In my blog of two weeks ago, entitled The Leadership Love-In I reiterated the never ending need for better leadership. I also extended kudos to a handful of passionate leadership bloggers who I consider to be experts in their field (links listed below). These pundits command impressive social media audiences, and while it is gratifying that people are interested in their perspectives and insight, the ongoing leadership mania underscores the significant gap between principle and practice.
Given my background is in business, I tend to think of leadership in a competitive context. In my CEO afterlife, I’ve pondered the inherent notion that business leadership is different than that of less competitive organizations such as academic institutes, charities, governments, or social associations. I’ve subsequently concluded that the disparity lay not within the type of organization one leads, but within the particular environment leaders find themselves. The notion is as simple as this: it is much easier to practice the tenets of good leadership when one is winning rather than losing, no matter what the game.
So to use a sports analogy, I ask you to consider the mindset of 2-14 coaches Jim Caldwell of the Colts and Hue Jackson of the Raiders as they neared the end of the 2011 NFL season. Now compare that mentality to that of the 49er’s Jim Harbaugh or the Packer’s Mike McCarthy. Harbaugh and McCarthy were having great seasons. They were winning, feeling confident, secure and staying the strategic course they’d developed, communicated and executed from day 1 of the season. Toward season’s end, there were several love-ins and group hugs on the sidelines. At the other end of the spectrum were Caldwell and Jackson, scrambling for a new course, a miracle maybe, but finding nothing but a guillotine to end their misery.
When you are losing, a change in plan is usually needed. A CEO leading a company on the verge of bankruptcy has to ditch the love-in and go into a crisis management mode. Leading and working in such environments can be awfully tough. Patience is not a virtue; nor is anyone’s job security. This doesn’t mean that leaders abdicate showing a way to the Promised Land. Clarity of purpose, strategy, and vision will never be more critical than in these situations.
In the leadership game, mental toughness and tenacity in hard times separates winners from losers. And it doesn’t matter whether you run a Fortune 500 company, a sports team or the local PTA.
Leadership Bloggers I follow:
Mike Myatt at http://www.n2growth.com/blog/
Dan Rockwell at http://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/
Lisa Petrilli at http://www.lisapetrilli.com/
Jesse Lynn Stoner at http://jessestoner.com/blog/
Susan Mazza at http://randomactsofleadership.com/
Wally Bock at http://blog.threestarleadership.com/
Ted Coine at http://www.tedcoine.com/
John Bell is a strategy consultant and former CEO of Jacobs Suchard (Kraft, Nabob). He is a contributor to Fortune magazine and a regular blogger at CEO Afterlife.
John, I could not disagree with you more. Everyone will go through periods of negative feedback. This is NOT evidence that things aren’t working, it’s a symptom of the fact successful approaches don’t take time to manifest themselves.
If every leader did an about face after the first casualty we’d never get anywhere. Leaders need to stick to their decisions in the face of disappointing results and continue to inspire their followers to stick to the plan.
No one needs a fair weather fan and no one wants a fair weather leader.
*typo, should read “…successful approaches take time to manifest themselves.”
Thanks for weighing in on this, Sid. I’m not advocating giving up too soon. My point is all about the pressures on leaders in difficult situations. “In the leadership game, mental toughness and tenacity in hard times separates winners from losers.” Inherent in that is the notion of sticking with it. Hope this helps clarify.
And, I could not agree with you more.
But I will also say that tough people will not let their teams or organizations sink to such situations where its a do or die situation. They’d be alert for changes inside and outside and be prepared.
Great blog btw.
-Vikrama Dhiman
Works @ http://www.wiziq.com/courses