Leadership

Followers are Leaders
 by Hampton Hopkins

Followers are Leaders Too

“Raise your hand if you consider yourself a leader. Now raise your hand if you consider yourself a follower. Come on… you must choose between one or the other.”

This is a scenario that plays out in organizations everywhere. While it may not occur in exactly the way described, by being asked to raise your hand, it is certainly present in the way we view others… and often in how others view us. We find ourselves placing our colleagues in the two distinct silos of “leader” and “follower.” But we know that the world and our organizations are not so easily defined.

Being a good follower is often the same as being a good leader. That’s right. Sometimes by assuming the best leadership role required for a given situation means that we take a step back and allow someone else to lead. We become a follower. But this in no way lets us off the leadership hook as we assume new roles and responsibilities. Let’s discuss a few of these:

  • Initiator: suggests new ideas, raises questions, sets goals
  • Information and Opinion Seeker: open to new ideas, asks and encourages others to share new ideas
  • Encourager: encourages and stimulates others to participate, shares and supports their efforts
  • Facilitator: helps the group improve communications by testing, clarifying, and understanding meanings, makes sure others are being understood
  • Evaluator: questions the practicality or logic of ideas, but not too quickly or in a way that embarrasses or demeans others
  • Orienter: summarizes, clarifies, and helps the group find a sense of direction
  • Consensus Seeker: tests whether the group agrees and works on solutions to achieve consensus

By now you are probably thinking that I pulled a “bait and switch” on you as all these roles and responsibilities are those of a leader. They are!… and that’s the point. It is important to understand these roles from both the perspective of a leader as well as the follower. When we follow, and when others assume this role, it is important to understand how we fit within the team. In other words, how followers can convey leadership, too.

Procrastination is ok
 by Hampton Hopkins

Eleven Ways to Procrastinate and Get Things Done

According to some reports, more than 20% of us chronically look for distractions to avoid doing the work in front of us. I don’t know about you, but that seems chronically low. I have worked with many people who take procrastination to an art form – putting off doing something, anything, until a future time. However, putting off certain tasks can make you a better time manager! By focusing energy and effort on the tasks of most importance, you can procrastinate and still get things done.

As Vincent T. Foss suggested, “One of the greatest labor-saving inventions of today is tomorrow.” So, in the spirit of Mr. Foss, below are 11 ways to procrastinate effectively and get things done:

Remove the urgency from trivia: Commit to a deadline. Deadlines create a sense of urgency. Setting a deadline and sticking to it allows you to focus attention on matters of higher importance first allowing more trivial things to wait.

Do one thing at a time: Take complicated tasks requiring attention one at a time and see them through to completion. Many of us float from one task to another, never bringing anything to completion. Ultimately, the unresolved tasks take their toll creating in us an urgent frenzy.

Occupy the mind: When bogged down, take a break, and rejuvenate. Even though it’s important to stick to a task once it’s started, if you reach a point of diminishing returns, take a break (don’t abandon it) and focus on something else.

There’s always tomorrow: A prioritized daily action list is great for managing time and for procrastinating efficiently. Those tasks not completed today can be carried over to the next day’s list and reprioritized.

Use empty spaces of time: Every one of us has spare time. Properly used, this time can be of considerable value to a creative procrastinator. Always have a constructive task that needs completing with you for these spare moments – a chapter that needs to be read or a call that needs to be returned. Sometimes, however, the spare time is good for just relaxing.

Front and center: As you are wrapping up work for the day, place your next highest priority task in the middle of your desk for tomorrow. This assumes you have a dedicated workspace – which is also critical to time management!

Select the best time of day: What is your best time of day? If you are a morning person, put off your critical tasks until that time of day. You will be more refreshed and eager to accomplish all that needs to be done.

Adapt to the day: It is a good idea to block out time to accomplish your high priority tasks. But blocking out full days and planning precisely what you will do during those times is often pointless. Be prepared to handle unexpected interruptions.

Be persistent: Stick with each task through to completion. Following the old adage that “behavior persists when it is rewarded,” make yourself stick to the task with the promise that upon completion, you will spend time on something fun.

