Tag: leadership effectiveness

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Art Can Teach Us to Lead, Part 3: Teamwork and Dale Chihuly

We can learn about innovative leadership from Dale Chihuly. We can also see important links between innovation and collaboration by exploring his approach to his art.

Chihuly’s current exhibition, Through the Looking Glass, at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston brings all this home.

I’ve been a Chihuly fan for twenty years, but this exhibit tops anything I’ve seen – and is a testament to how the artist has pushed the boundaries of his art and medium over his career. The Ikebana boat (below) was an Alice in Wonderland moment of pure pleasure and awe. It also spoke to the ongoing experimentation, learning from experience, passion for innovation, and teamwork at the core of Chihuly’s artistry.

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The story goes that Chihuly wanted to test the strength of some glass and see it in water. So he began throwing pieces over the side of a bridge and later asked some young men to retrieve them. The image of their boats filled with shapes and color gave birth to the Ikebana concept, now a staple in his exhibitions.

Equally inspiring are the videos shown in conjunction with the exhibit. Snippets are available online. Others and interviews with the artist can be found at the video screening room on Chihuly’s website.

Take a look. Watch Chihuly in action. Hear him and others talk about the innovative power of deep teamwork. Flora Mace, who began working with Chihuly in 1975 on the Blanket Cylinders (glass pieces of different size and shape inspired by native American baskets and weaving), explains the synergy this way: “When I work for Dale, I almost become him.”

The image of the solitary artist – the solitary leader – is forever shattered by Chihuly’s high-energy, high-engagement model of leader as visionary, director, catalyst, coach, choreographer, teacher, and partner. 

As Karen Chambers writes in Chihuly: Color, Glass, and Form:

“As director of the team, Chihuly makes the process a symbiotic relationship that draws on each individual’s expertise and energy. During a glassblowing session, the entire team is in sync, at one with Chihuly’s ideas and an integrated part of his creative process.

In creating the work, the team follows Chihuly’s instructions. He is like a choreographer who uses his dancers’ bodies to make tangible his ideas. Unlike teams in Europe, where production is the goal and each member has an assigned task, Chihuly’s team makes unique pieces and people exchange jobs. 

While a Chihuly team works together with apparent ease, the dynamic is complex. Chihuly acts much like a film director – creating the concept, initiating the action, and setting the scene – but the process requires something else, a special chemistry in which he works as catalyst. In this role, he manages a process in constant flux, harnessing the three key elements of fire, gravity, and spontaneity.

Chihuly is the catalyst that makes it all work. He brings together the best glass blowers according to their schedules and his needs, creates the most congenial ambience [through music, food, and setting], introduces a touch of glamour by moving the sessions from site to site and flying in his team, challenges the group with his ideas, and after an intense session of work, a few distinctively Chihuly pieces emerge.”

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The Arts Can Teach Us to Lead, Part 2: Poetry and Politics – They Go Hand and Hand

The late Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, was a master politician. Political skills for him were all about enjoying and connecting with people.

Every interaction, O’Neill noted in his autobiography,[1] is an opportunity to leave a positive impression, connect with another around common interests, show respect, and learn something about someone and what he or she holds dear so as to someday be able to meet that person’s need in exchange for his or her support in advancing a larger goal or agenda. Sounds like the work of every good leader to me.

O’Neill passed along a wealth of suggestions for how to make sure that happens: avoid bunk, remember names, don’t forget the people who got you where you are, keep speeches short, keep your word ("in politics, your word is everything"[2]) – and never get introduced to a crowd at a sporting event.

My favorite tip from Tip: memorize poetry and use it to elevate issues – and O’Neill was not the only successful political leader to appreciate the power and possibility of poetry.

Less than a month before his assassination, President John F. Kennedy spoke at Amherst College to honor the late poet Robert Frost. [3]  His assessment of the functional nature of poetry:  

“When power leads men towards arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses. For art establishes the basic human truth which must serve as the touchstone of our judgment.”

If classical poetry has never been your thing, try contemporary writers. I love National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winning poet, Mary Oliver for her clean and poignant observations on nature. Her “Wild Geese” tops my list.

Dana Jennings in the New York Times recently recommended the pleasure of catching a good poet midcareer and suggests five whose work would be “a bracing warm-weather antidote” to thriller novels and those ultra-light summer movies.

