As a boy growing up in Oklahoma, there wasn’t much I liked more than an Indians versus wagon train movie, especially if John Wayne was the one who led the charge to rescue the wagon train. (Of course, this means my favorite movies and TV shows are 50 or so years old and often in black and white.) When evening came after a long, hot, dry day on the trail, ever alert for hostiles, they would “circle the wagons” so they could sit around the campfires, eat a gourmet meal cooked by somebody named Sagebrush, and sing songs about the prairie while they gazed at the stars. Then it was off to bed for a night of sweet dreams about how wonderful California was going to be. Well…that’s what they did in the movies. The circled wagons were a respite from the constant danger—a place of safety that took the edge off of the fear that hovered over the trail every day.
It is a wise leader who knows when it is time to circle the wagons; there are a lot of reasons to circle up every now and then.
When you are tired and need rest is a good time to circle up. You have been hard at it for weeks on special projects, introducing new products or services, relocating, and so on. Your followers are exhausted and a day or two by the campfire will re-energize them for the rest of the journey.
Sometimes you have to stop to fix the wagon wheel that is busted and fill empty water barrels or put ointment on lame horses. You need to take some time to repair the damage from the hard journey so far before you set out again. Especially, look for damaged relationships.
If everyone is afraid because intense new competition, or new technology, or a slowing economy is threatening the future, you need to circle up to counter the fear. Your followers are looking for you to be calm, unafraid and determined to fight and win.
A good reason to circle the wagons is when it’s time to have a party: you have finished a long climb up a mountain and see the ocean for the first time, the new building is finished, or the numbers are in and it was a record breaking year. You may be ready to move on, but everyone else wants to look at the view and celebrate a bit.
Circling the wagons can take a lot of forms depending on the need and type of organization. As the leader, it’s up to you to know when and how to do it. If you aren’t sure, ask. Your people will love being part of the decision.
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© Copyright 2012 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
In his terrific book, True North, Bill George says: “People today demand personal relationships with their leaders before they will give themselves fully to their jobs.”
If you are the leader, you have a positional relationship with everyone who works for you—you are the boss. However, if you would rather be a leader than a boss—and you should want to—you are going to have to develop personal relationships with you the people you lead.
The starting point for personal relationships in organizations is respect. The building blocks of respect are time…
“How does a person show respect for anything? He gives it time.”
Coach Mike Krzyzewski Leading With The Heart
and listening:
“…listening is probably our greatest opportunity to give attention to others on a daily basis and convey how much we value them.”
James C Hunter The Servant
By the way, M. Scott Peck nailed it when he said, “You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time.” Included in “anything else” are checking email, text messages, and taking phone calls—all of these can wait fifteen minutes. [For me at home, this means putting down the WSJ and turning off CNBC.]
Why fifteen minutes? Because that is about what it takes—on a regular basis—to build a personal relationship with your employees. Fifteen minutes with each one, once a week, listening as they share about their life—kids, hobbies, church, fishing, golf, etc. On their birthdays, make it lunch. And then occasionally, to really show you respect them, ask, “What do you think we should do about _________________?”
Now, some of you are thinking I don’t have time to do this. If you have ten people working for you, it will take 2½ hours per week—about 5% of a 40-50 hour workweek which is typical for leaders. Do you really want to send a message that the people who work for you aren’t worth 5% of your time? What’s at stake here? Only whether your people will “give themselves fully to their jobs,” or not.
Would employees who “give themselves fully to their jobs” make a difference in your organization’s performance, morale, future, etc.? It’s up to you. Get started today…“Hey, Joan, let’s get a cup of coffee.”
© Copyright 2012 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
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The New York Jets started the 2011 season with high expectations. Their legendary hero, Joe Namath, described the 2011 team as “one of the best we’ve ever seen.” He should have hedged his bet because the Jets finished out of the playoffs with a mediocre 8-8 record, collapsing as the season wound down by losing their last three games. What happened? They were a collection of players, but not a team.
GM Mike Tannenbaum said, “Chemistry was certainly a factor this year.” Future Hall Of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson said the locker room was “as bad as any I’ve ever been around.” Others commented that the team, oops, collection of players had some “extremely selfish individuals” and described one player as “lazy and content.”
