We need galvanized leaders, not lemmings!
Most of us well know the myth of lemmings purposely plunging off of cliffs. Sadly, the myth is often perpetuated by so-called “leaders” who are more akin to lemmings. The moral – We must carefully choose leaders. The best choice might be in the mirror. Yes, I’m suggesting that we take charge as self-leaders. To quote Jack Welch, “Control your own destiny or someone else will.”
We first must understand basic leadership. Leadership is not title, position or authority; leadership is effective communication and a compelling manner with people. Moreover, leadership is not synonymous with management. Here are but a few of the distinctions:
• Leaders lead people; managers manage tasks;
• Leaders inspire; managers teach skills;
• Leaders focus on effectiveness; managers hone efficiencies;
• Leaders bring about change; managers and their teams make widgets; and
• Leaders’ teams are followers; managers’ teams are employees.
The distinctions go on, but you understand. We are talking about self-leadership, not self-management.
The essence of self-leadership is defining what you want in life, planning to achieve it and taking the lead toward it (i.e., taking action). Self-leaders ignore the naysayers, view problems as challenges and past failures as nuggets of learning and course correction. They recognize that we wander plenty; we need to wonder more.
Charles C. Manz boils it down to a process whereby men and women influence themselves to control their own actions and thinking, recognizing that our greatest source of leadership and influence comes from within.
Make no mistake, though, self-leadership is the hardest leadership of all. Among other reasons:
• You can pretend with others, but not with yourself;
• You can fool some others, but not yourself; and
• You can compartmentalize your life when leading others, almost being a different person in each setting (e.g., work vs. family time vs. friendships, etc.), not a luxury when leading self.
Self-leadership requires total honesty, discipline, and commitment. This is not easy.
Manz suggests three strategies for succeeding in leading yourself. The first is “behavior-focus.” This includes self-observation, self-goal setting and self-cueing. The latter might take the form of lists, notes, screensavers, motivational posters, and other reminders. As my mentor, Bryan Flanagan, often says: “Self-catch, self-coach, self-correct.”
The second strategy is that of “natural-rewards.” Creating situations in which you are rewarded by the inherent enjoyable aspects of the task or action helps. I call this the Snow White “Whistle While You Work” tactic.
You can either build a more enjoyable feature into the mundane activity, such as whistling, or you can shift your mind from the unpleasant aspect of the task to the task’s inherently rewarding facets. Take lawn mowing – I dislike the heat, sweat, dust, and noise. But I enjoy watching the progress with each lap around the yard.
Finally, Manz suggests a “constructive thought pattern” strategy. This is the formation of constructive thought patterns and habitual manners of positive thinking. Research has shown that individuals who envision successful outcomes are more apt to succeed. Visualizing a pleasant escape can be a part of the process.
In the 1970 film “Tribes,” Jan-Michael Vincent portrayed a hippie draftee who bucks the system. To his drill sergeant’s chagrin, he pleasantly endures the toughest of drills by daydreaming of his girlfriend. He leads himself through the entire boot camp with these thought patterns.
I was ten years old in 1970 and playing Peewee football. I hated the practices. All of us did, except for my pal Jimmy Lockhart. He smiled most of the time. When I asked him why, he referred to the movie Tribes. Hollywood isn’t completely make-believe, after all.
Imagine yourself in the leading role. The following practices are a good start:
• Exhibit self-control over your emotions;
• Make good choices vis-à-vis your time, priorities, etc.;
• Be purposeful in your thinking (as Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right”); and
• At the end of every day, assess by asking three questions – “What action did I take today?” – “Who did I bless?” – “What did I learn?”
This requires diligent battle with our human instincts, but a galvanized leader is forged in the process.
© 2012 Russ Riddle. All rights reserved.