Leaders Listen to Others First
Leadership is an attitude. Leadership is a lifestyle. Leadership is a moral compass. Leadership represents the “will” of an organization. Leadership is a powerful presence, yet the leader is humble.
Leadership is not something that a person “turns on” in front of co-workers. A leader leads by his or her actions. As Aristotle said, excellence is a habit and you can apply that to leadership.
The 3 words that will kill leadership are: Listen to me. The lack of leadership is characterized by a person using his or her influence to coerce or manipulate people into action (fear is a common tactic). You know the type who stands in front of people and pronounces, “It’s my way or the highway.”
This lack of leadership from a person is connected to his/her narcissistic attitude. From Greek mythology, narcissism refers to a person who is in love with his/her own reflection. Freud felt narcissism was a failure to suppress childlike behavior in adulthood. Leadership and narcissism are direct opposites; a leader cannot be a narcissist.
The cornerstones of leadership are sacrifice and a genuine interest in the well-being of others. Mother Theresa is one of the truly great examples of leadership. She could have done her humanitarian work from the comfort of
Narcissistic behaviors are the opposite: self-centered and greedy. Narcissistic people are abundantly represented by those spiritual and political leaders so enamored with him/herself that a scandal is inevitable. They only pretend to serve people, instead advancing their own agenda.
So when a person says, Listen to me instead of I want to hear you, you know what kind of person who employs you. You may have no choice but to stay under those conditions; just keep you expectations and opinions in check. There is no freedom of speech in a workplace without quality leadership. (In the classroom, the quickest way to alienate students is to say listen to me. By the time the words are spoken, those students’ minds have already left the building. An essential part of learning is the presence of student challenges.)
If you are working on sharpening your leadership skills, the most productive actions are your physical presence and active listening. People want to be heard, they want to be involved and they want to feel that what they are doing is meaningful. It’s not difficult to walk around, greet people with a smile and ask how they are doing today. Like Mother Theresa, spend your energy among your people.
In Lee Iacocca’s new book, Where Have All The Leaders Gone?, the title leaves no doubt as to his purpose. Iacocca’s framework is his 9 C’s of Leadership: Curiosity, Creativity, Communication, Character, Courage, Conviction, Charisma, Competency and Common Sense. According to Iacoccca, no one has mastered all of these attributes, but everyone has a foundation that includes pieces of each trait.
Here’s a suggestion: start with your strengths and then build. Take those 9 traits and begin a list of how you see yourself in each category (the strongest are the easiest to identify). Find a confidant to help you sharpen your list and give you objective feedback. Look for mentors, read books, establish a list of admired people and why you admire them and finally, be genuine to those around you so they will feel comfortable offering advice that will help you grow.
(Ironically, I think his leadership advice misses the mark: pick good people, have a good team around you and set priorities. That is a recipe for success reserved for a few, for example, assembling a potent baseball team like the New York Yankees. Leadership in everyday settings is about taking a diverse set of people, creating a vision, help them attain success and as a result they freely choose to follow their leader.)
Here’s one final tip: when asked, “Are you a leader?” respond with a “No.” Tell them you are a learner and the people around you are the teachers.
Unbelievable Healthcare Spending
Medicare became law in 1965, as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society. In 1970, Medicare costs were $7.5 billion.
In 2006, Medicare’s budget had ballooned to $408 billion and in 10 years, it is projected to be $863 billion! Given the monthly premiums paid by seniors, medical co-payments, deductibles and the shameful prescription coverage plan, where is all that money going?
Access to affordable and quality medical care is a basic right in modern society. It is not an opportunity for healthcare-related companies to make record profits from the pain and misery of citizens.
GROWTH <> LEADERSHIP <> EXCELLENCE
© 2007 3 Minute Learning LLC
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