The Leader's Almanac

Down-to-earth news for people who cultivate leadership in organizations

Leadership and Growth

I'm sitting here in the fig forest of the Sonoma Community Garden Park on a sunny autumn day. I've pedaled my bike through red-, orange-, and yellow-hued vineyards to listen with eagerness to a panel on farming and ecology. I also came for the delicious harvest lunch. A perfect storm of a perfect day spent sipping local wine, ambling through the tangled but tidy, drought-tolerant garden, and feasting on fresh-from-this-garden roasted vegetables and velvety pumpkin soup. All topped off with warm apple crisp made with apples dangling from the very trees shading our tables. Yes, a perfect day of savoring treats from the earth under my feet, earth that smells of mulch, dead leaves, rotting figs.

The Sonoma Ecology Center convened this panel of experts in the fig forest to talk about growing things and making good, slow food. The panel consisted of an 80-something town elder, an artisan cheese-maker, a bio-dynamic grape-grower and vintner, and two farmers--one savvy and one sassy and politically-active. All agreed that growth without sustainability carried significant costs. Tangible costs in terms of topsoil depletion, groundwater contamination, and increased production expenses. More intangible yet equally important "costs" associated with the decline of family farms and the decline of living and working conditions for farm laborers. Because it makes good business sense, this movement for sustainable agriculture is garnering growing support and acceptance in mainstream farming.

When asked what sustainability means, Ig Vella, the outspoken 80-something town elder piped up, "I can tell you what it is not--it's not a thousand-head dairy farm producing 5,000 gallons of milk each day on 1,000 square yards of earth."

So what is it? Sustainability is a weaving together of environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity, a weaving of all three themes into whatever it is you are growing. As a leader, when you create growth that isn't sustainable, it's like running the Marine Marathon in the steepest high-heels. Believe me, as a leader, I've run the marathon in those heels. Oh boy, the blisters, the pain!

I recall well the pain of growing a company without sustainability. We hired people, we booked business, we took care of immediate needs without planning for sensible growth. Before we could say sustainability, the company imploded. While we'd continued to ignore the need for sustainability, our talent had continued to leave, depleting our topsoil. The environment was full of fear and loathing, contaminating the groundwater. And our costs, they were going through the roof, the roof of that old red barn, well you get the picture.

When we don't pay attention to these sustainability themes, there are definite and debilitating cost consequences. I'd like to suggest that as we plan growth in our own organizations we not forget our roles as stewards of the resources we are entrusted with--resources that are within our organizations and within each of us.

This issue of The Leader's Almanac our theme is growth. Enjoy reading about growth as a leader and growing the organization according to your own goals. Then, stop and think about how you are running your marathons and setting up your dairy farms.

Jeni Nichols
Editor

Back to top

by Steve Coats
Co-Author,There is No Box - exerpted by Jeni Nichols with permission from the Author.

If there is a single issue that has the attention of nearly every leader and organization right now, it is growth. Mergers and acquisitions will always be one way to grow, as will geographic expansion. But will either of these be the only savior for well-established companies? Probably not. They have to figure out new ways to grow. They have to find some way to add new value to current or new groups of customers, in order to sustain and increase the profitability of their businesses.

And that value will not come solely from cost containment or process improvement initiatives. The age of Six Sigma is past as most great companies have already completed this work. Today is the age of innovation and creativity. The focus must be on moving the enterprise to the next level of growth.

For growth to occur, people must change what they do and how they do it, sometimes very dramatically. And that is the core of the issue. It is uncomfortable and just plain hard for people, let alone organizations, to challenge the normal way of doing things and change. We have worked with companies that have laid out extraordinarily ambitious growth plans with sales growth targeted in the 20 percent to 40 percent range, year after year. And we see people (and organizations for that matter) continue to do exactly the same things in exactly the same way and wonder why they continually fall short. It takes more than a 20 to 40 percent increase in sales calls per week, or adding 20 to 40 percent more non-valued added features to current products, or launching a bunch of new offerings that no one wants, to achieve ambitious objectives. It takes real change.

Several years ago, economist Paul Romer introduced an economic concept called the New Growth Theory. The essential point of the New Growth Theory is that knowledge drives growth. Because ideas can be infinitely shared and reused, we can accumulate them without limit. They are not subject to what economists call diminishing returns. Instead, the increasing returns on knowledge can continuously propel economic growth- for nations, firms and individuals.

Romer might also say that growth is just another word for change. Hence, for companies to grow, they must change. And to do that, they must have people who are capable of both conceiving and leading those changes. Growth through acquisition is often an important but expensive component of a viable overall strategy, but think twice if you believe it is the only option, For organizations to grow, they must continue to find, develop and capitalize on unique advantages in the marketplace. Sustainable advantage is never an entitlement, nor is it achieved by standing still in a changing world. It takes people who accept the challenge of changing the rules of the game, people with great curiosity, fresh ideas, imagination, innovative thinking and of course, the courage to ultimately follow through and make change happen.

