THE21IRREFUTABLELAWSOF

LEADERSHIP

©1998and2007byJohnC.Maxwell

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Maxwell,JohnC.,1947-The21irrefutablelawsofleadership:followthemandpeoplewillfollowyou/JohnC.Maxwell.--10thanniversaryed.p.cm.IncludesnewforewordbyStephenCoveyandtwonewappendices.Includesbibliographicalreferences.ISBN978-0-7852-8837-4(repak)ISBN978-0-7852-8935-7(IE)1.Leadership.2.Industrialmanagement.I.Title.II.Title:Twentyoneirrefutablelawsofleadership.HD57.7.M39372007658.4'092--dc22

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ThisbookisdedicatedtoCharlieWetzel,mywritingpartnersince1994.Together we’ve written more than forty books, and I’ve enjoyed ourcollaborationoneveryone.AsIhavelaboredtoaddvaluetoothersbyidentifying and teaching leadership principles,Charlie, you have addedvaluetomeandmyefforts.Yourinsightsandskillsasawordsmithhavebeen enjoyed by millions of readers. As a result, you have made agreater impactonmorepeoplethanhasanyoneelseinmyinnercircle.ForthatIthankyou.

CONTENTS

ForewordbyStephenCovey

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1.THELAWOFTHELID

LeadershipAbilityDeterminesaPerson’sLevelofEffectivenessBrothersDickandMauricecameascloseastheycouldtolivingtheAmericanDream—withoutmakingit.InsteadaguynamedRaydiditwiththecompanytheyhadfounded.Ithappenedbecausetheydidn’tknowtheLawoftheLid.

2.THELAWOFINFLUENCE

TheTrueMeasureofLeadershipIsInfluence—NothingMore,NothingLessAbrahamLincolnstartedwiththerankofcaptain,butbythetimethewarwasover,hewasaprivate.Whathappened?HewasacasualtyoftheLawofInfluence.

3.THELAWOFPROCESS

LeadershipDevelopsDaily,NotinaDayTheodoreRoosevelthelpedcreateaworldpower,wonaNobelPeacePrize,andbecamepresidentoftheUnitedStates.Buttodayyouwouldn’tevenknowhisnameifhehadn’tknowntheLawofProcess.

4.THELAWOFNAVIGATION

AnyoneCanSteertheShip,butItTakesaLeadertoCharttheCourseUsingafail-safecompass,Scottledhisteamofadventurerstotheendof

theearth—andtoingloriousdeaths.Theywouldhavelivedifonlyhe,theirleader,hadknowntheLawofNavigation.

5.THELAWOFADDITION

LeadersAddValuebyServingOthersWhatkindofaFortune500CEOworksonafoldingtable,answershisownphone,visitshourlyemployeesasoftenaspossible,andiscriticizedbyWallStreetforbeingtoogoodtohisemployees?ThekindofleaderwhounderstandstheLawofAddition.

6.THELAWOFSOLIDGROUND

TrustIstheFoundationofLeadershipIfonlyRobertMcNamarahadknowntheLawofSolidGround,thewarinVietnam—andeverythingthathappenedathomebecauseofit—mighthaveturnedoutdifferently.

7.THELAWOFRESPECT

PeopleNaturallyFollowLeadersStrongerThanThemselvesTheoddswerestackedagainstherinjustabouteverypossibleway,butthousandsandthousandsofpeoplecalledhertheirleader.Why?BecausetheycouldnotescapethepoweroftheLawofRespect.

8.THELAWOFINTUITION

LeadersEvaluateEverythingwithaLeadershipBiasHowdoesSteveJobskeepreinventingAppleComputerandtakingittothenextlevel?TheanswercanbefoundintheLawofIntuition.

9.THELAWOFMAGNETISM

WhoYouAreIsWhoYouAttractHowdidtheConfederatearmy—understaffedandunderequipped—standupsolongtothepowerfulUnionarmy?TheConfederateshadbettergenerals.Whydidtheyhavebettergenerals?TheLawofMagnetismmakesitclear.

10.THELAWOFCONNECTION

LeadersTouchaHeartBeforeTheyAskforaHandAsthenewleader,Johnknewthatthemostinfluentialpersonintheorganizationcouldtorpedohisleadership.Sowhatdidhedo?HereachedoutusingtheLawofConnection.

11.THELAWOFTHEINNERCIRCLE

ALeader’sPotentialIsDeterminedbyThoseClosesttoHimLanceArmstrongishailedasthegreatestcyclistwhoeverlived.Peoplecredithistoughness.Theycredithisbrutaltraining.WhattheymissistheLawoftheInnerCircle.

12.THELAWOFEMPOWERMENT

OnlySecureLeadersGivePowertoOthersHenryFordisconsideredaniconofAmericanbusinessforrevolutionizingtheautomobileindustry.SowhatcausedhimtostumblesobadlythathissonfearedFordMotorCompanywouldgooutofbusiness?HewasheldcaptivebytheLawofEmpowerment.

13.THELAWOFTHEPICTURE

PeopleDoWhatPeopleSeeEasyCompanywithstoodtheGermanadvanceattheBattleoftheBulgeanddashedHitler’slasthopeforstoppingtheAllies’advance.TheywereabletodoitbecausetheirleadersembracedtheLawofthePicture.

14.THELAWOFBUY-IN

PeopleBuyintotheLeader,ThentheVisionTheyfreedtheirnationbypassivelyprotesting,evenwhenitcostthemtheirlivesbythethousands.Whatwouldinspirethemtodosuchathing?TheLawofBuy-In.

15.THELAWOFVICTORY

LeadersFindaWayfortheTeamtoWin

WhatsavedEnglandfromtheBlitz,brokeapartheid’sbackinSouthAfrica,andwontheChicagoBullsmultipleworldchampionships?Inallthreecasestheansweristhesame.TheirleaderslivedbytheLawofVictory.

16.THELAWOFTHEBIGMO

MomentumIsaLeader’sBestFriendThetwo-minutefilmwasmeanttoshowoffthepowerofthecompany’sanimationtechnology.WhatitdidwasengagethepoweroftheBigMo—leadingtobillionsofdollarsinrevenue.

17.THELAWOFPRIORITIES

LeadersUnderstandThatActivityIsNotNecessarilyAccomplishmentTheycalledhimthewizard.Hisprioritiesweresofocusedthatifyougivehimadateandtime,hecantellyouexactlywhatdrillhisplayerswereperformingandwhy!Itwonhimtenchampionships.WhatcantheLawofPrioritiesdoforyou?

18.THELAWOFSACRIFICE

ALeaderMustGiveUptoGoUpWhatwouldyougiveupforthepeoplewhofollowyou?Thisleadergavehislife.Why?BecauseheunderstoodthepoweroftheLawofSacrifice.

19.THELAWOFTIMING

WhentoLeadIsAsImportantAsWhattoDoandWheretoGoLeadersateveryleveldroppedtheball:themayor,thegovernor,thecabinetsecretary,andthepresident.NotoneofthemunderstoodthepotentialdevastationthatcancomewhenaleaderviolatestheLawofTiming.

20.THELAWOFEXPLOSIVEGROWTH

ToAddGrowth,LeadFollowers—ToMultiply,LeadLeadersIsitpossibletotrainmorethanamillionpeoplearoundtheglobe?Itisifyouuseleader’smath.That’sthesecretoftheLawofExplosiveGrowth.

21.THELAWOFLEGACY

ALeader’sLastingValueIsMeasuredbySuccessionWhatwillpeoplesayatyourfuneral?ThethingstheysaytomorrowdependonhowyoulivetodayusingtheLawofLegacy.

Conclusion

AppendixA:21LawsLeadershipEvaluation

AppendixB:21LawsGrowthGuide

Notes

AnExcerptfromLeadershipGold

FOREWORD

ByStephenR.Covey

When John Maxwell asked me to write the foreword for this 10thanniversary edition of The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, I washonored and intrigued. During the past two decades, John and I havetraveled on parallel paths in our speaking and writing. We have bothbeen called “leadership experts” over the years.We knowand respecteachother’swork.Butinspiteofthesimilaritiesbetweenourmessages,wehaverarelyspokentothesameaudience.

SotorecommendthisbookallowsmetointroduceJohnMaxwellandhisteachingtomembersofmyaudiencewhohavenotyetreadhim.Andwhatbetterbook to recommend than thisnewand improvedversionofThe21IrrefutableLawsofLeadership? Itservesasasortofmanifestoforhisteachingandhislife.StudythisbookandyouhavegottentoknowJohnMaxwellthepersonaswellashisphilosophyofleadership.

When The 21 Laws was first published in 1998, I could seeimmediately howpractical and applicable the lawswere. They still are.For over three decades, JohnMaxwell has earned his reputation as acommunicator. And as he says, communicators “make the complexsimple.”Rather thananesotericexaminationof leadership, thisbook ismore likea foundational instructionmanual.Witheachchapter,youwillget toknow individualswho did—or somewho didn’t—obey the law inquestion. The law itself is defined clearly and simply. And—mostimportantly—John will give you specific steps for applying it to theleadershipinyouroffice,community,family,orchurch.

JohnhastoldmeregardingthisrevisionthathewasexcitedabouttheopportunitytoincludethelessonshehaslearnedsinceThe21Lawswas

firstwritten.Iknowwhathemeans.Leadershipisnotstatic,andneithershouldbebooksaboutit.Ibelievethisrevisededitionwillhaveanevengreater impact than its predecessor. Laws have been updated,illustrations refined, and applications enhanced. The foundationalleadership conceptshavenotbeenabandoned; rather, theyhavebeenupdated for a newgeneration of leaders.As goodas the originalwas,thisneweditionisevenbetter.

IfThe21IrrefutableLawsofLeadershipisnewtoyou,letmesaythatyouare in fora treat. Itwill change thewayyou liveand lead.Asyouread,youwillbeencouragedandyourability to leadwillexpand.Ifyouhavereadtheoriginalbook,thenyouwillbethrilledwiththisnewedition.Youwilllearnmanynewlessonsaswellasbeingremindedoftruthsthatwillserveyouwell.Andbyengaginginthenewapplicationactivities,youwillreallysharpenyourskills.

I trust thatyouwillenjoyandbenefit fromreading thisbook, justas Idid.Inityouwillfindabsolutelyamazing,inspiringleadershipstories!

STEPHENR.COVEYauthorofThe7HabitsofHighlyEffectivePeople,The8thHabit,andEverydayGreatness

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thankyoutothethousandsofleadersaroundtheworldwholearnedandsometimes challenged the laws of leadership, thus sharpening mythinking.

ThankyoutotheteamatThomasNelsonwhogavemethechancetorevise and improve this book, and especially to Tami Heim for herstrategic leadership and to Victor Oliver who was instrumental in thedevelopmentoftheoriginalconcept.

ThankyoutoLindaEggers,myexecutiveassistant,andherassistant,SueCaldwell, fortheir incredibleserviceandwillingnesstogotheextramileeveryday.

ThankyoutoCharlieWetzel,mywriter,andStephanie,hiswife,with-outwhoseworkthisbookwouldnothavebeenpossible.

INTRODUCTION

Every book is a conversation between the author and the individualreading it. Some people pick up a book hoping for a bit ofencouragement. Some devour a book’s information as if they wereattending an intensive seminar. Others find in its pages amentor theycanmeetwithonadaily,weekly,ormonthlybasis.

The thing I love about writing books is that it allowsme to “talk” tomanypeopleIwillneverpersonallymeet.That’swhyImadethedecisionin1977tobecomeanauthor.Ihadapassiontoaddvaluetopeoplethatenergized me to write. That passion still burns within me today. Fewthings are more rewarding to me than being on the road and havingsomeone I’ve nevermet approachme to say, “Thank you. Your bookshavereallyhelpedme.”It’swhyIwrite—andintendtocontinuewriting!

Despite thedeep satisfactionof knowing thatmybookshelp people,thereisalsoagreatfrustrationthatcomeswithbeinganauthor.Onceabook is published, it freezes in time. If you and I knew each otherpersonallyandwemetweeklyormonthlytotalkaboutleadership,everytimewegottogetherI’dsharewithyousomethingnewI’dlearned.Asaperson, I continue to grow. I’m constantly reading. I’m analyzing mymistakes. I’m talking toexcellent leaders to learn fromthem.Each timeyou and I were to sit down, I’d say, “You won’t believe what I justlearned.”

Asaconferenceandeventspeaker,IoftenteachtheprinciplesIwriteabout inmybooks,and I’mconstantlyupdatingmymaterial. Iusenewstories.Irefineideas.AndIoftengainnewinsightsasIstandinfrontofan audience. However, when I go back to books that I’ve previouslywritten,first,IbecomeawareofhowI’vechangedsinceI’vewrittenthem.But second, I become frustrated because the books can’t grow andchangealongwithme.

That’swhyIgotexcitedwhenmypublisher,ThomasNelson,askedifIwould like toreviseThe21 IrrefutableLawsofLeadership foraspecialtenth anniversary edition.When I originally wrote the book, it was myanswer to the question, “If youwere to take everything you’ve learnedabout leadership over the years and boil it down into a short list,whatwoulditbe?”Iputonpapertheessentialsof leadership,communicatedassimplyandclearlyaspossible.Andsoonafterthebookwaspublishedand it appeared on four different bestseller lists, I realized it had thepotentialtohelpalotofpeoplebecomebetterleaders.

GROWTH=CHANGE

Butnow,yearslater,therearethingsIamnolongersatisfiedwithintheoriginal edition, and I knew I could improve upon some of the ideas.Somestorieshadbecomedated,andIwantedtoreplacethemwithnewones. Ihadalsodevelopednewmaterial tobetterexplainand illustratesome of the principles.While teaching the laws for nearly a decade indozens of countries around theworld, I fielded thousands of questionsabout them. That process advanced my thinking beyond what it waswhenIfirstwrotethebook.Workingonthistenthanniversaryeditionhasallowedmetomakethoseimprovements.

By far the biggest change I wanted to make to the original bookcenteredontwoofthelaws.What?youmayask.Howcanyouchangeoneofyourirrefutablelaws?

Firstofall,whileteachingthemIsoondiscoveredthattwoofthelawswerereallyjustsubsetsofotherlaws.TheLawofE.F.Hutton(WhentheRealLeaderSpeaks,PeopleListen)wasreallyjustanaspectoftheLawof Influence (The True Measure of Leadership Is Influence—NothingMore,NothingLess).Whenpeople arounda table stopand listen to aleaderspeak,theyarerevealingthatthespeakerhasinfluence.BecausetheideasintheLawofE.F.HuttonwerepartoftheLawofInfluence,Imerged those two chapters. Similarly, I recognized that the Law ofReproduction(ItTakesaLeadertoRaiseUpaLeader)wasassumedinthe Law of Explosive Growth (To Add Growth, Lead Followers—ToMultiply,LeadLeaders).Forthatreason,Icombinedthemaswell.

Theother thing thathappenedwas that I began to realize that I hadmissedsomethingswhenwritingaboutthelawsofleadershiporiginally.Idiscovered the first omission as soon as I had taught the laws a fewtimes in developing countries. I found that in many of those places,leadershipwasfocusedonposition,privilege,andpower.Inmyparadigmofleadership,Itooksomethingsforgranted.Iseeleadershipprimarilyasa formofserviceandhadnever identifieda law to teach thatprinciple.Thesecondoversighthadtodowithmodelingleadershipandimpactingthecultureofanorganization.TheresultistheinclusionoftwonewlawsinthistenthanniversaryeditionofThe21IrrefutableLawsofLeadership:

TheLawofAddition:LeadersAddValuebyServingOthersTheLawofthePicture:PeopleDoWhatPeopleSee

Fromtoday’sperspectiveIaskmyself,HowcouldIhavemissedthem?But Idid.Thegoodnews is thatyouwon’t! I feelcertain that thesetwolaws will add immeasurably to the book and to your ability to lead.Servingothersandshowingothers thewayare twocriticalcomponentsofsuccessfulleadership.IwishIcouldreviseeachofmybookseverytenyearstoincludethingsImissed!

MORELESSONSLEARNED

Thereare twoother things I’vebeen remindedofas I’ve taught the21Lawstheselasttenyears:

1.LEADERSHIPREQUIRESTHEABILITYTODOMORETHANONETHINGWELL

Instinctively, successful people understand that focus is important toachievement. But leadership is very complex. During a break at aconferencewhereIwasteachingthe21Laws,ayoungcollegestudentcame up to me and said, “I know you are teaching 21 Laws ofLeadership,butIwanttogettothebottomline.”Withintensity,heraisedhisindexfingerandasked,“WhatistheonethingIneedtoknowaboutleadership?”

Trying tomatchhis intensity, I raisedmy index fingerandanswered,“Theonethingyouneedtoknowabout leadership isthat there ismorethanonethingyouneedtoknowaboutleadership!”Toleadwell,wemustdo21thingswell.

2.NOONEDOESALL21LAWSWELL

Despitethefactthatwemustdo21thingswelltobeexcellentleaders,itisrealitythatnoneofusdoesallofthemwell.Forexample,Iamaverageorbelowaverageinfiveofthelaws—andIwrotethebook!Sowhatisaleadertodo?Ignorethoselaws?No,developaleadershipteam.

At theendof thisbook there isa leadershipevaluation. I encourageyou to take it to evaluate your aptitude for each law. Once you’vediscovered in which laws you are average or below, begin looking forteammemberswhoseskillsarestrongwhereyoursareweak.Theywillcomplementyouandviceversa,andthewholeteamwillbenefit.Thatwillmake it possible for you to develop an all-star leadership team.Remember,noneofusisassmartasallofus.

SOMETHINGSNEVERCHANGE

Though I havemade adjustments to the laws and updated theways Iteachthem,somethingshavenotchangedinthelasttenyears.It’sstilltrue that leadership is leadership,nomatterwhereyougoorwhat youdo. Times change. Technology marches forward. Cultures differ fromplace to place. But the principles of leadership are constant—whetheryou’relookingatthecitizensofancientGreece,theHebrewsintheOldTestament, the armies of the modern world, the leaders in theinternational community, the pastors in local churches, or thebusinesspeople of today’s global economy. Leadership principles areunchangingandstandthetestoftime.

As you read the following chapters, I’d like you to keep inmind fourideas:

1.Thelawscanbelearned.Someareeasiertounderstandandapplythanothers,buteveryoneofthemcanbeacquired.

2.Thelawscanstandalone.Eachlawcomplementsalltheothers,butyoudon’tneedoneinordertolearnanother.

3. The laws carry consequences with them. Apply the laws, andpeoplewillfollowyou.Violateorignorethem,andyouwillnotbeabletoleadothers.

4.These lawsare the foundationof leadership.Once you learn theprinciples,youhavetopracticethemandapplythemtoyourlife.

Whetheryouareafollowerwhoisjustbeginningtodiscovertheimpactof leadership or a natural leader who already has followers, you canbecomeabetterleader.Asyoureadaboutthelaws,youmayrecognizethatyoualreadypracticesomeofthemveryeffectively.Otherlawsmayexpose weaknesses you didn’t know you had. Use your review as alearningexperieence.Inthisedition,I’veincludedexercisesattheendofeachchaptertohelpyouapplyeachlawtoyourlife.

No matter where you are in the leadership process, know this: thegreaterthenumberoflawsyoulearn,thebetterleaderyouwillbecome.Each law is like a tool, ready to be picked up and used to help youachieveyourdreamsandaddvaluetootherpeople.Pickupevenone,and you will become a better leader. Learn them all, and people willgladlyfollowyou.

Now,let’sopenthetoolboxtogether.

1

THELAWOFTHELID

LeadershipAbilityDeterminesaPerson’sLevelofEffectiveness

IoftenopenmyleadershipconferencesbyexplainingtheLawoftheLidbecause it helpspeopleunderstand the valueof leadership. If you cangetahandleonthislaw,youwillseetheincredibleimpactofleadershipon every aspect of life. So here it is: leadership ability is the lid thatdetermines a person’s level of effectiveness. The lower an individual’sability to lead, the lower the lid on his potential. The higher theindividual’sabilitytolead,thehigherthelidonhispotential.Togiveyouan example, if your leadership rates an 8, then your effectiveness cannever be greater than a 7. If your leadership is only a 4, then youreffectivenesswillbenohigherthana3.Yourleadershipability—forbetteror for worse—always determines your effectiveness and the potentialimpactofyourorganization.

LetmetellyouastorythatillustratestheLawoftheLid.In1930,twoyoungbrothersnamedDickandMauricemovedfromNewHampshiretoCaliforniainsearchoftheAmericanDream.Theyhadjustgottenoutofhighschool,andtheysawfewopportunitiesbackhome.Sotheyheadedstraight for Hollywood where they eventually found jobs on a moviestudioset.

After a while, their entrepreneurial spirit and interest in theentertainment industryprompted them toopena theater inGlendale, atownaboutfivemilesnortheastofHollywood.Butdespitealltheirefforts,

thebrothersjustcouldn’tmakethebusinessprofitable.Inthefouryearsthey ran the theater, theyweren’t able to consistentlygenerateenoughmoney to pay the one hundred dollars amonth rent that their landlordrequired.

ANEWOPPORTUNITY

The brothers’ desire for success was strong, so they kept looking forbetter business opportunities. In 1937, they finally struck on somethingthat worked. They opened a small drive-in restaurant in Pasadena,locatedjusteastofGlendale.PeopleinSouthernCaliforniahadbecomevery dependent on their cars, and the culture was changing toaccommodatethat,includingitsbusinesses.

Thedrive-inrestaurantwasaphenomenonthatsprangupintheearlythirties,anditwasbecomingverypopular.Ratherthanbeinginvitedintoadiningroomtoeat,customerswoulddrive intoaparking lotaroundasmall restaurant,place theirorderswithcarhops,andreceive their foodontraysrightintheircars.Thefoodwasservedonchinaplatescompletewithglasswareandmetalutensils. Itwasa timely idea inasociety thatwasbecomingfasterpacedandincreasinglymobile.

DickandMaurice’stinydrive-inrestaurantwasagreatsuccess,andin1940,theydecidedtomovetheoperationtoSanBernardino,aworking-classboomtownfiftymileseastofLosAngeles.Theybuiltalargerfacilityand expanded their menu from hot dogs, fries, and shakes to includebarbecued beef and pork sandwiches, hamburgers, and other items.Their business exploded. Annual sales reached $200,000, and thebrothersfoundthemselvessplitting$50,000inprofitseveryyear—asumthatputtheminthetown’sfinancialelite.

In 1948, their intuition told them that timeswere changing, and theymade modifications to their restaurant business. They eliminated thecarhops and started serving only walk-up customers. And they alsostream-linedeverything.Theyreducedtheirmenuandfocusedonsellinghamburgers. They eliminated plates, glassware, and metal utensils,

switchingtopaperandplasticproductsinstead.Theyreducedtheircostsandloweredthepricestheychargedcustomers.Theyalsocreatedwhatthey called the Speedy Service System. Their kitchen became like anassemblyline,whereeachemployeefocusedonservicewithspeed.Thebrothers’goalwastofilleachcustomer’sorderinthirtysecondsorless.And they succeeded. By themid-1950s, annual revenue hit $350,000,andby then,DickandMauricesplitnetprofitsofabout$100,000eachyear.

Whowerethesebrothers?Back in thosedays,youcouldhavefoundoutbydrivingtotheirsmallrestaurantonthecornerofFourteenthandEStreets inSanBernardino.On the front of the small octagonal buildinghung a neon sign that said simply McDonald’s Hamburgers. Dick andMauriceMcDonaldhadhit thegreatAmerican jackpot,and the rest,astheysay,ishistory,right?Wrong.TheMcDonaldsneverwentanyfurtherbecausetheirweakleadershipputalidontheirabilitytosucceed.

THESTORYBEHINDTHESTORY

It’s true that theMcDonaldbrotherswere financiallysecure.Theirswasoneofthemostprofitablerestaurantenterprisesinthecountry,andtheyfelt that theyhadahard timespendingall themoney theymade.Theirgeniuswasincustomerserviceandkitchenorganization.Thattalentledto the creation of a new systemof food and beverage service. In fact,their talent was so widely known in food service circles that peoplestartedwriting themandvisiting fromallover thecountry to learnmoreabout their methods. At one point, they received as many as threehundredcallsandletterseverymonth.

That led them to the ideaofmarketing theMcDonald’s concept.Theideaoffranchisingrestaurantswasn’tnew.Ithadbeenaroundforseveraldecades.TotheMcDonaldbrothers,itlookedlikeawaytomakemoneywithouthavingtoopenanotherrestaurantthemselves.In1952,theygotstarted,buttheireffortwasadismalfailure.Thereasonwassimple.Theylacked the leadership necessary to make a larger enterprise effective.DickandMauriceweregoodsingle-restaurantowners.Theyunderstood

how to run a business, make their systems efficient, cut costs, andincrease profits. They were efficient managers. But they were notleaders.Their thinkingpatternsclampeda liddownonwhat theycoulddoandbecome.At theheightof theirsuccess,DickandMauricefoundthemselvessmack-dabagainsttheLawoftheLid.

THEBROTHERSPARTNERWITHALEADER

In1954,thebrothershookedupwithamannamedRayKroc,whowasaleader.Krochadbeenrunningasmallcompanyhefounded,whichsoldmachines for making milk shakes. He knew about McDonald’s. Therestaurantwasoneofhisbestcustomers.Andassoonashevisitedthestore, he had a vision for its potential. In his mind he could see therestaurant going nationwide in hundreds ofmarkets. He soon struck adeal with Dick and Maurice, and in 1955, he formed McDonald’sSystems,Inc.(latercalledtheMcDonald’sCorporation).

Krocimmediatelyboughttherightstoafranchisesothathecoulduseit as a model and prototype. He would use it to sell other franchises.Thenhebegan toassemblea teamandbuildanorganization tomakeMcDonald’s a nationwide entity. He recruited and hired the sharpestpeoplehecouldfind,andashisteamgrewinsizeandability,hispeopledevelopedadditionalrecruitswithleadershipskill.

In the early years, Kroc sacrificed a lot. Though he was in his mid-fifties,heworked longhours justashehadwhenhe firstgotstarted inbusinessthirtyyearsearlier.Heeliminatedmanyfrillsathome,includinghiscountryclubmembership,whichhelatersaidaddedtenstrokestohisgolfgame.DuringhisfirsteightyearswithMcDonald’s,hetooknosalary.Not only that, but he personally borrowed money from the bank andagainsthislifeinsurancetohelpcoverthesalariesofafewkeyleadershewantedontheteam.Hissacrificeandhisleadershippaidoff.In1961,for the sum of $2.7 million, Kroc bought the exclusive rights toMcDonald’s from the brothers, and he proceeded to turn it into anAmericaninstitutionandglobalentity.The“lid” inthelifeandleadershipofRayKrocwasobviouslymuchhigherthanthatofhispredecessors.

In the years that Dick and Maurice McDonald had attempted tofranchisetheirfoodservicesystem,theymanagedtoselltheconcepttojust fifteen buyers, only ten of whom actually opened restaurants. Andeven in that size enterprise, their limited leadership and vision werehindrances.Forexample,whentheirfirstfranchisee,NeilFoxofPhoenix,toldthebrothersthathewantedtocallhisrestaurantMcDonald’s,Dick’sresponsewas,“What...for?McDonald’smeansnothinginPhoenix.”

Incontrast,theleadershiplidinRayKroc’slifewasskyhigh.Between1955and1959,Krocsucceededinopening100restaurants.Fouryearsafter that, therewere500McDonald’s.Today thecompanyhasopenedmore than 31,000 restaurants in 119 countries.1 Leadership ability—ormore specifically the lack of leadership ability—was the lid on theMcDonaldbrothers’effectiveness.

SUCCESSWITHOUTLEADERSHIP

I believe that success iswithin the reach of just about everyone.But Ialsobelieve thatpersonalsuccesswithout leadershipabilitybringsonlylimitedeffectiveness.Withoutleadershipability,aperson’simpactisonlyafractionofwhatitcouldbewithgoodleadership.Thehigheryouwanttoclimb,themoreyouneedleadership.Thegreatertheimpactyouwantto make, the greater your influence needs to be. Whatever you willaccomplishisrestrictedbyyourabilitytoleadothers.

Thehigheryouwanttoclimb,themoreyouneedleadership.Thegreatertheimpactyouwanttomake,thegreateryourinfluenceneedstobe.

LetmegiveyouapictureofwhatImean.Let’ssaythatwhenitcomestosuccess,you’rean8 (onascale from1 to10).That’sprettygood. Ithink it would be safe to say that the McDonald brothers were in thatrange. But let’s also say that leadership isn’t even on your radar. Youdon’tcareaboutit,andyoumakenoefforttodevelopasaleader.You’refunctioningasa1.Yourlevelofeffectivenesswouldlooklikethis:

SUCCESSWITHOUTLEADERSHIP

Toincreaseyourlevelofeffectiveness,youhaveacoupleofchoices.You could work very hard to increase your dedication to success andexcellence—towork towardbecominga10. It’spossible thatyoucouldmakeittothatlevel,thoughtheLawofDiminishingReturnssaysthattheeffort it would take to increase those last two points might take moreenergy than it did toachieve the first eight. If you really killedyourself,youmightincreaseyoursuccessbythat25percent.

Butyouhaveanotheroption.Youcanworkhardtoincreaseyourlevelofleadership.Let’ssaythatyournaturalleadershipabilityisa4—slightlybelowaverage.JustbyusingwhateverGod-given talentyouhave,youalready increase your effectiveness by 300 percent. But let’s say youbecome a real student of leadership and youmaximize your potential.Youtakeitallthewayuptoa7.Visually,theresultswouldlooklikethis:

SUCCESSWITHLEADERSHIP

By raising your leadership ability—without increasing your successdedication at all—you can increase your original effectiveness by 600percent. Leadership has amultiplying effect. I’ve seen its impact againand again in all kinds of businesses and nonprofit organizations. Andthat’swhyI’vetaughtleadershipformorethanthirtyyears.

TOCHANGETHEDIRECTIONOFTHEORGANIZATION,CHANGETHELEADER

Leadership ability is always the lid on personal and organizationaleffectiveness. Ifaperson’s leadership isstrong, theorganization’s lid ishigh.Butifit’snot,thentheorganizationislimited.That’swhyintimesoftrouble, organizations naturally look for new leadership. When thecountry is experiencing hard times, it elects a new president.When acompany is losing money, it hires a new CEO. When a church isfloundering, it searches for a new senior pastor. When a sports teamkeepslosing,itlooksforanewheadcoach.

Therelationshipbetweenleadershipandeffectivenessisperhapsmostevident in sports where results are immediate and obvious. Withinprofessional sports organizations, the talent on the team is rarely theissue.Justaboutevery teamhashighly talentedplayers.Leadership is

the issue. Itstartswitha team’sownerandcontinueswith thecoachesand some key players. When talented teams don’t win, examine theleadership.

Personalandorganizationaleffectivenessisproportionatetothestrengthofleadership.

Wherever you look, you can find smart, talented, successful peoplewho are able to go only so far because of the limitations of theirleadership.Forexample,whenApplegotstartedinthelate1970s,SteveWozniakwas the brains behind the Apple computer. His leadership lidwaslow,butthatwasnotthecaseforhispartner,SteveJobs.Hislidwassohigh that hebuilt aworld-classorganizationandgave it a nine-digitvalue.That’stheimpactoftheLawoftheLid.

Inthe1980s,ImetDonStephenson,thechairmanofGlobalHospitalityResources, Inc., of San Diego, California, an international hospitalityadvisory and consulting firm. Over lunch, I asked him about hisorganization. Today he primarily does consulting, but back then hiscompany took over themanagement of hotels and resorts thatweren’tdoing well financially. His company oversaw many excellent facilities,suchasLaCostainSouthernCalifornia.

Donsaidthatwheneverhispeoplewentintoanorganizationtotakeitover, theyalwaysstartedbydoing two things.First, they trainedall thestafftoimprovetheirlevelofservicetothecustomers,andsecond,theyfiredtheleader.Whenhetoldmethat,Iwassurprised.

“Youalwaysfirehim?”Iasked.“Everytime?”

“That’sright.Everytime,”hesaid.

“Don’t you talk to the person first—to check him out to see if he’s agoodleader?”Isaid.

“No,” he answered. “If he’d been a good leader, the organizationwouldn’tbeinthemessit’sin.”

AndIthoughttomyself,Ofcourse.It’stheLawoftheLid.Toreachthehighest level of effectiveness, you have to raise the lid—one way oranother.

Thegoodnewsisthatgettingridoftheleaderisn’ttheonlyway.Justas I teach in conferences that there is a lid, I also teach that you canraiseit—butthat’sthesubjectofanotherlawofleadership.

ApplyingTHELAWOFTHELID

ToYourLife

1.Listsomeofyourmajorgoals.(Trytofocusonsignificantobjectives—things thatwill requireayearor longerofyour time.Listat least fivebut no more than ten items.) Now identify which ones will require theparticipation or cooperation of other people. For these activities, yourLeadershipabilitywillgreatlyimpactyoureffectiveness.

2.Assessyourleadershipability.CompletetheleadershipevaluationinAppendix A at the back of this book to get an idea of your basicleadershipability.

3.Askotherstorateyour leadership.Talktoyourboss,yourspouse,two colleagues (at your level), and three people you lead about yourleadershipability.Askeachofthemtorateyouonascaleof1(low)to10(high)ineachofthefollowingareas:

Peopleskills

Planningandstrategicthinking

Vision

Results

Average the scores, and compare them to your own assessment.Based on these assessments, is your leadership skill better or worsethanyouexpected?Ifthereisagapbetweenyourassessmentandthatofothers,whatdoyouthinkisthecause?Howwillingareyoutogrowintheareaofleadership?

2

THELAWOFINFLUENCE

TheTrueMeasureofLeadershipIsInfluence—NothingMore,NothingLess

What do leaders look like? Do they always look powerful, impressive,charismatic? And how do youmeasure the effectiveness of a leader?Canyouputtwopeoplesidebysideandinstantlytellwhichisthebetterleader?Thesearequestionspeoplehaveaskedforhundredsofyears.

Oneofthemosteffectiveleadersofthelatetwentiethcenturywasany-thingbut impressiveupon firstappearance.Whenmostpeople thinkofMotherTeresa,theyenvisionafraillittlewomandedicatedtoservingthepoorest of the poor. That she was. But she was also a tremendousleader.Isaythatbecauseshehadanamazingamountofinfluencewithothers. And if you don’t have influence, youwillneverbe able to leadothers.

SMALLSTATURE—BIGIMPACT

LucindaVardey,whoworkedwithMotherTeresaonthebookTheSimplePath, described the nun as “the quintessential, energetic entrepreneur,who has perceived a need and done something about it, built anorganization against all odds, formulated its constitution, and sent outbranchesallovertheworld.”

The organization Mother Teresa founded and led is called theMissionaries of Charity. While other vocational orders in the Catholic

Church were declining, hers grew rapidly, reaching more than fourthousand members during her lifetime (not including numerousvolunteers). Under her direction, her followers served in twenty-fivecountries on five continents. In Calcutta alone, she established achildren’shome,acenterforpeoplewithleprosy,ahomeforpeoplewhowere dying and destitute, and a home for people suffering withtuberculosisormentaldisorders.Thatkindoforganizationalbuildingcanbeaccomplishedonlybyatrueleader.

Ifyoudon’thaveinfluence,youwillneverbeabletoleadothers.

Mother Teresa’s impact reached far beyond her immediateenvironment.People fromallwalks of life and fromnationsaround theglobe respectedher,andwhenshespoke,people listened.Authorandformer presidential speechwriter Peggy Noonan wrote about a speechMotherTeresagaveattheNationalPrayerBreakfastin1994.Itillustratesherlevelofinfluencewithothers.Noonanobserved:

TheWashington establishmentwas there, plus a few thousand born-againChristians,orthodoxCatholics,andJews.MotherTeresaspokeofGod,oflove,offamilies.Shesaidwe must love one another and care for one another. There were great purrs ofagreement.

Butasthespeechcontinued,itbecamemorepointed.Shespokeofunhappyparentsinoldpeople’shomeswhoare“hurtbecausetheyare for-gotten.”Sheasked,“Arewewillingtogiveuntilithurtsinordertobewithourfamilies,ordoweputourowninterestsfirst?”

Thebabyboomersintheaudiencebegantoshiftintheirseats.Andshecontinued.“Ifeelthatthegreatestdestroyerofpeacetodayisabortion,”shesaid,andtoldthemwhy,in uncompromising terms. For about 1.3 seconds there was silence, then applauseswepttheroom.Butnoteveryoneclapped;thePresidentandFirstLady[BillandHillaryClinton], the Vice President and Mrs. Gore looked like seated statues at MadameTussaud’s,movingnotamuscle.MotherTeresadidn’tstopthereeither.Whenshewasfinished,therewasalmostnooneshehadn’toffended.1

Atthattimeifjustaboutanyotherpersonintheworldhadmadethosestatements, people’s reactions would have been openly hostile. Theywouldhavebooed, jeered,orstormedout.But thespeakerwasMotherTeresa. Shewas probably themost respected person on the planet atthat time. So everyone listened to what she had to say, even though

manyof themviolentlydisagreedwith it. In fact,every timethatMotherTeresaspoke,people listened.Why?Shewasa real leader,andwhenthe real leader speaks, people listen. Leadership is influence—nothingmore,nothingless.

LEADERSHIPISNOT...

Leadershipisoftenmisunderstood.Whenpeoplehearthatsomeonehasanimpressivetitleoranassignedleadershipposition,theyassumethatindividual to be a leader. Sometimes that’s true. But titles don’t havemuchvaluewhenitcomestoleading.

Trueleadershipcannotbeawarded,appointed,orassigned.Itcomesonly from influence, and that cannot bemandated. It must be earned.Theonlythingatitlecanbuyisalittletime—eithertoincreaseyourlevelofinfluencewithothersortoundermineit.

FIVEMYTHSABOUTLEADERSHIP

There are plenty of misconceptions and myths that people embraceaboutleadersandleadership.Herearefivecommonones:

1.THEMANAGEMENTMYTH

Awidespreadmisunderstanding is that leading andmanaging are oneand the same. Up until a few years ago, books that claimed to be onleadership were often really about management. The main differencebetweenthetwo is that leadership isabout influencingpeople to follow,whilemanagement focuses onmaintaining systemsandprocesses.Asformer Chrysler chairman and CEO Lee Iacocca wryly commented,“Sometimeseventhebestmanagerislikethelittleboywiththebigdog,waitingtoseewherethedogwantstogosothathecantakehimthere.”

The best way to test whether a person can lead rather than justmanageistoaskhimtocreatepositivechange.Managerscanmaintain

direction,butoftentheycan’tchangeit.Systemsandprocessescandoonlysomuch.Tomovepeopleinanewdirection,youneedinfluence.

Theonlythingatitlecanbuyisalittletime—eithertoincreaseyourlevelofinfluencewithothersortoundermineit.

2.THEENTREPRENEURMYTH

Frequently,peopleassumethatallentrepreneursareleaders.Butthat’snot always the case. Entrepreneurs are skilled at seeing opportunitiesandgoingafterthem.Theyseeneedsandunderstandhowtomeettheminawaythatproducesaprofit.Butnotallofthemaregoodwithpeople.Manyfinditnecessarytopartnerwithsomeoneskilledatthepeoplepartoftheequation.Iftheycan’tinfluencepeople,theycan’tlead.

3.THEKNOWLEDGEMYTH

SirFrancisBaconsaid,“Knowledgeispower.”Ifyoubelievepowertobethe essence of leadership, then youmight naturally assume that thosewhopossessknowledgeandintelligencearethereforeleaders.Thatisn’tnecessarily true. You can visit any major university and meet brilliantresearchscientistsandphilosopherswhoseabilitytothinkissohighthatit’soff thechartsbutwhoseability to lead isso lowthat itdoesn’tevenregister on the charts.Neither IQnor education necessarily equates toleadership.

4.THEPIONEERMYTH

Anothermisconceptionisthatanyonewhoisoutinfrontofthecrowdisaleader.Butbeingfirstisn’talwaysthesameasleading.Forexample,SirEdmundHillarywasthefirstmantoreachthesummitofMountEverest.Sincehishistoricascentin1953,hundredsofpeoplehave“followed”himinachieving that feat.But thatdoesn’tmakeHillarya leader.Hewasn’teven theofficial leaderon theexpeditionwhenhe reached thesummit.

JohnHuntwas.AndwhenHillarytraveledtotheSouthPolein1958aspart of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, he wasaccompanyinganotherleader,SirVivianFuchs.Tobealeader,apersonhas to not only be out front, but also have people intentionally comingbehind him, following his lead, and acting on his vision. Being atrendsetterisnotthesameasbeingaleader.

5.THEPOSITIONMYTH

Asmentionedearlier,thegreatestmisunderstandingabout leadershipisthat people think it is based on position, but it’s not. Think aboutwhathappenedseveralyearsagoatCordiant,theadvertisingagencyformerlyknownasSaatchi&Saatchi.In1994,institutionalinvestorsofSaatchi&Saatchi forced the board of directors to dismiss Maurice Saatchi, thecompany’sCEO.Whatwastheresult?Severalexecutivesfollowedhimout. So did many of the company’s largest accounts, including BritishAirways andMars, the candymaker. Saatchi’s influence was so greatthat hisdeparture caused the company’s stock to fall immediately from$85.8 to $4 per share.2 What happened is a result of the Law ofInfluence.Saatchi losthis titleandposition,buthecontinued tobe theleader. Stanley Huffty affirmed, “It’s not the position that makes theleader;it’stheleaderthatmakestheposition.”

“It’snotthepositionthatmakestheleader;it’stheleaderthatmakestheposition.”,—STANLEYHUFFTY

WHO’STHEREALLEADER?

Manyyearsago,therewasagameshowontelevisioncalledToTelltheTruth. Here’s how it worked. At the opening of the show, threecontestantsclaimedtobethesameperson.Oneofthemwastellingthetruth; the other twowere actors. A panel of celebrity judges took turnsaskingthethreepeoplequestions,andwhentimewasup,eachpanelistguessedwhichper-sonwas the real truth-teller.Many times, theactorsbluffed well enough to fool the panelists and the members of theaudience.

When it comes to identifying a real leader, that task can be mucheasier.Don’tlistentotheclaimsofthepersonprofessingtobetheleader.Don’texaminehiscredentials.Don’tcheckhistitle.Checkhisinfluence.Theproofofleadershipisfoundinthefollowers.

IpersonallylearnedtheLawofInfluencewhenIacceptedmyfirstjobout of college. I went in with all the right credentials. I had the propercollegedegree.Ihadagreatdealofinsightintotheworkbecauseofthetraining given tomebymy father. I possessed the position and title ofleader in the organization. It made for a good-looking résumé—but itdidn’tmakemetherealleader.Atmyfirstboardmeeting,Iquicklyfoundoutwhothereal leaderwas—afarmernamedClaude.Whenhespoke,peoplelistened.Whenhemadeasuggestion,peoplerespectedit.Whenhe led,others followed. If Iwanted tomakean impact, Iwouldhave toinfluenceClaude.He,inturn,wouldinfluenceeverybodyelse.ItwastheLawofInfluenceatwork.

Theproofofleadershipisfoundinthefollowers.

LEADERSHIPIS...

Thetruemeasureofleadershipisinfluence—nothingmore,nothingless.MargaretThatcher,theformerBritishprimeminister,observed,“Beinginpowerislikebeingalady.Ifyouhavetotellpeopleyouare,youaren’t.”Ifyouwatch thedynamics thatoccurbetweenpeople in justabouteveryaspectoflife,youwillseesomepeopleleadingandothersfollowing,andyouwill notice that position and title often have little to dowithwho isreallyincharge.

That being the case, why do some people emerge as leaders whileotherscan’tinfluencepeoplenomatterhowhardtheytry?Ibelievethatseveralfactorscomeintoplay:

CHARACTER—WHOTHEYARE

True leadership always begins with the inner person. That’s whysomeone likeBillyGraham isable todrawmoreandmore followers tohimastimegoesby.Peoplecansensethedepthofhischaracter.

RELATIONSHIPS—WHOTHEYKNOW

You’rea leaderonly ifyouhave followers,and thatalwaysrequires thedevelopmentofrelationships—thedeepertherelationships,thestrongerthe potential for leadership. In my career, each time I entered a newleadership position, I immediately started building relationships. Buildenoughof therightkindsof relationshipswith therightpeople,andyoucanbecometherealleaderinanorganization.

KNOWLEDGE—WHATTHEYKNOW

Information is vital to a leader. You need a grasp of the facts, anunderstandingofdynamicfactorsandtiming,andavisionforthefuture.Knowledgealonewon’tmakesomeonealeader,butwithoutknowledge,no one can become one. Whenever I was new to an organization, IalwaysspentalotoftimedoinghomeworkbeforeItriedtotakethelead.

INTUITION—WHATTHEYFEEL

Leadership requiresmore than justacommandofdata. Itdemandsanabilitytodealwithnumerousintangibles.Infact,that isoftenoneofthemain differences between managers and leaders. Leaders seek torecognizeandinfluenceintangiblessuchasenergy,morale, timing,andmomentum.

EXPERIENCE—WHERETHEY’VEBEEN

Thegreaterthechallengesyou’vefacedasaleaderinthepast,themorelikely followers are to give you a chance in the present. Experiencedoesn’t guarantee credibility, but it encourages people to give you achancetoprovethatyouarecapable.

PASTSUCCESS—WHATTHEY’VEDONE

Nothingspeakstofollowerslikeagoodtrackrecord.WhenIwenttomyfirst leadership position, I had no track record. I couldn’t point to pastsuccesses to help people believe inme. But by the time I went tomysecond position, I had a positive track record. Every time I extendedmyself,tookarisk,andsucceeded,followershadanotherreasontotrust

myleadershipability—andtolistentowhatIhadtosay.

ABILITY—WHATTHEYCANDO

Thebottomlineforfollowersiswhataleaderiscapableof.Theywanttoknowwhetherthatpersoncanleadtheteamtovictory.Ultimately,that’sthereasonpeoplewilllistentoyouandacknowledgeyouastheirleader.Assoonastheynolongerbelieveyoucandeliver,theywillstoplisteningandfollowing.

LEADERSHIPWITHOUTLEVERAGE

I admire and respect the leadership ofmy good friend Bill Hybels, thefoundingpastorofWillowCreekCommunityChurchinSouthBarrington,Illinois, one of the largest churches in North America. Bill says hebelieves that the church is the most leadership-intensive enterprise insociety.AlotofbusinesspeopleIknowaresurprisedwhentheyhearthatstatement, but I think Bill is right. What is the basis of his belief?Positionalleadershipoftendoesn’tworkinvolunteerorganizations.Thereisno leverage. Inotherorganizations, thepersonwhohaspositionhasincredible leverage. In themilitary, leaderscanuse rankand, ifallelsefails, throw people into the brig. In business, bosses have tremendousleverage in the form of salary, benefits, and perks. Most followers areprettycooperativewhentheirlivelihoodisatstake.

“Theveryessenceofallpowertoinfluenceliesingettingtheotherpersontoparticipate.”—HARRYA.OVERSTREET

But involuntaryorganizations the thing thatworks is leadership in itspurest form: influence.PsychologistHarryA.Overstreetobserved, “Theveryessenceofallpowertoinfluenceliesingettingtheotherpersontoparticipate.”Followersinvoluntaryorganizationscannotbeforcedtogetonboard.Iftheleaderhasnoinfluencewiththem,thentheywon’tfollow.

Recently at ameetingwhere Iwas speaking to a groupof companypresidents and CEOs, one participant asked for advice on finding thebestleadersinhisorganization.Myadvicewastoaskcandidatestoleadavolunteerorganizationforsixmonths.Ifthoseleaderscangetpeopleto

follow them when they have no leverage—recruiting employees tovolunteer,servethecommunity,workwiththeUnitedWay,andsoon—then you know that they can influence others. That is themark of trueleadershipability.

FROMCOMMANDERTOPRIVATETOCOMMANDERINCHIEF

Oneofmyfavoritestories that illustrates theLawof InfluenceconcernsAbrahamLincoln.In1832,decadesbeforehebecamepresident,youngLincolngatheredtogetheragroupofmentofightintheBlackHawkWar.Inthosedays,thepersonwhoputtogetheravolunteercompanyforthemilitiaoftenbecameitsleaderandassumedacommandingrank.Inthisinstance, Lincoln was given the rank of captain. But Lincoln had aproblem. He knew nothing about soldiering. He had no prior militaryexperience, and he knew nothing about tactics. He had troublerememberingthesimplestmilitaryprocedures.

Bytheendofhismilitaryservice,AbrahamLincolnfoundhisrightfulplace,havingachievedtherankofprivate.

For example, onedayLincolnwasmarchinga couple of dozenmenacrossafieldandneededtoguidethemthroughagateintoanotherfield.Buthecouldn’tmanageit.Recountingthe incident later,Lincolnsaid,“Icouldnot for the lifeofme remember theproperwordof command forgetting my company endwise. Finally, as we came near [the gate] Ishouted: ‘Thiscompany isdismissedfor twominutes,whenitwill fall inagainontheothersideofthegate.’”3

As timewent by, Lincoln’s level of influencewith others in themilitiaactuallydecreased.While other officers proved themselves and gainedrank,Lincoln foundhimselfgoing in theotherdirection.Hebeganasacaptain,but titleandpositiondid him little good.He couldn’t overcometheLawofInfluence.Bytheendofhismilitaryservice,AbrahamLincolnhadfoundhisrightfulplace,havingachievedtherankofprivate.

Fortunately for Lincoln—and for the fate of the United States—he

overcamehisinabilitytoinfluenceothers.LincolnfollowedhistimeinthemilitarywithundistinguishedstintsintheIllinoisstatelegislatureandtheU.S.HouseofRepresentatives.Butover timeandwithmucheffortandpersonalexperience,hebecameapersonof remarkable influenceandimpact,andoneofthenation’sfinestpresidents.

I love the leadershipproverb thatsays, “Hewho thinkshe leads,buthasnofollowers,isonlytakingawalk.”Ifyoucan’tinfluencepeople,thentheywillnotfollowyou.Andifpeoplewon’tfollow,youarenotaleader.That’s theLawof Influence.Nomatterwhatanybodyelsemaytellyou,rememberthatleadershipisinfluence—nothingmore,nothingless.

ApplyingTHELAWOFTHEINFLUENCE

ToYourLife

1.Whichofthemythsinthechapterhaveyouboughtintointhepast:management,entrepreneur,knowledge,pioneer,orposition?Whyhaveyou been susceptible to that myth? What does that say about yourperception of leadership up until now?Whatmust you change in yourcurrentthinkingtomakeyoumoreopento improvingyour leadership inthefuture?

2.What do you usually rely uponmost to persuadepeople to followyou?Rate yourself ona scaleof 1 to10 foreachof the seven factorsnamedinthechapter(a1meansit’snotafactorwhilea10meansyourelyonitcontinually):

Character—whoyouare

Relationships—whoyouknow

Knowledge—whatyouknow

Intuition—whatyoufeel

Experience—whereyou’vebeen

Pastsuccess—whatyou’vedone

Ability—whatyoucando

Howcanyouoptimizeorbetterutilizetheoneswithlowscores?

3. Find an organization for which to volunteer. Pick something youbelievein—forexample,aschool,soupkitchen,orcommunityproject—andofferyourtimeandenergy.Ifyoubelieveyouhaveleadershipability,thentryleading.Youwilllearntoleadthroughinfluence.

3

THELAWOFPROCESS

LeadershipDevelopsDaily,NotinaDay

AnneScheiberwas101yearsoldwhenshedied inJanuary1995.Foryearsshehadlivedinatiny,run-down,rent-controlledstudioapartmentinManhattan.Thepaintonthewallswaspeeling,andtheoldbook-casesthatlinedthewallswerecoveredindust.Rentwasfourhundreddollarsamonth.

Scheiber livedonSocialSecurityandasmallmonthlypension,whichshe started receiving in 1943 when she retired as an auditor for theInternalRevenueService. She hadn’t done verywell at the IRS.Moreaccurately, the agency hadn’t done right by her. Despite having a lawdegree and doing excellent work, shewas never promoted. Andwhensheretiredatagefifty-one,shewasmakingonly$3,150ayear.

“Shewastreatedvery,veryshabbily,”saidBenjaminClark,whoknewher aswell as anyone did. “She really had to fend for herself in everyway.Itwasreallyquiteastruggle.”

Scheiberwas themodelof thrift.Shedidn’tspendmoneyonherself.Shedidn’tbuynewfurnitureastheoldpiecessheownedbecamewornout.Shedidn’tevensubscribetoanewspaper.Aboutonceaweek,sheusedtogotothepubliclibrarytoreadtheWallStreetJournal.

WINDFALL!

Imagine the surprise of Norman Lamm, the president of YeshivaUniversity in NewYork City, when he found out that Anne Scheiber, alittle old lady whose name he had never heard—and who had neverattendedYeshiva—leftnearlyherentireestatetotheuniversity.

“WhenIsawthewill, itwasmindblowing,suchanunexpectedwind-fall,”saidLamm.“Thiswomanhasbecomealegendovernight.”

The estate Anne Scheiber left to Yeshiva University was worth $22million!1

How in the world did a spinster who had been retired for fifty yearsbuildaneight-figurefortune?Theansweris,shediditonedayatatime.

BythetimesheretiredfromtheIRSin1943,AnneScheiberhadman-aged tosave$5,000.She invested thatmoney instocks.By1950,shehad made enough profit to buy 1,000 shares of Schering-PloughCorporationstock,thenvaluedat$10,000.Andsheheldontothatstock,letting its value build. By the time she died, those original shares splitenoughtimestoproduce128,000shares,worth$7.5million.2

Thesecret toScheiber’ssuccesswas thatshespentmostofher lifebuilding her worth. Whether her stock’s values went up or down, shedidn’tsellitoffwiththethought,I’mfinishedbuilding;nowit’stimetocashout.Shewasinforthelonghaul,thereallylonghaul.Whensheearneddividends—whichkeptgettinglargerandlarger—shereinvestedtheminadditionalstocks.Shespentherwholelifetimebuilding.Whileotherolderpeopleworrythattheymayrunoutoffundsbeforetheendoftheirlives,the longer she lived, the wealthier she became. When it came tofinances,ScheiberunderstoodandappliedtheLawofProcess.