Dislike it? Do it!: Simply put, get the hard tasks and those you like least out of the way first.

Post-it: Instead of a list, consider post-it notes. Try using these handy notes to capture important tasks and priorities. It feels great to throw them away when the task is done.

The next time you feel the urge to procrastinate… do it. And let me know how it works out for you.

Servant Leadership
 by Hampton Hopkins

Purpose-Driven Leadership

A few years ago, I met regularly with a friend to discuss leadership. What started as an opportunity to catch up evolved into a deep dive exploring leadership. We were exploring the role of servant leadership in a corporate environment, and it now has me thinking about purpose… why do we do what we do?

Leadership is influence. As leaders, if we are not willing to assume an influential role, then we have no business being in the leadership position to begin with. Influence simply suggests that we have some effect on others. This change can either be positive or not; it can be accomplished intentionally or by chance. If our leadership is going to have a bearing on those around us, don’t we have the responsibility to ensure that the affect we create is constructive?

This is the heart of servant leadership. Too often we think of this as always stepping up and doing… but it’s more about being than doing. It starts first with knowing ourselves and evolves to a point where our purpose, the reason we do what we do, is always for the betterment of those around us. Let’s explore this in my three principles of servant leadership.

Understanding Others

Before we can begin to understand others, we first must slow down and listen. Listen to what others are saying, listen to what other are asking, and most importantly, listen to the needs of those we serve. Effective leadership is developing a keen sense of awareness of the needs of others and then acting on those needs to advance both the individual and the organization. In deference to Albert Einstein, “Any fool can know others; the point is to understand others.” With this understanding evolves a level of empathy that allows leaders to share in the experiences and emotions of others.

Nurturing Others

Once understanding begins to take shape and our conceptualization of others becomes more defined, our role as leaders shifts to one of encouragement and support. Tom Peters said it best, “Management is about arranging and telling. Leadership is about nurturing and enhancing.” It is not enough simply to tell others they are valued and doing a good job, leaders must demonstrate this through engagement. Our presence indicates commitment and value, both of the task at hand and of the individual performing the task. Our involvement cultivates a deeper relationship that provides a foundation for leadership development… both in others as well as in ourselves.

Growing Others

As a leader, I have always found it satisfying when someone I have mentored or supported receives an opportunity to advance in their career. The leadership role is one of stewardship – the careful responsibility of resources – whereby the greatest resource is that of the human kind. Like the parable of the talents in the New Testament, we are to grow the talents of those entrusted to our leadership. Warren Bennis states it this way, “Growing other leaders from the ranks isn’t just the duty of the leader, it’s an obligation.” Our obligation to others is to give them our best and to, in turn, expect the best from them. We do this not by burying the talents we collectively have, but by intentionally developing these talents together in a partnership of possibility and potential.

While some may argue that servant leadership can be considered a redundant term, the label serves as a reminder to us of the importance of these concepts in the leadership relationships we enjoy. These principles are progressive and build on one another as we evolve our servant leadership roles. It is the ultimate purpose of leadership to serve others. But, Friedrich Nietzsche warns, “To forget one’s purpose is the commonest form of stupidity.” What is your purpose? Why do you do what you do?

Naked leadership is being authentic
 by Hampton Hopkins

Naked Leadership

Like many of us back in high school, there were many quips or phrases that we often used in our communication with friends. Some were innocent and others not so much. However, there was one particular saying of which I’m not sure of the origin or the real intent, but it was nonetheless a phrase often uttered… party naked.

I don’t know what made me recall this expression all these years later, but it did get me thinking about leading naked. Not in the real sense of streaking around our organizations with no clothes on, but in the metaphorical sense of being transparent or unadorned in our leadership style. A quick Google search of the topic revealed that David Bentley and Sonia Hassey have books titled Naked Leadership and David Taylor has a series of books on the topic the naked leader. While this idea is certainly not new, my thoughts on naked leadership are somewhat different.

Strong and effective leadership requires an openness and transparency that let’s others in, keeps them close, and allows them to be successful. It is about partnership, collaboration, and teamwork. Like the emperor who wore no clothes, leaders sometimes become self-absorbed or arrogant forgetting that success can only be measured in how we treat others. We need not be complex or flamboyant in our leadership instead seeking a style that is au naturel and austere.

