In this issue: THE PEOPLE'S NEEDS. A BIG DOSE OF REALITY THAT ALL LEADERS MUST TAKE MANY TIMES A DAY EVERY DAY THROUGHOUT THEIR CAREERS.
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"Authority is a poor excuse for leadership. Poor leaders order people to do a job. Action leaders have those people choose to be the cause leaders of that job -- for more results faster, continually." –Brent Filson
Vol. 2 Number 12 -- December, 2004
Publisher: The Filson Leadership Group, Inc.
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IN THIS ISSUE: THE PEOPLE'S NEEDS: A DOSE OF REALITY THAT MUST BE TAKEN DAILY.
SECTION 1: The People's Needs: A Big Dose Of Reality.
SECTION 2: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.
SECTION 3: Points of Light.
SECTION 4: Why George Bush REALLY Won.
SECTION 5: News.
SECTION 1: Audience Needs: A Dose Of Reality.
There are two ways leaders get results: (1) Order people to go from point A to point B. (2) Have those people want to go from A to B. Clearly, instilling "want to" in the people is the most effective way of leading.
I'm convinced that the order is the lowest form of leadership, simply because it doesn't work well over the long run. Like crack cocaine, it may provide short term results but, like the narcotic (and the order is a kind of narcotic), it eventually becomes addictive and destructive.
After all, ordering people about can get their compliance but not necessarily their commitment. And leadership that weakens or kills the commitment of the people is ultimately bankrupt.
But most leaders don't have a clue as to how to instill "want to" in the people on a consistent basis. This month, I'll show you one simple but powerful way. It is absolutely necessary -- though hardly, by itself, sufficient.
It's this: When relating with the people, you have to deal with reality -- not your reality but THE REALITY. And when you are trying to motivate people, THE REALITY is THEIR REALITY.
Most leaders don't get this. They think that their own needs, their organization's needs, are reality. That's okay if you're into ordering. You simply have to tell people to get the job done. You don't have to know where they're coming from. But if you want to motivate them, you must work within their reality, not yours.
I call it playing the game in the people's home park. There is no other way to motivate them consistently. If you insist on playing the game in your park, you'll be disappointed in the motivational outcome.
How do you determine their reality ? The best way to analyze those needs is to ask and answer eight questions.
Before you read the questions -- and ultimately, they should not be simply read but burned into your leadership soul -- understand this. You may not know the answers. And that's okay. Just asking them can help you get a good idea of the reality you may be encountering.
Look at it this way, before an operation, a surgeon may not know precisely what will be found inside the patient, but she has a good idea of what to be looking for and where to look and what is likely to be there.
These questions and their answers will give you a general idea of the people's reality by showing you what to look for , where to look, and what is likely to be there. Even if you get surprised, as surgeons often are, of course, you'll still be ahead of the game, being armed with foreknowledge to better handle the unexpected.
(1) WHAT IS CHANGING FOR THEM?
A saying in Laos goes right to the heart of all your leadership challenges. "In times of rain, the fish eat the ants. In times of drought, the ants eat the fish." In other words, change happens. However, leaders often miss the point regarding change. The point isn't that change happens to you -- but that change happens to the other guy. Leaders get so caught up in the change they're experiencing, they don't see the change the people are experiencing. So, when answering this question, leave yourself out of the equation. The question isn't "What is changing for you?" Get the question right: it's WHAT IS CHANGING FOR THEM?
(2) WHO WOULD THEY RATHER HAVE TALKING TO THEM BESIDES YOU? So, you have a leadership challenge. You need to motivate the people to meet that challenge. You want to talk with them about it. But do they want you talking to them? Leaders often think that people want to hear from them simply because they're leaders. Horse feathers! In at least three-quarters of your leadership situations, the people don't want to hear from you. In fact, if you are not many times speaking to people who do not want to hear from you, you're not leading well enough, you're not challenging the people enough.
However, just because the people may not want to hear from you does not mean that you accept their attitude. You cannot truly understand their needs unless you see how their needs relate to your being the most important person to speak to them. You establish and validate this importance by bringing solutions to their needs.
In Vietnam, the combat troops generally didn't want to hear from the generals. Vietnam was pretty much a small-unit war, a war fought by junior officers and the enlisted. The troops wanted to hear from their small-unit commanders, not from the higher ups, because those commanders had the solutions to their needs, i.e. surviving small-unit clashes.
If you come to realize they don't want to hear from you, it's not the end of the world. Bad news can be good news in this case.