There is an almost never-ending lament by many people about the amount of change occurring in the world. Listen closely and you will hear them long for things to "settle down" and get back to normal. We hope they realize that the new normal is in fact constant change.

As some hopelessly await a return to a more comfortable past, others are contributing to the turmoil. They are actively looking for and pursuing ways to change things - to grow their organizations in new ways, or to make either their world or "the world" a better place. They are constantly striving to take other people to new heights by accomplishing something never done before. These people are often referred to as growth leaders. All organizations need more growth leaders--at every level. They need more people who will view the world differently, conceive new possibilities, offer innovative options, and lead others to achieve higher levels of performance. Organizations need more people who will challenge the way things get done. and navigate through the maze of real and cultural barriers they face. Without these people, ongoing profitable growth, perhaps even survival would be at ris

As one of the leading authorities on the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership®, Steve has taught, coached and consulted with executives and managers in several countries around the world for over twenty years. Steve focuses his work on leadership and team development, personal growth, change, and business strategy. Steve has published several articles, as well as co-authoring the book, There is No Box. http://www.noboxbook.com/.

Back to Top

by Beth High
High Road Consulting

I've been wrestling lately with the concept of a specific type of personal growth. I call it vertical growth.

Here's my thinking. Vertical growth happens around the unfamiliar and involves a challenge. In this type of growth, risks may be high, ]the terrain unknown, like climbing Mt. Everest in a stiff wind. You can prepare all you want, but you can't experience the summit until you're really there, in the actual moment.

By contrast, horizontal growth takes place as we build from a foundation by taking the next logical steps. We must first run three miles in order to run six which in turn may lead to an eventual marathon. We build a strong foundational skill through repeated practice, stretching from there to get to a new place. Practice is key. Which is not at all the case with vertical growth.

The concept of vertical growth became abundantly clear to me in the last year as I pursued my new interest of aerial dance which is done using two hanks of fabric suspended from a ceiling. Think Cirque du Soleil. I had been dancing for years but nothing at all prepared me for the experience of trying to pull myself skyward while moving gracefully with no steady footing or support. I was literally in a new place vertically, with a brand-new perspective and absolutely no familiar foundation. To say it's been challenging is a gross understatement. But it certainly has given me fresh insights into the realm of vertical growth.

I've discovered that over time, as I progress, I am developing both horizontally and vertically. Although each new move feels strange and challenging, I am building on certain foundations. Some were seeded and established years ago, some only last week. It's the combination that makes this experience so rewarding and also so hard. Both the horizontal and vertical forms are necessary. Absolutely. Without the challenges of the unexpected, we limit our perspectives, and our opportunities to draw on the horizontal growth we've worked so hard to achieve and can now apply in new ways.

The physical metaphor translates well in terms of leadership. The on-going effort undertaken to develop into a leader is, implicitly, a horizontal growth process. We practice, we learn, we build capacity. Vertical growth occurs when an experience plunges us into virgin territory, where our compasses are broken and our footing is unsure. Remember Mayor Rudolph Giuliani during the 911 crisis in New York City? His plunge into the unknown was as dramatic as it was defining. His response to the citizens and to the city he led etched him, in the minds of many, as a leader, a leader that can even aspire to be President.

When people share their personal bests, they often refer to a situation that was unexpected or new--that's invariably when ordinary people get moving and get extraordinary things done. It's our experience in the face of this newness that creates the opportunity for vertical growth which then adds yet another dimension to our identity as leaders.

Ultimately, this is the kind of growth that fulfills us as leaders and motivates and inspires those around us. So as you trudge along the leadership path, keep up the practicing, but don't forget to climb, do the vertical dance. That view onward and upward can be quite amazing.

Back to Top

by Pat Schally
Certified Business and Leadership Coach

Recently I polled a few friends and family members on the whole idea of growth. How would you describe growth?, was what I'd asked each of them. "I'd rush to the dermatologist for an analysis," said one. "It can be a scary step off a cliff," quaked another. Then there was one polled person who looked at growth two ways: "It's an expansion, it's stimulating, it's exiting and it can be negative or positive. Negative being an expanding waistline and positive being an expanded mind."

Scary, exciting, growth is all of that, all the time. Facing the scary, the fear, helping colleagues to do the same enables positive change, good growth. As a leader, you may not know how your colleagues even view the issue of growth. It's largely hidden yet directly reflected by the way people look at the world. As a leader, it is your responsibility--really your mission--to lead in a way that empowers and motivates people in their journey toward positive growth through risk-taking.

Do you know how willing your leadership colleagues are to risk risks? Do you know their risk-taking IQ? Listen. Do you hear things like: I can't. That won't work. That's too hard. It's going to be a bad day. It would be much more fertile ground for growth if leaders used language like: You can do it. Let's try it. That's a challenge I know you can handle. It's a great day.