My beach reading this year is University of Texas professor-poet Dean Young’s “Fall Higher.”  High energy. Great use of language. Imaginative. Humorous. Irreverence wedded with deep respect for the complexity of contemporary life. Powerful exploration of relationships. To wet your appetite, Young’s commentary on risk taking and the book’s title: “hark, dumb [expletive], the error is not to fall/but to fall from no height.”      

[1] O’Neill, T. (with William Novak). (1997). Man of the house: The life and political memoirs of speaker Tip O’Neill. New York: Random House

[2] O’Neill, T. & Hymel, G. (1994). All politics is local: And other rules of the game. Holbrook, MA, p. 125.

[3] John F. Kennedy’s speech on October 26, 1963 can be read or heard at http://arts.endow.gov/about/Kennedy.html  I’m sure Kennedy would have not used the historical term “man” to represent the experiences of both men and women had he been writing in more contemporary times.

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Oprah Retires: May We All Go That Way

Oprah Winfrey retires with from her long-running daytime talk show today – and with plans for her next big challenge.  

After taping more than 5,000 episodes, she’s relieved to be moving on. In good Oprah fashion, however, she’s down-playing the pleasure out of respect for her show’s staff of 464 people (many of whom are now out of a job) and for the fans who adore her current venue.   

“I literally curb my enthusiasm for the end, because I realize that for the other people that are part of this experience, the end is a different experience than it is for me,” Oprah noted in a recent New York Times interview.[1]

Oprah is saying good-bye to a talk show, but not heading into the sunset or out of the industry. She’s moving to her next career phase: building her fledgling five month-old cable channel, OWN.

We can all learn something from Oprah about career self-management. She’s a self-made billionaire; a legend known to millions by her first name alone; a woman who understood the importance of creating and managing her own life, brand, and enterprise; and probably the most influential African American women in the United States.

Here are the lessons I’m taking from Oprah as she leaves network TV after 25 years.

Run your own race. No matter how good you are at something or how many people want you to continue doing what you do, when it’s no longer fun, have the courage to move on to something that is.

Be authentic. Oprah’s success has been attributed to her empathy, warmth, genuine curiosity, and humor. She morphed her talk show format over the years as it fit her interests and those of her evolving audience. She found ways to bring others along as she tackled tough issues that were deeply important to her, like racism, literacy, AIDs, women’s empowerment, sexual abuse, and more. Oprah wasn’t afraid to preach, confront, learn, or cry – and she transformed television and the lives of millions of viewers by some combination of all four.

Be smart, not beholding. Gender scholar Deborah Kolb has published widely on the topics of how poorly women negotiate for themselves and for the conditions to assure their success – and on what to do about that. Her book, Her Place at the Table: A Woman’s Guide to Negotiating Five Key Challenges to Leadership Success, is a classic. Oprah was a master at negotiating for her success. She understood the importance of artistic control – and wasn’t afraid to demand it at a time when women worried about losing media opportunities by rocking the boat (or gaining a few pounds).  

Believe in yourself – but stay grounded. Oprah demonstrated confidence in herself and her vision from the get go – even in the early days when she described herself as “just producing by the seat of my pantyhose.” [2] More important, she never let that confidence blind her to the work that needed to be done or what she still needed to learn. Star that she is, Oprah has always been a savvy business woman wed to the consummate student. That combination has served her well.

Take risks. Early ratings for Oprah’s OWN channel have been disappointing. What if she’s now lost the Midas touch? Undeterred, Oprah’s going to give it a try and give it her all. That’s all anyone can do.

Leave at the top of your game if you plan to continue in the sport. Oprah is a sensation on network TV. Her fans adore her. What a boost to spirit and creative juices to know that others love what you do – and want more.

[1] Brian Stelter (2011). Oprah Moves on to Her Next Best Life. New York Times. May 23, 2011, p. B1.

[2] Brian Stelter (2011). Oprah Moves on to Her Next Best Life. New York Times. May 23, 2011, p. B2.

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Leadership Lessons from Mom

Happy Mother’s Day! I’ve not thought much about the links between motherhood and leadership, but today gives good reason to.

People struggle to understand leadership and how to do it. Take a lesson from mom and a process you’ve known your whole life. You’ll see leadership in a whole new way.

Like good mothers, good leaders are those who . . .