LEADERSHIPISLIKEINVESTING—ITCOMPOUNDS

Becomingaleaderisalotlikeinvestingsuccessfullyinthestockmarket.If your hope is to make a fortune in a day, you’re not going to besuccessful. There are no successful “day traders” in leadershipdevelopment.Whatmattersmostiswhatyoudodaybydayoverthelong

haul.MyfriendTagShortmaintains,“Thesecretofoursuccessisfoundin our daily agenda.” If you continually invest in your leadershipdevelopment, letting your “assets” compound, the inevitable result isgrowthover time.Whatcanyouseewhenyou lookataperson’sdailyagenda? Priorities, passion, abilities, relationships, attitude, personaldisciplines,vision,andinfluence.Seewhatapersonisdoingeveryday,dayafterday,andyou’llknowwhothatpersonisandwhatheorsheisbecoming.

When I teach leadership at conferences, people inevitably askme ifleadersareborn.Ialwaysanswer,“Yes,ofcoursetheyare...I’veyettomeetanunborn leader!Howelsewouldyouexpect them tocome intotheworld?”Weall laugh,andthenIanswertherealquestion—whetherleadershipissomethingapersoneitherisbornwithandpossessesorisnotbornwithanddoesn’t.

Becomingaleaderisalotlikeinvestingsuccessfullyinthestockmarket.Ifyourhopeistomakeafortuneinaday,you’renotgoingtobesuccessful.

Although it’s true thatsomepeoplearebornwithgreaternaturalgiftsthanothers,theabilityto leadisreallyacollectionofskills,nearlyallofwhich can be learned and improved. But that process doesn’t happenovernight. Leadership is complicated. It has many facets: respect,experience, emotional strength, people skills, discipline, vision,momentum,timing—thelistgoeson.Asyoucansee,manyfactorsthatcomeintoplayinleadershipareintangible.That’swhyleadersrequiresomuchseasoningtobeeffective.That’swhyIfeltthatonlyafterreachingage fifty was I truly beginning to understand the many aspects ofLeadershipwithclarity.

LEADERSARELEARNERS

Inastudyofninetytopleadersfromavarietyoffields,leadershipexpertsWarrenBennisandBurtNanusmadeadiscoveryabouttherelationshipbetween growth and leadership: “It is the capacity to develop andimprove their skills that distinguishes leaders from their followers.”Successful leadersare learners.Andthe learningprocess isongoing,a

resultofself-disciplineandperseverance.Thegoaleachdaymustbetogetalittlebetter,tobuildonthepreviousday’sprogress.

“Itisthecapacitytodevelopandimprovetheirskillsthatdistinguishesleadersfromtheirfollowers.”

—BENNISANDNANUS

Theproblemisthatmostpeopleoverestimatetheimportanceofeventsand underestimate the power of processes. We want quick fixes. Wewant the compounding effect that Anne Scheiber received over fiftyyears,butwewantitinfiftyminutes.

Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate events. They can be effectivecatalysts.But if youwant lasting improvement, if youwant power, thenrelyonaprocess.Considerthedifferencebetweenthetwo:

ANEVENT APROCESSEncouragesdecisions EncouragesdevelopmentMotivatespeople MaturespeopleIsacalendarissue IsacultureissueChallengespeople Changespeople

Iseasy Isdifficult

IfIneedtobeinspiredtotakestepsforward,thenI’llattendanevent.

IfIwanttoimprove,thenI’llengageinaprocessandstickwithit.

THEPHASESOFLEADERSHIPGROWTH

What does the leadership growth process look like? Every person’s isdifferent.However,whether or not you possess great natural ability forLeadership, your development and progress will probably occuraccordingtothefollowingfivephases:

PHASE1:IDON’TKNOWWHATIDON’TKNOW

Many people fail to recognize the value of leadership. Some don’t

recognizeitsimportance.Othersbelievethatleadershipisonlyforafew—forthepeopleatthetopofthecorporateladder.Theyhavenoideaoftheopportunities they’repassingupwhen theydon’t learn to lead.Thispointwasdrivenhomeformewhenacollegepresidentsharedwithmethatonlyahandfulofstudentssignedupforaleadershipcourseofferedbytheschool.Why?Onlyafewthoughtofthemselvesasleaders.Iftheyhad understood that leadership is influence, and that in the course ofeach day most individuals usually try to influence at least four otherpeople, their desiremight have been sparked to learnmore about thesubject.It’sunfortunatebecauseaslongasapersondoesn’tknowwhathedoesn’tknow,heisn’tgoingtogrow.

Aslongasapersondoesn’tknowwhathedoesn’tknow,heisn’tgoingtogrow.

PHASE2:IKNOWTHATINEEDTOKNOW

Atsomepointinlife,manypeoplefindthemselvesplacedinaleadershippositiononly to lookaroundanddiscoverthatnoone is followingthem.Whenthathappens,werealizethatweneedtolearnhowtolead.Andofcourse, that’s when it’s possible for the process to start. BenjaminDisraeli, former British prime minister, wisely commented, “To beconsciousthatyouareignorantofthefactsisagreatsteptoknowledge.”

That’swhathappenedtomewhenItookmyfirstleadershippositionin1969.Ihadcaptainedsportsteamsallmylifeandhadbeenthestudentgovernmentpresidentincollege,soIalreadythoughtIwasaleader.ButwhenI triedto leadpeopleintherealworld,I foundouttheawfultruth.Beingputinchargeisnotthesameasbeingaleader.

PHASE3:IKNOWWHATIDON’TKNOW

I struggled for a while in that first leadership position. To be honest, IreliedonmyextremelyhighenergyandwhatevercharismaIpossessed.But therecameamomentwhenI realized that leadershipwasgoing tobe thekey tomyprofessionalcareer. If Ididn’tgetbetterat leadership,mycareerwouldeventuallybogdown,andIwouldneverreachthegoalsI had set formyself. Fortunately at that time, I had breakfastwithKurtKampmeir of Success Motivation, Inc. At that breakfast, he asked a

questionthatwouldchangemylife.

“John,”heasked,“whatisyourplanforpersonalgrowth?”

IfumbledforananswerandthenfinallyadmittedthatIdidn’thaveone.Thatnightmywife,Margaret,andIdecidedtomakefinancialsacrificessothat IcouldgetontheprogramKurtoffered.Thatwasan intentionalstep towardgrowth.From thatday tonow, Ihavemade itapractice toreadbooks,listentotapes,andgotoconferencesonleadership.

AroundthetimeImetwithKurt,Ialsohadanotheridea:Iwrotetothetoptenleadersinmyfieldandofferedthemonehundreddollarsforahalfhourof their timesothat Icouldaskthemquestions.(Thatwasquiteasum for me back then.) For the next several years, Margaret and Iplanned every vacation around where those people lived. If a greatleaderinClevelandsaidyestomyrequest,thenthatyearwevacationedinClevelandsothatIcouldmeethim.Ican’texplainhowvaluablethoseexperienceswere forme.Those leaders shared insightswithme that Icouldhavelearnednootherway.

PHASE4:IKNOWANDGROW,ANDITSTARTSTOSHOW

When you recognize your lack of skill and begin the daily discipline ofpersonalgrowth,excitingthingsstarttohappen.

Several yearsago Iwas teaching leadership toagroupof people inDenver, and in the crowd I noticed a really sharp nineteen-year-oldnamedBrian.Foracoupleofdays,Iwatchedasheeagerlytooknotes.Iobserved him interacting with others. And I talked to him a few timesduringbreaks.When Igot to thepartof theseminarwhere I teach theLawofProcess,IaskedBriantostandupsothatIcouldtalktohim,andIwantedeveryoneelseintheaudiencetolistenin.

“Brian, I’vebeenwatchingyouhere,” I said, “and I’mvery impressedwithhowhungryyouaretolearnandgleanandgrow.Iwanttotellyouasecret that will change your life.” Everyone in the whole auditoriumseemedtoleanforward.

“Ibelievethatinabouttwentyyears,youcanbeagreatleader.Iwanttoencourageyoutomakeyourselfalifelonglearnerofleadership.Readbooks,listentotapesregularly,andkeepattendingseminars.Andwhen-everyoucomeacrossagoldennuggetoftruthorasignificantquote,fileitawayforthefuture.

“It’snotgoingtobeeasy,”Isaid.“Butinfiveyears,you’llseeprogressas your influence becomes greater. In ten years, you’ll develop acompetence thatmakes your leadership highly effective. And in twentyyears,whenyou’reonlythirty-nineyearsold,ifyou’vecontinuedtolearnand grow, others will likely start asking you to teach them aboutleadership.Andsomewillbeamazed.They’lllookateachotherandsay,‘Howdidhesuddenlybecomesowise?’

“Thesecretofsuccessinlifeisforamantobereadyforhistimewhenitcomes.”—BENJAMINDISRAELI

“Brian,”Iconcluded,“youcanbeagreatleader,butitwon’thappeninaday.Startpaying thepricenow.”What’s true forBrian isalso true foryou. Start developing your leadership today, and someday you willexperiencetheeffectsoftheLawofProcess.

PHASE5:ISIMPLYGOBECAUSEOFWHATIKNOW

Whenyou’re inphase four,youcanbeprettyeffectiveasa leader,butyouhavetothinkabouteverymoveyoumake.However,whenyoureachphase five,yourability to leadbecomesalmostautomatic.Youdevelopgreatinstincts.Andthat’swhenthepayoffisincredible.ButtheonlywaytogetthereistoobeytheLawofProcessandpaytheprice.

TOLEADTOMORROW,LEARNTODAY

Leadershipisdevelopeddaily,notinaday.ThatistherealitydictatedbytheLawofProcess.BenjaminDisraeliasserted,“Thesecretofsuccessinlifeisforamantobereadyforhistimewhenitcomes.”Whatapersondoesona disciplined, consistent basis gets him ready, nomatterwhatthegoal.

YoucanseetheeffectoftheLawofProcessinanywalkof life.NBAHallofFameplayerLarryBirdbecameanoutstandingfree-throwshooterbypracticingfivehundredshotseachmorningbeforehewenttoschool.DemosthenesofancientGreecebecame thegreatestoratorby recitingverses with pebbles in his mouth and speaking over the roar of theocean’swaves—andhe did it despite having beenbornwith a speechimpediment. You need to have the same dedication. To become anexcellentleader,youneedtoworkoniteveryday.

FIGHTINGYOURWAYUP

Thereisanoldsaying:championsdon’tbecomechampionsinthering—theyaremerely recognized there.That’s true. Ifyouwant toseewheresomeone develops into a champion, look at his daily routine. FormerheavyweightchampJoeFrazierstated,“Youcanmapoutafightplanora life plan. But when the action starts, you’re down to your reflexes.That’swhereyourroadworkshows.Ifyoucheatedonthatinthedarkofthe morning, you’re getting found out now under the bright lights.”3Boxing is a good analogy for leadership development because it is allaboutdailypreparation.Evenapersonwithnaturaltalenthastoprepareandtraintobecomesuccessful.

Championsdon’tbecomechampionsinthering—theyaremerelyrecognizedthere.

Oneof thiscountry’sgreatest leaderswasa fanofboxing:PresidentTheodore Roosevelt. In fact, one of his most famous quotes uses aboxinganalogy:

Itisnotthecriticwhocounts,notthemanwhopointsouthowthestrongmanstumbled,orwherethedoerofdeedscouldhavedonethembetter.Thecreditbelongstothemanwho isactually in thearena;whose face ismarredbydustandsweatandblood;whostrives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the greatenthusiasms,thegreatdevotions,andspendshimself inaworthycause;who,atbest,knowsintheendthetriumphofhighachievement;andwho,attheworst, ifhefails,atleastfailswhiledaringgreatly,sothathisplaceshallneverbewiththosecoldandtimidsoulswhoknowneithervictorynordefeat.

Roosevelt, aboxerhimself,was theultimatemanofaction.Notonly

washeaneffectiveleader,buthewasoneofthemostflamboyantofallU.S. presidents. British historian Hugh Brogan described him as “theablestman to sit in theWhite House since Lincoln; themost vigoroussinceJackson;themostbookishsinceJohnQuincyAdams.”

AMANOFACTION

TR (Roosevelt’s nickname) is remembered as an outspoken man ofactionandproponentof thevigorous life.While in theWhiteHouse,hewasknownforregularboxingandjudosessions,challenginghorsebackrides, and long, strenuous hikes. A French ambassador who visitedRooseveltusedtotellaboutthetimethatheaccompaniedthepresidentonawalkthroughthewoods.Whenthetwomencametothebanksofastreamthatwastoodeeptocrossbyfoot,TRstrippedoffhisclothesandexpected the dignitary to do the same so that they could swim to theotherside.NothingwasanobstacletoRoosevelt.

Atdifferenttimesinhislife,RooseveltwasacowboyintheWildWest,anexplorerandbig-gamehunter,andarough-ridingcavalryofficerintheSpanish-AmericanWar.Hisenthusiasmandstaminaseemedboundless.As the vicepresidential candidate in1900, hegave673speechesandtraveled 20,000 miles while campaigning for President McKinley. Andyears after his presidency, while preparing to deliver a speech inMilwaukee,Rooseveltwasshotbyawould-beassassin.Withabrokenribandabulletinhischest,Rooseveltinsistedondeliveringhisone-hourspeechbeforeallowinghimselftobetakentothehospital.

ROOSEVELTSTARTEDSLOW

Of all the leaders this nation has ever had, Roosevelt was one of thetough-est—both physically and mentally. But he didn’t start that way.America’s cowboy president was born in Manhattan to a prominentwealthy family. As a child, he was puny and very sickly. He haddebilitatingasthma,possessedverypooreyesight,andwaspainfullythin.Hisparentsweren’tsurehewouldsurvive.

Whenhewastwelve,youngRoosevelt’sfathertoldhim,“Youhavethemind, but youhavenot thebody, andwithout thehelp of thebody themindcannotgoasfarasitshould.Youmustmakethebody.”Makeithedid.HelivedbytheLawofProcess.

TR began spending timeevery day building his body as well as hismind,andhedidthatfortherestofhislife.Heworkedoutwithweights,hiked, ice-skated, hunted, rowed, rode horseback, and boxed. In lateryears,Rooseveltassessedhisprogress,admittingthatasachildhewas“nervousandtimid.Yet,”hesaid,“fromreadingofthepeopleIadmired...andfromknowingmyfather,Ihadagreatadmirationformenwhowerefearless andwho could hold their own in theworld, and I had a greatdesiretobelikethem.”4BythetimeTRgraduatedfromHarvard,hewaslikethem,andhewasreadytotackletheworldofpolitics.

NOOVERNIGHTSUCCESS

Rooseveltdidn’tbecomeagreatleaderovernight,either.Hisroadtothepresidencywasoneof slow, continual growth.Ashe served in variouspositions, ranging fromNewYorkCitypolicecommissioner topresidentoftheUnitedStates,hekeptlearningandgrowing.Heimprovedhimself,andintimehebecameastrongleader.ThatwasfurtherevidencethathelivedbytheLawofProcess.

Roosevelt’s list of accomplishments is remarkable. Under hisleadership,theUnitedStatesemergedasaworldpower.Hehelpedthecountrydevelopa first-classnavy.Hesaw that thePanamaCanalwasbuilt.HenegotiatedpeacebetweenRussiaandJapan,winningaNobelPeace Prize in the process. And when people questioned TR’sleadership—since he had first become president when McKinley wasassassinated—hecampaignedandwasreelectedbythelargestmajorityofanypresidentuptohistime.

Everthemanofaction,whenRooseveltcompletedhissecondtermaspresident in 1909, he immediately traveled to Africa where he led ascientific expedition sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution. A few

yearslater,in1913,heco-ledagrouptoexploretheunchartedRiverofDoubtinBrazil.Itwasalearningadventurehesaidhecouldnotpassup.“Itwasmy lastchance tobeaboy,”he lateradmitted.Hewas fifty-fiveyearsold.

On January 6, 1919, at his home in NewYork, Theodore Rooseveltdiedinhissleep.ThenVicePresidentMarshallsaid,“Deathhadtotakehimsleeping,forifRoosevelthadbeenawake,therewouldhavebeenafight.”Whentheyremovedhimfromhisbed,theyfoundabookunderhispillow. Up to the very last, TR was still striving to learn and improvehimself.HewasstillpracticingtheLawofProcess.

If you want to be a leader, the good news is that you can do it.Everyonehasthepotential,butitisn’taccomplishedovernight.Itrequiresperseverance. And you absolutely cannot ignore the Law of Process.Leadershipdoesn’tdevelopinaday.Ittakesalifetime.

ApplyingTHELAWOFPROCESS

ToYourLife

1.What isyourpersonalplan forgrowth? If youare like IwaswhenKurt Kampmeir askedme this question, you have a vague intention togrow, not a specific plan.Write out aplan. I recommend that you readonebookamonth,listentoatleastoneCD,tape,orstreamingmessagea week, and attend one conference a year. Select the materials inadvance, set aside time for growth on your calendar, and startimmediately. If developingaplan fromscratchseemsdifficult, youmaywanttoreadmybookTodayMatters.ItcontainsthepersonalgrowthplanIhaveusedforyears.

2.Onethingthatseparatesgreatleadersfromgoodleadersisthewaytheyinvestinthosewhofollowthem.Justasyouneedagrowthplanto

improve, so do those who work for you. You can take groups ofemployeesthroughbooks,bringintrainers,mentorpeopleone-on-one—anything that works. Make providing opportunities for growth yourresponsibility.

3.Ifyouaretheleaderofabusiness,anorganization,oradepartment,you can create a culture of growth. When people in your sphere ofinfluence know that personal growth and leadership development arevalued, resourced, and rewarded, then growth will explode. And theenvironmentyoucreatedwillbeginattractinghighachieversandpeoplewithgreatpotential.

4

THELAWOFNAVIGATION

AnyoneCanSteertheShip,butItTakesaLeadertoCharttheCourse

In1911,twogroupsofexplorerssetoffonanincrediblemission.Thoughtheyuseddifferent strategiesand routes, the leadersof the teamshadthe samegoal: to be the first in history to reach theSouthPole. Theirstoriesarelife-and-deathillustrationsoftheLawofNavigation.

OnegroupwasledbyNorwegianexplorerRoaldAmundsen.Ironically,AmundsenhadnotoriginallyintendedtogotoAntarctica.HisdesirewastobethefirstmantoreachtheNorthPole.ButwhenhediscoveredthatRobert Peary had beaten him there, Amundsen changed his goal andheadedtowardtheotherendof theearth.Northorsouth—heknewhisplanningwouldpayoff.

AMUNDSENCAREFULLYCHARTEDHISCOURSE

Before his team ever set off, Amundsen had painstakingly planned histrip.HestudiedthemethodsoftheEskimosandotherexperiencedArctictravelers and determined that their best course of action would be totransport all their equipment and supplies by dogsled. When heassembled his team, he chose expert skiers and dog handlers. Hisstrategywassimple.Thedogswoulddomostof theworkasthegroup

traveledfifteentotwentymilesinasix-hourperiodeachday.Thatwouldaffordboththedogsandthemenplentyoftimefordailyrestpriortothefollowingday’stravel.

Amundsen’s forethought and attention to detail were incredible. Helocatedandstockedsupplydepotsallalongtheintendedroute.Thatwaythey would not have to carry every bit of their supplies with them thewhole trip. He also equipped his people with the best gear possible.Amundsenhadcarefullyconsideredeverypossibleaspectofthejourney,thought it through, and planned accordingly. And it paid off. Theworstproblem they experienced on their trip was an infected tooth that onemanhadtohaveextracted.

SCOTTVIOLATEDTHELAWOFNAVIGATION

TheotherteamofpeoplewasledbyRobertFalconScott,aBritishnavalofficer who had previously done some exploring in the Antarctic area.Scott’s expedition was the antithesis of Amundsen’s. Instead of usingdogsleds, Scott decided to use motorized sledges and ponies. Theirproblemsbeganwhen themotorson thesledgesstoppedworkingonlyfive days into the trip. The ponies didn’t fare well either in those frigidtemperatures. When they reached the foot of the TransantarcticMountains,allofthepooranimalshadtobekilled.Asaresult,theteammembersthemselvesendeduphaulingthetwo-hundred-poundsledges.Itwasarduouswork.

Scott hadn’t given enough attention to the team’s other equipmenteither. Their clothes were so poorly designed that all of the mendeveloped frostbite.One teammemberrequiredanhoureverymorningjusttogethisbootsontohisswollen,gangrenousfeet.EveryonebecamesnowblindbecauseoftheinadequategogglesScotthadsupplied.Ontopofeverythingelse,theteamwasalwayslowonfoodandwater.Thatwasalso due to Scott’s poor planning. The depots of supplies Scottestablished were inadequately stocked, too far apart, and often poorlymarked, which made them very difficult to find. Because they werecontinually low on fuel to melt snow, everyone became dehydrated.MakingthingsevenworsewasScott’slast-minutedecisiontotakealong

afifthman,eventhoughtheyhadpreparedenoughsuppliesforonlyfour.

After covering a grueling eight hundred miles in ten weeks, Scott’sexhaustedgroup finallyarrivedat theSouthPoleonJanuary17,1912.There they found the Norwegian flag flapping in the wind and a letterfromAmundsen.Theotherwell-led teamhadbeaten themto theirgoalbymorethanamonth!

IFYOUDON’TLIVEBYTHELAWOFNAVIGATION...

Scott’sexpeditiontothePoleisaclassicexampleofaleaderwhocouldnotnavigateforhispeople.Butthetrekbackwasevenworse.Scottandhis men were starving and suffering from scurvy, yet Scott, unable tonavigatetotheveryend,wasoblivioustotheirplight.Withtimerunningoutand the foodsupplydesperately low,Scott insisted that theycollectthirtypoundsofgeologicalspecimens to takeback—moreweight tobecarriedbytheworn-outmen.

Thegroup’sprogressbecameslowerandslower.Onememberoftheparty sank into a stupor and died. Another, LawrenceOates, a formerarmy officerwho had originally been brought along to take care of theponies, had frostbite so severe that he had trouble doing anything.Because he believed he was endangering the team’s survival, hepurposelywalked out into a blizzard to keep fromhindering the group.Before he left the tent and headed into the storm, he said, “I am justgoingoutside;Imaybesometime.”

BecauseRobertFalconScottwasunabletolivebytheLawofNavigation,heandhiscompanionsdiedbyit.

Scottandhisfinaltwoteammembersmadeitonlyalittlefarthernorthbeforegivingup.Thereturntriphadalreadytakentwomonths,andstilltheywere 150miles from their base camp. There they died.We knowtheirstoryonlybecausetheyspenttheirlasthoursupdatingtheirdiaries.SomeofScott’s lastwordswere these: “We shall die like gentlemen. Ithink thiswillshowthat theSpiritofpluckandpower toendurehasnotpassedoutofourrace.”1Scotthadcouragebutnotleadership.Because

hewasunabletolivebytheLawofNavigation,heandhiscompanionsdiedbyit.

Followers need leaders able to effectively navigate for them. Whenthey’refacinglife-and-deathsituations,thenecessityispainfullyobvious.Butevenwhenconsequencesaren’tasserious, theneed isalsogreat.Thetruthisthatnearlyanyonecansteertheship,butittakesaleadertochartthecourse.ThatistheLawofNavigation.

NAVIGATORSSEETHETRIPAHEAD

FormerGeneral Electric chairman JackWelch asserts, “A good leaderremainsfocused. . .Controllingyourdirection isbetter thanbeingcon-trolledbyit.”Welchisright,butleaderswhonavigatedoevenmorethancontrol thedirection inwhichtheyandtheirpeople travel.Theyseethewholetripintheirmindsbeforetheyleavethedock.Theyhavevisionforgettingtotheirdestination,theyunderstandwhatitwilltaketogetthere,they know who they’ll need on the team to be successful, and theyrecognize the obstacles long before they appear on the horizon. LeroyEims,authorofBetheLeaderYouWereMeanttoBe,writes,“Aleaderisonewhoseesmorethanotherssee,whoseesfarther thanotherssee,andwhoseesbeforeothersdo.”

“Aleaderisonewhoseesmorethanotherssee,whoseesfartherthanotherssee,andwhoseesbeforeothersdo.”—LEROYEIMS

Thelargertheorganization,themoreclearlytheleaderhastobeableto see ahead. That’s true because sheer size makes midcoursecorrections more difficult. And if there are errors in navigation, manymorepeopleareaffected thanwhena leader is travelingaloneorwithonly a few people. The disaster shown in JamesCameron’s 1997 filmTitanicwasagoodexampleofthatkindofproblem.Thecrewcouldnotseefarenoughaheadtoavoidtheicebergaltogether,andtheycouldnotmaneuverenoughtochangecourseoncetheobjectwasinviewbecauseof the size of the ship. The result was that more than one thousandpeoplelosttheirlives.

WHERETHELEADERGOES...

First-rate navigators always have in mind that other people aredepending on them and their ability to chart a good course. I read anobservationbyJamesA.AutryinLifeandWork:AManager’sSearchforMeaning that illustrates this idea. Hewrites that occasionally you hearaboutthecrashoffourmilitaryplanesflyingtogetherinaformation.Thereasonforthelossofallfouristhis:Whenjetfightersflyingroupsoffour,onepilot—theleader—designateswheretheteamwillfly.Theotherthreeplanesflyontheleader’swing,watchinghimandfollowinghimwhereverhegoes.Whatevermoveshemakes,therestofhisteamwillmakealongwithhim.That’s truewhetherhesoars in thecloudsorsmashes intoamountaintop.

Beforegoodleaderstaketheirpeopleonajourney,theygothroughaprocessinordertogivethetripthebestchanceofbeingasuccess:

NAVIGATORSDRAWONPASTEXPERIENCE

Every past success and failure you’ve experienced can be a valuablesourceofinformationandwisdom—ifyouallowittobe.Successesteachyou what you’re capable of doing and give you confidence. However,your failures often teach greater lessons. They reveal wrongassumptions, character flaws, errors in judgment, and poor workingmethods. Ironically, many people hate their failures so much that theyquicklycoverthemupinsteadofanalyzingthemandlearningfromthem.As I explain inmy bookFailing Forward, if you fail to learn from yourmistakes,you’regoingtofailagainandagain.

WhydoIevenmentionsomethingthatseemssobasic?Becausemostnaturalleadersareactivists.Theytendtolookforward—notbackward—makedecisions,andmoveon.Iknowthisbecausethatismytendency.But for leaders to become good navigators, they need to take time toreflectandlearnfromtheirexperiences.That’swhyIhavedevelopedthediscipline of reflective thinking. I write about it in detail in my book

Thinking for a Change, but allowme to give you some advantages ofreflectivethinkinghere.Reflectivethinking

givesyoutrueperspective,

givesemotionalintegritytoyourthoughtlife,

increasesyourconfidenceindecisionmaking,

clarifiesthebigpicture,and

takesagoodexperienceandmakesitavaluableexperience.2

Each benefit gives a leader a great advantage when planning nextstepsforateamororganization.

NAVIGATORSEXAMINETHECONDITIONSBEFOREMAKINGCOMMITMENTS

Drawing on experience means looking inward. Examining conditionsmeanslookingoutward.Nogoodleaderplansacourseofactionwithoutpaying close attention to current conditions. That would be like settingsailagainstthetideorplottingacourseintoahurricane.Goodnavigatorscount the costbeforemaking commitments for themselves and others.Theyexaminenotonlymeasurablefactorssuchasfinances,resources,and talent, but also intangibles such as timing, morale, momentum,culture, and so on. (I’ll discuss this more in the Laws of Intuition andTiming.)

Nomatterhowmuchyoulearnfromthepast,itwillnevertellyouallyouneedtoknowforthepresent.

NAVIGATORSLISTENTOWHATOTHERSHAVETOSAY

Nomatterhowmuchyoulearnfromthepast,itwillnevertellyouallthatyouneedtoknowforthepresent.Nomatterhowgoodaleaderyouare,you yourself will not have all the answers. That’s why top-notchnavigators gather information frommany sources. For example, beforeRoaldAmundsen’sexpeditiontotheSouthPole,hehadlearnedfroma

group of Native Americans in Canada about warm clothing and Arcticsurvival techniques. Those skills and practices meant the differencebetweenfailureandsuccessforhisteaminAntarctica.

Navigating leaders get ideas from many sources. They listen tomembers of their leadership team. They talk to the people in theirorganization to find out what’s happening on the grassroots level. Andthey spend time with leaders from outside the organization who canmentor them.Theyalways think in termsof relyingona team,not justthemselves.

NAVIGATORSMAKESURETHEIRCONCLUSIONSREPRESENTBOTHFAITHANDFACT

Beingabletonavigateforothersrequiresaleadertopossessapositiveattitude.You’ve got to have faith that you can take your people all theway.Ifyoucan’tconfidentlymakethetripinyourmind,you’renotgoingtobeabletotakeitinreallife.

On the other hand, you also have to be able to see the factsrealistically.Youcan’tminimizeobstaclesor rationalizeyour challengesand still lead effectively. If you don’t go in with your eyes wide open,you’regoingtogetblindsided.AsBillEasum,presidentofEasum,Bandy,and Associates, observes, “Realistic leaders are objective enough tominimize illusions. They understand that self-deception can cost themtheirvision.”

Balancingoptimismandrealism,intuitionandplanning,faithandfactcanbeverydifficult.Butthat’swhatittakestobeeffectiveasanavigatingleader.

JimCollinsconfirmed thisbalancebetween faithand fact inhis2001bookGoodtoGreat.Hecalls it theStockdaleParadox.Hewrites, “Youmustretain faith thatyouwillprevail in theendandyoumustalsocon-front themost brutal facts of your current reality.”3Balancing optimismandrealism,intuitionandplanning,faithandfactcanbeverydifficult.Butthat’swhatittakestobeeffectiveasanavigatingleader.

ALESSONINNAVIGATION

IrememberthefirsttimeIreallyunderstoodtheimportanceoftheLawofNavigation. Iwas twenty-eight yearsold,and Iwas leading thesecondchurchinmypastoralcareer.Beforemyarrivaltherein1972,thechurchhadexperiencedadecade-longplateau in itsgrowth.Butby1975,ourattendancehadgonefromfourhundredtomorethanathousand.Iknewwecouldkeepgrowingandhelpingmorepeople,butonly ifwebuilt anewauditorium.

The good news was that I already had some experience leading aconstruction project because I had taken my first church through theprocess. The bad news was that the first one was really small incomparisontothesecondone.Thiswasgoingtobeamultimillion-dollarprojectmore than twenty times larger thanmy first one. But even thatwasnotthegreatestobstacle.

Iftheleadercan’tnavigatethepeoplethroughroughwaters,heisliabletosinktheship.

RightbeforeIcameonboardasleaderofthechurch,therehadbeenahuge battle over another building proposal, and the debate had beenvocal,divisive,andbitter.Forthatreason,IknewthatIwouldexperiencegenuineoppositiontomyleadershipforthefirsttime.Therewereroughwatersahead,andif Iastheleaderdidn’tnavigateuswell, Icouldsinktheship.

CHARTINGTHECOURSEWITHANAVIGATIONSTRATEGY

IshouldprobablyconfessatthispointthatIamnotastrongnavigator.Idon’ttakejoyingettingintodetails,andItendtogowithmygutinstinct—sometimes a little too quickly for my own good. In the last fifteen totwenty years, I’ve often staffed my weaknesses and hired goodnavigatingleaderstohelpmyorganizations.Forexample,formanyyearswhenIwasachurch leader,DanReilandwasonmystaffasexecutivepastor. He is an excellent navigator. Currently at EQUIP, the nonprofit

organizationIfoundedin1996,JohnHullworksasitspresident,andheis a fantastic navigating leader. However, back in 1975, I had to takeresponsibility for the navigation process myself. To help me do that, Ideveloped a strategy that I have used repeatedly in my leadership. IwroteitasanacrosticsothatIwouldalwaysbeabletorememberit:

Predetermineacourseofaction.

Layoutyourgoals.

Adjustyourpriorities.

Notifykeypersonnel.

Allowtimeforacceptance.

Headintoaction.

Expectproblems.

Alwayspointtothesuccesses.

Dailyreviewyourplan.

ThatbecamemyblueprintasIpreparedtonavigatethischangeformyorganization.

Ihadastrongsenseofwhatourcourseofactionneededtobe.Ifweweregoingtokeepgrowing,weneededtobuildanewauditorium.Ihadlookedateverypossiblealternative,andIknewthatwastheonlyviablesolution. My goal was to design and build the facility, pay for it in tenyears,andunifyallthepeopleintheprocess—nosmallfeat.

Anyplan I introducedwouldhave tobevotedon inacongregationalmeeting,soIscheduledoneacoupleofmonthsaheadtogivemetimetogeteverythingready.ThenextthingIdidwasdirectourboardmembersandagroupofkeyfinancialleaderstoconductatwenty-yearanalysisofourgrowthandfinancialpatterns.Itcoveredtheprevioustenyearsandprojections for the next ten years. Based on that, we determined the

requirementsofthefacility.

Wethenformulatedaten-yearbudgetthatcarefullyexplainedhowwewouldhandle financing. Ialsoaskedthatallof the informationweweregatheringbeputintoatwenty-pagereporttobegiventothemembersofthe congregation. I knew thatmajor barriers to successful planningarefear of change, ignorance, uncertainty about the future, and lack ofimagination.IwasgoingtodoeverythingIcouldtopreventthosefactorsfromhinderingus.

Mynextstepwastonotifythekeyleaders.Istartedwiththeoneswhohadthemostinfluence,meetingwiththemindividuallyandsometimesinsmall groups. Over the course of several weeks, I met with about ahundredleaders.Icastthevisionforwhatweneededtodoandfieldedtheirquestions.Andany time I couldsense thatapersonwashesitantabout theproject, I planned tomeet individuallywithhimagain.Then Iallowedtimeforthosekeyleaderstoinfluencetherestofthepeopleandhelpthemacceptthecomingchanges.

Majorbarrierstosuccessfulplanningarefearofchange,ignorance,uncertaintyaboutthefuture,andlackofimagination.

Whenthetimearrivedforthecongregationalmeeting,wewerereadytoheadintoaction.Itooktwohourstopresenttheprojecttothepeople.Ihandedoutmytwenty-pagereportwiththefloorplans,financialanalysis,and budgets. I tried to answer every question the people would havebeforetheyevenhadachancetoaskit.Ialsoaskedsomeofthemostinfluentialpeopleinthecongregationtospeak.

Ihadexpectedopposition,butwhenIopenedthefloorforquestions,Iwas shocked. There were only two questions: one person wanted toknowabouttheplacementofthebuilding’swaterfountains,andtheotherasked about the number of restrooms. That waswhen I knewwe hadnavigatedthetrickywaterssuccessfully.Whenitwastimeforthemotionaskingeveryonetovote,thechurch’smostinfluentiallaypersonmadeit.And I had already asked a leader who had previously opposed thebuildingprojecttobetheonetosecondthemotion.Whenthefinalcountwastallied,98percentofthepeoplehadvotedinfavor.

Oncewenavigated through this trickypartof theprocess, therestoftheprojectwasprettystraightforward.Icontinuallykeptthevisioninfrontof the people by giving them good news reports. I made sure wecelebrated successes. And I periodically reviewed our plans and theirresultstomakesurewewereontrack.Thecoursehadbeencharted.Allwehadtodowassteertheship.

That was a wonderful learning experience for me. Above everythingelse,I foundoutthatthesecrettotheLawofNavigationispreparation.Whenyoupreparewell,youconveyconfidenceandtrusttopeople.Lackofpreparationhastheoppositeeffect.Intheend,it’snotthesizeoftheproject that determines its acceptance, support, and success—it’s thesizeoftheleader.That’swhyIsaythatanyonecansteertheship,butittakesaleadertochartthecourse.Leaderswhoaregoodnavigatorsarecapableoftakingtheirpeoplejustaboutanywhere.

Intheend,it’snotthesizeoftheprojectthatdeterminesitsacceptance,support,andsuccess.It’sthesizeoftheleader.

ApplyingTHELAWOFNAVIGATION

ToYourLife

1. Do youmake it a regular practice to reflect on your positive andnegative experiences? If not, you will miss the potential lessons theyhave to offer. Do one of two things: Set aside a time to reflect everyweek,examiningyour calendaror journal to jogyourmemory.Orbuildreflectiontimeintoyourscheduleimmediatelyaftereverymajorsuccessorfailure.Ineithercase,writedownwhatyoulearnduringthatdiscoveryprocess.

2. Navigating leaders do their homework. For some project ormajortaskthatyouarecurrentlyresponsiblefor,drawonyourpastexperience,holdintentionalconversationswithexpertsandteammemberstogather

information, and examine current conditions that could impact thesuccess of your endeavor. Only after taking these steps should youcreateyouractionplan.

3.Whichwaydoyounaturallylean—towardfactsorfaith?Rarelyisaleaderespecially talented inbothareas.(I’ma faithperson. Iamhighlyvisionaryandbelievethatanythingispossible.Ioftenrelyonmybrother,Larry, to help me with realistic thinking.) Yet good navigators must beabletodoboth.

To successfully practice the Law of Navigation, youmust know yourown bent. If you’re not sure, ask trusted friends and colleagues. Thenmakesure youhave someonewith theoppositebent on your teamsothatyoucanworktogether.

5

THELAWOFADDITION

LeadersAddValuebyServingOthers

Inaworldwheremany political leaders enjoy their power and prestigeandwhereCEOsoflargecorporationsmakeastronomicalincomes,workandliveinluxury,andappeartobemostconcernedwithwhat’s init forthem,JimSinegalisanoddity.

SinegalisthecofounderandCEOofCostco,thefourthlargestretailerintheUnitedStatesandtheninthlargestintheworld.Hedoesn’tseemmuchinterestedinperks.Heworksinanunremarkableofficecomprisedprimarilyoffoldingtablesandchairs.Ifheinvitessomeonetomeethimatthecorporateoffices,hegoesdowntothelobbytomeethisguest.Heanswershisownphone.Andhetakesasalaryofonly$350,000ayear,whichputshiminthebottom10percentofCEOsoflargecorporations.

Sinegal’s path to corporate leadershipwasn’t typical either.Hedidn’tattendanIvyLeagueschool.Heisn’talawyeroraCPA.Asateenager,he thoughtofbecomingadoctor,buthishighschoolgradeswere lessthan stellar. So he went off to community college and earned anassociate’s degree. While he was attending San Diego State College(now University), he helped a friend unloadmattresses at a new localretail storecalledFed-Mart.Thatonedayofwork turned intoa regularjob.Whenhereceivedapromotion,hediscontinuedhisstudies.Hehadfound his career. In time, he had also found amentor, Sol Price, Fed-Mart’s chairman. Under Price’s guidance, Sinegal rose to the post ofexecutive vice president for merchandising. Sinegal later helped Price

found Price Club and then went on to cofound Costco in 1983 withJeffreyH.Brotman.Thecompany’sgrowthwasrapid.CostcopurchasedandmergedwithPriceClubtenyearslater.

ADDINGPROFITSBYADDINGVALUE

RetailexpertsgivealotofattentiontoSinegal’sformulaforsuccess:offeralimitednumberofitems,relyonhighvolumesales,keepcostsaslowas possible, and don’t spend money on advertising. But there issomething that separateshim from thecompetitorswhoemploy similarstrategies: theway he treats his employees.He believes in paying hisemployees well and offering them good benefit packages. Costcoemployeesarepaidanaverageof42percentmorethanthecompany’schiefrival.AndCostcoemployeespayafractionofthenationalaveragefor health care. Sinegal believes that if you pay people well, “You getgood people and good productivity.”1 You also get employee loyalty.Costcohasbyfarthelowestemployeeturnoverrateinallofretailing.

But Sinegal’s leadership style of adding value doesn’t end withemployeecompensation.HegoesoutofhiswaytoshowCostcoworkersthat he cares about them. He maintains an open-door policy witheveryone.Hewearsanemployeenametag,isonafirst-namebasiswitheveryone,andmakessuretovisiteverysingleCostcostoreatleastonceayear.

“Nomanagerandnostaffinanybusinessfeelsverygoodifthebossisnot interestedenoughtocomeandseethem,”saysSinegal.Andwhenheshowsup,hispeoplearealwaysgladtoseemhim.“TheemployeesknowthatIwanttosayhellotothem,becauseIlikethem.”2

Sinegal once flew from Texas to the San Francisco area when heheardthataCostcoexecutivewashospitalizedforemergencysurgery.Itcame as no surprise to the executive. It was consistent with the waySinegalalwaysleads.

LEADERSHIPLESSONSLEARNEDEARLY

SolPrice,Sinegal’sone-timementor, says, “Jimhasdoneaverygoodjob in balancing the interests of the shareholders, the employees, thecustomers,andthemanagers.Mostcompaniestilttoomuchonewayoranother.” Many of the lessons Sinegal learned came from Price, whobelieved in treatingpeoplewell andgiving themcredit. InameetingatFed-Mart,Sinegalnotedthatamanagerwasquicktotakethecreditandtoplaceblameonothers.ButPricesawthroughhim.

“Toteachusallalesson,”recallsSinegal,“Solusedaweeklymeetingto purposely raise hell about something that was wrong in one of thestores.Iwonderedwhyhedidit.Butwhenhesawthatthismanagerlettwoofhisemployeestaketheblame,hefiredhimwithinaweek.

“It’s improper for one person to take credit when it takes so manypeopletobuildasuccessfulorganization,”assertsSinegal.“Whenyoutrytobetopdog,youdon’tcreate loyalty. Ifyoucan’tgivecredit(andtakeblame),youwilldrowninyourinabilitytoinspire.”3

The only real criticism of Sinegal comes from Wall Street. Analyststherebelieve thatSinegal is tookindandgenerous tohispeople.Theywouldliketoseehimpayemployeeslessandsqueezethemmore.ButSinegalwouldn’t thinkof it.Hebelieves that if you treat theemployeesand customers right, profits will follow. “OnWall Street,” he observes,“they’re in the business of making money between now and nextThursday.Idon’tsaythatwithanybitterness,butwecan’ttakethatview.Wewant to build a company thatwill still be here fifty and sixty yearsfromnow.”4

“It’simproperforonepersontotakecreditwhenittakessomanypeopletobuildasuccessfulorganization.”

—JIMSINEGAL

Othersoutside theorganizationappreciatehisapproach tobusiness.NellMinow,anexpertoncorporategovernance,remarked,“Iwouldlove

toclonehim.Ofthe2,000companiesinourdatabase,hehasthesingleshortestCEOemploymentcontract.”It’slessthanapagelong.“And[it’s]the only one which specifically says he can be—believe it or not—‘terminatedforcause.’”5

Whenitcomesdowntoit,Sinegalismorefocusedonaddingvaluetopeoplebyservingthemthanonservinghimselformakinghimselfricherwithanexorbitantsalary.HelivesbytheLawofAddition.“Ijustthinkthatif you’re going to try to run an organization that’s very cost-conscious,thenyoucan’thavethosedisparities.Havinganindividualwhoismaking100or200or300 timesmore than theaveragepersonworkingon theflooriswrong.”6

Sinegal sums it up this way: “This is not altruistic. This is goodbusiness.”Hecouldalsosayit’sgoodleadership!

DOMOTIVESMATTER?

Why should leaders lead? And when they do, what is their firstresponsibility?Ifyouweretoaskalotofleaders,youmighthearavarietyofresponses.Youmighthearthataleader’sjobisto:

beincharge,

maketheorganizationrunsmoothly,

makemoneyforshareholders,

buildagreatcompany,

makeusbetterthanthecompetition,and

win.

Doesaleader’smotivematter,orisitsimplygettingthejobdonethat’simportant?What’sthebottomline?

Ididn’tgiveitmuchthoughtuntilthelasttenyears.Ivividlyremember

teaching leadership to a group of government officials in a developingnationa fewyearsagoand teaching that leadersaddvaluebyservingothers. I could see that many of the audience members looked veryuncomfortable as I talked about it. When I finished speaking andmentionedwhat Iobserved tooneofmyhosts,hesaid, “Yes, I’msurethey did look uncomfortable.What you have to realize is that probablymore than half of those people killed someone to obtain their currentpositionofpower.”I’veseenandheardalotofthingsaroundtheworld,butImustadmitIwasshocked.Inthatmoment,IrealizedthatIcouldnottakeforgrantedwhyleadersleadandhowtheygoaboutdoingit.

DOTHEMATH

Manypeopleviewleadershipthesamewaytheyviewsuccess,hopingtogoasfarastheycan,toclimbtheladder,toachievethehighestpositionpossible for their talent. But contrary to conventional thinking, I believethebottomlineinleadershipisn’thowfarweadvanceourselvesbuthowfarwe advance others. That is achieved by serving others and addingvaluetotheirlives.

Thebottomlineinleadershipisn’thowfarweadvanceourselvesbuthowfarweadvanceothers.

The interaction between every leader and follower is a relationship,andallrelationshipseitheraddtoorsubtractfromaperson’slife.Ifyouarealeader,thentrustme,youarehavingeitherapositiveoranegativeimpacton thepeople you lead.Howcanyou tell?There isonecriticalquestion:Are youmaking things better for the peoplewho follow you?That’s it. If you cannot answer with an unhesitant yes, and give someevidencethatbacksitup,thenyoumayverywellbeasubtractor.Oftensubtractorsdon’trealizetheyaresubtractingfromothers.Iwouldsaythat90percentofallpeoplewhosubtract fromothersdosounintentionally.Theydon’trecognizetheirnegativeimpactonothers.Andwhenaleaderis a subtractor and doesn’t change hisways, it’s only amatter of timebeforehisimpactonothersgoesfromsubtractiontodivision.

In contrast, 90 percent of all people who add value to others do sointentionally. Why do I say that? Because human beings are naturally

selfish.I’mselfish.Beinganadderrequiresmetogetoutofmycomfortzoneeverydayandthinkaboutaddingvaluetoothers.Butthat’swhatittakes tobea leaderwhomotherswant to follow.Do that longenough,andyounotonlyaddvaluetoothers—youbegintomultiplyit.

Thepeoplewhomakethegreatestdifferenceseemtounderstandthis.If you thinkabout someof thepeoplewhohavewon theNobelPeacePrize, for example, Albert Schweitzer, Martin Luther King Jr., MotherTeresa, and Bishop Desmond Tutu, you see leaders who were lessinterestedintheirpositionandmoreinterestedintheirpositiveimpactonothers.Ifyoureadtheirwritingsor,moreimportant,studytheirlives,younoticethattheywantedtomakethingsbetterforothers,toaddvaluetopeople’slives.Theydidn’tsetouttoreceivetheNobelPrize;theydesiredto engage in noble service to their fellow human beings. A servant’smind-set pervades their thinking. The 1952 prize winner, AlbertSchweitzer,advised,“Seekalwaystodosomegood,somewhere.Everymanhastoseekinhisownwaytorealizehistrueworth.Youmustgivesometimetoyourfellowman.Forremember,youdon’tliveinaworldallyourown.Yourbrothersareheretoo.”

Addingvaluetoothersthroughservicedoesn’t justbenefit thepeoplebeingserved.Itallowstheleaderstoexperiencethefollowing:

Fulfillmentinleadingothers

Leadershipwiththerightmotives

Theabilitytoperformsignificantactsasleaders

Thedevelopmentofaleadershipteam

Anattitudeofserviceonateam

The best place for a leader isn’t always the top position. It isn’t themost prominent or powerful place. It’s the place where he or she canservethebestandaddthemostvaluetootherpeople.

AlbertEinstein,whowasawardedtheNobelPrizeforphysicsin1921,asserted,“Onlyalifelivedintheserviceofothersisworthliving.”Great

leadershipmeansgreatservice.Howdoleadersservetheirpeople?JimSinegal pays good wages and treats employees with respect. MartinLutherKingJr.marchedforcivilrights.MotherTeresacaredforthesickandestablished placeswhere others could do the same.The specificsdepend on the vision, the type of work, and the organization. But theintention is always the same—to add value. When you add value topeople, you lift them up, help them advance, make them a part ofsomething bigger than themselves, and assist them in becoming whotheyweremadetobe.Oftentheirleaderistheonlypersonabletohelpthemtodothosethings.

ADDINGVALUE,CHANGINGLIVES

Ihavedevelopedfourguidelinestohelpmeaddvaluetoothers.Threeofthemare fundamental and canbeusedbyanyonedesiring to practicetheLawofAddition.Thefourthisbasedonmyfaith.Ifthatmightoffendyouoryoudon’thaveinterestinthatarea,thensimplyskipit.

1.WEADDVALUETOOTHERSWHENWE...TRULYVALUEOTHERS

Darryl Hartley-Leonard, who retired as chairman of the board of HyattHotelsCorporationand iscurrentlychairmanandchiefexecutiveofficerof ProductionGroup International, says, “When a personmoves into aposition of authority, he or she gives up the right to abuse people.” Ibelieve that is true. But that is only the beginning of good leadership.Effective leaders go beyond not harming others, and they intentionallyhelp others. To do that, they must value people and demonstrate thattheycareinsuchawaythattheirfollowersknowit.

“Whenapersonmovesintoapositionofauthority,heorshegivesuptherighttoabusepeople.”—DARRYLHARTLEY-LEONARD

Dan Reiland, who was my right-hand man for many years, is anexcellentleaderandvaluespeoplehighly.Butwhenhefirstcametoworkforme,hedidn’tshow it.Onedaywhenhewasnewon the job, Iwaschattingwith some people in the lobby, andDan came in, briefcase inhand. Danwalked right past all of us without saying a word andwent

straight down thehall towardhis office. Iwasastounded.Howcould aleaderwalkrightbyagroupofpeopleheworkedwithandnotevensayhello to them? I quickly excused myself from the conversation I washavingandfollowedDantohisoffice.

“Dan,” I asked after greeting him, “how could you walk right pasteverybodylikethat?”

“I’vegotalotofworktodotoday,”Dananswered,“andreallywanttogetstarted.”

“Dan,” I said, “you just walked past your work. Never forget thatLeadership is about people.” Dan cared about people and wanted toservethemasaleader.Hejustdidn’tshowit.

I’mtoldthatinAmericanSignLanguage,thesignforservingistoholdthehandsoutinfrontwiththepalmsupandtomovethembackandforthbetweenthesignerand thesignee.Andreally, that isagoodmetaphorfortheattitudethatservantleadersshouldpossess:theyshouldbeopen,trusting,caring,offeringtheirhelp,andwillingtobevulnerable.Leaderswho add value by serving believe in their people before their peoplebelieveinthemandserveothersbeforetheyareserved.

2.WEADDVALUETOOTHERSWHENWE...MAKEOURSELVESMOREVALUABLETOOTHERS

Thewholeideaofaddingvaluetootherpeopledependsontheideathatyou have something of value to add. You can’t give what you do notpossess.Whatdoyouhave togiveothers?Canyou teachskills?Canyou give opportunities? Can you give insight and perspective gainedthroughexperience?Noneofthesethingscomeswithoutaprice.

Ifyouhaveskills,yougainedthemthroughstudyandpractice. Ifyouhaveopportunitiestogive,youacquiredthemthroughhardwork.Ifyoupossess wisdom, you gained it by intentionally evaluating theexperiencesyou’vehad.Themoreintentionalyouhavebeeningrowingpersonally,themoreyouhavetooffer.Themoreyoucontinuetopursuepersonalgrowth,themoreyouwillcontinuetohavetooffer.

3.WEADDVALUETOOTHERSWHENWE...KNOWANDRELATETOWHATOTHERSVALUE

Management consultant Nancy K. Austin says that once when shelookedunderthebedinherroomatoneofherfavoritehotels,shewassurprised to findacard. It said, “Yes,wecleanunderhere too!”Austinsaid,“Idon’trememberthelobby,orthenumberofchandeliers,orhowmanysquarefeetofmarbletheycobbledtogethertomakeourunderfootexperience pleasant.” What she remembered was that card. Thehousekeeping staff had anticipatedwhatwas important to her and hadservedherwell.

Wethinkofthatasgoodcustomerservice,andwhenweareclientsorguests, we expect to receive it. But as leaders, we don’t automaticallyexpecttogiveit.Butitisakeytoeffectiveleadership.Asleaders,howdoweknowandrelatetowhatourpeoplevalue?Welisten.

Inexperiencedleadersarequicktoleadbeforeknowinganythingaboutthepeopletheyintendtolead.Butmatureleaderslisten,learn,andthenlead.Theylistentotheirpeople’sstories.Theyfindoutabouttheirhopesand dreams. They become acquainted with their aspirations. And theypayattentiontotheiremotions.Fromthosethings,theylearnabouttheirpeople. They discover what is valuable to them. And then they leadbaseduponwhatthey’velearned.Whentheydothat,everybodywins—theorganization,theleader,andthefollowers.

Inexperiencedleadersarequicktoleadbeforeknowinganythingaboutthepeopletheyintendtolead.Butmatureleaderslisten,learn,andthenlead.

4.WEADDVALUETOOTHERSWHENWE...DOTHINGSTHATGODVALUES

Ialreadymentionedthatyoumaywanttoskipthisfinalpoint,butformeit’s a non-negotiable. I believe that God desires us not only to treatpeople with respect, but also to actively reach out to them and servethem. Scripture provides many examples and descriptions of how weshouldconductourselves,buthere ismy favorite, capturedbyEugenePeterson’sTheMessage:Whenhefinallyarrives,blazinginbeautyandallhisangelswithhim,theSonofManwilltakehisplaceonhisglorious

throne.Thenallthenationswillbearrangedbeforehimandhewillsortthepeopleout,muchasashepherdsortsoutsheepandgoats,puttingsheeptohisrightandgoatstohisleft.

Then the King will say to those on his right, “Enter, you who areblessed bymy Father! Takewhat’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’sbeenreadyforyousincetheworld’sfoundation.Andhere’swhy:

Iwashungryandyoufedme,

Iwasthirstyandyougavemeadrink,

Iwashomelessandyougavemearoom,

Iwasshiveringandyougavemeclothes,

Iwassickandyoustoppedtovisit,

Iwasinprisonandyoucametome.”

Then those “sheep” are going to say, “Master, what are you talkingabout?Whendidweeverseeyouhungryandfeedyou,thirstyandgiveyouadrink?Andwhendidweeverseeyousickorinprisonandcometoyou?”ThentheKingwillsay,“I’mtellingthesolemntruth:Wheneveryoudidoneofthesethingstosomeoneoverlookedorignored,thatwasme—youdidittome.”7

That standard for my conduct influences everything I do, not justincludingmyleadership,butespeciallymyleadership.BecausethemorepowerIhave,thegreatermyimpactonothers—forbetterorworse.AndIalwayswanttobesomeonewhoaddsvaluetoothers,nottakesitaway.

