The Puzzle
People can achieve remarkable things when we give them a chance. I’ve seen it more times than I can count. Here is one that I will never forget.
One day when I was working at a major research university, I was walking across campus on my way to get lunch. As I walked, I noticed a young man ahead who started jumping up and down and waving at me. I didn’t know what to think, but as he approached, I could see he was smiling.
Six years before, when I was a high school principal, I spent the first two weeks of the year visiting every second period classroom to deliver an opening message of welcome and encouragement. In this talk, I explained that one of the best things about school was that it gave students an opportunity to discover their talents and passions. I shared that we hoped they would all take full advantage of that opportunity. I encouraged them to find at least one thing in school that they were good at, that excited them, challenged them, or that brought them great joy, and to go as far as they could in developing those interests. Then I shared a metaphor. I suggested that all of us are like pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle. I pointed out that while, like the pieces of a puzzle, we are more alike than different, each of us is also unique: just as a puzzle has no two identical pieces, there are no two identical people. More important, we all have different talents and interests that when shared can be beneficial to all. I encouraged the students to find their unique qualities and to share them. I observed that in a puzzle, while each of the pieces has individual meaning, the joining together of all the pieces creates meaning that is greater than the sum of all the parts. I shared that while they might not yet know what their individual contribution could be, school offered an opportunity to explore that and encouraged them to contemplate how they could grow into their unique capacities. I finished the presentation by giving every person in the room a puzzle piece as a reminder but told them that they didn’t have to keep it if the metaphor wasn’t useful for them. Most of them kept the piece.
As the young person on campus came up to me, he reached out his hand, and said, “Hello! You won’t remember me, but at the start of your last year as principal at my high school, you came to my class and gave a talk. I was a 9th grader and had just moved with my family to the United States from Mexico. I didn’t speak much English yet, but your talk inspired me. I am here because of you, and because of all my teachers who taught me, believed in me, and encouraged me. I am the first person in the entire history of my family to attend college. Thank you!”
I thanked him for his kind words, but added, “No, you are here because of YOU. YOU did the work”.
Then, looking directly at me with a gleam in his eyes and a broad smile, he reached into his back pocket, took out his wallet, opened it up, and pulled out a puzzle piece.
Love and Leadership
I didn’t expect to hear Marines talking about love as a leadership stance.
A few years ago, I had the privilege of attending a Change of Command ceremony for a large Marine Corps unit. The outgoing commander was a Lieutenant Colonel who was also retiring from the service after a distinguished career. The unit had been extremely successful under his command, as noted by performance reviews and commendations that rated it the highest performing command of its type in the service during the commander’s tenure. I was sitting behind and to the left of the senior military person at the ceremony - a three-star General who was the West Coast Air Boss for the Marine Corps, and who was the very picture of what you would imagine if I asked you to think about a fighter pilot and Lieutenant General in the Marines: tough, grizzled, and with an aura of impeccable command confidence.
In his speech, the outgoing commander stated that when he was asked why his unit had been so successful, he always replied that it was because of the power of love: love of country; love of the Corps; love of the mission; and love and belief in the potential for all the people in his unit.
I wondered what the General thought of this response but initially was too intimidated by his presence to look. However, as the commander concluded his speech, I glanced over at the General. Tears were rolling down his cheeks. When he got up to speak, he said simply, “You can all see why the Commandant of the Marine Corps is on my case for letting this superb officer retire!”
I’d follow those people anywhere.
The Gifts of Resistance
Wise leaders don’t lament resistance. They learn from it.
Resistance makes us uncomfortable. Sometimes it makes us angry. Those feelings are understandable – and almost always misplaced. In forty years of leading and working with other leaders, I’ve rarely seen resistance that didn’t have something important to teach. Resistance informs us about important undercurrents in our system, and paying attention to these undercurrents and addressing them can help open the door for our greatest successes.
First, resistance often shows that people deeply care about the values, the purpose, and the goals of the organization, as they currently understand them. Many people who are deeply invested in the current culture of the organization will react with caution to change if they fear that it will negatively affect the culture. Wise leaders consider whether they have framed the proposed change in a way that connects with people’s understanding of the highest values and goals of the organization. If they have not, they must first work to communicate the purpose of the change and how it will contribute to the core mission in a better way.
Second, resistance demonstrates that the organization has people who can think and act independently. This should be celebrated. Autonomous thinkers who are trying to do their best work toward the successful achievement of a core mission are what drive the greatest achievements in any enterprise. Because of this, leaders should question whether they truly want people to immediately embrace change because they have been told to do so. Leaders should challenge the notion that they want people to put aside their experience or their unique perspectives based upon what they have learned over time. Wise leaders value the perspectives of their people. They listen. They create a more thoughtful organization through ongoing communication that addresses both the rational mind and the feelings of their colleagues.
