Servant Leaders Can Be Mean Too
One misconception about Servant Leaders is that they are just "too nice". Many executives hear the term "Servant Leader" and think, "that person will never make it in our environment" or, "they'll just go easy on the staff and we'll never get anything done". Then there is my favorite: "Servant Leaders just want to be liked by everyone". In reality, Servant Leaders can seem quite mean, depending upon the circumstances. Below are four examples of servant leaders that even Donald Trump could be proud of....
- Accountability
Servant Leaders accept the blame for failures within the team. However, in serving their organization and their stakeholders, they must ensure accountability. As a result, leaders must follow up on failures, identify the root cause, fix whatever process and circumstances are required, but also hold people accountable. This is never an easy conversation and the person accountable for the failure undoubtedly does not like receiving the message. Yet, this dialogue is necessary if the leader is to meet the needs of all stakeholders. What separates the servant leader from others is their assurance to reprimand in private and set clear expectations with guidelines to avoid a recurrence of that failure. In contrast, power-based leaders may use public humiliation tactics to "make an example" of the individual accountable for the failure. - Military
One of the top Servant Leader consultants and thought leaders, James D. Hunter, has many clients in the military (mostly the U.S. Army and Air Force). When you think about a drill sergeant barking orders at new cadets in a military film, you don't think of "nice guys". However, in preparing these troops for the high demands and significant risks of their future, the sergeant is serving these men and women in some of the most extreme ways. In order to prepare troops to respond in a crisis (see below), they must learn quickly to obey orders, follow a chain of command and countless other concerns in a very short time. What sets the servant leader apart from others is their focus on serving those troops and their community (or country), while other leaders may leverage abusive tactics for their own career advancement. - Crisis
In times of crisis, the servant leader makes decisive actions that may not always reflect full consensus.Regardless , when quick action is required, especially when that action means risk to the leader, the servant leader steps up to the challenge. Often, in cases of crisis, leaders are slow to step forward - be it for fear of retribution, losing political clout, fear of making the wrong snap judgments or simply the insecurity most feel in such uncertainty. In these times, leaders need to serve by accepting the risks of quick decision making to protect and serve the community. In responding quickly and effectively under crisis, the servant leader may make rushed decisions that are perceived as cruel, unreasonable or simply against the norm. However, to do less in a time of crisis may be detrimental to those they serve. While serving leaders make bold decisions to serve immediate needs of their stakeholders, others may manipulate the circumstances to achieve personal fame and glory for their own benefit. - Managing Out
In serving their stakeholders, servant leaders often find individuals whose interests and / or skills would be better utilized elsewhere. This may mean on another team or with another company altogether. A servant leader understands the needs of the organization, serves its stakeholders by finding the best people for the job and helps the organization's people find the best job. This may mean people need to be led out of their role, to new opportunities. What sets the servant leader apart from others is their commitment to helping anyone displaced by the shifting needs of an organization. A servant leader goes above and beyond to help their team find the best fit for their skills, experience and passion, regardless of where that fit may be.
Questions:
- Have you known a leader you thought was "mean" but later realized they were serving the organization?
- What other ways have you seen great leaders act in a "mean" way?
Labels: Authentic Leadership, Management, Personnel, Servant-Leadership
Top 4 Commuter Tips and Tools
In Boston, my commute was 90 minutes a day, in the car. In New York, it was 3 hours, each day on the train and walking across midtown Manhattan. Now in Michigan, I still spend 2 hours a day in the car. You might say I am proficient at commuting. With this proficiency comes many solutions for maximizing productivity during the commute. Here's what I find helps and recommend to fellow commuters:1. iPod / MP3 Player: The obvious. I won't say much about it, as an MP3 player is ubiquitous these days. However, it also underlies many of the tools / tips below.
2. Audio Books: Audio books can be immensely helpful on your commute. If you spend just 20 minutes a day listening to a book, you'll find your library rapidly expanded. You will not absorb as much in one "hearing" of a book as a "reading". However, I listen to the best books 4 or 5 times. By that point, I've absorbed far more than one read, often in less time. For resources, many people like audible.com, but I find iTunes has most of the same books and have not made the leap to a subscription service yet.
3. Podcasts: Better than audio books for current events and technology updates. If you want to stay on top of the latest news, why not do it on the commute and save that time when you're home for the kids or other activities?
4. Dictation: Dictation is the greatest productivity tool. With the right tools, you can use dictation for everything from email, to drafting documents, book writing, blog posts and more. The trick is finding a good microphone and digital recorder, then obtaining the right software for conversion to text. My recommendations follow:
4.A Digital Recorder: There are lots of good digital recorders. However, I prefer to use the Griffin iTalk Professional, which allows me to reduce the number of devices I carry by converting my iPod into a digital recorder.
4.B Headset Microphone: You'll need a quality headset microphone to ensure the background / road noise is minimized. The products vary here as well. However, I've had great success with the default headset provided by Dragon Naturally Speaking. Most important, remember that the positioning of the microphone is unbelievably important, so a flexible arm is also good.
4.C Dragon Naturally Speaking: The best software for speech-to-text I've used. Although Vista now comes bundled with it's own speech-to-text software, it simply does not compare. The Microsoft product still seems a few generations behind and there's no simple way to do recorded dictation from an audio file. For $150, DNS will save you a lot of time. I use the preferred mobile edition.
4.D Audacity / Sound Editing Software: This helps when the background noise from your recording is too great for automated dictation. A simple sound editing program can fix this. I love the open source (free) Audacity program. With this tool you can edit out background noise and improve the automated dictation results.
4.E Transcription Service: When all else fails, transcription services are pretty inexpensive these days. Checkout eLance or similar sites for the best rates & reviews on service providers.
Text-To-Speech: I have not found a text-to-speech program I like. If you have a recommendation, please share it here.
So the next time you are commuting a long distance and worried about wasted time, turn those lemons into lemonade. With the right tools, you may find your commute turning into one of your most productive periods of the day.
Labels: Career, Open Source, Productivity, Tactical
