Shades of Leadership

Hands-On Leadership

I’m currently doing a home renovation.  It’s giving me a chance to observe leadership in the construction industry.  It’s really not all that different than leadership in any other professional job; the ingredients to success are mostly the same.  But one thing that has become even more evident to me by watching this is how important it is for a leader to be willing to roll up the shirt sleeves and get your hands dirty.

If you were to stop by my house during a construction day, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the owner of the company and the workmen.  That is, until you watch one of them turn around and talk with me about design plans and scheduling.  That’s because the owner is someone who works just as hard as anyone else – ripping out kitchen islands, pulling off drywall, scraping off grout from the floor.  It’s tremendously impressive….and makes me stop and wonder why more leaders don’t do this more often.

The value that comes out of the willingness to do the grunt work is tremendous.  Some of the benefits, listed below, can be applied to all industries:

• Develops respect from workers – when workers know that you understand what they do, you gain something invaluable.  It’s the reason why executives who “come up through the ranks” are so much more appreciated by their employees.  It’s not because it makes you smarter, but having had the experience of walking in their shoes just makes it easier to connect.  In sales we used to say that it was important to have “carried the #1 bag” which was our sales bag that contained customer files.  There is nothing that can replace that experience.

 

• Ensures high standards – by actually working the job, the owner of the company can ensure that the job is done right.  By working the job himself, he can make sure corners aren’t cut, the best materials are used, and that the craftsmen understand that no shortcuts are allowed.  Transferring this to other industries, you can see how a thorough understanding of the job contributes to quality.  If you’ve called on a customer, you understand the importance of service.  You also know the difficulties that result when someone on the front line decides to take a shortcut….because you’ve had the experience of dealing with the fallout!

 

• Builds credibility with the customer – when a boss rolls up his/her shirtsleeves, it shows the customer that the highest level of the organization cares.  Spending time on the job in the presence of the customer also provides a leader with direct feedback (positive and negative) about staff, the quality of work, and hints about how things can be improved.  In a highly competitive world, such a conversation can help a leader discover ways to differentiate a company from others competing for the same customers.

 

In all best-in-class organizations, those at the top make a point of “working close to the customer”.  Whether you’re an executive who schedules a few hours on the customer service phone line, a not-for-profit volunteer who spends time with the recipients of your organization’s services, or the superintendent of a school district who spends time in the schools, you are trying to do the same thing that the owner of my contractor’s company is doing.  You’re keeping in touch with what your business is about, and not waiting to hear from someone else about how it’s going.

I knew when I started this blog that I’d find examples of great leadership in all facets of life.  I haven’t had to look hard….and having my home torn up has certainly contributed to my resource of leadership stories!

 

 

 

 

 

Career Re-invention

When I entered the full-time work force back in 1982 there was a strong belief that a big part of “success” was measured by how many years a person stayed with one company.  Receiving the 25 or 30-year anniversary watch was considered an incredible symbol of accomplishment, and very few thought about leaving once you were “vested” in your benefits and pension plan.  Suffice it to say, the world is a different place today.  Few have the “luxury” of staying put for decades. Perhaps fewer still are feeling like they can continue to contribute year after year in the same environment. 

This is not to say that the days of a 30-year career are over.  Quite a few are still doing it, and working for that pension check and the level of comfort that so many want to enjoy.  But there are more and more people in today’s challenging economic environment finding ourselves looking at a mid-life career change.  A notable difference, however, is how we’re feeling about it.  Rather than playing the victim and saying we’re “unemployed”, today we refer to ourselves as “in transition”.  Call it spin or marketing, but the result is a much more positive and empowered response to something that we might not have counted on.  We aren’t writing ourselves off after one round in a career.  We’re choosing instead to take “personal leadership”, and think about how we can leverage our experience and our talents to contribute in a changing society!

Today’s “early retirees” are doing incredible things in their second careers; either out of necessity due to lay-offs and downsizing or because they chose to leave (as I did) to pursue some different things in life.  During my children’s early years I was a full-time executive, and I missed out on quite a bit of my family and my kids.  As my job scope and responsibilities increased, I was blessed to have a husband who was willing to stay home and provide the support that kids need at that early stage of childhood. When we moved to London I traveled internationally on a regular basis – sometimes being away from home up to 75% of the time.

When I made the decision in 2003 to walk away from my job, I gave myself time to think about what I really wanted to do.  Interviews with a number of large corporations made me feel like it was going to be Groundhog Day.  Rather than dedicating myself toward getting the same t-shirt in a different color, I embarked on a journey of self-discovery and active reflection. 

I asked myself some important questions: “What did I miss doing the most?”, “What did I want to keep doing?”, “What are the things that I’d regret the most if I didn’t do something different?”, and then finally, “What was preventing me from taking those steps toward a different path?”  The result led me to my current life that consists of the things I like to do most; continuing to participate in the corporate world by serving as an independent director on various corporate boards, spending time with my family (kids and parents), and dedicating some time to community not-for-profit service.  It feels great, and although I know I walked away from very comfortable trappings of my earlier career, I am now able to dedicate my time to things that I always wanted to do, and spend time with those who mean the most to me.  I look back on my prior career with a great deal of appreciation, though….because I know that i couldn’t have done “Phase II” without having gone through “Phase I”.

Good leaders learn to make the most out of the cards that are dealt.  Sometimes doors get slammed in our face.  Sometimes the paths we originally choose lead to a different place than where we wanted to go.  In all instances, leaders find new ways to learn, to stay challenged, and to continue impacting those around us.  Many  people I know are embarking on very successful second careers.  Some are teaching, some are writing.  Many are volunteering, or taking on roles of mentoring and coaching.  What strikes me is that quite often “second careers” revolve around imparting onto others rather than seeking personal achievement.  Perhaps that’s a part of the journey.