IT’SNOTJUSTABOUTTHECHICKEN

WhenImovedmycompaniesandmyfamilytoAtlantain1997,itwasn’tlongbeforeIreceivedacallfromDanCathy,thepresidentofChick-fil-A,the privately held national restaurant chain.He had a question forme:“John,howcanwehelpyouandyourorganization?”

Iwassurprised.Howoftendoesacompanythat’sbiggerandstrongerthanyoucomeseeminglyoutof theblueandofferahandtohelp?Butthat’s what Dan did. He brought together two hundred topbusinesspeople from the Atlanta area and hosted a lunch where heintroduced me and offered me a chance to speak to them for fortyminutes.Itgavemeinstantcredibilitythatitwouldhavetakenmeyearstoearn—ifindeedIcouldhaveearneditatallwithouthishelp.Headdedtremendousvaluetomeandmyorganization.

What Idiscoveredas Igot toknowDan,TruettCathy(his fatherandfounderofChick-fil-A),andtheirentireorganizationisthatanattitudeofservicepervadeseverythingtheydo.Andforthatreason,alongwiththeirdedication to excellence, I have to say that Chick-fil-A is one of thecompaniesthatImostgreatlyadmireandrespect.

In 2005 when I hosted Exchange, a weekend leadership growthexperience for executives, I took the participants to Chick-fil-A’sheadquarters south of Atlanta. Everyone got to see the company’soperations, meet Truett Cathy, and hear Dan Cathy speak about theorganization.Hesharedmanyeye-openingcommentsthatrevealedtheirdedication to service and adding value to their employees andcustomers.Forexample,Danwaspreparing thatday to campoutwithcustomers for the nineteenth time on the eve of a new restaurantopening.Hesaidthathehasgottentoknowcustomersandtheirdesiresinawayhenevercouldbeforehestartedthatpractice.

Dan also talked about the company’s desire to give “second-mileservice.” Because Chick-fil-A is a privately held company and ismuchsmaller than McDonald’s, KFC, and many of its other competitors, hebelieves the company will compete and win, not through strength, butthroughservice.Forthatreason,thecompanyisteachingetiquettetoitsemployees,manyofwhomareteenagers.Danjoked,“There’sevidencethatthewordsetiquetteandfastfoodhaveneverbeenmentionedinthesamesentencebefore.”

ButDan’sapproachto leadershipbecameclearwhenhepreparedtogiveeverypersonatExchangewhathecalleda leadershiprelationshipdevelopmenttool.Dansaid,

Nowthisisanine-inch,100percenthorsehairshoebrush.Thisisanindustrial-strengthshoebrush.It’sthebestyoucangetfromtheJohnstonandMurphyShoeCompany.I’mgoingtopresentallof these,onetoeachofyouhere.And,John,whydon’tyoucomeoverherejustforamoment.ImadeacommitmentI’dnevergiveoneoftheseleadershiprelationshipdevelopment tools toanybodywithout first showingyouhow touse it, so,John,stepupheresotheycanseeyouhere.AndI’mgoingtochallengeyoutowatchclosely.Thisreallyhassubstanceandrealmeaningwhenit’spracticedwithpeoplethatyou really know, that you reallyworkwith a lot.So if you’ll letme showyouhow thishappens,I’lltellyouhowitworks.

Dansatmedown,kneeledatmyfeet,andbegancleaningmyshoeswiththebrush.

Nowthisworkswhethertheperson’sgottennisshoes,Nike,Reebok,itwillworkonanytypeofshoe,sodon’tworryaboutwhatkindofshoestheper-sonhason.Youdon’tsayanything—that’s oneof the real keyshere.And you’re in nobig hurry as youdo this.Then[whenyou’redone]yougivethemabighug.

At this point Dan stood up, gaveme a big hug, and then turned toaddressthecrowdonceagain:

I find that, in the rightsettingwhenyouhaveenough time todo thisand to really talkaboutthis,thiscanhaveapowerfulimpactonpeople’slives.Ibelievewhatthisdoesisit“cleansoutthecloset”inourrelationshipswithotherpeople.8

Suchabigpartofgood leadership ishavingnounresolvedrelationalconflictwith other people. Serving otherswho follow you really purifiesyourmotives and helps you gain perspective.And it also brings to thesurfaceanyimpuremotivesoffollowers.Anytimeyoucanremovewrongagendas froma leadership relationship, you clear theway for fantasticachievement.

WhenTruettCathyanswered somequestionsat theendof our timewiththem,hequotedBenFranklinassaying,“Thehandshakeofthehostaffects the taste of the roast.” Anotherway to say itwould be that theattitudeoftheleaderaffectstheatmosphereoftheoffice.Ifyoudesiretoaddvaluebyservingothers,youwillbecomeabetter leader.Andyourpeoplewill achievemore,developmore loyalty,andhaveabetter timegettingthingsdonethanyoueverthoughtpossible.ThatisthepoweroftheLawofAddition.

ApplyingTHELAWOFADDITION

ToYourLife

1.Doyouhaveaservant’sattitudewhenitcomestoleadership?Don’tbetooquicktosayyes.Here’showyoucantell.Insituationswhereyouare required to serve others’ needs, how do you respond? Do youbecome impatient? Do you feel resentful? Do you believe that certaintasksarebeneathyourdignityorposition? Ifyouansweryes toanyofthosequestions,thenyourattitudeisnotasgoodasitcouldbe.Makeita practice to perform small acts of service for others without seekingcreditorrecognitionforthem.Continueuntilyounolongerresentdoingthem.

2.Whatdo thepeopleclosest to youvalue?Makea listof themostimportantpeopleinyourlife—fromhome,work,church,hobbies,andsoon.Aftermakingthelist,writewhateachpersonvaluesmost.Thenrateyourselfonascaleof1(poorly)to10(excellently)onhowwellyourelateto that person’s values. If you can’t articulatewhat someone values oryouscorelowerthanan8inrelatingtothatperson,spendmoretimewithhimorhertoimprove.

3.Makeaddingvaluepartofyourlifestyle.Beginwiththoseclosesttoyou.Howcouldyouaddvaluetothepeopleonyourlistrelatedtowhattheyvalue?Startdoingit.Thendothesamewithallthepeopleyoulead.Ifthereareonlyafew,addvalueindividually.Ifyouleadlargenumbersofpeople, you may have to think of ways to serve groups as well asindividuals.

6

THELAWOFSOLIDGROUND

TrustIstheFoundationofLeadership

Howimportantistrustforaleader?Itisthemostimportantthing.Trustisthe foundation of leadership. It is the glue that holds an organizationtogether.Leaderscannotrepeatedlybreaktrustwithpeopleandcontinuetoinfluencethem.Itjustdoesn’thappen.

Asanation,wehaveseenourtrustinleadersgoupanddownduringthelastseveraldecades.WatergatecertainlytookitstollontheAmericanpeople’s confidence in leadership. Trust in President Richard Nixonbecamesolowthathehadnochoicebuttoresign;hehadlosthisabilitytoinfluence.BillClintonwasaremarkablygiftedleader,butquestionsoftrust undermined his leadership. The corporate scandals of the 1990sshook people’s confidence in business leadership. Reports of sexualharassment at the military academies undermined confidence inleadership in the armed services. And the incidents of abuse in theCatholicChurch disillusionedmany peoplewith its leadership. Leaderscannotlosetrustandcontinuetoinfluenceothers.Trustisthefoundationofleadership.That’stheLawofSolidGround.

ITWASN’TTHEDECISIONS—ITWASTHELEADERSHIP

IpersonallylearnedthepoweroftheLawofSolidGroundwhenIwastheseniorpastorofSkylineChurchintheSanDiegoarea.Inthefallof1989,wehadseveralnewprogramsstartingatthechurch,preparationsforourexhaustingChristmasshowseasonwereinfullswing,andIwastraveling

quiteabitasaspeaker.Itwasveryhectic.BecauseIwassobusy,Iletmycholericnatureget thebetterofmeandmadeabigmistake. Iveryquicklymade threemajor decisions and implemented them: I changedsomecomponentsoftheChristmasshow,IpermanentlydiscontinuedourSundayeveningservice,andIfiredastaffmember.

What’s interesting is thatnoneofmythreedecisionswaswrong.Thechange in theChristmas programwas beneficial. TheSunday eveningservice, though enjoyed by a few of the older members of thecongregation,wasn’tservinganeedthatwasn’talreadybeingmetbetterelsewhere.AndthestaffmemberIfiredhadtogo,anditwasimportantthatInotdelayindismissinghim.MymistakewasthewayImadethosethree decisions. In an organization made up of many volunteers,decisionsneedtobeprocessedcorrectly.

Becauseeverythinginthechurchwasgoingsowell,IthoughtIcouldtakeashortcut.Iwaswrong.Ordinarily,Iwouldgathermyleaders,castvision for them, answer questions, and guide them through the issues.ThenIwouldgivethemtimetoexerttheirinfluencewiththenextlevelofleadersinthechurch.Andfinally,oncethetimingwasright,Iwouldmakeageneralannouncement toeveryone,givingplentyof reassuranceandencouragingpeopletobeapartofthenewvision.ButIdidn’tdoanyofthosethings,andIshouldhaveknownbetter.

THERESULTWASMISTRUST

Itwasn’t longbefore Ibegan tosenseunrestamong thepeopleand tohearrumblings.Atfirst,myattitudewasthateveryoneshouldgetoveritandmoveon.But then I realized that the problemwasn’t them. Itwasme. I had been too impatient. On top of that, my attitude wasn’t verypositive—not good when you’re the guy who writes books on attitude!That’swhenIrealizedthatIhadbrokentheLawofSolidGround.Forthefirsttimeinmycareer,mypeoplewerequestioningme.Ourrelationshipoftrustwasbeginningtoerode.

AssoonasIrealizedIwaswrong,Ipubliclyapologizedtomypeople

and asked for their forgiveness. Your people know when you makemistakes.Therealquestioniswhetheryou’regoingtofessup.Ifyoudo,you canoften regain their trust. Fortunately, that’swhat happenedwithme.From thenon, Iwasmore careful to correctly processdecisions. Ilearned firsthand that when it comes to leadership, you just can’t takeshortcuts,nomatterhowlongyou’vebeenleadingyourpeople.

Trust is like change in a leader’s pocket. Each time youmake goodleadershipdecisions,youearnmorechange.Eachtimeyoumakepoordecisions, youpayout someof your change to thepeople.All leadershaveacertainamountofchangeintheirpocketwhentheystartinanewLeadership position.Whatever they do either builds up their changeordepletes it. If leadersmake one bad decision after another, they keeppaying out change. Then one day, aftermaking one last bad decision,they suddenly—and irreparably—run out of change. It doesn’t evenmatterifthelastblunderwasbigorsmall.Atthatpointit’stoolate.Whenyou’reoutofchange,you’reoutastheleader.

Whenitcomestoleadership,youjustcan’ttakeshortcuts,nomatterhowlongyou’vebeenleadingyourpeople.

In contrast, leaders who keep making good decisions and keeprecordingwins for the organization build up change. Then even if theymakeahugeblunder,theystillhaveplentyofchangeleftover.That’sthekind of history I had at Skyline. For eight years I had made gooddecisionsandearnedthepeople’strust.ThatiswhyIwasabletoregaintheirtrustveryquickly.

TRUSTISTHEFOUNDATIONOFLEADERSHIP

Trust is thefoundationof leadership.Howdoesa leaderbuild trust?Byconsistentlyexemplifyingcompetence,connection,andcharacter.Peoplewill forgive occasionalmistakes based on ability, especially if they canseethatyou’restillgrowingasaleader.Andtheywillgiveyousometimetoconnect.But theywon’t trustsomeonewhohasslips incharacter. Inthat area, evenoccasional lapses are lethal.All effective leaders knowthistruth.CraigWeatherup,whoretiredasfoundingchairmanandCEOof thePepsiBottlingGroup,acknowledges, “Peoplewill toleratehonest

mistakes,but ifyouviolatetheirtrustyouwill finditverydifficult toeverregaintheirconfidence.Thatisonereasonthatyouneedtotreattrustasyourmostpreciousasset.Youmayfoolyourbossbutyoucanneverfoolyourcolleaguesorsubordinates.”

Tobuildtrust,aleadermustexhibitcompetence,connection,andcharacter.

General H. Norman Schwarzkopf points to the significance ofcharacter:“Leadershipisapotentcombinationofstrategyandcharacter.But if you must be without one, be without strategy.” Character andleadership credibility always go hand in hand. Anthony Harrigan,presidentoftheU.S.BusinessandIndustrialCouncil,said,

Theroleofcharacteralwayshasbeenthekeyfactorintheriseandfallofnations.AndonecanbesurethatAmericaisnoexceptiontothisruleofhistory.Wewon’tsurviveasacountrybecausewearesmarterormoresophisticatedbutbecauseweare—wehope—strongerinwardly.Inshort,characteristheonlyeffectivebulwarkagainstinternalandexternalforcesthatleadtoacountry’sdisintegrationorcollapse.

Charactermakestrustpossible.Andtrustmakes leadershippossible.ThatistheLawofSolidGround.

CHARACTERCOMMUNICATES

Wheneveryouleadpeople,it’sasiftheyconsenttotakeajourneywithyou.Thewaythattripisgoingtoturnoutispredictedbyyourcharacter.Withgoodcharacter,thelongerthetripis,thebetteritseems.Butifyourcharacter is flawed, the longer the trip is, the worse it gets. Why?Becausenooneenjoysspendingtimewithsomeonehedoesn’ttrust.

A person’s character quickly communicates many things to others.Herearethemostimportantones:

CHARACTERCOMMUNICATESCONSISTENCY

Leaders without inner strength can’t be counted on day after daybecause their ability to perform changes constantly. NBA great JerryWestcommented,“Youcan’tgettoomuchdoneinlifeifyouonlyworkonthedayswhenyoufeelgood.”Ifyourpeopledon’tknowwhattoexpectfromyouasaleader,atsomepointtheywon’tlooktoyouforleadership.

Charactermakestrustpossible.Andtrustmakesleadershippossible.ThatistheLawofSolidGround.

When I think of leaders who epitomize consistency of character, thefirstpersonwhocomestomindisBillyGraham.Regardlessofpersonalreligiousbeliefs,everybody trustshim.Why?Becausehehasmodeledhighcharacterformorethanhalfacentury.Helivesouthisvalueseveryday.Henevermakesacommitmentunlessheisgoingtokeepit.Andhegoesoutofhiswaytopersonifyintegrity.

CHARACTERCOMMUNICATESPOTENTIAL

BritishpoliticianandwriterJohnMorleyobserved,“Nomancanclimboutbeyond the limitationsofhisowncharacter.”Weakcharacter is limiting.Whodoyouthinkhasthegreaterpotentialtoachievegreatdreamsandhave a positive impact on others: someonewho is honest, disciplined,and hardworking, or someone who is deceitful, impulsive, and lazy? Itsoundsobviouswhenit’sphrasedthatway,doesn’tit?

Talent alone is never enough. Itmust be bolstered by character if aperson desires to go far. Think about someone like the NFL’s TerrellOwens.Fewfootballplayershavehistalent.Yetheseemsunabletogetalongwithhis teammates,whereverheplays. Ifhekeepsgoingon thesametrack,hewillneverfulfillhispotentialasaplayer.

Poor character is likea timebomb tickingaway. It’s onlyamatter oftimebefore itblowsupaperson’sability toperformandthecapacity tolead.Why?Becausepeoplewithweakcharacterarenottrustworthy,andtrust is the foundation of leadership. Craig Weatherup explains, “You

don’t build trust by talking about it. You build it by achieving results,alwayswithintegrityandinamannerthatshowsrealpersonalregardforthepeoplewithwhomyouwork.”1

Whenaleader’scharacterisstrong,peopletrusthim,andtheytrustinhisabilitytoreleasetheirpotential.Thatnotonlygiveshisfollowershopeforthefuture,butitalsopromotesastrongbeliefinthemselvesandtheirorganization.

CHARACTERCOMMUNICATESRESPECT

When you don’t have character within, you can’t earn respect without.Andrespectisabsolutelyessentialforlastingleadership.Howdoleadersearn respect?Bymaking sounddecisions, by admitting theirmistakes,andbyputtingwhat’sbestfortheirfollowersandtheorganizationaheadoftheirpersonalagendas.

Years ago a movie was made about the Fifty-fourth MassachusettsInfantryregimentanditscolonel,RobertGouldShaw.ThefilmwascalledGlory,andthoughsomeofitsplotwasfictionalized,theCivilWarstoryofShaw’sjourneywithhismen—andoftherespectheearnedfromthem—wasreal.

ThemovierecountedtheformationofthisunitintheUnionarmy,whichwasthefirsttobecomposedofAfricanAmericansoldiers.Shaw,awhiteofficer, tookcommandof the regiment, oversaw recruiting, selected the(white) officers, equipped the men, and trained them as soldiers. Hedrove themhard, knowing that their performance in battlewould eithervindicateorcondemnthevalueofblackpeopleassoldiersandcitizensintheminds ofmanywhiteNortherners. In the process, the soldiers andShawearnedoneanother’srespect.

Howdoleadersearnrespect?Bymakingsounddecisions,byadmittingtheirmistakes,andbyputtingwhat’sbestfortheirfollowersandtheorganizationaheadoftheirpersonalagendas.

A fewmonthsafter their trainingwascomplete, themenof theFifty-fourth got the opportunity to prove themselves in theUnion assault onConfederateFortWagner inSouthCarolina.Shaw’sbiographerRussellDuncansaidof theattack:“Withafinaladmonitionto ‘proveyourselvesmen,’Shawpositionedhimselfinfrontandordered,‘forward.’Yearslater,one soldier remembered that the regiment fought hard because Shawwasinfront,notbehind.”

AlmosthalfofthesixhundredmenfromtheFifty-fourthwhofoughtthatdaywerewounded,captured,orkilled.Thoughtheyfoughtvaliantly,theywereunabletotakeFortWagner.AndShaw,whohadcourageouslyledhis men to the top of the fort’s parapet in the first assault, was killedalongsidehismen.

“Theonlythingthatwalksbackfromthetombwiththemournersandrefusestobeburiedisthecharacterofaman.Thisistrue.Whatamanissurviveshim.Itcanneverbeburied.”

—J.R.MILLER

Shaw’sactionsonthatfinaldaysolidifiedtherespecthismenalreadyhadforhim.Twoweeksafterthebattle,AlbanusFisher,asergeantintheFifty-fourth,said, “Istill feelmoreEager for thestruggle than Ieveryethave,forInowwishtohaveRevengeforourgalantCurnel[sic].”2J.R.Milleronceobserved,“Theonlythingthatwalksbackfromthetombwiththemournersandrefusestobeburiedisthecharacterofaman.Thisistrue. What a man is survives him. It can never be buried.” Shaw’scharacter,strongtothelast,hadcommunicatedalevelofrespecttohismenthatlivedbeyondhim.

Aleader’sgoodcharacterbuildstrustamonghisfollowers.Butwhenaleaderbreakstrust,heforfeitshisabilitytolead.That’stheLawofSolidGround.

THEBEGINNINGOFTHEENDOFTRUST

EarlierImentionedWatergateandthevariouspublicscandalsthathaveunderminedthepublic’sconfidenceinleadersduringthelastthirtyyears.But the event that I believe began to erode the public’s faith in thenation’sleadersanddevelopedstrongskepticisminthecountrywasthe

war in Vietnam. The actions taken by members of the Johnsonadministration, the mistakes made by Robert McNamara, and theirunwillingness to face and admit those mistakes broke trust with theAmericanpeople.TheyviolatedtheLawofSolidGround,andtheUnitedStateshasbeensufferingfromtherepercussionseversince.

Vietnam was already at war when President Kennedy and RobertMcNamara,hissecretaryofdefense,tookofficeinJanuaryof1961.TheVietnam region had been a battleground for decades, and the UnitedStatesgotinvolvedinthemid-1950swhenPresidentEisenhowersentasmallnumberofU.S.troopstoVietnamasadvisors.WhenKennedytookoffice,hecontinuedEisenhower’spolicy.Itwasalwayshisintentiontoletthe South Vietnamese fight and win their own war, but over time, theUnited States became increasingly involved. Before the war was over,morethanhalfamillionAmericantroopsatonetimeservedinVietnam.

Ifyouexperiencedthosewaryears,youmaybesurprisedtoknowthatinthebeginningAmericansupportforthewarwasverystrong,evenasthe number of troops being sent overseas rapidly increased and thecasualties mounted. By 1966, more than two hundred thousandAmericans had been sent to Vietnam, yet two-thirds of all AmericanssurveyedbyLouisHarrisbelievedthatVietnamwastheplacewheretheUnited States should “stand and fight communism.” And most peopleexpressedthebeliefthattheUnitedStatesshouldstayuntilthefightwasfinished.

FIRSTTRUST,THENSUPPORT

Butsupporteventuallyeroded.TheVietnamWarwasbeinghandledverybadly. On top of that, our leaders continued the war even after theyrealized that we couldn’t win it. But the worst mistake of all was thatMcNamara and President Johnson weren’t honest with the Americanpeople about it. And because trust is the foundation of leadership, itultimatelydestroyedtheadministration’sleadership.

In his book In Retrospect, McNamara recounts that he repeatedlyminimizedAmerican lossesand told only half-truthsabout thewar.For

example, he says, “Upon my return to Washington [from Saigon] onDecember21,[1963,]IwaslessthancandidwhenIreportedtothepress. . . I said, ‘We observed the results of a very substantial increase inVietcongactivity’(true);butIthenadded,‘WereviewedtheplansoftheSouth Vietnamese and we have every reason to believe they will besuccessful’(anoverstatementatbest).”

For a while, nobody questioned McNamara’s statements becausetherewasnoreasontomistrustthecountry’sleaders.Butintime,peoplerecognizedthathiswordsandthefactsweren’tmatchingup.Andthat’swhen the American public began to lose faith. Years later, McNamaraadmitted his failure: “We of the Kennedy and Johnson administrationswhoparticipatedinthedecisionsonVietnamactedaccordingtowhatwethought were the principles and traditions of this nation.Wemade ourdecisionsinlightofthosevalues.Yetwewerewrong,terriblywrong.”3

BYTHEN,ITWASTOOLATE

Many would argue that McNamara’s admission came thirty years andfifty-eightthousandlivestoolate.ThecostofVietnamwashigh,andnotjust in human lives. As the American people’s trust in their leadersdeteriorated,sodidtheirwillingnesstofollowthem.Protestsledtoopenrebellion and to society-wide turmoil. The era that had begun with thehopeand ideal-ismcharacterizedbyJohnF.KennedyultimatelyendedwiththemistrustandcynicismassociatedwithRichardNixon.

WheneveraleaderbreakstheLawofSolidGround,hepaysapriceinhis leadership. McNamara and President Johnson lost the trust of theAmericanpeople,andtheirabilitytoleadsufferedasaresult.Eventually,McNamararesignedassecretaryofdefense.Johnson,theconsummatepolitician, recognized his weakened position, and he didn’t run forreelection. But the repercussions of broken trust didn’t end there. TheAmericanpeople’sdistrustforpoliticianshascontinuedtothisday.

No leader can break trust with his people and expect to keepinfluencingthem.Trustisthefoundationofleadership.ViolatetheLawofSolidGround,andyoudiminishyourinfluenceasaleader.

ApplyingTHELAWOFSOLIDGROUND

ToYourLife

1. How trustworthywould your followers say you are?How can youmeasure their trust? By how open they are with you. Do they openlyshare opinions with you—even negative ones? Do they give you badnewsasreadilyasgoodnews?Dotheyletyouknowwhat’sgoingonintheirareasofresponsibility?Ifnot,theymaynottrustyourcharacter.

Howaboutyourcolleaguesandyourleader?Dotheyconsistentlyputtheir trust in you? How do you measure their trust? By how muchresponsibility they entrust to you. If you regularly carry weightyresponsibilities, that isagoodsign thatyouare trustworthy. Ifnot, thenyou need to find out whether they doubt your competence or yourcharacter.

2.Mosthighachieversspendtimedevelopingtheirprofessionalskills.Theyseektobehighlycompetent.Fewerfocusontheircharacter.Whatareyoucurrentlydoingtodevelopyourcharacter?

Irecommendthatyoufocusonthreemainareas:integrity,authenticity,anddiscipline.Todevelopyourintegrity,makeacommitmenttoyourselftobescrupulouslyhonest.Don’tshavethetruth,don’ttellwhitelies,anddon’t fudge numbers. Be truthful even when it hurts. To developauthenticity, be yourself with everyone.Don’t play politics, role play, orpretend tobeanythingyou’renot.Tostrengthenyourdiscipline,do therightthingseverydayregardlessofhowyoufeel.

3.Ifyouhavebrokentrustwithothersinthepast,thenyourleadershipwill always suffer until you try to make things right. First, apologize towhomever you have hurt or betrayed. If you can make amends orrestitution,thendoso.Andcommittoworkatre-earningtheirtrust.The

greater theviolation, the longer itwill take.Theonus isnoton them totrust. The onus is on you to earn it. (And if you have broken trust athome,starttherebeforeworkingtorepairprofessionalrelationships.)

7

THELAWOFRESPECT

PeopleNaturallyFollowLeadersStrongerThanThemselves

Ifyouhadseenher,yourfirstreactionmightnothavebeenrespect.Shewasn’taveryimpressive-lookingwoman—justalittleoverfivefeettall,inher late thirties, with dark brownweathered skin. She couldn’t read orwrite. The clothes sheworewere coarse andworn.When she smiled,sherevealedthathertoptwofrontteethweremissing.

Shelivedalone.Thestorywasthatshehadabandonedherhusbandwhenshewastwenty-nine.Shegavehimnowarning.Onedayhewokeup,andshewasgone.Shetalkedtohimonlyonceafterthat,yearslater,andshenevermentionedhisnameagainafterward.

Heremploymentwaserratic.Mostofthetimeshetookdomestic jobsinsmallhotels:scrubbingfloors,makinguprooms,andcooking.Butjustabout every spring and fall she would disappear from her place ofemployment,comebackbroke,andworkagaintoscrapetogetherwhatlittlemoney she could.When shewas present on the job, sheworkedhardandseemedphysicallytough,butshealsowasknowntosuddenlyfall asleep—sometimes in themiddle of a conversation. She attributedherafflictiontoablowtotheheadshehadtakenduringateenagefight.

Whowould respectawoman like that?Theanswer is themore thanthreehundredslaveswhofollowedhertofreedomoutoftheSouth—theyrecognized and respected her leadership. So did just about everyabolitionistinNewEngland.Theyearwas1857.Thewoman’snamewas

HarrietTubman.

ALEADERBYANYOTHERNAME

While she was only in her thirties, Harriet Tubman came to be calledMosesbecauseofherabilitytogointothelandofcaptivityandbringsomanyof herpeopleoutof slavery’sbondage.Tubmanstarted lifeasaslave.Shewasborn in1820andgrewup in the farmlandofMaryland.Whenshewasthirteen,shereceivedtheblowtoherheadthattroubledherallherlife.Shewasinastore,andawhiteoverseerdemandedherassistanceso thathecouldbeatanescapingslave.Whenshe refusedandblockedtheoverseer’sway,themanthrewatwo-poundweightthathitTubmaninthehead.Shenearlydied,andherrecoverytookmonths.

Atage twenty-four,shemarriedJohnTubman,a freeblackman.Butwhen she talked to him about escaping to freedom in the North, hewouldn’t hear of it. He said that if she tried to leave, he’d turn her in.Whensheresolvedtotakeherchancesandgonorthin1849,shedidsoalone,withoutaword tohim.Her firstbiographer,SarahBradford,saidthatTubmantoldher:“Ihadreasonedthisoutinmymind:therewasoneof two things Ihada right to, libertyordeath. If Icouldnothaveone, Iwouldhavetheother,fornomanshouldtakemealive.Ishouldfightformylibertyasmystrengthlasted,andwhenthetimecameformetogo,theLordwouldletthemtakeme.”

Tubman made her way to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, via theUnderground Railroad, a secret network of free blacks, whiteabolitionists, and Quakers who helped escaping slaves on the run.Though free herself, she vowed to return to Maryland and bring herfamily out. In 1850, she made her first return trip as an UndergroundRailroad“conductor”—someonewhoretrievedandguidedoutslaveswiththeassistanceofsympathizersalongtheway.

ALEADEROFSTEEL

Each summer and winter, Tubman worked as a domestic, scraping

together the funds she needed tomake return trips to the South. Andeveryspringandfall,sheriskedherlifebygoingsouthandreturningwithmore people. She was fearless, and her leadership was unshakable.Hers was extremely dangerous work, and when people in her chargewaveredorhadsecondthoughts,shewasstrongassteel.Tubmanknewescaped slaves who returned would be beaten and tortured until theygave information about those who had helped them. So she neverallowedanypeopleshewasguidingtogiveup.“Deadfolkstellnotales,”shewouldtellafaintheartedslaveassheputaloadedpistoltohishead.“Yougoonordie!”

Between1850and1860,HarrietTubmanguidedoutmorethanthreehundredpeople,includingmanyofherfamilymembers.Shemadenine-teentripsinallandwasveryproudofthefactthatsheneveroncelostasingle person under her care. “I never ranmy train off the track,” shesaid, “and Inever lostapassenger.”At the time,Southernwhitesputa$12,000priceonherhead—afortune.BythestartoftheCivilWar,shehad brought more people out of slavery than any other American inhistory—blackorwhite,maleorfemale.

INCREASINGRESPECT

Tubman’s reputation and influence commanded respect, and not justamong slaves who dreamed of gaining their freedom. InfluentialNortherners of both races sought her out. She spoke at rallies and inhomes throughout Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Boston, Massachusetts;St. Catharines, Canada; and Auburn, New York, where she eventuallysettled.Peopleof prominencesoughtherout, suchasSenatorWilliamSeward, who later became Abraham Lincoln’s secretary of state, andoutspoken abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass. Tubman’sadvice and leadershipwere also requested by JohnBrown, the famedrevolutionary abolitionist. Brown always referred to the former slave as“General Tubman,” and he was quoted as saying she “was a betterofficer thanmostwhomhehadseen,andcould commandanarmyassuccessfullyasshehad ledhersmallpartiesof fugitives.”1That is theessenceoftheLawofRespect.

ATESTOFLEADERSHIP

HarrietTubmanwouldappeartobeanunlikelycandidatefor leadershipbecause the deck was certainly stacked against her. She wasuneducated.Shebeganlifeasaslave.Shelivedinaculturethatdidn’trespectAfricanAmericans.Andshe labored inacountrywherewomendidn’thavetherighttovoteyet.Despitehercircumstances,shebecameanincredibleleader.Thereasonissimple:peoplenaturallyfollowleadersstronger than themselves. Everyone who came in contact with herrecognizedherstrongleadershipabilityandfeltcompelledtofollowher.That’showtheLawofRespectworks.

IT’SNOTAGUESSINGGAME

People don’t follow others by accident. They follow individuals whoseleadership theyrespect.Peoplewhoarean8 in leadership (onascalefrom1to10,with10beingthestrongest)don’tgooutandlookfora6tofollow—theynaturally followa9or10.The lessskilled follow themorehighly skilled and gifted. Occasionally, a strong leader may choose tofollow someoneweaker thanhimself.Butwhen that happens, it’s for areason.Forexample,thestrongerleadermaydoitoutofrespectfortheperson’s office or past accomplishments. Or he may be following thechainofcommand.Ingeneral, though, followersareattractedtopeoplewhoarebetterleadersthanthemselves.ThatistheLawofRespect.

Themoreleadershipabilityapersonhas,themorequicklyherecognizesleadership—oritslack—inothers.

Whenpeopleget together for the first time inagroup, takea lookatwhat happens. As they start interacting, the leaders in the groupimmediatelytakecharge.Theythinkintermsofthedirectiontheydesireto goandwho theywant to takewith them.At first, peoplemaymaketentativemoves inmanydifferentdirections,butafter thepeopleget toknowoneanother,itdoesn’ttakelongforthemtorecognizethestrongestleadersandtostartfollowingthem.

LEADERSGOTHEIROWNWAYWHEN

AGROUPFIRSTCOMESTOGETHER

SOONPEOPLECHANGEDIRECTIONTOFOLLOWTHESTRONGESTLEADERS

PEOPLENATURALLYALIGNTHEMSELVESANDFOLLOWLEADERS

STRONGERTHANTHEMSELVES

Usuallythemoreleadershipabilityapersonhas,themorequicklyherecognizesleadership—oritslack—inothers.Intime,peopleinthegroupgetonboardand follow thestrongest leaders.Either thator they leavethegroupandpursuetheirownagenda.

I remember hearing a story that shows how people come to followstronger leaders. It happened in the early 1970s when Hall of FamebasketballcenterBillWalton joinedCoachJohnWooden’sUCLA team.Asayoungman,Waltonworeabeard. Ithasbeensaidthat thecoachtold Walton that UCLA players were not allowed to have facial hair.Walton, attempting to assert his independence, said that he would notshaveoff his beard.Wooden’sno-nonsense responsewas, “We’llmissyou,Bill.”Need-lesstosay,Waltonshavedthebeard.

GAININGRESPECT

Whatcausesonepersontorespectandfollowanother?Isitbecauseofthequalitiesoftheleader?Isitduetoaprocesstheleaderandfollowerengagein?Doesitoccurbecauseofthecircumstances?Ibelieveallofthose factors can come into play. Based on my observations andpersonalexperience,herearethetopsixwaysthatleadersgainothers’respect:

1.NATURALLEADERSHIPABILITY

First and foremost is leadership ability. Some people are born withgreaterskillsandability to lead thanothers.All leadersarenotcreatedequal. However, as I’ve stated in the Law of the Lid and the Law ofProcess,everypersoncanbecomeabetterleader.

Whenpeoplerespectyouasaperson,theyadmireyou.Whentheyrespectyouasafriend,theyloveyou.Whentheyrespectyouasaleader,theyfollowyou.

Ifyoupossessnaturalleadershipability,peoplewillwanttofollowyou.Theywillwanttobearoundyou.Theywilllistentoyou.Theywillbecomeexcited when you communicate vision. However, if you do not exhibitsomeoftheadditionalpracticesandcharacteristicslistedbelow,youwillnot reach your leadership potential, and people may not continue tofollow you. One of the greatest potential pitfalls for natural leaders isrelyingontalentalone.

2.RESPECTFOROTHERS

Dictatorsandotherautocraticleadersrelyonviolenceandintimidationtogetpeopletodowhattheywant.That’snotreallyleadership.Incontrast,good leaders rely on respect. They understand that all leadership isvoluntary.When leadersshow respect forothers—especially forpeoplewhohave lesspowerora lowerposition than theirs—theygain respectfromothers.Andpeoplewanttofollowpeopletheyrespectgreatly.

Gainingrespectfromothersfollowsapattern:

Whenpeoplerespectyouasaperson,theyadmireyou.Whentheyrespectyouasafriend,theyloveyou.Whentheyrespectyouasaleader,theyfollowyou.

Ifyoucontinually respectothersandconsistently lead themwell,youwillcontinuetohavefollowers.

3.COURAGE

OnethingthatcausedeveryonetorespectHarrietTubmansomuchwasher tremendous courage. She was determined that she was going tosucceed, or she was going to die trying. She didn’t care about thedanger.Hermissionwasclear,andshewasabsolutelyfearless.

“Aleaderdoesnotdeservethenameunlessheiswillingoccasionallytostandalone.”—HENRYKISSINGER

Former U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger remarked, “A leaderdoes not deserve the name unless he is willing occasionally to standalone.”Good leaders dowhat’s right, even at the risk of failure, in theface of great danger and under the brunt of relentless criticism. I can’tthink of even one great leader from history who was without courage.Canyou?Aleader’scouragehasgreatvalue:itgivesfollowershope.

4.SUCCESS

Success is very attractive. People are naturally drawn to it. It’s onereason that people in our society are so focused on celebrities’ lives,cheerfortheirfavoritesportsteam,andfollowthecareersofrockstars.

Successisevenmoreimportantwhenitappliestothepeoplewholeadus.Peoplerespectothers’accomplishments.Andit’shardtoarguewithagoodtrackrecord.Whenleadersaresuccessfulintheirownendeavors,peoplerespectthem.Whentheysucceedinleadingtheteamtovictory,then followersbelieve theycando itagain.Asa result, followers followthembecausetheywanttobepartofsuccessinthefuture.

5.LOYALTY

Weliveinaneraoffreeagency.Professionalathleteshopfromteamtoteam,lookingforthebestdeal.CEOsnegotiateridiculouslyhighfinancialpack-agesand thenbailoutasmillionaireswhen thingsgowrong.Theaverage worker, according to one source, will change occupations tentimesbythetimehereachesagethirty-six.2

Inacultureofconstantchange, turnover,and transition, loyalty isanasset.Whenleadersstickwiththeteamuntilthejobisdone,remainloyaltotheorganizationwhenthegoinggetsrough,andlookoutforfollowersevenwhenithurtsthem,followersrespectthemandtheiractions.

6.VALUEADDEDTOOTHERS

Perhapsthegreatestsourceofrespectforaleadercomesfromhisorherdedicationtoaddingvaluetoothers.BecauseI’vealreadydiscussedthisextensively in the Law of Addition, I probably don’t need to saymuchhere.Butyoucanbesurethatfollowersvalueleaderswhoaddvaluetothem.Andtheirrespectforthemcarriesonlongaftertherelationshiphasended.

MEASUREYOURLEVELOFRESPECT

Ifyouwanttomeasurehowmuchrespectyouhaveasaleader,thefirstthing you should do is to look at who you attract. Dennis A. Peerremarked, “One measure of leadership is the caliber of people whochoosetofollowyou.”Thesecondthingyoushoulddoistoseehowyourpeoplerespondwhenyouaskforcommitmentorchange.

“Onemeasureofleadershipisthecaliberofpeoplewhochoosetofollowyou.”—DENNISA.PEER

Whenleadersarerespectedandtheyaskforcommitment,theirpeoplestepupandsignup.Theyarereadytotakerisks,chargethehill,putinlong hours, or do whatever else is necessary to get the job done.Likewise,whenrespectedleadersaskforchange,followersarewillingtoembraceit.Butwhenleaderswhoarenotrespectedaskforcommitmentor change, people doubt, they question, they make excuses, or theysimplywalkaway.Itisveryhardforaleaderwhohasn’tearnedrespecttogetotherpeopletofollow.

ARESPECTEDLEADERSTEPSDOWN

In October of 1997, college basketball saw the retirement of a greatleader,someonewhoengendered respectashespentmore than thirtyyearsofhislifepouringhimselfintoothers.HisnameisDeanSmith,andhewastheheadbasketballcoachoftheUniversityofNorthCarolina.Hecompiled a remarkable record while leading the Tar Heels and isconsideredoneof thebest tocoachatany level. In thirty-twoyearsashead coach at North Carolina, hewon a remarkable 879 games.3Histeams recorded twenty-seven consecutive twenty-win seasons. Theywon thirteen Atlantic Coast Conference titles, played in eleven FinalFours,andwontwonationalchampionships.

“Theleadermustknow,mustknowheknows,andmustbeabletomakeitabundantlycleartothoseabouthimthatheknows.”—CLARENCEB.RANDALL

TherespectSmithhasearnedamonghispeersistremendous.Whenhescheduled thepress conference to announcehis retirement, peoplesuchasHallofFamecoachesJohnThompson,whomSmithbeatforthenational championship in 1982, and Larry Brown came to show theirsupport. Michael Hooker, the chancellor of the University of NorthCarolina, gave Smith an open invitation to do just about anything hewanted at the school in the coming years. Even the president of theUnitedStatescalledtohonorSmith.

THOSECLOSESTTOHIMRESPECTEDSMITHTHEMOST

ButtheLawofRespectcanbebestseeninSmith’scareerbylookingatthe way his players interacted with him. They respected him formanyreasons. He taught them much about basketball as well as life. Hepushedthemtoachieveacademically,withnearlyeveryplayerearningadegree.Hemadethemwinners.Andheshowedthemincredible loyaltyand respect. Charlie Scott, who played for Smith and graduated fromNorthCarolina in1970,advanced toplayprobasketballand thenwentontoworkasmarketingdirectorforChampionProducts.ConcerninghistimewithSmith,hesaid,

As one of the first black college athletes in the ACC, I experienced many difficult

momentsduringmytimeatNorthCarolina,butCoachSmithwasalwaysthereforme.Ononeoccasion,aswewalkedoffthecourtfollowingagameatSouthCarolina,oneoftheirfanscalledmea“bigblackbaboon.”TwoassistantshadtoholdCoachSmithbackfromgoingaftertheguy.ItwasthefirsttimeIhadeverseenCoachSmithvisiblyupset,andIwasshocked.Butmorethananythingelse,Iwasproudofhim.4

During his time at North Carolina, Smith made quite an impact. Hisleadershipnotonlywongamesand the respectof hisplayersbutalsohelped produce a remarkable forty-nine men who went on to playprofessional basketball. Included in that list are greats such as BobMcAdoo,JamesWorthy,andofcourse,MichaelJordan—notonlyoneofthebestplayersevertodribbleabasketball,butalsoafineleaderinhisownright.

JamesJordan,Michael’sfather,creditedSmithandhisleadershipforalotofhisson’ssuccess.Beforeaplay-offgameinChicagoin1993,theelderJordanobserved:

PeopleunderestimatetheprogramthatDeanSmithruns.HehelpedMichaelrealizehisathleticabilityandhone it.Butmore important than that, hebuilt character inMichaelthat took him through his career. I don’t think Michael was privileged to any moreteaching than anyone else. He had the personality to go with the teaching, and atCarolinahewasabletoblendthetwoofthemtogether.That’stheonlywayIcanlookatit,andIthinkthat’swhatmadeMichaeltheplayerhebecame.5

Michael Jordan understood what it meant to follow a good leader.Duringthewaningyearsofhiscareer,hewasadamantabouthisdesiretoplayforonlyonecoach—PhilJackson,themanhebelievesisthebestin thebusiness. Itmadesense.A leader likeJordanwanted to followastrongleader—onestrongerthanhimself.That’stheLawofRespect.It’sjust possible that Jordan’s desire got its seed when the young NorthCarolinian, still developing, was being led andmentored by his strongcoach,DeanSmith.

Ifyoueverbecome frustratedbecause thepeopleyouwant to followyouarereluctantto,itverywellmaybethatyouaretryingtoleadpeoplewhoseleadershipisstrongerthanyours.Thatcreatesadifficultsituation.Ifyou’rea7asa leader,8s,9s,and10saren’t likely to followyou—nomatter how compelling your vision is or how well thought-out a planyou’vedevised.

Mathematician André Weil observed, “A first-rate man will try tosurroundhimselfwith his equals, or better if possible. The second-rateman will surround himself with third-rate men. The third-rate man willsurroundhimselfwithfifth-ratemen.”That’snotnecessarilybydesignorbecause weaker leaders are insecure. It’s because of the Law ofRespect.Likeitornot,that’sjustthewayleadershipworks.

Sowhatcanyoudoaboutit?Becomeabetterleader.There’salwayshopeforaleaderwhowantstogrow.Peoplewhoarenaturallya7mayneverbecomea10—buttheycanbecomea9.Thereisalwaysroomtogrow.Andthemoreyougrow,thebetterthepeopleyouwillattract.Why?Becausepeoplenaturallyfollowleadersstrongerthanthemselves.

ApplyingTHELAWOFRESPECT

ToYourLife

1. Think about the last time you asked employees, followers, orvolunteers for a commitment to something you were leading or tochanging something they were doing. What was their response? Ingeneral,howreadilydopeoplerallytoyouineitherofthosesituations?Thatcanbeusedasafairlyaccurategaugeofyourleadershiplevel.

2.Takealookatthequalitiesthathelpaleadertogainrespect:

Leadershipability(naturalability)

Respectforothers

Courage

Successrecord

Loyalty

Valueaddedtoothers

Evaluateyourselfineachareaonascaleof1(low)to10(high).Oneofthebestwaystoraiseyour“leadershipnumber”istoimproveineachindividualarea.Inonesentenceforeach,writeapractice,habit,orgoalthatwillhelpyoutoimproveinthatarea.Thenworkforamonthoneachtomakeitaregularpartofyourlife.

3.One ofmy favorite definitions of success is having the respect ofthoseclosesttome.Ibelievethatifmyfamily(whoknowsmethebest)andmyclosestcoworkers(whoworkwithmeeveryday)haverespectforme,thenIamasuccessandmyleadershipwillbeeffective.

Ifyouhavethecourage,askthepeopleinyourlifewhoareclosesttoyouwhattheyrespectmostaboutyou.Andaskthemtotellyouinwhichareasyoumostneedtogrow.Thendeterminetoimprovebasedontheirhonestfeedback.

8

THELAWOFINTUITION

LeadersEvaluateEverythingwithaLeadershipBias

During thedecade that I’vespoken toaudiencesabout the21LawsofLeadership, I’ve found that the Law of Intuition is the most difficult toteach.WhenItalkaboutit,naturalleadersgetitinstantly,learnedleadersgetiteventually,andnon-leadersjustlookatmeblankly.

Leaders look at things differently than others do. They evaluateeverything according to their leadership bias. They possess leadershipintuitionthatinformseverythingtheydo.It isaninseparablepartofwhotheyare.

EVERYBODYISINTUITIVE

Not all people are intuitive in the area of leadership, but every personpossesses intuition.Whydo Isay that?Becausepeopleare intuitive intheir area of strength. I’ll give you an example. Because I am acommunicatoranddoalotofpublicspeaking,peopleoccasionallywanttohearfrommywife,Margaret,andshereceivesaninvitationtospeakatanevent.As thedateapproaches,Margaretworksonherpresentationand puts together her notes, but we inevitably end up having aconversationsomethinglikethis:

“John,howdoyouthinkIshouldstart?”sheasks.

“Itdepends,”Ianswer.

“That’snotmuchhelp.”

“Margaret, I’m not trying to be difficult. Every speaking situation isdifferent.”

“Okay,butwhatwouldyoudo?”

“Well,I’dgooutandtalktomanyoftheattendeesbeforetheeventtotrytogetafeelforwhotheyare—youknow,justcheckouttheroom.AndI’dlistentowhatthehostsaidandtothepeoplewhospokebeforemetoget an idea if I should play off something they said or that happenedearlier.I’dfindawaytoreallyconnectwiththeaudience.”

Peopleareintuitiveintheirareaofstrength.

“Thatdoesn’thelpme,”sheanswersinfrustration.

To be honest, her questions frustrate me as much as my answersfrustrate her. I have a hard time explaining what I would do becausecommunicationisintuitiveforme;it’soneofmygreateststrengths.

TURNINGTHETABLES

I’mnotpickingonMargaret.SheismorehighlytalentedthanIaminsomanyareas.Togiveyouanidea,whenI’mgettingreadytospeakatanevent and I’m trying to pick outmy clothes, I’mworthless.One of twothings usually happens: I stand in the closet, paralyzed and drooling,totally incapableof figuringoutwhatgoestogether.Or Ipicksomethingout,putiton,gointothebedroom,andMargaretsays,“Oh,John,you’renotgoingtowearthat,areyou?”

“Uh, I, uh, no, of course not,” I answer. “What doyou think I shouldwear?”

Atthat,Margaretstrollsintotheclosetandlooksaroundforabouttwoseconds.“Ihaven’tseenyou in this jacketyet,sohowabout this?”she

saysasshestartsgrabbingthings.“Andifyouwearthisshirtandthistie,itwillreallypop.”Asshepickstheslacks,Itrytobehelpfulandpickoutshoes.“No,youcan’twearthoseshoeswiththis,”shesays.“Here,weartheseandthisbelt.”

WhenIamattheevent,IhearcomplimentsabouthowI’mdressed,sowhen I return home, I hang that whole outfit together in the closetbecauseIknowitgoestogether.ThenthenexttimeIgetreadytoleavefor a speaking engagement, I put it on and walk confidently into thebedroom. Margaret says, “You can’t wear that again,” and off we gothroughthewholeroutineagain.

Margaret has incredible instincts when it comes to anything artistic.She has a great sense of style and a fantastic eye for color. She canpaint,arrangeflowers,design,huntdownfineantiques,garden,decorate—youname it.She is intuitive in theareasofherstrengths.Thanks toher,ourhomeshavealwaysbeengorgeous.ShecouldeasilyholdherownagainstanydecoratoronHGTV.I’mluckybecauseIbenefitfromhertalent.

MORETHANFACTS

Intuitionissodifficulttoexplainbecauseit’snotconcrete.Itdoesn’trelyon just empirical evidence. If you’ve ever seen reruns of the old showDragnetonTVLand(orifyou’remyageandsawthemwhennew),youprobably know the phrase Jack Webb made famous: “Just the facts,ma’am, just the facts.”TheLawof Intuitiondependsonsomuchmorethanjustthefacts.TheLawofIntuitionisbasedonfactsplusinstinctplusother intangible factors, such as employee morale, organizationalmomentum,andrelationaldynamics.

Colin Powell, retired army general and former secretary of state,provides a good explanation of the use of leadership intuition and itsimportance.Heobservesthatmanyleadershavetroubleiftheydesiretohave an exhaustive amount of data or wait to have all their questionsanswered before making decisions. Powell says that his practice is to

makeaLeadershipdecisionaftergatheringonly40to60percentoftheinformation that can be obtained, and then he uses his experience tomake up the difference. In other words, he bases his leadershipdecisions as much on intuition as on facts. He relies on the Law ofIntuition.Andthatoftenseparatesthegreatleadersfromthemerelygoodones.

LEADERSHIPISTHEIRBIAS

Goodleadersseeeverythingwithaleadershipbias,andasaresult,theyinstinctively, almost automatically, know what to do when it comes toleading. This read-and-react instinct is evident in the best leaders. Forexample, consider the career of another former U.S. Army general: H.NormanSchwarzkopf.Timeaftertime,hewasassignedcommandsthatothersavoided,buthewasabletoturnthesituationsaroundastheresultofhisexceptionalleadershipintuitionandabilitytoact.Leadersareoftenabletodosimilarthings.

WhenSchwarzkopfhadbeen in thearmyseventeenyears,he finallygot his chance to command a battalion. It occurred inDecember 1969during his second tour of Vietnam as a lieu-tenant colonel. Thecommand,whichnobodywanted,wasof theFirstBattalionof theSixthInfantry, the “First of the Sixth.” But because the group had such ahorriblereputation,itwasnicknamedthe“worstoftheSixth.”Confirmingthiswasthefactthatashetookcommand,Schwarzkopfwastoldthatthebattalionhad just flunked itsannual inspectionwithanabysmalscore—onlysixteenoutofapossibleonehundredpoints.Hehadonlythirtydaystowhiphismenintoshape.

Schwarzkopfwasrepeatedlyabletoturnbadsituationsaroundastheresultofhisexceptionalleadershipintuition.

SEEINGTHROUGHALEADERSHIPLENS

After thechange-in-commandceremony,Schwarzkopfmet theoutgoingcommander.Beforethemanleft,hetoldSchwarzkopf,“This isforyou,”handinghimabottleofScotch.“You’regonnaneed it.Well, Ihopeyoudo better than I did. I tried to lead as best I could, but this is a lousybattalion.It’sgotlousymorale.It’sgotalousymission.Goodlucktoyou.”

Schwarzkopfanticipatedaterriblesituation,butitwasevenworsethanhe expected. His predecessor hadn’t known the first thing aboutleadership.

Themanhadneverventuredoutside thesafetyof thebasecamp toinspect his troops. And the results were appalling. The entire battalionwas in chaos. The officers were indifferent, the most basic militarysecurity procedures weren’t being followed, and soldiers were dyingneedlessly.Thedepartingcommanderwasright:itwasalousybattalionwithlousymorale.Buthedidn’trealizethatitwaslargelyhisfault.

Duringthenextfewweeks,Schwarzkopf ’s leadershipintuitionkickedin,andhetookaction.Heimplementedprocedures,retrainedthetroops,developed his leaders, and gave the men direction and a sense ofpurpose.Whenitwastimeforthethirty-dayinspection,theyachievedapassingscore.Andthemenstartedtothinktothemselves,Hey,wecando it right. We can be a success. We’re not the worst of the Sixthanymore.As a result, fewer men died, morale rose, and the battalionstartedtobecomeeffectiveinitsmission.Thebattalion’sturnaroundwasso strong that just a fewmonths afterSchwarzkopf took it over, itwasselectedtoperformmoredifficultmissions—thekindthatcouldbecarriedoutonlybyadisciplined,well-ledgroupwithstrongmorale.

WHOYOUAREDETERMINESWHATYOUSEE

HowwasSchwarzkopf able to turn around this group of soldiers? Thesamewayheovercamedifficultassignmentsagainandagain:theLawofIntuition.Other officers had the same training and access to the sameresources.AndSchwarzkopfwasn’tnecessarilysmarterthanhiscounter-partseither.Whathebroughttothetablewasstrongleadershipintuition.Hesaweverythingwithaleadershipbias.

Whoyouaredictateswhatyousee.AscenefromthemovieTheGreatOutdoors illustrates this perfectly. In the movie, Chet, played by JohnCandy, is vacationing with his family at a small lake community in thewoods.Heisunexpectedlyvisitedbyhissister-in-lawandherhusband,Roman,playedbyDanAykroyd.Asthetwomensitontheporchoftheircabinoverlookingthelakeandmilesofbeautifulforest,theystarttotalk.AndRoman, a fast-talking wheeler-dealer, shares his visionwith Chet:“I’lltellyouwhatIseewhenIlookoutthere...Iseetheunderdevelopedresources of northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. I see asyndicated development consortium exploiting over a billion and a halfdollarsinforestproducts.Iseeapapermilland—ifthestrategicmetalsare there—aminingoperation;agreenbeltbetweenthecondoson thelakeandawastemanagement facility . . .Now Iaskyou,whatdoyousee?”

Whoyouaredictateswhatyousee.

“I,uh,Ijustseetrees,”answersChet.

“Well,” says Roman, “nobody ever accused you of having a grandvision.”

Chet saw trees because hewas there to enjoy the scenery. Romansawbusinessopportunitiesbecausehewassomeonewhosedesirewastomakemoney.Howyouseetheworldaroundyouisdeterminedbywhoyouare.

