Speaking of Leadership®, Vol. 2, No. 12
Phil Holberton

Often as leaders in our respective organizations, we are charged with shaping the culture or our organization or department and staffing it with those individuals who will fit in and feel comfortable about the environment.  This is not always easy to do, as we want to seek individuals who complement our current organizational strengths but will add value by bringing alternative viewpoints to the discussion. It is this fresh thinking that will keep us ‘sharp' and allow us to remain competitive in the long run. 

Our job as a leader is to encourage participation, even dissenting participation, so we can ultimately get to the ‘right' answer. Dissension is not disloyalty.  We need to be particularly acute at listening—listening for those messages that will make us even more competitive, yet allow us to function effectively as a team. We need to cull out those gems and then incorporate them into our activities so we can reap the benefits of having the suggestions made.

Many times I have seen individuals make 'spot on' suggestions and everyone around the table nods their head in agreement, yet for some reason, life goes on and we never take the seed of their idea and give it the light of day. It won't be long before these contributors in the organization feel their ideas are just being paid lip service. This is NOT an environment for success.  Soon, individuals become demoralized, the water fountain discussions about the lack of management receptivity accelerate, and employees start spending a disproportionate amount of time complaining about the lack of progress. We, as leaders, need to be especially aware that the culture we espouse is the culture that actually exists. We must walk our talk.

Now ask yourself... Am I a Leader?

We Learn From Our Students

Part of leadership is role modeling and its ability to influence others in a positive way.  Leaders are always teaching, whether they recognize it or not.  In this respect, I have the privilege of teaching Leadership for Technical Professionals in Brandeis University's Masters of Software Engineering program.  I often wonder what impact these teachings have with the students.  Sometimes, it feels like they only want to get the grade and graduate.

Recently I attended a graduation ceremony for the program and one of my students, Michael Miles from EMC Corporation, was asked to give a commencement address from the student's viewpoint. 

Here is what he had to say:

"As this program has no doubt laid the seed bed for our professional growth, we are likely to be entrusted with greater professional responsibilities.  For many of us these responsibilities will include leading and managing others.  It is important to keep in mind the work life balance of others as we attempt to lead them.  In the short term, it is possible to ask for an unbalanced load from an employee.  It is easy to ask that they put in long hours to deliver products by important deadlines.  But this unbalance cannot be allowed to persist.  If it does, in the long run we will all be the worse for it.

"I mentioned that we are likely to be asked to lead and manage others. One of the lessons that I learned in the program was the marked difference between management and leadership.  A manger can assign tasks and use the power of his or her position to see that they are accomplished.  A leader can only lead where others are willing to follow.  A good leader will inspire.  A good leader will foster his employees' growth as he or she was once fostered.  As we move into positions of greater responsibility, we need to continue to develop our leadership skills.  We need to be as open to receiving feedback as we are to giving it.

"We must also remember that we can be leaders without being in official leadership positions.  We can set an example of technical and personal excellence.  We can show others that we are willing to grow and desire to learn.  In this way, we can positively influence our workplace on a daily basis.

"How many times in our careers do we hear concerns expressed that we consider groundless?  In these cases, it is tempting to ignore the concern.  As leaders, we cannot do that.  We must realize that for an individual who perceives a problem, that problem is real.  We must take strides to address the issue.  Perhaps the solution will be to help the individual to clarify their perceptions.  Perhaps in the course of addressing the situation we will find that the concern wasn't in fact groundless after all.

"We must realize that as people we are an emotional bunch and we don't always act strictly rationally.  By developing our ability to monitor our own emotions and those of others, and by developing our understanding of where these emotions come from and how they drive ourselves and others, we gain a tool to help us motivate and to help us maintain balance.  We can avoid the trap of emotional hijackings that detract from our ability to achieve our goals.

"As to goals, they may be easy to set but difficult to attain.  Our vision of our future, driven by our desires for our lives and the lives of those we care about is of paramount importance to us all.  Take some time to think about your long-term goals whether they are fiscal, professional, or social.  We have all achieved a milestone here today with our graduation.  It is a great opportunity to regroup and refocus our energies.  Use your accomplishments here as a springboard to reaching your goals.”

Thank You Michael.  These are excellent teachings.