  • Create – and with a leap of faith and the deep giving of self, give rise to that which did not exist before
  • Hold and protect until the newly born is able to stand alone
  • Exhibit qualities important for the development of others, such as affection, nurturance, and belief in human capacities to learn and change
  • Teach, encourage, and socialize to important values and norms
  • Reward accomplishments with increased freedom and responsibility
  • Balance respect for differences with equity and fairness to all
  • Convey they have a tiger in their tank so that they don’t need to let it out often (as in Don’t make me call your mother!)
  • Are open, accepting, and approachable but never a buddy
  • Earn respect for their actions over the long haul
  • Love what they do and those they work with.
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Top Ten List: Executive MBA Learnings about China Today

The China trip is over, and we’re home tired but transformed. You can’t study and travel in China and feel otherwise. The world never looks as big nor China as overwhelming again. 

China is an amazing country where you taste the pace of change and development – and it is both exhilarating and exhausting.  Anything is possible; but the efforts required to navigate the culture, infrastructure, and realities of the country’s transition daunting. Recognizing all this at the core of one’s being is the purpose of the Executive MBA residency and the power of experiential learning. Translating that into executive judgment and rules for informed action comes with time and reflection. Students have been journaling to facilitate the process. I’ve been doing my own.

Below, my Top Ten list of what I hope students experienced in China. There are important learnings  embedded in each for their careers, leadership effectiveness, and global citizenship. 

1. If they were energized by the pace of action, the palpable excitement of our distinguished speakers (Chinese and ex-pats), and the sense of infinite (and prosperous) possibility, they learned something important about China today.

2. If they were exhausted by the pace of the action; the daily multi-layer challenges business and life require; the amount of information – sometimes conflicting – and planning needed to inform simple actions; and how plans changed, speakers cancelled, substitutes came, and traffic and government policies altered schedules despite high levels of planning, they learned something important about China today.

3. If they felt confused and awkward in knowing what rules (cultural, social, political, economic, ethical, governmental) applied when, they learned something important about China today.

4. If they were frustrated by a slow, erratic internet in a well-wired nation where cell phones work in  subways, in deserts and on mountains, along the Great Wall, and in the highest of skyscrapers, they learned something important about China today.

5. If they were surprised that Shanghai could differ so markedly and in so many ways from Beijing and both cities from Tianjin and the country side (and how different a 5 star hotel in each could be), they learned something important about China today.

6. If they were surprised (or shocked) by differing industry standards, safety measures, pollution levels, and technologies, they learned something important about China today.

7. If they experienced the predilection for luxury brands and shopping as the national pastime among China’s rapidly rising affluent — and were intrigued by their own feelings of winning through their wiles in the shops and markets, they learned something important about China today.

8. If they saw a blind eye turned so as to turn a profit, they learned something important about China today.

9. If they heard every speaker – whatever their assigned topic – touch on the importance of talent development and new HR policies to attract, retrain, and train China’s young, eager, and mobile workforce, they learned something important about China today. 

10. If they felt they learned a lot about China through this residency, but now feel how little they really know about this rising economic and political giant, they learned something important about China today,  about the demands of global leadership, and about the role of lifelong learning for leadership effectiveness.

BONUS:  The Bloch Executive MBA on a company visit to Lights Medical Manufacture Co., Ltd. in Tianjin pictured with the company’s founders, Dr. Li Shaobo and Ms. Wang Jinping, and senior leadership. (Photo compliments of Lights Medical.) 

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Long Marriages and Good Leadership: A Toast to Respect, Openness, and a Good Sense of Humor

Today’s my 30th wedding anniversary, and it feels appropriate to toast the day by musing about the similarities between a good marriage and good leadership.

Learning about both has been a work in progress for me; and the wisdom in a short article on wedding toasts in a local magazine, The Hills, caught my eye as relevant to the task.

So with a tip of the hat to its author, clinical psychologist Michael Seabaugh – and apologies if my applications, interpretations, and edits push beyond his intent – I share a few of his toasts.

They’re intended to keep a marriage on track, but they’ll also work to sustain the strong interpersonal bonds at the heart of good leadership. Leadership is, after all, the product of a relationship between leader and follower that is based on shared commitment, mutual respect, openness to learning, and passion for a common goal.  Sounds a lot like a good marriage to me!

May you find delight and growth in constant conversation. We learn about others when we talk openly and regularly with them – and about how they are growing and changing.  It’s especially important to continue the dialogue when we’re hurt, angry, busy, or sure we know it all – the very times we are most apt to pull back.