HOWLEADERSTHINK

Becauseof their intuition, leadersevaluateeverythingwitha leadershipbias.Peoplebornwithnatural leadershipabilityareespeciallystrong intheareaofleadershipintuition.Othershavetoworkhardtodevelopandhoneit.Buteitherway,intuitioncomesfromtwothings:thecombinationof natural ability, which comes in a person’s areas of strength, andlearnedskills.It isaninformedintuition,anditcausesleadershipissuestojumpouttoaleaderinawaythattheydon’twithothers.

I regard leadership intuition as the ability of a leader to read what’sgoingon.Forthatreason,Isaythatleadersarereaders:

LEADERSAREREADERSOFTHEIRSITUATION

TodayIwearmanyhats.Iwrite,speak,mentor,andnetwork.Ialsoowntwocompanies.AlthoughIspeakwiththepresidentsofmycompaniesonaweeklybasis,theyruntheday-to-dayoperations,andIgototheofficeonlyoccasionally.

Recently John Hull, the president and CEO of EQUIP, commented,“John,whenyoucomeintotheoffice,youreenterourworldveryeasily.”I thought that was an interesting choice of words, so I askedwhat hemeant.

“You are very aware of the atmosphere and environment,” heexplained.“Youaskgoodquestionsandquicklyfallinstepwithusonourjourney.It’sneverawkwardwhenyoureturntotheoffice.”AsIreflected,Irealizedwhathewasdescribingwasmyuseofleadershipintuition.

In all kinds of circumstances, leaders pick up on details that mightelude others. They “tune in” to leadership dynamics. Many leadersdescribethisasanabilityto“smell”thingsintheirorganization.Theycansensepeople’sattitudes.Theyareabletodetectthechemistryofateam.Theycantellwhenthingsarehummingandwhenthey’rewindingdownorgettingreadytogrindtoahalt.Theydon’tneedtosift throughstats,readreports,orexamineabalancesheet.Theyknowthesituationbeforetheyhaveallthefacts.Thatistheresultoftheirleadershipintuition.

Naturalabilityandlearnedskillscreateaninformedintuitionthatmakesleadershipissuesjumpoutatleaders.

LEADERSAREREADERSOFTRENDS

Mostfollowersarefocusedontheircurrentwork.Theythink intermsoftasksat hand,projects, or specific goals.That is as it shouldbe.Mostmanagers are concerned with efficiency and effectiveness. They often

possess a broader view than employees, thinking in terms of weeks,months,orevenyears.Butleaderstakeanevenbroaderview.Theylookyears,evendecadesahead.

Everythingthathappensaroundusdoessointhecontextofabiggerpicture.Leadershave theability—and responsibility—tostepback fromwhat’s happening at the moment and to discern not only where theorganizationhasbeenbutalsowhereit isheaded.Sometimestheycanaccomplishthisthroughanalysis,butoftenthebestleaderssenseitfirstandfinddatatoexplainitlater.Theirintuitiontellsthemthatsomethingishappening, thatconditionsarechanging,andthat troubleoropportunityis coming. Leaders must always be a few steps ahead of their bestpeople,orthey’renotreallyleading.Theycandothatonlyiftheyareabletoreadtrends.

LEADERSAREREADERSOFTHEIRRESOURCES

Amajor differencebetween leadersandeveryoneelse is theway theyseeresources.Agoodworkerencountersachallengeandthinks,WhatcanIdotohelp?Ahighachieverasks,HowcanIsolvethisproblem?Apeakperformerwonders,WhatmustIdotoreachthenextlevelsothatIcanover-comethis?

Leaderswhowanttosucceedmaximizeeveryassetandresourcetheyhaveforthebenefitoftheirorganization.

Leadersthinkdifferently.Theythink in termsofresourcesandhowtomaximizethem.Theyseeachallenge,problem,oropportunity,andtheythink,Who is the best person to take this on? What resources—rawmaterials,technology,information,andsoforth—dowepossessthatwillhelpus?Whatwillthistakefinancially?HowcanIencouragemyteamtoachievesuccess?

Leaders see everything with a leadership bias. Their focus is onmobilizingpeopleandleveragingresourcestoachievetheirgoalsratherthanonusingtheirownindividualefforts.Leaderswhowanttosucceedmaximize every asset and resource they have for the benefit of theirorganization. For that reason, they are continually aware of what theyhaveattheirdisposal.

LEADERSAREREADERSOFPEOPLE

President Lyndon Johnson once said that when youwalk into a room,you don’t belong in politics if you can’t tell who’s for you and who’sagainst you. That statement also applies to any other kind of leader.Intuitionhelpsleaderssensewhat’shappeningamongpeopleandknowtheirhopes,fears,andconcerns.Theycansensewhat’shappeninginaroom—whetherthere’scuriosity,doubt,reluctance,anticipation,orrelief.

Readingpeopleisperhapsthemostimportantintuitiveskillleaderscanpossess.Afterall, ifwhatyouaredoingdoesn’t involvepeople, it’snotLeadership. And if you aren’t persuading people to follow, you aren’treallyleading.

LEADERSAREREADERSOFTHEMSELVES

Finally,goodleadersdeveloptheabilitytoreadthemselves.PoetJamesRussell Lowell observed, “Noone canproducegreat thingswho is notthoroughlysincere indealingwithhimself.”Leadersmustknownotonlytheirownstrengthsandblindspots,skillsandweaknesses,butalsotheircurrentstateofmind.Why?Becauseleaderscanhinderprogressjustaseasily as they can help create it. In fact, it’s easier to damage anorganizationthanitistobuildone.We’veallseenexcellentorganizationsthattookgenerationstobuildbeginfallingapartinamatterofyears.

When leaders become self-centered, pessimistic, or rigid in theirthinking,theyoftenhurttheirorganizationsbecausetheyarelikelytofallintothetrapofthinkingtheycannotorshouldnotchange.Andoncethathappens,theorganizationhasahardtimebecomingbetter.Itsdeclineisinevitable.

THREELEVELSOFLEADERSHIPINTUITION

Ifyou’resayingtoyourself,I’dliketobeabletoreadthesedynamicsinmyorganization,butI justdon’tseethingsintuitively,don’tdespair.Thegoodnewsisthatyoucanimproveyourleadershipintuition,evenifyouare not a natural-born leader. As I’ve already mentioned, leadershipintuitionisinformedintuition.Thelessnaturalleadershiptalentyouhave,themoreyouwillneedtomakeupforitbydevelopingskillsandgainingexperience.Theycanhelpyoutodevelopthinkingpatterns,andthinkingpatternscanbelearned.

I’vefoundthatallpeoplefitintothreemajorintuitionlevels:

1.THOSEWHONATURALLYUNDERSTANDLEADERSHIP

Somepeoplearebornwithexceptionalleadershipgifts.TheyinstinctivelyunderstandpeopleandknowhowtomovethemfrompointAtopointB.Even when they’re kids, they act as leaders. Watch them on theplayground, and you can see other kids following them. People withnatural leadership intuition can build upon it and become world-classleadersofthehighestcaliber.

2. THOSE WHO CAN BE NURTURED TO UNDERSTANDLEADERSHIP

Mostpeoplefallintothiscategory.Theyhaveadequatepeopleskills,andif they are teachable, they can develop intuition. Leadership can belearned.However,peoplewhodon’t try to improve their leadershipandneverworktodeveloptheir intuitionarecondemnedtobeingblindsidedintheirLeadershipfortherestoftheirlives.

3.THOSEWHOWILLNEVERUNDERSTANDLEADERSHIP

Ibelievenearlyeveryone iscapableofdeveloping leadershipskillsandintuition. But occasionally, I run across someone who doesn’t seem tohavealeadershipboneinhisbodyandwhohasnointerestindeveloping

theskillsnecessary to lead.This isn’tyoubecause thesepeopleneverpickupaleadershipbook.

DEVELOPINGINTUITIONBYCHANGINGYOURTHINKING

Several years ago I gained insight into college football and about howquarterbacksaretrainedtothinkwhenIwas invitedtotheUniversityofSouthernCalifornia.TheircoachatthattimewasLarrySmith.Heaskedme to speak to the Trojans football team before a big game and alsoallowedmetovisittheteam’soffensivewarroom.

On chalkboards covering every wall, the coaches had mapped outevery possible situation their team could be in—according to down,yardage,andplaceonthefield.Andforeverysituation,thecoacheshadplanneda speccivic playdesigned to succeed, basedon their yearsofexperienceandtheirintuitiveknowledgeofthegame.

While I was there, I noticed a cot against one of the walls.When Iasked what it was for, the offensive coordinator said, “I always spendFridaynightheretomakesurethatIknowalltheplays,too.”

“Yeah,butyou’vegotallofthemwrittendownonthatsheetthatyou’llcarrywithyoutomorrowonthesidelines,”Isaid.“Whydon’tyoujustusethat?”

“Ican’t relyon that,”heanswered. “There isn’t time.Yousee,by thetimetheballcarrier’skneetouchestheground,Ihavetoknowwhatplayto call next based on the situation. There’s no time to fumble arounddecidingwhat todo.” Itwashis job toput thecoachingstaff ’s intuitionintoactioninaninstant.

Butthecoachesdidn’tstopthere.

The three USC quarterbacks had to memorize every one of thoseplays.

The night before the game, I watched as the coaches grilled those

young men, firing one situation after another at them. The job of thequarterbacks was to recite which play was right for the situation. Thecoacheswantedthoseplayerstobesowellinformed,soready,thattheirintuition would take over during crunch time. It would help them toeffectivelyleadtheteam.

Aleaderhastoreadthesituationandknowinstinctivelywhatplaytocall.

LEADERSSOLVEPROBLEMSUSINGTHELAWOFINTUITION

Whenever leaders face a problem, they automaticallymeasure it—andbeginsolvingit—usingtheLawofIntuition.Theyevaluateeverythingwitha leadership bias. For example, leadership intuition came into play inrecent years at Apple Computer. Just about everybody knows thesuccessstoryofApple.Thecompanywascreatedin1976bySteveJobsandSteveWozniakinagarage.Justfouryearslater,thebusinesswentpublic, opening at twenty-two dollars a share and selling 4.6 millionshares. It made more than forty employees and investors millionairesovernight.

But Apple’s story hasn’t been all positive. Since those early years,Apple’s success, stock value, and ability to capture customers havefluctuatedwildly. Jobs left Apple in 1985, having beenpushedout in abattlewithCEOJohnSculley,theformerPepsipresidentwhomJobshadrecruitedin1983.SculleywasfollowedbyMichaelSpindlerin1993andthen Gilbert Amelio in 1996. None of them was able to reestablishApple’sprevioussuccess.Initsglorydays,Applehadsold14.6percentofallpersonalcomputersintheUnitedStates.By1997,salesweredownto3.5percent.ThatwaswhenAppleagainlookedtotheleadershipofitsoriginal founder,Steve Jobs, for help.The failing companybelievedhecouldsaveit.

Wheneverleadersfaceaproblem,theyautomaticallymeasureit—andbeginsolvingit—usingtheLawofIntuition.

REINVENTINGAPPLE

Jobs intuitively reviewed the situation and immediately took action. Heknew that improvementwas impossiblewithoutachange in leadership,sohequicklydismissedallbut twoof thepreviousboardmembersandinstallednewones.Hemadechanges in theexecutive leadership.Andhefiredthecompany’sadagencyandheldacompetitionfortheaccountamongthreefirms.

Healsorefocusedthecompany.Jobswantedtogetbacktothebasicsof what Apple had always done best: use its individuality to createproductsthatmadeadifference.AtthetimeJobssaid,“We’vereviewedthe roadmap of new products and axedmore than 70 percent of theprojects,keepingthe30percentthatweregems.Pluswe’readdingnewonesthatareawholenewparadigmoflookingatcomputers.”1

None of those actions was especially surprising. But Jobs also didsomething that really showed the Law of Intuition in action. He readApple’s situation and made a leadership decision that went absolutelyagainst the grain of Apple’s previous thinking. It was an incredibleintuitive leadership leap.Jobscreatedastrategicalliancewith themanwhomApple employees considered to be their archenemy—BillGates.Jobsexplained, “I calledBill andsaidMicrosoftandAppleshouldworkmorecloselytogether,butwehavethisissuetoresolve,thisintellectual-propertydispute.Let’sresolveit.”

They negotiated a deal quickly,which settledApple’s lawsuit againstMicrosoft. Gates promised to pay off Apple and invest $150 million innon-votingstock.Thatclearedthewayforfuturepartnershipandbroughtmuch-neededcapital tothecompany. Itwassomethingonlyan intuitiveleader would have done. Apple’s stock value immediately went up 33percent.Andintime,Appleregainedsomeoftheprestigeithadlostovertheyears.

REVOLUTIONIZINGMUSIC

In 2001, Jobs made another leadership move based on his intuition.While other computer manufacturers were pursuing PDAs, he was

looking at music. And when an independent contractor and hardwareexpert named Tony Fadell approached Applewith an idea for anMP3player and a music sales company, Apple embraced it, even thoughseveralother companieshad rejected it.Fadellwashiredon,and theybeganworkingonwhatwouldeventuallybeknownastheiPod.

Improvementisimpossiblewithoutchange.

Jobs’s involvement with the iPod is an indication of his leadershipintuition.BenKnauss,whowason the insideof theproject, says, “TheinterestingthingabouttheiPodisthatsinceitstarted,ithad100percentofSteveJobs’stime.Notmanyprojectsgetthat.Hewasheavilyinvolvedineverysingleaspectof theproject.”2WhydidJobsdo that?Becausehisintuitionasaleadermadehimunderstandtheimpactthatthedevicecouldmake.Itwasconsistentwithhisvisionforcreatingadigitallifestyle.

Jobs has been right on. Sales have been phenomenal and haveexceeded the company’s computer sales. Apple was making a profitwhileothertechnologycompaniessuffered.Byspringof2002,Applehadshipped more than 10 million units.3 By the end of 2005, Applepossessed75percentoftheworldmarketfordigitalmusicplayers!4

Jobs’s story is a reminder that leadership is really more art thanscience. The principles of leadership are constant, but the applicationchanges with every leader and every situation. That’s why it requiresintuition.Without it, leaders get blindsided, and that’s one of theworstthings thatcanhap-pen toa leader. Ifyouwant to lead long, leadwell,andstayaheadofothers,you’vegottoobeytheLawofIntuition.

ApplyingTHELAWOFINTUITION

ToYourLife

1.Howareyouwhenitcomestotrustingyourintuition?Areyouafactsor feelingsperson?Tobecomebetterat theLawof Intuition, youmustfirstbewillingtotrustyourintuition.Beginbyworkingwithinyourareasofgreateststrength.

First, determine which is your strongest natural talent. Second,participate in that talent,payingattention toyour feelings, instincts,andintuition. When do you know something is “right” before you haveevidence?Howcanyou tellwhenyou’re “on”?Doyour instincts in thisareaeverbetrayyou?Ifso,whenandwhy?Gettoknowyouraptitudeforintuitionwhereyouarestrongbeforetryingtodevelopitinleadership.

2.Oneof themost importantabilities in leadership isreadingpeople.Howwouldyou rateyourself in thisarea?Canyou tellwhatothersarefeeling? Can you sense when people are upset? Happy? Confused?Angry?Doyouanticipatewhatothersarethinking?

If this is not an area of strength for you, thenwork on improving bydoingthesethings:

Readbooksonrelationships.

Engagemorepeopleinconversations.

Becomeapeoplewatcher.

3.Trainyourselftothinkintermsofmobilizingpeopleandharnessingresources.Thinkaboutcurrentprojectsorgoals.Nowimaginehowyoucanaccomplish themwithoutdoinganyof thework yourself except forrecruiting,empowering,andmotivatingothers.

Youmayevenwanttowritethefollowingonanotecardandkeepitinyourpocketororganizer:

Whoisthebestpersontotakethison?

Whatresourcesdowepossessthatcanhelpus?

Whatwillthistakefinancially?

HowcanIencouragemyteamtoachievesuccess?

9

THELAWOFMAGNETISM

WhoYouAreIsWhoYouAttract

Effectiveleadersarealwaysonthelookoutforgoodpeople.Ithinkeachofuscarriesaroundamentallistofwhatkindofpeoplewewouldliketohaveinourorganizationordepartment.Thinkaboutit.Doyouknowwhoyou’re lookingforrightnow?What isyourprofileofperfectemployees?What qualities would they possess? Would you want them to beaggressive and entrepreneurial? Are you looking for leaders? Do youcarewhethertheyareintheirtwenties,forties,orsixties?Stoprightnow,takeamoment,andmakealistofthequalitiesyou’dlikeinthepeopleonyour team. Find a pencil or pen, and do it now before you read anyfarther.

MyPeopleWouldHaveTheseQualities:

Now,whatwilldeterminewhetherthepeopleyouwantarethepeopleyougetandwhethertheywillpossessthequalitiesyoudesire?Youmaybe surprised by the answer. Believe it or not, who you attract is notdeterminedbywhatyouwant.It’sdeterminedbywhoyouare.

Go back to the list you just made, and for each characteristic you

identified,decidewhetheryoupossess thatquality.Forexample, if youwrotethatyouwouldlike“greatleaders”andyouareanexcellentleader,that’samatch.Putacheck ( )by it.But if your leadership isnobetterthanaverage,putanXandwrite“onlyaverageleader”nextto it. Ifyouwrote thatyouwantpeoplewhoare “entrepreneurial”andyoupossessthatquality,putacheck.Otherwise,mark itwithanX,andsoon.Nowreviewthewholelist.

Whoyouattractisnotdeterminedbywhatyouwant.It’sdeterminedbywhoyouare.

If you see awhole bunch of Xs, then you’re in trouble, because thepeopleyoudescribearenotthetypewhowillwanttofollowyou.Inmostsituations, unless you take strongmeasures to counteract it, you drawpeopletoyouwhopossessthesamequalitiesyoudo.That’stheLawofMagnetism:whoyouareiswhoyouattract.

FROMMUSICIANSHIPTOLEADERSHIP

WhenIwasakid,mymotherusedtotellmethatbirdsofafeatherflocktogether.IthoughtthatwasawisesayingwhenIwasspendingtimewithmy older brother, Larry, and playing ball. He was a good athlete, so Ifigured that made me one, too. As I grew up, I think I instinctivelyrecognized that good students spent time with good students, peoplewho only wanted to play stuck together, and so on. But I don’t think Ireally understood the impact of the LawofMagnetismuntil Imoved toSan Diego, California, and became the leader of the last church Ipastored.

My predecessor at Skyline Church was Dr. Orval Butcher. He is awonderful man with many admirable qualities. One of his best is hismusician-ship.HeplayspianoandhasabeautifulIrishtenorvoice,eventoday in his eighties.At the time I arrived in 1981,Skyline had a solidreputation for fine music and was nationally known for its outstandingmusicalproductions.Infact,thechurchwasfilledwithtalentedmusiciansandvocalists.Andinthetwenty-sevenyearsDr.Butcherledthechurch,only twomusicdirectorsworked forhim—anunbelievable track record.(Incomparison,duringmyfourteenyearsthere,Iemployedfivepeoplein

thatcapacity.)

Why were there so many exceptional musicians at Skyline? Theanswer lies in the Law ofMagnetism. People withmusical talent werenaturally attracted to Dr. Butcher. They respected him and understoodhim. They shared his motivation and values. They were on the samepagewithhim.Leadershelp toshape thecultureof theirorganizationsbased on who they are and what they do. Music was valued. It waspracticedandperformedwithexcellence.Itwasusedtoreachouttothecommunity.Itwasdeeplyingrainedinthecultureoftheorganization.

Incontrast,Ienjoymusic,butIamnotamusician.It’sfunny,butwhenI interviewed for the position at Skyline, one of the first questions theyaskedmewaswhetherIcouldsing.TheywereverydisappointedwhenItold themno.After I cameonboardat the church, thenumberof newmusiciansarrivingatthechurchdeclinedquickly.WestillhadmorethanoursharebecauseDr.Butcherhadcreatedmomentumandawonderfullegacyinthatarea.Butdoyouknowwhatkindofpeoplestartedcominginstead? Leaders. I valued leadership,modeled it, trained people in it,and rewarded it. Leadership was woven into the fabric of theorganization.BythetimeIleftSkyline,notonlywasthechurchfilledwithhundredsofexcellentleaders,butthechurchhadraisedupandsentouthundreds of leaders. The reason was the Law of Magnetism. Ourorganizationbecameamagnetforpeoplewithleadershipability.

WHEREDOTHEYMATCHUP?

Maybeyou’vestartedthinkingaboutthepeoplethatyouhaveattractedinyourorganization.Youmightsaytoyourself,Waitaminute.Icannametwentythingsthatmakemypeopledifferentfromme.Andmyresponsewouldbe,“Ofcourseyoucan.”We’reallindividuals.Butthepeoplewhoare drawn to you probably have more similarities than differences,especiallyinafewkeyareas.

Takea lookat the followingcharacteristics. Ifyouhave recruitedandhireda staff, youwill probably find that youand thepeoplewho followyousharecommongroundinseveralofthesekeyareas:

GENERATION

Most organizations reflect the characteristics of their key leaders, andthat includes their age. During the dot-com boom of the 1990s,thousands of companieswere founded by people in their twenties andearlythirties.Andwhodidtheyhire?Othersintheirtwentiesandthirties.In justaboutany typeoforganization,mostof the time thepeoplewhocomeonboardaresimilarinagetotheleaderswhohirethem.OftenthatoccurswithindepartmentsSometimesitoccurscompany-wide.

Ifyouthinkyourpeoplearenegative,thenyou’dbettercheckyourattitude.

ATTITUDE

RarelyhaveIseenpositiveandnegativepeopleattractedtooneanother.Peoplewhoviewlifeasaseriesofopportunitiesandexcitingchallengesdon’t want to hear others talk about how bad things are all the time. Iknowthat’strueforme.Andnotonlydopeopleattractotherswithsimilarattitudes,but theirattitudes tend tobecomealike.Attitude isoneof themostcontagiousqualitiesahumanbeingpossesses.Peoplewithgoodattitudestendtomakepeoplearoundthemfeelmorepositive.Thosewithaterribleattitudetendtobringothersdown.

BACKGROUND

In the chapter on the Law of Process, I wrote about TheodoreRoosevelt.Oneofhismemorableaccomplishmentsishisdaringchargeup San Juan Hill with the Rough Riders during the Spanish-AmericanWar.Roosevelt personally recruited that all-volunteer cavalry company,and it was said to be a remarkably peculiar group of people. It wascomprised primarily of two types of men: wealthy aristocrats from theNortheastandcowboysfromtheWildWest.Why?BecauseTRwasanaristocratic-born,Harvard-educatedNewYorkerwho turnedhimself intoa real-lifecowboyandbig-gamehunter in theDakotasof theWest.He

was a strong and genuine leader in both worlds, and as a result, heattractedbothkindsofpeople.

People attract—and are attracted to—others of similar background.Blue-collarworkerstendtosticktogether.Employerstendtohirepeopleofthesamerace.Peoplewitheducationtendtorespectandvalueotherswho are also well educated. This natural magnetism is so strong thatorganizationsthatvaluediversityhavetofightagainstit.

IntheNFL,forexample,theteamownersarewhite,andfordecades,all the head coacheswerewhite. But becausemembers of the leaguevalued racial diversity, they put into place a diversity policy requiringteamstoincludeatleastoneminoritycandidateintheinterviewprocesswhenhiringheadcoaches.ThatpolicyhashelpedmorehighlyqualifiedAfricanAmericanheadcoachestobehired.(Butotherthanintheareaofrace,thebackgroundofallthecoachesremainsstrikinglysimilar.)

VALUES

People are attracted to leaders whose values are similar to their own.Thinkabout thepeoplewhoflocked toPresidentJohnF.Kennedyafterhewaselectedin1960.Hewasayoungidealistwhowantedtochangetheworld,andheattractedpeoplewithasimilarprofile.WhenheformedthePeaceCorpsandcalledpeopletoservice,saying,“Asknotwhatyourcountrycandoforyou;askwhatyoucandoforyourcountry,”thousandsofyoung,idealisticpeoplesteppedforwardtoanswerthechallenge.

It doesn’tmatterwhether the shared values are positive or negative.Either way, the attraction is equally strong. Think about someone likeAdolfHitler.Hewasaverystrongleader(asyoucanjudgebyhislevelofinfluence).Buthisvalueswererottento thecore.Whatkindsofpeopledidheattract?Leaderswithsimilarvalues:HermannGoering,founderofthe Gestapo; Joseph Goebbels, a bitter anti-Semite who ran Hitler’spropaganda machine; Reinhard Heydrich, second in command of theNazisecretpolice,whoorderedmassexecutionsofNaziopponents;andHeinrich Himmler, chief of the SS and director of the Gestapo, who

initiatedthesystematicexecutionofJews.Theywereallstrongleaders,and theywere all utterly evilmen. The Law ofMagnetism is powerful.Whatevercharacteryoupossessiswhatyouwilllikelyfindinthepeoplewhofollowyou.

ENERGY

It’sagoodthingthatpeoplewithsimilarlevelsofenergyareattractedtoone another because when you pair a high-energy person with a low-energypersonandaskthemtoworkcloselytogether,theycandriveoneanothercrazy.Thehigh-energypersonthinksthelow-energyoneislazy,andthelow-energypersonthinksthehigh-energyoneisinsane.

GIFTEDNESS

Peopledonotgoout lookingformediocre leaderstofollow.Peopleareattracted to talentandexcellence,especially in theirareaofgiftedness.Theyaremostlikelytorespectandfollowsomeonewhopossessestheirkindoftalent.Businesspeoplewanttofollowbosseswithskillinbuildingan organization and making a profit. Football players want to followcoacheswithgreatfootballtalent.Creativepeoplewanttofollowleaderswhoarewillingtothinkoutsidethebox.Likeattractslike.Thatmayseempretty obvious. Yet I’ve met many leaders who expect highly talentedpeople to follow them, even though they neither possess nor expressvalueforthosepeople’sgiftedness.

LEADERSHIPABILITY

Finally, thepeopleyouattractwillhave leadershipabilitysimilar toyourown.AsIsaidindiscussingtheLawofRespect,peoplenaturallyfollowleadersstrongerthanthemselves.ButyoualsohavetofactorintheLawofMagnetism,whichstatesthatwhoyouareiswhoyouattract.Ifyouarea7whenitcomestoleadership,youaremorelikelytodraw5sand6stoyou than2sand3s.The leadersyouattractwillbesimilar instyleand

abilitytoyou.

LIVINGLEADERSHIP

AlMcGuire,formerheadbasketballcoachofMarquetteUniversity,oncesaid, “A team should be an extension of the coach’s personality. Myteamswerearrogantandobnoxious.” It’smorethanamatterof“shouldbe”—teamscannothelpbeinganextensionoftheirleader’spersonality.

In1996, I foundedmynonprofit organization,EQUIP,whichexists totrainleadersinternationally.GuesswhatkindsofdonorsareattractedtoEQUIP?Leaders!MenandwomenwholeadothersandunderstandthevalueandimpactthatcomefromtrainingleadersarecontinuallyattractedtoEQUIP.

GOINGAGAINSTTHEGRAIN

Asyoureadthischapter,youmayfindyourself inoneoftwosituations.You may be saying to yourself, I’m not crazy about the people I’mattracting.Am I stuck with my situation?The answer is no. If you aredissatisfied with the leadership ability of the people you are attracting,thenembracetheLawofProcessandworkto increaseyour leadershipskill.Ifyouwanttogrowanorganization,growtheleader.Ifyoufindthepeopleyouattract tobeunreliableoruntrustworthy, thenexamineyourcharacter.Developingstrongercharactercanbeamoredifficultroad,butthepayoff ishuge.Goodcharacterimproveseveryaspectofaperson’slife.

Ontheotherhand,youmaybesaying, I likewhoIam,andI likethekindofpeopleIattract.That’sgreat!Now,takethenextstepineffectiveleadership.Workat recruitingpeoplewhoaredifferent fromyoutostaffyourweaknesses.Ifyoudon’t,importantorganizationaltasksarelikelytobe overlooked, and the organization will suffer as a result. Anorganizationwillneverfulfillitspotentialifeveryoneinitisavisionaryorifeveryoneisanaccountant.

It ispossible fora leader togooutand recruitpeopleunlikehimself,but those are not the people hewill naturally attract. Attracting peopleunlikeyourself requiresahighdegreeof intentionality.Tosucceedat it,peoplemustbelieveinyou,andthevisionyousharemustbecompelling.YoucanlearnmoreaboutthatintheLawofBuy-In.

HISTORYCHANGESCOURSE

Onceyouunderstand theLawofMagnetism,youcansee itatwork injustaboutanykindofsituation:business,government,sports,education,themilitary,andmore.Asyoureadhistory,lookforitsclues.Oneofthemost vivid examples of the Law of Magnetism is found in Americanhistoryamong themilitary leadersof theCivilWar.When theSouthernstates seceded, there were questions about which side many of thegeneralswouldfightfor.RobertE.Leewasconsideredthebestgeneralinthenation,andPresidentLincolnactuallyofferedhimcommandoftheUnion army. But Lee would never consider fighting against his nativeVirginia.HedeclinedtheofferandjoinedtheConfederacy—andthebestgeneralsinthelandfollowedhim.

Thebetterleaderyouare,thebetterleadersyouwillattract.

IfLeehadchosento leadanarmyfor theUnion instead,manyothergood generals would have followed him north. As a result, the warprobablywould have beenmuch shorter. Some speculate that itmighthave lasted two years instead of five—and hundreds of thousands oflives would have been saved. It just goes to show you that the betterleader you are, the better leaders you will attract. And that has anincredibleimpactoneverythingyoudo.

Howdothepeopleyouarecurrentlyattractingtoyourorganizationordepartment look toyou?Are they thestrong,capable,potential leadersyoudesire?Orcould theybebetter?Remember, theirqualitydoesnotultimatelydependonahiringprocess,ahumanresourcesdepartment,orevenwhatyouconsidertobethequalityofyourarea’sapplicantpool.Itdepends on you.Who you are is who you attract. That is the Law ofMagnetism. If you want to attract better people, become the kind of

personyoudesiretoattract.

ApplyingTHELAWOFMAGNETISM

ToYourLife

1.Ifyouskippedtheexerciseofwritingdownthequalitiesyoudesireinyour followers, thendo itnow.Onceyouare finished (or if youalreadycompleted it), thinkaboutwhyyoudesire thequalitiesyou listed.Whenyou wrote them, did you think you were describing people like you ordifferentfromyou?Ifthereisadisparitybetweenyourimageofyourselfand of your employees, then your level of self-awarenessmay be low,and it may be hindering your personal development. Talk to a trustedcolleague or friendwho knows youwell to help you identify your blindspots.

2.Basedonwhoyouareattracting,youmayneedtogrowintheareasof character and leadership. Findmentorswilling and able to help yougrow ineacharea.Goodcandidatesasacharactermentor couldbeapastororspiritualadvisor,aprofessionalwhoseabilityyourespect,oraprofessional coach. Ideally, your leadership mentor should work in thesameorasimilarprofessionandbeseveralstepsaheadofyouinhisorhercareer.

3.Ifyouarealreadyattractingthekindsofpeopleyoudesire,thenit’stime to take your leadership to the next level. Work at staffing yourweaknessesandrecruitingpeoplewhowillcomplementyour leadershipin the area of skills.Write a list of your five greatest strengthswhen itcomestoskills.Thenwriteyourfivegreatestweaknesses.

Now it’s timetocreateaprofileofwhoyouare looking for.Startwithgiftednessthatcorrespondstoyourweaknesses.Addtothatvaluesandattitudes that are similar to yours. Also consider whether age,background,andeducationare factors.Will ithelp if theyaredifferent?Finally, lookforsomeonewhoispotentiallyagoodleaderoratthevery

leastunderstandsandappreciateshowleadershipworks.Fewthingsaremore frustrating to a good leader than a partner with a bureaucraticmindset.

10

THELAWOFCONNECTION

LeadersTouchaHeartBeforeTheyAskforaHand

There are incidents in the lives and careers of leaders that becomedefiningmomentsfortheirleadership.Intheperceptionoffollowers,thegeneralpublic,andhistorians,thosemomentsoftenrepresentwhothoseleadersareandwhattheystandfor.Here’sanexampleofwhatImean.Ibelieve the presidency ofGeorgeW. Bush can be summed up by twodefiningmomentsthatheexperiencedduringhistimeinoffice.

ACONNECTIONMADE

Thefirstmomentoccurredearlyinhisfirstterm,anditdefinedthatentireterm inoffice.OnSeptember11,2001, theUnitedStateswasattackedby terrorists who crashed planes into the World Trade Center andPentagon. People in the United States were angry. They were fearful.Theywereuncertainaboutthefuture.Andtheywereinmourningforthethousandsofpeoplewholosttheirlivestotheterrorists.

Just four days after the collapse of theWorld Trade Center towers,Bush went to Ground Zero. He spent time there with the firefighters,police officers, and rescue workers. He shook hands. He listened. Hetook in the devastation. He thanked the peopleworking there and toldthem, “The nation sends its love and compassion to everybody who’shere.”Reportssaidthatthespiritsof thetiredsearchers liftedwhenthepresidentarrivedandstartedshakinghands.

CamerascapturedBushstandinginthewreckagewithhisarmaroundfirefighterBobBeckwith.Whensomemembersofthecrowdshoutedthattheycouldn’thearhim,Bushcalledback,“Icanhearyou.Therestoftheworldhearsyou.Andthepeoplewhoknockedthesebuildingsdownwillhearallofussoon.”1Thepeoplecheered.Theyfeltvalidated.Theyfeltunderstood.Bushhadconnectedwith them inawaynoonehadseenhimdopriortothatmoment.

NOBODY’SHOME

ThesecondincidentcameduringBush’ssecondfouryearsinoffice,anditdefinedthatsecondterm.ItoccurredonAugust31,2005,justtwodaysafter the landfall ofHurricaneKatrina.After the levees inNewOrleansbrokeandwaterfloodedintothecity,insteadofvisitingthecityashedidinNewYorkafter 9/11,Bush flewoverNewOrleans inAirForceOne,peeringthroughoneofthejet’ssmallwindowstoseethedamage.TothepeopleoftheGulfCoast,itwasapictureofindifference.

Asthetragedyunfolded,nooneinauthorityatanylevelofgovernmentconnected with the people of New Orleans: not the president, not thegovernor,notthemayor.BythetimeMayorRayNaginorderedthecity’sevacuation, it was too late for many poor residents to leave. He sentpeopletotheSuperdome,advisingthemtoeatbeforetheywentbecausethe local government hadmadenoprovisions for them.Meanwhile, heheldpressconferencesandcomplainedthathewasn’tgettinganyhelp.Andthepeoplemostaffectedbytheproblemsfeltabandoned,forgotten,andbetrayed.

Aftertheworstofthetragedywasover,nomatterwhatPresidentBushsaidorhowmuchhelpheprovided,hewasunabletoregainthepeople’sconfidence and trust. It’s true that when democratic Mayor Nagin wasreelected less than a year after the disaster, he thanked Bush for“deliveringforthecitizensofNewOrleans.”AndDonnaBrazile,anotherDemocrat, has since described Bush as “very much engaged” in therebuildingprocessandpraisedhim forpromptingCongress todedicatemoney to rebuilding the levees.2But by thenBush could not undo the

imageof indifferencehehadcreated.Hehad failed toconnectwith thepeople.HehadbrokentheLawofConnection.

THEHEARTCOMESFIRST

Whenitcomestoworkingwithpeople,theheartcomesbeforethehead.That’s truewhetheryouarecommunicating toastadium full ofpeople,leadinga teammeeting,or trying to relate toyourspouse.Thinkabouthow you react to people. If you listen to a speaker or teacher, do youwant tohearabunchofdrystatisticsora loadof facts?Orwouldyourather thespeakerengagedyouonahuman level—maybewithastoryorjoke?Ifyou’vebeenonanykindofwinningteaminbusiness,sports,or service, you know that the leader didn’t simply give instructionsandthen send you on your way. No, he or she connected with you on anemotionallevel.

Youcan’tmovepeopletoactionunlessyoufirstmovethemwithemotion....Theheartcomesbeforethehead.

For leaders to be effective, they need to connectwith people.Why?Becauseyoufirsthavetotouchpeople’sheartsbeforeyouaskthemfora hand. That is the Law of Connection. All great leaders andcommunicatorsrecognizethistruthandactonitalmostinstinctively.Youcan’tmovepeopletoactionunlessyoufirstmovethemwithemotion.

Anoutstanding orator andAfricanAmerican leader of the nineteenthcenturywasFrederickDouglass.It’ssaidthathehadaremarkableabilitytoconnectwithpeopleandmovetheirheartswhenhespoke.HistorianLerone Bennett said of Douglass, “He could make people laugh at aslave owner preaching the duties of Christian obedience; could makethemsee the humiliation of aBlackmaiden ravished by a brutal slaveowner;couldmakethemhear thesobsofamotherseparatedfromherchild.Throughhim,peoplecouldcry,curse,and feel; throughhimtheycouldliveslavery.”

THEGREATCONNECTOR

Goodleadersworkatconnectingwithothersallofthetime,whethertheyare communicating to an entire organization or working with a singleindividual. The stronger the relationship you form with followers, thegreatertheconnectionyouforge—andthemorelikelythosefollowerswillbetowanttohelpyou.

Iusedtotellmystaff,“Peopledon’tcarehowmuchyouknowuntiltheyknowhowmuch you care.” Theywould groan because they heardmesay it somuch, but they recognized that it was true nonetheless. Youdevelop credibility with people when you connect with them and showthat you gen-uinely care andwant to help them. And as a result, theyusuallyrespondinkindandwanttohelpyou.

Thestrongertherelationshipandconnectionbetweenindividuals,themorelikelythefollowerwillwanttohelptheleader.

Anexcellentexampleofa leaderwhowasable toconnectwithbothaudiences and individuals was Presient Ronald Reagan. His ability todevelop rapport with an audience is reflected in the nickname hereceived as president: the Great Communicator. But he also had theabilitytotouchtheheartsoftheindividualsclosetohim.HereallycouldhavebeencalledtheGreatConnector.

FormerReagan speechwriterPeggyNoonan said thatwhenReaganusedtoreturntotheWhiteHousefromlongtripsandthestaffheardhishelicopter landing on the lawn, everyonewould stopworking, and staffmemberDonnaElliottwouldsay,“Daddy’shome!”Theycouldn’twait toseehim.Someemployeesdreaditwhentheirbossshowsup.Reagan’speoplefeltencouragedbecauseheconnectedwiththem.

CONNECTWITHPEOPLEONEATATIME

Onekey to connectingwithothers is recognizing that even inagroup,you have to relate to people as individuals. General NormanSchwarzkopf remarked, “I have seen competent leaders who stood infrontofaplatoonandalltheysawwasaplatoon.Butgreatleadersstandinfrontofaplatoonandseeitasforty-fourindividuals,eachofwhomhasaspirations, each of whom wants to live, each of whom wants to do

good.”3

I’vehadtheopportunitytospeaktosomewonderfulaudiencesduringthecourseofmycareer.The largesthavebeen in stadiumswithmorethansixty thousandpeople inattendance.Someofmycolleagueswhoalsospeakforalivinghaveaskedme,“Howintheworlddoyouspeaktothat many people?” The secret is simple. I don’t try to talk to thethousands. I focus on talking to one per-son. That’s the only way toconnectwithpeople.It’sthesamewaywhenwritingabook.Idon’tthinkofthemillionsofpeoplewhohavereadmybooks.Ithinkofyou.Ibelievethat if Icanconnectwithyouasan individual, thenwhat Ihavetooffermightbeabletohelpyou. If I’mnotconnecting,you’llstopreadingandgodosomethingelse.

Toconnectwithpeopleinagroup,relatetothemasindividuals.

How do you connect? Whether you’re speaking in front of a largeaudienceorchattinginthehallwaywithanindividual,theguidelinesarethesame:

1.CONNECTWITHYOURSELF

Youmustknowwhoyouareandhaveconfidenceinyourselfifyoudesireto connect with others. People don’t heed the call of an uncertaintrumpet.Beconfidentandbeyourself.Ifyoudon’tbelieveinwhoyouareandwhereyouwanttolead,workonthatbeforedoinganythingelse.

2.COMMUNICATEWITHOPENNESSANDSINCERITY

Peoplecansmellaphonyamileaway.LegendaryNFLcoachBillWalshobserved, “Nothing ismoreeffective thansincere,accuratepraise,andnothingismorelamethanacookie-cuttercompliment.”Authenticleadersconnect.

3.KNOWYOURAUDIENCE

Whenyouworkwithindividuals,knowingyouraudiencemeanslearningpeople’s names, finding out about their histories, asking about theirdreams.When you communicate to an audience, you learn about theorganizationand itsgoals.Youwant tospeak towhat theycare about,notjustwhatyoucareabout.

4.LIVEYOURMESSAGE

Perhaps the most important thing you can do as a leader andcommunicator is to practice what you preach. That’s where credibilitycomes from.Plenty of people out in themarketplace arewilling to sayonethingtoanaudiencebutdosomethingelse.Theydon’tlast.

5.GOTOWHERETHEYARE

Asacommunicator,Idislikeanykindofbarriertocommunication.Idon’tliketobetoofar frommyaudienceor toohighabovethemonastage.And I definitely don’t want any physical barriers between me and thepeople.Butaperson’smethodofcommunicationcanalsobeabarrier.WhetherI’mspeakingfromastageorsittingacrossfromsomeoneinmyoffice,I trytospeaktheotherperson’slanguage,togotothatperson.Itry tobeattunedtoothers’culture,background,education,andsoon. Iadapttoothers;Idon’texpectthemtoadapttome.

6.FOCUSONTHEM,NOTYOURSELF

IfyougotonanelevatorwithmeandaskedmetotellyouthesecrettogoodcommunicationbeforeIgotoffatthenextfloor,I’dtellyoutofocusonothers,notyourself.Thatisthenumberoneproblemofinexperiencedspeakers,and it isalso thenumberoneproblemof ineffective leaders.Youwillalwaysconnectfasterwhenyourfocusisnotonyourself.

7.BELIEVEINTHEM

It’sone thing tocommunicate topeoplebecauseyoubelieveyouhavesomething of value to say. It’s another to communicate with peoplebecauseyoubelievetheyhavevalue.People’sopinionofushaslesstodowithwhattheyseeinusthanitdoeswithwhatwecanhelpthemseeinthemselves.

8.OFFERDIRECTIONANDHOPE

Peopleexpectleaderstohelpthemgetwheretheywanttogo.Butgoodleaders do that and more. French general Napoleon Bonaparte said,“Leaders are dealers in hope.” That is so true.When you give peoplehope,yougivethemafuture.

IT’STHELEADER’SJOB

Someleadershaveproblemswith theLawofConnectionbecausetheybelievethatconnectingistheresponsibilityoffollowers.Thatisespeciallytrue of positional leaders. They often think, I’m the boss. I have theposition.Thesearemyemployees.Letthemcometome.ButsuccessfulleaderswhoobeytheLawofConnectionarealwaysinitiators.Theytakethe first stepwith others and thenmake the effort to continue buildingrelationships.That’snotalwayseasy,butit’simportanttothesuccessofthe organization. A leader has to do it, nomatter howmany obstaclestheremightbe.

It’sonethingtocommunicatetopeoplebecauseyoubelieveyouhavesomethingofvaluetosay.It’sanothertocommunicatewithpeoplebecauseyoubelievetheyhavevalue.

I learned this lesson in 1972 when I was faced with a very difficultsituation.IwasmovingtoLancaster,Ohio,toaccepttheleadershipofachurch there. Itwas going to be a big step up in responsibility forme.Before I accepted theposition, I learned that the churchhad just gonethroughabigbattlerelatedtoabuildingproject.Headinguponeof the

factionswasthenumberoneinfluencerinthechurch,amannamedJim.IalsoheardthatJimhadareputationforbeingnegativeandsomethingof a maverick. He liked to use his influence to move the people indirectionsthatdidn’talwayshelptheorganization.

Becausetheprevious leaderof thechurchhadfacedopposition fromJim more than a few times, I knew that I needed to win him over.Otherwise,Iwouldalwayshaveconflictwithhim.Ifyouwantsomeoneonyourside,don’ttrytoconvincehim—connectwithhim.That’swhatIwasdetermined todo.So the first thing Ididwhen Igot tomynewpositionwastomakeanappointmenttomeetJiminmyoffice.

IadmitIwasnotlookingforwardtomeetingJim.Hewasabigman—sixfeetfourinchestallandabout250pounds.Hewasveryintimidating.Further, he was sixty-five years old, and I was only twenty-five. Themeetinghadthepotentialtogougly.

“Jim,”Isaidashesatinmyoffice,“Iknowyou’retheinfluencerinthischurch,andIwantyoutoknowthatI’vedecidedI’mgoingtodoevery-thing inmypower tobuildagoodrelationshipwithyou. I’d like tomeetwith you every Tuesday for lunch at the Holiday Inn to talk throughissues. While I’m the leader here, I’ll never take any decision to thepeoplewithoutfirstdiscussingitwithyou.Ireallywanttoworkwithyou.

“ButIalsowantyoutoknowthatI’veheardyou’reaverynegativeper-son,”Icontinued,“andthatyouliketofightbattles.Ifyoudecidetoworkagainstme,Iguesswe’lljusthavetobeonoppositesides.Andbecauseyouhavesomuchinfluence,Iknowyou’llwinmostofthetime,atleastinthe beginning. But I’m going to develop relationships with people anddrawnewpeopletothischurch.Thischurchwillgrow,andsomedayI’llhavegreaterinfluencethanyou.

It’stheleader’sjobtoinitiateconnectionwiththepeople.

“But Idon’twant tobattleyou,” Iconfided.“You’resixty-fiveyearsoldrightnow.Let’ssayyou’vegotanothertentofifteenyearsofgoodhealthand productivity ahead of you. If youwant, you canmake these yearsyourverybestandmakeyourlifecount.

“Wecandoalotofgreatthingstogetheratthischurch,”Isummedup,“butthedecisionisyours.”

WhenIfinished,Jimdidn’tsayaword.Hegotupfromhisseat,walkedintothehall,andstoppedtotakeadrinkatthewaterfountain.Ifollowedhim out and waited. I didn’t know whether he was going to dress medown,declarewar,ortellmetotakeahike.

Aftera long time,Jimstoodupstraightand turnedaround.Whenhedid, I could see that tears were rolling down his cheeks. And then hegavemeagreatbigbearhugandsaid,“Youcancountonmetobeonyourside.”

AndJimdidgetonmyside.Asitturnedout,hedidliveaboutanotherten years, and because hewaswilling to helpme, a young kidwith avision,weaccomplishedmanypositivethingstogether.Butitneverwouldhavehappened if Ihadn’thad thecourage to try tomakeaconnectionwithhimthatfirstdayinmyoffice.

THETOUGHERTHECHALLENGE,THEGREATERTHECONNECTION

Never underestimate the power of making connections and buildingrelationshipswithpeoplebeforeaskingthemtofollowyou.Ifyou’veeverstudied the lives of notable military commanders, you have probablynoticed that thebestonespracticed theLawofConnection. I read thatduringWorldWarIinFrance,GeneralDouglasMacArthurtoldabattalioncommanderbeforeadaringcharge,“Major,whenthesignalcomestogoover the top, I want you to go first, before yourmen. If you do, they’llfollow.”ThenMacArthur removed theDistinguishedServiceCross fromhisuniformandpinneditonthemajor.Hehad,ineffect,awardedhimforhero-ismbeforeaskinghimtoexhibitit.Andofcourse,themajorledhismen,theyfollowedhimoverthetop,andtheyachievedtheirobjective.

Not all military examples of the Law of Connection are quite sodramatic,buttheyarestilleffective.Forexample,it’ssaidthatNapoleonmade it a practice to know every one of his officers by name and to

rememberwherethey livedandwhichbattlestheyhadfoughtwithhim.RobertE. Leewas known to visit themenat their campsites the nightbeforeanymajorbattle.Oftenhemetthenextday’schallengeswithouthaving slept. More recently, I read about how Norman SchwarzkopfconnectedwithhistroopsduringthefirstPersianGulfWar.OnChristmasin1990,hespentthedayinthemesshallsamongthemenandwomenwhoweresofarawayfromtheirfamilies.Inhisautobiography,hesays,

I shookhandswith everyone in the line,went behind the serving counter togreet thecooks and helpers, and worked my way through the mess hall, hitting every table,wishingeveryoneMerryChristmas.ThenIwentintothesecondandthirddiningfacilitiesanddid thesame thing. Icameback to the firstmess tentand repeated theexercise,becausebythistimetherewasanentirelynewsetoffaces.ThenIsatdownwithsomeof the troopsandhadmydinner. In thecourseof fourhours, Imusthaveshaken fourthousandhands.4

Schwarzkopfwasageneral.Hedidn’thavetodothat,buthedid.Heused one of the most effective methods for connecting with others,something I callwalkingslowly through thecrowd. Itmay soundcorny,butit’sreallytrue:peopledon’tcarehowmuchyouknowuntiltheyknowhowmuchyoucare.Asaleader,findtimestomakeyourselfavailabletopeople. Learn their names. Tell them howmuch you appreciate them.Find out how they’re doing. And most important, listen. Leaders whorelate to their people and really connect with them are leaders thatpeoplewillfollowtotheendsoftheearth.

Itmaysoundcorny,butit’sreallytrue:peopledon’tcarehowmuchyouknowuntiltheyknowhowmuchyoucare.

THERESULTOFCONNECTION

Whena leader trulyhasdone thework toconnectwithhispeople,youcanseeitinthewaytheorganizationfunctions.Employeesexhibitloyaltyandastrongworkethic.Thevisionoftheleaderbecomestheaspirationofthepeople.Theimpactisincredible.

One of the companies I admire is Southwest Airlines. The companyhas been successful and profitable while other airlines have filed forbankruptcyandfolded.Thepersonresponsible for the initialsuccessof

the organization and the creation of its culture is Herb Keller, thecompany’sfounderandcurrentexecutivechairmanoftheboard.

IlovewhatSouthwest’semployeesdidonBoss’sDayin1994becauseitshowsthekindofconnectionKellehermadewithhispeople.Theytookoutafull-pageadinUSATodayandaddressedthefollowingmessagetoKelleher:

Thanks,Herb

Forrememberingeveryoneofournames.

ForsupportingtheRonaldMcDonaldHouse.

ForhelpingloadbaggageonThanksgiving.

Forgivingeveryoneakiss(andwemeaneveryone).

Forlistening.

Forrunningtheonlyprofitablemajorairline.

Forsingingatourholidayparty.

Forsingingonlyonceayear.

Forlettinguswearshortsandsneakerstowork.

ForgolfingatTheLUVClassicwithonlyoneclub.

ForouttalkingSamDonaldson.

ForridingyourHarleyDavidsonintoSouthwestHeadquarters.

Forbeingafriend,notjustaboss.

HappyBoss’sDayfromEachOneofYour16,000Employees.5

Adisplayofaffection like thatoccursonlywhena leaderhasworkedhardtoconnectwithhispeople.

Don’teverunderestimatetheimportanceofbuildingrelationalbridgesbetweenyourselfandthepeopleyoulead.There’sanoldsaying:Toleadyourself,useyourhead;toleadothers,useyourheart.That’sthenatureoftheLawofConnection.Alwaystouchaperson’sheartbeforeyouaskhimforahand.

ApplyingTHELAWOFCONNECTION

ToYourLife

1. What does it really mean to “connect with yourself ”? It meansknowingand likingwho you are. Start bymeasuring your level of self-awareness.Answereachofthefollowingquestions:

HowwouldIdescribemypersonality?

Whatismygreatestcharacterstrength?

Whatismygreatestcharacterweakness?

Whatismysinglegreatestasset?

Whatismysinglegreatestdeficit?

HowwelldoIrelatetoothers(1to10)?

HowwelldoIcommunicatewithothers(1to10)?

HowlikableamI(1to10)?

Now ask three people who know you well to answer the samequestionsaboutyou.Compareanswers.Iftheiranswersaresignificantlydifferent from yours, then you have a blind spot you need to rectify.Engageamen-tor,growthandaccountabilitypartner,orcounselortohelp

youbecomemoreself-awareand tohelpyouvalueyourstrengthsanddealpositivelywithyourweaknesses.

2.Learn towalkslowly through thecrowd.Whenyouareoutamongyouremployeesorcoworkers,makerelationshipbuildingandconnectinga priority. Before getting into work matters, make a connection. Withpeople you don’t yet know, thatmay take some time.With people youknowwell,stilltakeamomenttoconnectrelationally.Itmaycostyouonlyafewminutesaday,butitwillpayhugedividendsinthefuture.Anditwillmaketheworkplaceamorepositiveenvironment.

3.Goodleadersaregoodcommunicators.Onascaleof1to10,howwouldyourateyourselfasapublicspeaker?Ifyougiveyourselfanythinglowerthanan8,youneedtoworkonimprovingyourskills.Readbooksoncommunication,takeaclass,orjoinToastmasters.Andsharpenyourskillsbypracticingyour teachingandcommunicating. If youdon’t haveopportunitiestodothatonthejob,thentryvolunteering.

11

THELAWOFTHEINNERCIRCLE

ALeader’sPotentialIsDeterminedbyThoseClosesttoHim

Whenweseeanyincrediblygiftedperson,it’salwaystemptingtobelievethat talentalonemadehimsuccessful.To think that is tobuy intoa lie.Nobody does anything great alone. Leaders do not succeed alone. Aleader’spotentialisdeterminedbythoseclosesttohim.Whatmakesthedifferenceistheleader’sinnercircle.

UNBELIEVABLETALENT

Lance Armstrong is one of the most talented athletes on the planet.Becauseofhisphysicalgifts,hehasbeencalleda freakofnature.Hissport,cycling, isperhaps themostgrueling.TheTourdeFrance,whichhehaswonanastoundingseventimesinarow,hasbeencomparedtorunning twenty marathons on twenty consecutive days. Racers coverapproximately two thousand miles of often mountainous terrain in athree-week period.On peak race days, they consume asmany as tenthousandcaloriestoprovidetheenergytheyneed.

Armstrong has become a legend as the conqueror of the Tour deFrance. Writer Michael Specter provides perspective on Armstrong’sability:

Three typesof riderssucceed in longstage races like theTourdeFrance: thosewhoexcel at climbing but are only adequate in time trials, in which a cyclist races aloneagainst the clock; those who can win time trials but struggle in the mountains; and

cyclists who are moderately good at both. Now there appears to be a fourth group:Armstrong.Hehas be-come the best climber in theworld . . . And there is no cyclist

betterattimetrials.1

Clearly, Armstrong is in a class that few others can approach. Hisdeterminationisunquestionable.Histrainingregimenisunmatched.Histalent is extraordinary. Yet without a team, he would not have won asingleTourtitle.

