Real Leaders Don't Boss

by Ritch K. Eich

  Practicing President Ronald Reagan’s signature phrase from the Russian proverb “trust, but verify.” We have all seen too many examples where boards abdicated their governance roles and, as such, their roles as corporate “watchdogs.” The board practice of basing CEO compensation on “benchmarking” other CEOs’ salaries and benefits rather than on their company’s performance is also much too prevalent today.

  Realigning compensation programs so that the wide gulf that now exists between executives and rank-and-file workers is narrowed. Companies must insist that CEOs demonstrate transparency and function as authentic leaders who genuinely value their employees as partners. CEOs can accomplish this goal by consistent actions that through time demonstrate their commitment to their employees.

  Harboring no hidden agendas, sharing information as fully and as broadly as possible, and remembering that there is no such thing as a private conversation. In other words, companies must give the same information to each of their constituencies, and never say anything that they would not want repeated.

  Owning up to their mistakes and informing others of them up front.

  The Truth About Credibility

  Core values such as honor, service, and teamwork are too often absent in today’s work setting. If the words sound familiar, that is because they are leadership qualities taught by the U.S. Marines—that top-notch training I talked about previously. Add to those values the core tenet of honesty. Together they lend credibility to real leaders. Honesty goes well beyond the spoken word. Often the nonverbal cues from individuals and bosses or leaders are as important as the verbal ones. Real leaders are humble and compassionate in their actions, yet steadfast in their words. Real leaders will look you directly in the eyes when talking to you; they are just as unwavering in their pursuit of their ideals and beliefs.

  Take the truth or consequences test: Next time someone talks to you—especially if he or she is giving out directions—notice if he or she looks you directly in the eyes. If not, one has to wonder if he or she is telling the truth. Real leaders are frank and unwavering.

  Cues and Values

  Be sure whatever nonverbal cues you’re sending or receiving are in line with your core values and the tenets of real leadership. If they’re not, figure out why not, and work hard to align both. You’ll be more consistent in what you say and do, and those who interact with you will appreciate your steadfast consistency—whether they realize it or not.

  Too many people write performance reviews that aren’t helpful because they aren’t fully truthful. Whenever a performance review is perfunctory, vindictive, or somewhere in between, chances are it was written by someone who thinks as a boss, not a leader. A real leader will take the time for honest and open communication, will get to know his or her employees, and will not compromise his or her character or integrity by fabricating or “fudging” something as important as a performance review. After all, if a leader is doing his or her job of teaching and mentoring tomorrow’s leaders, a performance review will be honest and constructive, and will offer real direction for the employee.

  Too many grades are awarded to students who have not earned their marks. Too many testimonials are written by people who should have declined being used as a reference. Once again, it is the honest and open communication of real leaders that offers the valuable lessons that help others succeed.

  Politics and Principles

  One of the U.S. Senate’s most principled solons is Sen. Carl Levin. I helped campaign for him, contributed to his reelections, and served on his Military Academies Selection Committee. Like his esteemed brother, Rep. Sander (Sandy) Levin, who serves in a leadership role in the House of Representatives, Sen. Levin has steadfastly stuck to his principles. Among his many accomplishments, several characteristics serve as examples of his rare blend of leadership:

  A fighter for heightened ethics in government.

  A staunch trailblazer for removing waste in government spending.

  An advocate for manufacturing to enable our country to compete more effectively on the world stage.

  A defender of a vigilant and strong national security apparatus.

  In everything he undertakes, Sen. Levin does his homework, pays great attention to detail, and always displays a keen understanding of the subjects being discussed in the halls of Congress.

  You Gotta Believe!

  The heart of leadership is believing in yourself and your vision, and in turn motivating others to follow you. Real and effective leaders also live and practice the following:

  Humanity, love of people, honesty, and hard work.

  Consider leaders like Fred Meijer, the CEO of Michigan-based Meijer superstores, who always would arrive at work early and end his day well after dark. In between he always took time for whatever was required of him—and what was not, including greeting his customers and employees.

  Perseverance and never giving up. The Baltimore Colts Marching Band is a great example of unrelenting purpose and resolve. In 1984, when the Colts franchise was sold to Indianapolis, the band would not go. Instead, its members—loyal to the city and each other—had other ideas. In the wee hours of the morning when the Colts began their infamous move to Indianapolis, the band members managed to remove their equipment before the moving vans arrived, and they were able to get their uniforms from the dry cleaner and hide them in a member’s cemetery vault until the franchise gave them permission to keep them. The band’s incredible dedication and moxie during the next 12 years helped persuade the Maryland legislature to fund a new football stadium, and that finally brought the Ravens franchise to Baltimore in 1996.

