Archive for April, 2008

We may all know an alpha leader. You know, the kind who self confident, bold, demanding, fast paced, direct and unemotional? Recently, I heard Eddie Erlandson, a co-author of the book called Alpha Male Syndrome speak, and the light went on. I actually work with a lot of alphas, or with people who work with them. It often happens that when I’m requested to work with a problematic leader, I find that they are (my term) “overly direct” and can’t understand why others don’t see things their way – common to strong alphas.

Aside from the obvious wonderment about why I would attract so many of these clients (when I’m relatively gentle and indirect by nature :^) ), I’ve been looking for some concerte tools to work with them. There are many in the book. In addition, the author’s web site has a free alpha assessment if you have a code from the book.

Seriously, folks, I came up in the bottom quartile in terms of alpha strengths and risks. Draw your own conclusions.

April 24, 2008 Column “About Leadership”, West Michigan Business Review

Recent public figures who have had lapses in judgment do not deserve to be called “leaders.” But their stories may prompt us to reflect on what it takes to earn that title.

Although the news headlines may lead us to believe otherwise, good leaders are out there. However, they often aren’t the ones who get the attention of the media. Don is a wonderful example of a person who has earned the right to be called a leader.

Two years ago, Don moved into a new organization and position where he was responsible for a high-profile project that required significant collaboration among several business areas. Don’s leadership style, perfected over years, was controlling and inflexible. Unfortunately his approach didn’t work in this new arena, where a more facilitative style was needed.

Things started going poorly with the project, capturing the CEO’s attention. The CEO initially wanted to fire Don. But he saw something that led him to believe Don could change his style.

Don took the time and effort to focus inward on his own values and his responsibility for what was going wrong. He developed a plan to make behavioral changes that could turn the situation around, then worked hard to make it happen.

Within a year and a half, he was promoted twice and is now seen as a model leader within his organization.

When Don was asked what he learned during the tough times, he said, “When things get bad, you need to figure out what’s wrong, accept responsibility for your role in it, and then take action and do your part to fix it.”

This sounds simple, but it comes from someone who has lived it – someone who managed to turn a bad situation around with courage, introspection, hard work and support from others who believed in him.

So, who should be called a leader? Those who have earned the title:

?€¢ Have done the lonely, time-consuming and sometimes painful inner work necessary to morally anchor themselves against the pull of power, money and other temptations

?€¢ Know their values and continually check decisions and actions against them

?€¢ Understand, take responsibility and act on their role in the good, bad and ugly things that happen in their organization

?€¢ Surround themselves with honest people who have their best interests, and the organization’s, at heart

?€¢ Ask for and are open to feedback from those honest people

?€¢ Monitor, reflect and continually adjust their actions based on all of these elements.

If you look around and pay attention, you will find many individuals who exemplify the very best in what it means to lead with passion, conviction, dedication and morality. And they truly deserve to be called leaders.

Written by Mary Jo Asmus

Copyright 2008, West Michigan Business Review April 24-29, 2008

I’m finding myself surrounded by wonderful leaders who are also great writers. I hope its okay that I take a break from writing and offer yet another from a blog post on West Michigan Business Review from one of my favorite people and a great leader, Ron Kitchens, CEO of Southwest Michigan First. Ron walks the talk.

Be sure to pick up on all of his posts at West Michigan Business Review

View From the Corner Office – Make No Excuses by Ron Kitchens

One of the great privileges of my position is the access you have to work with and observe the behaviors of great leaders in business, faith, government and community.

In this weekly segment, I will point out a different trait of these exceptional leaders.

Make no excuses.

Great leaders make no excuses about failures; instead. they learn, overcome and succeed. Face it, no one cares about your excuses. They only want to know what you have learned from the situation and how the lesson, expansive as it was, is going to show a future return on investment.

One of the hottest Web sites these days is www.alibinetwork.com, which provides its subscribers with the ability, as their Web site states, “To invent, create and provide personalized alibis for people wishing to anticipate and justify absences.”

These people will lie for you when you cannot do it yourself. Don’t do it.

To quote Jack Johnson, “Where have all the good people gone?” Of all of the great leaders I have known, none would have subscribed to the Alibi Network, period.

One Last Thing

My colleague and friend David Chinsky published this in his new newsletter. Check out his site, David Chinsky and Associates and consider subscribing to his newsletter. It’s very well done!

“I sincerely wish that you will have the experience of thinking up a new idea, organizing it, and following it through to completion, and then having it be magnificently successful. I also hope you’ll go through the same process and have something totally ‘bomb out.’

I wish that you could achieve some great good for mankind, but have nobody know about it except you.

I wish you could find something so worthwhile that you deem it worthy of investing your life.

I hope you give so much of yourself that some days you wonder if it’s all worthwhile.

I wish for you a magnificent obsession that will give you a reason for living and a purpose for life.

I wish for you the worst kind of criticism for everything you do, because that makes you fight beyond what you normally would.

I wish for you the experience of leadership.”

Adapted from Earl Reum, Lifelines for Leaders, “A Wish for Leaders”

Executive coaching has become recognized as a great tool to be intentional about leadership and business. Check out the article in the Wall Street Journal