May you always know the supreme value of paying attention and paying respect. All relationships require tending. We respect others when we give them our time.

May you always listen. Making assumptions about others is human nature, but any couples counselor knows it is also one of the biggest spoilers of a good marriage. Seabaugh has a favorite quote from George Bernard Shaw on this: “Do NOT do unto others as you would that they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same.”

May you always remember that your individual problems will always be your collective problem. This is a basic truth in teamwork and a tenet in systems theory. Heed the advice to refrain from telling your partner “That’s your problem.”

May you never forget that curiosity is always better than defensiveness. Ask for an explanation and listen. You may learn something important about the situation, your partner, and yourself. Let me tell you, it’s not easy but it’s a skill worth developing.

May you always have the good sense to find interesting what your partner finds interesting. An open mind and a willingness to experiment have the added benefit of expanding your world.

May you always remember the value of laughing at each other’s jokes, of maintaining a sense of humor about your own and your mate’s foibles, and of finding shared laughter in your observations of the world. Wear life loosely and cultivate a strong sense of humor. Both will serve you well in love and in work.

Happy anniversary, Lee!

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Responsible Service: Key Learning from the Current World Crises

News from Japan grows darker by the hour, and happenings in the Middle East and Northern Africa tell no better story.

All raise questions about the meaning of real leadership, the trust and transparency that must be part of all healthy leader-follower relationships, and the importance for leaders to accept their responsibility to serve the larger good before they serve themselves.

It is tempting when title or influence dub us the leader to think that the job is all about us: what we want, what we can do, what we want others to do. That couldn’t be further from the truth. A leader’s work is to put ego and self aside so as to facilitate the power and possibility of shared commitment, shared vision, and creative solutions to nagging problems that are better than any a leader or a follower working alone could devise.

That’s the magic at the heart of leadership. Two (or more) heads are always better than one.

When leaders serve for personal gain, when they deny others the honest information or influence they need, when leaders act to preserve their power and pockets, when they make decisions to guard their reputations or ego at the expense of others, they are far outside the leadership realm.

Let’s not forget that truth. We see it so clearly today in Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, and other Middle Eastern hotspots. And when we look closely at the crisis in Japan, there are plenty of questions about the lack of transparency and about how and why decisions are being made (or haven’t been made thus far).     

It’s easier to judge when we stand as critics, viewing crisis or deadly conflicts from afar and evaluating the choices and ethics of the leaders involved. But what about how we enact our own everyday leadership?

How will we remember that leadership is all about responsible service?  If we do, we’ll avert our own crises – and deny our critics the pleasure of all those negatives judgments from afar.

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Top Ten Trends that Leaders Need to Know: Planning for a Complex Future

In my last post, I suggested we can all become more creative and flexible leaders by anticipating and planning for an increasingly complex future.

I took my own advice and looked ahead five years, identifying major changes that will impact leaders  across sectors and industries. My top ten (in no particular order):

  1. 1.  The mainstreaming of green globally. We’re all getting smarter about what we are doing to ourselves and the planet.
  1. 2. Unprecedented consumer empowerment. Everyone is a potential global critic who can generate a groundswell with a few strategic clicks and posts.
  1. 3. Increases in mobile technology development and use. Apps and more apps. E-book readers. Smart phones. I-pads. Notebooks. We’ve only just begun.
  1. 4. A rise in social media outlets and use. Young people are constant users. Professionals are Linked In. Baby boomers (and everyone from my old hometown, it seems) adores Facebook. Wait until the boomers retire. There’ll be no stopping their capacities to befriend – and they’ll join their children and grandchildren in wanting more.
  1. 5. The decentralization of power. The Middle East and Northern Africa offer important national illustrations – and they are not the first nor the last. Ordinary citizens armed with a desire for freedom and justice, cell phones, and access to the internet generated twitter revolutions that dethroned entrenched power (Egypt, Tunisia), put nervous leaders on alert (Jordan, Saudi Arabia), and made scared despots sink to the lowest levels (Libya). Organizational hierarchies, look out.
  1. 6. A rise in entrepreneurship. Kauffman Foundation research found new business startups at record levels in 2009 and remaining there today with an average of 565,000 new businesses formed every month in the U.S. The trend involves men and women, older and young, urban and rural, domestic and global, large and small enterprises. New competition is right around the corner.
  1. 7. The empowerment of women. Women are the majority in U.S. colleges, universities, graduate, and professional programs – and that trend grows worldwide. They are securing a voice and a vote in places where that has not always been the case. They are creative entrepreneurs with a responsible heart, as micro-financing stats demonstrate. They live – and shop – their values.
  1. 8. A new career ethic. Gen X and Y want advancement, learning, and challenge – and will jump ship to get it. Second career folks seek opportunities for contribution and significance. Women look for balance. We’d all better be looking at new ways to retain and train a productive workforce.
  1. 9. Shared knowledge and collaborative markets. Open sourcing is no longer only for hipsters and geeks, and crowdsourcing is a viable business model taught at Harvard and MIT. Younger generations like to connect and share all with the world: they’ll want to do business that way, too.
  1. 10. The growth in online retail. The stats are rising. Options are multiplying. Even the fearful are dipping a toe in the water. I just bought a travel blazer for my China trip while writing this post! 
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In the Age of Uncertainty: Creativity Trumps Traditional Leadership Talents

