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Serving Purpose
by Don Blohowiak
You probably know some exceptionally talented individuals
who just can't seem to muster much from the people they are
charged with leading. Conversely, you likely know people whom
you, admittedly, consider rather mundane but who nonetheless
with their equally unimpressive staffs always seem to deliver
great results.
What accounts for these mysteries of organizational performance,
and what are the implications for your leadership?
MISCONCEPTION EXPOSED
The reason underlying such apparent paradoxes: A popular
notion of leadership is very wrong.
This currently favored but misguided concept bubbles from
the very heart of how most people today define a leader: In
terms of personal traits. E.g., having a vision, inspiring
others, thinking strategically...
The specifically prescribed leadership ideal varies. Considerably.
An effective leader is, take your pick, either charismatic
or humble. Relentlessly tough, or affirming and amiable. A
challenger to tradition, or a devotee to process. And on and
on.
Some leadership experts list scores, even hundreds, of attributes
to describe the essential constitution of a "real leader."
The ideal-person theory holds that by exposing leaders --
rare, wonderful and extraordinarily gifted persons -- to other
(read: lesser) people, the masses are thereby POOF! magically
enabled to accomplish deeds they otherwise could not.
History belies and denies this view of leadership.
LEADER IMPERFECT
Leaders, even the exceptional and most famous ones, are not
near-perfect beings who accomplished notable deeds simply
by allowing a little of their fairy dust to rub off on others.
Consider the cases of Nelson Mandella, Abraham Lincoln, Mother
Teresa, Winston Churchill, and Jack Welch -- all accomplished
folk whose famous names inevitably spill forth when people
are invited to name leaders they admire.
This electronic medium obviously discourages a lengthy biographical
discussion of all these individuals, but each has led a well-documented
life. That body of literature demonstrates that these noted
leaders:
A) are exceptionally different from one another,
B) were not all obvious great leaders throughout their lives,
and
C) are quite flawed human beings.
These realities defy both a "common traits and characteristics"
definition of leadership, as well as the "great person"
view.
The important conclusion and central point: Leaders are neither
born nor made. Leaders emerge. And they emerge because of
one critical, driving factor: Purpose. That critical factor
of Purpose then meets two other key factors, Circumstance
and Opportunity. And that union gives birth to leaders.
PURPOSE DRIVES EFFORT
True leaders come forth to serve a purpose with which they
personally identify and have a driving passion to serve. In
stepping forward to pursue their purpose, leaders, in turn,
help to fuel the efforts of other people who also share an
allegiance (perhaps undiscovered, unrecognized, and untapped)
to that same purpose.
Leadership, then, might be described as emerging when a capable
person with a sense of purpose meets circumstances bearing
the seeds of opportunity.
Consider, in the context of context, the purpose of each
famous leader mentioned above.
- Mandella, 27 years in a jail cell in apartheid-torn South
Africa: Obtain freedom for both the oppressed and their
oppressors who are trapped in a terribly limiting mindset.
- Lincoln, underestimated by even his own cabinet, amid
the civil war-torn U.S.: Preserve the Union despite the
considerable opposition and agonizingly terrible costs.
- Mother Teresa, "very small, quiet and shy,"
from a wealthy family, for 15 years a teacher to daughters
of India's wealthy, who encountered that nation's demoralizing
poverty while on a journey to a retreat: "I heard the
call to give up all and follow Christ into the slums to
serve him among the poorest of the poor."
- Churchill, a not well-liked critic of his government:
Resolve absolutely to defend Britain against the brutal
assault of and potential domination by the Nazis.
- Welch, an abrasive corporate maverick: Reform, with tough
love, a tired, stodgy old corporate conglomerate to assure
its future as a model, leading company.
ANEMIC PURPOSE
Not surprisingly, an uninspiring corporate purpose leads
to uninspired leadership with uninspired dedication and uninspired
effort by employees.
