Callan…Coffee…Contemplation for the Week of March 23rd
The Busyness Illusion
Go on a walk-about in your office and pay particular attention to peoples’ work modes. Many are in a perpetual state of busyness; hammering out spreadsheets, completing timesheets, posting to account ledgers, running from meeting to meeting, or most worrisome: slinging out endless emails. These are well-intentioned people, some of whom even see themselves as leaders. But the problem is they correlate busyness with effectiveness. Their theory goes like this: If you are busy you must be getting a lot done. Ah….., not really. We need to make two vital distinctions here. First, leadership is the art of human influence, measured in affect and effect, not activity. Second, real significance does not stem from activity; it comes from purposeful focus and mindful intention. Many of the busiest people I know are some of the least effective in terms of output. Yes, they move a lot of paper but they move few large stones of influence and they touch few hearts and minds. Output and effectiveness, not activity, are the true measures of leadership.
Watching Gandhi
The movie Gandhi aired on TV recently, and because I’ve long admired the man, I watched it again. Though I’d never try to distill someone as significant as Gandhi into a tidy list of take-aways, I do find myself constantly coming back to this question when I reflect on his life: What made him unique as a man and leader? I believe it was his willingness to answer his call and his courage to will this one thing: to be a great-souled person. More simply, he lived by a more demanding code than most. Let’s be honest; we all have the ability to live by a higher code and a more rigorous set of standards, but most of us lack the willingness to go down that path. Why? Because it is hard. A higher code of living requires enormous self-discipline and constant sacrifice. For most of us, heck…its just easier being average. But if we can learn to identify the tenets of exemplary character and guide our thoughts and actions by classic virtues, then we too can gradually break free from mediocrity. And if we do, we, like Gandhi, can begin to answer honor’s call.
Sustainable Leadership
Listening to a recent news roundtable, the term sustainable was bandied about describing a system designed to endure across a broad arc of time. Which got me thinking; isn’t this exactly what we seek to do in developing a leadership culture in our groups? We are seeking sustainable leadership, are we not? Most organizations, I fear, neither see leadership this way nor do they possess a paradigm in which leadership is fundamental to their ethos. As a result, they wrongly approach leadership as a bolt-on tactic: a workshop over here, a guest lecture over there. Hit or miss, once and done. What futility! To build sustainable leadership, which I define as a culture where leaders cultivate and produce other leaders, we must start by creating an organizational ethos whose cornerstone is, leadership. Leadership must not be seen as a bolt on, but as a bedrock. Leadership must not be viewed as an afterthought, but as a forethought. To create deep reservoirs of leadership talent we must create organizations built on, and animated by, leadership.
The Higher You Go, The Less You Know
Once upon a time there was a King who ascended to the crown early in life. During these nascent years, when inexperienced, he sought regular counsel and diverse perspective. He needed these contrarian voices to flesh out his blind spots, and he welcomed them. As time went by and as his Kingdom grew, he became increasingly isolated from contrarian perspectives. His counsel gradually shrank to a small cadre of like-minded people, whose favorite refrain was “Yes, Sir” and whose only objective was to tell the King what he wanted to hear. It was only the court jester, through parable and story, who could pass to the King candid messages contrary to his world view. What the King had to finally admit, as must all who climb the ladder of power, was this: The higher you go, the less you know. So one day, tired of all the group think, the King formed a new cadre, a round table of courageous knights, centered on this core virtue: Embrace the truth. Truth, the King learned, not only sets you free, but truth is also the path to effective leadership. But he kept the jester, just to keep things light!
Want to Have a Great Day?
One of the hard truths we must come to grips is this: Everything comes out of nothing. The moment you awake and make your way to the office, everything that will occur during that day comes out of nothing. Meaning: You can’t predict it or fully control it. So you might think; why even try to prepare; just show up and wing it. Here’s another way to think of it. Do you want to have a great day? Then start with a great mindset! Your mindset is one thing you can control. The greatest tool in a leader’s arsenal is his mindset, attitude, and paradigm. If we can develop the self-discipline to rise each day, carve out sacred time to center ourselves and get into the right mindset, then we arm ourselves with the best antidote for chaos and challenge. I like to think of this early morning centering as the leader’s golden hour; the crucial time to put ourselves into the right state of mind to positively and purposefully engage the day. If we wait until the workday has begun, the golden hour is lost and we’ll become prisoner to frenzy. So, you want to have a great day? Start with a great mindset!
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