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