It's autumn. Farmers across the country are harvesting their crops, affirming the biblical adage, "As ye sew, so shall ye reap." What do leaders reap?

While it's not a perfect analogy, leaders are similar to farmers in a few ways.

First, like farmers, leaders know what they want to accomplish and plan how they are going to get it.

Second, it takes continuous attention to get what you want. In both instances, farmers and leaders identify where they are and decide what needs to be done today to obtain the results they want.

Third, stuff happens, unplanned and unanticipated, that has to be addressed to ensure that unforeseen events don't destroy the year's work.

Below are a few examples of leaders whose harvests provide important lessons.

Kristen hadn't planned on being a leader. She was asked to step in when her boss left the company for another job. She tried her best, but since she hadn't expected to be in a supervisory position, she felt unprepared for the challenge. Her response was to be the kind of boss she would have wanted to have.

What did that mean? She asked for input from others as to how she was doing. She used their feedback to make changes in her approach. She invested time learning about her staff both personally and professionally. She consulted with her staff to get their insights and ideas about ways to make the department more productive. She provided constructive feedback to each of her staff members to help them get better at their jobs. She found ways to celebrate their successes. And she protected and defended her staff from the criticism of senior managers when they make mistakes.

What did Kristen reap? Her harvest was not just what she intended, which was to be the kind of boss she would like to have. She succeeded in that, and more. She developed a loyal, productive, and collaborative staff.

Jeremy had always been a leader. He was the captain of his high school football team, the President of his college fraternity, and an elected representative of his condo association. At work, he easily assumed positions of responsibility and moved up faster than nearly all of his peers.

From Jeremy's perspective, he understood what leadership was all about and knew what was needed to get others to do their jobs. He clearly set out the objectives the team was charged with meeting. He provided regular updates as to how they were doing. He let people know when they were not performing up to snuff and what he expected them to do differently. He rated all of his team members' performance and let everyone know where they all stood relative to one another. He provided incentives for those who exceeded the expectations set for them. He distributed a variety of inspirational posters, post-it notes, pens, and computer pads.

What did Jeremy reap? His harvest was not nearly as positive. His team resented his obsessive focus on achieving results. He completed missed the effect this had on his staff, who felt as if they were merely cattle to be driven and prodded into a pen and who resented the public humiliation of being rated against their peers. Attrition sky-rocketed and productivity plummeted.

Calvin was a Marine through and through. Having grown up in a tough neighborhood of New York City, he was transformed by his twenty years in the Corps and looked at everything through the eyes of a hard-core Marine.

He fully embraced the Marine Corps slogan, "The few, the proud, the Marines," and treated his staff accordingly. He drove them hard. He expected a lot. He required effort above and beyond the call of duty. He treated everyone with the same hard-nosed, crass approach that worked in the Corps by telling people exactly what he thought, all the time, pulling no punches and sparing no feelings. He knew his staff as well as he knew his own children. He knew their interests, abilities, personality quirks, and flaws. He treated his staff as if they were his kids, too, taking a personal interest in their lives and their future.

What did Calvin reap? While they complained mightily amongst themselves when they worked for him, to a person, his subordinates all credited him with making them better professionals and, more importantly, better people. Their careers, as a group, exceeded those of any other group of direct reports in the business. And, when Calvin retired, the roast given him had more attendees than any other retirement party for the firm, as well as more laughter, stories, tears, and heartfelt thanks for the effect he had on their lives.

What lessons can we draw from these three leaders?

It's tough to predict what leaders will harvest. The actions of the leaders, in and of themselves, are not enough to predict how well they will do. Very often, what matters more is the underlying, deep-seated care and concern for others that plays a far greater role in determining what leaders will reap.

It takes time to recognize completely the influence leaders have on organizations and on people. For most of the very best leaders, the harvest is delayed and isn't fully known for years.

What will you reap? How will you know?

Napoleon said, "The great proof of madness is the disproportion of one's designs to one's means."

Far too many leaders have failed to recognize the importance of doing what is possible and failed by attempting to do more than is realistic.

In what ways have you failed to recognize the reality you face and, as a result, have striven to accomplish what was doomed from the start? How might you avoid doing it again?

Sometimes, we forget that words are not enough - that leadership takes more than flowery phrases and visionary ideas.

Chief Joseph, the famous Nez Perce leader, said, "It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and the broken promises."

How many of your staff feel like Chief Joseph?

Email archie@archietinelli.com