Leadership Essentials — Greg Kilgore, Thursday, September 10, 2009

There are many theories and models about Leadership. Some of which I have read that have resonated with me and even inspired me. Some of which I have studied. Yet, ultimately, when I speak of Leadership, I can quote the best ideas I've ever heard and share them as I've embraced them, or I can just talk straight from the gut and the heart about my personal experience and understanding. Another time I suppose, I can share the laundry list of writings and teachers that have come before me. For now, I am going to speak of Leadership as it has impacted my life, and in turn the lives of those that I have been able to touch.

First, leadership requires being responsible. The buck stops with you. It's not that you can be all things to all people or achieve every objective yourself. Yet, when the game isn't progressing, are you being responsible? Are you holding those responsible that you've invited to play the game with you?

I've partnered with and coached countless business owners, managers, and so called leaders. Those who are always the first and last person to be responsible for the myriad aspects of their business achieved their goals or a valuable variant whereby they could reach for new possibilities. They had to extend their reach beyond his or her personal grasp by recruiting others to be responsible as well, but the leader who wins his games is the leader who takes complete responsibility for whether or not the game was winnable in the first place. Business leaders who hand off the ball without taking responsibility for whether or not all of the variables are at play to ensure victory before the hand-off have no one to blame but themselves if the venture fails. What never fails is that the least responsible leaders are always the one's complaining that their team, staff, or reports are failing them.

As important, though not more so, is that a leader stands for something. What do you stand for? Odds are, you stand for something, you just don't declare it often, and so you might not know how to put words to it yet. Perhaps you don't actually stand for anything yet, but you want to. In either case, some self-exploration is required. Once you've determined which values matter enough to you so that you will commit to them, and which values you want for others, now the game is on! Just to illustrate a point: If your empassioned value is "prosperity," then what there is to do in your life and your work can certainly have something to do about that. When you realize that the achievement of prosperity often necessitates the involvement of others, then you invite others who share your value of prosperity to play a game with you. Or you find talented partners who you inspire to share your commitment to the value.

As a leader, the first role to play (very often neglected amidst all of the pressing to-do's) is the role of "facilitator of alignment." Alignment is the next most essential trait to exhibit as a leader and to foster with others who have been invited to play your game(s). Strategic execution, the last in my short list of leadership essentials, is not so lofty a goal in a business or a venture. Execution that succeeds comes from strategy that generates plans that are aligned with the values to which a business or venture has been committed.

To review: Responsibility. Values. Commitment. Strategy. Planning. Execution. All the while, alignment to the values. Begin again with responsibility. Repeat.

Now, much can be said about best practices to maintain commitment, effective planning, righteous execution, and communication aptitudes and emotional intelligence to share the vision and mission of a venture. We can drill down into those topics on another occasion. Today, let's just get that leadership doesn't require a mastery of all the best practices. Some leaders are quiet. Others raucus. Some are technical. Others visionary. Some are catalysts. Others cooperative and collaborative. You get to choose what style of leadership you want to express as well. Leadership can be manifested by anyone, anytime, anywhere. Leadership starts within and expands and manifests, becomes real, between people.

An interesting exercise I discovered involves spending a few minutes standing in front of a mirror. Stand in front of a mirror and witness yourself. Don't assess or evaluate whether or not you look good or bad or whether or not your hair is just so. Just "get it" that you can be seen simply, matter-of-factly. Next, imagine someone standing next to you that you would find satisfaction leading to play a business or venture game with you. See him or her standing there (in your mind's eye of course), and imagine he has an appreciative and fulfilled expression on his face. Then imagine someone else. And yet someone else. Try to be specific with who they are, and why they would be following your lead to participate in a game of your choosing. When you've filled the space somewhat in the mirror of your mind's eye, witness your self again, and get that all of the people standing next to you in front of the mirror can look into the mirror and witness you also. And you them. And they themselves.

There's a lot of powerful psychology and awareness going on in that exercise. More than I will elaborate upon here. Ultimately, what the exercise gives you is a sense of how others can see you and you them and they themselves. Relating to each other simply and with positive anticipation of appreciating each other and being aligned with each other is the beginning of being responsible to each other.

Responsibility. Values. Commitment. Strategy. Planning. Execution. All the while, alignment to the values. Begin again with responsibility. Repeat. The game to play to win all the other games combined.