Tastings

from Getting Amazing Things Done

To Win Their Hearts

What makes a leader someone others will follow? What something is it that real leaders have that makes them the kind of person others are drawn to, that others will follow even when the going becomes difficult, or the road is nearly impossible?

I had the unique privilege of traveling the world for ten years conducting classes and workshops for project managers and leaders. My passion was to give them the ability to lead others well. I wove into my talks and presentations the things I have learned in my life. To illustrate how we lead others to achieve incredible results, I drew from my real-world experiences. Both as owner of a software development consulting company and working for one of the largest consulting companies in the world, I saw teams achieve what others thought impossible. Many of my stories centered around my role as an executive project manager for IBM deployed to lead troubled, failing projects back to life, delivering success to both IBM and client.

Management approaches (think project management or quality disciplines as examples) are organized and systematic, and these do position organizations for success. But organization and systematic disciplines are not what bring the success. Some managers are very organized and systematic, yet their efforts fail, while others are not very structured, yet they succeed. Why? The key is the leader. The leader determines success or failure. It is not the bits and pieces of a management approach or discipline. So, the question is – what is it in the leader that brings the win?

I used to challenge the people in my classes, “Why should they follow you?” I would ask them, “What makes you so special?” Each of us needs to understand what we bring to the mix and, more importantly, what we lack. Here is a simple litmus test. Have you created an atmosphere that draws others to want to join the magic of your team or to escape from your group? Leaders nurture an atmosphere in which teams thrive and grow, where each person is valued more deeply than the current effort. It is never one person that delivers amazing results. It is the team working in a healthy environment.

So, what do real leaders bring? What qualities are necessary? For me there are only three essential attributes that a successful leader must have.

Speak Truth – A leader must always speak true things. A leader must always speak honestly. He or she must do this even to their own hurt if necessary. Speaking truth is critical to building the trust of those we work with. When others know that we will always be truthful, regardless of the outcome or blowback, they know they can trust us wholly, they can rely on us even under pressure. Leaders begin to build trust by speaking truthfully even in small matters. As I have spoken honestly to clients and teams during hard situations, they have been thankful for an honest word in difficult times. Leaders are living examples of truth-telling, and in this climate, trust grows.

Focus on Mission – A leader must keep his or her people focused on the mission. Does the effort evolve over time? Probably. And when it does, any change must be shepherded carefully so as not to grow exponentially out of control. In this the leader must use great care to keep their people focused on the objective. The leader provides the stabilizing voice. When the team remains focused on the goal, their work organically churns toward the completed objective, obstacles are navigated, and a sense of community develops among those focused on common purpose.

Truly Care – A leader must truly care about the people he or she works with. We often overlook this, but it is the most critical of all. If as leaders we simply issue directives and guidelines and expect others to jump on the train, we have missed our primary responsibility as leaders. Our true calling is to inspire: to inspire trust, to inspire to the mission, and to inspire others to accomplish great things. If we are engaged in anything less, we are not walking as leaders. Leaders listen and act on behalf of their people. And because we are committed to our people, they will work through impossible scenarios and accomplish incredible things. Our people meet the expectations we set for them. If we expect mediocrity, this is what we receive. If we expect wonderful, this is what our people give us. It is a profound joy to be part of a team exceeding expectations and wowing us with their achievements. They accomplish impossible things because we believe they can. I have seen this over and over with situations that seemed unredeemable and completely undoable. Teams will accomplish what is not possible. Believe for the impossible and your people will accomplish the most amazing things.

I have shared about speaking truth, focusing on the mission, and caring for our people. In the end it is up to us as leaders to win the hearts of those we are charged to lead. We do this through our words and our actions. Talking with them and getting to know them. Not just how they are contributing to the current situation, but about them as individuals, their own interests and passions. When we intentionally invest in our people and share about things important to each of us, we are touching something deeper than just the current effort. We touch the heart. Here is where real leaders live. We demonstrate that the current struggles are only part of a much larger fabric of relationships that runs deeper than any current difficulty. In this atmosphere people will rise to any challenge and overcome it. And they do this because we have shown that we are committed to them and deeply care about them as people. We have won their hearts.

As leaders we must be authentic. We must speak truth, stay focused on the mission, and truly care about our people. This is how groups of people working together accomplish amazing, startling, wonderful things.

from Laughter Near the Edge of Heaven

Casually Discarded Extravagance

When we say that God is faithful, we are saying one of the deeply true things of this world. The next time we think of this or speak these words, we need to linger over the words and let them sink into our hearts as certain, healing balm. God honors His promises – without fail. God honors His Word – always. Today I read:

Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass. [Joshua 21:45]

It is from His faithfulness that I awoke today. And it is from His faithfulness that I run. Our lives are lived and our goals are pursued based in His faithfulness. There is hope.

I went out yesterday to run in Parque Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It was a sunny, beautiful Sunday. I began from my hotel just before 11am. After less than a mile of sidewalks I moved into the park. The temperature was 80.6F (27C), and I was loving the day. Lately I’ve been fighting a cold and fatigue, so I was curious to see how far I was good for. After a few circuits, I had rolled over eight miles, and figured by the time I made the return, I would have logged nine. OK, time to go back. This was a good decision. By the time I got back, I was totally flat-lined. Later from my Garmin, I saw that over my 9-mile run, I had ascended 2590 feet and descended 2196 in one hour, 54 minutes. Taking into account a little slope here and there, running in the park is pretty flat. So, I concluded that the up and down of my run occurred on my coming and going. This makes sense. From the hotel there is a little climbing and a whole lot of going downhill – kind of breezy, really. By contrast, getting back to the hotel is a little going down and a whole bunch of going uphill – not breezy, not at all, only focus and determination. I’m guessing that most of 2000 feet of climbing occurred in the final mile or two.

On my run, I was making an observation. As I would loop along through the trails and pathways, I’d pass many flowering shrubs and trees. This is not uncommon in this part of the world. With each shrub or tree in flower, there were a plethora of fallen blossoms on the ground around the base of the plant or tree. Without number they lay there, some still pulsing color even though trodden under foot by countless passersby. They seemed to me like a casually discarded extravagance from the One who has created them. Of course, as with all things in this world, there is nothing “casually discarded” with the Lord. Everything is purposed to His glory and praise. As I thought about this, they reminded me of giving flowers to my wife. There is a cost. And in this cost is the expression of an extravagance. Love makes me want to be extravagant. Sure, the flowers will fade and wilt. But the expression of my love is expressed through this extravagance. I think God is like this. He shows His extravagant love for us in many, many ways. Sometimes He discards a thousand, thousand colorful blossoms on the trails in Sao Paulo. And at another time He gave something of infinite, infinite value – His only Son. I love His extravagance, and I love His faithfulness as I run hard and run true. Did you see the scattered flowers, His casually discarded extravagance, back on the trail? Look again. God is raining down His glory just for you.