We continue our series of stories about global leaders who embody The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® of The Leadership Challenge®.
This week: Christine Lagarde
In general, I try to avoid getting into discussions involving gender differences and biases. Occasionally, however, I find an example of a leader who stands out not only because she is powerful, but because she is a powerful woman.
In a previous article on Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, I mentioned the current and first female president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff. This week, I'm taking a closer look at a woman who is exemplary in her field and speaks to the empowerment of women everywhere.
Christine Lagarde, the current head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), recently listed as the ninth most powerful woman by Forbes—the third year running she’s made the list—is a clear example of how to Model the Way for women.
Lagarde was born and raised in Paris. In high school, she was awarded a scholarship to the Holton-Arms School, a girls' school in Bethesda, Maryland. She attended university in Paris, but when she graduated with a masters degree in political science, she found that none of the law offices in Paris believed she could ever make partner in their firms. When she asked why, the response was “Because you’re a woman.”
In the U.S., Lagarde had an interview with Baker & McKenzie and met one of the female partners. This was her inspiration to embark on a career as a corporate lawyer in America, becoming a partner herself in 1987. Early on, she was a strong, global leader, travelling often between Chicago and Paris, even with two young children at home. But it wasn't until the last few years—having been interviewed on NPR, appeared on Comedy Central’s Daily Show, and profiled in Forbes—that LaGarde has become a stand out model for young women looking to get ahead in the world.
What I find most admirable is how she handled the power she wielded in an industry whose population is predominantly male. Lagarde has been cautious, courageous, understanding and unwilling to play the gender card.
I see her as a role model, affirming ideals of women trying to get somewhere in what too often feels like a man’s world. Though I may not always agree with her economic policies, I respect the way she carries herself both as a leader of the IMF and as an example of a courageous and confident woman working in a powerful capacity at the global level.
Most of us can think of a woman in a leadership role who embodies The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership®. Who is that person in your life and what are the qualities you admire? We'd like to hear from you.
Sources:
Forbes Profile, NPR - New IMF Leader, Daily Show Interview
Christine Lagarde:
http://www.fotopedia.com/items/picasaweb-5278292528642101618
Recently, I participated in a Chief Learning Officers Breakfast Club meeting in San Francisco. The discussion, led by some of the best and brightest in the Learning Industry and Silicon Valley, was lively and inspiring. What struck me most was hearing their views on how Learning and Development (L & D) is shifting to new ideas and opportunities and especially on how L & D professionals can be the process managers and enablers.
One example of this came from Stuart Crabb, Head of L & D with Facebook, who talked about their approach to the younger generations. First of all, 70% of Facebook employees were born post-1979. Their Millennials and Generation Xers expect and demand collaboration and feedback like never before. Secondly, experts on the generations tell us that Millennials in particular are a generation in search of mentors, they respond well to coaching, and they prefer working in teams with a generational mix. So, Facebook launched what they call “coaching circles.” According to Crabb, these circles have been successful in teaching employees how to have coaching conversations, and seeing the results has been heartening.
I suspect this is true because of the impact coaching has on enabling others to act, one of The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® identified by Kouzes and Posner in The Leadership Challenge. Leaders who coach help others learn how to use their talents and skills, thus increasing their confidence. Furthermore, according to Kouzes and Posner, when leaders coach they not only educate, they “share power with others,” thus “demonstrating profound trust in and respect for others’ abilities.” When Learning and Development professionals facilitate collaboration and coaching opportunities within their organizations, they strengthen others, one of the two leadership commitments that enable others to act.
Facebook currently has 30 active coaching circles—successfully evangelized by past grads of the coaching circles. Interestingly, even Mark Zuckerberg got coaching from a 20-year-old, thus giving “wise elders” a whole new meaning within their workforce.
I couldn’t help thinking that ever since men (or women) did cave drawings there has been a need to curate stories and find ways to harness the sense of community (collaborate) through learning. And, as we—all learning professionals—departed, we did so with a heightened sense of how important it is to inspire a learning culture and to be those curators, inspirers and enablers.
