I just finished listening to Rudy Giuliani's book Leadership - unabridged on eleven CDs. I've heard him speak in person and thought he was interesting and entertaining and this book didn't disappoint. But this isn't a book review so I won't summarize or analyze. I'll just tell you why I recommend it.
Though the bulk of it dealt with lessons learned from 9/11, there was also plenty of material from his early days as a federal prosecutor. I learned quite a bit from his stories, not the least of which was the impact of 9/11 on the people of New York City. Obviously that day affected all Americans but I didn't have a complete sense for how it affected the people of NYC, both individually and as a group. His stories of the days immediately after 9/11 gave me a new appreciation for what they suffered. If not for any other reason, the book would be worthwhile.
On a personal level, it was interesting to hear about his experience with cancer. He was diagnosed while he was running for the Senate and eventually withdrew to focus on his health. Hard to argue with that decision.
Showing posts with label leadership. Show all posts
Showing posts with label leadership. Show all posts
Friday, October 29, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Leadership without authority is the best kind
There is a management axiom that says you can't have responsibility without authority and vice-versa. I agree completely with that sentiment so don't start thinking the title of this article is contradicting that time-tested idea. Instead, I'm pushing a slightly different idea - You can learn to show leadership skills in your own life without the benefit of authority. That is, despite a lack of title or position, you can learn to influence others in positive ways.
One of the core themes for this blog is how to take control of your own life. And one of the tools that I push for accomplishing that goal is leadership training. The idea is that by learning how to become a leader in your personal life, you'll feel more in control and less stress. That doesn't mean you have to be a CEO to be happy, Instead, it means that by learning how to influence others in a positive way, you'll develop stronger relationships with them and accomplish more things that make you and them happy. It doesn't matter whether you are trying to complete a team project at work or school or getting some friends involved in a bowling league - leadership skills are a key to success.
Those ideas in the prior paragraph may seem obvious to you but a lot of people think that leadership training is only for bosses. I've even heard people say that they aren't a manager and never will be, so they don't need to learn anything about leadership.
I'll try to address this sentiment in the most polite way possible… rubbish!
True leadership isn't about telling people to do things. Yes, sometimes that is required of someone in authority. But more often, a leader needs to communicate a goal and convince others to hop on board to try to achieve it. Getting people to work toward a common goal when they aren't being ordered to do so is true leadership.
Can you benefit from this idea? Do you have a spouse, kids, coworkers or friends? Then you need to understand how to behave as an effective leader. And if you don't have any of those people in your life, well… trying something different sure couldn't make things worse, could it?
Fortunately, there are a ton of resources available on the subject - books, audios and seminars beyond count. All these are a good start. But it is also important to find a mentor that can help you understand the value of acting as a leader in your own life. For me, that began with my martial arts instructors. They opened my eyes to the idea that everyone can be a leader. With what I learned from them, the books and audios started to make more sense. I was able to start applying the lessons they contained.
Go find someone in your life whose opinion you value and ask them about their views on leadership. Then start reading and listening to audio books. Look for opportunities to influence others without relying on authority.
What you'll find is a bit startling to some folks . You'll influence others most when you focus on helping them solve their own problems. I guarantee you this - people will think the world of you if you help make their world a little bit better. And once that happens, your opportunity for influence will increase dramatically. This influence is called leadership and you earned it. That's the best way.
One of the core themes for this blog is how to take control of your own life. And one of the tools that I push for accomplishing that goal is leadership training. The idea is that by learning how to become a leader in your personal life, you'll feel more in control and less stress. That doesn't mean you have to be a CEO to be happy, Instead, it means that by learning how to influence others in a positive way, you'll develop stronger relationships with them and accomplish more things that make you and them happy. It doesn't matter whether you are trying to complete a team project at work or school or getting some friends involved in a bowling league - leadership skills are a key to success.
Those ideas in the prior paragraph may seem obvious to you but a lot of people think that leadership training is only for bosses. I've even heard people say that they aren't a manager and never will be, so they don't need to learn anything about leadership.
I'll try to address this sentiment in the most polite way possible… rubbish!