It's bad news when you're unaware, when you're oblivious to the fact that they don't want to hear from you. This ignorance keeps you from taking action to change the situation.
It's good news when you are aware. You realize that they may not want you speaking to them; but now that you know, you can do something about it. You can figure out what their needs are, bring solutions to their needs, show them you are a vital part of those solutions.
(3) WHAT ACTION DO THEY WANT TO TAKE?
Whomever you speak to wants to take action. Yes, they are listening to you, whether they want to hear you or not. But while they are listening, they might also want to take action that has nothing to do with what you're saying. "My credo," said a master of leadership talks, "Is simply to stand up to be seen, speak up to be hear, and sit down to be appreciated!"
To understand the reality of the speaking situation, understand what action they want to take. For instance, they may be listening to you, but at the same time, they may want you to "sit down and be appreciated." That's because they may be late for another meeting or a T-time or one of their kid's Little League games. There may be any number of things that, unbeknownst to you, you are keeping them from doing. Engaging such people may be difficult.
But engage them you must, that is if you want to take meaningful action connected to your leadership. If you know you're keeping them from doing an important task, you may want to clarify why you are there.
You may say at the beginning of your talk, "I know everybody is ready for a lunch break, but give me a few minutes to give you some ideas on how you can cement your job security -- then we'll go to lunch."
(4) WHAT DO THEY FEEL?
The Irish saying, "Seeing is believing, but feelings are God's own truth" is important for leadership. After all, a trembling in the bones is more convincing testimony than all the dry, documented deductions of the brain.
Descartes had it wrong, It's not, "I think therefore I am," ... it's, "I FEEL THEREFORE I AM." The people's reality are their feelings. And if you want to motivate them to be your cause leaders then you must understand that reality.
What people are feeling at the moment you speak? Of course, those feelings will change as you speak, and you might think of what those changes may be before you speak.
Look for the objective foundation of their feelings. Feelings — except for those linked to phobias and obsessions — almost always have objective foundations. For instance, if your audience is angry, know the two, three or more specific factors causing that anger.
People don't remember the words of leadership speech so much as they remember the feelings they get.
Understand the connection between what they feel and whether they want you speaking to them or not. What they feel is often linked to their wanting or not wanting you there.
Their feelings are strongly tied to the results you want them to get. If they think that the results are not worth the effort, that the race is not worth the run, they will continue to want to walk and will resent your trying to motivate them to run. Redefine the results or reshape their perception of them and their feelings about them.
(5) WHAT DO THEY FEAR?
There is always something the people fear regarding the leadership challenge you and they face. In fact, if that challenge doesn't kindle some kind of fear -- in them and you -- it may not be worth your while tackling as a leader.
They may fear any number of things: that they'll fail, that you'll give them more work, that you don't know what you're doing and so may screw up their lives and jobs in many ways.
Here are more fear-triggers: * Not enough time to accomplish the task. * Failure to perform the job function. * Change in direction. * Turf violations. * Failure to get the training or acquire the skills to do the job. * Not having clear guidance or clear goals.
The trouble is, most leaders pick the obvious and most superficial fears to deal with, and so neglect deeper and more important fears.
The best example from my experience is Marine Corps boot camp. Over many scores of years, the Marines have honed to a science the stimulus of human fear and the motivation that derives from that stimulus.
If you have not been so privileged to be on the receiving end of their boot camp modalities, you may think that the most fearful thing the recruits undergo involves their being made to endure stressful tasks while being screamed at by the drill instructors.
But those are superficial fears that don't match the worst fear of all.
To explain that fear, let me explain that the Marines have set up two types of fear-inducing drill instructors. One is the "stress monster," usually a sergeant, who is your prototypical DI -- a fierce, relentless, crazed fiend who is all over your case.
Then there is "Dad", usually a staff sergeant. That's what the DIs call the senior drill instructor. That's what the recruits eventually begin calling him. Dad is tough, he's relentless, he's demanding, he'll chew you out, but ... he's Dad. He's the DI you want to please. He's a little easier on you than the stress monster, and he seems to be genuinely concerned for your welfare.
The second worst thing that can happen to you is to let Dad give you over to the good offices of the stress monster.
But the absolutely worst thing that can happen to you is TO LET DAD DOWN ... to be such a screw up that Dad looks bad in the eyes of the officers and other drill instructors.
(6) WHAT IS THEIR MAJOR PROBLEM.
Every audience has many problems. But your job is to think of the single, major problem that the audience faces. Focusing on a single problem (not necessarily its solution at this stage of talk development) centers you in a clear, simple understanding of the audience's emotional needs.