IBM recently interviewed senior executives about their work, talking with more than 6,600 in 75 countries across 60 industries for the company’s newly-released C-Suite Studies research series. Three findings are of particular note:

  • 80% of the CEOs saw their world becoming increasingly complex
  • 51% of those in the C-Suite – CEOs, CFOs, CIOs – felt unprepared for the rising uncertainty
  • 60% of those interviewed identified creativity as the most important leadership trait for top leaders over the next five year, trumping traditional managerial skills like influence, global thinking, and integrity.

What did creativity mean to the executives interviewed? It translated into traits and talents like “operational dexterity,” speed in understanding and taking action, a willingness to experiment, the capacity to create flexible and responsive organizations, resourcefulness, innovative outreach and customer service, imaginative problem solving, and more. Are you ready for the challenge?

You can enhance your leadership creativity with some diagnosis and scenario building: get a handle on your possible futures and anticipate how your organization (and your competitors) might get ahead of the crowd. Here are five key questions to launch the process:

  1. 1. What are the major challenges or changes you see coming down the pike in the next five years for your organization? For your industry? In your key markets?
  1. 2.  How do you anticipate your competitors will respond?
  1. 3.  What could your organization do to respond more effectively?
  1. 4.  How easy would that be given your organization’s history and current culture?
  1. 5.  What can you do to help your organization turn the potential threat of change into a positive business opportunity?

Play out different ways that your organization could respond and how you might facilitate that and see what the consequences of each strategy might be. It’s easier to manage uncertainty and make good executive judgments when you’re feeling confident that you’ve already thought deeply about your options.

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Leading Up: Managing the Bosses

Leadership is often equated to managing those who report to you – or influencing others predisposed to follow because of your title or position. But savvy leaders understand that leading up is as important as anything else they do. Their capacity to make a difference depends on support and mandates from those above.

Wise leaders, therefore, attend carefully to relationships with more powerful players, pursuing goals of partnership, open communication, and credibility. How well developed are your skills and strategies in doing that?  Here are five guidelines[1] to get you started:

1. Look within. What’s your motivation? Set out to wow folks at the top or push your own agenda and you’re on the road to disaster. Leading up is all about partnerships and reciprocity: you deliver for your boss, and your boss is likely to do the same for you.

2. Build credibility. It has two, equally important components: expertise and trustworthiness. You can have solid business acumen, but if people don’t believe in you, they’ll ignore your message. Credibility comes from consistently demonstrating integrity and reliability in achieving or exceeding your goals.

3. Speak up. A common reaction to authority is overdependence – responding to those above you in a fearful or overly-compliant manner. Bosses are not infallible or well served by anyone who hesitates to tell the truth about potential fallout from their judgments and decisions. An important test of leadership capacity is the willingness to speak truth to power. Are you willing and able to do that?

4. Give solutions, not problems. Make your boss’s job easier and use her time judiciously. Arrive with well-researched solutions. When you say "Here’s what I see, what I’ve done, and what I’ve learned. Here’s my plan. What do you think?", you keep the boss in the loop without putting more problems on her plate.

5. Avoid surprises. Never let your boss be blindsided!  Partnerships take time to develop, but they can unravel quickly. And it goes without saying, but is important enough that it can never be said too often: all your choices should be clear, clean, and ethical.

[1] See Lee G. Bolman and Joan V. Gallos (2011). Reframing Academic Leadership (Chapter 11). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass for more details and additional suggestions.