Archive for leadership
Knowing the difference between players and pretenders
Posted by: | CommentsIf you’ve ever led people, you’ve come across followers who would rather act the part than do their part. Those people are pretenders, and while they can sometimes masquerade as players, there are ways to tell the two apart. It’s important to find all the pretenders within an organization, because otherwise, they will steal momentum and damage relationships.
Here is my guiding principle: Pretenders look the part, talk the part, and claim the part, but fall short of fulfilling the part.
Here are some other specific differences:
1. Players have a servant’s mindset; pretenders have a selfish mindset.
Players do things for the benefit of others and the organization, while pretenders think only of benefitting themselves. A pretender is narrowly focused only on outcomes that are in his or her best interest.
2. Players are mission-conscious; pretenders are position-conscious.
Players will give up a position to achieve a mission. Pretenders will give up a mission to achieve a position. For players, the progress of the mission is much more important than their own place within it. But a pretender will value his or her position more highly than just about anything else.
3. Players can deliver the goods; pretenders only promise the goods.
A player is a team member who can be counted on to finish a task every time. The pretender will claim the ability to do so; but in the end, he or she does not consistently execute.
4. Players are job-happy: they love what they do and do it well. Pretenders are job-hunters: they can’t do what they do where they are but think they could do it better somewhere else.
For a player, the work is fulfilling and meaningful, and he or she is devoted to doing it well. The pretender is so focused on appearing competent that he or she cannot always BE competent. And again because of the focus on appearance, the pretender won’t admit fault when mistakes are made. Thus, he or she believes that problems are a part of the workplace, not him- or herself.
5. Players love to see others succeed; pretenders are only interested in their own success.
Rabbi Harold Kushner had a player’s mindset when he said, “The purpose of life is not to win. The purpose of life is to grow and to share. When you come to look back on all that you have done in life, you will get more satisfaction from the pleasure you have brought into other people’s lives than you will from the times that you outdid and defeated them.”
I think we all start out as competitors, but the goal is to grow past that. In my adult life, I have evolved from competitor, to personal achiever, to team player, and on to team builder. A player is happy when another member of the team succeeds because it benefits all. The pretender sees success as a win-lose proposition, and resents it when another person “wins.”
6. Players value integrity; pretenders value image.
In navigation, the rule is that what’s under the surface should be heavier than what’s above the surface. Otherwise, ship will capsize in a storm. Integrity is like this; what’s under the surface had better be greater than that which is in plain sight. A player can be counted on to do the right thing, even if nobody is looking. Pretenders may only do the right thing when others are looking, and whatever is expedient when others are not.
7. Players make the hard choices; pretenders make the easy choices.
We all have the power of choice, but once used, our choice has power over us. What is a hard choice? With a hard choice, the price is paid on the front end; the payoff only comes later. Few people gather to affirm the hard choice, and it almost always includes risk. And the hard choice usually places others and the organization above self. Peter Drucker once said, “Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.” Players aren’t afraid to make those decisions.
8. Players finish well; pretenders fade out.
Some people start as players, but at some point they turn into pretenders. Why? I believe it’s because they overestimate the event and underestimate the process. They make the choice to begin, but they get tired of the work it takes to continue. Or they begin and proceed until they are confronted with the need to change. Unwilling to do that, they begin pretending in order to get by. A player takes all tasks to completion.
Do you have a better idea of who the players and pretenders are within your team or organization? Remember that players will always ADD to the team’s efforts. But pretenders, at least in the long run, will COST the team. Knowing the difference between the two means that you’ll count on the right person to get the job done.
From the archives: How to know you’re out in front
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve been blogging here for just over three years, and this week I was looking at some of my past posts to find those that were the most helpful to people. This one seemed to have a very positive impact. I hope it serves you. (And the comments on the original post were at least as beneficial as what I wrote. Click here for the original post and comments from 2010.)
When You Get Kicked in the Rear,
You Know You’re Out in Front
Greek philosopher Aristotle said, “Criticism is something you can avoid easily—by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” Obviously, that isn’t an option for anyone who wants to be successful as a leader.
Good leaders are active, and their actions often put them out front. That often draws criticism. When spectators watch a race, where do they focus their attention? On the front-runners! People watch their every action—and often criticize.
Since criticism is a part of leadership, you need to learn how to handle it constructively. The following has helped me to deal with criticism, so I pass it on to you.
Know yourself.
Do you really know yourself? Are you aware of your weaknesses as well as your strengths? Where do you fall short as a person and leader? Not sure what your weaknesses are? Ask five trustworthy people close to you. They’ll be able to tell you where you come up short.
Know the criticism – and the critics.
When you receive criticism, how do you tell if it’s constructive or destructive? (Some say constructive criticism is when I criticize you, but destructive criticism is when you criticize me!) Here are the questions I ask to get to determine what kind of criticism it is:
- Who criticized me? Adverse criticism from a wise person is more to be desired than the enthusiastic approval of a fool. The source often matters.
- How was it given? I try to discern whether the person was being judgmental or whether he gave me the benefit of the doubt and spoke with kindness.
- Why was it given? Was it given out of a personal hurt or for my benefit? Hurting people hurt people; they lash out or criticize to try to make themselves feel better, not to help the other person.
Stay open to change.
Let’s assume you now know yourself pretty well. You can tell when a criticism is way off-base; maybe it’s directed more at your position than at you. And you know when a criticism is 100% legitimate because it’s about a weakness that you’ve already discovered.
But what about the gray areas? The criticisms that might hold a grain of truth? A good leader stays open to improvement by:
- Not being defensive,
- Looking for the helpful grain of truth,
- Making the necessary changes, and
- Taking the high road.
