Leadership that is visionary

A visionary is defined as "a person with original ideas about what the future will or could be like or someone who thinks about and plans for the future with imagination or wisdom".  Having true leaders with vision is vital in the market today with technology rapidly advancing by the second, international competition expanding, and deregulation of markets ("revision, reduction, or elimination of laws and regulations that hinder free competition in supply of goods and services, thus allowing market forces to drive the economy").  Leaders are who advance change to compete effectively in the business environment of today and the future.  While leaders are constantly learning and assertively and strategically moving the company forward ahead of the competitive curve, management is vital in keeping the organization operating reliably and efficiently.  Managers are the nuts and bolts of the operation.  They plan, budget, handle staffing, problem solving, structure job definitions, and evaluate performance.  Successful management produces quality products that continue to increase profitability. 

Leaders, on the other hand, empower the company and produce useful change at an accelerated pace.  They set the direction for the company, motivate action in its management and employment at every level, and they put systems into place to "allow for growth, evolution, opportunities, and hazard avoidance".  The management is quintessential in applying and maintaining these systems as well as being innovative when the systems are continuously transforming to stay ahead of the competitive curve.  An extraordinary leader with a great vision for South Africa and humanity spent 27 years in jail thinking about his vision.  His name is Nelson Mandela.

 
Leadership and management need to work together on all levels of the organization.  This requires effective and efficient internal communication.  The leaders should be able to trust that the managers are going to excel in keeping the company running at maximum efficiency and maintaining optimum quality products.  The managers should be able to trust the vision and ability of its leaders to keep the company moving forward.  Both leaders and managers should always be knowledgeable and current on policies, procedures, guidelines, systems, and expectations.  From this point, employees on all levels can remain well informed.  The mission statement and goals need to be clarified during the hiring process.  Internal e newsletters and web casts can keep all employees informed and updated on the company, changes, new policies, promotions, awards, etc.  Also, having videos in the intranet from upper management can be an interesting way to keep all employees updated on what is going on in the organization.   Jerry Porras defines a built to last leader as someone who "focuses on building their organization across all dimensions.  This includes building the people, building, the culture, building the systems, and building the technology".  A great leader builds companies around their own brilliance, abilities, technical knowledge, ideas, and creativity.  When their leadership is gone the company tends to falter.  On the other hand, a built to last leader helps to build a strong organization with strong leadership across the board so their success stands the test of time.  Encourage being willing to communicate, be consistent with all forms of communication and create a feeling of inclusiveness up and down the organization, not just laterally.  We have to let our personal pride down sometimes and be proud of our team around us and enable them to shine as well.  This is part of leadership as well as management being credible and legitimate.

So how do we become a visionary leader?  We need "to lead people into the future by connecting with them deeply in the present, listen very closely to others, appreciate their hopes, and create a shared vision". (Kouzes and Posner)  We are persistent as much as we are inspired.  We set BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) as Porras calls them that stretch us, they are not attained easily, they take time to achieve, and these goals challenge and force us to change in order to achieve them.  Along the way we get to learn new things, new skills, new knowledge, and gain new experiences.  The first step is to clarify who we are and what we want.  We need to create our personal vision and purpose.  Establishing our core values sets the boundaries for our BHAGs on the journey to our purpose.  Then, we need to build an organization that is consistent with who we are and what we want.  Our core ideology will fit with our passion for change.  Two "built to last" companies that have remained visionary and continued to prosper are Motorola and General Electric.  They failed at different points but got right back up and improved each time because of outstanding leadership.  These leaders pursued their demanding goals relentlessly with the help of a talented team who have been equally committed and engaged.  We have charismatic leaders, such as Sam Walton, who powerfully articulate their vision, they are passionate, inspirational, unconventional, willing to incur great personal risks, are personally powerful, and highly motivated to lead.  We also have leaders who are soft-spoken, gentle, serious, humble, modest, thoughtful, a good listener (see previous blog about being an effective listener), shy, unobtrusive, and quiet.