So, how do we become naked leaders… let’s explore:

Strip down to the basics

I am a solid believer that everything we need to know to be successful leaders we learned in kindergarten. Robert Fulghum defined things like sharing, playing fair, and living a balanced life as skills that transcend time and place and are as true today as they were when we were little. Instead of trying to make leadership more complex, we need to get back to the basics. Forget about trying to become a better leader and instead seek to be more natural and authentic. Improved leadership will be the result.

Shed our constraints

What restrictions or limitations do you place on yourself as a leader? Too often we allow others, and yes, even ourselves, to control our actions based on perception and emotion. However, effective leadership grows beyond such constraints and effective leaders become the thought leaders of their organizations, driving the vision and the message. In the words of Andrea J. Lee, “Want to strengthen your thought leadership? Crown yourself and assume the throne. Use opinion, story, and credentials to build authority.” 

Remove the obstacles

Much like the challenge courses many of us have completed along our leadership development journey, there are many obstacles, both real and perceived, that block our path. Too often we hold on to the mindset of a manager instead of the vision of a leader. Maybe we let fear of failure drive our decision making and action. Or maybe it’s as simple as our ego getting in the way. Whatever the obstacles, seek ways to remove them to make the path to your vision clear and open for you and others to follow.

Expose ourselves to others

Again, I’m not suggesting that you literally run naked through your organization, but I do propose that you bare yourself to others so that they see the true leader in you. I think it’s time leaders practiced a little unprotected leadership and let their passions shine through; shift your thinking, share your joys, acknowledge your skills, and try something new. If you exposed yourself in this way, imagine how your leadership could bloom.

Basically, naked leadership represents a new interpretation of the leader that you already are. It is uncovering the true leader that lives within, bringing it shamelessly out in the open for everyone to see. It is simple, unembellished leadership. It is the mark of good leadership. Try it and let me know how it goes.

Quilt
 by Hampton Hopkins

The Difference Between Quilts and Puzzles

A recent visit to a quilt exhibit at a regional festival reminded me of an old saying “when life throws you scraps, make a quilt.” This implies such a positive, can-do attitude. While I have never made a quilt, I do understand the commitment, creativity, and passion within each beautiful mosaic of fabric and thread. We have the opportunity to weave a similar mosaic everyday as leaders.

I heard it stated once that leaders “leave their footprints in their areas of passion.” This represents an overwhelming commitment to change and organizational growth and development. Such change certainly requires openness to creativity and forward-thinking… thus strengthening the underlying passion. And the cycle continues.

Entrepreneurial Leadership

These same great qualities are found in entrepreneurial leadership. While the current literature in entrepreneurial leadership devotes much attention to the roles entrepreneurs play in their respective organizations, it is a relatively new field of leadership study. In the article A New Paradigm: Entrepreneurial Leadership, the authors ask whether entrepreneurial leadership is a new style of leadership or an escape from management. Let’s explore this question.

The consideration of managers versus leaders explores a classic dichotomy in organizations. Leaders do the right thing while managers do things right. Admiral Grace Hopper said “manage things… lead people” and John Adair advises “if your organization is not on a journey, don’t bother about leadership – just settle for management.” I think the difference is further highlighted in five attributes of leadership: risk advocacy, passion, locus of control, responsibility, and vision.

Risk Advocacy

Leaders are willing to take risks after careful consideration. Leaders are not paralyzed by fear and inaction but seek to explore opportunities for change. This is especially true for the entrepreneurial leader who sees herself as more resilient and able to overcome setbacks. Les Brown expressed the idea of risk clearly when he said “Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.”

Passion

Leaders show enthusiasm and zeal for the organization and its mission. This passion comes from within and is not something that can be learned. Uju Onyechere suggests “we are created in such a way that whenever anything fires our soul, impossibilities vanish.” Leaders who excel within their organizations do so in part because they have a passion that manifests itself in excellence and commitment to the vision of the organization. Passion can be summed up in this quote by Mark Twain, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Locus of Control

Leaders have high internal locus of control suggesting that success comes from within. Murray Johannsen lists the fourth of his nine characteristics of successful entrepreneurs as locus of control. He states that instead of assuming that events are under the control of others, leaders consider how their actions influence these events. This allows leaders to also assume responsibility when things don’t go as planned.