Accept yourself.
Jonas Salk, developer of the Salk polio vaccine, had many critics in spite of his incredible contribution to medicine. Of criticism, he observed, “First people will tell you that you are wrong. Then they will tell you that you are right, but what you’re doing really isn’t important. Finally, they will admit that you are right and that what you are doing is very important; but after all, they knew it all the time.”
How do leaders who are out front handle this kind of fickle response from others?
The Serenity Prayer, made famous by Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs, gives direction in this area:
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
If you have endeavored to know yourself, and have worked hard to change yourself, then what more can you do?
Forget yourself.
The final step in the process of effectively handling criticism is to stop focusing on yourself. Secure people forget about themselves so they can focus on others. By doing this, they can face nearly any kind of criticism—and even serve the critic.
I try to live out a sentiment expressed by Parkenham Beatty, who advised, “By your own soul learn to live. And if men thwart you, take no heed. If men hate you, have no care: Sing your song, dream your dream, hope your hope and pray your prayer.”
As leaders, we must always be serious about our responsibilities, but it isn’t healthy for us to take ourselves too seriously. A Chinese proverb says, “Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves. They shall never cease to be entertained.”
***
My friend Joyce Meyer observes, “God will help you be all you can be, but He will never let you be successful at becoming someone else.” We can’t do more than try to be all that we can be. If we do that as leaders, we will give others our best, and we will sometimes takes hits from others. But that’s okay. That is the price for being out front.
Finding the “want to”
Posted by: | CommentsMany years ago, I read about a survey of workers in the United States, who were asked if they could work harder on the job than they currently were. 85% of those surveyed said that they could. And more than half claimed that they could double their effectiveness “if I wanted to.”
I don’t know about you, but I want the people that I lead to “want to” be as effective as they possibly can all the time! And I want them to always give 100 percent of their effort.
The good news is that I believe that the people on my team DO work to the best of their ability. As I thought about my team and saw how hard they worked in comparison to the statistics, I wondered to myself, what makes John Maxwell Company staff “want to” double their effectiveness?
I believe it’s because team members receive five things from the leaders:
1. Relationship. My organization has been blessed with some exceptional people. It starts at the top with the CEO of the John Maxwell Company, Mark Cole, who has a real talent for connecting with his team. He truly practices what I preach when I tell people to reach for a person’s heart before asking for their hand.
2. Ownership. John F. Kennedy once said, “Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.” I believe team ownership depends on a clear vision cast by the leader, which spells out their contribution.
3. Reward for work. Recent generations have gotten used to being rewarded just for showing up. But what really motivates achievers are rewards that are tied to production.
4. Pride. This is a direct result of ownership. When a team member understands how his contribution matters, and makes that contribution, the natural outcome is pride in the work. You can increase that pride by always offering recognition for a job well done.
5. Confidence through equipping. Harvey Firestone said, “It is only as we develop others that we permanently succeed.” Beyond casting vision, a good leader equips his people and helps them to grow. This adds value to their lives and sets them up for success.
Every leader wants a team that enthusiastically does the job to the best of their ability. More than that, we want our people to go “the extra mile.” I’m blessed to be able to rely on a leader like Mark Cole, who makes sure our John Maxwell Company team benefits from relationship, ownership, reward, pride, and confidence. And team members respond by doing their best work.
I believe that if you provide your team with the above five gifts, then they are more likely to “want to” offer you their best in return.
Level Up Week 9: Communicate
Posted by: | CommentsWell, March has arrived, and with it the end of our Level Up study of The 5 Levels of Leadership. (Just finding out about it? You can still do the study! Just click HERE to go back to Week 1.)
My team and I are curious about how this project worked for you. We’d appreciate your comments, whether you studied alone or led a group. It will help us decide whether or not to do something like this with other books, like my next one: The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth (Fall, 2012).
Here are the questions we would love for you to answer in the comments:
1. Whether you led or participated in a group, what was the best thing you got out of it?
2. What would you like to see us change if we offer this again for another book?
3. Is there another specific book of mine that you would like to study in this way?
Please feel free to share any other thoughts or reactions to this blog series.
Level Up, Week 8: Evaluate
Posted by: | CommentsWelcome to Week 8 of our group study of The 5 Levels of Leadership. This week we’re wrapping up the study and preparing to apply it to our lives.
The greatest danger in doing a study like this one is that it becomes a project, rather than a process. A person might work on it mentally while in the group, but they don’t take action. Because of that, nothing changes after the group stops meeting. Encourage group members to engage in the process of continual leadership development, of which the 5 Levels of Leadership has been just a small part.
I’ve been working on my leadership for over 40 years, and I’m still not done growing. If you have a teachable mindset, the courage to make changes, and the discipline to follow through, you can become the kind of leader who makes an impact.
DISCUSSION (Facilitator’s Guide)
1. (Icebreaker) What’s your favorite way to learn something new?
2. You read about Coach Wooden becoming a Level 5 leader. Do you think there any career fields in which it would not be possible for a leader to reach Level 5? Explain.
3. Now that you’ve read the book, what has changed in your thinking about leadership and how it works?
4. What are you changing in your leadership style or practices to become a better leader?
5. Personally, what is your greatest barrier to developing through the 5 Levels as a leader?
6. What will you be targeting next in your personal or leadership growth?
ASSIGNMENT
Create a plan and timeline for overcoming your greatest leadership barrier. This is a process that may take weeks, months, or years. Give yourself specific and measurable goals or milestones. Create steps for accomplishing each. And be sure to be realistic about the time each will actually take. Remember, leadership development is a lifetime journey.