  Vision, a highly developed strategic orientation, the courage of conviction, and a devotion to country and public service. Retired four-star Gen. Anthony C. “Tony” Zinni is a true visionary who never stops serving others. The former Marine now is chairman of the board of directors of BAE Systems, Inc., an international multi-billion-dollar conglomerate, as well as an in-demand motivational and leadership speaker. His nearly 40-year, highly decorated military career included a tour as commander in chief of the U.S. Central Command at the Pentagon. Since retiring, his endeavors have included serving as U.S. Peace Envoy to the Middle East and Special Envoy to the Henri Dunant Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (Indonesia, Philippines, and Sudan peace effort).

  All of us, leaders included, learn from experiences, trial and error, leadership simulations, field testing, “live fire,” and mentorship. It all begins with a positive attitude—yours as well as that of your leaders and mentors.

  David Brandon shares this lasting advice that served him well throughout his illustrious career:

  The best lesson in character and integrity was taught to me by my father when I received my first promotion early in my career. I was taking over a unit that had several people who were going to be working for me that were old enough to be my father and much more experienced in the business than I was at the time. I asked him (my father) for his advice, and he replied, “Well Dave, I have never been in the situation you now find yourself, but if I were you, I would find out how people want to be treated, and treat them that way.” Very good advice from a very wise man.8

  Can You Cut It?

  The success of any team or enterprise depends, in part, on the leader’s ability to earn the trust of his or her employees. Yet study after study reports declining loyalty all around us. The trust must be rebuilt to ensure solid economic regrowth. Real leaders recognize the need to restore trust, and they invest in the time and effort needed to do so. Is trust missing in the workplace at your company? If so, why? What can be done to foster trust in your workplace?

  To rebuild trust demands the initiatives of real leadership. Concrete steps that those in positions of leadership can take to help foster trust include:

  Recognizing the accomplishments and successes of others.

  Hiring management and leaders based on abilities, ethics, and morals.

  Investing in fail-safes to make s
ure management actually lives up to expectations.

  Instituting performance-based compensation.

  Being open, honest, and up-front with employees.

  Admitting your mistakes rather than passing the buck.

  Many successful leaders can achieve even greater results if they become stronger change agents—if they learn how to develop stronger alliances, coalitions, partnerships, and connections with others. How would you rate your own ability to mobilize widespread support for the initiatives that are important to you? How can you improve on that ability? Are you passionate enough about those initiatives? What else can you do to strengthen strategic alliances and gain widespread support?

  The next time you are in a position to rally the troops, think about how important it is to believe in what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. If you do not believe in yourself and your mission, how can you expect others to believe in you?

  When you fail in something or don’t live up to expectations—yours or someone else’s—what do you do? Do you quickly move on, or do you stop, assess what happened, determine the mistakes that were made by you or someone else, figure out what could have been done differently to improve the outcome, and then move on? Real leader or not, we’re all supposed to learn from our mistakes in whatever we do. In fact, even with positive outcomes, it is important to review the steps and actions that led to that success and analyze what could have been done differently to further improve on the outcome.

  How can overcoming adversity or rebounding from it help shape an emerging leader’s skill set? What can you learn from your mistakes and your successes? In the context of leadership, what are some of the mistakes you have made in the past? Write them down, then think about how you might have handled the situation differently to prevent or avoid the mistake, or at least lessen its negative impact.

  You Can Do It, Too

  To further entrench your own real leadership, believe in yourself and what you can accomplish, then passionately follow the credo of service above self, empowerment and not control, and serving rather than being served. Forget garnering the “atta boys” for yourself; pursue them for your team members and their projects instead.

  Listen to the views, perspectives, and opinions of those around you, too. They are invaluable in forming your own perspective. In that vein, surround yourself with people who excel in areas you do not, and don’t hire “yes” men or “yes” women, but be confident and trust in your own judgment—your gut feelings. Utilizing actionable data before making decisions is great, but also appreciate that too much data may lessen the need for your good judgment.

  Be diligent in hiring new staff, too. Avoid people who are always negative, are circumventers, or may try to undermine team efforts. If despite your best efforts, you find yourself working with someone like this, have the guts—the real leader-ship—to admit your mistake and correct it.

  Takeaway

  Character is the bedrock of leadership development.

  Real leaders take on the tough issues and challenges, and are not afraid to stand up for their values and beliefs, no matter how unpopular. Be leery of the executive who is conflict averse. Conflict, when channeled effectively, is often a positive change-maker.

  Real leaders practice core values like honesty and integrity.

  When leaders believe in themselves and their visions, others are motivated to follow.