Major problems are always linked to powerful emotions. For example, I helped a new CEO put together a leadership talk to several hundred of his managers. Well before the talk was to be given, I set out to discover the single, major problem of that audience. He talked to a number of managers and found out that they were feeling intimidated by the demands of increasingly sophisticated customers, that they feared not being supported in the decisions they made in the field, that they were angry at having to meet what they considered unnecessary reporting requirements, and that they didn't trust the senior management.
Intimidation, fear, anger, distrust — those powerful emotions described the state of his audience and, in truth, the state of the business.
The audience's major problem: Lack of Trust.
The CEO gave a leadership talk based on the single idea that he was a person that they could trust. Never once did he say, "You can trust me," but that idea rang loud and clear throughout.
That leadership talk marked the beginning of a turnaround for that company.
When defining an audience's major problem, look for such emotional needs as the need to trust, the need to be trusted, the need to win, the need for clear direction, the need to be appreciated, the need to be given the naked truth, the need to become a team, etc. These needs invariably point to the audience's major problem.
(7) WHAT MAKES THEM ANGRY.
Out-of-touch leaders do not know nor care what makes the people they lead angry. To motivate people, be constantly in touch with them, constantly aware of their anger-triggers.
People get angry when:
• Their time is being wasted.
• Their individual worth is not respected.
• They feel threatened.
• Their efforts are not appreciated.
• They are not given voice or choice in their work.
• Their values are not recognized or given credence.
• Their leaders cannot do their jobs well.
• Their leaders focus on their own needs.
• Their leaders don't understand and acknowledge their needs.
• Their leaders don't provide clear direction.
As a leader, you will always be at the receiving end of people's anger. Anger is invariably embedded in leadership situations, because leaders usually have to get people to do what they don't want to do. Leadership isn't needed when people simply do what they want. But your responsibility is not just to get people to do what they don't want — but also be enthusiastic about doing it.
Powerful talking-points can be created by flipping the answers to the anger question and then providing a process to answer that flip side. For instance, your audience is angry that their worth on their job is not being recognized. Flip it: Tell them that you believe in their worth and provide a process (a series of action steps) that will continually acknowledge that worth.
People who have low expectations of themselves are usually angry, angry at themselves and their leaders. Eliminate their anger by raising their expectations. Raise expectations by: 1. Having them acknowledge that they have low expectations. 2. Getting their commitment to change those expectations. 2. Bench marking best practices to show them how to raise those expectations. 3. Translating those practices to their jobs. 4. Providing specific milestones to measure their progress. 5. Having fun along the way.
(8) WHAT DO THEY DREAM?
Dreams are powerful motivators. People feel strongly about them. When Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence that "Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed," he was writing about a dream. Not one government at that time was a democracy. There had not been a true democracy, at least in Europe, for more than 2,000 thousand years. But Jefferson's "dream" motivated people to take action.
Take the trouble to understand the dreams of the people you lead. People will not tell you what they dream until they trust you. They won't trust you until they feel that you can help them attain their dreams. Acquiring that understanding will pay off in terms of your creating a motivational bond between you.
SECTION 2: THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY.
The Good:
A story is told of Abraham Lincoln who was seen by a neighbor striding down the street with his two sons, both of whom were crying. When asked what was wrong with the boys, Lincoln said, "Why it's just what's wrong with the world. I have three walnuts and each of my sons wants two!"
–As a leader, you must distinguish between people's wants and needs. Wants are many and complicated. You cannot give them all they want. But needs are more powerful, simple and few. You should be able to help them solve the problems of their needs.
The Bad:
The Mexican War was unpopular. Lincoln, who was a congressman at the time, opposed it, saying that those who claimed the war was not one of aggression reminded him of an Illinois farmer who said, "I'm not greedy. I only want what's mine."
–Greed is a great motivator, but in the realm of leadership, it can a great divider of the people. The imperative of ‘wanting what's mine' has destroyed many organizations.
The Ugly:
When asked if he found the many attendant ceremonies attached to the presidency a burden, Lincoln replied, "Yes sometimes. In fact, many times I felt like the man who was ridden out of town on a rail and said, ‘If it weren't for the honor of the thing, I'd rather walk.'"
SECTION 3: POINTS OF LIGHT.