UNBELIEVABLETEAM

Cycling is truly a team sport, though it may not seem that way to thecasual observer. During his Tour de France run, Armstrong had anincredible team.Anchoring the teamwereChrisCarmichael,hiscoach;andJohanBruyneel, anex-cyclistwho functionedas the team’s sportsdirector and master tactician. Both men were indispensable, sinceArmstrongtendedatfirsttofollowhisownlessefficienttrainingregimenandexecutehisown tactics,causinghim to losebadly.Butonce thosetwo inner circlememberswere in place,Armstrongbegan tomaximizehisgift.

Taking the team approach even further, Armstrong’s sponsors andequipmentsuppliers—Trek,Nike,AMD,Bontrager,Shimano,andOakley—wereaskedtoworktogetherasagroupratherthanmerelycontributingas individuals without knowing what the others were doing. It wasrevolutionary at the time and helped raise the entire team to a higherlevel.Itisnowstandardpracticeinprofessionalcycling.

And then,of course, therewere theothercyclistswho rodewithhimeachyear.In2005,Armstrong’slastyear,theyincludedJoséAzevedoofPortugal; Manuel Beltrán, Benjamin Noval, and José Luis Rubiera ofSpain; Pavel Padmos of the Czech Republic; Yaroslav Popovych ofUkraine; Paolo Savoldelli of Italy; and George Hincapie of the UnitedStates.“IwantedanexperiencedteamforLance’slastTourandthatwasthe determining factor,” explained Bruyneel.2 Each person broughtuniqueskillstotheteam.

“I thinkwehave fieldedour strongest teameverwith this formation,”saidArmstrong. “It hasmany consistent elements fromyearspast, liketheSpanisharmada for theclimbs,strongguys likeGeorge,PavelandBenjamin,theGirowinnerinSavoldelliplusaguylikePopo(Popovych)with a very bright future. I look forward to leading this team andattemptingtogivethegreatfolksatDiscoveryayellowjersey.”

“LanceisthefirsttosayhewouldneverhavewontheTourdeFrancewithout the help of his teammates,” explains the TeamDiscoveryWebsite. “Everyother rider sacrifices individualgloryat the race inorder towork forone rider,Lance,whichsaysa lotconsideringwhat’satstake.Yet,overtheyears,Lancedeliveredeverysingletimefollowingtheworkof his team, so it goes hand in hand. If the team sacrificed itself andLancedidn’thavewhatittooktocomethroughintheend,wewouldhavehadtorethinktheplan.”3

Leaders have to deliver. There is no substitute for performance. Butwithoutagoodteam,theyoftendon’tgettheopportunity.Theirpotentialis determined by those closest to them. That is the Law of the InnerCircle.

WHYYOUANDINEEDATEAM

In recent years, people in the business world have rediscovered thesignificanceofteams.Inthe1980s,thebuzzwordinbusinesscircleswasmanagement.Theninthe1990s,theemphasiswasonleadership.Nowin the twenty-first century, the emphasis is on team leadership. Why?Becausenobodydoeseverythingwell.

“YoucandowhatIcannotdo.Icandowhatyoucannotdo.Togetherwecandogreatthings.”—MOTHERTERESA

AsIbeganteachingthelawsofleadershipyearsago,Icouldtellthatmany peoplewere daunted by the idea of 21 Laws. I understood theirfeelings.Iamagreatbelieverinmakingthingsassimpleaspossible.I’vealwayscontendedthatgoodcommunicatorstakesomethingcomplicatedandmakeitsimple.Iwouldhavelovedtocompilefewerthan21Lawsof

Leadership.ButwhenIboilleadershipdowntoitsessence,Istillsee21things a leadermust dowell to lead effectively. However, at the sametime I also recognize that no single leader can do all 21 things well.That’s why every leader needs a team of people. As Mother Teresaobserved, “Youcandowhat Icannotdo. Icandowhatyoucannotdo.Togetherwe can do great things.” That is the power of the Lawof theInnerCircle.

TherearenoLoneRangerleaders.Thinkaboutit:ifyou’realone,you’renotleadinganybody,areyou?

NOLEADERRIDESALONE

Noteveryonerecognizesthat thoseclosest toyouwillmakeorbreakyou.TherearestillleaderswhoholduptheLoneRangerastheirmodelforleadership.OneofthebestillustrationsofhowunrealisticthatidealofleadershipreallyiscanbefoundinAmericanSpiritbyLawrenceMiller:

Problemsarealwayssolved in thesameway.TheLoneRangerandhis faithful Indiancompanion...comeridingintotown.TheLoneRanger,withhismaskandmysteriousidentity,background,andlifestyle,neverbecomesintimatewiththosewhomhewillhelp.Hispowerispartlyinhismystique.WithintenminutestheLoneRangerhasunderstoodtheproblem,identifiedwhothebadguysare,andhassetouttocatchthem.Hequicklyoutwits the bad guys, drawshis gun, and has thembehind bars.And then therewasalwaysthatwonderfulsceneattheend[where]thehelplessvictimsarestandinginfrontoftheirranchorinthetownsquaremarvelingathowwonderfulitisnowthattheyhavebeensaved.4

What baloney! There are no Lone Ranger leaders. Think about it: ifyou’realone,you’renotleadinganybody,areyou?

LeadershipexpertWarrenBenniswasrightwhenhemaintained,“Theleader findsgreatness in thegroup, andheor shehelps themembersfind it in themselves.”5Thinkofanyhighlyeffective leader,andyouwillfind someone who surrounded himself with a strong inner circle. MyfriendJosephFisherremindedmeofthatashetalkedabouttheimpactof evangelist Billy Graham. His success has come as the result of afantasticinnercircle:RuthBellGraham,GradyWilson,CliffBarrows,andGeorgeBeverlyShea.Theymadehimbetter thanheeverwouldhave

beenalone.Youcanseeitinbusiness,ministry,sports,andevenfamilyrelationships.Thoseclosesttoyoudetermineyourlevelofsuccess.

WHOAREYOUDRAWINGINTOYOURINNERCIRCLE?

Mostpeoplecreatean innercircleofpeople.However, theyareusuallynot strategic in doing so.We naturally tend to surround ourselveswitheither people we like or people with whom we are comfortable. Fewpeople give enough thought to how those closest to them impact theireffectivenessor leadershippotential.Yousee itall the timewithcertainathleteswhotranssit ion to theprofessional ranksandentertainerswhoachievesuccessprofessionally.Someself-destructandneverreachtheirpotential,anditcanoftenbeattributedtothekindofpeopletheyspendtheirtimewith.

Onlyifyoureachyourpotentialasaleaderdoyourpeoplehaveachancetoreachtheirpotential.

TopracticetheLawoftheInnerCircle,youmustbeintentionalinyourrelationship building. You must give thought to the accomplishment ofyourmissionandthesuccessof thepeoplewhofollowyou.Only ifyoureachyourpotentialasaleaderdoyourpeoplehaveachancetoreachtheirpotential.

Asyouconsiderwhetherindividualsshouldbeinyourinnercircle,askyourself the following questions. If you can answer yes to thesequestions,thentheyareexcellentcandidatesforyourinnercircle:

1.DOTHEYHAVEHIGHINFLUENCEWITHOTHERS?

Onekeytosuccessful leadership istheabilityto influencethepeoplewho influenceothers.Howdoyoudo that?Bydrawing influencers intoyourinnercircle.ThatwaswhatIdidwithJimatthechurchinLancaster,Ohio,whomIwroteaboutintheLawofConnection.Jimwasthesinglemost influentialperson in theorganizationwhen Iarrived.BybuildingarelationshipwithJimandtakinghimintomyinnercircle,Iwasdoingtwothings. First, I was exerting my influence on him—sharing my values,vision,andphilosophyofleadershipwithhim.Iwantedhimtobeacarrierofthevisiontootherpeopleintheorganization.Second,Iwasfindingout

whathethought.IfhehadquestionsorobjectionstowhatIwantedtodo,Iwasabletofindoutaboutit immediatelyandworkthroughitwithhim.Andbecausehehadsomanyyearsofexperiencewiththepeopleintheorganization,heoftenhelpedmetonavigatearoundpotentiallandminesIknewnothingabout.

2.DOTHEYBRINGACOMPLEMENTARYGIFTTOTHETABLE?

Because of my leadership gifting, I naturally attract leaders. And I amalso highly attracted to leaders. It’s said of great baseball hitters thatwhen they get together with other good hitters, all they talk about ishitting.It’ssimilarwithgoodleaders.Whentheygettogether,theysharetheirexperiences,askeachotherquestions,and test ideas.ButoneofthebestthingsIhavedoneinmyleadershipcareeristobringafewkeypeople into my inner circle who possess strengths in my areas ofweakness.

One of those people is Linda Eggers, my assistant. I advise youngexecutives that their first and most important hire should be theirassistant.InLinda,Ihaveanabsolutegem!Shehasbeenworkingwithme for twenty years. She has an incredible mind for details, she istireless, and like “Radar” O’Reilly from MASH, she has the ability toanticipatewhat I needbefore I realize it.What’smore, shenowknowsme sowell that she can speak to others onmybehalf, knowing how Iwouldanswerquestionsatleast90percentofthetime.

3.DOTHEYHOLDASTRATEGICPOSITIONINTHEORGANIZATION?

Somepeoplebelonginyourinnercirclebecauseoftheirimportancetotheorganization.Ifyouandtheyarenotworkingonthesamepage,theentireorganizationisintrouble.JohnHullcertainlyfitsthatdescriptioninmylife.Thetwoorganizationsheleadsforme,EQUIPandISS,cannotfunctionwithouthisleadership.Someofthemostsignificantandeffectivethings I’m doing are being accomplished through EQUIP. Theorganizationhasalreadytrainedmorethanamillion leadersaroundtheglobeandisgearinguptotrainevenmore.

If something were to happen at EQUIP that took it in the wrong

direction,many things inmy life would come to a grinding halt. That’swhy I have John, who is an outstanding leader, heading up theorganization—andwhyheremainsclosetomeinmyinnercircle.

4.DOTHEYADDVALUETOMEANDTOTHEORGANIZATION?

IdiscussedintheLawofAdditionhowpeopleadd,subtract,multiply,ordividewhenitcomestoothers.Thepeople inyour innercirclemustbeaddersormultipliers.Theyshouldhaveaproventrackrecordasassetsto the organization. There is a poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox that mymotherusedtorecitetomewhenIwasgrowingup:

Therearetwokindsofpeopleonearthtoday,Justtwokindsofpeople,nomore,Isay.Notthegoodandthebad,for’tiswellunderstoodThatthegoodarehalf-badandthebadarehalf-good.No!ThetwokindsofpeopleonearthImeanArethepeoplewholiftandthepeoplewholean.Therearetwokindsofpeopleonearthto-day;Justtwokindsofpeople,nomore,Isay.Notthesinnerandsaint,forit’swellunderstood,Thegoodarehalfbad,andthebadarehalfgood...No;thetwokindsofpeopleonearthImean,Arethepeoplewholift,andthepeoplewholean.

Lookonlyforliftersforyourinnercircle.

Innercirclemembersshouldalsoaddvalue toyoupersonally.That’snotselfish. If theyhaveanegativeeffect, theywillhinderyourability toleadwell,andthatcanhurtyourpeopleandtheorganization.

Someoneoncetoldme,“It’slonelyatthetop,soyouhadbetterknowwhyyou’re there.” It’s true that leaderscarryheavy loads.Whenyou’reoutfront,youcanbeaneasytarget.That’swhyIsay,“It’s lonelyatthetop, so you’d better take someone with you.” Who could be a bettercompanion thansomeonewho lifts youup, not asa yes-manbutasasolid supporter and friend? Solomon of ancient Israel recognized thistruth:“Asironsharpensiron,friendssharpenthemindsofeachother.”6

Seekforyourinnercirclepeoplewhohelpyouimprove.

It’slonelyatthetop,soyou’dbettertakesomeonewithyou.

5.DOTHEYPOSITIVELYIMPACTOTHERINNERCIRCLEMEMBERS?

I’mabigbeliever in teamchemistry,and if your innercircle isgoing toworktogetherandfunctionasateam,thenyouneedtotakeintoaccounthowmembersinteract.First,youwantthemtohaveagoodfitwithoneanother. Just as members of a championship basketball team havecomplementary skills and compatible roles, you want each inner circlemember to have a place in your life where he contributes withoutsteppingontheothers’toes.

Second,youwantinnercirclememberstomakeoneanotherbetter,toraise one another’s game. Sometimes that comes because theyencourage one another. Sometimes it happens when they help oneanother by sharing information and wisdom. And sometimes it comesfromfriendlycompetition.Nomatterhowithappens, if theyimprovetheabilityofotherteammembers,theyalsoimproveyourleaders.

IDENTIFY...CULTIVATE...RECRUIT

Thereisonemorequestionyouneedtoaskaboutpotential innercirclemembers. Ididnot list itasoneof thefivequestions,becauseayes inanswer to the question does not automaticallymean they should be inyour innercircle.However,anowoulddefinitelymean theyshouldnot.The question is this: do they display excellence, maturity, and goodcharacterineverythingtheydo?

You will be able to answer that question only once you’ve gotten toknowthemfairlywell,whichmeansyouwillprobablybeselecting innercirclemembersfromwithinyourorganization.Infact,inmostcasesyouwillalsoneedtodevelopthembeforetheyarereadytotaketheirplaceinthatcircle.Asyoulookforpeopleandworkwiththem,taketheadviceoflongtimeexecutiveandretiredpresident,CEO,andchairmanofAgilentTechnologies,NedBarnholt.Hebelievestherearethreekindsofpeoplein an organization when it comes to leadership: (1) those who get it

almostimmediatelyandthey’reoffandrunningwithit;(2)thosewhoareskepticalandnotsurewhattodowithit;and(3)anotherthirdwhostartoutnegativeandhopeitwillgoaway.“Iusedtospendmostofmytimewith those who were the most negative,” says Barnholt, “trying toconvince them to change.Now I spendmy timewith thepeople in thefirst[group].I’minvestinginmybestassets.”7

NEVERSTOPIMPROVINGYOURINNERCIRCLE

IhavetoadmitthatIamblessedwithanincredibleinnercircle,madeupof family members, longtime employees, admired colleagues, andpersonal mentors. All of them add value to me and help me have animpact beyondwhat I can personally touch and do. I’m always on thelookoutforpeopletocomeintothiscircle,becauseI’veknowsinceIwasfortythatyoucangoonlysofaronyourown.Onceyou’vereachedyourcapacityintimeandenergy,theonlywayyoucanincreaseyourimpactisthroughothers.Everyperson inmy innercircle isahighperformerandeitherextendsmy influencebeyondmy reachorhelpsme togrowandbecomeabetterleader.

Ofcourse,noleaderstartsoutwithastronginnercircle.Whenleaderstake on new positions, they often have to build their inner circle fromscratch.Thatwasthecaseformein1981whenIacceptedtheoffer toleadSkylineChurchintheSanDiego,California,area.Thechurchhadagreathistoryandnationallyrecognizedreputation.Ithadbeenfoundedinthe 1950s by Orval Butcher, a wonderful man, who was retiring afterservingtherefortwenty-sevenyears.Dr.Butcherhadtouchedthelivesofthousandsofpeoplewithhisleadership.Itwasagoodchurch,butitdidhaveoneproblem.Ithadnotgrowninyears.

OneofthefirstthingsIdidaftertakingthejobwastomeetwitheachstaff member to assess individual abilities. Almost immediately Idiscoveredwhy thechurchhad flatlined.Thestaffmembersweregoodpeople,buttheywerenotstrongleaders.NomatterwhatIdidwiththem,theywouldneverbeabletotaketheorganizationtotheplaceweneededtogo.Inachurchofthatsize,thestaffistheleader’sinnercircle.Ifthestaff is strong, then the leader canmake a huge impact. If the staff is

weak,hecan’t.ThatistheLawoftheInnerCircle.

Aleader’spotentialisdeterminedbythepeopleclosesttohim.

Thetaskthatlayaheadofmewasclear.Ineededtoremovetheweakleadersandbringinbetterones.ThatwastheonlywayIwouldbeableto turn the situation around. Mentally, I divided the people into threegroupsaccording to theirability to leadanddeliver results.Thebottomthird I dis-missed right away and began replacing them with the bestpeopleIcouldfind.ThenIbeganworkingonthemiddlethirdandthetopthird.Theorganization immediatelybegangrowing.By theendof threeyears, all but two on the original staff had been replaced by betterleaders. Because the inner circle had gone to a new level, theorganizationwasabletogotoanewlevel.Overtheyears,wetripledinsizefrom1,000tomorethan3,300weeklyattenders.

Thegrowth and successweexperienced atSkylinewere due to theLaw of the Inner Circle. When we had the right staff, our potentialskyrocketed.

Andin1995whenIleft,otherleadersfromaroundthecountrysoughttohiremykeystaffmembersfortheirorganizations.TheyrecognizedthepoweroftheLawoftheInnerCircleandwantedtohiretheverybesttheycouldfindtoboosttheirpotential.

Lee Iacocca says that success comes not from what you know butfrom who you know and how you present yourself to each of thosepeople.Thereisalotoftruthinthat.Ifyouwanttoincreaseyourcapacityand maximize your potential as a leader, your first step is always tobecomethebestleaderyoucan.Thenextistosurroundyourselfwiththebest leaders you can find. Never forget that a leader’s potential isdeterminedby thoseclosest tohim.That’s theLawof the InnerCircle.That’stheonlywayyoucanreachthehighestlevelpossible.

Hirethebeststaffyoucanfind,developthemasmuchasyoucan,andhandoffeverythingyoupossiblycantothem.

ApplyingTHELAWOFTHEINNERCIRCLE

ToYourLife

1. Do you know who your inner circle members are? They are thepeopleyouseekout foradvice, turn to forsupport,and relyon tohelpyougetthingsdone.Ifyouleadasmallstaff,allofthoseemployeesarealsopartofyourinnercircle.

Listthenamesofyourinnercirclemembers.Nexttoeachnamewritewhatthatpersoncontributes.Iftheydonothaveaclearroleorfunction,thenwritewhatyoubelievetheyhavethepotentialtocontribute.Lookforholesandduplications.Thenbeginlookingforpeopletofilltheholesandconsider how you might eliminate redundancies. And be prepared tochallengecurrentmemberswithpotentialtorisetoyourexpectations.

2. Great inner circles do not come together by accident. Effectiveleaders are continually developing current and future inner circlemembers.Howdotheydoit?

They spend extra timewith them strategically tomentor them and todeveloprelationships.

They give them extra responsibility and place higher expectations onthem.

They give them more credit when things go well and hold themaccountablewhentheydon’t.

Examine your list of inner circlemembers to determinewhether youare taking thesestepswith them. Ifnot,makechanges. Inaddition,besuretousethisdevelopmentstrategywithapoolofnewpotential innercirclemembers.

3.Ifyouleadalargerstaff,thennoteveryonewhoworksforyouwillbepart of your inner circle.When should you transition to a smaller innercircle,asortofteamwithintheteam?

Whenyourimmediatestaffnumbersmorethanseven

Whenyoucannolongerdirectlyleadeveryone

Inthevolunteerworld,whenothersbesidespaidstaffshouldbeintheinnercircle

Ifthisdescribesyoursituation,thenbeginthinkingintermsofcreatingasmaller innercirclegroupusingthesamedevelopmentstrategy listedabove.

12

THELAWOFEMPOWERMENT

OnlySecureLeadersGivePowertoOthers

NearlyeveryonehasheardofHenryFord, the revolutionaryautomobileindustry innovatorandlegendinAmericanbusinesshistory.In1903,hecofoundedtheFordMotorCompanywiththebeliefthatthefutureoftheautomobile lay in putting it within the reach of the average Americanworker.Fordsaid,

Iwillbuildamotorcar for themultitude. Itwillbe largeenough for the familybutsmallenoughfortheindividualtorunandcarefor.Itwillbeconstructedofthebestmaterials,by the bestmen to be hired, after the simplest designs thatmodern engineering candevise.Butitwillbesolowinpricethatnomanmakingagoodsalarywillbeunabletoownone—andenjoywith his family the blessings of hours of pleasure inGod’s greatopenspaces.

HenryFordcarriedoutthatvisionwiththeModelT,anditchangedtheface of twentieth-century American life. By 1914, Ford was producingnearly50percentofallautomobilesintheUnitedStates.TheFordMotorCompanylookedlikeanAmericansuccessstory.

ALESS-KNOWNCHAPTEROFTHESTORY

However,allofFord’sstory isnotaboutpositiveachievement,andonereason is thathedidn’tembracetheLawofEmpowerment.HenryFordwas so in love with his Model T that he never wanted to change orimproveit—nordidhewantanyoneelsetotinkerwithit.Onedaywhenagroupofhisdesignerssurprisedhimbypresentinghimwiththeprototype

ofanimprovedmodel,Fordfuriouslyrippeditsdoorsoffthehingesandproceededtodestroythecarwithhisbarehands.

For almost twenty years, the FordMotor Company offered only onedesign, the Model T, which Henry Ford had personally developed. Itwasn’tuntil1927thathefinally—grudgingly—agreedtoofferanewcartothepublic.ThecompanyproducedtheModelA,butitwasincrediblyfarbehind its competitors in technical innovations. Despite its early headstart and the incredible lead over its competitors, the Ford MotorCompany’smarketsharekeptshrinking.By1931,itwasdowntoonly28percent, a little more than half of what it produced seventeen yearsearlier.

HenryFordwastheantithesisofanempoweringleader.Hecontinuallyunderminedhisleadersandlookedovertheshouldersofhispeople.Heeven created a sociological department within FordMotor Company tocheckuponhisemployeesanddirecttheirprivatelives.Astimewentby,hebecamemoreandmoreeccentric.Heoncewent intohisaccountingofficeand tossed thecompany’sbooks into thestreet,saying, “Justputall themoneywe take in in [sic] a big barrel andwhen a shipment ofmaterial comes in reach into thebarrel and takeout enoughmoney topayforit.”

Perhaps Ford’s most peculiar dealings were with his executives,especiallyhissonEdsel.TheyoungerFordhadworkedatthecompanysince he was a boy. As Henry became more eccentric, Edsel workedhardertokeepthecompanygoing.Ifitweren’tforEdsel,theFordMotorCompanyprobablywouldhavegoneoutofbusinessinthe1930s.Henryeventually gaveEdsel thepresidencyof the company, but at the sametimeheunderminedhisson.Further,wheneverapromising leaderwasrisingupinthecompany,Henrytorehimdown.Asaresult,thecompanykeptlosingitsbestexecutives.Thefewwhostayeddidsobecausetheyfigured thatsomedayoldHenrywoulddie,andEdselwould finally takeoverandset things right.But that’snotwhathappened. In1943,Edseldiedatageforty-nine.

ANOTHERHENRYFORD

Edsel’soldestson,thetwenty-six-year-oldHenryFordII,quicklyleftthenavy so that he could return toDearborn,Michigan, and take over thecompany.Atfirst,hefacedoppositionfromhisgrandfather’sentrenchedfollowers.Butwithin twoyears, hegathered the support of several keypeople, received the backing of the board of directors (his mothercontrolled41percentofFordMotorCompany’sstock),andconvincedhisgrandfathertostepdownsothathecouldbecomepresidentinhisplace.

YoungHenrywas takingoveracompany thathadn’tmadeaprofit infifteen years.At that time, itwas losingonemilliondollarsaday ! Theyoung president knew he was in over his head, so he set out to findleaders. Fortunately, the first group actually approached him. ColonelCharles “Tex” Thornton headed a team of ten men who had workedtogetherattheWarDepartmentduringWorldWarII.TheircontributiontoFordMotorCompanywas substantial. In the years to come, thegroupproducedsixcompanyvicepresidentsandtwopresidents.

The second influx of leadership came with the entrance of ErnieBreech, an experienced General Motors executive and the formerpresident of Bendix Aviation. Young Henry hired him to be Ford’sexecutive vice president, a position second to Henry’s, with theexpectationthathewouldtakecommandandturnthecompanyaround.He succeeded. Breech quickly brought in more than 150 outstandingexecutivesfromGeneralMotors,andby1949,FordMotorCompanywasonarollagain.Inthatyear,thecompanysoldmorethanamillionFords,Mercurys,andLincolns—thebestsalessincetheModelA.

WHO’STHEBOSS?

IfHenryFord IIhad livedby theLawofEmpowerment, theFordMotorCompany might have grown enough to eventually overtake GeneralMotorsandbecomethenumberonecarcompanyagain.Butonlysecureleadersareabletogivepowertoothers,andHenryfeltthreatened.ThesuccessofTexThornton,ErnieBreech,andLewisCrusoe,a legendary

GMexecutivewhomBreechhadbroughtintothecompany,madeHenryworry about his own place at Ford. His position was based not oninfluencebutonhisnameandhisfamily’scontrolofcompanystock.

“Thebestexecutiveistheonewhohassenseenoughtopickgoodmentodowhathewantsdone,andself-restraintenoughtokeepfrommeddlingwiththemwhiletheydoit.”

—THEODOREROOSEVELT

WhatwasHenry’ssolution?Hebeganpittingonetopexecutiveagainstanother,firstThorntonagainstCrusoe.ThenafterThorntonwasfired,heturnedCrusoeagainstBreech.FordbiographersPeterCollierandDavidHorowitzdescribedthesecondHenryFord’smethodthisway:

Henry’s instinct for survival manifested itself as craftiness combined with a kind ofweakness.HehadendowedCrusoewiththepowertodovirtuallywhateverhewished.BywithdrawinghisgracefromBreechandbestowingitonhislieutenant,hehadmadeantagonistsofthetwomenmostvitaltoFord’ssuccess.WhileHenryhadlostconfidenceinBreech,however,hehad lefthimofficially inchargebecausethis increasedhisownmaneuverability. And, as Crusoe’s official superior, Breech could be useful if HenrywantedtokeepCrusoeincheck.1

Thisbecameapattern in the leadershipofHenryFordII.Anytimeanexecutive gained power and influence, Henry undercut the person’sauthority by moving him to a position with less clout, supporting theexecutive’s subordinates, or publicly humiliating him. This maneuvercontinuedallthedaysHenryIIwasatFord.AsoneFordpresident,LeeIacocca,commentedafterleavingthecompany,“HenryFord,asIwouldlearnfirsthand,hadanastyhabitofgettingridofstrongleaders.”

Iacocca says that Henry Ford II once described his leadershipphilosophytohim,yearsbeforeIacoccahimselfbecameitstarget.Fordsaid,“Ifaguyworksforyou,don’t lethimgettoocomfortable.Don’t lethim get cozy or set in his ways. Always do the opposite of what heexpects.Keepyourpeopleanxiousandoff-balance.”2

WHATDOESITMEANTOLEADWELL?

BothHenry Fords failed to abide by the LawofEmpowerment.Ratherthan identifying leaders; building them up; giving them resources,

authority,andresponsibility;andthenturningthemloosetoachieve,theyalter-nately encouraged and undermined their best people. Theirinsecuritymadeitimpossibleforthemtogivepowertoothers.Ultimately,it undermined their personal leadership potential, created havoc in thelives of the people around them, and damaged their organization. Ifleaderswanttobesuccessful,theyhavetobewillingtoempowerothers.I like the way President Theodore Roosevelt stated it: “The bestexecutiveistheonewhohassenseenoughtopickgoodmentodowhathewantsdone,andtheself-restraintenoughtokeepfrommeddlingwiththemwhiletheydoit.”

To leadotherswell,wemusthelp them to reach theirpotential.Thatmeans being on their side, encouraging them, giving them power, andhelpingthemtosucceed.That’snottraditionallywhatwe’retaughtaboutLeadership. What were the two leadership games we were taught askids?KingoftheHillandFollowtheLeader.WhatwastheobjectofKingof theHill?Toknockotherpeopledownso thatyoucanbe the leader.And what’s the point in Follow the Leader? You do things you knowfollowerscan’tdotoseparateyourselffromthemandmakeyourselflookmorepowerful.Theproblemwiththosegamesisthattowin,youhavetomake all of the other people lose. The games are based on insecurityandareoppositeofthewaytoraiseupleaders.

WhenI travel todevelopingcountries, Iammadeespeciallyawareofhow alien the idea of empowerment can be to emerging leaders. Incultures where you have to fight to make something of yourself, theassumption often is that you need to fight others to maintain yourleadership.But that reflectsa scarcitymind-set.The truth is that if yougivesomeofyourpowerawaytoothers,thereisstillplentytogoaround.

When I teach the Law of Empowerment in emerging countries, Iusually ask a volunteer to come up so that I can show visually whathappenswhenaleadertriestokeepothersdowninsteadofraisingthemup.Iaskthevolunteertostandinfrontofme,andIputmyhandsonhisshoulders.ThenIbeginpushinghimdown.ThelowerIwanttopushhim,themoreIhavetobenddowntodo it.AsIpushhimlower, Igo lower.That’sthesamewayitisinleadership:tokeepothersdown,youhavetogo downwith them. And when you do that, you lose any power to lift

othersup.

Leadingwellisnotaboutenrichingyourself—it’saboutempoweringothers.

BARRIERSTOEMPOWERMENT

Leading well is not about enriching yourself—it’s about empoweringothers. Leadership analysts Lynne McFarland, Larry Senn, and JohnChildresssaythatthe“empowermentleadershipmodelshiftsawayfrom‘position power’ to ‘people power,’ within which all people are givenleadership roles so they can contribute to their fullest capacity.”3 Onlyempowered people can reach their potential. When a leader can’t orwon’t empower others, he creates barriers within the organization thatfollowerscannotovercome.If thebarriersremainlongenough,thenthepeoplegiveupandstoptrying,ortheygoawaytoanotherorganizationwheretheycanmaximizetheirpotential.

When leaders fail to empower others, it is usually due to threemainreasons:

THE#1BARRIERTOEMPOWERMENT:DESIREFORJOBSECURITY

Thenumberoneenemyofempowermentisthefearoflosingwhatwehave.Weakleadersworrythatiftheyhelpsubordinates,theythemselveswill become dispensable. But the truth is that the only way to makeyourselfindispensableistomakeyourselfdispensable.Inotherwords,ifyou are able to continually empower others and help themdevelop sothat they become capable of taking over your job, youwill become sovaluable to the organization that you become indispensable. That’s aparadoxoftheLawofEmpowerment.

Thenumberoneenemyofempowermentisthefearoflosingwhatwehave.

WhatifIworkmyselfoutofajobbyempoweringothers,youmayask,andmysuperiorsdon’t recognizemycontribution?That canhappen intheshortterm.Butifyoukeepraisingupleadersandempoweringthem,you will develop a pattern of achievement, excellence, and leadership

thatwillberecognizedandrewarded.Iftheteamsyouleadalwaysseemtosucceed,peoplewillfigureoutthatyouareleadingthemwell.

THE#2BARRIERTOEMPOWERMENT:RESISTANCETOCHANGE

NobelPrize–winningauthorJohnSteinbeckasserted,“Itisthenatureofmanashegrowsoldertoprotestagainstchange,particularlychangeforthe better.” By its very nature, empowerment brings constant changebecauseitencouragespeopletogrowandinnovate.Changeisthepriceofprogress.That’snotalwayseasytolivewith.

Most people don’t like change. That’s a fact. Yet one of the mostimportant responsibilities of leaders is to continually improve theirorganizations.Asaleader,youmusttrainyourselftoembracechange,todesire it, tomake away for it. Effective leaders are not onlywilling tochange;theybecomechangeagents.

THE#3BARRIERTOEMPOWERMENT:LACKOFSELF-WORTH

JohnPeersobserved, “Youcan’t leadacavalrycharge ifyou thinkyoulook funny on a horse.”Self-conscious people are rarely good leaders.They focus on themselves, worrying how they look, what others think,whethertheyareliked.Theycan’tgivepowertoothersbecausetheyfeelthattheyhavenopowerthemselves.Andyoucan’tgivewhatyoudon’thave.

The best leaders have a strong sense of self-worth. They believe inthemselves,theirmission,andtheirpeople.AsauthorBuckRogerssays,“To those who have confidence in themselves, change is a stimulusbecause they believe one person canmake a difference and influencewhatgoesonaroundthem.Thesepeoplearethedoersandmotivators.”Theyarealsotheempowerers.

Only secure leaders are able to give themselves away. Mark Twainonce remarked thatgreat thingshappenwhenyoudon’tcarewhogetsthe credit. But I believe you can take that a step further. I believe thegreatest thingshappenonlywhen you give others the credit.One-time

vice presidential candidate Admiral James B. Stockdale declared,“Leadership must be based on goodwill . . . It means obvious andwholehearted commitment to helping followers . . . What we need forleadersaremenofheartwhoaresohelpfulthatthey,ineffect,doawaywith theneedof their jobs.But leaders like thatareneveroutofa job,neveroutoffollowers.Strangeasitsounds,greatleadersgainauthoritybygivingitaway.”Ifyouaspiretobeagreatleader,youmustlivebytheLawofEmpowerment.

“Greatleadersgainauthoritybygivingitaway.”—JAMESB.STOCKDALE

THEPRESIDENTOFEMPOWERMENT

One of the greatest leaders of the United States was known for hishumility and willingness to give his power and authority to others:AbrahamLincoln.Thedepthofhissecurityasa leadercanbeseen intheselectionofhiscabinet.Mostpresidentspick like-mindedallies.Butnot Lincoln. At a time of turmoil for the country when factions werestrong, Lincoln brought together a group of leaders who would bringstrengththroughdiversityandmutualchallenge.OneLincolnbiographersaidthisofhismethod:

ForaPresidenttoselectapoliticalrival foracabinetpostwasnotunprecedented;butdeliberately to surround himselfwith all of his disappointed antagonists seemed to becourtingdisaster.ItwasamarkofhissincereintentionsthatLincolnwantedtheadviceofmenasstrongashimselforstronger.Thatheentertainedno fearofbeingcrushedoroverriddenbysuchmen revealedeithersurpassingnaïvetéora tranquilconfidence inhispowersofleadership.4

Lincoln’s desire to unify the country was more important than hispersonal comfort. His strength and self-confidence allowed him topracticetheLawofEmpowermentandbringstrongleadersintohiscircle.

FINDINGSTRONGLEADERSTOEMPOWER

Lincoln displayed the ability to empower others again and again. ThatplayedamajorroleinhisrelationshipswithhisgeneralsduringtheCivilWar. In the beginning, he had trouble finding worthy recipients of hisconfidence.WhentheSouthernstatesseceded,thefinestgeneralsinthelandwentsouth toserve theConfederacy.ButLincolnnever losthope,nordidheneglecttogivehisleaderspowerandfreedom,evenwhenthatstrategyhadfailedwithpreviousgenerals.

Forexample,inJuneof1863,LincolnputthecommandoftheArmyofthePotomacintothehandsofGeneralGeorgeG.Meade.Lincolnhopedthathewoulddoabetter job thanhadprecedinggeneralsAmbroseE.Burnside and Joseph Hooker. Within hours of Meade’s appointment,Lincolnsentacouriertohim.Thepresident’smessage,inpart,said,

Consideringthecircumstances,nooneeverreceivedamoreimportantcommand;andIcannotdoubtthatyouwillfullyjustifytheconfidencewhichthegovernmenthasreposedinyou.Youwill notbehamperedbyanyminute instructions from theseheadquarters.Yourarmyisfreetoactasyoumaydeemproperunderthecircumstancesastheyarise...Allforceswithinthesphereofyouroperationswillbeheldsubjecttoyourorders.5

As it turned out, Meade’s first significant challenge came as hecommandedthearmyatasmallPennsylvaniatownnamedGettysburg.Itwasatesthepassedwithauthority.Intheend,though,MeadewasnotthegeneralwhowouldmakefulluseofthepowerLincolnoffered.IttookUlyssesS.Granttoturnthewararound.ButMeadestoppedLee’sarmywhenitcounted,andhepreventedtheCon-federategeneralfrommovingonWashington.

Topushpeopledown,youhavetogodownwiththem.

Lincoln’suseoftheLawofEmpowermentwasasconsistentasHenryFord’s habit of breaking it. When his generals performed well, Lincolngave them the credit; when they performed poorly, Lincoln took theblame.LincolnexpertDonaldT.Phillipsacknowledged,“Throughoutthewar Lincoln continued to accept public responsibility for battles lost oropportunitiesmissed.”6Lincolnwasabletostandstronglyduringthewarandcontinuallygivepowertoothersbecauseofhisrock-solidsecurity.

THEPOWEROFEMPOWERMENT

Youdon’thavetobealeaderofLincoln’scalibertoempowerothers.Themain ingredient forempoweringothers isahighbelief inpeople. If youbelieveinothers,theywillbelieveinthemselves.

WhenIreceiveanencouragingnotefromsomeoneclosetome,Ituckitawayandsave it. I cherishsuch things.Yearsago, I receivedanotefrom Dan Reiland, the one person outside my family whom I haveprobably worked hardest to empower over the years. Dan was myexecutivepastorwhenIwasatSkyline.HereiswhatDanwrote:

John,

Theultimateinmentoringhascometopass.Iambeingaskedtoteachonthetopicofempowerment! I can do this only because you first empowered me. The day is stillcrystalclear inmymindwhenyoutookariskandchosemeasyourexecutivepastor.Youtrustedmewithsignificantresponsibility, thedaytoday leadershipof thestaffandministries of your church. You released me with authority . . . You believed in me—perhapsmorethanIbelievedinmyself.YoudemonstratedyourfaithandconfidenceinmeinsuchawaythatIcouldtapintoyourbelief,andeventuallyitbecamemyown...

Iamsoverygratefulforyourlife-changingimpactonmylife.Sayingthankyouhardlytouches it. “I loveandappreciateyou” isbetter.Perhaps thebestway I canshowmygratitudeistopassonthegiftyouhavegivenmetootherleadersinmylife.

Dan

Iamgrateful toDanforallhehasdoneforme,andIbelievehehasreturnedtomemuchmorethanIhavegiventohim.AndI’vegenuinelyenjoyedthetimeI’vespentwithDanhelpinghimgrow.

The truth is that empowerment is powerful—not only for the personbeing developed but also for the mentor. Enlarging others makes yoularger.Danhasmademebetter than Iam,not justbecausehehelpedme achieve much more than I could have done on my own, but alsobecausethewholeprocessmademeabetterleader.Thatistheimpactof the Law of Empowerment. It is an impact you can experience as aleaderaslongasyouarewillingtobelieveinpeopleandgiveyourpoweraway.

Enlargingothersmakesyoularger.

ApplyingTHELAWOFEMPOWERMENT

ToYourLife

1.Howwouldyoucharacterizeyourself intheareaofself-worth?Areyouconfident?Doyoubelieveyouhavevalue?Doyouoperatefromanassumptionthatyouhavepositive thingstoofferotherpeopleandyourorganization?Areyouwillingtotakerisks?

Ifyourateyourselflowintheareaofsecurity,youwillhaveahardtimewiththeLawofEmpowerment.Youwillneedtotakepositivestepstoaddvaluetoyourselforexplorewhyyourself-worthissolow.

2.Areyousomeonewhobelievesinpeople?Makealistofthepeoplewhowork foryou. If thereare toomany to list, thenwrite thenamesofthose closest to you. Next rate each person’s potential—not currentability—onascaleof1to10.

Ifthenumbersarelow,thenyourbeliefinpeopleisprobablynotveryhigh.Until you change that, youwill have difficulty empowering others.Begindwellingonpeople’spositivequalitiesandcharacteristics.Lookforpeople’sgreateststrengthsandenvisionhowtheycould leveragethosestrengths to achieve significant things. Imagine what individuals couldbecomeiftheymadethemostoftheirgiftsandopportunities.Thenhelpthemtodoso.

3.Ifyournaturalinclinationistobuildandholdontoyourpower,thenyoumustexperienceaparadigmshifttobecomeanempoweringleader.Start by selecting your best people and setting them up for success.Trainthem,givethemresources,andthenhelpthemsetaccomplishablegoals that will help you and the organization. Then give them the

responsibilityandauthoritytofollowthrough.Andiftheyatfirstfail,helpthem keep trying until they succeed.Once you experience the joy andorganizationaleffectivenessofempoweringothers,youwillhaveahardtimenotgivingyourpoweraway.

13

THELAWOFTHEPICTURE

PeopleDoWhatPeopleSee

Several years ago, filmmaker Steven Spielberg and actor Tom Hanksproducedaseriesof televisionshowsonHBOcalledBandofBrothers,basedonthebookofthesamenamebyhistorianStephenAmbrose.Theten episodes chronicled the story of Easy Company, a group ofparatroopers from the 101st Airborne who fought duringWorldWar II.The men of Easy Company were as tough as soldiers get, and theyfoughtheroicallyfromtheinvasionofNormandytotheendofthewar.

The story of Easy Company is a great study in leadership, for thevarious sergeants, lieutenants, and captainswho commanded themendisplayed many styles of leadership, both good and bad. When theleadership was good, it made the difference, not only in the way thesoldiersperformedbut in theoutcomeof theirbattlesand,ultimately,ofthewar.

THEWRONGPICTURE

From the very first episode of the television series, the contrastingLeadership styles were on display. Herbert Sobel, Easy Company’scommanding officer during its training, was shown to be a brutal andautocraticleaderwithasadisticstreak.Hedrovethemenharderthanthecommander of any other company. He arbitrarily revoked passes andinflicted punishment. But judging from Ambrose’s research, Sobel wasevenworsethanhewasdepictedintheseries.

Sobel drove the men mercilessly, which was fine, since he waspreparing them for combat. But he didn’t push himself the same way,being barely capable of passing the physical test required ofparatroopers. Nor did he display the high level of competence hedemandedfromeveryoneelse.AmbrosewritesaboutanincidentduringtrainingthatwasrepresentativeofSobel’sleadership:

Ononenightexercisehe[Sobel]decidedtoteachhismenalesson.HeandSergeantEvanswent sneaking through the company position to steal rifles from sleepingmen.Themissionwas successful; by daylight Sobel andEvans had nearly fifty rifles.Withgreatfanfare,EvanscalledthecompanytogetherandSobelbegantotellthemenwhatmiserablesoldierstheywere.1

WhatSobeldidn’trealizewasthatthemenhewasberatingweren’thisown. He had wandered into the wrong camp and stolen the riflesbelongingtoFoxCompany.Sobeldidn’tevenrealizehismistakeuntilthecommanderofFoxCompanycameupwithforty-fiveofhismen.

ThemenwhoservedunderSobelmockedhimandunderminedhim.By the time Easy Company began preparations for the invasion ofNormandy,manymenwere taking bets onwhich of themwould shootSobelwhentheyfinallygotintocombat.Fortunately,Sobelwasremovedfrom his position as company commander and reassigned before theywentintocombat.

ANOTHERBADPICTURE

Another officer’s highly incompetent leadership was depicted in anepisodecalled“TheBreakingPoint.”ItrecountedtheBattleoftheBulgewhen the soldiers were preparing to take the town of Foy from theGermans. By then, the men of Easy Company were experiencedveterans,andtheywerefacingoneofthemostdifficulttimesofthewar.They suffered from bitter cold and frommerciless shelling by Germanartillery.

During that time, an Easy Company platoon was commanded byLieutenantDike,aleaderwithpoliticalconnectionsbutnopreviouscom-batexperience.Dike’smethodofleadershipwastoavoidhismen,refuse

to make a decision, and disappear for long periods of time to “take awalk,” including when he was needed most. Not one of the menrespectedhim.AndwhenDikewasfinallyrequiredto leadhismenintoan assault on the town, he failed miserably and was relieved ofcommand.

ADIFFERENTKINDOFPICTURE

Fortunately,mostofEasyCompany’sleaderswereexcellent,andoneinparticular was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and wasconsideredbythementobe“thebestcombatleaderinWorldWarII.”2ThatpersonwasDickWinters.HestartedoutasaplatoonleaderinEasyCompany during their training and was promoted to companycommander after Normandy and then to battalion executive officer. Hefinishedhismilitarycareerwiththerankofmajor.

Timeaftertime,Wintershelpedhismentoperformatthehighestlevel.Andhealwaysledfrominfront,settingtheexampleandtakingtherisksalong with his men. Ambrose describes Winters’s philosophy ofleadershipsimplyas“officersgofirst.”3Wheneverhis troopsneededtoassaultanenemyposition,Winterswasinfrontleadingthecharge.

OneofthemostremarkableincidentsdemonstratingWinters’swayofleadingbyexampleoccurredsoonafterD-DayontheroadtoCarentan,a town that EasyCompany needed to take from theGermans. As theAmerican paratroopers under his command approached the town, theybecamepinneddownbyGermanmachine-gun fire.Huddled in ditchesoneithersideoftheroad,theywouldn’tmoveforwardwhenorderedto.Yet if theydidn’tmove, theywouldeventuallybecut topieces.Winterstried rallying them.Hecoaxed them.Hekicked them.He ran fromoneditchtotheotherasmachine-gunbulletsflewby.Finally,hejumpedintothe middle of the road, bullets glancing off the ground near him, andshoutedatthementogetmoving.Everyonegotupandmovedforwardasone.Andtheyhelpedtotakethetown.

Morethanthirty-fiveyears later,FloydTalbert,asergeantat thetime,

wrotetoWinterstocommentabouttheincident:“I’llneverforgetseeingyouinthemiddleofthatroad.Youweremytotalinspiration.Allmyboysfelt the same way.”4 In 2006, Winters summed up his approach toleadership, saying, “Imaynothavebeen thebest combat commander,butIalwaysstrovetobe.Mymendependedonmetocare-fullyanalyzeevery tactical situation, to maximize the resources that I had at mydisposal, to think under pressure, and then to lead them by personalexample.”5

WhenAmbrosewasaskedwhatallowedEasyCompanytodistinguishitselfduringthewar, to“riseabove” itspeers,Ambrosewasclear inhisresponse:“Theyweren’tall thatmuchbetterthanotherparatroopers,ortheRangers, or theMarines. Theywere one ofmany elite units in thewar.Butwhatmadethemspecial,evenamongthosewhowerealreadyself-selected and special, was their Leadership . . . The great COs,platoonleaders,andsergeants—notalleliteunitshadsuchluckintheirleaders, and that’s the difference.”6 Why did that make such adifference?Becausepeopledowhatpeoplesee.That istheLawofthePicture. When the leaders show the way with the right actions, theirfollowerscopythemandsucceed.

Greatleadersalwaysseemtoembodytwoseeminglydisparatequalities.Theyarebothhighlyvisionaryandhighlypractical.

MAKINGTHEPICTURECOMEALIVE

Greatleadersalwaysseemtoembodytwoseeminglydisparatequalities.Theyarebothhighlyvisionaryandhighlypractical.Theirvisionenablesthemtoseebeyondtheimmediate.Theycanenvisionwhat’scomingandwhatmustbedone.Leaderspossessanunderstandingofhow:

Missionprovidespurpose—answeringthequestion,Why?

Visionprovidesapicture—answeringthequestion,What?

Strategyprovidesaplan—answeringthequestion,How?

As authorHans Finzel observed, “Leaders are paid to be dreamers.Thehigheryougoinleadership,themoreyourworkisaboutthefuture.”

At the same time, leaders are practical enough to know that visionwithoutactionachievesnothing.Theymake themselves responsible forhelping their followers to take action. That can be difficult becausefollowersoftencannotenvisionthefutureastheleaderdoes.Theycan’tpicturewhat’sbestfortheteam.Theylosetrackofthebigpicture.Why?Becausevisionhasatendencytoleak.

Theleader’seffectivemodelingofthevisionmakesthepicturecomealive!

Leadersarestewardsof thevision.Sowhatshouldtheydotobridgethe vision gap between them and their followers? The temptation formany leaders is tomerelycommunicateabout thevision.Don’tgetmewrong: communication is certainly important. Good leaders mustcommunicate thevisionclearly, creatively,andcontinually.The leader’seffectivecommunicationofthevisionmakesthepictureclear.Butthatisnotenough.The leadermustalso live thevision.The leader’seffectivemodelingofthevisionmakesthepicturecomealive!

Goodleadersarealwaysconsciousofthefactthattheyaresettingtheexampleandothersaregoingtodowhattheydo,forbetterorworse.Ingeneral,thebettertheleaders’actions,thebettertheirpeople’s.

That’snot tosay that leadershaveall theanswers.Anyonewhohasledanythingknowsthat.Theleaderswhomakethegreatestimpactareoften thosewho leadwell in themidst of uncertainty.AndyStanley, anexcellent leader and communicator, has addressed this issue. A fewyearsagoattheCatalystconferenceforleaders,hesaid,

Uncertainty is not an indication of poor leadership. Rather it indicates a need forleadership. The nature of leadership demands that there always be an element ofuncertainty.Thetemptationistothink,IfIwereagoodleader,Iwouldknowexactlywhatto do. Increased responsibility means dealing with more and more intangibles andthereforemorecomplexuncertainty.Leaderscanaffordtobeuncertain,butwecannotaffordtobeunclear.Peoplewillnotfollowfuzzyleadership.

When times are tough, uncertainty is high, and chaos threatens tooverwhelmeveryone,followersneedaclearpicturefromtheirleadersthe

most. That’s when they need a leader who embraces the Law of thePicture. The living picture they see in their leader produces energy,passion,andmotivationtokeepgoing.

MODELINGINSIGHTSFORLEADERS

Ifyoudesiretobethebestleaderyoucanbecome,youmustnotneglecttheLawof thePicture.Asyoustrive to improveasanexample toyourfollowers,rememberthesethings:

1.FOLLOWERSAREALWAYSWATCHINGWHATYOUDO

Ifyouareaparent,youhaveprobablyalreadyrealizedthatyourchildrenare always watching what you do. Say anything you want, but yourchildren learn more from what they see than from anywhere else. Asparents,MargaretandIrealizedthisearly.Nomatterwhatwetaughtourchildren, they insisted on behaving like us. How frustrating. LegendaryUCLA basketball coach John Wooden quotes a poem that explains itperfectly:

Nowrittenword

norspokenplea

Canteachouryouth

whattheyshouldbe

Norallthebooks

onalltheshelves

It’swhattheteachers

arethemselves.7

Justaschildrenwatchtheirparentsandemulatetheirbehavior,sodoemployees watching their bosses. If the bosses come in late, then

employeesfeel thattheycan,too.If thebossescutcorners,employeescutcorners.Peopledowhatpeoplesee.

Followersmaydoubtwhattheirleaderssay,buttheyusuallybelievewhattheydo.

Followersmaydoubtwhat their leaders say, but theyusually believewhat they do. And they imitate it. Former U.S. Army general andsecretaryofstateColinPowellobserved,“Youcan issueall thememosand give all themotivational speeches youwant, but if the rest of thepeople in your organization don’t see you put-ting forth your very bestefforteverysingleday,theywon’teither.”

Whitley David asserted, “A good supervisor is a catalyst, not a drillsergeant.Hecreatesanatmospherewhereintelligentpeoplearewillingto fol-low him. He doesn’t command; he convinces.” Nothing is moreconvincingthanlivingoutwhatyousayyoubelieve.

2. IT’S EASIER TO TEACH WHAT’S RIGHT THAN TO DO WHAT’SRIGHT

WriterMarkTwain quipped, “To dowhat is right iswonderful. To teachwhat is right is evenmore wonderful—andmuch easier.” Isn’t that thetruth?It’salwayseasiertoteachwhat’srightthanitistodoit.That’soneofthereasonswhymanyparents(andbosses)say,“DoasIsay,notasIdo.”

Oneofmyearliestchallengesasaleaderwastoraisemylivingtothelevel ofmy teaching. I can still remember the day that I decided that Iwould not teach anything I did not try to live out. That was a toughdecision,butasayoungleader,IwaslearningtoembracetheLawofthePicture.AuthorNormanVincentPealestated,“Nothingismoreconfusingthanpeoplewhogivegoodadvicebutsetabadexample.”Iwouldsayarelatedthoughtisalsotrue:nothingismoreconvincingthanpeoplewhogivegoodadviceandsetagoodexample.

Recently, I received calls on the same day from two reporters—onefromtheChicagoTribuneandtheotherfromUSAToday—aboutteachingethicsinthebusinessarena.Bothaskedsimilarquestions.Theywanted

toknowifethicscouldbetaught.Myanswerwasyes.

“But many of the companies that teach ethics classes had ethicsproblems,”onereporterpushedback.

“That’sbecauseethicscanbeinstilledinothersonlyifitistaughtandmodeledforthem,”Ireplied.Toomanyleadersarelikebadtravelagents.Theysendpeopleplacestheyhaveneverbeen.Instead,theyshouldbemoreliketourguides,takingpeopleplacestheyhavegoneandsharingthewisdomoftheirownexperiences.

“Leaderstellbutneverteachuntiltheypracticewhattheypreach.”—FEATHERSTONE

JohnWoodenusedtosaytohisplayers,“Showmewhatyoucando;don’ttellmewhatyoucando.”Ibelievefollowershavethesameattitudetowardtheirleaders.Theywanttoseetheirleadersinaction,doingtheirbest,showingtheway,andsettingtheexample.Featherstoneremarked,“Leaderstellbutneverteachuntiltheypracticewhattheypreach.”ThatistheLawofthePicture.

3.WESHOULDWORKONCHANGINGOURSELVESBEFORETRYINGTOIMPROVEOTHERS

Leaders are responsible for the performance of their people. The buckstopswith them.Theyaccordinglymonitor theirpeople’sprogress,givethem direction, and hold them accountable. And to improve theperformanceoftheteam,leadersmustactaschangeagents.However,agreatdangertogoodleadershipisthetemptationtotrytochangeotherswithoutfirstmakingchangestoyourself.

Asaleader,thefirstpersonIneedtoleadisme.ThefirstpersonthatIshouldtrytochangeisme.MystandardsofexcellenceshouldbehigherformyselfthanthoseIsetforothers.Toremainacredibleleader,Imustalways work first, hardest, and longest on changing myself. This isneithereasynornatural,butit isessential.Inallhonesty,Iamalot likeLucyinthePeanutscomicstripwhotellsCharlieBrownthatshewantstochangetheworld.WhenanoverwhelmedCharlieBrownaskswhereshewould start, her response is, “I would start with you, Charlie Brown. I

wouldstartwithyou.”