The heart and soul of my blogs is that strategic communications and effective leadership begin from the inside out.  We need to know our "why", our purpose, our vision, and our core values.  Then, as a visionary leader, we don't "doubt for one moment the capacity of the people we are leading to realize whatever we are dreaming". (Benjamin Zander)  http://www.ted.com/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html While playing a Chopin piece and bringing meaning to it for even those who do not appreciate classical music, Zander explains that we can't think about every note along the way, but focus on the journey to achieve the vision and purpose of what we are doing.  It takes a team and realizing no one is "tone deaf".  "The conductor of an orchestra doesn't make a sound.  He depends for his power on his ability to make other people powerful".  

I love when I look at my children or my husband and their eyes are shining because they are excited about something, they feel important, they feel appreciated and loved, and/or they are proud of something.  After Benjamin Zander played the piece again with feeling and after challenging everyone to think of a loved one they have lost while listening, he went through the audience looking for the shining eyes who "got it"!  He said, "success is about how many shining eyes I have around me".  This is exactly what my passion is in my personal world as well as professionally.  As a leader I want to awaken all possibilities in my children, my husband, my family and friends as well as those I have the privilege of working with corporately as a professional.  If you are not a visionary leader, you have the amazing opportunity to find one, join their team, and be a part of a wonderful journey!  Happy sailing!

Being an everyday lollipop leader

We all have differing views of what true leadership is and what it entails.  Drew Dudley says "as long as we make leadership something bigger than us, beyond us, and about changing the world we give ourselves an excuse not to expect it every day from ourselves and from each other".  He also says, "we've made leadership about changing the world and there is no world, only six billion understandings of it.  If you change one person's understanding of it, what they are capable of, how much people care about them, one person's understanding of how powerful an agent of change they can be for this world, you change the whole thing".  

Do you consider yourself a leader?  The meaning of leadership is vast for each person.  The definition of leadership for me over the past thirteen years has been wrapped up mainly in the beautiful present of being a stay-at-home mom.  Stanley McChrystal, a retired United States Army General, said "leaders can let you fail but not let you be a failure".  This is a vital statement, especially when it comes to raising our kids.  I want them to love the Lord and hunger for His word, be responsible, intelligent and wise ("Who among you is wise?  Let him show by his good behavior." James 3:13), honest, a good citizen, honorable, respectable, attentive ("Hear and increase in learning." Proverbs 1:5), unselfish, kind and gracious ("Be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving." Ephesians 4:32), giving, compassionate, cooperative ("Look beyond your own interests and consider others." Philippians 2:4), strong, confident while humble, strong leaders, diligent to maintain a solid work ethic ("Whatever your task, work at it heartily." Colossians 3:23), ambitious, and obedient ("Obey for this is right." Ephesians 6:1).  The first question I have to ask myself is how well have I modeled this for them?  What is my "why" as a mom in this little organization of ours?  I want to give my boys enough freedom to fail and enough effective leadership alongside my husband to learn how to get up and be strong leaders for their own families one day, in their jobs, and in their personal worlds.  Drew Dudley also says "our kids can start to watch us start to value the impact we can have on each others' lives more than money, power, titles, and influence".


Dudley defines a lollipop moment as "a moment where someone said something or did something that made your life fundamentally better".
 You can hear about his story at
http://www.ted.com/talks/drew_dudley_everyday_leadership.html.  As leaders in any organization we need to begin setting the tone for effective communication by passing out lollipops.  This might be a good exercise to begin the next employee meeting.  McChrystal said, "relationships are the sinew which hold the force together".  It was vital in his experience in combat and as a highly qualified leader on many levels; it is necessary in the corporate atmosphere, as well as in the family.  Effective communication on every level serves as pieces to the puzzle.  On the corporate level, in the public sector, and in government communication internal and external communication practices are imperative for achieving organizational goals and for the organization to function more effectively.  Internally, the mission statement and goals need to be clarified during the hiring process.  Internal e newsletters and web casts can keep all employees informed and updated on the company, changes, new policies, promotions, awards, etc.  LG CNS has developed a version of Twitter called BizTweet that is a real-time public conversation in the company that is more informal and creative.  To control it becoming an electronic water cooler conversation, it uses employees' real names and photographs.  Also, having videos in the intranet from upper management can be an interesting way to keep all employees updated on what is going on in the organization.   Encourage being willing to communicate, be consistent with all forms of communication and create a feeling of inclusiveness up and down the organization, not just laterally.  In larger companies we can "develop advisory boards and task forces within each department within the company to foster communication among employees". (Parsons and Urbanski)  Leadership should set as a goal to be truthful, concise, and clear in our interactions to alleviate employee anxiety, reduced productivity, and resentment towards management.  As leaders we also need to include face-to-face evaluations and meetings instead of completely relying on internal social media.  We need to create lollipop moments within our organization.