Third, resistance can give leaders the absolutely essential knowledge that people lack adequate preparation to carry out the new direction or the new way of doing things. Often, people are reluctant to change how they do things because they don’t feel confident they can do so effectively. Most people want to do the very best work they can. They want to contribute to their organization. And they want to feel personally successful. Sometimes they are resistant because they are worried that they might fail, and therefore that they will let the organization down. Successful leaders of change initiatives are masters at providing initial and ongoing professional development that ensures that their people will be successful.
Resistance isn’t a barrier to high achievement, it’s a doorway.
Urgency is the Enemy of Great.
Sometimes it is necessary to act with urgency, but wise leaders only apply the “urgent” mindset in real emergencies, because it always brings with it side effects.
A couple of years ago after a long day of travel, I awoke in the middle of the night to find the roof of the room I was sleeping in on fire. This was a situation of real urgency, and I acted accordingly, fortunately getting out of the house in time. That’s how we measure success in an emergency: I got out. However, the next morning, when I returned to the now charred bedroom in which I had been sleeping, I discovered all my belongings tattered, oozing smoke and drenched with water, including my new, now ruined, laptop computer. Acting with urgency can be absolutely appropriate, but it always comes with latent impacts. Given that, leaders will benefit from carefully and accurately assessing the level of urgency in any situation.
Most leaders will face situations from time to time that call for urgent response. But I have noticed in the last thirty years that we often misrepresent what may be very important goals to achieve or challenges to overcome as being urgent. Important and urgent are not the same thing; compelling and urgent are not the same thing. Leaders who know the difference and foster the urgent mindset only when it is truly necessary experience better results. I have watched leaders use the specter of urgency to address important objectives and it usually created fear, action without appropriate forethought, and the absence of the trust and goodwill that makes an organization function well.
Sometimes leaders use the terms “urgent” and “emergency” in the belief that it will increase the motivation or effort of their colleagues. And sometimes, when addressing a long-standing condition, particularly one involving societal injustice or the wellbeing of groups of people, it can feel morally justified to describe the condition as urgent. But in my experience, if the situation isn’t truly an emergency – meaning lives are in immediate danger – this rarely achieves what leaders hope for. Instead, I have found that important and complex challenges require a more strategic approach.
I have been inspired by leaders who take a different pathway to important challenges. They create a clear and compelling vision. They cultivate talent. And they allow for the optimum combination of independence, collaboration and ingenuity in pursuit of the vision. These leaders build a culture that nurtures honest enthusiasm in pursuit of a meaningful goal.
People do their very best work when they are pursuing a compelling vision of significant meaning, and when they are provided the conditions that allow them to thrive. The leaders I’ve most admired spend the majority of their time providing that vision and creating those conditions. They choose great over urgent.
Can You Feel It?
Several years ago, I would sometimes go with friends to play golf. I loved to go to a particular course because of the unique experience it provided. It wasn’t because the course was particularly challenging or beautiful. It was because the person who managed the club house improved the mood of everyone around him. His name was Tony, and no matter what he did, he did it with an authentic enthusiasm that brought a smile to everyone who spoke with him or watched him. If someone asked for a milkshake, he’d start making a milkshake with delight. He’d say, “Oh, I can feel it! This is going to be the very best Tony Shake I’ve ever made!” And he meant it. If he was cooking a hamburger, he’d say, “Oh, look at this. I can feel it! It is the very best Tony Burger that’s ever been made!” And he meant it. If he was helping someone who wanted to buy something from the pro shop, he’d say, “Oh, yes, this is the best we’ve ever had!” And he meant it. People came to the golf course. They smiled. They went away happy. On three or four occasions, I watched as a person came into the pro shop grumpy, after what I assumed was a disappointing round of golf. After spending a few minutes around Tony, a smile would break out. It was inevitable. What do you think that’s worth? How do you think that would improve a client’s experience? How do you think that would improve an employee’s daily work?
I thought of Tony when years later I worked for a school district superintendent named Mike Riley who exhibited in his own way the same kind of authentic enthusiasm, and watched him lead the transformation of the district from being somewhat average to being one of the most high-achieving school districts in the country. For the most part, he led with positive emotion toward an exciting and ambitious vision. He enlisted the energy of his people toward something that truly mattered by captivating them with the goal, nurturing in them the same enthusiasm that he exuded, and finding the resources people needed to succeed. He had his own style – quieter than Tony - but he continually pointed out that we were far exceeding our goals and earning national recognition. And he meant it. People wanted to be a part of that. People wanted to be part of something important and to experience authentic enthusiasm in their work. Whenever I see people from those years, they will almost invariably say, “Those were the best years of my professional life.”