“Team” is an overused word. Just because a group of people has been pulled together with a common goal doesn’t make it a team.
The first stage of a team is respect for the ability and competence of the other team members. If you don’t believe your teammates “have what it takes,” molding them into a team is going to be impossible.
The second stage of a team is confidence that everyone is actually going to do their job. When the game starts, everyone will step up and get it done.
The third stage of a team is trust that when the going gets tough, teammates won’t undermine each other and will put team interest above self-interests.
The final stage of a team is camaraderie. Respect, confidence and trust have created an environment in which the players have fun working together and care about each other.
If you are the leader, it is your job to mold your collection of followers into a team. It won’t happen just because you all share the same locker room…or office suite…or worship venue. And by the way, “talking out of school” about team problems is not a good thing, but silence about team problems doesn’t fix them. The real problem is lack of respect…or confidence…or trust. Fix that and you won’t have to worry about “talking out of school.”
© Copyright 2012 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
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The post offices are closed today—I’m glad. The government offices are closed today—I’m glad. The schools are closed today—I’m glad. I’m glad because it means I get to spend the day with my three grandson buddies, and I’m glad because the day honors Martin Luther King, Jr.
The turbulent 60’s were high school and college years for me. I remember the marches. I remember the cross burnings and lynchings. I remember sit-ins, Rosa Parks and water cannons. I remember Selma, Birmingham and Medgar Evers. I remember working with black laborers who were paid only $1.25 per hour to dig sewer ditches. And, I remember Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the great leaders of the 20th century. If I were an African-American, I would undoubtedly say he was the greatest leader of the 20th century.
When we celebrate July 4th, blacks join in, but they remember they were still slaves in 1776. When we celebrate Washington’s birthday, blacks join in, but they remember that he owned slaves. To African Americans, it is Lincoln and MLK, Jr., who led the fight, first for freedom, and then for equality. These two stand alone in black history; there are no rivals to their legacy. They both led with:
● Purpose
● Courage
● Vision
● Resolve
● Selflessness
The lives of millions were impacted for good by their leadership. Both died young, brought down by an assassin’s bullet. They believed that…
“The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Most of us will not have the opportunity to impact millions by our leadership. However, all of us can impact a few, some hundreds, and a few, thousands. Whatever the size of your sphere of influence, if you want to make a difference, you will have to lead with purpose, courage, vision, resolve and selflessness. Do that and you will leave footprints that endure long after you are gone. Isn’t that what is really important?
© Copyright 2012 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
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When I became the leader of a mid-sized aerospace company in the mid-90s, I made it a practice to walk through the manufacturing and office areas on a frequent basis. My predecessor rarely left the executive hallway. With a finance background, he was not comfortable in a factory environment with union employees or with the technical mumbo-jumbo of the engineering department. So when I began to walk around, it was a really big deal to the employees. I got immediate feedback like, “It sure is nice to have the president in the factory.”
Ivory tower leaders have little credibility. You don’t want to hear “Who is that masked man?” when you venture out of your office. Even if they know what you look like, you don’t want to hear, “What’s he doing out here? Did someone mess up?”
Leadership expert John Maxwell rates credibility as more important than vision:
“…if he has not built credibility with his people,
it doesn’t really matter how great a vision he has.”
In their must-read book, The Leadership Challenge (1st edition 1987; now in 4th edition; more than one million copies in twelve languages), James Kouzes and Barry Posner conclude that credibility is the foundation of leadership:
“…more than anything, people want leaders who are credible.
Credibility is the foundation of leadership…
Loyalty, commitment, energy and productivity depend upon it.”
If they are right, and I believe they are, earning credibility with your constituents is a high priority for leaders. Here is what is so amazing. When I began to walk around regularly, I began to earn leadership credibility and I hadn’t even done anything except escape from the executive hall. We have a tendency to think leadership is much more complicated than it really is. Leadership is hard, but it’s not complicated.