Not long ago, I was teaching on the idea of the 360-degree leader.That is,a leaderexertshis influencenot justdownwith thosehe leadsbutalsoupwithhisbossandacrosswithhiscolleagues.DuringaQ&Asession, an attendee asked, “Which is the most difficult—leading up,across,ordown?”

“None of the above,” I answered quickly. “Leading myself is thetoughest.”

To lead anyway other than by example,we send a fuzzy picture ofLeadership toothers. Ifweworkon improvingourselves firstandmakethatourprimarymission,thenothersaremorelikelytofollow.

4. THE MOST VALUABLE GIFT A LEADER CAN GIVE IS BEING AGOODEXAMPLE

AsurveyconductedbyOpinionResearchCorporationforAjilonFinanceaskedAmericanworkers toselect theonetrait thatwasmost importantforapersontoleadthem.Herearetheresults:

RANK CHARACTERISTIC PERCENTAGE1 Leadingbyexample 26%2 Strongethicsormorals 19%3 Knowledgeofthebusiness 17%4 Fairness 14%5 Overallintelligenceandcompetence 13%6 Recognitionofemployees 10%8

More thananythingelse,employeeswant leaderswhosebeliefsandactionslineup.Theywantgoodmodelswholeadfromthefront.

Leadership is more caught than taught. How does one “catch”Leadership?Bywatchinggoodleadersinaction!Themajorityofleadersemergebecauseoftheimpactmadeonthembyestablishedleaderswhomodeledleadershipandmentoredthem.

When I think about my leadership journey, I feel that I have beenfortunate to have had excellent leadership models from whom I have“caught”variousaspectsofleadership:

I caught perseverance by watching my father face and overcomeadversity.

IcaughtintensitybyobservingBillHybels’spassionateleadership.

I caught encouragement by looking at how Ken Blanchard valuedpeople.

IcaughtvisionbyseeingBillBrightmakehisvisionbecomereality.

I continue to learn from good models, and I strive to set the rightexample for thepeoplewho followme—mychildrenandgrandchildren,the employees in my companies, and the people who attend myconferences and read my books. Living what I teach is the mostimportant thing I do as a leader. As Nobel Peace Prize–winner AlbertSchweitzerobserved,“Exampleisleadership.”

FOLLOWINGTHEIRLEADER’SEXAMPLE

A story that illustrates the Law of the Picture is that of King David ofancient Israel. Just about everyone has heard the story of David andGoliath.When thearmiesof thePhilistines facedoff againstKingSauland thepeopleof Israel,Goliath,a large,powerfulprofessionalwarrior,laid out a challenge.He said he’d fight Israel’s greatest champion in awinner-take-allbattle.Andwhosteppedforwardtoacceptthechallenge?NotSaul,themightyking,oranyofhisseasonedveterans.ItwasDavid,alowlyshepherdboy,whostoodtofacehim.Usingasling,hehurledarockatGoliathandknockedhimout.ThenhecutGoliath’sheadoffwiththewarrior’sownsword.

Weall identifywitha story like thatbecausewe like to cheer for theunder-dog.Butmanypeopledon’tknowtherestofthestory.Davidgrewuptobeawarriorandeventuallybecameking.Alongtheway,heraisedupagroupofwarriorswhowerecalledhis“mightymen.”Nofewerthan

fiveofthemalsobecamegiantkillers,justliketheirleader.TheexamplesetbyDavidtaughthisfollowershowtobecomegreatwarriorsandevengiantkillers.

LEADERSHIPINTHEFACEOFTERROR

Leadershipbyexamplealwayshasapowerfulimpactonfollowers.OneoftheleadersIadmireisRudyGiuliani,formermayorofNewYorkCity.Duringhis career, first as anattorneyworking for theU.S. governmentandthenlaterasanelectedofficial,Giulianiledbyexample.Hesaysinhis bookLeadership that he is very aware that what he does sets thetoneforthosewhofollowhim.9“Youcannotaskthosewhoworkforyoutodosomethingyou’reunwillingtodoyourself,”hestates.“Itisuptoyoutosetastandardofbehavior.”10

Central to Giuliani’s philosophy of leadership is the idea ofaccountability.Giulianiwrites,

Morethananyoneelse,leadersshouldwelcomebeingheldaccountable.Nothingbuildsconfidence ina leadermore thanawillingness to take responsibility forwhathappensduring his watch. One might add that nothing builds a stronger case for holdingemployeestoahighstandardthanabosswhoholdshimselftoevenhigherones.Thisistrueinanyorganization.11

AccountabilitywasthebasisofoneofGiuliani’sregularpractices:themorning meeting he convened with his top staff every day at eighto’clock.Hehaddoneitsince1981.Itputhimandhispeopleonthesamepageeveryday.Theyhad togivehimanswers—andhewas forced tomakequickdecisions.Nobodycouldhide.Everyonewasaccountable.

Many people acknowledged Giuliani’s ability as a mayor. Under hiswatch,crimeinthecityfelldramatically,NewYorkreturnedtoitsformergloryasatouristdestination,taxesdecreased,andbusinessthrived.ButtheeventthatreallyrevealedGiuliani’sleadershipabilitywas,ofcourse,9/11. When the unthinkable occurred and the city was in chaos, themayorwasonthefrontlines,leading,keepinginclosecontactwithstateandfederalleaders,anddirectingthevariousphasesofcitygovernment.

Andwhen theworstpart of thecrisiswasbehind them,Giulianiwasalso leading by example. Not only was he an advocate of his city,opening the theaters, encouraging people to live their lives as close tonormalaspossible,andaskingvisitorstocometoNewYork—buthealsogrieved with those who had lost loved ones. He estimates that in thewakeoftheterroristattacks,thereweresixtotwentyfuneralseveryday.He made sure to attend at least six every day and to be sure that arepresentativefromcitygovernmentwasinattendanceateveryservice.

Giuliani’sexampleof leadership, strength,and resilience inspired thenation. Inmanyways,peopleallover theUnitesStates learnedhow toconduct themselves inapost-9/11worldbywatchingRudolphGiuliani’smodeling.Hewasnotgoingtoletterroristsdeterminethewayhewouldlive.Andthat’swhatgoodleadersalwaysdo:theysettheexample.

Giulianisumsuphisleadershipthisway:

Allmylife, Ihavebeenthinkingabouthowtobea leader—whether itwaswhenIwasrunningtheCorruptionUnitoftheU.S.Attorney’sofficeintheSouthernDistrictofNewYork,thentheNarcoticsUnit,orturningaroundabankruptKentuckycoalcompanyafterbeingappointedasreceiver,orwatchingRonaldReagan,JudgeMacMahon,andothers.I realized later thatmuchofwhat Iwasdoing instudying thesepeoplesocloselywaspreparing.Unconsciously,Iwaslearninghowtorunthings.12

Inotherwords,hehassimplydonewhathehadseenhis leadersdothroughouthiscareer.HehaspracticedtheLawofthePicture.

ApplyingTHELAWOFTHEPICTURE

ToYourLife

1. If you are already practicing the Law of Process, then you arecurrently working to sharpen your skills to increase your leadershipability.(Ifyou’renot,getstarted!)Butthereismoretoleadershipthanjust

technical skills. Character is also vital to leadership, and that iscommunicatedthroughtheLawofthePicture.Theprimaryexampleyousetforyourfollowerscomesintheareaofcharacter,andthatistheareayouneedtoaddressfirstbeforetryingtochangeothers.

Giveyourselfacharacteraudit.First,makea listofyourcorevalues,suchasintegrity,hardwork,honesty,andsoon.Then,thinkaboutyouractionsofthelastmonth.Whatincidents,ifany,standoutasinconsistentwiththosevalues?Listasmanythingsasyoucanrecall.Don’tdismissanythingtooquickly,anddon’t rationalizeanyof them.These itemswillshow youwhere you need towork on yourself.Work on changing notonlyyouractionsbutalsoyourattitude.

2. Ask a trusted colleague or friend to watch you for an extendedperiodoftime(atleastaweek)tocomparewhatyouteachwithhowyouconductyourself.Askhimorhertorecordanyinconsistencies.Thenplantomeetattheendoftheobservationperiodtoreviewtheresults.Atthatmeeting,youmayaskquestionsforclarification,butyouarenotallowedtodefendyourself.Plantochangeeitheryouractionsoryourphilosophytomakethemconsistentwithoneanother.

3.What are the three to five things youwish your people did betterthantheycurrentlydonow?Listthem.Now,gradeyourperformanceforeach.(Youmaywanttoasksomeoneelsetogradeyouaswelltomakesureyourperceptionofyourself isaccurate.)Ifyourself-scoresarelow,thenyouneedtochangeyourbehavior.Ifyourscoresarehigh,thenyouneed to make your example more visible to your people. Adjustaccordingly.

14

THELAWOFBUY-IN

PeopleBuyintotheLeader,ThentheVision

Inthefallof1997,afewmembersofmystaffandIhadtheopportunitytotravel to Indiaand teach four leadership conferences, somethingwe’vedonemanymore times in the lastdecade. India isanamazingcountry,full of contradictions. It’s a place of beauty, with warm and generouspeople.Ithasastrongemergingeconomy.Yetatthesametimemillionsandmillionsofitsinhabitantsliveintheworstpovertyimaginable.ItwastherethatIwasremindedoftheLawofBuy-In.

I’llneverforgetwhenourplanelandedinDelhi.Exitingtheairport,Ifeltas if we had been transported to another planet. There were crowdseverywhere. People on bicycles, in cars, on camels and elephants.People on the streets, some sleeping right on the sidewalks. Animalsroamedfree,nomatterwherewewere.Andeverythingwasinmotion.Aswedrovealongthemainstreettowardourhotel,Ialsonoticedsomethingelse.Banners.Whereverwe looked,we could seebanners celebratingIndia’s fifty years of liberty, along with huge pictures of one man:MahatmaGandhi.

OBSCUREBEGINNINGS

Today,people take forgranted thatGandhiwasagreat leader.But thestory of his leadership is a marvelous study in the Law of Buy-In.MohandasK.Gandhi,calledMahatma (whichmeans “greatsoul”),was

educatedinLondon.Afterfinishinghiseducationinlaw,hetraveledbacktoIndiaandthentoSouthAfrica.Thereheworkedfortwentyyearsasabarristerandpoliticalactivist.Andinthattimehedevelopedasaleader,fightingfortherightsofIndiansandotherminoritieswhowereoppressedanddiscriminatedagainstbySouthAfrica’sapartheidgovernment.

BythetimehereturnedtoIndiain1914,Gandhiwasverywell-knownand highly respected among his countrymen. Over the next severalyears,asheledprotestsandstrikesaroundthecountry,peopleralliedtohimand looked tohimmoreandmore for leadership. In1920—ameresix years after returning to India—he was elected president of the AllIndiaHomeRuleLeague.

ThemostremarkablethingaboutGandhiisn’tthathebecamealeaderinIndia,butthathewasabletochangethepeople’svisionforobtainingfreedom.Beforehebeganleadingthem,thepeopleusedviolenceinaneffort to achieve their goals. For years riots against the Britishestablishmenthadbeencommon.ButGandhi’svisionforchangeinIndiawasbasedonnonviolentcivildisobedience.Heoncesaid,“Nonviolenceis thegreat-est forceat thedisposalofmankind. It ismightier than themightiestweaponofdestructiondevisedbytheingenuityofman.”

Theleaderfindsthedreamandthenthepeople.Thepeoplefindtheleaderandthenthedream.

ANEWAPPROACH

Gandhi challenged the people to meet oppression with peacefuldisobedience and noncooperation. Even when the British militarymassacredmorethanonethousandpeopleatAmritsarin1919,Gandhicalled the people to stand—without fighting back. Rallying everyone tohiswayofthinkingwasn’teasy.Butbecausethepeoplehadcometobuyintohimastheirleader,theyembracedhisvision.Andthentheyfollowedhim faithfully.He asked themnot to fight, and eventually, they stoppedfighting.Whenhecalled foreveryone toburn foreign-madeclothesandstartwearingnothingbuthomespunmaterial,millionsofpeoplestarteddoingit.WhenhedecidedthataMarchtotheSeatoprotesttheSaltActwouldbetheirrallyingpointforcivildisobedienceagainsttheBritish,the

nation’sleadersfollowedhimthetwohundredmilestothecityofDandi,wheregovernmentrepresentativesarrestedthem.

Their struggle for independence was slow and painful, but Gandhi’sleadershipwasstrongenoughtodeliveronthepromiseofhisvision.In1947, India gained home rule. Because the people had bought intoGandhi, they accepted his vision. And once they had embraced thevision,theywereabletocarryitout.That’showtheLawofBuy-Inworks.The leader finds the dream and then the people. The people find theleaderandthenthedream.

DON’TPUTTHECARTFIRST

WhenIteachleadershipseminars,Ifieldalotofquestionsaboutvision.Invariably,someonewillcomeuptomeduringabreak,givemeabriefdescriptionofanevolvingvision,andaskme, “Doyou thinkmypeoplewillbuyintomyvision?”

My response is always the same: “First tellme this.Do your peoplebuyintoyou?”

Yousee,manypeoplewhoapproach theareaofvision in leadershiphave it all backward. They believe that if the cause is good enough,people will automatically buy into it and follow. But that’s not howleadershipreallyworks.Peopledon’tat first followworthycauses.Theyfollowworthy leaderswhopromote causes they can believe in.Peoplebuy into the leader first, then the leader’s vision. Having anunderstandingofthatchangesyourwholeapproachtoleadingpeople.

Peopledon’tatfirstfollowworthycauses.Theyfollowworthyleaderswhopromotecausestheycanbelievein.

Forthepersonwhoattendsoneofmyconferencesandaskswhetherhis people will follow, the question really becomes, “Have I given mypeoplereasonstobuyintome?”Iftheanswerisyes,theywillgladlybuythat leader’s vision. But if the leader has not built credibility with hispeople,itreallydoesn’tmatterhowgreatthevisionis.

During the dot-com boom, I read an article in Business Week thatprofiled entrepreneurs who partnered with venture capitalists in thecomputer industry. At that time, Silicon Valley in California was full ofpeoplewhoworked in the computer industry for a short time and thentried to start their own companies. Every day hundreds of them werebuzzingaroundtryingtofindinvestorssothattheycouldgettheir ideasandenterprisesofftheground.Mostneverfoundbacking.Butwheneveranentrepreneursucceededonce,shefounditprettyeasytofindmoneythenexttimearound.Manytimes,theinvestorsweren’teveninterestedinfindingoutwhattheentrepreneur’svisionwas.Ifthey’dboughtintotheperson,thentheyreadilyacceptedtheideas.

Every message that people receive is filtered through the messengerwhodelivers it. If youconsider themessenger tobecredible, thenyoubelieveideaandbelievedinit100percent.

Butthestart-upofhersecondcompanyhappenedalmostovernight.Ittook only twophone calls that lastedmereminutes for her to land fivemilliondollars inbacking.When thewordgotout that shewasstartinghersecondcompany,peopleweredying togiveherevenmoremoney.Shesaid, “Wehadventurecapitalistscallingusandbeggingus to taketheirmoney.”1

Everymessagethatpeoplereceiveisfilteredthroughthemessengerwhodeliversit.

Why had everything changed so drastically for her? Because of theLawofBuy-In.Peoplehadboughtintoher,sotheywerereadytobuyintowhatevervisionsheoffered,sightunseen.

YOUARETHEMESSAGE

Everymessage thatpeople receive is filtered through themessengerwhodelivers it. If youconsider themessenger tobecredible, thenyoubelieve the message has value. That’s one reason that actors andathletes are hired as promoters of products. People buy Nike shoesbecausetheyhaveboughtintoMichaelJordan,TigerWoods,orMichael

Vick,notnecessarilybecauseofthequalityoftheshoes.

Peoplewanttogoalongwithpeopletheygetalongwith.

Thesameistruewhenactorspromotecauses.Havetheactorsbeingemployed suddenly become experts in the cause they’re promoting?Usually not. But that doesn’t matter. People want to listen to thembecausetheybelieveinthemaspeopleorbecausetheyhavecredibilityasperformers.Oncepeoplehavebought intosomeone,theyarewillingtogivetheperson’svisionachance.Peoplewanttogoalongwithpeopletheygetalongwith.

IT’SNOTANEITHER.ORPROPOSITION

Youcannotseparateleadersfromthecausestheypromote.Itcannotbedone, nomatter howhard you try. It’s not aneither/or proposition.Thetwoalwaysgotogether.Takealookatthefollowingtable.Itshowshowpeoplereacttoleadersandtheirvisionunderdifferentcircumstances:

LEADER+ VISION= RESULTDon’tbuyin Don’tbuyin GetanotherleaderDon’tbuyin buyin Getanotherleader

buyin Don’tbuyin Getanothervisionbuyin buyin Getbehindtheleader

WHENFOLLOWERSDON’TLIKETHELEADERORTHEVISION. . .THEYLOOKFORANOTHERLEADER

Theonlytimepeoplewillfollowaleadertheydon’tlikewithavisiontheydon’tbelieveiniswhentheleaderhassomekindofleverage.Thatcouldbesomethingassinisterasthethreatofphysicalviolenceorasbasicastheability towithholdapaycheck. If the followershaveachoice in thematter, theydon’t follow.Andeven if theydon’thavemuchofachoice,theystart looking foranother leader to follow.This isano-winsituationforeveryoneinvolved.

WHENFOLLOWERSDON’TLIKETHELEADERBUTTHEYDOLIKE

THEVISION...THEYLOOKFORANOTHERLEADER

Youmaybesurprisedbythis.Eventhoughpeoplemaythinkacauseisgood, if theydon’t liketheleader,theywillgooutandfindanotherone.That’s one reason that coaches change teams so often in professionalsports.Thevisionforanyteamalwaysstaysthesame:everyonewantsto win a championship. But the players don’t always believe in theirleader.

And when they don’t, what happens? The owners don’t fire all of theplayers.Theyfiretheleaderandbringinsomeonetheyhopetheplayerswillbuyinto.Thetalentlevelofmostprofessionalcoachesissimilar.Theeffectivenessof their systems isn’tmuchdifferent.Whatoftenseparatethem are their leadership abilities and their level of credibility withplayers.

WHENFOLLOWERSLIKETHELEADERBUTNOTTHEVISION . . .THEYCHANGETHEVISION

Whenfollowersdon’tagreewiththeirleader’svision,theyreactinmanyways.Sometimestheyworktoconvincetheirleadertochangethevision.Sometimes they abandon their point of view and adopt their leader’s.Othertimestheyfindacompromise.Butaslongastheystillbuyintotheleader,theyrarelyout-and-outrejecthim.Theywillkeepfollowing.

AnexcellentexampleoccurredinGreatBritain.TonyBlairhadalongtenure in office as primeminister. Hewas a popular leader, elected toservethreetimes.Yetat thesametime, themajorityofpeople inGreatBritainwereagainstBlair’spolicyof involving thenation in thewarwithIraq.WhydidBlair remain inoffice so long?Because theyhadboughtinto him as a leader. As a result, they were willing to live with theirphilosophicaldifferencewithhim.

WHENFOLLOWERSLIKETHELEADERANDTHEVISION.. .THEYGETBEHINDBOTH

Whenpeoplebelieve in their leaderandthevision, theywill followtheirleader no matter how bad conditions get or how much the odds are

stacked against them. That’s why the Indian people in Gandhi’s dayrefusedtofightbackassoldiersmowedthemdown.That’swhatinspiredtheU.S.spaceprogramtofulfillJohnF.Kennedy’svisionandputamanonthemoon.That’sthereasonpeoplecontinuedtohavehopeandkeepalive the dream of Martin Luther King Jr., even after he was gunneddown.That’swhatcontinuestoinspirefollowerstokeeprunningtherace,evenwhentheyfeelthey’vehitthewallandgiveneverythingthey’vegot.

Asaleader,havingagreatvisionandaworthycauseisnotenoughtogetpeopletofollowyou.Youhavetobecomeabetterleader;youmustgetyourpeopletobuyintoyou.Thatisthepriceyouhavetopayifyouwant your vision to have a chance of becoming a reality. You cannotignoretheLawofBuy-Inandremainsuccessfulasaleader.

BUYINGTIMEFORPEOPLETOBUYIN

Ifinthepastyoutriedtogetpeopletoactonyourvisionbutwereunabletomake it happen, youprobably cameupagainst theLawofBuy-In—maybewithoutevenknowing it. I first recognized the importanceof theLawofBuy-Inin1972whenIacceptedmysecondleadershipposition.InthechapterontheLawofNavigation,ImentionedthatafterIhadbeenatthat church several years, I took them through a multimillion-dollarconstructionprograminwhichwebuiltanewauditorium.ButwhenIfirstgot there, thatwasnot thedirection that thepeoplehadwanted togo.TheweekbeforeIarrivedatmynewchurch,morethan65percentofthemembershadvotedinfavorofbuildinganewcommunityactivitycenter.

Now,Ihaddonesomehomeworkonthatchurch,andIknewcominginthatitsfuturegrowthandsuccessdependednotonanewactivitycenterbutonanewauditorium.Myvision for theyearsaheadwasabsolutelycleartome.ButIcouldn’twalkinandsay,“Forgetthedecisionyoujustmade and all the agonizing you did to make it. Follow me instead.” Ineededtobuysometimetobuildmycredibilitywiththepeople.

So I developed a strategy. I arranged for a committee to make athoroughstudyofalltheissuesinvolvedwiththeactivitycenterproject.Itold themembers, “Ifwe’regoingto invest thiskindof timeandmoney,

wehave tobesureabout it. Imusthave informationoneverypossibleissue related to it.” That seemed fair enough to everyone, and off thecommitteewenttowork.

Forthenextyear,thegroupcamebacktomeeverymonthorsoandreportedontheinformationtheygathered.AndeachtimeI’dpraisetheirwork and ask several questions that would prompt them to do moreresearch.

BUY-INISNOTABOUTTHELEADER

Astheleader,Ihadtheresponsibilitytomakesuretheorganizationdidn’tmakeanexpensivemistakethatwouldhurtitinthefuture.Delayingthedecision helped me buy enough time for them to buy into me. Mean-while, I worked hard to build my credibility with the people. I forgedrelationships with the leaders in the church. I answered everybody’squestions so that they could understand me and how I thought as aleader. I shared my ideas, hopes, and dreams for the work we weredoing. And I started to produce growth in the organization. That,morethananythingelse,gavethepeopleconfidenceinmeandmyleadershipability.

Asaleader,yoursuccessismeasuredbyyourabilitytoactuallytakethepeoplewheretheyneedtogo.Butyoucandothatonlyifthepeoplefirstbuyintoyou.

Afteraboutsixmonths,thepeoplestartedtoseethatthechurchwaschanging and beginning to move in a new direction. In a year, thebuilding committee decided that the activity center was not in thechurch’s best interest, and they recommended that we not build it. Inanotheryear, thepeople reachedconsensus: thekey to the futurewasthebuildingofanewauditorium.Andwhenthetimecame,98percentofthepeoplevotedyesontheissue,andoffwewent.

WhenIarrivedatthatchurch,Icouldhavetriedtopushmyvisionandagendaonthepeople.That’sprobablywhatIwouldhavedoneinmyfirstleadershippositionbecause Iwas inexperiencedanddidn’t understandthatbelief in the leaderwasas importantasbelief in thevision.Butbythen I hadmatured a little. I knewmy visionwas the right thing to do

when I arrived in1972, just as sureas Iwas twoyears laterwhenweimplemented it. But if I had tried to sell my vision instead of sellingmyself, I wouldn’t have succeeded in helping those people get wherethey needed to go. And in the process I would have undermined myabilitytoleadthem.

Asaleader,youdon’tearnanypointsforfailinginanoblecause.Youdon’tget credit forbeing “right”asyoubring theorganization toahalt.Your success is measured by your ability to actually take the peoplewhere theyneed togo.Butyoucando thatonly if thepeople firstbuyintoyouasaleader.That’stherealityoftheLawofBuy-In.

ApplyingTHELAWOFBUY-IN

ToYourLife

1. Do you have a vision for your leadership and your organization?Why do you lead? What are you trying to accomplish? Write yourthoughts in a vision statement. Is that vision worthy of your time andeffort? Is it somethingyou’rewilling togiveasignificantportionof yourlifeto?(Ifnot,rethinkwhatyouaredoingandwhy.)

2.What is the levelofbuy-infor thepeopleyoulead?Ifyourteamissmall, list all of its members. If it is large, list the key players whoinfluencetheteam.Nowrateeachperson’sbuy-inonascaleof1to10.(A1meanstheywon’tevenfollowyouinareaswheretheyarerequiredtoaccording to their jobdescription.A10means theywould followyouintobattleeven in the faceofdeath.) Ifyourpeopledon’tbuy intoyou,theywillnothelpyouexecuteyourvision—eveniftheyloveit.Theywillfindanewleadertoleadthem.

3.Thinkaboutwaysyoucanearncredibilitywithindividuals.Therearemanywaysyoucandothat:

Bydevelopingagoodrelationshipwiththem

Bybeinghonestandauthenticanddevelopingtrust

Byholdingyourselftohighstandardsandsettingagoodexample

Bygivingthemthetoolstodotheirjobbetter

Byhelpingthemtoachievetheirpersonalgoals

Bydevelopingthemasleaders

Developastrategywitheachperson.Ifyoumakeityourprimarygoaltoaddvaluetoallofthem,yourcredibilityfactorwillriserapidly.

15

THELAWOFVICTORY

LeadersFindaWayfortheTeamtoWin

Have you ever thought aboutwhat separates the leaderswho achievevictoryfromthosewhosufferdefeat?Whatdoesittaketomakeateamawinner? It’s hard to identify the quality that separates winners fromlosers. Every leadership situation is different. Every crisis has its ownchallenges.ButIthinkthatvictoriousleadershaveonethingincommon:theyshareanunwillingnesstoacceptdefeat.Thealternativetowinningistotallyunacceptabletothem.Asaresult,theyfigureoutwhatmustbedonetoachievevictory.

THISWASHISFINESTHOUR

Crisisseemstobringoutthebest—andtheworst—inleadersbecauseatsuch times the pressure is intense and the stakes are high. That wascertainly true duringWorldWar IIwhenAdolfHitlerwas threatening tocrush Europe and remake it according to his vision. But against thepowerofHitlerandhisNazihordesstoodaleaderdeterminedtowin,apractitioner of the Law of Victory: Winston Churchill, the British primeminister.HeinspiredtheBritishpeopletoresistHitlerandultimatelywinthewar.

Long before he became primeminister in 1940, Churchill spoke outagainst the Nazis. He seemed like the lone critic in 1932 when hewarned,“Donotdeludeyourselves...DonotbelievethatallGermanyisasking for isequal status . . .Theyare looking forweaponsandwhen

theyhavethembelievemetheywillaskforthereturnoflostterritoriesorcolonies.”Asaleader,Churchillcouldseewhatwascoming,andhewastryingtopreparethepeopleofEnglandforwhathesawasaninevitablefight.

Victoriousleaderspossessanunwillingnesstoacceptdefeat.Thealternativetowinningistotallyunacceptabletothem.

In successive years, Churchill continued to speak out against theNazis. And when Hitler annexed Austria in 1938, Churchill said tomembersoftheHouseofCommons:

ForfiveyearsIhavetalkedtotheHouseonthesematters—notwithverygreatsuccess.I have watched this famous island descending incontinently, fecklessly, the stairwaywhichleadstoadarkgulf...Nowisthetimeatlasttorousethenation.Perhapsitisthelasttimeitcanberousedwithachanceofpreventingwar,orwithachanceofcomingthroughwithvictoryshouldourefforttopreventwarfail.1

Unfortunately, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and the otherleadersofGreatBritaindidnotmakeastandagainstHitler.Theywerenotpreparedtodowhatittooktoachievevictory.AndmoreofEuropefelltotheNazis.

Bymid-1940,mostofEuropewasunderGermany’s thumb.But thensomethinghappenedthatprobablychangedthecourseofhistoryforthefree world. The leadership of England fell to the sixty-five-year-oldWinston Churchill, a courageous leader who had practiced the Law ofVictorythroughouthislife.HerefusedtobuckleundertheNazis’threats.For more than a year, Great Britain stood alone facing the threat ofGerman invasion.WhenHitler indicated thathewanted tomakeadealwith England, Churchill defied him. When Germany began bombingEngland,theBritishstoodstrong.Andallthewhile,Churchilllookedforawaytogainvictory.

CHURCHILLWOULDACCEPTNOTHINGLESS

Timeaftertime,ChurchillralliedtheBritishpeople.Itbeganwithhisfirstspeechafterbecomingprimeminister:

Wehavebeforeusanordealofthemostgrievouskind.Wehavebeforeusmany,manylongmonthsofstruggleandofsuffering.Youask,whatisourpolicy?Icansay:It istowagewar,bysea,landandair,withallourmightandwithallthestrengththatGodcangive us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark,lamentablecatalogueofhumancrime.Thatisourpolicy.Youask,whatisouraim?Icananswer in one word: Victory—victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory,howeverlongandhardtheroadmaybe;forwithoutvictory,thereisnosurvival.2

Meanwhile, Churchill did everything in his power to prevail. Hedeployed troops in the Mediterranean against Mussolini’s forces.Although he hated communism, he allied himself with Stalin and theSoviets, sending them aid even when Great Britain’s supplies werethreatened and its survival hung in the balance.And he developed hispersonal relationship with another powerful leader: Franklin Roosevelt.ThoughthepresidentoftheUnitedStateswasreluctanttoenterthewar,Churchillworkedtobuildarelationshipwithhim,hopingtochangeitfromoneoffriendshipandmutualrespecttoafull-fledgedwaralliance.Intimehis efforts paid off. On the day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor,ushering the United States into the war, Churchill is said to haveremarkedtohimself,“Sowehavewonafterall.”

“Whatisouraim?Icananswerinoneword:Victory—victoryatallcosts,victoryinspiteofallterror,victory,howeverlongandhardtheroadmybe;forwithoutvictory,thereisnosurvival.”

—WINSTONCHURCHILL

ANOTHERLEADERDEDICATEDTOVICTORY

WhenChurchillsoughttheaidofFranklinRoosevelt,hewasenlistingaleader who had practiced the Law of Victory for decades. It was ahallmark of Roosevelt’s entire life. He had found a way to achievepoliticalvictorywhilewinningoverpolio.WhenhewaselectedpresidentandbecameresponsibleforpullingtheAmericanpeopleoutoftheGreatDepression,itwasjustanotherimpossiblesituationthathelearnedhowto fight through. And fight he did. Through the 1930s, the countrywasslowlyrecoveringdueinlargeparttohisleadership.

The stakes during the war were undoubtedly high. Pulitzer Prize–winninghistorianArthurSchlesinger Jr. noted, “TheSecondWorldWarfounddemocracyfightingforitslife.By1941,therewereonlyadozenor

sodemocraticstatesleftonearth.Butgreatleadershipemergedintimeto rally the democratic cause.” The team of Roosevelt and Churchillprovidedthatleadershiplikeaone-twopunch.JustastheprimeministerhadralliedEngland,thepresidentbroughttogethertheAmericanpeopleandunitedtheminacommoncauseasnooneeverhadbeforeorhassince.

To Churchill and Roosevelt, victory was the only option. If they hadacceptedanythingless,theworldwouldbeaverydifferentplacetoday.Schlesingerstated,“Takealookatourpresentworld.ItismanifestlynotAdolfHitler’sworld.HisThousand-YearReichturnedouttohaveabriefand bloody run of a dozen years. It is manifestly not Joseph Stalin’sworld. That ghastly world self-destructed before our eyes.”3WithoutChurchill and England, all of Europe would have fallen. WithoutRooseveltandtheUnitedStates,itmightneverhavebeenreclaimedforfreedom.But not evenanAdolfHitler and thearmyof theThirdReichcouldstandagainsttwoleadersdedicatedtotheLawofVictory.

GREATLEADERSFINDAWAYTOWIN

When the pressure is on, great leaders are at their best.Whatever isinside them comes to the surface. In 1994, Nelson Mandela becamepresidentofSouthAfricafollowingthatcountry’sfirstfullelectionsattheendof itsapartheidgovernment. Itwasahugevictoryfor thepeopleofthatcountry,anditwasalongtimecoming.

Whenthepressureison,greatleadersareattheirbest.Whateverisinsidethemcomestothesurface.

The road to that victory was paved with twenty-seven years ofMandela’s lifespent inprison.Alongtheway,hedidwhatever it tooktobring victory one step closer.He joined theAfricanNationalCongress,which became an outlawed organization. He staged peaceful protests.He went underground and traveled overseas to try to enlist support.Whenheneededto,hestoodtrialandacceptedaprisonsentence,withdignityandcourage.Andwhenthetimewasright,henegotiatedchangesinthegovernmentwithF.W.deKlerk.Mandeladescribeshimselfas“an

ordinary man who had become a leader because of extraordinarycircumstances.”4Isayheisaleadermadeextraordinarybecauseofthestrength of his character and his dedication to victory for his people.Mandelafoundawaytowin,andthat’swhatleadersdofortheirpeople.

YOUCANSEEITEVERYDAY

Thebestleadersfeelcompelledtorisetoachallengeanddoeverythingintheirpowertoachievevictoryfortheirpeople.Intheirview...

Leadershipisresponsible.

Losingisunacceptable.

Passionisunquenchable.

Creativityisessential.

Quittingisunthinkable.

Commitmentisunquestionable.

Victoryisinevitable.

With that mind-set, they embrace the vision and approach thechallengeswiththeresolvetotaketheirpeopletovictory.

We can often see the LawofVictory in action at sporting events. Inotherareasoflife,leadersdomostoftheirworkbehindthescenes,andyou never get to see it. But at a ball game, you can actually watch aleader as he works to achieve victory. And when the game ends, youknowexactlywhowonandwhy.Gameshaveimmediateandmeasurableoutcomes.

OneofthegreatestsportsleaderswhenitcametotheLawofVictorywas basketball’s Michael Jordan. He was an awesome athlete, but hewasalsoanexceptionalleader.HelivedandbreathedtheLawofVictoryeverydaythatheplayed.Whenthegamewasontheline,Jordanfound

a way for the team to win. His biographer, Mitchell Krugel, says thatJordan’stenacityandpassionforvictorywereevidentineverypartofhislife.Heevenshowedbothinpracticewhenhisteam,theChicagoBulls,wouldscrimmage.Krugelexplains:

AtBulls’practices,thestarterswereknownasthewhiteteam.Thesecondfiveworered.[FormerBulls’coach]LougheryhadJordanplayingwiththewhiteteamfromhisfirstday.WithJordanand[teammate]Woolridge,thewhiteteameasilyrolledupleadsof8–1or7–4ingamesto11.Theloserofthesegamesalwayshadtorunextrawindsprintsafterpractice.ItwasaboutthattimeofthescrimmagethatLougherywouldswitchJordantotheredteam.Andtheredteamwouldwindupwinningmoreoftenthannot.5

Jordanshowedthesamekindoftenacityeverytimehetookthecourt.Earlyinhiscareer,Jordanreliedheavilyonhispersonaltalentandeffortstowingames.Butashematured,heturnedhisattentionmoretobeingaleaderandmaking thewhole teamplaybetter.Jordan thinks thatmanypeoplehaveoverlookedthat.Heoncesaid,“That’swhateverybodylooksatwhenImissagame.Cantheywinwithoutme?...Whydoesn’tany-body ask why or what it is I contribute thatmakes a difference? I betnobodywouldeversaytheymissmyleadershipormyabilitytomakemyteammatesbetter.”Yetthatisexactlywhatheprovides.Leadersalwaysfindawayfortheteamtowin.

Finding a way to help their team win has been the mark of manyoutstanding basketball players of the past. A player such as Bostoncenter Bill Russell measured his play by whether it helped the wholeteam play better. And the result was a remarkable eleven NBA titles.Lakers guard Magic Johnson, who was named NBA Most ValuablePlayer (MVP) three times and won five championships, was anoutstandingscorer,buthisgreatestcontributionwashisabilitytoruntheteamandget theball into thehandsofhis teammates.AndLarryBird,whomade things happen for theCeltics in the 1980s, showed that hewas a team leader not only as a player (hewas namedRookie of theYear, became the MVP three times, and led his team to three NBAchampionships)butalsoasacoach.InhisfirstyearasheadcoachoftheIndianaPacers,hewasnamedNBACoachoftheYearafterleadinghisteam toa58–24 record, thebestwinningpercentage in the franchise’shistory.

Good leaders find a way for their teams to win. That’s the Law ofVictory. Their particular sport is irrelevant. Michael Jordan, MagicJohnson,andLarryBirddiditintheNBA.JohnElwayandJoeMontanadiditintheNFL.(Elwayledhisteamtomorefourth-quartervictoriesthananyotherquarterback inNFLhistory.)Pelédid it in soccer,winninganunprecedented threeWorldCups forBrazil. Leaders findaway for theteamtosucceed.

THREECOMPONENTSOFVICTORY

Whether it’s a sports team, an army, a business, or a nonprofitorganization,victory ispossibleas longasyouhave threecomponentsthatcontributetoateam’sdedicationtovictory.

1.UNITYOFVISION

Teamssucceedonlywhen theplayershaveaunified vision, nomatterhow much talent or potential there is. A team doesn’t win thechampionship if its players are working from different agendas. That’strue in professional sports. That’s true in business. That’s true innonprofits.

I learnedthislessoninhighschoolwhenIwasajunioronthevarsitybasketballteam.Wehadaverytalentedgroupofkids,andmanypeoplehadpickedustowinthestatechampionship.Butwehadaproblem.Thejuniorsandseniorson the teamrefused towork together. Itgotsobadthat thecoacheventuallygaveup trying togetus toplay togetheranddivided us into two different squads for our games: one comprised ofseniors, the other comprised of juniors. In the end the team hadmiserable results. Why? We didn’t share a common vision. Peopleplayedfortheirfellowclassmen,nottheteam.

2.DIVERSITYOFSKILLS

It almostgoeswithout saying thata teamneedsdiversity in skills.Canyou imagine a whole hockey team of goalies? Or a football team ofquarterbacks?Howaboutabusinesswhere thereareonlysalespeopleor nothing but accountants?Or a nonprofit organizationwith just fund-raisers?Oronly strategists? It doesn’tmakesense.Everyorganizationrequiresdiversetalentstosucceed.

Ateamdoesn’twinthechampionshipifitsplayersareworkingfromdifferentagendas.

Someleadershaveblindspotsinthisarea.Infact,Iusedtobeoneofthem.I’membarrassedtosaytherewasatimeinmylifewhenIthoughtthat ifpeoplewouldjustbemorelikeme,theywouldbesuccessful.I’mwisernowandunderstandthateverypersonhassomethingtocontribute.We’re all like parts of the human body. For that body to do its best, itneedsallofitsparts,eachdoingitsownjob.

Irecognizehoweachpersononmyteamcontributesusinghisorheruniqueskills,andIexpressmyappreciationforthem.Theneweryouareto leadership and the stronger your natural leadership ability, themorelikelyyouwillbetooverlooktheimportanceofothersontheteam.Don’tfallintothattrap.

3.ALEADERDEDICATEDTOVICTORYANDRAISINGPLAYERSTOTHEIRPOTENTIAL

It’s true that having good players with diverse skills is important. AsformerNotreDamehead football coachLouHoltz says, “You’vegot tohavegreatathletes towin, Idon’tcarewhothecoach is.Youcan’twinwithout good athletes, but you can lose with them. This is wherecoaching makes the difference.” In other words, you also requireleadershiptoachievevictory.

Unity of vision doesn’t happen spontaneously. The right playerswiththeproperdiversityoftalentdon’tcometogetherontheirown.Ittakesaleader to make those things happen. It takes a leader to provide themotivation,empowerment,anddirectionrequiredtowin.

THELAWOFVICTORYISHISBUSINESS

Oneof themostnoteworthysuccessstories I’vecomeacross is thatofSouthwestAirlinesandHerbKelleher,whomImentionedinthechapterontheLawofConnection.Thecompany’sstoryisanadmirableexampleoftheLawofVictoryinaction.TodaySouthwestlookslikeapowerhousethathaseverythinggoingfor it. Intherouteswhereit flies, itdominatesthe market. The company is on a steady growth curve, and its stockperformsextremelywell.ItistheonlyU.S.airlinethathasearnedaprofiteveryyearsince1973—evenasotherairlineshavegonebankruptanddis-appeared.Itistheonlyairlinethathasthrivedinthewakeof9/11.

“You’vegottohavegreatathletestowin,Idon’tcarewhothecoachis.Youcan’twinwithoutgoodathletes,butyoucanlosewiththem.Thisiswherecoachingmakesthedifference.”

—LOUHOLTZ

Employees love working there. Turnover is extremely low, and thecompany is considered to have the most productive workforce in theindustry. And it’s extremely popular with customers; Southwest getsconsistently superior customer service ratings. It has maintained thefewestoverallcustomerservicecomplaintsintheindustrysince1987.6

GivenSouthwest’scurrentposition,youmightthinkithasalwaysbeenapowerhouse.That’snotthecase.Infact,it’satestamenttotheLawofVictory that the company even exists today. The airline was begun in1967 by Rollin King, owner of a small commuter air service in Texas;JohnParker,abanker;andHerbKelleher,anattorney.But it tookthemfouryearstogettheirfirstplaneofftheground.Assoonasthecompanyincorporated,Braniff,TransTexas,andContinentalAirlinesalltriedtoputitoutofbusiness.Andtheyalmostsucceeded.Onecourtbattlefollowedanother,andoneman,morethananyother,madethefighthisown:HerbKelleher.When their start-up capitalwas gone and they seemed to bedefeated,theboardwantedtogiveup.However,Kellehersaid,“Let’sgoonemore roundwith them. Iwill continue to represent the company incourt, and I’ll postpone any legal fees and pay every cent of the courtcostsoutofmyownpocket.”FinallywhentheircasemadeittotheTexasSupreme Court, the trio won, and they were at last able to put theirplanesintheair.

Once it got going, Southwest hired experienced airline leader Lamar

Museas itsnewCEO.He, in turn, hired thebestexecutivesavailable.Andasotherairlineskepttryingtoputthemoutofbusiness,KelleherandMuse kept fighting—in court and in the marketplace. When they hadtrouble filling theirplanesgoing toand fromHouston,Southwestbeganflying into Houston’s Hobby Airport, which was more accessible tocommuters because of its proximity to downtown. When all the majorcarriers moved to the newly created Dallas–Fort Worth Airport,SouthwestkeptflyingintoconvenientLoveField.Whentheairlinehadtoselloneofitsfourplanestosurvive,theexecutivesfiguredoutawayfortheirremainingplanestobeonthegroundnolongerthananamazinglyshort tenminutes between flights. That way Southwest couldmaintainroutesandschedules.Andwhentheycouldn’tfigureoutanyotherwaytofill theirplanes, theypioneeredpeakandoff-peakpricing,giving leisuretravelersahugebreakinthecostoffares.

Throughitall,KelleherkeptfightingandhelpedkeepSouthwestalive.In1978,sevenyearsafterhehelpedputthecompany’sfirstsmallfleetofplanesintotheair,hebecamechairmanofthecompany.In1982,hewasmadepresidentandCEO.Todayheservesasexecutivechairmanoftheboard. He and his colleagues continue to fight and find ways for thecompanytowin.Andlookatthesuccess:

SOUTHWESTAIRLINESYESTERDAYANDTODAY

19717 20068

Sizeoffleet 4 468Employeesatyear-end 195 30,000+Customerscarried 108,000 88.4millionCitiesserved 3 51Averagetripsflowndaily 17 3,100+Stockholders’equity $3.3million $6.68billion9

Totalassets $22million $14.2billion

Southwest’s President Colleen Barrett sums it up: “The warriormentality, the very fight to survive is truly what created our culture.”10

What Kelleher, Barrett, and the rest of the Southwest leadership teamhaveisnotjustawilltosurvivebutawilltowin.LeaderswhopracticetheLawofVictorybelieve thatanything less thansuccess isunacceptable.And theyhavenoPlanB.That iswhy they keep fighting.And it’swhytheycontinuetowin!

Whatisyourlevelofexpectationwhenitcomestosucceedingforyourorganization?Howdedicatedareyou towinningyour “game”?Areyougoing tohave theLawofVictory in your corneras you fight?Orwhentimesget difficult, are yougoing to throw in the towel?Your answer tothatquestionmaydeterminewhetheryousucceedorfailasaleaderandwhetheryourteamwinsorloses.

LeaderswhopracticetheLawofVictoryhavenoPlanB.Thatiswhytheykeepfighting.

ApplyingTHELAWOFVICTORY

ToYourLife

1.ThefirststepinpracticingtheLawofVictoryistakingresponsibilityforthesuccessoftheteam,department,ororganizationyoulead.Itmustbecome personal. Your commitment must be higher than that of yourteammembers.Your passion should be high.Your dedicationmust beunquestioned.

Do you currently demonstrate that kind of commitment? If not, youneed to examine yourself to determine if it is in you. If you searchyourself and are unable to convince yourself to bring that kind ofcommitment,thenoneofthreethingsisprobablytrue:

Youarepursingthewrongvision.

Youareinthewrongorganization.

Youarenottherightleaderforthejob.

Youwillhavetomakeadjustmentsaccordingly.

2.Ifyouarededicatedtoleadingyourteamtovictory,youwillbeabletoachieveitonlyifyouhavetherightpeopleontheteam.Thinkaboutallthe skills necessary to achieve your goals. Write them down. Nowcomparethatlistwiththenamesofthepeopleonyourteam.Iftherearefunctionsor tasks forwhichnooneon the team is suited, youneed toaddmemberstotheteamortraintheonesyouhave.

3.Theothercrucialcomponentforleadingyourteamtovictoryisunityofvision.Doalittleinformalresearchtofindoutwhat’simportanttoyourteammembers.Askthemwhattheywanttoachievepersonally.Andaskthem to describe the purpose or mission of the team, department, ororganization. If you get a diversity of answers, you need to work oncommunicating a single vision clearly, creatively, and continually untileveryone is on the same page. You should also work with each teammember to show how personal goals can alignwith the team’s overallgoals.

16

THELAWOFTHEBIGMO

MomentumIsaLeader’sBestFriend

Ifyou’vegotallthepassion,tools,andpeopleyouneedtofulfillagreatvision,yetyoucan’tseemtogetyourorganizationmovingandgoingintherightdirection,you’redead in thewaterasa leader. Ifyoucan’tgetthings going, you will not succeed. What do you need in suchcircumstances?YouneedtolooktotheLawoftheBigMoandharnessthepoweroftheleader’sbestfriend:momentum.

STARTINGFROMSCRATCH

Ifevertherewasapersonwithtalentandvision,itwasEdCatmull.Asaboy, Catmull had grown up wanting to become an animator andfilmmaker.Butwhenhewenttocollege,hehadarealization:hewasn’tgoodenough.Hepromptlychangedhis focus tophysicsandcomputerscience,earningabachelor’sdegreeineachduringthenextfouryears.AfterworkingforBoeingforafewyears,hedecidedongraduateschoolandenrolledinanewfieldwithincomputerscience—computergraphics.There he discovered that he could drawwith the aid of a computer. Itrekindledhisdreamtomakemovies.EvenbeforeheearnedhisPhDin1974, Catmull was developing innovative software and looking foropportunitiestomakecomputer-generatedmovies.

In 1979, filmmakerGeorge Lucas hiredCatmull to run the computergraphicsdivisionofLucasfilmLtd.ForthenextsevenyearsCatmullhiredsome of the best technicians in the country and attracted other talent,

suchasJohnLasseter,whohadonceworkedatDisney.Catmull’sgroupbroke new ground technologically and produced some incrediblework,such as the “Genesis” sequence in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.However,thedivisionwasveryexpensivetokeeprunning.Catmulltriedto convince Lucas to let him try to make computer-generated featurefilms,but the technologywasstill in itsearlystagesand tooexpensive.Instead,Lucasdecidedtosellthedivision.In1986SteveJobsboughtit,paying five million dollars for it and putting an additional five milliondollarsintothecompany.HenameditPixar.

BABYSTEPS

While itwas struggling tobecomeprofitable,Pixarbeganmaking shortfilms to demonstrate the power of its technology. The first was calledLuxoJr. Itshows twoanimateddesk lamps interactingasaparentandchild would. Typically in those days after showing any kind of filmdemonstrating computer animation, filmmakers were asked a bunch oftechnicalquestionsbyindustryexpertswhowatchedthefilm—aboutthealgorithms theywrote or the software they used.Catmull and Lasseterknew they had made a significant step forward when one of the firstquestionsaskedwaswhether the “parent” lampwas themother or thefather. That’s when they knew they had connected with their audienceand succeeded in telling a story, not just showing off new technology.Lassetersays,

Wehadabsolutelynomoney,nocomputers,nopeople,no time todo the fancy flyingcameramovesthatyouwereseeingandalltheglitzytracingandallthatstuff—wejusthadnotime.Wejustlockedthecameradownandhadnobackground,butitmadetheaudiencefocusonwhatwasimportant inthefilm—thestoryandthecharacters.Soforthe first time, this film was entertaining people because it was made with computeranimation.1

LuxoJr.was so good that itwas nominated for anAcademyAward.ButCatmullandhisteamwerestillalongwayfromachievinghisdreamofcreatingafull-lengthfeaturefilm.Thecompany’sgreatestchallengeatthat timewasmerely surviving. Pixar continued to develop technology.Thecompanyalsogainedrecognitionandreceivedawards,includingitsfirstOscar in1989.Tohelpmakeendsmeet, the teamstarted tomake

computer-animatedcommercials.(YoumayrememberacommercialwithaListerinebottleboxing.ThatwasPixar’swork.)But itwasdifficult forPixar to gain significantmomentum. The firmwasmoving forward, butonlyveryslowly.

FINALLY,SOMECREDIBILITY

Then in 1991, because of the credibility Pixar had earned, it got asignificantbreak.Theleadersthoughtthecompanywasreadytotakeitsnext big step—creating a one-hour television special. LasseterapproachedDisney,hisformeremployer,topitchtheidea.Theresponseamazed him.Disney offeredPixar a contract to create three full-lengthfeature movies using computer animation. Disney would fund anddistributetheprojects;Pixarwouldcreatethemandreceiveapercentageoftheprofits.

Pixar finally had an opportunity to fulfill Catmull’s vision, but thecompanywasstillfarfromrealizingit.ThecompanygottoworkonwhatwouldbecomeToyStory, but the teamhad troublewith the charactersand story.Disney pushed Lasseter tomake the charactersmore edgy,buttheywerebecomingunlikable.Aftertwoyearsofwork,Disney’schiefofanimationtoldthem,“Guys,nomatterhowmuchyoutrytofixit,itjustisn’tworking.”2LasseterbeggedDisneynot topull theplugandtogivethemonemorechancetoworkthingsout.“Wecalledallhandsondeck,stayedupallnight,andredid thewhole firstactofToyStorywithin twoweeks,” Lasseter recalls. “When we showed it to Disney, they werestunned.”3

TheworkonToyStorymovedforward.ItwouldtakePixarfouryearstomake the movie. Meanwhile, other studios were using the technologydeveloped by Catmull and his team and were producing movies likeJurassicParkandTerminator2. “Itwas kindof frustrating for us,” saysCatmull, “because we were busy making this movie for Disney, andevery-bodywastakingcreditfortheseotherfilms.Butweweretheoneswhowrotethesoftwareforthem!”4

Thoughtherestoftheworldwasn’tseeingityet,Pixarwasstartingtodevelopmomentum.Thatbecameobvious toeveryonewhenToyStoryopened inNovember 1995.When the contractwithDisneywas signedfouryearsearlier,PixarCEOSteveJobsestimatedthatifthefirstmoviewas “amodest hit—say $75million at the box office—we’ll both breakeven. If it gets $100 million, we’ll both make money. But if it’s a realblockbuster and earns $200million or so at the box office, we’ll makegoodmoneyandDisneywillmakea lotofmoney.”5Fewpeoplewouldhave predicted that it wouldmake $192million domestically and $362millionworldwide.6

From that time,Pixar’smomentumhasbeen strongand, if anything,hascontinuedtogrow.TheorganizationhaswonseventeenOscarsandbeen awarded forty-two patents.7 And since Toy Story came out, thecompanyhasproducedhitafterhit:ABug’sLife,ToyStory2,MonstersInc.,FindingNemo,TheIncredibles,andCars.Worldwide thosemovieshaveearnedmorethan$3.67billion!8

TURNABOUT

Ironically,whilePixarwasgainingmomentum,Disney,thecompanywhohelped it create its breakthrough, was losing momentum. Disney’sanimationdivisionhad fallenonhard times. Its lastsignificantanimatedmovie was Lilo & Stitch in 2002. And it had produced three highlyexpensive bombs,Atlantis,TreasurePlanet, andHome on the Range.How could Disney possibly regain some momentum? Bob Iger, whobecame Disney’s president and CEO in October 2005, knew how. Hepurchased Pixar! Now the people Disney once helped were helpingDisney. Catmull became Disney’s president of feature animation, andLasseter was made chief creative officer. “Disney has had two majorheydays,”saysCatmull.“We’regoingtomakeathird.”9

AndwhataboutPixar?Itwillcontinuetofunctionasbeforeunderthecare of Catmull and Lasseter.When you’ve got greatmomentum, youdon’t want to do anything to get in its way. After all, momentum is a

leader’sbestfriend!

TRUTHSABOUTMOMENTUM

Whydo I say thatmomentum really isa leader’sbest friend?Becausemany times it’s theonly thing thatmakes thedifferencebetween losingand winning. When you have no momentum, even the simplest tasksseem impossible. Small problems look like insurmountable obstacles.Moralebecomes low.The futureappearsdark.Anorganizationwithnomomentumislikeatrainatadeadstop.It’shardtogetgoing,andevensmallwoodenblocksonthetrackcankeepitfromgoinganywhere.

Whyismomentumaleader’sbestfriend?Manytimesmomentumistheonlythingthatmakesthedifferencebetweenlosingandwinning.

Ontheotherhand,whenyouhavemomentumonyourside,thefuturelooksbright,obstaclesappearsmall,andtroublesseeminconsequential.Anorganizationwithmomentumislikeatrainthat’smovingatsixtymilesper hour. You could build a steel-reinforced concrete wall across thetracks,andthetrainwouldplowrightthroughit.