In my opinion, it's more than just identifying positive vs. negative thinking. A person's outward vocabulary provides a reliable window into their internal mindset. People give off non-growth and growth clues as soon as they open their mouths. It's the no-starters, the naysayers, the scaredy cats that greatly impact necessary evolution.

No doubt you've experienced a physical or mental task that you never expected you could accomplish. Describe that feeling. It is usually euphoric, energizing and makes you crave more. It's electrifying. That experience is the foundation for growth. Leaders who do not actively encourage their colleagues to try something challenging and take risks are essentially compromising their growth.

I am reminded here of a question thrown out by one motivational speaker I heard. He asked if there were any parents who would prevent their baby from learning to walk. Who would? Of course we wouldn't. We would encourage the child to get up from a fall and keep trying until success. Should we expect any less from our leaders?

Exemplary leaders take center stage in the full glare of spotlights. They are the trail blazers, the leaders of the band. They have taken a journey that the observer may not have the courage to embark upon. Consequently, they're further along the path. Marilyn Ferguson, in her book "The Aquarian Conspiracy," talks about the "bridge builders" who are today's true leaders: "If we are to find our way across troubled waters, we are better served by the company of those who have built bridges, who have moved beyond despair and inertia."

Through good times and bad, leaders know they have back-breaking responsibilities which are coupled with the privilege and duty they have to demonstrate growth, both in themselves and in the development of others. No matter how you define or describe growth, the old adage still applies: "If you're not growing, you're moving backwards."

Back to Top

by Ron Crossland
Factoid Junkie and Poet

Over the years, a great many researchers and thinkers have made suggestions on the subject of leadership growth. As a leadership research student, I have reviewed most of them from Argyris to Zalesnik. Out of all of them, the one person whose opinions ring the truest to me is John W. Gardner. Gardner was a thought leader, a leader of causes (Common Cause, for example, and the Independent Sector) as well as a senior leader in both the public and private sectors: Gardner held a cabinet post under President Lyndon Johnson at the Health, Education & Welfare Department and he also served on many private sector boards.

Some of Gardner's insights are captured in his book "Excellence." I pluck from that this powerful quote which translates easily into a leadership challenge: "Exploration of the full range of our own potentialities is not something that we can safely leave to the chances of life. It is something to be pursued avidly to the end of our days."

I've known leaders--men and women alike--who passionately engage in sports or athletics. Others practice various forms of meditation or contemplation, while others pour themselves into social causes, or art--sundry creative endeavors. Many leaders I have worked with have sincere enthusiasm with and for their outside interests, yet their brows still furrow when I pose this question: Do you pursue your own growth as a leader as avidly as you do your other interests?

Some of them say they do. Others believe their leadership skills may actually be sharpened by their extracurricular efforts. Still others maintain that leadership growth comes about naturally, whether you think about it or not, if you're active in the world. While I appreciate these different perspectives, they all seem to fall short of the mark set by Gardner, who was adamant about not leaving growth up to chance or the circumstances of life.

For years, I have pondered Gardner's advice. I combine that with my own research to offer the following suggestions on how leaders can improve their growth. I will say up front that these ideas may sound familiar. Even so I encourage you to re-read them, consider them again. They may also sound easy, but I assure you they are not.

1. Get involved in some things. Many people believe that experience is the best teacher. I agree, but that's only true if you are willing to learn. Make deliberate choices about your activities and use them--these specified activities--as a potent source of learning about yourself, your own leadership. Attempt to vary your choices. It's just like any kind of athletic training: The wider the variety of exercises, the better the overall tone of your body.

2. Make self-reflection a habit. You can't save up all the experiences in your life for a short-duration, on-demand review while you're on your vacation or at a leadership retreat. Periodic self-assessment enriches the learning loop and, while deep insights may or may not increase in frequency, they will occur closer to the time of the experience, which means you will get to leverage them sooner. I've had conversations with leaders who have remarked that they wished they'd thought about certain experiences sooner because of the valuable perspective they provided. Learn from these leaders. Learn from yourself.

3. Make friends with the truth. Whether you are engaging in deep self-reflection as a matter of habit or because of some timely feedback, make truth a trusted advisor to look at yourself honestly. This is never really easy to do. At times it's admittedly confusing: Are you getting to the truth of things or merely engaging in one of many self-delusions? Be truthful about that as well and, with persistence and truth by your side, the whole process will become easier and yield value over time.

4. Make friends. Growth has two equal voices--a monologue and a dialogue. While self-reflection, your monologue, is important, having others involved in your development, maintaining a dialogue, is important as well. This follows accepted psychological thinking which holds that underpinning nearly all human endeavors is a vital sociological process. Get others involved in your personal development and keep them involved. Keep the dialogue going, right along with the monologue.

Jeni Nichols, Editor; Lauren Parkhill, Managing Editor;
Sam Taylor, Publisher;
Linda Runyan, Copy Editor

Back to Top