If leaders don't coach, then coaching won't be part of the culture, says leonard senn. All important changes must start with the top team, he says. Leadership teams that work on becoming even better teams achieve better results.
If leaders don't coach, then coaching won't be part of the culture, says leonard senn. All important changes must start with the top team, he says. Leadership teams that work on becoming even better teams achieve better results.
If leaders don't coach, then coaching won't be part of the culture, says leonard senn. All important changes must start with the top team, he says. Leadership teams that work on becoming even better teams achieve better results.
don’t function as a team, they create competencecontribution
silos. If they don’t coach, then coaching
won’t be part of the culture. Mary Fos- ter, President of Sylvan Learning, tells us: “I try to cast a shadow that coaching Are You a Tyrant and learning begin with me. This makes it okay for everyone to acknowledge their strengths and challenges and to or a Real Leader? What is your contribution? focus on how to get better results. It helps us improve our processes, our meeting effectiveness, our productivity. by Viviane Amar that most are motivated by hate, After performance reviews, people walk revenge, a drive to acquire and accumu- out inspired and happy to know what late status and fame by whatever they are doing well and what they need to improve to be even more effective.” 8. Senior leaders fully participate in I N MY WORK, I AM exposed both to men and women of power— means, even by deliberate deception. Tyrants may delegate some tasks, but never power. They impose rules and change initiatives, not just “bless” them. often considered “tyrants” by their peo- procedures on others and are unprinci- All important changes must start with ple—and to leaders called “pearls”, pled with themselves. Their trademark the top team. For example, in leader- whose teams consider them to be is secrecy, rumors, lies, manipulation, ship development, when the training exceptional contributors. and contradiction. Highly defensive, starts below the senior team, people say, Few leaders and managers appreci- they protect their territory jealously and “This sounds great, but it’s not the way ate the influence and impact of their desire to expand. They do not manage I’m managed” or “Has my boss been to personal history, unresolved personal talents, but create fuzzy boundaries and this?” Some years ago, J.L. Hudson, a conflicts, socialization, culture, motives, introduce change through the insecurity division of Dayton Hudson (now Target taboos, values, and beliefs on their of others, unsettling people. Persons of Corp.), asked us to help them improve strategies, structure, style, and systems. power are divisive. They manage by customer service in their stores. We This impact is reflected in fear and distrust. Cohesion piloted the process in six stores. The the level of happiness or is impossible in their teams; results were almost directly propor- sadness, freedom or fear in cliques and clans are the tional to our success in shifting the store their business and culture. norm. Shareholders pay for manager’s style and focus from opera- In western culture, we their infamy. tions to service. It showed how the have two archetypes of Few tyrants allow opin- leader’s shadow influenced the team. management—Pharaoh and ion to conflict with their We concluded that to fix the stores, we Moses; two ways to con- own, for they deeply need had to start with the team at the top. ceive—mind and heart, mis- to believe they are omni- Later, when the CEO of a major depart- sion and action, self and scient and omnipotent, and ment store chain in California asked if others; two ways of con- that their truth is The Truth. we would develop a customer service ducting people through They believe that other process for them, we politely said, time—peace and crisis; two universal countries, other groups, and other peo- “Only if we can begin with the leader- models—business and government. ple are dangerous; they believe any ship team.” That led to several consecu- These two principal drivers of power stranger is dangerous. Deeply suspi- tive years of increased sales and market and leadership are still valid as we see cious, they generate paranoia and share. Whether the key initiative both tyrants and contributional leaders. dependency. They perpetuate a top- involves a new computer system or a Tyrants. At one extreme, men and down organization, knowing pyramids new value system, it needs to be owned women of power are deeply driven by create a culture of alienation. Democ- and used by the top team first. the need for control and usually become racy is foreign to them. They humiliate Do your leaders engage in these eight excellent administrators and efficient peers or bribe them, treat their teams as healthy behaviors? If not, perhaps they planners who leave nothing to chance. infants reduced to squabbling with one need to invest some quality time in their They master systems, impose plans, another. They break people’s dignity, own development to improve their effec- control technology, resources, informa- hopes, and lives. tiveness. Leadership teams that work on tion and finances, friends and enemies. To move ahead, pharaohs and becoming even better teams are able to Their people are treated as numbers, tyrants believe that time exists only to tackle strategic issues with focus and bodies to use, arms and brains. Execu- serve them, and seek immortality while alignment, and achieve better results and tive tyrants violate human dignity, leav- living in the short-term, not preparing create a stronger culture. LE ing no apparent traces but deeply the next generation, or their successor, wounded hearts and souls; depressed not supportive of their own boss. Larry Senn is the co-author of The Secret of a Winning Culture, a leader in the area of high-performance teams and cul- people. Their main ambition is to be the Thinking themselves to be among the tures, and CEO of Senn Delaney Leadership. (562) 426-5400, first, even when playing games. gods, they cultivate their greatness. info@senndelaney.com, www.senndelaney.com Persons of power have waited so They build pyramids, seeing themselves ACTION: Assess your leadership team. long to reach the top and gain power as both the project and its meaning, 4 w w w. L e a d e r E x c e l . c o m L e a d e r s h i p E x c e l l e n c e fearing