The Four Factors of Effective Leadership

Better

I recently read Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance, an excellent book on leadership, persuasion, human psychology and improving health care throughout the world, by Dr. Atul Gawande. I finished the book right before a leadership seminar to a group of health care professionals and included the following quotes in my presentation.

Dr. Gawande had just traveled to India and witnessed the tremendous problems and deficiencies in their hospitals. For example, patients have to leave the hospital to purchase the equipment and supplies that the doctors need to perform even lifesaving procedures. Although he was saddened by what he saw, he was also encouraged by the ingenuity of the doctors.

"Using just textbooks and advice from one another, the surgeons at this ordinary district hospital in India had developed an astounding range of expertise. What explains this? There was so much the surgeons had no control over . . . the overwhelming flow of patients, the poverty, the lack of supplies, but where they had control, their skills for example, these doctors sought betterment . . . They understood themselves to be part of a larger world of medical knowledge and accomplishment."

Effective leaders control what they can control. They take responsibility for their own thoughts and actions, for their own development. They act on the world, instead of being acted upon. In the words of Theodore Roosevelt, they "do what they can, with what they have, where they are."

It is tempting to blame external circumstances for our inability to improve, create change or lead. But there is always something we can do and that is where we should focus. Leaders don't seek excuses or accept them from others, even when they are obvious, even when they seem overwhelming. There is always something that can be done.

Shine

"As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."                  - Nelson Mandela

One of the key principles in the four factors is Inside-Out. This is the idea that leadership starts with you. You have to set the example, walk the talk and practice what you preach. Leadership begins with our own beliefs, words and actions. Successful leaders focus first on their own self-discipline, integrity, mission, and growth. Mandela's life and words reinforce this truth.

Do you want to see others shine? Do you want to see them grow and make a positive difference in this world?

If so, then you need to shine. You need to grow. You need to make a positive difference in this world. When you do this, others will see and they will follow.

Shine your light, so that others will have the courage to shine as well.

You get what you are

Penelope Trunk, author of Brazen Careerist, has a good post today about how what we choose is a reflection of ourselves. In jobs and in marriages, our choice of partners can help us learn a lot about who we are.

One of the key quotes is "a ten does not marry a one." In other words, if you think your spouse is really lame, then you are probably lame as well. If you think your co-workers are all idiots, then you need to ask yourself why you chose to work there. If your company is a poor performer, then what does that say about you?

Trunk argues that "you get what you are." So, if you don't like what you have, then maybe you need to consider who you are. This is difficult, but sound, advice.

It also reinforces the concept of Inside-Out from the 4 Factors book. Too many leaders focus their attention on fixing the inadequacies of others, instead of addressing their own failures. Leadership starts with you. If you are surrounded by losers, you need to stop complaining and take a look in the mirror.

* to read more about Penelope, you can check out Career Freak on my Freak Factor blog.

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! 

Integrity and Leadership

Stosh has a thought-provoking blog post about integrity and leadership. Here's an excerpt.

"Not everyone who has integrity is a leader.  Many people conduct themselves in a manner that is above reproach, but do so privately, not intending to have influence on others as a consequence of their integrity, or perhaps seeking to influence only those closest to them.  It is a kind of leadership by example, but it is passive, not expansive.

Leadership, then, not only embraces integrity, but also compels others to live according to shared ideals.  It is intentional.  It seeks an audience, even a spotlight.  Here the example of the individual leader can be broadcast, modeled, developed, even prized."

This is an important distinction. In The Four Factors, I argue that leadership starts from the Inside-Out. Internal effectiveness is a prerequisite for interpersonal success. For example, as it relates to integrity, personal trustworthiness is a prerequisite for trusting relationships.

As Stosh explains, integrity is necessary but not sufficient. People need to see our integrity before they can be influenced by it. How could you "broadcast" your integrity? What could you do to make your integrity more "expansive?"