Leading Change with Purpose and Integrity
Posted on Sat, Jul 16, 2011
By Phil Aronson
One of my favorite men and mentors is John Wooden who not only happened to be a great leader, but a pretty good basketball coach as well.
Wooden was called the "Wizard of Westwood" in part because he won an unprecedented ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period. During this time he won seven in a row as head coach at UCLA. During this winning streak his team won a record 88 consecutive games.
He also was great as a player. He was the first player ever to be named a basketball All-American three times. He was named to the Hall of Fame as a player and a coach.
In answer to the questions posed by our Professional Services Group, I would like to align some of Wooden’s philosophical pillars with the approach I have attempted to take at ASG. Before I do so, let me anchor the fundamental value he based his pillars on: He believed there was no separation between your purpose as a human being and your work.
With that as our foundation, let us explore the questions I was asked and some questions that were not asked.
1. What does good communication between people look like in an organization?
The foundation of communication is the intentional discipline of listening and confirming your understanding of another person. We too often move so fast that we create gaps in our understanding; whether those are peers, clients, or groups of people connected to our success. One of the key traits of our most successful people is stating the objective of a meeting at the beginning in a way that can be measured, and identifying what is needed from each person in that meeting. Another key trait of our great team leaders is to identify and understand how each person on a team is measured and create a culture of mutual support to assist them in the achievement of those goals. Finally, with our clients and partners, we work hard at earning their trust, not by blindly reacting to their needs, but by taking the time to understand their needs, uncover the root causes of those needs, and advise them courageously, how to address them. Courage is when you do something you know will cost you: time or money or even the relationship – because every person and company deserves the truth supported by quality information.
2. How do you measure the success of the leaders within your company?
Wooden said: “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” The true measure of success is their ability to collaborate on a plan for success (preparation) by using quality research, and then have the discipline to follow through on the key performance objectives they have agreed to execute within that plan. This is also a key discipline in our methodology with our clients. Our best leads in our client engagement process spend a lot of time attempting to understand the value drivers of the business and how they intersect with the security plan. If we get that right, then we can address the core risk mitigation issues and opportunities to drive value in the business.
3. In what ways do you try to show people you value them?
What a great question! Perhaps one of the most difficult things to remember is that people need to be recognized for their hard work. One of Wooden’s key principles contained in his ‘Seven Point Creed’ was: “Help Others.” Another was: “Make friendship a fine art.” I am always challenging myself to look at the heart of our people, and find a way to feed that heart. We have some great leaders inside the company that go out of their way to honor people’s hearts. We have a monthly MVP award for outstanding service to our internal customers. We have a ‘Bradbury Award’ for outstanding service to our external customers. We have a quarterly company meeting where we acknowledge people who have demonstrated their commitment to the ASG Way and our methodology: The Path to Value. And, finally, we have those quality one-on-one moments where we look our people in the eye and sincerely thank them for their effort.
4. What is the most important key for future leaders as they develop people under them?
Wooden said: “Make each day your Masterpiece.” To do that, you have to care about your work, your purpose, and the people who have been given to you to lead. And then you must have the patience to nurture and grow yourself and strive for improvement each and every day. Our best leaders want to be the best and work hard to make that happen.
What other leadership techniques have you successfully implemented to help solve "The People Problem?" Keep watching our blog for the next installment of our series on solving business problems.