It ain't the Heat, it's the HUMILITY that warms the Leader's Heart

 “Seek not good from without: seek it from within yourselves, or you will never find it”

~Epictetus

I have just returned from attending a camp in Taiwan hosted by Tzu Chi, an organization based on selfless love, shared leadership and environmental responsibility.

Coming from nothing, I listened and observed how this organization attracted millions of volunteers all over the world to create this sustainable billion dollar organization…simply put people have an opportunity to give meaning to their life and actively live into values that resonate with them personally. Hence, creating a collective organization where people are inspired to give selflessly; emotional intelligence was in full motion. When humility is the cornerstone of a culture, equality emerges. I witnessed success in pooling strengths from all societal backgrounds; everyone contributes; everyone is a leader; everyone feels valued and purposeful.

 “Organizational acceptance and leadership demonstration of expressive soul and spiritual leadership capacities attested to the relevance of influence on motivation, spiritual well-being, job satisfaction, profit, and productivity.” (Mendoza, 1998).  The top factor among the highest performing businesses was not the pooled strength of the leadership team, but their ability to attract and retain quality people. People are more important than any process. Good people will outperform ordinary people with a process every time. (Booch,1996). Selfless participation will create an environment where people pool together, improve process and rise above average.  Hiring people culturally aligned with the organization's values is key to success. Empowerment becomes easy because the people are actively engaged in the creation.  If you have the right people, you will move faster and accomplish more in the same amount of time. The “right people” will create a value based culture that will catapult sustainable success through an environment that reflects the strengths of self and shared leadership.  

   Research suggests that contributing factors such as group attitude, teamwork, leaders’ and employees’ commitment to company goals, and a quality-oriented culture were key factors to organizations that have seen sustainable success (Wanser, Lester and Nygen, 2007).   Fast forward to almost eighteen years from the prediction of Booch (1996), in the organizational era of the millennial generation we find that having the right people is still key, however, we can now further define the “right people” as those who have alignment to the organizations values and who practice shared leadership. Hiring the right people, those with high emotional intelligence will create a cultural environment poised for sustainable success.

Goleman (2005) equates the right people in terms of self-awareness, altruism, personal motivation, empathy, and the ability to love and be loved. According to H.F. Johnson, Sr. (1927), “The goodwill of the people is the only enduring thing in any business.  It is the sole substance… the rest is shadow.”

Leadership and Cultural Norms....It's all Greek to Me!

             …..beauty comes from within

I have traveled extensively and I relish the opportunity to learn about different cultures and explore this wonderful world that we all live in.  Recently, I went on a kayaking/hiking and exploring the ruins trip to Greece.  We started in Athens, then to Crete and lastly Santorini.  Each a very different experience.  While it would be easy to write a travel blog on the pristine sights and the amazing foods of Greece, I have instead decided to write about the extraordinary experience that has created friendships and memories that are priceless.  The cultural norm was one of the quickest formations of team that I have experienced. Of course this perked my curiosity and caused me to introspectively review the why.

We had varied professionals, among the guides and guests together there was a balance of men and women, ages were varied with some Millennial, Gen X and Boomers, technical experience was varied, there was a balance of introverts and extraverts, the group was made up of varied levels of wealth and we came from all over the United States.  By all counts, this was a diverse group with the only basic commonality being that we were all American citizens.  We were in minimal living-conditions, we had different interests and different needs.  Despite all of the diversity, we quickly formed a cultural norm that created a bond between the members of the group that has lasted beyond the trip and memories that go way beyond the ordinary vacation experience. 

The guides and the guests formed a team culture that, aside from probably being the most photographed trip by amateur photographers and I-phone users, was driven by selfless love and shared leadership.  Within one long and very close-quartered van ride, one by one each of our very type “A” and guarded selves was put aside and replaced with humility and vulnerability…. in that moment the past dissipated and we simply let ourselves be in the present. We shared our personal stories, laughed and a bond of unity was quickly forged.  Thereafter, no “one” took the lead, yet interestingly we all took the lead.  A balance of independence, interdependence and intradependence surfaced among this team of prior strangers. Even the guides of Northwest Passage were quickly adopted into our group culture while maintaining their professional responsibility. The introverts who needed down time were given the space for down time, those with a more active appetite created group and individual choices, those with more technical experience stepped up to help those with less experience, others led the dinner discussions, one used their musical talents to entertain, food was ordered with consideration of everyone’s pallet and sharing memories of the day and what we were grateful for became the evening ritual. In an environment of long arduous and physically strenuous days, we hiked and paddled through the most southern part of Europe, to towns consisting of as little as ten people with conditions that were primitive to basic at best.  While it could have easily been the breeding grounds for tension and stress, the group camaraderie never once faltered. Instead, we respected each of our differences, took the time to appreciate the environment around us and gave thanks to each day of experiencing the earth’s internal and external majestic beauty.