This is why a rallying cry of "Make the stockholders
richer!" motivates nearly no one. Even when employees
also have a financial stake in making their company's stockholders
richer, the allure of greater remuneration really only drives
the day-to-day actions of two kinds of people: Those who have
not yet had their basic financial needs met, and those who
are greedy. For the rest, more money is a welcome plus but
not a motivator.
PEOPLE OF PURPOSE
There are basically three types of people in the world:
- Those with a sense of purpose
- Those looking for a purpose
- Those who are oblivious to purpose
Leaders with a purpose, even the most flawed among them,
can help mobilize the first two kinds of people. That's because
a passion for purpose is communicable, infectious. And it
overcomes many short-comings. All of us forgive the imperfections
and trespasses of our leaders when we believe them to be earnest
and dedicated to a cause we share with them.
Leaders infused with purpose come in two basic models:
1. Intimate leaders -- those with a person-focused purpose
(leading people with whom the leader has a relationship);
2. Symbolic leaders -- those pursuing purpose on a grander
scale (exceeding the leader's capacity to effect people interpersonally;
essentially directing from a raised platform).
Intimate leaders derive meaning and satisfaction
from the accomplishments of their work group, and the relationships
and personal growth that take place within it. For instance,
an accounting manager who spends time personally with her
staff. She makes a point to reinforce the import of each individual's
work to the success of the company, its customers and the
community. She takes an interest in each person's personal
development and has earned the trust, respect, and extraordinary
discretionary effort of her work group.
Symbolic leaders, on the other hand, often
give little emphasis to personal relationships with their
immediate colleagues. Their focus is on the macro manifestation
of their larger-than- one-life purpose. To them, the organization
is a canvas on which to paint big dreams, plan grand achievements,
and organize for great success. Example: A shy division manager
plotting relentlessly and reclusively with a small inner circle;
mapping how the firm can dominate its market with cutting
edge products and great customer care (antithetical to this
manager's style, but valued nonetheless).
Both kinds of leadership can be necessary, legitimate, and
desirable in organizations.
LEADER'S ACT!ON AGENDA
- Identify your own purpose. What are you striving for?
What themes are played out by your actions? How does your
work align with your own uniquely personal purpose in life?
- Consider your employer's purpose. Is it clearly identifiable?
Does it happily get you up in the morning and joyfully keep
you up at night? Does serving it evoke commitment and satisfaction
in you? Does it make it easy for you to proudly proclaim:
"I spend the vast majority of my precious waking hours
supporting this cause!"?
- Reinforce with your associates the purpose of your group's
collective work. Take time to take stock of how your joint
efforts contribute to a larger cause. Find ways to emphasize
the meaning and greater good of your accomplishments.
~~~~~PARTING THOUGHT~~~~~
There is no substitute for having a true and clear purpose
in your life and in your work. Even the most mundane undertakings
can be imbued with genuine purpose. (I have observed it in
office cleaning services, bill collection departments, even
by dedicated front line workers whose job is to work with
raw sewage.)
Rekindling your sense of purpose in your corner of the business
will do wonders for your personal satisfaction, your staff's
morale and productivity, and the results you produce.
If you cannot discern or reconcile the alignment between
your personal purpose and the purpose of your organization
and work, investigate your alternatives.
Let us know how we can assist. Lead On. Lead Well.
Don Blohowiak
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Lead Well® helps organizations to improve measurable
results by developing their current and future leaders. For
more information, please contact us. By phone, toll-free in
the USA: 1-888-LeadWell (532-3935), or 1-609-716-9490. By
email, Info@LeadWell.com.
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Copyright ©2003 by Don Blohowiak
Don@LeadWell.com http://www.LeadWell.com/
Don Blohowiak, a management consultant and popular conference
speaker, is the author of several business books. The executive
director of the Lead Well® Institute in Princeton, NJ,
he may be reached at http://www.LeadWell.com/.
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