threat."

    So true. And yet, many leaders fear powerful subordinates and keep them out of the loop or under their thumbs.

    Do you have the courage and confidence to hire the best and the brightest, involve them as active and vital parts of your team, and not be threatened?

    Teddy Roosevelt and Leadership - Part II.

    Teddy Roosevelt also said, "Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing."

    Leaders have the opportunity to offer that prize to others.

    Working hard is the easier of the two pieces of this puzzle to solve. Helping others to find meaning and value in their work is more difficult.

    What can you do today to help your staff find work worth doing and to work hard at it?

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