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ARE YOU A CONTAGIOUS LEADER?
by John Hersey & Beverly Belury
What if it were true that leadership was contagious, passed
from one committed leader to another? What if it were normal for
executives, following a staff meeting, to feel enthused and totally
confident that her/his team would go out and boldly achieve the desired
mission, on their own, without the least bit of handholding? What if
executives were to stop complaining that leadership was in dangerously
short supply and start proudly acknowledging the leaders in their
organizations that were responsible for moving the company forward,
achieving results and creating shareholder value? What if Contagious
Leadership were possible?
We believe it is!
The big question, though, is what would have to happen for
Contagious Leadership to be the norm?
Each of us would have to be a Contagious Leader, that’s
what! We would have to take on the behavior, attitudes and habits
common to Contagious Leaders. But what are they? What is a
Contagious Leader?
As executives and managers, we spend so much time and
energy talking about what executives and managers don’t have and don’t
do that most of us haven’t a clue about what it takes to be a Contagious
Leader. During our years of experience as managers, executives and
entrepreneurs, we have made it a habit to observe the behavior common to
leaders, Contagious Leaders in particular. We want you to know that what
follows is not be based on a statistically significant random sample taken
in a controlled, double blind study. It is our observations and we offer
them so that you can reflect upon them, decide for yourself if they sound
and feel right to you and then decide to what extent you will commit
yourself and the other executives/managers you work with to build these
attitudes, behavior and habits in your organization. Decide first if you
are a Contagious Leader and then to what extent your organization
will develop a culture of Contagious Leadership.
We define a Contagious Leader as a person who has a high
regard for character, nurtures other contagious leaders and believes in
the notion that “the rising tide benefits all the boats in the
harbor.”
In our view there are “Contained Leaders” and “Contagious
Leaders.” Sadly, most of us fall into the first category. “Contained
Leaders” tend to play small, always inside themselves, always
contained and usually focusing more on protecting who they are and what
they have than on winning, building an organization of winners. “Contagious
Leaders”, on the other hand, play full out in everything they do and
firmly believe that developing other contagious leaders is the only route
to long-term success. Contagious Leaders have developed certain habits
that distinguish them from all others:
Sharing
the spotlight.
Contagious Leaders see their role as inspiring others to achieve great
things. More often than not you’ll find
Contagious Leader
sitting in the front row applauding the accomplishments of those on stage.
Empowering
others--
the Contained Leader micro-manages. This is their way of making sure
others know that they can do it better than anyone. It doesn’t matter
what “it” is either-- they can do “it” better.
Contagious Leaders
nourish and nurture others, pointing them in the right direction, standing
by to assist whenever and in whatever way possible.
Focusing
on peoples strengths-- the Contained Leader makes sure they point out as many weaknesses as
possible as often as possible. A contagious leader showcases individual's
strengths and mentors leaders through their strengths.
Enjoying
involvement with others--
“Contained Leaders” avoid any real, deep
involvement. The percentage of managers that do not know if the people
reporting to them are married or single, or what their spouses or
significant others names are, or the names and ages of their children or
even where they live is staggering.
Contagious Leader know all this and
more, not just because it is good for business but because they truly care
about people, people that are also, by the way, the organizations most
important asset.
Openly
communicating--
The motto for Contained Leaders appears to be
“Keep um guessing.”
Contained Leaders believe in telling people only what they need to know
and not one moment before they need to know it.
Contagious Leaders know there is nothing
more important than communications. Open, honest communication will do
more to improve morale and performance in most organizations than
virtually any other strategy.
Having a
long-term vision-- To the
“Contained Leader” commitments are momentary at best.
They always seem to have a current resume on file because they are always
on the lookout for the next best opportunity. They don’t have much
vision and their ability to make and keep commitments is quite week.
Mentoring
other Contagious Leaders--
It is what Contagious Leaders do because everyone wins in an
environment of
Contagious Leadership.
Passionately
showing up everyday-- Contagious Leaders are passionate about what they do and they stand
for that passion. There is nothing moderate about them.
Finally,
Contagious Leader believe that winning is about leadership and leadership
is about character. They define character in terms of 13
qualities and Contagious Leaders practice these qualities regularly:
Attitude
–
being a “can do” person, not a “I think maybe I can
do?”
Authenticity –true to whom we are, not who we
pretend to be or who others would have us be.
Commitment –making deep commitments, not
just “when it suits them to do so.”
Contribution
– having a goal of making
people, companies and communities better.
Determination – Never quitting; being open to
alternatives, being creative and looking outside the box for solutions.
Discipline
–having the discipline to do
what needs to be done even when we don’t want to do it.
Drive
– knowing what drives
us and those we work with; what keeps us coming back, day in and day out?
Embrace Change
– Contagious Leaders embrace
change; they participate in change, looking for it and often cause the
change that usually disturbs most Contained Leaders.
Integrity – Integrity isn’t just about
telling the truth. Integrity is about being our word, always being our
word, everyday and in everything we do.
Focus
--
Contagious Leaders do not allow distractions. They remain focused.
Motivation –Being the best we can be
without any outside stimuli; not waiting for anyone or anything to
motivate us. Internal motivation. Contagious Leaders don’t wait for any
external motivation. They make things happen.
Creating Possibility
–
never settling for “what is”, or accepting “ what has been”,
always creating “what could be”, that is a Contagious Leader.
Risks – everything worth doing
involves some level of risk. It is not about being reckless. Contagious
Leaders are willing to step-out and take the risk.
So, how are you doing? Are you a Contagious Leader? Try
this; for each of the 8 habits and 13 character qualities rate yourself on
a scale of 1-10 with 10 being perfect. For example, a 10 rating for
Attitude would mean you always have a “can do” attitude. Be
honest now! How are you doing?
There is incessant talk about the need for more leaders.
Not just in business either. Our communities, our families, our churches,
our schools all need more leaders. Creating Contagious Leadership starts
with one person making a decision about being a leader. That decision and
the behavior, attitudes and habits that are forthcoming can have a
profound effect. How are you doing? Are you a Contagious Leader?
A
speaker, executive coach, trainer and author John Hersey helps companies
and individuals create environments of Contagious Leadership. He is
co-author of the soon to be published book “Creating Contagious
Leadership.” He has electrified audiences throughout the United
States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, The Philippines, and Singapore.
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