If you want your organization, department, or team to succeed, youmust learn the Law of Momentum and make the most of it in yourorganization.Here are some things aboutmomentum that you need toknow:

1.MOMENTUMISTHEGREATEXAGGERATOR

The Law of the Big Mo at work is easily seen in sports because theswingsinmomentumoccurinthespaceofafewhoursrightbeforeyoureyes.Whenateamgetsonaroll,everyplayseemstowork.Everyshotseemstoscore.The teamseems todonowrong.Theopposite isalsotrue.Whena team is inaslump,nomatterhowhardyouworkorhowmany solutions you try, nothing seems to work. Momentum is like amagnifyingglass;itmakesthingslookbiggerthantheyreallyare.That’s

whyIcallitthegreatexaggerator.Andit’sonereasonthatleadersworksohardtocontrolmomentum.

Momentumislikeamagnifyingglass;itmakesthingslookbiggerthantheyreallyare.

Becausemomentumhassuchagreatimpact,leaderstrytocontrolit.That’swhyinbasketballgames,forinstance,whentheopposingteamisscoringa lotofunansweredpointsandstarts todevelopmomentum,agoodcoachwillcallatime-out.Why?He’stryingtostoptheotherteam’smomentumbeforeitbecomestoostrong.Ifhedoesn’t,histeamwilllikelylosethegame.

Whenwasthelasttimeyouheardofateamonthecuspofwinningachampionship complain about injuries? Or second-guess the team’sability?Ortotallyrethinkstrategy?Itdoesn’thappen.Isthatbecausenoone is injured and everything is perfect? No. It’s because success isexaggeratedbymomentum.Whenyouhavemomentum,youdon’tworryaboutsmallproblems,andmany largeronesseem towork themselvesout.

2.MOMENTUMMAKESLEADERSLOOKBETTERTHANTHEYARE

When leaders have momentum on their side, people think they’regeniuses.They lookpastshortcomings.They forgetabout themistakesthe leadershavemade.Momentumchangeseveryone’sperspectiveofleaders.Peoplelikeassociatingthemselveswithwinners.

Young leaders often get less credit than they deserve. I oftenencourageyoungleadersjustnottoloseheart.Whenleadersarenewintheircareers,theydon’thaveanymomentumyet,andothersoftendon’tgive themanycredit.Experienced leaders think theyoungeronesdon’tknow anything. One of the reasons John Lasseter was pushed out ofDisneywasthathehadalotofideas,andtheexecutivesatDisney,whohadbeensecond-tieranimatorsunder thebest filmmakers,wantedhimtopayhisdues.Lasseterrecallsoneexecutivetellinghim,“Shutupanddo yourwork for the next twenty years, and thenmaybewe’ll listen toyou.”Heknewhewasbetterthanthat.

Oncealeadercreatessomesuccessforhisorganizationanddevelopscareermomentum, thenpeoplegivehimmorecredit thanhedeserves.Why? Because of the Law of the Big Mo. Momentum exaggerates aleader’ssuccessandmakeshimlookbetterthanhereallyis.Itmaynotseemfair,butthat’sjustthewayitworks.

Formanyyears Ihave tried toaddvalue topeople.Afterwriting fiftybooksandhundredsoflessonsonleadershipandsuccess,Ihavegainedalotofmomentum.EverythingIdotoaddvaluetopeopleseemstobecom-pounding in a positive way. Often I say that when I started mycareer, I wasn’t as bad as people thought. Today, I’m not as good aspeoplegivemecreditfor.Whythedifference?Momentum!

3. MOMENTUM HELPS FOLLOWERS PERFORM BETTER THANTHEYARE

When leadership is strong and there ismomentum in an organization,people are motivated and inspired to perform at higher levels. Theybecomeeffectivebeyondtheirhopesandexpectations.Ifyourememberthe1980U.S.Olympic hockey team, you knowwhat I’m talkingabout.The teamwas good, but not good enough to win the goldmedal. Yetthat’s what the Americans did. Why? Because leading up to thechampionship game, they won game after game against very toughteams. They gained so much momentum that they performed beyondeveryone’sexpectations.AndaftertheybeattheRussians,nothingcouldstopthemfromcominghomewiththegoldmedal.

Evenaveragepeoplecanperformfaraboveaverageinanorganizationwithgreatmomentum.

Thesamekindofthingistrueinbusinessandvolunteerorganizations.When an organization has great momentum, all participants are moresuccessfulthantheywouldbeotherwise.I’lltellyouhowyouknowthat’strue. If you see leaders (especially mid-level ones) who had greatsuccess inanorganizationwithmomentum leave thatorganizationandsuddenlytheirperformancebecomesmerelyaverage,youknowtheLawoftheBigMowasatwork.Evenaveragepeoplecanperformfaraboveaverageinanorganizationwithgreatmomentum.

4.MOMENTUMISEASIERTOSTEERTHANTOSTART

Haveyoueverbeenwaterskiing?Ifyouhave,youknowthatit’shardertogetuponthewaterthanitistosteeronceyou’reupthere.Thinkaboutthe first time you skied.Before yougot up, the boatwasdragging youalong,andyouprobablythoughtyourarmsweregoingtogivewayasthewaterfloodedagainstyourchestandintoyourface.Foramoment,youmighthavebelievedyoucouldn’tholdontothetowropeanylonger.Butthentheforceofthewaterdroveyourskisontothesurface,andoffyouwent.Atthatpoint,youwereabletomakeaturnwithonlyasubtleshiftof weight from one foot to another. That’s the way the momentum ofLeadershipworks.Gettingstarted isastruggle,butonceyou’removingforward,youcanreallystarttodosomeamazingthings.

5.MOMENTUMISTHEMOSTPOWERFULCHANGEAGENT

The story of Pixar is a classic example of the power ofmomentum. Itchanged the organization from an underfunded and understaffedorganization scrapping to survive into an entertainment powerhouse.Duringtheearlydaysbeforeithadmomentum,thecompanyconsideredbecomingaproviderofhardwaretomedicalcompaniessoitcouldstoreand accessMRIs via computer. If that had happened, the organizationwould have lost its most talented and productive people. Instead, ittransformed into an organization that is teaching Disney, the father ofanimatedmovies,howtoregainitsfor-merglory.

Ittakesaleadertocreatemomentum.

Givenenoughmomentum,nearlyanykindofchangeispossibleinanorganization.Peopleliketogetonawinningbandwagon.Followerstrustleaders with a proven track record. They accept changes from peoplewho have led them to victory before. Momentum puts victory withinreach.

6.MOMENTUMISTHELEADER’SRESPONSIBILITY

It takes a leader to create momentum. Followers can catch it. Goodmanagers are able to use it to their advantage once it has begun.Everyone can enjoy the benefits it brings. But creating momentumrequires someone who has vision, can assemble a good team, andmotivates others. If the leader is looking for someone tomotivate him,then the organization is in trouble. If the leader is waiting for theorganizationtodevelopmomentumonitsown,thentheorganizationisintrouble. It is the leader’sresponsibility to initiatemomentumandkeep itgoing. U.S. President Harry Truman once said, “If you can’t stand theheat, get out of the kitchen.” But for leaders, that statement should bechangedto,“Ifyoucan’tmakesomeheat,getoutofthekitchen.”

7.MOMENTUMBEGINSINSIDETHELEADER

Momentum begins within the individual leader. It starts with vision,passion, and enthusiasm. It starts with energy. Inspirational writerEleanorDoanobserved,“Youcannotkindleafireinanyotherheartuntilitisburningwithinyourown.”

“Youcannotkindleafireinanyotherheartuntilitisburningwithinyourown.”—ELEANORDOAN

Ifyoudon’tbelieveinthevisionandenthusiasticallypursueit,doingallthatyoucantobringit tofruition,thenyouwon’tstartmakingthesmallgainsrequiredtogettheballrolling.However,ifyoumodelenthusiasmtoyourpeopleday inanddayout, youattract like-mindedpeople to yourteam,department,ororganizationandmotivatethemtoachieve.Youwillbegintoseeforwardprogress.Onceyoudo,youwillbegintogeneratemomentum.And ifyou’rewise,you’llvalue it forwhat it is: the leader’sbest friend. Once you have it, you can do almost anything. That’s thepoweroftheBigMo.

MOVINGTHEIMMOVABLE

Ofall the leadersImeet, theoneswhobecomethemostfrustratedare

thosewhotrytomakeprogressanddevelopmomentuminbureaucraticorganizations. In those organizations, people are often marking time.They’vegivenup,andtheyeitherdon’twantchangeordon’tbelieveit’spossible.

Several years ago I saw a movie called Stand and Deliver thatillustratesthehopelessnessmanypeoplefeelinanorganizationwithoutmomentum. Maybe you’ve seen it, too. It’s about a real-life teachernamedJaimeEscalantewhoworkedatGarfieldHighSchoolinEastLosAngeles,California.

Teaching, motivating, and leading were in Jaime Escalante’s blood,evenfromthetimeofhisyouthinhisnativeBolivia.Hequicklybecameknownashiscity’sfinestteacher.Whenhewasinhisthirties,EscalanteandhisfamilyimmigratedtotheUnitedStates.Heworkedseveralyearsin a restaurant and then atRussell Electronics. Though he could havepursued a promising career at Russell, he went back to school andearnedasecondbachelor’sdegreesothathecouldteachintheUnitedStates.Escalante’sburningdesirewastomakeadifference inpeople’slives.

At age forty-three, he was hired by Garfield High School to teachcomputer science. But when he arrived at Garfield on the first day ofclass, he found that therewasno funding for computers.Andbecausehis degree was in mathematics, he would be teaching basic math.Disappointed,hewentinsearchofhisfirstclass,hopingthathisdreamofmakingadifferencewasn’tslippingthroughhisfingers.

FIGHTINGATIDALWAVEOFNEGATIVEMOMENTUM

The change from computers to math turned out to be the least ofEscalante’s problems. The school, which had been empty and quietduring his summer-time interview, was now in chaos. Discipline wasnonexistent. Fights seemed to break out continually. Trash and graffitiwereeverywhere.Students—andevenoutsidersfromtheneighborhood—roamed all over the campus throughout the day. Gang activity wasrampant.Itwasateacher’sworstnightmare.

Almostdailyhethoughtofquitting.Buthispassionforteachingandhisdedication to improving the lives of his students wouldn’t allow him togiveup.YetatthesametimeEscalantewasenoughofaleadertoknowthatthestudentsweredoomediftheschooldidn’tchange.Theywereallslidingbackwardfast,andtheyneededsomethingtomovethemforward.

Whenanewprincipalwasbrought in, thingsbegantochangeforthebetter.ButEscalantewantedtotakeitfurther.Hebelievedthatthewaytoimprovetheschoolwastochallengetheschool’sbestandbrightestwithacalculusclass thatwouldprepare themforanAPclassearning themcollege credit. A few AP tests were already being given on campus inSpanish. Occasionally, an individual student would attempt a test inphysics or history. But the problem was that the school didn’t have aleaderwithvisiontotakeupthecause.That’swhereEscalantecameintoplay.

SMALLBEGINNINGS

Inthefallof1978,Escalanteorganizedthefirstcalculusclass.RoundingupeverypossiblecandidatewhomightbeabletohandlethecoursefromGarfield’s3,500students,hewasabletofindonlyfourteenstudents. Inthe first few classes, he laid out the work it would take for them topreparefortheAPcalculustestattheendoftheyear.Bytheendofthesecondweekofschool,hehadlostsevenstudents.Eventheoneswhostayedwerenotwell prepared for calculus.Andby latespring,hewasdowntoonlyfivestudents.AllofthemtooktheAPtestinMay,butonlytwo passed. Escalante was disappointed, but he refused to give up,especiallysincehehadmadeprogress.Heknewthatifhecouldhelphisstudents experience a few wins, build their confidence, and give themhope,hecouldmovethemforward.Hewasdeterminedtodowhateverittook.Tomotivatethem,he’dgivethemextrahomeworkorchallengeoneof the school’s athletes to a handball match. (Escalante never lost!) Ifthey needed encouragement, he’d take them out to McDonald’s as areward.Iftheygotlazy,he’dinspire,amaze,amuse,andevenintimidatethem. And all along the way, he modeled hard work, dedication toexcellence,andwhathecalledganas—desire.

Leadersalwaysfindawaytomakethingshappen.

ITSTARTSWITHALITTLEPROGRESS

Thenextfall,Escalanteputtogetheranothercalculusclass,thistimewithninestudents.Attheendoftheyear,eighttookthetestandsixpassed.Hewasmakingprogress.Wordof his success spread.StudentsheardthatEscalante’sprotégéswereearningcollegecredit, and in the fall of1980,hiscalculusclassnumberedfifteen.Whentheyalltookthetestattheendoftheyear,fourteenstudentspassed.Thestepsforwardweren’thuge,butEscalantecouldseethattheprogramwasbuildingmomentum.

Thenextgroupofstudents,numberingeighteen,wasthesubjectofthemovieStandandDeliver.Liketheirpredecessors,theyworkedveryhardto learncalculus,manycomingtoschoolat7:00a.m.everyday—afullhourandahalfbeforeschoolstarted.Andoften theystayeduntil5:00,6:00, or 7:00 p.m. And though Educational Testing Service (ETS)questionedthevalidityofthefirsttestthestudentstookandtheyhadtotakeitasecondtime,100percentofthempassed.

Afterthat,themathprogramexploded.In1983,thenumberofstudentspassing theAPcalculusexamalmostdoubled, from18 to31.Thenextyearitdoubledagain,thenumberreaching63.Anditcontinuedgrowing.In 1987, 129 students took the test, with 85 of them receiving collegecredit. Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, once considered thesinkhole of thedistrict, produced27percent of all passingAPcalculustestscoresbyMexican-AmericansintheentireUnitedStates.

THEMOMENTUMEXPLOSION

Thebenefits of theLawof theBigMowere felt byall ofGarfieldHighSchool’s students. The school started offering classes to preparestudentsforotherAPexams.Intime,GarfieldheldregularAPclassesinSpanish, calculus, history, European history, biology, physics, French,government,andcomputerscience.

In1987,nineyearsafterEscalantespearheadedtheprogram,Garfield

studentstookmorethan325APexaminations.Most incredibly,Garfieldhadawaitinglistofmorethanfourhundredstudentsfromareasoutsideitsboundarieswantingtoenroll.Theschoolthatwasoncethelaughing-stockofthedistrictandthathadalmostlostitsaccreditationhadbecomeoneof the top three innercity schools in theentirenation!10That’s thepoweroftheLawoftheBigMo.

ApplyingTHELAWOFTHEBIGMO

ToYourLife

1.Momentumbegins inside the leaderandspreads fromthere.Haveyoutakenresponsibility for themomentumintheareaofwhichyouarethe leader? Are you passionate about the vision? Do you displayenthusiasmatalltimes?Doyouworktomotivateothersevenwhenyoudon’t feel like it? Youmustmodel the attitude andwork ethic that youwould like to see in others. That often requires what I call characterleadership.

2.Motivation is a key factor in developingmomentum.The first steptowardbuildingmotivation isremovingdemotivatingelementswithintheorganization.Whatinyourareaofresponsibilityiscausingpeopletolosetheir passion and enthusiasm? How can you go about removing or atleastminimizingthosefactors?Onceyouhavedonethat,youcanthentakethenextstep,whichistoidentifyandputintoplayspecificelementsthatwillmotivateyourfollowers.

3.Toencouragemomentum,youneed tohelpyourpeoplecelebratetheir accomplishments.Make it a regular practice to honor peoplewho“movetheball forward.”Youwanttocontinuallypraiseeffortbutrewardaccomplishments. Themore you reward success, themore peoplewillstriveforit.

17

THELAWOFPRIORITIES

LeadersUnderstandThatActivityIsNotNecessarilyAccomplishment

Leadersneveradvancetoapointwheretheynolongerneedtoprioritize.It’s something that good leaders keepdoing,whether they’re leading abillion-dollar corporation, running a small business, pastoring a church,coachingateam,orleadingasmallgroup.Ithinkgoodleadersintuitivelyknowthattobetrue.However,noteveryleaderpracticesthedisciplineofprioritizing.Why?Ibelievethereareafewreasons.

First, whenwe are busy,we naturally believe thatwe are achieving.But busyness does not equal productivity. Activity is not necessarilyaccomplishment.Second,prioritizingrequiresleaderstocontinuallythinkahead, to know what’s important, to know what’s next, to see howeverything relates to the overall vision. That’s hard work. Third,prioritizingcausesustodothingsthatareattheleastuncomfortableandsometimesdownrightpainful.

TIMETORETHINKPRIORITIES

Iknowthepainofreprioritizingfrompersonalexperience.In1996,IwaslivinginSanDiego,whichisoneofmyfavoriteplacesontheplanet.SanDiegoisagorgeouscity,withoneofthebestclimatesintheworld.Ifyoulive in San Diego, you can be on the beach in minutes or on the skislopes in hours. The city has culture, professional sporting teams, and

fine restaurants. It’s a placewhere you can play golf year-round.WhywouldIeverwanttoleaveaplacelikethat?Iexpectedtolivetheretherestofmylife.Itwasverycomfortable.Butleadershiphasnothingtodowithcomfortandeverythingtodowithprogress.

Back then I spent a lot of time on airplanes. Living in San Diego, Ispent entire days traveling to airline hubs like Dallas, Chicago, andAtlanta just tomake connections.Most ofmy speaking and consultingworkwaseastoftheMississippiRiver,andthetravelwastakingatoll.Iknew inmygut that I needed tomake changes.So I askedLinda,myassistant, to figureoutexactlyhowmuchtimeIwasspendingtraveling.What I learned shocked me. In the previous year, I had spent theequivalent of twenty-seven full days traveling back and forth—justbetweenSanDiegoandDallas tomake flight connections. ItmademerealizethatIneededtositdownandreevaluatemypriorities.

“Aleaderistheonewhoclimbsthetallesttree,surveystheentiresituation,andyells,‘Wrongjungle!’”

—STEPHENCOVEY

IfIwasgoingtoliveconsistentlywiththeprioritiesIhadestablishedformyself,Iwasgoingtohavetomovemyselfandmycompaniestooneofthe hub cities. Author Stephen Covey says, “A leader is the one whoclimbs the tallest tree, surveys the entire situation, and yells, ‘Wrongjungle!’”IfeltalittlelikethatwhenIrealizedwhatwewereabouttodo.

Afteralotofresearch,wesettledonAtlanta.Itwasamajorairlinehub.From there I would be able to reach 80 percent of the people in theUnited States within two hours by plane. And the area is beautiful,offeringexcel-lentcultural, recreational,andentertainmentopportunitiestomyemployees.Iknewpeoplecouldlivewellthere.Itwouldnotbeaneasymove,butitwasanecessaryone.

It’s been ten years sincewemade themove. Youmay ask, “Was itworth it?”Myanswer isanemphatic yes.Atlanta isabusiness-friendlyarea.Thecostoflivingisveryreasonablecomparedtootherlargecities.And most important for me and for the consultants who work for mycompany, travel has become so much easier. Most of the time I cantravel,speak,andreturnhomethesameday.Asaresult,myproductivity

hasskyrocketed.Canyouimaginegettingtwenty-sevendaysofyourlifebackeveryyear?Inthetenyearssincethemove,I’vegained270days.Anormalworkyearformostpeopleis250days.It’slikeI’vehadanextrayearaddedtothemostproductivetimeofmylife!Andthere’snothinglikebeingat homewithmywife at theendof a dayof traveling insteadofbeinginahotelroom.

THETHREERS

Leaderscan’taffordtojustthinkinsidethebox.Sometimestheyneedtoreinventthebox—orblowitup.ExecutiveandauthorMaxDepreesays,“Thefirstresponsibilityofaleaderistodefinereality.”ThatrequirestheLawofPriorities.Whenyou’retheleader,everythingisonthetable.

Every year I spend about two weeks in December reevaluating mypriorities. I review thepreviousyear’s schedule. I lookatmyupcomingcommitments. Ievaluatemyfamily life. I thinkaboutmygoals. I lookatthebigpictureofwhatI’mdoingtomakesurethewayI’mlivinglinesupwithmyvaluesandpriorities.

“Therearemanythingsthatwillcatchmyeye,butthereareonlyafewthingsthatwillcatchmyheart.”

—TIMREDMOND

Oneof the guiding principles I use during this process is theParetoPrinciple.I’veoftentaughtittopeopleatleadershipconferencesovertheyears,and Ialsoexplain it indepth inmybookDeveloping theLeaderWithinYou.The idea is this: ifyou focusyourattentionon theactivitiesthatrankinthetop20percentintermsofimportance,youwillhavean80percent return on your effort. For example, if youhave tenemployees,youshouldgive80percentofyourtimeandattentiontothebesttwo.Ifyouhaveonehundredcustomers,thetoptwentywillprovideyouwith80percent of your business, so focus on them. If your to-do list has tenitems on it, the two most important ones will give you an 80 percentreturn on your time. If you haven’t already observed this phenomenon,testitandyou’llseethatitreallyplaysoutthatway.OneyearasIwentthrough this process, I realized that I had to totally refocus and

restructureoneofmyorganizations.

The other guidelines I usewhenever I evaluatemy priorities are thethree Rs. No, not reading, writing, and ’rithmetic. My three Rs arerequirement, return, and reward. I believe that to be effective, leadersmustordertheirlivesaccordingtothesethreequestions:

1.WHATISREQUIRED?

We’reallaccountabletosomebodyfortheworkwedo—anemployer,aboard of directors, stockholders, the government, and so on. We alsohaveresponsibilityfortheimportantpeopleinourlives,suchasspouse,children, and parents. For that reason, any list of prioritiesmust beginwithwhatisrequiredofus.

ThequestionIaskmyselfis,WhatmustIdothatnobodycanorshoulddoforme?AsIhavegottenolder,thatlisthasgottenshorterandshorter.If I’m doing something that’s not necessary, I should eliminate it. If I’mdoing something that’s necessary but not required of me personally, Ineedtodelegateit.

2.WHATGIVESTHEGREATESTRETURN?

Asaleader,youshouldspendmostofyourtimeworkinginyourareasofgreateststrength.MarcusBuckinghamandDonaldO.Cliftonhavedoneextensive research on this subject, which you can read about in theirbookNow, Discover Your Strengths. People are more productive andmorecontentwhentheirworkiswithintheirnaturalgiftingandstrengths.Ideally, leaders should get out of their comfort zone but stay in theirstrengthzone.

Leadersshouldgetoutoftheircomfortzonebutstayintheirstrengthzone.

What’s the practical application for this? Here’smy rule of thumb. IfsomethingI’mdoingcanbedone80percentaswellbysomeoneelse,Idelegate it. If you have a responsibility that someone else could doaccordingtothatstandard—orthatcouldpotentiallymeetthatstandard—

thendevelopand trainaperson tohandle it. Justbecauseyoucandosomething does not mean that you should do it. Remember, leadersunderstand that activity is not necessarily accomplishment. That’s theLawofPriorities.

3.WHATBRINGSTHEGREATESTREWARD?

This final question relates to personal satisfaction. Tim Redmond,presidentofRedmondLeadership Institute,observed, “Therearemanythings that will catchmy eye, but there are only a few things that willcatchmyheart.”

Life is too short not to do some things you love. I love teachingLeadership. I love writing and speaking. I love spending time with mywife,children,andgrandchildren.Iloveplayinggolf.NomatterwhatelseIdo,Iwillmaketimeforthosethings.Theyarethefirelightersinmylife.They energizeme and keepme passionate. And passion provides thefuelinaperson’slifetokeephimgoing.

REORDERINGPRIORITIES

A few years ago when I went through this process of reprioritizing, Irevisited theway I was spendingmy time. Backwhen I wrote the firsteditionofthisbook,Ideterminedtospendmyworktimeaccordingtothefollowingguideline:

AREA TIMEALLOTTED1.Leadership 19percent2.Communicating 38percent3.Creating 31percent4.Networking 12percent

Thesefourareasrepresentmygreateststrengths.Theyarethemostrewardingaspectsofmycareer.Andformanyyearsmyresponsibilitiesto my companies were aligned with them. However, as I was recentlyreviewingtheseareas,IrealizedthatIwasnotmaintainingthebalanceI

desired.Iwasspendingtoomuchtimeinhands-onleadershipatoneofmycompanies,anditwastakingawayfromhigherpriorities.Onceagain,Ihadtorecognizethatactivityisnotnecessarilyaccomplishment.IknewIwasinforanotherdifficultbusinessdecision.IfIwasgoingtocontinueto be effective in fulfillingmy vision, I would have to change andworkaccordingtotheLawofPriorities.Imadethedecisiontoselloneofmycompanies.Itwasn’teasy,butitwastherightthingformetodo.

REFOCUSINGONAWORLDWIDESCALE

It is the responsibility of leaders to make tough decisions based onpriorities.Thatcansometimesmakethemunpopular.Backin1981whenJack Welch became chairman and CEO of General Electric, it was agoodcompany.Ithadaninety-yearhistory,thecompanystocktradedat$4 per share, and the company was worth about $12 billion, eleventhbestonthestockmarket.Itwasahuge,diversecompanythat included350 strategic businesses. But Welch believed the company couldbecomebetter.Whatwashisstrategy?HeusedtheLawofPriorities.

Within a fewmonths of taking over the company, he beganwhat hecalledthehardwarerevolution.Itchangedtheentireprofileandfocusofthecompany.Welchsaid,

Tothehundredsofbusinessesandproductlinesthatmadeupthecompanyweappliedasinglecriterion:cantheybenumber1ornumber2atwhat-evertheydointheworldmarketplace?Ofthe348businessesorproductlinesthatcouldnot,weclosedsomeanddivestedothers.Theirsalebrought inalmost$10billion.Weinvested$18billion in theonesthatremainedandfurtherstrengthenedthemwith$17billionworthofacquisitions.

Whatremained[in1989],asidefromafewrelativelysmallsupportingoperations,arefourteenworld-classbusinesses...allwellpositionedforthe’90s...eachoneeitherfirstorsecondintheworldmarketinwhichitparticipates.1

IknowWelchisoutoffavorinsomecircles,andrecently,hismethodshave been criticized. But his leadership was right for his time andsituation.He reprioritizedGE,andhisstrong leadershipand focuspaidincredibledividends.Duringhistenure,GE’sstockexperiencedatwo-to-

onesplit four times.And it tradedatmore than$80persharewhenheretired.Thecompanywasrankedasthenation’smostadmiredcompany,according toFortune, and it continues to be one of themost valuablecompanies in theworld.ThatcameaboutbecauseofWelch’sability tousetheLawofPriorities inhis leadership.Henevermistookactivity foraccomplishment. He knew that the greatest success comes onlywhenyoufocusyourpeopleonwhatreallymatters.

PRIORITIESWERETHENAMEOFHISGAME

Examine the livesofalleffective leaders,andyouwillsee themputtingpriorities into action. Every timeNorman Schwarzkopf assumed a newcommand, he didn’t just rely on his leadership intuition; he alsoreexaminedtheunit’spriorities.LanceArmstrongwasabletowinsevenTourdeFrancechampionshipsbecausehisprioritiesguidedhistrainingregimen.WhenexplorerRoaldAmundsensucceededintakinghisteamtotheSouthPoleandback, itwasdue, inpart, tohisabilitytosetrightpriorities.

Successful leaders live according to the Law of Priorities. Theyrecognize that activity is not necessarily accomplishment. But the bestleadersseemtobeabletogettheLawofPrioritiestoworkforthembysatisfyingmultipleprioritieswitheachactivity.Thisactuallyenablesthemtoincreasetheirfocuswhilereducingtheirnumberofactions.

Aleaderwhowasamasteratthatwasoneofmyidols:JohnWooden,the formerheadbasketball coachof theUCLABruins.He is called theWizardofWestwoodbecausetheamazingfeatsheaccomplishedintheworld of college sports were so incredible that they seemed to bemagical.

EvidenceofWooden’sabilitytomaketheLawofPrioritiesworkforhimcould be seen in the way he approached basketball practice.WoodenclaimedthathelearnedsomeofhismethodsfromwatchingFrankLeahy,thegreatformerNotreDameheadfootballcoach.Hesaid,“Ioftenwentto his [Leahy’s] practices and observed how he broke them up intoperiods. Then Iwould go homeand analyzewhy he did things certain

ways. As a player, I realized there was a great deal of time wasted.Leahy’s concepts rein-forced my ideas and helped in the ultimatedevelopmentofwhatIdonow.”

EVERYTHINGHADAPURPOSEBASEDONPRIORITIES

Peoplewhohaveservedinthemilitarysaythattheyoftenhavetohurryup and wait. That seems to be true in sports, too. Coaches ask theirplayers to work their hearts out oneminute and then to stand arounddoing nothing the next. But that’s not the way Wooden worked. Heorchestrated every moment of practice and planned each activity withspecificpurposesinmind.Heemployedeconomyofmotion.Here’showheworked:

Everyyear,Woodendeterminedalistofoverallprioritiesfortheteam,based on observations from the previous season. Those items mightincludeobjectivessuchas “Buildconfidence inDrollingerand Irgovich,”or“Usethreeontwocontinuitydrillatleastthreetimesaweek.”Usually,hehadaboutadozenorsoitemsthathewantedtoworkonthroughoutthesea-son.ButWoodenalsoreviewedhisagendaforhisteamseveryday.Eachmorning,heandanassistantmeticulouslyplanned theday’spractice. They usually spent two hours strategizing for a practice thatmightnotevenlastthatlong.Hedrewideasfromnotesjottedonthree-by-five cards that he always carried with him. He planned every drill,minute byminute, and recorded the information in a notebook prior topractice. Wooden once boasted that if you asked what his team wasdoing on a specific date at three o’clock in 1963, he could tell youpreciselywhatdrillhisteamwasrunning.Likeallgoodleaders,Woodendidtheworkofthinkingaheadforhisteam.

Wooden always maintained his focus, and he found ways for hisplayers to do the same thing. His special talent was for addressingseveralpriorityareasatonce.Forexample,tohelpplayersworkontheirfree throws—something that many of them found tedious—Woodeninstituted a free-throw shooting policy during scrimmages that wouldencouragethemtoconcentrateandimprove insteadof justmarkingthetime.Thesoonerasidelinedplayermadeasetnumberof free throws,

the sooner he could get back into action. And Wooden continuallychanged the number of shots required of the guards, forwards, andcenterssothatteammembersrotatedinandoutatdifferentrates.Thatway everyone, regardless of position or starting status, got experienceplaying together, a critical priority for Wooden’s development of totalteamwork.

The most remarkable aspect about John Wooden—and the mosttellingabouthisabilitytofocusonhispriorities—isthatheneverscoutedopposingteams.Instead,hefocusedongettinghisplayerstoreachtheirpotential.Andheaddressedthosethingsthroughpracticeandpersonalinteractionwiththeplayers.Itwasneverhisgoaltowinchampionshipsoreventobeattheotherteam.Hisdesirewastogeteachpersontoplaytohis potential and to put the best possible team on the floor. And ofcourse, Wooden’s results were incredible. In more than forty years ofcoaching,hehadonlyonelosingseason—hisfirst.AndheledhisUCLAteams to four undefeated seasons and a record ten NCAAchampionships.2Noother college teamhasever comeclose.Woodenwasagreat leader.He justmight be the finest person to coach inanysport. Why? Because every day he lived by the Law of Priorities.Weshouldstrivetodothesame.

ApplyingTHELAWOFPRIORITIES

ToYourLife

1. Are you prepared to really shake up your life and get out of yourcomfort zone in order to live and work according to your priorities? Istheresomething inyour life that isworkingsopoorly thatyou intuitivelyknow itwill requireamajor revision inhowyoudo things?What is thatsomething? Describe how it is not working. Describe why it is notworking.Canyouthinkoutsidethebox(orcreateanewbox)tosolvethe

issueandrealignyourpriorities? Ignoringamajoralignmentproblem inyourpriorities is like liningupagolfshot incorrectly.The fartheryouhitthe ball, the more off course it will be; the longer you live out ofalignment,thegreaterthechanceyouwillmissachievingyourvision.

2. If you have never done so before, take the time towrite out youranswers to the threeR questions (Be sure to include family and otherresponsibilities,notjustcareer.):

Whatisrequiredofme?Whatgivesthegreatestreturn?Whatbringsthegreatestreward?

Once you have answered those three questions, create a list of thethings you are doing that don’t fit solidly into one of the threeRs.Youneedtodelegateoreliminatethesethings.

3.SuccessfulpeopleliveaccordingtotheLawofPriorities.Successfulleadershelptheirorganization,department,orteamliveaccordingtotheLaw of Priorities. As the leader, have you taken responsibility forprioritizingand thinkingahead foryourareaof responsibility?Haveyoucarved out specific time on a regular basis to revisit priorities for thatarea?Ifnot,youneedtostartdoingsoimmediately.Asaleader,it’snotenough for you to be successful. You need to help your people besuccessful.

18

THELAWOFSACRIFICE

ALeaderMustGiveUptoGoUp

Why does an individual step forward to lead other people? For everypersontheanswerisdifferent.Afewdoittosurvive.Somedoittomakemoney. Many desire to build a business or organization. Others do itbecausetheywanttochangetheworld.ThatwasthereasonforMartinLutherKingJr.

SEEDSOFGREATNESS

King’s leadership ability began to emergewhen hewas in college. Hehadalwaysbeenagoodstudent.Inhighschool,heskippedninthgrade.Andwhenhetookacollegeentranceexamasajunior,hisscoreswerehigh enough that he decided to skip his senior year and enroll inMorehouseCollegeinAtlanta.Atageeighteenhereceivedhisministeriallicense.Atnineteenhewasordainedandreceivedhisbachelor’sdegreeinsociology.

King continued his education at Crozer Seminary in Pennsylvania.While he was there, two significant things happened. He heard amessageaboutthelifeandteachingsofMahatmaGandhi,whichforevermarkedhimandputinmotionhisseriousstudyoftheIndianleader.Healsoemergedasaleaderamonghispeersandwaselectedpresidentoftheseniorclass.Fromthere,hestudiedforhisPhDatBostonUniversity.ItwasalsoduringthistimethathemarriedCorettaScott.

SEEDSOFSACRIFICE

KingacceptedhisfirstpastorateinMontgomery,Alabama,attheDexterAvenueBaptistChurchin1954andsettled intofamily lifewhenhisfirstchildwasbornthenextyearinNovember.Butthatpeacedidn’tlastlong.Lessthanamonthlater,RosaParksrefusedtorelinquishherseatonabus to a white passenger and was arrested. Local African Americanleadersarrangedaone-dayboycottof the transit system toprotestherarrest and the city’s segregation policy. When it was successful, theydecided to create the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) tocontinue theboycott.Already recognizedasa leader in thecommunity,King was unanimously elected president of the newly formedorganization.

For thenext year,King ledAfricanAmericancommunity leaders inaboycottwith thegoal of changing the system.TheMIAnegotiatedwithcityleadersanddemandedcourteoustreatmentofAfricanAmericansbybus operators, first-come, first-served seating for all bus riders, andemploymentofAfricanAmericanbusdrivers.Whiletheboycottwason,community leaders organized carpools, raised funds to support theboycott financially, rallied and mobilized the community with sermons,andcoordinated legal challengeswith theNAACP.Finally inNovember1956,theU.S.SupremeCourtstruckdownthelawsallowingsegregatedseating on buses.1 King and the other leaders were successful. Theirworldwasbeginningtochange.

TheMontgomerybusboycottwasamajor step in theAmerican civilrightsmovement,andit’seasytoseewhatwasgainedasaresultof it.ButKingalsobeganpayingapersonalcostforit.Soonaftertheboycottbegan,Kingwasarrestedforaminortrafficviolation.Abombwasthrownonto his porch. And he was indicted on a charge of being party to aconspiracytohinderandprevent theoperationofbusinesswithout“justor legal cause.”2Kingwasemergingasa leader, buthewaspayingapriceforit.

THEPRICEKEEPSGETTINGHIGHER

EachtimeKingclimbedhigherandmovedforward in leadership for thecauseofcivilrights,thegreaterthepricehepaidforit.Hiswife,CorettaScott King, remarked inMy LifewithMartin Luther King, Jr., “Day andnight our phone would ring, and someone would pour out a string ofobsceneepithets...Frequentlythecallsendedwithathreattokillusifwedidn’tgetoutoftown.Butinspiteofallthedanger,thechaosofourprivatelives,Ifeltinspired,almostelated.”

King did some great things as a leader. Hemet with presidents. Hedelivered rousing speeches that are considered some of the mostoutstanding examples of oration in American history. He led 250,000people inapeacefulmarchonWashingtonDC.He received theNobelPeacePrize.Andhedid create change in this country.But the LawofSacrificedemandsthatthegreatertheleader,themorehemustgiveup.During that same period, King was arrestedmany times and jailed onmanyoccasions.Hewasstoned, stabbed,andphysicallyattacked.Hishouse was bombed. Yet his vision—and his influence—continued toincrease.Ultimately,hesacrificedeverythinghehad.Butwhathegaveuphepartedwithwillingly.Inhis lastspeech,deliveredthenightbeforehewasassassinatedinMemphis,hesaid,

I don’t knowwhatwill happen tomenow.We’vegot somedifficult daysahead.But itdoesn’t matter to me now. Because I’ve been to themountaintop. I won’t mind. Likeanybody else, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m notconcernedaboutthatnow.IjustwanttodoGod’swill.AndHe’sallowedmetogouptothemountain.AndI’velookedoverandI’veseenthePromisedLand.Imaynotgettherewithyou,but Iwantyoutoknowtonight thatwe,asapeople,willget to thePromisedLand.SoI’mhappytonight...I’mnotfearinganyman.“MineeyeshaveseenthegloryofthecomingoftheLord.”3

Thenextdayhepaidtheultimatepriceofsacrifice.

King’s impact was profound. He influenced millions of people topeacefullystandupagainstasystemandsocietythatfoughttoexcludethem. The United States has changed for the better because of hisleadership.

SACRIFICEISTHEHEARTOFLEADERSHIP

Thereisacommonmisperceptionamongpeoplewhoaren’tleadersthatleadership is all about the position, perks, and power that come fromrising in an organization. Many people today want to climb up thecorporate ladderbecause theybelieve that freedom,power,andwealtharetheprizeswaitingatthetop.Thelifeofaleadercanlookglamorousto people on the outside. But the reality is that Leadership requiressacrifice.Aleadermustgiveuptogoup.Inrecentyears,we’veobservedmorethanourshareofleaderswhousedandabusedtheirorganizationsfor their personal benefit—and the resulting corporate scandals thatcame because of their greed and selfishness. The heart of goodLeadershipissacrifice.

Theheartofgoodleadershipissacrifice.

Ifyoudesiretobecomethebestleaderyoucanbe,thenyouneedtobewilling tomakesacrifices inorder to leadwell. If that isyourdesire,thenherearesomethingsyouneedtoknowabouttheLawofSacrifice:

1.THEREISNOSUCCESSWITHOUTSACRIFICE

Everypersonwhohasachievedanysuccessinlifehasmadesacrificesto do so. Many working people dedicate four or more years and paythousandsofdollarstoattendcollegetogetthetoolsthey’llneedbeforeembarkingontheircareer.Athletessacrificecountlesshours inthegymandonthepracticefieldpreparingthemselvestoperformatahighlevel.Parentsgiveupmuchof their free timeandsacrifice their resources inorder to do a good job raising their children. Philosopher-poet RalphWaldoEmerson observed, “For everything you havemissed, you havegainedsomethingelse;andforeverythingyougain,youlosesomething.”Lifeisaseriesoftrades,onethingforanother.

Leadersmustgiveuptogoup.That’strueofeveryleaderregardlessof profession. Talk to leaders, and you will find that they have maderepeatedsacrifices.Effectiveleaderssacrificemuchthatisgoodinorderto dedicate themselves to what is best. That’s the way the Law of

Sacrificeworks.

2.LEADERSAREOFTENASKEDTOGIVEUPMORETHANOTHERS

Theheartofleadershipisputtingothersaheadofyourself.It’sdoingwhatisbestfortheteam.Forthatreason,Ibelievethat leadershavetogiveup their rights.AsGeraldBrooks, leadershipspeakerandpastor,says,“Whenyoubecomea leader,you losetheright to thinkaboutyourself.”Visually,itlookslikethis:

THECOSTOFLEADERSHIP

Whenyouhaveno responsibilities, youcandoprettymuchanythingyou want. Once you take on responsibility, you start to experiencelimitations inwhat you cando.Themore responsibility youaccept, thefeweroptionsyouhave.

Digital chairman and chief executive Robert Palmer said in aninterview,“Inmymodelofmanagement,there’sverylittlewiggleroom.Ifyouwantamanagement job, thenyouhavetoaccept theresponsibilityandaccountabilitythatgoeswithit.”4Heisreallytalkingaboutthecostofleadership.Leadersmustbewillingtogiveupmorethanthepeopletheylead.

For every person, the nature of the sacrifice may be different.Everyonewholeadsgivesupotheropportunities.Somepeoplehavetogiveupbelovedhobbies.Manygiveupaspectsof their personal lives.Some, likeKing,give theiractual lives.Thecircumstancesaredifferent

from person to person, but the principle doesn’t change. Leadershipmeanssacrifice.

3.YOUMUSTKEEPGIVINGUPTOSTAYUP

Most people are willing to acknowledge that sacrifices are necessaryearly in a leadership career in order tomakeprogress. They’ll take anundesirable territory tomakeanamefor themselves.They’llmove theirfamily toa lessdesirablecity toacceptabetterposition.They’ll takeatemporary cut in pay for greater opportunities for advancement. Theproblemforleaderscomeswhentheythinktheyhaveearnedtherighttostopmakingsacrifices.Butinleadership,sacrificeisanongoingprocess,notaone-timepayment.

If leaders have to give up to go up, then they have to give up evenmore to stay up. Have you ever considered how infrequently sportsteamshaveback-to-backchampionshipseasons?Thereasonissimple:ifaleadercanwinonechampionshipwithhisteam,heoftenassumeshecan duplicate the results the next year by doing the same things. Hebecomes reluctant to make additional sacrifices in the off-season toprepare forwhat is often an even greater challenge the next year. Buttoday’ssuccess is thegreatest threat to tomorrow’ssuccess.Andwhatgetsateamtothetopisn’twhatkeepsitthere.Theonlywaytostayupisto give up even more. Leadership success requires continual change,constantimprovement,andongoingsacrifice.

Sacrificeisanongoingprocess,notaone-timepayment.

WhenIlookbackatmycareer,Irecognizethattherehasalwaysbeena cost involved inmoving forward. That’s been true for memonetarilywitheverycareerchangeexceptone.WhenIacceptedmyfirst job,ourfamily income decreased becausemy position paid less thanmywife,Margaret,wasmakingasaschoolteacher—shehad togiveup that jobfor us to relocate for my new position. Years later when I accepted adirector’sjobatheadquartersinMarion,Indiana,Ionceagaintookapaycut.In1981Ileftthatheadquartersjobtotakemythirdpastoralposition,whichIacceptedwithoutevenknowingwhatthesalarywouldbe.(Itwaslower.) When the board members who offered the job said they were

surprisedthatItookitwithoutknowingwhatitpaid,Isaid,“IfIdothejobwell,Ibelievethesalarywilltakecareofitself.”Andin1995whenIfinallyleft church leadership after a twenty-six-year career to teach andresourcepeoplefull-time,Igaveupasalaryaltogether.WhywouldIdothat?BecauseIknewitwouldenablemetohavegreater influenceandfulfillalargervision.Anytimethestepisright,aleadershouldn’thesitatetomakeasacrifice.

Ifleadershavetogiveuptogoup,thentheyhavetogiveupevenmoretostayup.

4. THEHIGHER THE LEVELOF LEADERSHIP, THEGREATER THESACRIFICE

Haveyoueverbeenpartofanauction? It’sanexcitingexperience.Anitemcomesup forabid,andeveryone in the roomgetsexcited.Whenthebiddingopens,lotsofpeoplejumpinandtakepart.Butasthepricegoes higher and higher, what happens? There are fewer and fewerbidders. When the price is low, everybody bids. In the end, only onepersoniswillingtopaythehighpricethattheitemactuallycosts.It’sthesame in leadership: thehigher yougo, themore it’s going to cost you.And it doesn’tmatterwhat kind of leadership career you pick. Youwillhavetomakesacrifices.Youwillhavetogiveuptogoup.

What’sthehighest levelapersoncangoin leadership?IntheUnitedStates,it’stothepresidency.Somepeoplesaythepresidentisthemostpowerful leader in the world. More than any other single person, hiswordsandactionsmakeanimpact,not justonthepeopleintheUnitedStatesbutaroundtheglobe.

Thinkaboutwhatpeoplemustgiveuptoreachtheofficeofpresident.First, they must learn to lead. Then they have to pay a lot of dues—usuallyyearsorevendecades in lower leadershippositions.Some, likeUlyssesS.GrantandDwightD.Eisenhower, spendanentirecareer inmilitaryservicebeforeseekingelectedoffice.Oncetheyhavepaidtheirduesandtheydecidetorunforthepresidency,everyaspectoftheirpriorlifegoesunderthemicroscope.Nothing isoff-limits. It’s theendof theirpersonalprivacy.

Whentheyareelectedpresident,theirtimeisnolongertheirown.

Everystatementtheymakeisscrutinized.Everydecisiontheymakeisquestioned.Theirfamilyisundertremendouspressure.Andasamatterofcourse,thepresidentmustmakedecisionsthatmeanlifeordeathforothers.Evenaftertheyleaveoffice,retiredpresidentswillspendtherestoftheir livesinthecompanyofSecretServiceagentswhoprotectthemfrombodilyharm.Thatisapricenotmanypeoplearewillingtopay.

STANDINGONOTHERS’SHOULDERS

There can be no success without sacrifice. Anytime you see success,youcanbesuresomeonemadesacrificestomakeitpossible.Andasaleader,ifyousacrifice,evenifyoudon’twitnessthesuccess,youcanbesurethatsomeoneinthefuturewillbenefitfromwhatyou’vegiven.

ThatwascertainlytrueforMartinLutherKingJr.Hedidnotlivetoseemost of thebenefits of his sacrifices, butmanyothershave.Onesuchperson was an African American girl born in segregated Birmingham,Alabama,in1954.Aprecociouschild,shefollowedthenewsoftheday,including civil rights struggles.A neighbor recalls that shewas “alwaysinterestedinpoliticsbecauseasalittlegirlsheusedtocallmeandsaythingslike,‘DidyouseewhatBullConnor[aracistcitycommissioner]didtoday?’Shewasjustalittlegirlandshedidthatallthetime.IwouldhavetoreadthenewspaperthoroughlybecauseIwouldn’tknowwhatshewasgoingtotalkabout.”5

Thoughshehadaninterestincurrentevents,herpassionwasmusic.Perhaps her attraction tomusicwas inevitable.Hermother and grand-mother played piano. She began taking piano lessons from her grand-motheratagethreeandwasrecognizedasaprodigy.Musicconsumedhergrowingupyears.Evenhergivennamewasinspiredbymusic.Herparents named her Condoleezza, from the musical notation condolcezza,whichmeans“withsweetness.”

CondoleezzaRice isaproductofgenerationsofsacrifice.Hergrand-father,JohnWesleyRiceJr.,thesonofslaves,wasdeterminedtogetan

educationand,accordingtoCondoleezzaRice,“saveduphiscottonfortuition” and attended Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Aftergraduating, he became a Presbyterian minister. That was no smallaccomplishment forablackman in theSouth in the1920s.Heset thecourse for the family,whosemembersweredetermined tobecome thebestthattheycouldbeatwhatevertheydid.

GranddaddyRicepassedhisloveforeducationdowntohisson,alsonamedJohn,who in turnpassed itdowntoCondoleezza.Hermother’ssideofthefamilywasequallyindustriousandfocusedoneducation.CoitBlacker, a Stanford professor and friend of Rice, commented, “I don’tknow toomanyAmerican families, period,who can claim that not onlyare their parents college-educated, but their grandparents are college-educated and all their cousins and aunts and uncles are college-educated.”6

SACRIFICINGTOBETHEBEST

Rice received a broad education at school and at home. She readextensively.ShestudiedFrench.Shetookballetclasses.Shelearnedtheintricaciesoffootballandbasketballfromherfather,who,besidesbeingapastor,wasahighschoolguidancecounselorandparttimecoach.AndduringthesummerswhenthefamilywenttoDenversothatherparentscouldtakegraduatecourses,shepracticedfigureskating.Butherheartwas set on music. While other children were out playing, she wasstudyingandpracticingpiano.

Her schedule was often grueling. After the family moved to Denverwhen she was thirteen, she worked harder andmademore sacrifices.Shewashighlydisciplined.Tobeabletocompeteinbothfigureskatingand piano competitions, shewould get up at 4:30 in themorning to fiteverythingin.Oneofherteacherscommented,“Therewasacoreofherthat revealed she knewwhat shewanted andwaswilling tomake thesacrifices. I think inhermind theywerenot sacrifices, but things todothatwerenecessarytokeepwithhergoals.”7Andherparentssupportedher fullyandwerewilling tomakesacrifices forhersuccessaswell.To

assistherinhergoalsasapianist,theytookouta$13,000loan(in1969)tobuyherausedSteinwaygrandpiano.

Rice graduated early from high school andwent to theUniversity ofDenverwith the intentionofearningadegree inmusicandbecomingaprofessional concert pianist. Itwas something shehadmadesacrificesher entire life to do. But after her sophomore year, she attended theAspen Music Festival and came to a realization. As hard as she hadworked,shemightnotmake it to the top.Sheobserved, “Imeteleven-year-oldswhocouldplayfromsightwhathadtakenmeallyeartolearnandIthoughtI’mmaybegoingtoendupplayingpianobarorplayingatNordstrom,butI’mnotgoingtoendupplayingCarnegieHall.”8

GIVINGUPTOGOUP

Riceknewthatifshewasgoingtoreachherpersonalpotential,itwouldnotbeinmusic.Soshemadeasacrificefewpeopleinherpositionwouldbewillingtomake.Shedroppedhermusicmajor.Heridentityhadbeenentirelywrappedup inmusic,butshewaswilling tostrikeout inanewdirection.Shebegansearchingforanewfield.

She found it in internationalpolitics.Shewasdrawn likeamagnet totheRussiancultureandtheSovietgovernment.Forthenexttwoyears,sheimmersedherselfinhercourses,didextensiveoutsidereading,andlearned theRussian language.Shehad foundher niche, and shewasstillwillingtopaythepricetogotothehighestlevel.Aftergraduatingwithher bachelor’s degree, she went on to Notre Dame to get a master’sdegree.ShethenreturnedtotheUniversityofDenverandearnedaPhDat age twenty-six. When she received an offer for a fellowship atStanford, she jumped on it. A few months later, she was recruited tobecomeamemberoftheuniversity’sfaculty.Shehadarrived.

Most people would be happy if the rest of the story played outsomething like this: publish a few articles, then a book or two; earntenure; and eventually settle into a comfortable life in the academiccommunity. Not Rice. True, she did carve out a place for herself atStanford; itwasanenvironmentshe loved.Sheenjoyed the intellectual

stimulation. She was a talented teacher who found teaching andcounselingstudentshighly rewarding.Sheevenbecameanavid fanoftheuniversity’ssports teams.She thrivedandreceivedoneawardafteranother.Shespentayearat thePentagon inanadvisorypositionwiththe Joint Chiefs of Staff. She called it a reality check—practicalexperiencethatinformedherteachingandwriting.Shewasquicklymadeanassociateprofessor.RicebiographerAntoniaFelixwrites,

Condi foundherpassions inSovietstudiesand teaching,andher lifeatStanfordwasrichonmanylevels.Shejuggledclasses,advising,research,writing,playingthepiano,weight training, exercising, dating, and gluing herself to the television for twelve-hourfootball-watchingmarathons.9

Ricewaslivinganideal life.Shewasmakingthemostofhertalents,she had great influence, and she was helping to shape the nextgeneration of leaders and thinkers.But then in 1989, theWhiteHousecalled. She was invited to accept a position on the National SecurityCouncilas thedirectorofSovietandEastEuropeanaffairs.She tookaleave of absence from Stanford, and it turned out to be a wonderfuldecision.ShewasPresidentGeorgeH.W.Bush’sprimaryadvisorontheSoviet Union as that government disintegrated. And she helped increating policy for the unification of Germany. It made her one of theworld’sexpertsonthesubject.

Shereturned toStanfordafter twoyears inWashington. “Itwasn’taneasydecision,”Riceremarked.“I felt that it’shardtokeepanacademiccareerintactifyoudon’tcomebackinabouttwoyears...ButIthinkofmyself as an academic first. Thatmeans that you want to keep somecoherenceandintegrityinyourcareer.”10

BackatStanford,shepossessedevengreaterclout.Intwoyearsshewasmade a full professor—at age thirty-eight. Amonth later, shewasasked to become provost, a position that had never been held by anAfrican American, by a woman, or by anyone so young. All herpredecessorshadbeenat least twenty yearsolderwhen they took theposition,andforgoodreason.Theprovostisnotonlythechiefacademicofficeroftheuniversitybutisalsoresponsibleforits$1.5billionbudget.AndRicewasbeingaskedtohandleabudgetwitha$20milliondeficit.

Thoughitmeantmaintainingagruelingscheduleandgivingupmoreofher personal life, she accepted the challenge. And she succeeded,turningthebudgetaroundandcreatinga$14.5millionreserve—allwhilecontinuingtoteachasapoliticalscienceprofessor.

ATTHETOP

As the second in command at one of the world’s premier universities,Rice had it made. She had proven herself as an executive. She wasalready sitting on many corporate boards. And she was in position tobecomepresidentofanyuniversityinthenation.Sosomepeoplemighthave been surprised when she stepped down as provost and begantutoringGeorgeW.Bush,thengovernorofTexas,onforeignpolicy.Butitwasasacrificeshewaswilling tomake—one that led toherbecomingnationalsecurityadvisorandeventuallyU.S.secretaryofstate.

AsIwritethis,Ricecontinuestoserveinthatrole.Whatoncelookedlike a sacrifice has made her more influential than ever. When shecompletes her term, she could return to teachingwith great prestige—thereisn’tauniversity intheworldthatwouldn’twanttohaveheronitspolitical science faculty. She could become president of one of the topuniversities. She could run for the Senate. She could even run for thepresidencyoftheUnitedStates.Shehasbeenconsistentlywillingtogiveuptogoup,andIhavenodoubtthatshewillmakewhateversacrificesarenecessarytotakethenextstep.That’swhathappenswhenaleaderunderstandsandlivesbytheLawofSacrifice.