We truly adopted the local motto from Matala “Today is life, Tomorrow never comes.”

  

On an aside…another curious thought that has nothing to do with Greece directly:  In all my travels, I have noticed that the southern parts of each country, i.e. Chile, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and the United States to name a few, seem to be more pure, laid-back, in the present…and even birds fly south for parts of the year.  Do you think there is something to be said that heading south for part of the year can help with stress and cause a harmonious soothing effect?  Even in war-time…South Korea, South Vietnam, South Nigeria, etc., were the peaceful parts of the country…Hmmm,  do birds know something we don’t’ know?  Just a thought…..

Tactical Leadership Needed for the Millennial Age

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.
- Victor Frankl

I am writing this based on the numerous horrific incidents that have occurred this year across our great country. In my research on understanding millennials, respondents believed that millennials learn differently than people of previous generations and that emotional intelligence and a less managerial approach can enhance leadership of millennial lawyers. Nevertheless, a high percentage reported that their companies had not made specific plans to accommodate the learning differences of the millennial team members. 

Increasingly, people are influenced by modern technology, which provides instant access to information. Prensky (2001) has stated that members of the millennial generation “think and process information fundamentally differently from their predecessors” (p. 1). According to Pink (2006), the information age of the 20th century stressed knowledge, whereas the 21st century is an increasingly conceptual age that stresses creativity, innovation, and compassionate action. Therefore, practices today need to take into effect the differences of the millennial generation both in training and it dealing with the outcomes of this generation’s ability to use modern technology and access to skills adversely. 

Heavy in visuals, modern technology also has led to greater right-brain stimulation (Nurco & Lerner, 1999). Users of modern technology tend to multitask, quickly shift their attention, and engage in shorthand communication (Prensky, 2001) and have available any resource at the tip of their fingers. The Internet has also resulted in an explosion of social networking by electronic means—which can include secular terrorist sects. All of these trends can culminate in such events such as those that occurred at the Boston Marathon, Santa Monica College and most recently in St. Louis with availability to vast amounts of information coupled with an impaired millennial mind’s capabilities. 

Leadership mindset must change from management to leadership. As expressed by Kotter (1999) “The fundamental purpose of management is to keep the current system functioning, and the fundamental purpose of leadership is to produce change” (p. 11). In an attempt to bridge the gap between leadership and management, Mumford, Zaccaro, Harding, Jacobs, and Fleishman (2000), whose research has been used by the U.S. Army have offered a millennial leadership model that includes technical skills (proficiency in a specific activity or type of work), human skills (knowledge of, and ability to work with, people), and conceptual skills (ability to work with ideas and concepts). Leadership of first responders are now realizing that the criminal landscape has changed. Current research indicates the millennial generation, is considered the most diverse generation to attend college (Lindsay, 2005) so they also have an intellectual level greater than past generations. The millennial generation is accustomed to multitasking and accelerated learning (Prensky, 2001). “A growing body of research” indicates that millennials tend to have IQs that are significantly higher than their counterparts from previous generations (Abram, 2007, p. 57). They also tend to be more creative in their problem-solving (Greenberg & Weber, 2008).

In general, millennials are highly practiced in the use of technology (Friedman, 2007; Goldgehn, 2004). A survey of 27,317 students from 98 U.S. colleges indicated that most were technology-savvy (Salaway, Caruso, & Nelson, 2008). The use of technology stimulates particular parts of the brain and affects how the user thinks (Small, Moody, Siddarth, & Bookheimer, 2009). Partly as a result of their Internet access, millennials tend to have a global perspective (Friedman, 2007). Politically, they tend to be independent, having more awareness of party dogma and propaganda (Greenberg & Weber, 2008).

Unlike past generations, the millennial generation continuously uses technology such as smartphones to communicate with parents, peers, and others—for example, through social networks (Prensky, 2001; Salaway et al. 2008). Compared to previous generations, millennials are generally more tolerant of diversity, and for good or bad they are more open-minded with respect to social issues (Greenberg & Weber, 2008). Millennials seek out cultures that mirror their values (Martin & Tulgan, 2006). They want responsibility, are results-oriented (Lockyer, 2005; Martin & Tulgan, 2006; Deloitte, as cited in McElroy, 2010), and want immediate response and or recognition for their performance (Martin & Tulgan, 2006). They do not measure work achievement in terms of time spent but rather in the outcome desired (Murphy, 2007 and Tyler, 2007). 