True leadership isn't about telling people to do things. Yes, sometimes that is required of someone in authority. But more often, a leader needs to communicate a goal and convince others to hop on board to try to achieve it. Getting people to work toward a common goal when they aren't being ordered to do so is true leadership.
Can you benefit from this idea? Do you have a spouse, kids, coworkers or friends? Then you need to understand how to behave as an effective leader. And if you don't have any of those people in your life, well… trying something different sure couldn't make things worse, could it?
Fortunately, there are a ton of resources available on the subject - books, audios and seminars beyond count. All these are a good start. But it is also important to find a mentor that can help you understand the value of acting as a leader in your own life. For me, that began with my martial arts instructors. They opened my eyes to the idea that everyone can be a leader. With what I learned from them, the books and audios started to make more sense. I was able to start applying the lessons they contained.
Go find someone in your life whose opinion you value and ask them about their views on leadership. Then start reading and listening to audio books. Look for opportunities to influence others without relying on authority.
What you'll find is a bit startling to some folks . You'll influence others most when you focus on helping them solve their own problems. I guarantee you this - people will think the world of you if you help make their world a little bit better. And once that happens, your opportunity for influence will increase dramatically. This influence is called leadership and you earned it. That's the best way.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
They are people, not resources
The door to the boardroom opens and the CEO walks confidently up to the podium. In an effort to show how in-touch he is with the latest management philosophies, he proudly announces to all the shareholders...
Down the hall, in a training class for new managers, the students are solemnly instructed to...
And on the motivational poster in the hallway, future leaders are reminded that...
Yes, these misquotes are silly but think about how often you hear statements like
When did we stop calling people "people" and start calling them "resources"? When did the "Personnel Department" become the "Human Resources Department"?
There is a very real cost associated with referring to employees and co-workers as "resources" instead of "people". It is the dehumanization of all employees. The underlying message is that the people in the organization are literally resources - just like the chairs, desks, computers and copiers. The results manifest themselves in the subtle, unpleasant ways that we have come to accept as the norm in today's corporate world.
As one of my mentors taught me, the words you use drive your thoughts and your actions. I don't believe it is possible to call people "resources" on a daily basis and still treat them with the respect they deserve. But you know what, I've been wrong before and I may be wrong now. So here is a challenge for you - prove me wrong.
Identify a true leader in our society that habitually refers to people on his or her staff as resources. Tell me about this person and how they embody all the traits of a true leader:
§ They empower their resources to take the initiative
§ They demonstrate a deep desire to help their resources grow
§ They communicate a clear vision to the resources and enlist their willing help to achieve it
§ They stand up for their resources in times of trouble
Write me a note and tell me all about this "leader of resources". But I bet you can't. Because only managers deal with resources. A leader deals with people.
"Here at XYZ Corp, resources are our most important asset."
Down the hall, in a training class for new managers, the students are solemnly instructed to...
"Take care of your resources and they will take care of you."
And on the motivational poster in the hallway, future leaders are reminded that...
"One measure of leadership is the caliber of resources who choose to follow you."
Yes, these misquotes are silly but think about how often you hear statements like
"Hey Bob, is Steve available? I need to add a resource to my project."
"We want to grow the organization by 15 resources this year."
"Sales were bad this quarter so we need to downsize 5 resources."
There is a very real cost associated with referring to employees and co-workers as "resources" instead of "people". It is the dehumanization of all employees. The underlying message is that the people in the organization are literally resources - just like the chairs, desks, computers and copiers. The results manifest themselves in the subtle, unpleasant ways that we have come to accept as the norm in today's corporate world.
As one of my mentors taught me, the words you use drive your thoughts and your actions. I don't believe it is possible to call people "resources" on a daily basis and still treat them with the respect they deserve. But you know what, I've been wrong before and I may be wrong now. So here is a challenge for you - prove me wrong.
Identify a true leader in our society that habitually refers to people on his or her staff as resources. Tell me about this person and how they embody all the traits of a true leader:
§ They empower their resources to take the initiative
§ They demonstrate a deep desire to help their resources grow
§ They communicate a clear vision to the resources and enlist their willing help to achieve it
§ They stand up for their resources in times of trouble
Write me a note and tell me all about this "leader of resources". But I bet you can't. Because only managers deal with resources. A leader deals with people.
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