Some forms of external communication that can be implemented are media releases, being a member of the Chamber of Commerce and advertising through their mediums, brochures, annual reports, networking groups, and facilitate ways the community can participate in company fundraisers and charity drives as well as volunteer opportunities.  Our public relations department needs to have solid, authentic relationships with external media sources including news stations, reporters, journalists, etc.  Parsons and Urbanski say we need to "create a strategy plan that identifies the company as a brand with goals and to position the company as a leading authority in the markets we serve".   We need to remain competitive and to also keep a relationship based on integrity with our competitors.  These things will create pride in the company's employees and a sense of stability and trust.

When we falter in our communication attempts, leaders need to remember that we "get knocked down and it hurts and leaves scars, but as a leader the people you have counted on will help you out and the people who count on you need you on your feet".  (McChrystal)  This two-way street comes from learning to be an effective listener (previous blog) as well as understanding generational differences (experiences, vocabulary, skill sets in terms of digital media) and being willing to listen, be transparent, and willing to be reverse-mentored.  We have to let our personal pride down sometimes and be proud of our team around us and enable them to shine as well.  This is part of a leader being credible and legitimate.  McChrystal also said "a leader isn't good because they're right.  They're good because they are willing to learn and to trust".

 A great example of successful internal and external communication is the crisis when Harvey Updyke poisoned the beautiful oak trees in Auburn's infamous and traditional Toomer's Corner.  What really caught my attention from the article by Susan E. Waters is the family atmosphere that both campuses created internally with the faculty, staff, and students as well as externally through full community involvement.  In addition to this "the rivalry between the two schools was long-standing, yet respectful, and in the usual way school rivalries unfold, it was enjoyed". p. 74  Both universities have even "announced a plan to plant sister trees on each university's campus to create a permanent and visible representation of mutual respect for the age-old rivalry between the two schools".  p. 80 Respect is a powerful word here. Auburn was respectful in promptly devising a plan to "deter its students and fans from retaliating and keeping the public informed of the trees' health and the plans for saving them". p. 73, 74  They did a stellar job ensuring that the information being released was correct and consistent.  They communicated continuously through their website with updates on the trees and other elements to the crisis.  The most important factor is they kept the tone optimistic and upbeat.  Agenda setting was powerful for Auburn because they were highly credible, they provided accurate information that was non-conflicting, and the various publics' needs for information and guidance were satiated.

Alabama was also extremely respectful of Auburn by being compassionate to what had happened to a tradition that was very important to them as well as immediately putting a plan into action to restore what was damaged.  The university informed the public that Updyke had never been a student nor a season ticket holder, they had no connection to him nor did they have any control over what he did, and they put a strategy into place to raise money to restore Toomer's Corner and plant more trees.  Alabama's use of the image restoration theory in this time of crisis was highly effective and handled well.  We now know the trees were unable to be saved and have been removed.  The restoration project that has been put into place is beautiful.

"We need to redefine leadership by how many lollipop moments we create, how many we acknowledge, how many we pay forward, and how many of them we say thank you for." Drew Dudley

 

A Virus Worth Catching: Social Media and PR

The word "virus" immediately stirs up negative connotations in our mind.  However, in the social media world it can be a very lucrative term when something we need quickly diffused like wildfire becomes viral.  Pamela Seiple states that "public relations is the practice of managing communication between a particular organization and its publics...whether with prospects, customers, media, investors, the government, or even internally with employees".  Being proactive in social media is vital to public relations on many different levels.  I discussed last week about having a strong "why" and building from the inside out and establishing a community.  Kevin Allocca with YouTube says "participation is how we become a part of the community and do something new with it.  We don't just enjoy it.  We participate."  Tom Dickson is a grandfather and the CEO of Blendtec.  His marketing director proposed an idea of making videos where they take various objects such as marbles, computer games, an iPod, etc. and test them in his blenders.  The campaign worked and became a virus that Mr. Dickson was more than happy to be a part of because his sales are seven times what they were three years ago.