How will you enable others to act in 2012? We welcome your thoughts.
With all the talk about the top drivers of employee engagement, how to get commitment from your team, and the "quit and stayed" phenomenon, I'm curious to see how a commitment to kindness, compassion, and quality of good work rates on the engagement-meter.
A small non-profit in NYC, Life Vest, has the simple goal to encourage the spreading of happiness through small acts of kindness. Through the relatively simple mechanism of an online video, they have creatively lived their values. Their philosophy is to bring awareness that: "individuals can effect real and positive change in the people around them, simply by 'living kindness'".
This video underscores how these small acts have impact and resonance. In The Leadership Challenge Workshop, we often show videos that help to underscore The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership - in this case, I immediately thought of "Encouraging the Heart" - simply because it made my heart feel good to watch it.
Once I dried the little tear in my eye, I thought that it really was more of an example of Inspiring a Shared Vision - something that helps constituents "Envision the Future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities", or by "Enlisting Others in a Common Vision, by appealing to shared aspirations."
When we speak of the "commitments," above, its really important to look at the actual behaviors of what constitutes those commitments. In this case, I really think this video exemplifies painting a "big picture" of group aspirations", and "appealing to others to share a dream of the future", - which is what leaders behaviorally do when they want to enlist buy-in and support, and to show vision and leadership. Please enjoy the video!
At Sonoma Leadership Systems, our vision is "A well-led world, one leader at a time." Over 25 years of ongoing research, with data from over 3 million individuals makes The Leadership Challenge® the most trusted name in developing leaders. For more information on this leadership development model, click below.
I recently attended a lecture by one of my favorite authors, Thomas Friedman. He is an incredibly gifted speaker and story teller, and I was under his spell from start to finish. His newest book, “That Used to Be Us” is a fact filled book about how America is slowly sliding into decline and how we have lost our ability to act collectively.
He summarizes it best: “The merger of globalization and the IT revolution that coincided with the transition from the twentieth to the twenty-first century is changing everything—every job, every industry, every service, every hierarchical institution.” He provides good advice on both the global level and for individuals. He suggests we:
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Think like an immigrant—work hard, look for the opportunities.
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Act like an artisan—like the artisans of old, be proud of putting your name on your work.
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Be like the waitress at Perkins Pancake House—give extra fruit. (His favorite waitress would give him a little extra on his plate. It wasn't much, but it was something that she was able to provide from within her realm of influence that really made a difference to customers).
I shared Mr. Friedman’s insights in a recent Sonoma Leadership Systems team meeting and the "extra fruit" really resonated with the group. We asked ourselves as leaders, what is the "extra fruit" we can offer our constituents? Consensus was, it’s the small things we can do like saying “thank you,” and “Encouraging the Heart.”
If we are thinking like immigrants, we can ask "Am I experimenting and taking risks?” And if we are working like artisans, "Are we modeling the way? Are we developing apprentices and enabling others to act?”
Now it's time for you to ask the question: What impact has globalization and the IT revolution had on the way we do business? Then, listen carefully to the answers.
As leaders, we can reverse the decline and start acting collectively. When we do, what a difference we can make in ourselves, communities, organizations, and nation.
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Over 25 years of ongoing research, with data from over 3 million individuals makes The Leadership Challenge® the most trusted name in developing leaders. For more information on this leadership development model, click below.
Image shared under creative commons license.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/haynes/13790199/
Leadership development is the top priority for L&D teams over the next 12 months according to a new survey from Video Arts, in the UK.
417 learning and development professionals were asked about the training they plan to provide over the next year.
61% of respondents identified Leadership Development as something they intend to provide.
Other key priorities for learning revealed by the survey are people management, coaching, teamwork, customer service, time management, and change management, how it is delivered and their plans for the future. The survey also highlighted that classroom learning will continue to be the most popular form of training delivery: Classroom training, used by 90% of organizations, remains the most popular form of delivery.
