5 posts tagged “leadership”
Mental models have always fascinated me. Everyone walks around with a mental model in their heads about how the world works. For instance, we all have a mathematical model that structures how we think about things. For most of the people in the world this model is based on Newtonian thinking. You know, every action has an equal but opposite reaction...stuff like that.
These models we use often are not based on reality. Let's look at the mathematical model again. While Newtonian assumptions will serve us well in most situations they are slowly being replaced by a new mathematical model, one based on quantum mechanics. This simple model change will have a profound impact on future generations. In fact it already has, witness the effect of the theory of relativity on common philosophical thought.
As interesting as models are, what I really wanted to talk about were the three games of life. Now I am sure that with a little effort you can think of many more games, but for my purposes there are three primary games that are played in life. I learned this from James Dale Davidson.
First is the Economic Game. This is the game where you try to get ahead by following all the rules. You see this game played out mostly in business. You have competitors and you try to outdo them by offering better pricing, faster delivery and the usual business value options. To the majority of the population, at least in the United States, this is the game they think is always being played, or at least played the majority of the time. Because this game involves fair play and, we hope, an even playing field, most people want to believe this is how the world operates.
The second game is the Political Game. This is where you try to get ahead by changing the rules. For instance, if you can have the government pass a law that says people have to use your product, like car Insurance or, as seen recently in California, a Cell Phone headset you can win in business and get ahead. It is even better if you can get competitive businesses and products outlawed. As businesses, governments, institutions and the like grow old and bureaucratic this game comes more and more to the fore. You see this game being played in the United States today.
The third game is the Megapolitical Game. In this game brute force determines the winner and the rules. The best illustration of this is the old saw that when a man with Gold meets a man with a gun the man with the gun ends up with both the gun and the gold. An example I was given that illustrates this game is that, if you were a Korean in South Central Los Angeles you had the right under the first two games to own a liquor store. But when the riots hit in 1992 if you weren't there on site with superior force to defend your property it was burned down. In most of sub-Saharan Africa, as well as many inner city ghettos throughout the world this is the game they play.
The world is operating under all three of these games right now on some level or the other. So, which game are you playing?
The more time I spend within and around corporations and government, the more frustrated I become with the sheer inability of people to get things done. It is all about existing systems of rewards and incentives, vested interests and an entrenched bureaucracy. It really is frustrating when you want change to run up against all the barriers to implementing any change.
I woke up this morning with this song from "How to succeed in business without really trying." playing in my head. Like just about anything nowadays I was able to find it on Youtube. (Unfortunately you can't find an old Dan Ackroyd SNL skit about inflation being good for you..."Ever want to own a $1000 suit? Well now you can.")
Here's the clip. You don't have to listen to whole thing to get the gist of it.
In an earlier post I mentioned one of the things I learned from the movie "The Wizard of Oz" about expertise and self-imposed limitations. You may recall I discussed the lesson of what the wizard told the Scarecrow, "What they have that you don't have is a piece of Paper!" In other words we need to believe in our own abilities and not buy in to societies definitions or belief about what we know and are capable of doing. I want to talk a little today about leadership.
Sometimes leaders evolve naturally, while at other times they are appointed. Natural leaders tend to command loyalty from their followers, that is how they became the leader. They are either charismatic, extremely competent or a combination of the two. People appointed to a leadership position one the other hand, need to earn the respect and loyalty of their followers, and they have to do it every day.
What does the "Wizard of Oz" have to do with this? Lets look at the Wicked Witch of the West from a leadership perspective. Was she a leader? Yes, she led an army of the most amazingly cool and, when I was a kid, scary flying monkeys. They were loyal to her and followed her orders. I would argue however, that while she commanded and led the army, she ruled out of fear, never really earning the monkeys loyalty or devotion. This was evidenced by how quickly the flying monkeys turned on her after her death.
Why were they so willing to give
Dorothy that broomstick so quickly after the wet demise of
their boss?
It's a easy answer.
They were never really loyal to or admired the Wicked Witch. They followed her orders out of fear or anticipated reprisal. They followed her orders because the one unusual monkey that may have offered up an opinion or suggestion the witch disagreed with was probably disposed of quickly by the Witch.
You see this played over and over again in organizations ranging in size from the local school board to the hallowed halls of government. Better to be quiet and pretend loyalty than to speak up and be removed. Leaders that lead others by coercion and fear are never really effective long term. Short term, they can produce results, but at what cost? We, as leaders, need to practice the skills and develop the traits of true leadership.
What are the qualities of an effective leader? To find out go to my latest article on leadership traits.
Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!
I have always felt most meetings were a complete waste of time. I found the image below on Seth Godin's Blog and felt it summed up the point and purpose of 90% of the meetings being held out there.
In an earlier comment I mentioned that my preferred method of holding a meeting was standing up outside. Very few people linger and waste your time at those meetings. It's when you provide coffee, bagels and comfortable chairs that meetings tend to be held more often and less is accomplished.
I would hazard a guess that the most productive people hold very few meetings, with the few meetings they told hold short, on task and on target. Unless they are properly structured, most meetings accomplish very little. In fact world renown hypnotist David Power would be wise to incorporate "the meeting" into his excellent posts on procrastination.
Ever had formal training on how to hold a meeting? Me neither, although I have held a few hundred of them. Sense a disconnect here?
Especially in a corporate environment, meetings are often held to achieve consensus for an action going forward. In this respect they are often used as a substitute for leadership. This is a mistake because seeking consensus is an avoidance tactic in terms of responsibility. There is no responsibility inherent in a group. Responsibility can only reside in a single individual. To paraphrase Admiral Hyman Rickover, "If something goes wrong and you can't point to the one man responsible then no one was responsible."
There no substitute for leadership.
I am currently in Annapolis, Md, capital of said State and home to the finest undergraduate engineering and leadership training school, the United States Naval Academy. This has always been one of my favorite towns to live and visit. Ever since I graduated from the Academy in 1985 I have liked to return here. It is like going back to your professional development roots. It's a good place to ground oneself before attending Kevin Hogan's Image Weekend.
The weather is great. As usual I forgot to pack a few items. They are probably on the bed back home right next to where I packed the suitcase. I'm sure someone who travels as much as Scott Bell can empathize. As much as I travel and pack it amazes me how often I forget something.
Now it's time for breakfast, a tour of the academy campus (noon meal formation is always fun to watch, especially for me since I don't have to stand out there myself anymore) and then it's back up to Philadelphia for Image Weekend.
It will be fun.
Have a great weekend everybody. I will comment and post blogs when I can ove the weekend.