Want to raise your leadership credibility? Be visible. Get out of your office. Try walking around. Eat lunch in the mail room or have coffee with the receptionist. That isn’t everything you need to do, but it’s a good start.
© Copyright 2012 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
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It’s that time of year again…time for New Year Resolutions (NYRs). More than half of us make NYRs, but so what? One out of three give up before the end of January; one out of four don’t succeed on even one of their resolutions. Only one out twelve are successful on all their NYRs.
I make NYRs almost every year. I have never been fully successful and some years have been in the give up before the end of January group. I don’t say “I give up”—they just fade away. So for me and for most of us, “Why bother?” is a valid question. Actually, “Why bother unless I do something different?” is the question.
I am determined that 2012 will be different (sound familiar?). There are four things I intend to do differently.
#1 I will set reasonable and achievable goals. I don’t have any BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) in mind for 2012, just progress and completion. I am not suggesting you shouldn’t have a BHAG, but if you do, consider making it your only NYR because BHAGs require more than their share of time, energy, etc.
#2 I will have no more than five resolutions. The guy in the cartoon has already lost. There is no way for him to even remember, much less keep, such a long list of NYRs. I will set one goal in five areas: body, mind, soul, spirit and vocation (Hard Lessons). If I make progress in all five by December 31, then 2012 will be a great year.
#3 I will measure things that drive results, not just the results. For example, none of us ever lose weight by tracking how much we weigh. The daily weigh-in is a waste of time unless something is happening to actually drive weight loss. So, I intend to track what I am eating and how often I exercise, knowing these will drive the weight loss I desire.
#4 I will go public with my NYRs and ask someone to hold me accountable. Accountability is the key. Let’s be honest. It’s much easier to slack off on a secret NYR than a public one. Dottie (my wife) will be my accountability partner on some; some men I meet with regularly on others.
One final thing to remember: a good start is really important. Making progress is a great motivation to continue. If you are on track at the end of January, you will likely continue. Start slow and steady, then gain momentum as the year goes on.
By the way, I will let you know how I am doing on a regular basis. Hopefully, this will not be another “why bother?” year.
© Copyright 2011 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
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I watched in amazement as the Broncos did it again—coming back in the last 3 minutes from 10 points down to the Bears, then winning in overtime. It was their 6th straight win and elevated them to 1st place in the AFC West with 3 games to go. The 4th quarter of Bronco games has been dubbed “Tebow Time” because week after week—when all seems lost—they find a way to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, led by their quarterback, Tim Tebow. The key words are “led by,” not “quarterback.” (Tebow is only the 14th ranked quarterback based on the NFL rating system.)
I am not getting on the Tebow as quarterback band wagon. I would rather have Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, or a healthy Peyton Manning. But I am on the Tebow as leader band wagon because he has four primary characteristics found in all great leaders.
In his mega-best-seller, Good To Great, Jim Collins identifies what he calls Level 5 leaders as all having two specific character traits: “personal humility…and fierce resolve.” He says, “Level 5 leaders are a study in duality: modest and willful, humble and fearless.”
According to the father of modern management concepts, Peter Drucker, humility is easy to spot by listening to the pronouns used:
“The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say ‘I’. And that’s not because they have trained themselves not to say ‘I’. They don’t think ‘I’. They think ‘we’; they think ‘team’….‘we’ gets the credit.”
Listen to Tebow. It is always we not me. He credits the coaches, his teammates, his family, friends and God, but never himself. If you hear “I” or “me,” it is something like “I am so proud to be part of this team” or “They make me look better than I am.”
When it comes to fierce resolve, Tebow is a 21st century Winston Churchill:
“We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”
Winston Chuchill (June 4, 1940, to the British Parliament)
As long as there is even one second on the clock, Tebow is all in, still believing the team can win.
President John Quincy Adam once said:
“If your actions inspire other to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
Something you always hear about Tebow: “He works harder than anyone on the team.” He leads by example. His actions inspire others.