Make yourself necessary to somebody. –Emerson
The covetous man is ever in want. – Horace
The leader who knows the difference between the people's wants and needs has taken the first step toward being a great leader. –Brent Filson
The belly will not listen to advice. –Seneca
He who will not answer to the rudder must answer to the rocks. –Herve
Every man is a builder of a temple called his body. –Thoreau
In leadership, the value of every need is in its use. –Brent Filson
For him who coveted all the world, this small mound is now enough. –Alexander's epitaph.
A wise man never refuses anything to necessity. –Publilius Syrus
The best way out is always through. –Robert Frost
Leadership is not about living a easy life for ourselves but a hard life for others. –Brent Filson
SECTION 4: WHY GEORGE BUSH REALLY WON.
PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required: mail to: brent@actionleadership.com
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Summary: To win the election, George Bush had to get out of the presidential bubble and start giving "leadership talks." In doing so, he provided a leadership lesson for all leaders.
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Facing the Dark Night Of The Leadership Soul: Here's The REAL Reason George Bush Won The Election
by Brent Filson
George Bush won the election because he was finally able to break out of the presidential bubble and give "leadership talks" on a consistent basis.
But to do it, he had to face the dark night of his leadership soul. And this is a lesson for ALL leaders.
The presidential bubble is that physical and psychological insulation that descends upon the president of the United States the moment he's sworn in.
Inside the bubble, people continually agree with him. Inside the bubble, he can give canned speeches in front of canned audiences – all to his heart's content -- and think he's doing a great job as a communicator. But the bubble ultimately is a blight, and it almost destroyed the Bush presidency mainly because it kept him from giving what I call ‘leadership talks.
Presentations and speeches primarily communicate information, but leadership talks are a much more effective leadership communication tool. They establish a deep, human emotional connection with people.
It's taken me 20 years of working with thousands of leaders around the world to identify what leadership talks are and to show how they should be given. However, leadership talks have been around since the dawn of history. In all cultures and countries, whenever a people had to do great things, one thing had to take place, a leader had to gather those people together and speak from the heart.
That heartfelt speech to win the hearts of people not only in the United States but the world was what George Bush was lacking, especially throughout the debates in which he was beaten badly by John Kerry.
After those debates, George Bush faced the dark night of his leadership soul. It happens to many leaders when they realize that in order to succeed they have to abandon what worked before for them and jump off a cliff and make their wings on the way down.
FDR faced it when he got polio and responded by seeking to continue in political life with wisdom and persistence and compassion. Winston Churchill faced it at Dunkirk. Harry Truman, faced it in 1948 when it looked as if he would be defeated by Tom Dewey, and responded by his now famous whistle stop campaigning that enabled him to come from behind and win. Ronald Reagan faced it when he decided that he would run for president at 68 years old.
George Bush faced it after the debates. He could have remained in the presidential bubble and given his canned speeches in front of canned audiences. But instead, he decided to just go out there and be himself and lay it all on the line. He dispensed with reading closely canned speeches and just stood up there and spoke from the heart to voters in the battleground states. For the first time in the campaign, he was out of the bubble giving leadership talks. And it made all the difference in the world.
Leaders take note.
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2004 © The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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The author of 23 books, Brent Filson's recent books are, THE LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL and 101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS. He is founder and president of The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. – and has worked with thousands of leaders worldwide during the past 20 years helping them achieve sizable increases in hard, measured results. Sign up for his free leadership ezine and get a free guide, "49 Ways To Turn Action Into Results," at www.actionleadership.com
SECTION 5: NEWS
Brent's latest leadership books, THE LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL and 101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS is available in bookstores. You can purchase copies by calling 800-403-5368. Mention this e-zine and you'll receive a free wallet card with the Leadership Talk processes. If you purchase the hardcover book, you'll receive a free copy of 101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS. In addition, you'll be eligible to receive a set of Brent's previously published books at half price.
Radio Blitz: Brent has been interviewed on more than 115 radio shows since Memorial Day. Now that the election is over, he is still continuing his heavy interview schedule, focusing on leadership and the war on terror. If you are interested in having him on your show or at your meeting: http://www.actionleadership.com/media_room/index.html and http://www.actionleadership.com/meeting_planners.html
The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. is putting together a CD collection of interviews with leaders, called the "Leaders Speak" Series. http://www.actionleadership.com/leadersSpeak/index.html Brent says, "I want to interview leaders from a broad spectrum of human endeavor to be represented. Don't be surprised to find landscape contractors, gang leaders, horse trainers, sports coaches, as well as business and political leaders. Leadership is practiced by practically everyone, and we will bring it to you on the CDs in all the richness of human relationships." For more information, call the F.L.G. headquarters, 413-458-4403 or email Brent at brent@actionleadership.com
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