In general, millennials are more entrepreneurial and self-reliant than previous generations (Jayson, 2006), more self-accommodating (Orrell, 2008; Tyler, 2007). They want to figure things out on their own (Goldgehn, 2004). Research indicates that millennials have “little patience for lectures, step-by-step logic and tell-test instruction” (Prensky, 2001, p. 3). “Millennial professionals do not try to conform, but instead prefer to express themselves in fashion, opinion and community involvement” (Orrell, 2008, p. 30). 

Not only is understanding the millennial mindset helpful in understanding today’s criminals, but leaders must use training techniques and motivating factors suited to this generation (Lockyer, 2005). Given that we are moving further into the conceptual age and that advanced technology is going to continue to lead to easier access to information, the situation of millennial deadly rampages are not likely to decrease in the United States.  With an increasingly complicated global environment blending cyber information, advanced weaponry, and public policies, there will be a greater need for a different type of training for and a paradigm shift in the basic understanding of how these new age young adults think and learn.

PAST INFORMATION LEADERSHIP..."IT'S COMPLICATED"

I recently traveled to Israel and had endless people recount their stories and end by saying with a sigh “it’s complicated.”  I listened to various points of view regarding religion, politics, education, punishment, etc.  Each time an alternative point of view or a possible solution was presented, out came the phrase “it’s complicated.”  I could not understand what was so complicated.  However, in retrospect, how things were occurring to me were from a completely neutral frame of mind.  I had no prior knowledge and I didn’t have any predisposed position. Possible solutions seemed simple.

I come to realize that many of the “complications” that we each face are derived from beliefs or stories we tell ourselves based on some piece of knowledge we acquired from the past.  At Landmark Forum we learn to acknowledge that the past is nothing more than a set of facts.  How we choose to interpret those facts in the present and which of those facts we carry forward is our choice.  Those choices are what impact how life occurs for us in the present. 

“First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak.” Epictetus

Leaders today deal with a complicated world. We live in an era of instant information.  This allows information from the “past” to move more quickly into one’s present. People now form views on much more past information and, ironically, more incomplete information. This leaves the present biased with knowledge first translated through the world of social media which often becomes the basis of our present information… an interpretation of an interpretation of an interpretation.  We have added an additional layer of interpretation and with this knowledge we form beliefs in the present that affect how we live into the future.  We all heard the saying “the best way to predict the future is to look at the past.”  We live in a world of fear based on past experiences.  However, if we predict the future based on past information and continue to follow that path, the folks at Alcohol Anonymous who said the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results each time were spot on. With instant information, is it possible today to act from nothing?   

If we are looking at the past as the guide for the future, we as leaders need to change how the past occurs in the present.  As leaders we are expected to be emotionally intelligent, nonbiased and fair in guiding others down a positive experiential path they willingly choose to follow.  Great leaders are visionaries that look to the future and see new possibilities.  They don’t live in a present that resembles the past; rather they live in a present that is living into a future that is new and different than what has passed.

What I have learned in all my studies and seen in all my travels to more than 50 countries is that successful leaders are those who are more emotionally intelligent, and their success is derived from being involved with a world that is evolving. They are flexible to new ideas, accept change and fearlessly create new pathways to a changed future. 

I listened to various accounts of the Boston bombing.  All had some level of truth based on various interpretations from multiple sources. Information is coming at us fast…all interpretations based on someone’s past. The incident in Boston was horrific.  Bombings continue to kill innocent people in Iraq. North Korea threatens daily to bomb South Korea and the fighting in Israel continues onward. These are just small samples of people living from past knowledge…the young people participating in these monstrosities have incomplete  information and live a present based on someone else’s interpretation ….and continues to keep the hatred of centuries ago alive.  This hatred becomes part of the present and ultimately continues into the future. 

While we leaders cannot control the world or how others think, we can impact future change through emotionally intelligent leadership within our own organizations and impact the world by creating positive change one team at a time. Yes, it is complicated if you mechanically act from an incomplete set of facts. If you answer any mathematical equation with incorrect information, you simply cannot come up with the correct answer.  If our actions as leaders come from nothing and live into a positive, purposeful future, there is nothing to equate because you are not mechanically living your life….you are living into a purposeful life that can positively change the future.