Longer ago than I care to admit, I was a newly promoted sales and marketing officer at a Fortune 100 company. I'd only been out of college for a decade and believed I knew everything worth knowing. My company was the newly created result of a merger. I had come from the smaller predecessor and inherited a staff composed largely of people whose former (very popular) boss was displaced to make room for me. The situation was really uncomfortable. As the new sheriff in town, however, I was going to tell everyone "how it was going to be."

I almost got run out of town on a rail. Apparently, my approach required some adjustment; who knew?

My boss and mentor, a patient man who appreciated my potential, sat me down one day for a "Dutch uncle" talk. He reviewed the precarious situation I inherited and began what was the first of many discussions about leadership. At the point I became visibly bored, he said, "Rand – leadership is a conversation." I stared at him as though he had a third eyeball in the middle of his forehead. He continued, while I lingered on that comment, hearing little of what immediately followed. After about two minutes, I asked, "John, would you repeat that?" He asked, "Repeat what?” I added, "that comment about conversation." After he repeated it, I asked him if he would clarify what he meant. The following discussion began my lifelong interest in organizational and leadership effectiveness. Here's what I remember:

"What kind of work environment do you want to create?" he asked. I was clueless. "Why should I care?" I thought, but to avoid looking stupid or disinterested I replied with the following, "I want to create an environment that encourages people to contribute their best."

I know what you're thinking: I was the management version of "the Natural."

He responded with: "Not bad, but not quite. Get more specific. What do people need to feel inside in order to bring their "A game"?

"They need to feel committed to what the organization wants to achieve," I said.

He continued the interrogation. "As their managerial leader, what is your role in cultivating that commitment?"

I didn't know where to go next, so I just shrugged. He bailed me out with this: "In order for them to be committed, they have to feel your commitment. The only way they'll feel your commitment is by what you say and what you do – by having firm, passionate convictions that are mirrored by your actions." I prevailed upon him to continue.

"Think about it, Rand. For the people in your organization to be committed, they have to understand the organization's goals and strategies. They need to understand the linkage between what they do and the overall success of the organization, in a precise way. They must see how the reward structure contributes to achievement of personal and organizational goals. They need to have a level of confidence in you. That confidence certainly includes their trust in your ability, but it goes much further. They have to believe in your conviction, honesty and integrity."

Yikes! It sounded as if I needed to be an alloy of Jesus, the Buddha and Gandhi to be successful. He went on. "Your associates must also feel the freedom to debate you on important issues."

I stopped him there. "Wait a minute. I thought I was the boss. Why should I debate?" He grinned for about a minute, waiting for his comments to sink into my thick skull. When it became obvious that I was waiting for more wisdom and had little of my own, he said, "You cannot create commitment without dialogue."

Now there's something to chew on!

He continued. "Let’s say that there's a continuum of possible employee engagement. On one end is grudging compliance. That's where people obey orders. On the other end is genuine, authentic commitment. That's where people contribute voluntarily, independently and zealously. That kind of contribution only evolves out of clear understanding, not necessarily agreement, but understanding."

"So you're saying that people will support me even if they don't agree with what I'm doing 100% of the time," I queried. "That's what I'm saying," he said. "Most managers don't bother cultivating understanding because they don't want to open a can of worms. The fact is, you have to deal with what people are thinking whether or not you know what it is. Aren't you better off, as a senior leader, creating a "pool of meaning" with people? Aren't you better off demonstrating your passion verbally? Don't you move the ball down the field when you take the time to build relationships, cultivate commitment and establish trust?"

I was dumbfounded, and he advised me, "Remember: leading is not a matter of your authority, it's a matter of their delivery."

If you're a managerial leader, his words are worth remembering.

 The Mortgage Mess - Give Me a Break!

Here's a headline I'd like to see in The Washington Post:

"Maryland Governor O'Malley chastises over-extended borrowers for getting in over their heads and recommends that the worst offenders be sent to debtors prison."

Ain't gonna happen, sports fans.

We're quickly migrating, in our society, to a point at which we regard irresponsible behavior as acceptable and irresponsible people as innocent victims. No matter how deep in debt people submerge themselves, they must be victims of heartless, predatory, rapacious lenders on the lookout for innocent, unsuspecting people on whom to prey.

Give me a break!

Here's my take: Financial institutions during the last several years got WAY out "on the end of their skis." Easy, ample money looking for a home found it (among other places) among people who should never have qualified to charge dinner, let alone take out interest-only, adjustable, 100% mortgages. Shame on our financial institutions; shame on the Fed for perpetually low interest rates; shame on the federal government (and most elected officials from both parties), for spending all the money it had and $TRILLIONS it didn't. Yada, yada, yada.

All of those things instigated a mess, and I feel sorry for hard-working people who live within their means for having to put up with the macroeconomic implications of that … including me. I have, however, ZERO sympathy for people who live one step ahead of bankruptcy because of personal debt. Many of those people believe that the American dream is an entitlement; it is not. It is a privilege that is earned and then retained by people assuming personal responsibility for their actions and decisions and accountability for the outcomes of those decisions and actions. As a trade-off for having the privilege of living in a country that offers vast economic opportunity, every person must assume the obligation to fulfill his commitments. Those who actually DO live responsibly should look with disdain, not sympathy, at those who can, but don't.

Own your life. 100%. No excuses, no blame, no victimhood – ever!

 

See you next month. Until then, get real; get tough; get going!