  Real leaders must work to rebuild employee trust. To do that requires a commitment to hiring based on skill levels; compensation that’s fair and equitable for everyone; an honest and straightforward approach; and in case of mistakes, owning up and moving on. (For excellent articles on the subject of trust, its restoration, and the importance in organizational life today, see articles written by Ross Goldberg, president, Kevin/Ross Public Relations.)9

  Chapter 8

  Get Ready to Lead

  An army of a thousand is easy to find, but, ah, how difficult to find a general.

  —Chinese Proverb

  In these pages you have read about some of the admirable leaders of yesterday and today, and the traits that make them great. Whether leaders of countries, mega-corporations, the military, or small businesses, each individual in his or her own way makes a difference and inspires those around him or her to achieve greatness.

  The choice is now yours. Are you ready to step out from the shadows and step up to the challenge to inspire others, to promote your passions, to recommit to your ideals, and to become one of tomorrow’s real leaders? The choice is not easy. Not everyone is comfortable in a leadership role or cut out to be a real leader in the workplace. Almost all of us, however, can become better people in our work and personal lives by adopting some or all of the qualities that characterize real leaders.

  Don’t be discouraged if you feel as if your path to leadership is stymied by too many roadblocks, potholes, and distractions. If you commit to becoming a better person, a better leader, you have a better chance to succeed. As I mentioned previously, many of the great leaders of yesterday and today faced big obstacles to their leadership, yet they persevered in their convictions, and went on to become great. You can do it, too.

  Great Political Leaders and Teachers

  Aspiring leaders today would do well to follow the examples of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. Both were great men who were friends despite their very different political beliefs and, as real leaders, did not allow their egos to get in the way of their work. Reagan and Kennedy were not afraid to hire staffs that were brighter or more capable than they were in some capacities, and the staffers were incredibly loyal. And, this is certainly true in my case as well, as each one of my team members was more talented than me. Few would dispute that Sen. Kennedy had one of the most talented congressional staffs in recent history.

  Veterans of Kennedy’s Senate staff and Reagan’s White House often went on to become illustrious alumni. A few of those proud former staffers include Melody Barnes, former chief counsel to Sen. Kennedy, and now President Obama’s top domestic advisor; Kenneth R. Feinberg, Kennedy’s former chief of staff who served in the Obama administration as the “pay czar” or Special Master for TARP Executive Compensation; Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, a former associate counsel to Reagan; and Peggy Noonan, Reagan’s speechwriter and special assistant, now a New York Times best-selling author and conservative columnist.

  “Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere as long as the policy you’ve decided upon is being carried out.”1

  —President Ronald Reagan

  U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar is another who is a highly talented, true servant leader, one who develops others, and someone for whom I’ve also campaigned several times. A former Rhodes Scholar, former mayor of Indianapolis, and former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he wields considerable influence in Indiana, Washington, D.C., and the nation. But as I said earlier, he’s humble, approachable, and a dedicated teacher. Lugar makes a strong commitment to build leaders from the ground up, to build consensus, and to remain committed to his beliefs. His work will live on long after he leaves Congress. It certainly did in Indianapolis, where as mayor he transformed city government through creation of “Unigov,” at the time a controversial move to combine the city and county into one governmental entity. Despite opposition, Lugar was steadfast in his belief that Indianapolis and the surrounding area needed to broaden its population and tax base in order to attract new business and develop into a world-class city.

  Lugar’s myriad accomplishments are testaments to his consistent drive to build consensus. He’s a leader who believes in reason and sharing information. Even in the heat of a tough political campaign, Sen. Lugar has the ability to take a negative question and turn it into an opportunity to bring people to his point of view. He allows for a critic’s doubt, calmly explains why the criticism is not accurate, and then enlightens the audience with more information, often letti
ng them inside the complex process of making an important decision.

  Seeking his seventh consecutive term, the Hoosier icon is one of the Senate’s brightest, most savvy, conscientious, trustworthy, pragmatic, and farsighted public servants. When I heard recently that some have criticized him for having “crossed the aisle” to work with Democrats to pass critically important legislation, I was reminded of great Americans like Sam Rayburn of Texas, Mike Mansfield of Montana, Howard Baker of Tennessee, and Philip Hart of Michigan—who also put country above party and self. I have often asked myself what experiences were pivotal in Lugar’s development as a real leader. Was it being a farmer, business owner, naval officer, or mayor of a major city? Perhaps it is the combination of these and other experiences, his family, and more that led Time magazine to name Lugar as one of America’s 10 best Senators. Lugar’s courage and willingness to risk his own political future for the sake of the country make him my pick for a real leader.

  Beyond Politics

  If more CEOs, college presidents, hospital administrators, and elected officials followed these examples of placing a premium on finding and nurturing top talent—their individual performance and that of their organizations would improve immeasurably. What these real leaders recognized is that if you deliberately hire the best talent, mentor them, and reward them, then others among the best and the brightest talent also will want to work for you.