In Leading With The Heart, Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski (more than 900 wins!) says he searches for “the heart on the team, because the person who has it can bring out the best in everybody else.” That is the fourth characteristic of Tebow’s leadership. Because of his humility, fierce resolve and example, the rest of the team rises and plays better—even the defense. Since Tebow became the starting QB in game six, the Bronco defense—in terms of points allowed—is playing as the 11th best defense in the league. Before Tebow, they were 30th. The offense is giving up just one turnover per game instead of the 2½ per game in the first five games. No wonder they have gone from 1-4 to 8-5!
I don’t know if Tim Tebow will ever silence his critics or win a Super Bowl in football. I do believe he will win a Super Bowl in life. He will accomplish something big and important because he is a Level 5 leader with humility and fierce resolve. He leads by example and his heart elevates everyone on his team. Those four things will work in football, business, church, or politics.
The Broncos play New England and Brady this Sunday. I suspect the Patriots will win. But this I know, until the clock hits 00:00, the Broncos will think they can win. Don’t change channels too soon, you may miss something exciting.
© Copyright 2011 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
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Only three weeks until 2012—21 days. It’s a busy time of year. There are parties and Christmas programs to attend; shopping, cooking and decorating to finish up; guest bedrooms to clean; maybe changing the oil and vacuuming the car before that frantic Christmas Eve trip to Grandma’s. Plus, there are still customers to please (especially in retail), sermons to prepare, etc., etc., etc.
No one needs a list of more things to do between now and January 1st. I’m going to give you one anyway. Why? Because you need to finish well in 2011 and these five things will help.
#1 Do That Thing You Have Been Putting Off For Months It’s that “call back” note on your desk…the garage to clean (me!)…a report to write…a visit to the doctor…you know what it is. Don’t let it continue to nag you in 2012.
#2 Spend Time With The Water Boy Every organization has a water boy. The water boy goes about his job in anonymity. She cleans the office at night or he opens up the church early on Sunday mornings. Take 15 minutes to sit down and talk. Learn about his hobby and her kids. Listen for that hidden message from the heart. Say “thank you.” It will be a great finish to the water boy’s year…and yours.
#3 Forgive Someone From the mega-best seller, Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand:
“The paradox of vengefulness is that it makes men dependent upon those who have harmed them, believing that their release from pain will come only when they make their tormentors suffer. In seeking the Bird’s death to free himself, Louie had chained himself, once again, to his tyrant. During the war, the Bird had been unwilling to let go of Louie; after the war, Louie was unable to let go of the Bird.”
When we don’t forgive, we become a victim twice. First, when we are hurt, and second, when we chain ourselves to the pain. Bitterness and a desire for revenge are heavier weights than the original hurt; carrying them will wear you out emotionally. It’s not easy, but 2012 will be a much better year if you let go.
#4 Escape For A Day For just one day, turn off your iPhone…don’t check email…turn off the tv. Let your mind and emotions fully escape and rest. The world will still be there the next day.
#5 Be Thankful Starting today and every day through December 31, be thankful for one specific thing. Did you have a warm place to sleep? Did you see a Salvation Army bell ringer? Were the police on duty on Christmas day? A list of 21 things will be easy if you focus on what you have instead of what you don’t have. A good starting place is to thank God for the grace and mercy he offers to all of us in Jesus.
No matter how busy you are, you have time to do these five things. Start 2012 by finishing well in 2011. You’ll be glad you did.
© Copyright 2011 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
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Some things never change. It was about 2300 years ago when the Greek philosopher Aristotle said:
“Criticism is something we can avoid easily by…doing nothing….”
About 100 years ago, our philosopher president, Teddy Roosevelt said:
“It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things.”
If you want to avoid the critics, then do nothing and accomplish nothing. Don’t run for president. Don’t aspire to leadership in your company. Don’t make suggestions. Don’t volunteer. Don’t become a pastor or school principal. Don’t get “in the arena” (another familiar Teddy Roosevelt quote) and stay out of the kitchen. The kitchen is always hot for leaders. Leadership is not for the thin-skinned who wither every time the critics show up, and they will always show up if you are trying to do something significant. So let me make it simple for you: if you can’t handle criticism, you won’t be able to lead effectively.