human vulnerability, dreaming mately accountable, they rarely have a integrity and honesty, they show that of an immortality far from reality. hidden agenda or look for a scapegoat. ethics starts within and that leadership Persons of power decide the use of Contributional leaders know that is creating an advanced civilization that other people’s time and life to give it its their values constitute their backbone, opens the way for others. value. They self-publicize; seek articles, their identity, and their anchor in crisis. Crises are opportunities for tyrants interviews, autobiographies; and want They see no paradox in vision and and leaders to reveal themselves. Per- to teach the world who they are. Some- shared goals, sense of purpose, and bal- sons of power generate tyranny. Contri- times they hide to reinforce their pres- ance between economic and social val- butional leaders build democracy and tige and the fear they generate. Their ues. They were brought up to deal with dignity. Power-driven tyrants, as well as attitude is that nothing great happened counterforces and to stand for their con- leaders, are both fragile and lonely. The before them. They tell people what they victions. They see no paradox between former are afraid to look at their empti- should think, aspire to, feel, and do. achieving objectives, financial results, ness and melancholy, not knowing that They refuse responsibility. They are and showing empathy and recognition being reconciled with their past might experts at making you feel guilty. of others’ efforts. These persons know set free for them. The latter have let go Scape-goating is their core competency. that consistency between what they say illusions of perfection disconnected People of power are emotionally and what they do is motivational. from reality, but still believe in human unstable. Their hyperactivity, anger, and They multiply synergies, knowing dreams. inability to recognize others are signs of that pyramidal structures limit thought the fragile child within them. By putting and action. They develop networks From Tyrant to Contribution themselves first, they generate great where others can grow. They embody In each of us, there is a Pharaoh and costs to stakeholders and coworkers. the truth that to become a leader, one a Moses, and the Pharaohs and the Contributional leaders find their way, has to leave behind all illusions and Moseses of our time have something through a long journey of humility, fears, and work on other levels of important to learn one from another. doubt, and self-reflection. Having awareness. They feel responsible for set- Once leaders develop real self- vision, they give others meaning and esteem, relational and emotional intelli- direction. These leaders do not need to gence and awareness, they still have to control others or manipulate their lives. learn to strive for tangible results, from As children, they always felt respected a capacity for control, organize and and loved, and so they can open their plan, which are the strengths of persons heart and create space for others. of power. And tyrants need to enhance Democracy is their world, as they were self-knowledge, self-awareness, and born in freedom of speech and thought. accept their human vulnerability. I have Contributional leaders can listen to witnessed persons of power become people, since they were listened to. contributional leaders. They accept that They can relate to others, for they are self-empathy, connecting with the vul- connected to themselves. In their fami- nerable self, is the first step to empathy, lies, they heard talk of heroes and mod- linking to others with kindness, and els who paved the way. Teachers, conducting them to their full potential. parents and grandparents showed them ting the example. That responsibility For 20 years I have worked with how to fulfill themselves. Leaders are starts with “crossing the desert” and power-driven politicians and executives neither ashamed nor worried about leads to discovery of the self in order to to help them grow from power to lead- their past. They trust themselves and help others do the same. Relating is con- ership, from pyramids to networks, others; they see that congruence is key necting with yourself in order to better from holding to sharing, from emotional to motivation and example. They do not relate to others. Leaders are ready to instability to serenity, from tyranny to fear the creativity or inner power of grow and help others grow. democracy. There is, deep in all of us, a other people. These leaders intuitively They believe in human potential, and desire to transcend time and mediocre know that leading is relating, that relat- free their people from fear of success as destiny, to become real leaders. In recent ing is emotional, and that emotional well as of failure. They sense vulnerabil- years, we have witnessed a “tsunami intelligence develops through aware- ities with great empathy. They build wave” of the human aspirations. Men ness developed in encountering self and neither fortresses nor palaces, but a and women are defying tyrants, hoping others. They can initiate contact at every community of people fighting for col- for a world of universal values. level, give people space to exist and lective interest. They bring people Today there is an urge for authentic develop, and provide freedom of together. These leaders are rigorous and leadership. We need more leaders who con- choice. They make others feel intelligent do not tolerate inconsistency, cliques, tribute to reuniting people through shared, and trust their decisions. They teach as and divisions. They seek cooperation universal, transcultural values. LE they were taught, and transmit the con- and a culture that transcends cultural Viviane Amar is the head of Leading Leaders Intl. and an interna- fidence they acquired. They delegate differences. Trained in transcultural tional consultant working with Politicians, CEOs and Executive teams for 22 years. She is the author of the French bestseller real power with clear objectives, and are leadership, they believe in the promised Pouvoir et Leadership. Tel and fax + 377 93 50 31 11 Cell: often mentors, developing a culture of land of values, where the “stranger” is + 33 6 80 86 12 55 www.leading-leaders.com, amarv@libello.com
co-responsibility in their teams. Ulti- no longer feared but engaged. Full of ACTION: Become a contributional leader.
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