Soumitra Dutta says that "today's leaders must embrace social media because they provide a low-cost platform on which to build your personal brand, they allow you to engage rapidly and simultaneously with peers, employees, customers, etc. and they give you an opportunity to learn from instant information and unvarnished feedback".  In public relations and as strategic communicators we need to be able to produce something that is unique and unexpected because that is what stands out and captures the attention of key people.  Of these key people is what Allocca describes as "tastemakers".  These are people that introduce us to new and interesting things and bring them to a larger audience and begin spreading the virus. This can be an employee that feels completely informed and appreciated in her company because of a company blog or a celebrity who enjoys a unique and interesting video on YouTube and decides to show it on his national show as Jimmy Kimmell did with the double rainbow video (now you want to run and see what I'm talking about, correct?).  A beautiful example of an idea going viral and producing something beautiful is Eric Whitacre's virtual choir.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7o7BrlbaDs

On the other hand, we need to be on top of what is going on in our social media world and have an open forum where our community feels welcome to make suggestions, comments, and offer insight.  These platforms "allow companies to collect information about their fans, gather rich insight, and encourage micro-communities and loyalty-driving conversations".  Organizations need to have a plan in place in case videos go viral that portray their company and/or staff members in a negative light.  One plan is to have trained and intelligent staff from all departments handling the comprehensive online communications for the company.  Having a strong internal corporate base as aforementioned provides a strong beginning point when dealing with criticism.  This also keeps turnover down by being aware of our potential new hires and their credibility and integrity.  How will they represent our company?

 Nestle is a good example of the wrong way to handle negative feedback.  In 2010 they were Greenpeace attacked them for getting palm oil from a company that was "illegally deforesting the rainforests of Indonesia".  Instead of being compassionate and effectively listening to the comments, they retaliated with sarcastic remarks and censoring critics and removing posts that furthered the outrage.  When the values of others are threatened, the effectiveness of our company "why" and its integrity are in jeopardy and the virus can become fatal.  In 2011, Southwest Airlines had a near disaster when the roof of one of the flights ripped open warranting an emergency landing.  Southwest was proactive with their Facebook page and allowed the conversation to take its natural course and responded honestly and kept the followers up-to-date on what they were doing to remedy the situation.  This served them well.

This is a picture of some of the Mom Time gals I talked about in my last blog posting.  We are not a corporation.  However, we strongly believe in what we do as moms and love that we have the virus and our community keeps growing.  If Jimmy Kimmel got hold of some of our videos he would have a heart attack!  Rocky Creek Baptist Mom Time put the F-U-N in fun.  We DO have a facebook page, we DO effectively listen to comments, suggestions, and raves, and we do appreciate the heart of each person we have the privilege of getting to know.  OOOOOOOOOOOO...the RCMT virus!  Come catch it and spread it as far as you can!  There is a Mom Time group waiting for you wherever you live! 

The heart of effective social media is "WHY"

I have to say the first two weeks in my "Leadership and Media Strategies" class have been extremely inspiring and challenging.  Learning how great leaders inspire action and how to effectively diffuse innovations (communicating a new idea, behavior, or object through certain channels over time among members of society) in our technological world today is inspiring.  I am being challenged in many new ways as to how I can implement these principles in my life now as a stay-at-home mom and graduate student and also thinking ahead in a year when I am back in the corporate world after a thirteen-year hiatus.  Needless to say, I am on a mental high right now.

This week we have been learning about what defines an opinion leader through social networking and what makes them so effective in influencing a person's decision to adopt an innovation.  The heart of this success is a person's "why" and not "what" it is they are doing.  Let me start simply with where I am today in my life.  My "why" of being home for the past thirteen years is my three boys.  I never thought I would be a stay-at-home mom.  However, when I brought my first baby home my new "why" was so strong I took a 70% pay cut, trained someone to take my place, and I have not looked back since.  As a disclaimer, I am NOT saying this is the path for every mom.  I do not consider myself a great leader;  however, I absolutely see where being an opinion leader and using the diffusion of innovation model with social networking even applies to the basic principles of my life now.