Since every leadership situation is different, there is not a one size fits all formula for coping. My suggestion is to answer the following four questions as fully and honestly as you can before you respond to the critics.
Question #1: Who or what is the target? Criticism can be specific to the leader: “she’s a lousy CEO” or “he can’t preach worth a flip.” It can be directed at a group: “union members are lazy and overpaid” or “the engineers don’t know how to design anything we can actually build.” A project can be the target of criticism: “buying that machine is a waste of money” or “why on earth do we need a new building for the children’s ministry?” Though all criticism may feel personal, it isn’t always personal. Recognizing the target is an important first step in deciding whether to respond and how to respond.
Question #2: Who is the source? “Consider the source” is wise counsel. Is the critic an insider or outsider? Is the critic an enemy who would oppose most anything you try to do, or someone who usually—but not this time—supports what you are trying to do? Is the criticism from one person or many? Is the critic someone who believes they have the “gift of criticism” and feels entitled—even obligated—to exercise the gift every chance they get?
Question #3: What is the motive of the criticism? Criticism can arise from damaged self-interests, wounded egos, jealousy, hurt feelings, and so on. Sometimes, it arises from well-intentioned and honest disagreement. Understanding the motive—to hurt or help—is a key part of developing your response.
Question #4: How true is the criticism? It is a serious mistake to automatically discount all criticism as untrue and irrelevant, no matter the source. Good people with good intentions are sometimes correctly criticized by good people with good intentions. Presume the critic has good intent so you will assess the criticism for truth with an open mind. Don’t try to assess the truth of it by yourself, especially if the criticism is personal. Ask people you trust, “What does this mean and is it true?”
Responding To Criticism Your response will flow out of the answers to the above four questions. You may—often wisely—choose to ignore the criticism and keep working. If you choose to respond, don’t react quickly or in anger.Laurence J. Peter, author of The Peter Principle, said it this way:
“Speak when you are angry and you’ll make the best speech you’ll ever regret.”
So go slowly and be calm. The target of your response should be the criticism, not the critic. The purpose of your response should be to elevate truth, not self. The tone of your response should be to build up, not tear down.
Finally, when the sticks and stones do actually hurt, don’t let criticism turn you into a critic.
© Copyright 2011 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
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Jessie Garrett was my high school math teacher who asked me, “Where are you going to college?” One year later, I was at Georgia Tech studying Aerospace Engineering. Thanks, Jessie.
John Duhon was my first boss in the aerospace business. He overlooked my “know-it-all” attitude and obnoxious behavior as an engineering intern. Thanks, John.
Jim Rourke let me write a paper and present it at an aerospace conference in only my second year out of college. Thanks, Jim.
Jan Drees chose me to become a project engineer, my first step into real leadership. Thanks, Jan.
Ted Hoffman taught me what I needed to know about customers. Thanks, Ted.
Jack Floyd gave me a lot more freedom than I deserved. Thanks, Jack.
Cliff Kalista gave me my first job in marketing. Thanks, Cliff.
Bob Eggars taught me how to manage a project, delivering almost 500 helicopters in one year. Thanks, Bob.
John Kleban trusted me enough to run finance even though I had never even had an accounting course. Thanks, John.
Bev Dolan was my #1 supporter at the corporate office. Thanks, Bev.
Fred Hubbard recommended me to replace him as president. Thanks, Fred.
Dick, Kurt, Julie, John, Mike, Diane, David, Sandy, Linda and many others all fully supported me as I stumbled around learning how to lead. Thanks, all of you.
Laura and Kyle encouraged me during dark days. Thanks, guys.
Carl Roberts told me that Hard Lessons was exactly what I should do and sponsored the first workshop at his company. Thanks, Carl.
Dottie, my wife of 44 years, took care of the fort while I traveled more than 2 million miles. She raised two wonderful daughters and stood by me and supported me—for better or worse. She was the better part. I was the worse part. Thanks, Dottie, I love you.
God knows me—really knows me—and loves me anyway. Thanks, God.
Whatever success you have enjoyed, you didn’t pull it off by yourself. Take a few minutes this Thursday to remember those who helped you along the way.
© Copyright 2011 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
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