The Four Factors of Effective Leadership

WTF (What the Freak) is Johnny Bunko? Part 3

If you missed the first two installments, here are the links to Part 1 and Part 2.

As a follow-up to Factor 4, Improvement, I did a seminar called GROW! Ten Strategies for Maximizing Your Leadership Potential, which has become one of the bestselling business DVDs on Amazon.com. You can watch a brief video clip here.

One of the ten strategies is "try to fail." I encourage people to take risks, to push the boundaries of their competence, to recognize that growth requires change and the risk of failure. This message is consistent with the fifth lesson from Johnny Bunko.

Lesson #5: Make excellent mistakes.

Diana, Johnny's career advisor, puts it this way. "Too many people spend their time avoiding mistakes. They're so concerned about being wrong, about messing up, that they never try anything -- which means they never do anything. . . The most successful people make spectacular mistakes." (You need to read the book to learn about the difference between stupid mistakes and spectacular ones).

Have you tried to fail lately? Have you purposefully attempted something that had a high potential for failure? As my friend Mike reminds us, great rewards often involve great risks.

I love it when one of my friends, who has listened to GROW! tells me that they are "trying to fail." My friend Stosh does this the most often (trying to fail, not failing). It has become a shorthand way for us to tell the other person that we are trying to grow, trying to succeed, taking a chance, pushing the limits, by trying to fail.

I used to measure my life by my successes. Now I look at how many times I've tried to do something big, even when I couldn't guarantee success. That list is getting pretty long, but I'm not ashamed. I'm proud that I am testing the limits of my abilities. Here is a short list of my recent failures.

• Failing to get an agent for my Freak Factor book (20 rejections and counting)
• Not getting hired to do a large conference presentation for Johnson & Johnson
• Missing my time goal for a 50 kilometer run
• Having my proposal rejected for another major conference

Do you have a list? Are you trying to fail? I'd encourage you to take Dan's advice and "make excellent mistakes."

WTF (What the Freak) is Johnny Bunko? Part 2

I just finished reading Johnny Bunko, the latest book by Dan Pink. If you want a great (and funny) overview of the book, you can watch this video trailer or check out 23 sample pages.

The book is the story of Johnny Bunko, a struggling cubicle dweller, written in manga, a type of Japanese comic book, and offers six lessons for career success. Below is a review of two lessons that fit with the Four Factors. I review two other lessons in Part 1 on The Freak Factor blog.

Lesson #3: It's not about you.

This lesson seemed to contradict the previous lesson, "think strengths not weaknesses." However, Pink was talking about the purpose for which you use your strengths. Johnny's career advisor, Diana, explains that "the most successful people improve their own lives by improving others' lives . . . The most valuable people in any job bring out the best in others."

This is consistent with Factor 4, Improvement, which focuses on developing others.

Lesson #6: Leave an imprint.

In this final lesson, Diana encourages Johnny to consider these questions. "Did I make a difference? Did I contribute somthing? Did my being here matter?" She reminds him that "life isn't infinite . . . you should use your limited time here to do something that matters." Amen.

I conclude the Four Factors with a chapter called Impact. It includes the following definition, "Leadership is a relationship that produces positive change in yourself, in the lives of others and in the world." Dan said it in less words. Leave an imprint.

A Taste of Tom - Part 1

Tom Peters is one of my favorite authors. He has a unique perspective and he is passionate, even a little crazy, about effective leadership. I recommend that you read anything that he has written. You can't go wrong. However, if you're hesitant to spend your own money, you can get a taste of Tom for free. He has written a great two-part manifesto called 100 Ways to Help you Succeed/Make Money.

While reading his suggestions, I noticed that many of them supported the Four Factors (4F). So, over the next few weeks, I'll be doing a series that focuses on his ideas and their relationship to those in my book.

One major theme in 4F is Me-First leadership. This is the belief that leadership is inside-out. Leadership starts with you.

Tom addresses this issue in #5.

TARGET #1: ME!

Stand in front of the mirror . . . Smiling. Saying . . . "Thank you." Doing . . . Jumping Jacks.

Whatever. (See below.)

Fact: "It" begets "it."  Fact: "Not it" begets "It-less-ness."

Smiling begets a warmer (work, home) environment.

Thanking begets an environment of mutual appreciation.

Enthusiasm (those Jumping Jacks) begets enthusiasm.

Love begets love. Energy begets energy.

Wow begets Wow. Optimism begets Optimism. (I've been devouring Martin Seligman lately.)

Honesty begets honesty. Caring begets caring. Listening  begets engagement. Etc. Etc.

How do you motivate others? Take a B-school course on Leadership? No! (You were joking, right?)

Answer: Motivate yourself first.  By hook or by crook.

Call it: Leadership by Unilateral Attitude Adjustment

Are there things that can be labeled "circumstances"? Of course.

Do bad things happen to good people? Doubtless.

Is there such a thing as "powerlessness"?  No! No! No! Take charge now!

Task one: Work on ourselves.  Relentlessly!

If you can figure out how to go to work with a smile today, I (trained as an engineer, and indeed carrying the baggage or an MBA from a "quant school") will guarantee you that you will not only "have a better day," but will (eventually) infect others! (And, uh, "productivity" will soar . . . once "they" - your boss, your peers, your subordinates - get over the shock.)

Smile! Enthuse! Thank! Wow! Win! Now! 

Leadership Lessons from Lowe's

Recently, Robert Niblock, Chairman and CEO of Lowe's Home Improvement, made a presentation for the Tillman School of Business at Mount Olive College, where I am a management professor.

He shared a number of great leadership lessons based on his career experiences*. A lot of his ideas were consistent with the Four Factors and I've organized his comments based on their relationship to concepts from the book.

Inside-Out: Leadership begins with you

• Leadership comes from within.
• You must have a winning attitude if you expect the same from your team.

Improvement: Developing yourself and others

• Learning never stops.
• Don't be afraid of new challenges.
• Take on new roles.
• Understand what drives your business.
• You need to learn how to be an effective speaker.

Integrity: Establishing credibility and building trusting relationships

• Don't ever compromise your integrity.
• Don't lose your sense of values.
• Earn the respect and trust of others.
• Trust others to get the job done.

Influence: Controlling yourself and influencing others

• Achievement often requires sacrifice.

Inspiration: Creating a personal mission and a shared vision

• Find a job you enjoy.
• Be passionate about your purpose.
• Be passionate about your role.

* Thanks to Earl Worley, CFO at KS Bank and Trustee at MOC, for sharing his notes with me.