Clearly, enthusiasm alone cannot make an organization successful. And sometimes we can’t be as positive as Tony. That’s a reality. Mike Riley was demanding. He held people to very high standards and he sometimes gave critical feedback. When he did, he did it respectfully and with a genuine intention of helping the person get better at their work. He made the choice to see the work as a way to make the world better. And he meant it.
Can you feel it? Is this the best “whatever” you’ve ever made?
The How is as Important as the What
I watched a leader set an ambitious goal that many viewed as farfetched. In his first meeting with his staff, he offered them a four-year vision that probably seemed preposterous, and challenged them, “Do you think we could achieve this if we all worked together toward it over the next four years?” At first, there was a hush in the room. A few people looked skeptical, though some in the room, with smiles and some excitement in their eyes, nodded their agreement. Some offered a tentative, “Yes, if we fixed some things that have held us back.” The leader agreed, and immediately asked, “What would we need to address?” Then, a hum of conversation emerged in the room as people spoke with one another and offered themes that needed to be addressed. The leader listened carefully and wrote down all the suggestions the staff proposed. He had challenged the organization with an ambitious goal, and then he listened to the suggestions. At the end of the session, one participant said, “Thank you. This is exciting, and no one has ever asked us to contribute like that.” It all started there. Over the years, the whole staff worked toward the goal. The leader kept people focused on their commitment and on the target. He arranged for professional development the staff had requested, changed ineffective policies, and replaced inefficient procedural tasks. At the end of four years, the staff had not only achieved the goal but had set many more. Members of that staff often refer to those times as “the golden years.” What made this possible wasn’t just the vision. It was also how the leader pursued it.
One of the first requirements for great leadership is offering a transformational vision that incites enthusiasm and commitment – a real stretch, and one that matters. But just as important as the “What” is the “How” - the culture that an organization creates to pursue its vision. Over the many years I have been observing and practicing leadership, I have seen a spectrum of leadership cultures that ranged from one end, coercion – threats, pressure, fear, shame – to pro-social methods on the other, that assume that people want to do good work and create the conditions for them to do it.
I’ve seen that a coercive “How” sometimes produced quick positive results. But not always, and worse, this methodology, even when it did result in good short-term gains, usually produced significant negative long-term effects: unsustainable progress and backsliding; high turnover; low engagement and a lack of innovation. I’ve worked in such organizations, and in every case, our missed opportunities far outweighed the short-term gains we achieved. I’ve also worked in organizations that operated from a more pro-social “How”. The leader I described above did exactly this, and the results were remarkable and ongoing.
Where would you rather work? I know my answer. Those years were among the most fulfilling and exciting of my career.
The Power of Mentoring
When I was a first-year assistant principal at a large and complex comprehensive high school, I worked for a formidable leader. She was storied in our system for her talent, her wisdom and her dedication. But she was also a little feared by some because she was strong, unafraid of conflict, and did not suffer foolishness. So, as I started out, I wanted to make sure that I was doing everything correctly. In my first weeks on the job, whenever I took on a new task, I usually went to her and asked her how she wanted me to handle it. Invariably, she would ask me, “What were you thinking of doing?” I’d reply. Sometimes she would ask me follow-up questions that made me think deeply about my reasoning, after which she would say either, “Yes, do that.”, or “Yes, that would work, and you might also consider…”, adding some other options that might work as well. Rarely, she said, “You might want to reconsider that. What do you think might happen if you did that?” It was fabulous leadership. She was teaching me how to think about my job, not just telling me what to do. Each week, I gained confidence, and gradually I went to her less frequently, though I always knew I could consult with her without being judged negatively. I was told by other people on our team that they had similar experiences with her, and one recounted that once the principal had said in a calm and positive tone, “Well, I am fully confident you can make the right decision about that without my help.”, gently nudging her toward more independence.
I’ve observed leaders who believe they don’t have the time to help the people around them grow, thinking that it is just easier and faster to do everything themselves. This approach almost always resulted in the leader not having the time to do the biggest, most important work while their team didn’t grow and their organization stayed mired in less than stellar performance.
It did take my principal a lot of time to mentor me, and many other people, particularly in the beginning. Over time however, her approach magnified her effectiveness many times over. We became a high-functioning team. Moreover, many of us went on to lead organizations of our own, due in large part to the guidance and modeling she provided, thereby significantly increasing her overall impact.
She didn’t just develop me; she developed the people who would develop others.