Responsibility

Leaders learn from their mistakes and avoid the repetition that others may be guilty of. George Ambler suggests leaders are given authority and accountability, but they are not given responsibility. Leaders have to take responsibility. Ownership and responsibility are hallmarks of great leaders and great entrepreneurs. As Adam Osborne stated, “The most valuable thing you can make is a mistake – you can’t learn anything from being perfect.”

Vision

Leaders know where to go, how to get there, and what it takes to bring people along. Leaders understand they are in competition for the hearts and minds of others. In order to win others over amidst the myriad things vying for their attention, leaders must create and share a vision that is appealing and achievable. John Maxwell said it best, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”

So, what’s the difference between quilts and puzzles?

The puzzle is managerial whereby it represents boxed-in thinking; working towards solutions that are pre-defined by a set of rules or parameters. Quilts, on the other hand, are creative expressions of entrepreneurial leadership; open-ended thinking not limited by a picture of what the solution should look like.

In your teams, do you make quilts or assemble puzzles? Do you limit the creative thinking of those around you or seek creative solutions to organizational problems? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Originally published on the Linked2Leadership Blog

The Mark of Leadership
 by Hampton Hopkins

The Mark of Leadership

According to Wikipedia, branding can be the permanent marking of wood with heat, the marking of animals to imply ownership, or the application of specific marketing techniques to separate one product from another. In short, you can brand objects, animals, and other things, but can you brand your leadership?

Much has been written on the idea of leadership branding with a focus on the leader’s role within an organization. Leadership branding, like branding in general, includes concepts such as identity, distinctiveness and reputation. However, most of what I have read explores these characteristics in terms of the uniqueness of the team and not so much about the individuality of the leader.

Leadership is idiosyncratic and effective leadership exists outside the artificial confines of the typical organizational leadership paradigm. In other words, one size does not fit all despite the organizational pull to conform to the skills of the most dominate leaders or those in top positions. I think of leadership branding in terms of one’s personal leadership vision… how do I utilize my inimitable mix of personality, performance, and process to be the best leader I can be?

Personality

Our personality is how we present ourselves to the world. As leaders, our success is often measured on various personality traits, some of which have no bearing on our leadership ability. How well we perceive our leadership abilities is a personality trait that directly correlates with how well others perceive us as leaders. Our challenge is to be confident, not arrogant in our abilities while always seeking to improve ourselves as leaders. According to Peter Drucker, “Leadership is lifting our vision to higher sights, the raising of our performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations.”

Performance

What would it take to make you a better leader? This is the primary question behind the concept of performance. Our performance as leaders can be summed up in the development of the organization, of others, and of our own knowledge. Great leadership is a magnet for excellent performance – both individual and organizational performance. However, leadership performance has to be measured on concepts individual to the leader and not on some commonly defined set of traits or measures. Consider the words of Mark Sanborn, “Our brand is a promise for the future based on our past performance.”  Leadership is personal therefore our performance is personal.

Process

Leadership is an accomplishment… not a position we hold in an organization. Successful leadership often requires some level of self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-sacrifice. We must be thoughtful in recognizing ourselves as individuals separate from the organizational environment so as to fully realize our leadership capacity. This requires self-control while maintaining the ability to adapt quickly in an ever-changing environment. Leadership is often a call to service whereby we surrender personal interest or gain for the betterment of those around us. Yvon Chouinard states it this way, “How you climb a mountain is more important than reaching the top.” This is the process we refer to as leadership.

Within our organizations, common sets of leadership skills are scalable. We can teach others to manage their time, communicate, and engage with their teams. It’s the excellence in the execution of these skills that doesn’t scale so well. The tactics used by one leader to achieve leadership results may not work for other leaders. When we try to force conformity, we sacrifice authenticity… and authenticity is the most precious commodity of leadership.

Like the marking of wood with heat, your leadership should leave an indelible mark on those around you. What is your leadership brand?