The survey also revealed that 79% of learning and development teams use video as part of classroom-based training courses; 50% provide short pieces of bite-sized learning; and mobile learning is a small, but growing component of training.
“Although the take-up is still relatively small, mobile learning is the fastest growing medium for training,” said Martin Addison, CEO of Video Arts. “This reflects the interest in learning on-the-move, using hand-held devices such as smartphones and tablets. L&D teams are predominantly using m-learning to reinforce the messages from classroom training or e-learning.” (Source, PRLOG)
With economic challenges continuing, but optimistic increases in leadership development training being projected, this study underscores that leadership development is and will be a priority in the future.
What are your 2012 training priorities? Is leadership development at the top of your list?
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Over 25 years of ongoing research, with data from over 3 million individuals makes The Leadership Challenge® the most trusted name in developing leaders. For more information on our open-enrollment, in-company, or e-learning solutions, click below.
Global Leadership Series, Issue 1 | Issue 2 | Issue 3
Continuation of our series on global leaders who embody
"The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership"
This Week: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
On the first day of 2011, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (Lula) ended his second term as president of Brazil with an 80% approval rating. Before being elected in 2002, he ran for president and lost on three separate occasions, but in the last few years, Lula has been recognized as one of the strongest examples of impactful leadership and perseverance.
Born into poverty, Lula dropped out of elementary school to help support his family. He worked on the streets as a shoe shiner and street vendor and in factories. In an accident at work at age 19, he lost the little finger on his left hand and had to run from hospital to hospital before finding one that would treat him. This experience increased his interest in unions and in 1975, he was elected president of the Steel Workers' Union of São Bernardo do Campo and Diadema.
The first time Lula ran for president was the first time Brazil held public elections in decades. Despite the global economy floundering, Lula kept Brazil afloat, even helping it become one of the strongest economies in the world, and he poured billions into decreasing poverty. He started a program, “la Bolsa Família, a monthly cash transfer to low income mothers able to prove “that they are sending their children to school and getting their health checked.” (See the detailed and insightful essay by Perry Anderson from London Review of Books, March, 2011). The program has helped to pull millions of families out of extreme poverty and elevate them to Brazil’s middle class.
When he was president, Lula was truly a model of inspiring a shared vision—a vision of equality and strength, a vision of Brazil. Throughout his political career, he fought for democracy and equality, but what is most inspiring about Lula is that he never forgot where he came from. Looking back at his roots, he had a clear vision of Brazil even beyond his own presidency.
The current president of Brazil and the first female president in Brazil’s history, Dilma Rousseff, won in a landslide similar to Lula's when he won his second term. Her campaign emphasised that a vote for Rousseff was a vote for Lula. His vision is his legacy, and it carries on with his successor. Now that’s powerful!
“The Point is simply this: to become a leader you must be able to envision the future. The speed of change doesn’t alter this fundamental truth about leadership. People only want to follow those who can see beyond today’s problems and visualize a brighter tomorrow”
—The Leadership Challenge 4th edition, p. 125, "Envision the Future"
We are compiling inspiring leadership examples that will help make our leadership development training, The Leadership Challenge Workshop, resonate with a global audience. We welcome feedback, insight, and examples from our readers.
Image shared under Creative Commons License—
http://www.flickr.com/photos/valeriobr/4370760855/
Global Leadership Series, Issue 1 | Issue 2 | Issue 3
We continue our series on global leaders who embody "The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership", of The Leadership Challenge:
This Week: Mark Carney
The world of finance is an ever changing one. From one day to the next, it’s hard for the untrained eye to detect whether a crisis has been averted or needs to be dealt with. In any case, the world has been in a financial panic for the majority of my adult life. Entering this market as a recent college graduate, I am tempted to join in the panic and give in to the resounding fear. However, I see a glimmer of hope, a leader unfettered by the perpetuation of global financial chaos.
Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of Canada, has been nothing if not level-headed throughout this global recession. He was able to keep Canada’s economy strong enough to avoid the worst impacts of the recession using both caution and confidence. Though I’m not well versed in the details of how Carney was able to achieve this (I am no economist and will not pretend to understand the intricacies of how adjusting interest rates and inflation affects the individual), it is clear to me that with his broad experience in the market and his level-headed decision making, he was able to assist Canada in the recent years of crises enough to keep it one of the strongest economies in the industrialized world.
Before becoming the Governor of the Bank of Canada in 2008, Carney worked with Goldman Sachs in London, Tokyo, New York and Toronto for 13 years. He has degrees in economics from Harvard and a masters and doctorate from Oxford. He is a devoted father, apparently even coaching his daughter at soccer.
There was a fantastic interview with Carney for Reuters just over a year ago (see video here). In the interview, Carney is confident, yet he admits to short-comings with a level of genuine humility that is utterly refreshing in politics. No, he can’t say precisely what the future will bring, but he will do what he can with the skills he has. Truly, Mark Carney is an inspiration, exemplifying strong leadership in tough times with a clear vision for the future and confidence in the process.
We are compiling inspiring leadership examples that will help make our leadership development training, The Leadership Challenge Workshop, resonate with a global audience. We welcome feedback, insight, and examples from our readers.
Image shared under creative commons license.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldeconomicforum/5393267553/
“It is a terrible thing to see and to have no vision”. Helen Keller
We know that as leaders, our constituents expect us to lead with vision. The importance of this is obvious, but it can be hard to do.
Helen Keller had it right, it really is a terrible thing to see and have no vision, both in life and in a leadership role. What if you have a vague idea of what the future may bring, but you, as a leader, are more interested in getting results this quarter? Isn’t that what we work for? I recently heard Ram Charan speak and he admitted it is difficult to have leaders share their visions when we are driven by results: “People get paid for results not vision”.
So what do we do? I think sometimes we just get caught up on the word “vision”.
In the leadership program, The Leadership Challenge, - The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership, we aspire to “Inspire a Shared Vision” - a tall order for leaders who are confronted with a turbulent economy, employee discontent - or just apathy.
Its easy to get caught up in the “Inspire” and “shared” aspects of vision when you think about it as somehow outside of yourself. Yet we know that time and time again, inspired leadership comes from the inside out. A surprising tool that we learn from The Leadership Challenge is that in aiming for the future, you need to look back into your past.
This is more than pure conjecture: reflecting on the past makes your vision of the future clearer. Sometimes known as “the Janus Effect,” its the concept of leading with awareness of where you’re coming from, and being aware of patterns in your life, making room for a more refined vision, one that is easier to convey to others and follow through on.
This “Janus Effect” was observed in chief executive officers who were asked to both look into their future, and into their personal pasts - and to list out ten events and dates that had happened, or that they anticipated happening to them. Surprisingly, those who were asked to list their past events first, had a longer future time horizon than the executives that listed their future events first. (The Leadership Challenge, 4th edition, p 107.)
The suggestion here is that our understanding of the future is elongated when we first look into our past. How do we carry this into our daily leadership practices? Reflecting and moving forward are essential aspects to leadership; sharing that experience, recalling collective efforts and successes makes visions of the future stronger and feel more attainable. Perhaps a first step to looking at vision for yourself as a leader, or for your organization, is looking to what led you to where you are today.
Over 25 years of ongoing research, with data from over 3 million individuals makes The Leadership Challenge® the most trusted name in developing leaders.
Global Leadership Series, Issue 1 | Issue 2 | Issue 3
Read our series on global leaders who embody "The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership", of The Leadership Challenge.
This week: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
The story reads like a heroic tale. A powerful figure is locked away, a defender of humanity denied access to her people. And yet, her well-wishers fought tirelessly to see her freed.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, defender of freedom in Burma and Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1991, turned 66 last month, just 7 months after being released from house-arrest. She spent 15 of the last 21 years imprisoned but remarkably, over and over again she said that she felt no fear.