My social network immediately grew to include many other stay-at-home moms.  Just as with any other "job", I wanted to learn to be the best that I could.  This also entailed learning to make money by couponing and running a business from home and I wanted to help other moms learn how they could stay home if it was their heart's desire but also encourage the working moms.  By talking about what I believed and wanting to inspire other moms, my social networks began growing and we became teams to facilitate the "what" we were doing.  One of the most meaningful examples is my Mom Time group (previously MOPS-Mothers of Preschoolers).  We all had (1) knowledge that we wanted to be the best moms we could, (2) we began to persuade other moms by providing tools for them such as relevant speakers and much needed down time, (3) we each made a decision to adopt the principles being taught, (4) we began to implement them into our lives, and we (5) receive confirmation every day that even though we are imperfect and make mistakes that having this support network of moms and continually learning to be better works!  Through Facebook, Twitter, and word of mouth we are able to spread our "why" exponentially so that it impacts so many more lives than the core group.  Ours is just one Mom Time group.  It is actually a nationally recognized organization that has taken these concepts from the Diffusion of Innovation theory and successfully grown.

A famous person in history with a clear, strong "why" was Martin Luther King.   He died for his cause but his cause still stands and people are using social media to organize events around his cause that "until all the laws of man line up with the laws of a higher authority we cannot live in a just world."  If Martin Luther King had 250,000 people at his speech basically because of word of mouth and a few mass social avenues, can you imagine if there had been social media networks like we have today? 

Having the ability to use social media to be an opinion leader and allow people to jump on board for your cause can be a tremendous asset as well as an ignominious loss of respect, power, and purpose.  Simon Sinek said that "if you talk about what you believe you will attract those who believe what you believe". I recently stepped down from my position as a Unit Director for BeautiControl.  At one time I managed 186 women and it was a true joy.  Why?  Because our team started out with one person whose "why" was to stay home with my children and earn a nice income with complete flexibility and it grew into a network of women with similar reasons for being a part of the company.  Each time I recruited someone, we sat down to discuss their "why" and what their life needs were.  From there they had a focus.  High quality spa and beauty products were simply the "what" that we loved and enjoyed.  It wasn't the leadership or the products that kept us growing.  It was the reason we were each there and we created a tremendous support network.
Taking advantage of the capabilities of what social networking can do has been something I have taken seriously in being an opinion leader for my team.  Each time I post, add a link, quote someone, etc. I take into consideration its effect on a mass scale and in the future.  A part of social media's effectiveness as an opinion leader involves being realistic and honest to where people can relate to you.  Therefore, I also make light of my learning experiences in business and my personal life whether they impede moving forward or propel me to greater things. 

Although I will always be a mom and my family will always be my priority, I am quickly realizing I get to develop a new "why" as my journey is going to be taking me back into the corporate world.  Social media is going to be taking on a completely different role for me.  The advantage is its ability spread an idea exponentially through a population.  One of the disadvantages is the reliability of the opinion leaders and the accuracy of the information they are spreading.  I hope to successfully use the knowledge I am gaining to help grow the institution with which I am affiliated.  One great business example of the successful use of the Diffusion of Innovation theory and having a clear "why" is Starbucks.  Starbucks wants their clients to have "experiences online that translate into rich offline experiences".  In July 2008 it launched MyStarbucksIdea.com as a "forum for consumers to make suggestions and ask questions".  It has grown to 180,000 users and they have 5.7 million Facebook fans and 775,000 Twitter followers.  Chris Bruzzo, VP-brand content and online, is now "looking for ways that consumers can connect with each other from inside the iPhone apps" they have launched.  People have connected to and are following their "why" and the what of delicious products is simply a fringe benefit.

Social media in the traditional and social realms is important in cultivating a cause and having people trust your opinion and why you are doing something.  Whether to one person or the masses, word of mouth as well as Facebook has its place.  Sinek said "what you do serves as the proof of what you believe."  What is your "WHY"?