Somehow, I’d only heard rumor of Dr. Suu Kyi—until two days ago. Born in Rangoon in 1947, daughter to the founder of the Burmese army, Aung San, who was assassinated the same year she was born, Suu Kyi was raised by her mother. She went to school in India and England, achieving a degree in philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford. She worked for the UN in New York for three years before marrying Dr. Michael Aris, having her two children and raising them in England, where she got her PhD at the University of London. She returned to Burma to help her ailing mother where she was soon put under house arrest for her actions towards achieving democracy.
After spending hours combing through article after article, video after video, I find myself completely enamoured of Aung San Suu Kyi. I see Dr. Suu Kyi as a beacon of hope and a symbol of freedom. In her oft quoted speech from 1990, “Freedom from Fear”, Dr. Suu Kyi states her belief that “Fearlessness may be a gift, but perhaps more precious is the courage acquired through endeavour, courage that comes from cultivating the habit of refusing to let fear dictate one's actions, courage that could be described as 'grace under pressure'—grace which is renewed repeatedly in the face of harsh, unremitting pressure.”
Aung San Suu Kyi embodies leadership and courage. She has been recognized the world over as a leader in non-violent heroism, activism, and in efforts defending human rights. More than anything, I am proud to [finally] know that such an incredible example of human dignity endures today. I hope more leaders and individuals can live up to the standards of grace and courage that Aung San Suu Kyi has symbolized and embodied for decades.
“A leader's dynamic does not come from special powers. It comes from a strong belief in a purpose and a willingness to express that conviction.” Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, The Leadership Challenge.
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We are compiling inspiring leadership examples that will help make our leadership development training, The Leadership Challenge Workshop, resonate with a global audience. We welcome feedback, insight, and examples from our readers.
photo courtesy of http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk via creative commons license.
A robust leadership pipeline is essential to any organization’s long-term competitiveness. The challenge is to sufficiently prepare your workforce to become the leaders they are capable of being.
Leadership development is key for tapping into underutilized leadership potential. When implemented correctly, leadership training can transform individual leaders and organizations. In my 20 of experience implementing key leadership initiatives—using primarily The Leadership Challenge®—I have discovered four best practices I’d like to share with you and invite your thoughts.
1) Gain agreement and sponsorship
It is essential to get agreement on goals and outcomes of programs as well as general parameters, such as time away from work and cost of program. It’s not easy or even essential to get consensus on specific content pieces. It’s critical to consult with executives early on, gain their sponsorship, and plan for high-level, visible support. It’s also a good idea to form an Advisory Board for guidance throughout the process. Be sure to include executives, program participants, and training providers.
2) Develop a process and set goals
Ask these questions. . . .What does success look like? What processes are in place to ensure that development activities (workshop, coaching, etc.) are relevant? How is it integrated into other initiatives? Is there a Development Action Plan in place? To measure progress against goals and feedback instruments such as The Leadership Practices Inventory® (LPI) are excellent tools. Aggregating the data from leaders’ reports provides an organization metrics to not only measure progress in terms of increasing frequency, but to see how leaders measure up to normative data—how frequently leaders are engaging in The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership®.
3) Pay attention to pre- and post-work
Prepare leaders for the learning event. Build in assessments, one-on-one conversations, and webinars to assure their engagement at the workshop. Afterwards provide opportunities for disciplined practice and reinforce the learning. “Embodied in the book’s [The Leadership Challenge] foundational model, The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership®, is the notion that leadership is not an event, but a process that requires ongoing and regular practice.” (Jim Kouzes and Bary Posner) In this regard, there are practical, daily support tools to provide leaders with post-workshop support, such as The Leadership Challenge Practice Book. Tons of stats support this, which is not easy to do, but absolutely essential for seeing transformative change.
4) Set the example
Model The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® at meetings, one-on-one, and in written communications. Your example makes your vision and values real, making the leadership development goals vision and values real. It’s tangible evidence that you are personally committed. Provide formal and informal rewards for demonstrating leadership behaviors. Celebrate small wins and enjoy the many benefits of exemplary leadership in your organization.
These are what I consider to be best practices. Do you agree? Do you have others to add?