ApplyingTHELAWOFSACRIFICE

ToYourLife

1. To become a more influential leader, are you willing to make

sacrifices? Are you willing to give up your rights for the sake of thepeople you lead? Give it some thought. Then create two lists: (1) thethingsyouarewillingtogiveupinordertogoup,and(2)thethingsyouarenotwillingtosacrificetoadvance.Besuretoconsiderwhichlistwillcontain itemssuchasyourhealth,marriage,relationshipswithchildren,finances,andsoon.

2.Livingby theLawofSacrificeusuallymeansbeingwilling to tradesomething of value that you possess to gain somethingmore valuablethatyoudon’t.Kinggaveupmanypersonal freedomstogain freedomsfor others. Rice gave up prestige and influence at Stanford to gaininfluenceandimpactaroundtheworld. Inordertomakesuchsacrificialtrades,anindividualmusthavesomethingofvaluetotrade.Whatdoyouhave to offer? And what are you currently willing to trade your time,energy,andresourcesforthatmaygiveyougreaterpersonalworth?

3. One of the most harmful mind-sets of leaders is what I calldestination disease—the idea that they can sacrifice for a season andthen“arrive.”Leaderswhothinkthiswaystopsacrificingandstopgaininghighergroundinleadership.

Inwhatareasmightyoube indangerofhavingdestinationdisease?Write themdown.Then foreach,createastatementofongoinggrowththat will be an antidote to such thinking. For example, if you have themind-set thatyouare finished learningonceyougraduate fromschool,youmayneedtowrite,“Iwillmakeitmypracticetolearnandgrowinonesignificantareaeveryyear.”

19

THELAWOFTIMING

WhentoLeadIsAsImportantAsWhattoDoandWheretoGo

Ifevertherewasanexampleoftheimportanceoftimingasitrelatestoleadership,itcameinNewOrleansinlateAugustandearlySeptemberof2005.

NewOrleans isanunusualcity.LikeVenice, Italy, it issurroundedbywater.TothenorthliesLakePontchartrain.TothesouthflowsthemightyMississippiRiver.Totheeastandwestarelow-lyingswamplands.Canalscrisscross thecity.Youcannotdrive intooroutofNewOrleanswithoutcrossing amajor bridge. Thatmay not seem like a big deal—until youcon-sider that most of the city lies below sea level. New Orleans isshapedlikeabowl.Onaverage,thecityissixfeetbelowsealevel.Inthelowestareas,it’sninefeetbelowsealevel.AndthelandinNewOrleanssinksa littlemoreeveryyear.Fordecadescitizenshaveworriedaboutthepotentialdamagethatadirecthitfromapowerfulhurricanecoulddotothecity.

DISASTERONTHEHORIZON

OnWednesday, August 24, 2005, nobody in NewOrleans could haveknownthatthenewlyformedtropicalstorm,namedKatrina,wouldbethebig one—the hurricane the city had feared would someday come. Itwasn’tuntilFriday that theNationalHurricaneCenterpredicted that the

storm would reach landfall on Monday somewhere near Buras,Louisiana, about sixty miles southeast of New Orleans. The hurricanewasalreadylookinglikeabadone.Thenextmorning,Saturday,August27, the leaders of many of Louisiana’s parishes around New Orleansordered mandatory evacuations: St. Charles, Plaquemines, parts ofJefferson, and even St. Tammany, which is situated on higher groundnorthofNewOrleans.

ButwhataboutNewOrleans?Whydidn’tMayorRayNagin,theleaderofthecity,orderamandatoryevacuationatthesametime?ManypeoplesayNewOrleaniansare fatalisticand theycan’tbemade tomoveanyfasterthantheywanttogo.OtherssaythatNagin,abusinessmanbeforehewaselected,wasworriedaboutthelegalandfinancialimplicationsofanevacuation.Isayheandothers ingovernmentdidn’tunderstandtheLawofTiming.Whentoleadisasimportantaswhattodoandwheretogo.

The time to move people out of New Orleans was when the otherparish leaders announced their mandatory evacuations. Nagin waited.OnSaturdayeveninghefinallyannouncedavoluntaryevacuationofNewOrleans—onlyafterMaxMayfield, thedirectorof theNationalHurricaneCenter,calledNaginonSaturdaynightdidthemayorbecomeconcernedenoughtoact.“Maxscaredthecrapoutofme,”Naginisreportedtohavesaidafterthecall.1

TOOLITTLETOOLATE

The next morning at nine o’clock, Nagin finally ordered a mandatoryevacuation—fewer than twenty-four hours before the hurricane wouldmake landfall. It wasmuch too late formany citizens of NewOrleans.Andhowdid he plan to help those peoplewho couldn’tmake it out oftownonsuchshortnotice?Headvised them toget to theSuperdome,thecity’sshelteroflastresort,howevertheycould.Buthemadenorealprovisionsforthem.InapressconferenceNaginadvised:

Ifyoucan’t leavethecityandyouhavetocometotheSuperdome,comewithenoughfood, [non]perishable items to last for three to five days. Come with blankets, with

pillows. No weapons, no alcohol, no drugs. You know, this is like the governor said,you’regoingonacampingtrip.Ifyoudon’tknowwhatthat’slike,justbringenoughstuffforyoutobeabletosleepandbecomfortable.It’snotgoingtobethebestenvironment,butatleastyouwillbesafe.2

TheresultsofNagin’sleadershipplayedoutinthenationalcoverageofKatrinaanditsaftermath.Waterwasflowingintopartsofthecitybynineo’clock Monday morning. Conditions for the people at the Superdomeweredreadful.Otherpeoplewhocouldn’tgetoutof townflockedto theConvention Center.Many citizens were stranded on rooftops. How didNaginrespond?Hecomplainedtothemediaatpressconferences.

ANOTHERCHANCE

If someone was going to step in and lead, it would have to occursomewhereotherthanthelocal level.Mostpeoplebeganlookingtothefederalgovernment for leadership,but theyviolated theLawofTiming,too.NotuntilWednesday,August31,didDirectorofHomelandSecurityMichael Chertoff release a memo declaring Katrina an “Incident ofNationalSignificance”—akeydesignationneededtotriggerswiftfederalcoordination.3 President Bush didn’t meet with his cabinet until thefollowingdaytodeterminehowtolaunchtheWhiteHouseTaskForceonHurricane Katrina Response. Meanwhile, the people stranded in NewOrleans waited for help. On Thursday, September 1, the Red Crossrequested per-mission to take water, food, and supplies to the peoplewho were stranded in the city, but their request was denied by theLouisianaofficeofHomelandSecurity.Theywereaskedtowaitanotherday.4 Finally, on Sunday, September 4—six days after New Orleansflooded—theevacuationoftheSuperdomewasfinallycomplete.

ThewayKatrinawashandledshows leadership timingat itsworst. Itwasbotchedateverylevel.Eventhelocalanimalshelterdidbetterthanthemayor.Twodaysprior toKatrina’sarrival, itevacuatedhundredsofanimalstoHouston,Texas.5Intheend,morethan1,836peoplediedasa result of the hurricane; 1,577 of those people were fromLouisiana.6EightypercentofthedeathsinLouisianaoccurredinOrleans

and St. Bernard parishes, with the overwhelming majority occurring inNewOrleans.7Iftheleadershadpaidgreaterattentionnotonlytowhattheydidbutalsotowhentheydid it,manymore liveswouldhavebeensaved.

TIMINGISEVERYTHING

Goodleadersrecognizethatwhentoleadisasimportantaswhattodoand where to go. Timing is often the difference between success andfailureinanendeavor.

Every time a leader makes a move, there are really only fouroutcomes:

1.THEWRONGACTIONATTHEWRONGTIMELEADSTODISASTER

Aleaderwhotakesthewrongactionat thewrongtime issure tosuffernegative repercussions.Thatwascertainly thecase inNewOrleansasKatrina approached. Nagin’s poor leadership set in motion a series ofwrongactionsatthewrongtime.Hewaiteduntilitwastoolatetocallforamandatory evacuation. He sent faxes to local churches, hoping theywouldhelpwithevacuatingpeople,butbythetimehedidso,thepeoplewhowouldhavereceivedthefaxeswerealreadylonggone.Hepickedapoorlocationfortheshelteroflastresort,neglectedtosupplyitproperly,andfailedtoprovideadequatetransportationforpeopletogetthere.Onewrongactionafteranotherledtodisaster.

Obviously,thestakesforeveryleadershipdecisionarenotashighastheywere forMayorNagin.Butevery leadershipsituation requires thatleadersheedtheLawofTiming.Ifyouleadadepartmentorasmallteamandyoutakethewrongactionatthewrongtime,yourpeoplewillsuffer.Andsowillyourleadership.

2.THERIGHTACTIONATTHEWRONGTIMEBRINGSRESISTANCE

Whenitcomestogoodleadership,havingavisionforthedirectionoftheorganizationorteamandknowinghowtogettherearen’tenough.Ifyou

take the right action but do it at the wrong time, you may still beunsuccessfulbecausethepeopleyouleadcanbecomeresistant.

Goodleadershiptimingrequiresmanythings:

Understanding—leadersmusthaveafirmgrasponthesituation.

Maturity—ifleaders’motivesaren’tright,theirtimingwillbeoff.

Confidence—peoplefollowleaderswhoknowwhatmustbedone.

Decisiveness—wishy-washyleaderscreatewishy-washyfollowers.

Experience—if leaders don’t possess experience, then they need togainwisdomfromotherswhodopossessit.

Intuition—timingoftendependsonintangibles,suchasmomentumandmorale.

Preparation—if the conditions aren’t right, leaders must create thoseconditions.

I’vehadmyshareofblunders in theareaof timing.One inparticularthat stands outwasmyattempt to introduce a small group programatSkyline, my church in San Diego. It was the right thing to do at thechurch, but it failed miserably.Why? The timing was wrong.We weretryingtodothisbackintheearly1980s,andthereweren’tmanyleaderswith experience in this area, so we were playing it by ear. But mostimportant, the churchwasn’t prepared for it.We didn’t understand thatthesuccessor failureofasmallgroup launchdependedonhowmanyleadershadbeendevelopedtosupportit.

Ifaleaderrepeatedlyshowspoorjudgment,eveninlittlethings,peoplestarttothinkthathavinghimastheleaderistherealmistake.

For a few years we tried to make it work with the system we hadintroduced,butultimately, it failed. Itwasn’tuntil sixyears later thatwegot it towork—aftershuttingdown theoriginalsystem, training leaders,andstartingoveragain.Thesecondtimearounditwasverysuccessful.

3.THEWRONGACTIONATTHERIGHTTIMEISAMISTAKE

Peoplewhoarenaturallyentrepreneurialoftenpossessastrongsenseoftiming.Theyintuitivelyknowwhenit’stimetomakeamove—toseizeanopportunity.Theysometimesmakemistakesintheiractionsatthosekeymoments. My brother, Larry, who is an excellent businessman, hascoachedme in thisarea.Larrysays that thegreatestmistakemadebyentrepreneursandotherpeopleinbusinessisknowingwhentocuttheirlossesorwhentoincreasetheirinvestmenttomaximizetheirgains.Theirmistakescomefromtakingthewrongactionattherighttime.

Once again, I have experience in this area. Because I’m knownprimarilyasacommunicator,foryearspeopletriedtotalkmeintodoingaradio program. For a long time I resisted the idea. In the mid-1990s,however,Icouldseetherewasaneedforagrowth-orientedprogramforpeople of faith. So we decided to create a program called GrowingToday. The problem was the format. Most programs of that type aresupportedbydonations,butIbelieveinfree-marketeconomics.Iwantedthe program to support itself by selling products, the way any othercommercial program would. What a mistake. The show never brokeeven. Itwas the right timebut thewrong idea.TheLawofTiminghadspokenagain.

4.THERIGHTACTIONATTHERIGHTTIMERESULTSINSUCCESS

Whentherightleaderandtherighttimingcometogether,incrediblethingshappen.

When the right leader and the right timing come together, incrediblethings happen. An organization achieves its goals, reaps incrediblerewards, and gainsmomentum.Success almost becomes inevitable. Ifyou lookat thehistoryofnearlyanyorganization,youwill findapivotalmomentwhentherightleadertooktherightactionattherighttime,andittransformed the organization. Winston Churchill, whose greatness inleadership depended on the Law of Timing, described the impact thatleaderscanmake—andthesatisfactiontheycanexperience—whentheytake the rightactionat the right time.Hesaid, “Therecomesaspecialmoment in everyone’s life, a moment for which that person was born.That special opportunity, when he seizes it, will fulfill his mission—a

mission for which he is uniquely qualified. In that moment, he findsgreatness. It ishis finesthour.”Every leaderdesires toexperience thatmoment.

THECRUCIBLEOFWARDISPLAYSTHELAWOFTIMING

When thestakesarehigh, theconsequencesof theLawofTimingaredramaticandimmediate.Thatiscertainlytrueinwar.Inanymajorbattle,the critical importance of timing becomes evident. The Battle ofGettysburgduringtheAmericanCivilWarisaprimeexample.

WhenConfederateGeneralRobertE.Lee took theArmyofNorthernVirginia intoPennsylvania in lateJuneof1863,hehad threegoals: (1)draw the Union army out of Virginia, (2) resupply his troops usingPennsylvania’sresources,and(3)bringthefightingtotheheartofenemyterritory, thereby prodding the Union army into hasty and unwantedaction. It was the third year of the war, and both the Union and theConfederacyweregrowingwearyof theconflict.Leehopedhisactionswouldbringanend to theconflict.Severaldaysprior to thebattle,LeetoldGeneralTrimble,

Ourarmyisingoodspirits,notoverfatigued,andcanbeconcentratedonanyonepointin twenty-four hours or less. I have not yet heard that the enemy have crossed thePotomac,andamwaiting tohear fromGeneralStuart.When theyhearwhereweare,theywillmakeforcedmarches...Theywillcomeup...brokendownfromhungerandhardmarching,strungoutona long lineandmuchdemoralized,when theycome intoPennsylvania. Ishall throwanoverwhelmingforceontheiradvance,crushit, followupthe success, drive one corps back on another, and by successive repulses andsurprises,beforetheycanconcentrate,createapanicandvirtuallydestroythearmy.8

Leewas trying to seize the opportunity for overwhelming victory. Hedidn’tknowuntil themorningofJuly1 that theUnionarmyhadalreadymoved north. By then some of its forces were already engagingConfederatetroopsontheChambersburgRoadwestofGettysburg.Thatdevelopment disrupted Lee’s strategy and ruined his timing. Lee’s firstinstinctwastoholdbackandwaitforhisarmy’sfullstrengthtoassemblebefore forcing a major engagement. But always conscious of theimportance of timing, he recognized when his troops had a sudden

advantage. As Lee watched from a nearby ridge, he saw that Federaltroopswerebeingroutedandretreating.Therewasstillachancetotakeactionthatcouldleadtovictory.

Confederate forces could attack and seize the high ground ofCemetery Hill, defended only by a few Union infantry reserves andartillery. If they could capture and control that position, Lee reasoned,theywouldcontrolthewholearea.ItwouldbethekeytoaConfederatevictoryandpossiblybringanendtothewar.

InpositiontotakethathillwasConfederateGeneralR.S.Ewell.Itwasstill early in the day, and if Ewellmoved forward, he could take it. Butinsteadofpressinghisadvantagewhenthetimewasripeandengagingtheenemy,Ewellsimplywatched.He let theopportunityslipaway,andtheConfederatesdidn’t takeCemeteryHill.By thenextmorning,Uniontroops had reinforced their previous positions, and the South’s chancewasgone.TheNorthernandSouthernarmiesfoughtfortwomoredays,but intheend,Lee’sforcessuffereddefeat,havinglostabout33,000ofhis76,300mentoinjuryordeath.9TheironlychoicewastoretreatandmaketheirwaybacktoVirginia.

ANOTHEROPPORTUNITYLOST

After the South’s defeat, Lee expected the Union forces under theLeadershipofGeneralMeadetoimmediatelypursueacounterattackandutterly destroy his reeling army. That was also the expectation ofAbraham Lincoln after he received the news of the Union’s victory atGettysburg.AnxioustomakethemostoftheLawofTiming,LincolnsentacommunicationfromWashingtonDC,toMeadeviaGeneralHalleckonJuly7,1863.Init,Hallecksaid,

IhavereceivedfromthePresidentthefollowingnote,whichIrespectfullycommunicate.

“WehavecertaininformationthatVicksburgsurrenderedtoGeneralGrantonthe4thofJuly.Now,ifGeneralMeadecancompletehisworksogloriouslyprosecutedthusfarbytheliteralorsubstantialdestructionofLee’sarmy,therebellionwillbeover.”10

Lincoln recognized that the timing was right. The Union army couldcrushwhatwasleftoftheConfederateforcesandcouldendthewar.ButjustastheSouthernforcesdidnotseizethemomentforvictorywhenitwas available to them, neither did their Northern counterparts. MeadetookhistimefollowinguphisvictoryatGettysburg,andhedidn’tpursueLee aggressively enough.Hewas content to let theConfederates run,stating that his goal was to “drive from our soil every vestige of thepresence of the invader.”When Lincoln heard that, his response was,“MyGod,isthatall?”LincolnknewhewasseeingtheUnion’schanceslipaway.Andhewasright.WhatremainedoftheArmyofNorthernVirginiacrossedoverthePotomac,escapingdestruction,andthewarcontinuedforalmosttwomoreyears.Andhundredsofthousandsmoretroopsdied.Lincoln later said that Meade’s efforts had reminded him of “an oldwoman trying to shoohergeeseacrossacreek.”11Leaders frombothsideshadknownwhat todo toachievevictory,but they failed to followthroughatthecriticalmoment.

Readingasituationandknowingwhat todoarenotenough tomakeyousucceedinleadership.Ifyouwantyourorganization,department,orteam tomove forward, youmust payattention to timing.Only the rightactionat the right timewill bring success. Anything else exacts a highprice.NoleadercanescapetheLawofTiming.

ApplyingTHELAWOFTIMING

ToYourLife

1.Ithasbeensaidthatmanagersdothingsrightwhileleadersdotherightthings.TheLawofTimingsaysthatleadersdomorethanthat:theydotherightthingsattherighttime.Inyourapproachtoleadership,doestiming play an important part in your strategy?Do you think about theappropriateness of the timing asmuch as you do the rightness of the

action?Reviewthemajoractionsyou’veinitiatedintherecentpast,anddiscernhowmuchattentionyou’vegiventotiming.

2. Spend some time analyzing recent failed initiatives for yourorganization, department, or team to determine whether they werecausedbythewrongactionorthewrongtiming.(Theseinitiativescanbeyoursorothers’.)Tohelpyou,answerthefollowingquestions:

Whatwasthegoaloftheinitiative?

Whowastheindividualresponsibleforleadingit?

Whatfactorsweretakenintoaccountwhilethestrategywasplanned?

Whoseexperiencedidthestrategydrawupon?

Whatwastheconditionortemperatureoftheorganizationatthetimeofthelaunch?

Whatwerethemarketorindustryconditions?

What“leverage”wasavailableandbeingusedtoaidintheinitiative?

Whatfactorswereclearlyworkingagainstit?

Might the initiative have beenmore successful had it been launchedeitherearlierorlater?

Whydidtheinitiativeultimatelyfail?

3.Asyoupreparetoengageinfutureplans,usethelistoffactorsfromthechaptertoprepareforthetimingofyouractions:

Understanding:Doyouhaveafirmgrasponthesituation?

Maturity:Areyourmotivesright?

Confidence:Doyoubelieveinwhatyouaredoing?

Decisiveness:Canyouinitiateactionwithconfidenceandwinpeople’s

trust?

Experience:Haveyoudrawnuponwisdom fromothers to informyourstrategy?

Intuition:Haveyou taken intoaccount intangiblessuchasmomentumandmorale?

Preparation:Haveyoudoneeverythingyoumust tosetupyour teamforsuccess?

Remember,onlytherightactionattherighttimewillbringsuccesstoyourteam,department,ororganization.

20

THELAWOFEXPLOSIVEGROWTH

ToAddGrowth,LeadFollowers—ToMultiply,LeadLeaders

Ihaven’talways felt theway Idonowabout leadership.Mybelief in thepowerofleadershipandmypassionfortrainingleadershavedevelopedover the course ofmy professional life.When I started inmy career, Ithoughtpersonalgrowthwasthekeytobeingabletomakeanimpact.

Myfatherhadbeenverystrategic inmydevelopmentas Iwasgrowingup.Heactuallypaidmetoreadbooksthatheknewwouldhelpmeandsent me to conferences when I was a teenager. Those experiencesprovided a great foundation for me. And after I began working, Idiscovered the Law of Process. That promptedme to take a proactiveapproachtomypersonalgrowth.

Asaresult,whenpeopleaskedmetohelpthembemoresuccessful,Ifocusedonteachingpersonalgrowth.Itwasn’tuntilIwasfortyyearsoldthatIbegantounderstandtheLawoftheInnerCircleandtheimportanceofdevelopingateam.That’swhenmyabilitytogrowanorganizationandreachgreatergoalsbegantoincrease.Butitwasn’tuntilIbegantofocusondevelopingleadersthatmyleadershipreallytookoff.IhaddiscoveredtheLawofExplosiveGrowth:toaddgrowth, leadfollowers—tomultiply,leadleaders.

HELPINGOTHERSTOLEAD

In1990,ItraveledtoacountryinSouthAmericawithmywife,Margaret,toteachleadershipinanationalconference.Oneofthegreatjoysofmylife is teaching leadership to people of influencewhodesire tomakeadifference.Iwasreallylookingforwardtothisconferencebecauseitwasan opportunity to add value to people outside my regular sphere ofinfluence.Butitdidn’tturnoutthewayIexpected.

Everythingstartedwell.Thepeoplewereverygracious,andIwasableto connect with them despite the language and cultural barriers. But itwasn’t longbefore Icould tell that theattendeesand Iwerenoton thesame page. When I started to teach about leadership, I could tell mycommentswerenotconnectingwiththem.Theydidn’tengage,andwhatIwastryingtocommunicatedidn’tseemtomakeanimpact.

My read on the situation was confirmed after my first session withthem. As I spoke with individuals, they didn’t want to talk aboutleadership issues. They didn’t ask questions about growing theirorganizations or fulfilling a vision. They sought advice about personalissues,problems,andconflictswithotherpeople. I felt that Iwasbackdoing personal counseling similar to what I did at the beginning ofmycareer. For the next three days, I grewmore andmore frustrated. ThepeopleIspoketodidn’tunderstandleadership,andtheyhadnodesiretolearn anything about it. For someone like me who believes thateverythingrisesandfallsonleadership,itdrovemecrazy!

Thiswasn’t the first timeIhadexperiencedsuchfrustration. Inoticedthat whenever I traveled to developing countries, I faced similarsituations. I suspect that in nations where there is no strong businessinfrastructure and where government doesn’t allow the citizens muchfreedom,itisdifficultforleaderstodevelop.

On the flight home, I talked to Margaret about all my frustrations. Ifinallysummeditup,saying,“Idon’twanttodothisanymore.Itraveledthousandsofmilesjusttocounselpeopleonpettyconflicts.Iftheywouldjustturntheirattentiontobecomingleaders,itwouldchangetheirlives.”

Afterlisteningpatiently,Margaretreplied,“Maybeyou’retheonewho’ssupposedtodosomethingaboutthis.”

THENEXTSTEP

Margaret’sexhortationtodosomethingabout the leadershipproblemsIhad seen overseas stirred something within me. For the next severalyears, I reflected on the issue and thought about possible solutions.Finallyin1996,IdecidedwhatIwoulddo.Ibroughttogetheragroupofleaderstohelpmecreateanonprofitorganizationtodevelopleaders ingovernment,education,andthereligiouscommunity.InameditEQUIP—encouragingqualitiesundevelopedinpeople.

Forthenextfiveyears,EQUIPmademodestprogressinitsgoals.ButinthemonthsaftertheterroristattacksofSeptember11,2001,wewentthroughadifficultperiodinwhichwehadtolayoffhalfthestaff.Butwetookthatasanopportunitytoreexamineourpriorities.Wenarrowedourfocus and developeda newgoal—one so large and daunting it lookedalmost impossible.Wewould try todeveloponemillion leadersaroundthe globe by 2008. How could a small nonprofit organization hope toaccomplishsuchafeat?ByusingtheLawofExplosiveGrowth!

THESTRATEGY

EQUIP’sstrategy,whichcame tobecalled theMillionLeaderMandate,was to develop 40,000 leaders in countries around the world. Thoseleaderswouldattenda trainingsessioneverysixmonths inacitynearthemforthreeyears.Theonlythingthatwouldbeaskedoftheminreturnwas that they commit to personally develop twenty-five leaders in theirowncity,town,orvillage.EQUIPwouldprovidethetrainingmaterialsforthe 40,000 leaders it trained, and it would provide materials for thetwenty-fiveleaderseachofthemwouldbedeveloping.

EQUIPalreadyemployedsomeexcellentleaders,includingJohnHull,presidentandCEO;DougCarter,seniorvicepresident;andTimElmore,vice president of leadership development. They assembleda top-notchteam and began creating the training materials. Then they formedstrategic alliances with organizations overseas. These organizationswouldhelpEQUIPfigureoutthecitiesinwhichtodothetraining,identifycountry and city coordinators to run the training sessions, and identify

andrecruitthe40,000leaderstobetrained.

Thefinalstepwastorecruitexcellentleaderswhowouldbewillingtovolunteer their time to do the training in these cities around theworld.Two trainerswould travel to a city twice a year for three years, payingtheir ownway and donating funds to help underwrite thematerials theattendeeswould need. Theywould train the 40,000whowould in turntraintwenty-fiveeach.If thestrategysucceeded,wewoulddeveloponemillion leaders. It was an ambitious plan. The question was, would itwork?I’llgiveyoutheanswertothatquestionlaterinthischapter.

MOVINGFORWARDWITHLEADERS’MATH

Leaders are naturally impatient. At least, all of the leaders I know are.Leaderswant tomove fast. Theywant to see the vision fulfilled. Theydelight inprogress.Good leadersquicklyassesswhereanorganizationis,projectwhereitneedstogo,andhavestrongideasabouthowtogetitthere. The problem is that most of the time the people and theorganizationlagbehindtheleader.Forthatreason,leadersalwaysfeelatensionbetweenwheretheyandtheirpeopleareandwheretheyoughttobe.Ihaveexperiencedthistensionmyentirelife.IneveryorganizationI’ve ever been a part of, I had a strong sense ofwhere it should go. Ievenfeltthatwayasakid.(Iwasn’talwaysrightaboutwhereweshouldgo,butIalwaysthoughtIknew!)

Becomingaleaderwhodevelopsleadersrequiresanentirelydifferentfocusandattitudefromsimplyattractingandleadingfollowers.Ittakesadifferentmind-set.

Howdoyourelievethattensionbetweenwheretheorganizationisandwhere you want it to be? The answer can be found in the Law ofExplosiveGrowth:

Ifyoudevelopyourself,youcanexperiencepersonalsuccess.Ifyoudevelopateam,yourorganizationcanexperiencegrowth.Ifyoudevelopleaders,yourorganizationcanachieveexplosivegrowth.

Youcangrowby leading followers.But if youwant tomaximizeyourleadership and help your organization reach its potential, you need to

developleaders.Thereisnootherwaytoexperienceexplosivegrowth.

ADIFFERENTFOCUS

Becoming a leader who develops leaders requires an entirely differentfocusandattitudefromsimplyattractingandleadingfollowers.Ittakesadifferent mind-set. Consider some of the differences between leaderswhoattractfollowersandleaderswhodevelopleaders:

LeadersWhoAttractFollowers...NeedtoBeNeededLeadersWhoDevelopLeaders...WanttoBeSucceeded

Excitement comes from becoming a leader. When you speak, peoplelisten.Whenyouwanttogetsomethingdone,youcanenlistotherpeopletohelpyou.Havingfollowerscanmakeyoufeelneededand important.However, that is a pretty shallow reason to pursue leadership. Goodleaders lead for thesakeof their followersand forwhat theycan leavebehindaftertheirtimeofleadershipiscompleted.

LeadersWhoAttractFollowers...DeveloptheBottom20PercentLeadersWhoDevelopLeaders...DeveloptheTop20Percent

Whenyou’re leadingagroupofpeople,whotypicallyasksfor themosttimeandattention?Theweakestonesinthegroup.Ifyouallowthemto,theywill consume80percentormoreofyour time.However,proactiveleaderswhopracticetheLawofExplosiveGrowthdon’tallowthatbottom20percenttotakealltheirtime.Theyseekoutthebest20percent—thepeoplewiththegreatest leadershippotential—andthey invest their timedeveloping them.Theyknow that if theydevelop thebest, thebestwillhelpwiththerest.

LeadersWhoAttractFollowers...FocusonWeaknessesLeadersWhoDevelopLeaders...FocusonStrengths

A necessity of working with the bottom 20 percent is that you must

continually deal with their weaknesses. Unsuccessful people usuallyneed help with the basics. Problems in those areas keep them fromachievingconsistentperformanceonaregularbasis.However,whenyouworkwithyourbestpeople,youcanbuildontheirstrengths.

LeadersWhoAttractFollowers...TreatEveryonetheSameLeadersWhoDevelopLeaders...TreatIndividualsDifferently

There is a myth in some leadership circles that promotes the idea oftreatingeveryonethesameforthesakeof“fairness.”Whatamistake.AsMickDelaneysays,“Anybusinessorindustrythatpaysequalrewardstoitsgoof-offsanditseagerbeaverssoonerorlaterwillfinditselfwithmoregoof-offs than eager beavers.” Leaders who develop leaders giverewards,resources,andresponsibilitybasedonresults.Thegreatertheimpactofleaders,thegreatertheopportunitiestheyreceive.

LeadersWhoAttractFollowers...SpendTimewithOthersLeadersWhoDevelopLeaders...InvestTimeinOthers

Leaders who attract only followers and never develop them don’tincreasethevalueofthosetheylead.However,whenleaderstaketimeto develop the leaders they attract, they are making a valuableinvestment in them. Every moment they spend helps to increase theirability and influence. And that pays dividends to them and theorganization.

LeadersWhoAttractFollowers...GrowbyAdditionLeadersWhoDevelopLeaders...GrowbyMultiplication

Leaderswhoattractfollowersgrowtheirorganizationonlyonepersonatatime.Whenyouattractonefollower,you impactoneperson.Andyoureceive the value and power of one person. However, leaders whodevelop leadersmultiply their organization’s growth, because for everyleader they develop, they also receive the value of all of that leader’sfollowers.

Addtenfollowerstoyourorganization,andyouhavethepoweroftenpeople.Addtenleaderstoyourorganization,andyouhavethepoweroften leaders timesall of the followersand leaders they influence.That’swhat I call leader’s math. It’s the difference between addition andmultiplication. It’s likegrowingyourorganizationby teams insteadofbyindividuals.

LEADERSWHODEVELOPFOLLOWERSADDONEATATIME

LEADERSWHODEVELOPLEADERSMULTIPLYTHEIRGROWTH

LeadersWhoAttractFollowers...ImpactOnlyPeopleTheyTouchLeadersWhoDevelopLeaders...ImpactPeopleBeyondTheirReach

Leaderswhoattractfollowersbutneverdevelopleadersgettired.Why?

Because they themselves must deal with every person under theirauthority.Beingabletoimpactonlythepeopleyoucantouchpersonallyisvery limiting. Incontrast, leaderswhodevelop leaders impactpeoplefarbeyondtheirpersonalreach.Thebettertheleaderstheydevelop,thegreater the quality and quantity of followers and the greater the reach.Everytimeyoudevelopleadersandhelpthemincreasetheirleadershipability,youmakethemcapableofinfluencinganevengreaternumberofpeople.Byhelpingoneperson,youcanreachmanyothers.

THECHALLENGEOFLEADINGLEADERS

If developing leaders has such a great impact, then why doesn’teveryonedoit?Becauseit’shard!Leadershipdevelopmentisn’tanadd-water-and-stir proposition. It takesa lotof time,energy,and resources.Here’swhy:

1.LEADERSAREHARDTOFIND

Howmanypeopledoyouknowwhoarereallygoodleaders?Theyhaveinfluence.Theymake thingshappen.Theyseeandseizeopportunities.Andtheycanattract,enlist,andrallypeopletoperformwithexcellence.Therejustaren’tthatmanypeoplecapableofdoingthatonaconsistentbasis.Mostpeoplearefollowers.Someareproducers.Fewareleaders.Leadersarelikeeagles—theydon’tflock.That’swhytheyaresohardtofind.

2.LEADERSAREHARDTOGATHER

Once you find leaders, drawing them in can be very difficult. They areentrepreneurialandwant togotheirownway. Ifyoutry torecruit them,theywant toknowwhereyou’regoing,howyouplan toget there,whoelseyou’replanningtotakewithyou—andwhethertheycandrive!Whatyou’redoinghastobemorecompellingthanwhatthey’realreadydoing.

Ontopofthat,yourorganizationneedstocreateanenvironmentthatisattractivetothem.Thatisoftennotthecase.Mostorganizationsdesirestability. Leaders want excitement.Most organizations desire structure.Leaders want flexibility. Most organizations place a high value onfollowing rules. Leaders want to think outside the box. If you want togatherleaders,youmustcreateaplacewheretheycanthrive.

3.LEADERSAREHARDTOKEEP

Ashardasitistofindandgathergoodleaders,it’sevenmoredifficulttokeep them.The onlyway to lead leaders is to becomea better leaderyourself.Ifyoukeepgrowingandstayaheadofthepeopleyoulead,thenyouwillbeabletokeepaddingvaluetotheleaderswhofollowyou.Yourgoals must be to keep developing them so that they can realize theirpotential.Onlyaleadercandothatforanotherleader,becauseittakesaleadertoraiseupanotherleader.

Oneyearinmyleadershipconferences,Itookaninformalpolltofindoutwhat prompted the attendees to become leaders. The results were asfollows:

Naturalgifting 10percentResultofcrisis 5percentInfluenceofanotherleader 85percent

Onlyone leader in ten isable toblossomwithout thehelpofanotherleader.Therestneedthehelpofotherleaderswhoareaheadoftheminthejourney.Ifyoukeepaddingvaluetothe leadersyoulead,thentheywillbewillingtostaywithyou.Dothatlongenough,andtheymayneverwanttoleave.

THELAUNCHOFTHEMILLIONLEADERMANDATE(MLM)

Convinced thatdeveloping leaderswas thekey to reachingourgoalof

trainingamillion leaders,EQUIPlaunchedtheMLMinitiative in2002 inseveral cities in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines.We had chosenthose areas because we had the best contacts there and hadexperienced success there in previous years. The response wasoverwhelming. Hundreds of hungry leaders traveled to each site toengage in the two-day training.Someattendeesspentasmanyas fivedayswalkingtogettotheevent!Andattheendofthetrainingwhenweasked attendees to commit to developing twenty-five leaders over thenext threeyearsusingthematerialswewouldgivethem,morethan90percentoftheattendeessignedon.

Withthefirstsuccessunderourbelt,wemovedforward.ThenextyearwebegantrainingleadersinotherpartsofAsiaandtheMiddleEast.In2004,westartedtraininginAfrica; in2005,Europe;andin2006,SouthAmerica.Oneverycontinentthestrategywasthesame:

1.Connectwithkey influential leaders inorganizationsalreadyworkingwithpeoplelocallyandenlisttheirassistance.

2.Askthosekeyleaderstoidentifythecitiesintheircountryinwhichtodothetrainingandtohostthetrainingevents.

3.Relyonthosekeyleaderstorecruitleaderstoattendthetraining.

4.Recruit leaders in theUnitedStateswillingtotraveloverseastotrainleadersandsupporttheeffortfinancially.

5.Receiveacommitment from localattendees to findand train leadersforthreeyearswhilewetrainedthem.

Insomecities,wehadverymodestsuccess,withafewdozenleadersattending the training. In other cities, people came by the hundreds.Many leaders were able to commit to developing twenty-five leaders.Somecouldcommit totrainingonly fiveor ten.Butothersweretraining100,200,or250intheirtownsandcities!

As Imentioned, wewanted to reach our goal of training onemillionleadersby2008.Attimes,itwasastruggle.Insomecountrieswehada

difficult timegainingcredibility. Inothers it tookusa long time tomakeconnections with leaders. But to our great surprise and delight, in thespringof2006wereachedourgoal—twoyearsaheadofschedule!Nowwhat seemed to be an impossible goal seems modest. In 2007, wetrainedoursecondmillion.Andwelaunchedaninitiativetodevelopfivemillion leaders in five years. My hope and prayer are that before I’mfinished,EQUIPanditspartnerswilltrainfiftymillionleadersaroundtheglobe.That’sexplosivegrowth.

NowthatI’msixtyI’vefoundthatleadershipdevelopmentcompounds.Themoreyou invest inpeopleandthe longeryoudo it, thegreater thegrowthand thehigher the return.And though Imaynotbeas fastas Ioncewasorasenergetic,Iamnowinacompoundingstageoflife.Thethirty-fiveyearsof investments I’vemade inotherpeoplearestarting topayincredibledividends.

Leadershipdevelopmentcompounds.Themoreyouinvestinpeopleandthelongeryoudoit,thegreaterthegrowthandthehigherthereturn.

Idon’tknowwhereyouareinyourjourneyofleadershipdevelopment.You may already be a highly developed leader. Or you may just begettingstarted.Nomatterwhereyouare, Iknowone thing:youwillbeable to reachyourpotentialandhelpyourorganizationreach its loftiestgoals only if you begin developing leaders instead ofmerely attractingfollowers. Leaders who develop leaders experience an incrediblemultiplicationeffectintheirorganizationsthatcanbeachievedinnootherway—not by increasing resources, reducing costs, increasing profitmargins, improvingsystems, implementingqualityproce-dures,ordoinganythingelse.Theonlywaytoexperienceanexplosivelevelofgrowthistodothemath—leader’smath.That’stheincrediblepoweroftheLawofExplosiveGrowth.

ApplyingTHELAWOFEXPLOSIVEGROWTH

ToYourLife

1. In which stage of the leadership development process do youcurrentlyfindyourself?

Stage1:DevelopingyourselfStage2:DevelopingyourteamStage3:Developingleaders

To validate your answer, cite specific actions you have taken todevelop yourself, to develop a team, and to help specific individualsimprovetheirleadershipability.Ifyouhaven’tbeguntodevelopleaders,tryto identifyreasonswhy.Areyousomeonewhoneedstobeneeded,focuseson thebot-tom20percent, tries to treateveryonethesame,orisn’tstrategicaboutinvestinginothers?Ifyouaren’tdevelopingleaders,identifywhatstepsyoumusttaketogetstarted.

2.Whatareyoucurrentlydoingtofindandgather leaders?Arethereplacesyougo,eventsyouattend,andnetworksyouplugintotolookforpotentialleaders?Ifnot,startlookingforsome.Ifso,thenwhatdoyoudoto connect with leaders and recruit them for your organization,department,orteam?

3.Whatareyoudoingtogatherandholdleaders?Areyoubecomingabetter leader so that leaderswill want to follow you?Are you trying tocreateanenvironmentwhere leaderscan thriveandsucceed?Areyougivingleadersfreedomtoleadandbeinnovative?Areyouclearingawayred tape? Are you providing them with resources and greaterresponsibilities?Areyoupraisingriskandrewardingsuccess?

21

THELAWOFLEGACY

ALeader’sLastingValueIsMeasuredbySuccession

Whatdoyouwantpeopletosayatyourfuneral?Thatmayseemlikeanoddquestion,butitmaybethemostimportantthingyoucanaskyourselfasaleader.Mostpeopleneverconsiderit.Andthat’snotgood,becauseiftheydon’t,theirlivesandleadershipcantakeadirectiondifferentfromthatoftheirgreatestpotentialimpact.Ifyouwantyourleadershiptoreallyhavemeaning,youneedtotake intoaccount theLawofLegacy.Why?Becausealeader’slastingvalueismeasuredbysuccession.

STRIVINGFORMEANING

EleanorRooseveltcommented,“Lifeislikeaparachutejump;you’vegottoget it right the first time.” I’vealwaysbeenconsciousof the fact thatourtimehereonearthislimitedandweneedtomakethemostofit.Lifeisnotadressrehearsal.MyfatherimpressedthatuponmewhenIwasateenager.Asaresult,I’vealwayshaddriveanddesiredtobethebestIcould be atwhatever I did. But I have to admit,my goals and desireshave changed quite a bit over the years, and that has affected thedirectionofmyleadership.

ClareBootheLuce,thewriter,politician,andambassador,popularizedthe idea of the “life sentence”—a statement summarizing the goal andpurposeofone’s life.WhenIstartedinmycareer inthelate1960s,mylifesentencecouldhavebeenexpressedas,“Iwanttobeagreatpastor.”Several years later as I worked and realized my shortcomings as a

speaker, my sentence changed to be, “I want to be a greatcommunicator.” Formore than a decade, improvingmy speaking skillsbecame a major focus. However, when I reached my early thirties, Irealized that if all I ever did was speak, my impact would always belimited.Thereareonlysomanydaysinayearandsomanypeoplewhowillcome toanevent tohearyou. Iwanted to reachmorepeople thanthat.That’swhenIdecided,“Iwanttobeagreatwriter.”

Ittookmethreeyearstowritemyfirstbook;it’sasmallvolumeofonly128pages.Eachchapterisonlythreeorfourpageslong.Someoneataconferenceoncecomplimentedme,sayinghowsmartshethoughtitwastocreateabookwithsuchshortchapters.Smarthadnothingtodowithit.Ijustdidn’thaveverymuchtosay!I’vewrittenmanybookssincethen,and I’m grateful that my writing has afforded me the opportunity tocommunicatewithmorepeople.ButwhenIreachedmyforties,myfocuschangedagain.That’swhenIdecided,“Iwanttobecomeagreatleader.”Iwantedtobuildandleadorganizationsthatcouldmakeadifference.

CHANGEINPERSPECTIVE

Mylifesentenceis,“Iwanttoaddvaluetoleaderswhowillmultiplyvaluetoothers.”

I’vediscoveredthatateachstageofmylife,I’vegrownandmyworldhasgottenbigger.Asaresult,my“lifesentence”haschanged.WhenIwasinmy late fifties, I thought about all of the previous statements I hadembraced, and I realized that they all had a common denominator:adding value to others. That was really my desire. I wanted to be aneffective pas-tor, communicator, writer, and leader so that I could helppeople. Now that I’ve turned sixty, I have finally settled on the lifesentencethatIbelievewillservemetherestofmydays.Whentheyholdmyfuneral,IhopeIwillhavelivedalifethatpromptspeopletoknowwhyIwashereandtheywon’thavetoguessatit.Mylifesentenceis,“Iwanttoaddvaluetoleaderswhowillmultiplyvaluetoothers.”

Whyisitsoimportanttopayattentiontoyour“lifesentence”?Becauseyour life sentence not only sets the direction for your life but it alsodeterminesthelegacyyouwillleave.Ittookmealongtimetofigurethat

out.My hope is that you can learn the lessonmore quickly than I did.Success doesn’t count formuch if you leave nothing behind. The bestwaytodothatisthroughaleadershiplegacy.

Mostpeoplesimplyaccepttheirlives—theydon’tleadthem.

DEVELOPINGYOURLEADERSHIPLEGACY

Ifyoudesiretomakeanimpactasaleaderonafuturegeneration,thenIsuggest thatyoubecomehighly intentionalaboutyour legacy. Ibelievethateverypersonleavessomekindoflegacy.Forsomeit’spositive.Forothersit’snegative.Buthere’swhatIknow:wehaveachoiceaboutwhatlegacywewill leave,andwemustworkandbe intentional to leave thelegacywewant.Here’show:

1.KNOWTHELEGACYYOUWANTTOLEAVE

Mostpeoplesimplyaccepttheirlives—theydon’tleadthem.Ibelievethatpeople need to be proactive about how they live, and I believe that isespecially true for leaders. Grenville Kleiser, in his classic personaldevelopmentbook,TrainingforPowerandLeadership,wrote,

Yourlifeislikeabook.Thetitlepageisyourname,theprefaceyourintroductiontotheworld.Thepagesareadaily recordofyourefforts, trials,pleasures,discouragements,andachievements.Daybydayyourthoughtsandactsarebeinginscribedinyourbookoflife.Hourbyhour,therecordisbeingmadethatmuststandforalltime.Oncethewordfinismustbewritten,letitthenbesaidofyourbookthatitisarecordofnoblepurpose,generousservice,andworkwelldone.1

Someday people will summarize your life in a single sentence. Myadvice:pickitnow!

2.LIVETHELEGACYYOUWANTTOLEAVE

Ibelievethattohaveanycredibilityasaleader,youmustlivewhatyousayyoubelieve.(I’vetouchedonthatintheLawofSolidGroundandtheLaw of the Picture.) Because my legacy involves adding value byinfluencingleaders,Ihavefocusedmostofmyattentiononleaders,andIhavebecomehighlyintentionalinmyeffortstoleadthem.

Ibelievetherearesevenmajorareasof influence insociety: religion,economics, government, family, media, education, and sports. In theearlyyearsofmycareer,Ihadinfluenceinjustoneofthosesevenareas.Iamconstantlystrivingtoreachandgaincredibilityinmoreoftheothers.Itrytodothatbybuildingbridges,relatingtopeopleonaheart-to-heartlevel,andseekingtogivemorethanIreceive.

Somedaypeoplewillsummarizeyourlifeinasinglesentence.Myadvice:pickitnow!

If you want to create a legacy, you need to live it first. You mustbecomewhatyoudesiretoseeinothers.

3.CHOOSEWHOWILLCARRYONYOURLEGACY

Idon’tknowwhatyouwanttoaccomplishinlife,butIcantellyouthis:alegacylivesoninpeople,notthings.MaxDepree,authorofLeadershipIs an Art, declared, “Succession is one of the key responsibilities ofLeadership.”YettheLawofLegacyissomethingthatfewleadersseemto practice. Too often leaders put their energy into organizations,buildings,systems,orotherlifelessobjects.Butonlypeopleliveonafterwearegone.Every-thingelseistemporary.

Thereisoftenanaturalprogressiontohowleadersdevelopintheareaoflegacy,startingwiththedesiretoachieve:

Achievementcomeswhentheydobigthingsbythemselves.

Successcomeswhentheyempowerfollowerstodobigthingsforthem.

Significancecomeswhen theydevelop leaders todogreat thingswith

them.

Legacy comes when they put leaders in position to do great thingswithoutthem.

It’s likemyfriendChrisMusgrovesays,“Success isnotmeasuredbywhatyou’releavingto,butbywhatyouareleavingbehind.”

Truett Cathy, the founder of the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain, says,“Somebodytoldme,‘Truett,thedeterminationofhowgoodafellowyouareistheconductofyourgrandchildren.’Isaid,‘Oh,don’ttellmethat.Ithought Ididprettygoodonmythreechildren;nowI’vegot toseehowmytwelvegrandchildrenturnout.’”2Whywouldsomeonesayyouneedto look at a person’s grandchildren? Because it’s a good indication ofhowthepeopletowhomyouhavechosentoinvestyourlegacywillcarryonwithoutyou.Forthatreason,youmustchoosewisely.

Alegacyiscreatedonlywhenapersonputshisorganizationintothepositiontodogreatthingswithouthim.

4.MAKESUREYOUPASSTHEBATON

TomMullins,anexcellentleaderandformercoachwhositsonEQUIP’sboard, tellsme that themost importantpartofa relay race is theplacethat’scalledtheexchangezone.That’swheretherunnersmustpassthebatontotheirteammates.Youcanhavethefastestrunnersintheworld—eachonearecordsetter—butiftheyblowtheexchange,theylosetherace.Thesame is truewhen itcomes to theLawofLegacy.Nomatterhowwellyouleadorhowgoodyoursuccessoris,ifyoudon’tmakesureyoupassthebaton,youwillnotleavethelegacyyoudesire.

Tom knows this sowell that for the last several years, he has beenworkingonhissuccessionplan.Hebegangroominghisson,Todd,whois alsoanexcellent leader, to take thebatonand lead in his place.Astimehasgoneby,Toddhastakenonmoreandmoreresponsibility.Tomtells me that his greatest joy now comes from seeing Todd and otherleadersstepupanddoanevenbetterjobofleadingthanhedid.

Justaboutanybodycanmakeanorganizationlookgoodforamoment—bylaunchingaflashynewprogramorproduct,drawingcrowdstoabigevent,orslashing thebudget toboost thebottom line.But leaderswholeavealegacytakeadifferentapproach.Theytakethelongview.Author,educator,andtheologianEltonTruebloodwrote,“Wehavemadeatleasta start in discovering themeaning in human life whenwe plant shadetreesunderwhichweknowfullwellwewillneversit.”Thebest leadersleadtodaywithtomorrowinmindbymakingsurethey invest in leaderswho will carry their legacy forward. Why? Because a leader’s lastingvalueismeasuredbysuccession.ThatistheLawofLegacy.

“Wehavemadeatleastastartindiscoveringthemeaninginhumanlifewhenweplantshadetreesunderwhichweknowfullwellwewillneversit.”

—ELTONTRUEBLOOD

ALEGACYOFSUCCESSION

Inthefallof1997onatriptoIndiawithsomecolleagues,wedecidedtovisit theheadquartersofagreat leaderof thetwentiethcentury:MotherTeresa.Herheadquarters,whichthelocalpeoplecalltheMotherHouse,isaplainconcreteblockbuilding located inKolkata.As Istoodoutsidethedoors,Ithoughtthatnoonecouldtellbylookingatitthatthismodestplacehadbeenthehomebaseofsuchaneffectiveleader.

Wewalked througha foyerand intoacentralpatio thatwasopen tothesky.OurintentionwastovisitMotherTeresa’stomb,whichislocatedinthefacility’sdiningroom.Butwhenwegotthere,wefoundoutthattheroomwasinuseandwewouldnotbeallowedtogoinuntiltheceremonywasover.

Wecouldseeagroupofaboutfortytofiftynunsseated,alldressedinthefamiliarhabitthatMotherTeresahadworn.

“What’sgoingoninthere?”Iaskedanunpassingby.

She smiled. “Today we are taking forty-five new members into ourorder,”shesaidandthenhurriedawayintoanotherpartofthebuilding.

Sincewewerealreadyrunninglateandsoonhadtocatchaplane,wecouldn’tstay.Welookedaroundbrieflyandthenleft.AsIwalkedoutofthe compound, through an alley, and among the throngs of people, Ithought,MotherTeresawouldhavebeenproud.Shewasgone,butherlegacywascontinuing.Shehadmadean impactontheworld,andshehad developed leaders who were carrying on her vision. And allappearances indicate that they will continue influencing people forgenerationstocome.MotherTeresa’slifeisavividexampleoftheLawofLegacy.

FEWLEADERSPASSITON

Last year when I was watching the Academy Awards ceremony ontelevision, something struckme.One segment of the program showedbrief images of the people in the movie industry who had died theprevious year—from writers and directors to actors and technicians.Many images were greeted with polite applause while a few receivedtremendousovations.Undoubtedly, those individualswereat the topoftheir profession. Some were perhaps the best at their craft who everlived.Butafterafewsecondsonscreenandabitofapplause,theywereforgotten. Every-one in the audience was focused on the next set ofnomineesfortheOscar.

Lifeisfleeting.Whenall issaidanddone,yourabilityasaleaderwillnot be judged by what you achieved personally. You can make ablockbuster film, but it will be forgotten in a few generations. You canwriteaprize-winningnovel,butitwillbeforgotteninafewcenturies.Youcancreateamasterpieceofart,but inamillenniumor two,noonewillrememberthatyoucreatedit.

“Alifeisn’tsignificantexceptforitsimpactonotherlives.”—JACKIEROBINSON

No, our ability as leaders will not be measured by the buildings webuilt, the institutions we established, or what our team accomplishedduringour tenure.Youand Iwill be judgedbyhowwell thepeopleweinvested in carried on after we are gone. As baseball great JackieRobinsonobserved,“Alife isn’tsignificantexceptfor its impactonother

lives.” In theend,wewill be judgedaccording to theLawofLegacy.Aleader’slastingvalueismeasuredbysuccession.MayyouandIliveandleadaccordingtothatstandard.

ApplyingTHELAWOFLEGACY

ToYourLife

1. What do you want your legacy to be? If you are early in yourLeadershipjourney,Iwouldn’texpectyoutohavethedefinitiveanswertothatquestionyet.However,Istillthinkthereisvalueinyourconsideringwhatyouwantyourlifetostandfor.

Takesome time toconsider thebigpictureconcerningwhyyou lead.Thiswillnotbeaquickprocess.Theideaoflegacyiscloselyrelatedtoaperson’ssenseofpurposeinlife.Whyareyouhere?Whatgiftsandskillsdoyoupossessthatrelatetoyourhighestpotentialasahumanbeing?What unique opportunities do you possess based on your personalcircumstances and what’s happening in the world around you? Whomightyoubeabletoimpactandwhatmightyoubeabletoaccomplishasaleaderinyourlifetime?

2.Basedonyourideasyoudevelopedconcerningthelegacyyouwanttoleave,whatmustyouchangeinthewayyouconductyourselfsothatyou live that legacy?Write them out. Your list may include behavioralchanges, character development, education, working methods,relationshipbuildingstyle,andsoon.Onlybychangingthewayyoulivewillyoubeabletocreatethelegacyyouwanttoleave.

3.Inwhomwillyouinvesttocarryonyourlegacy?Ideally,youshouldpick people with greater potential than your own who will be able to“standonyourshoulders”anddomorethanyoudid.Begin investing inthemtoday.

CONCLUSION

EverythingRisesandFallsonLeadership

Well,thereyouhavethem—the21IrrefutableLawsofLeadership.Learnthem,takethemtoheart,andapplythemtoyourlife.Ifyoufollowthem,peoplewillfollowyou.I’vebeenteachingleadershipformorethanthirtyyears now, and during those years I’ve told the people I’ve trainedsomethingthatI’mnowgoingtosaytoyou:everythingrisesandfallsonleadership.Somepeopledon’tbelievemewhenIsaythat,but it’s true.The more you try to do in life, the more you will find that leadershipmakes the difference. Any endeavor you can undertake that involvesotherpeoplewillliveordiedependingontheleadership.Asyouworktobuild your organization, remember this: Personnel determine thepotentialoftheorganization.

Relationshipsdeterminethemoraleoftheorganization.

Structuredeterminesthesizeoftheorganization.

Visiondeterminesthedirectionoftheorganization.

Leadershipdeterminesthesuccessoftheorganization.

Now that you know the laws and understand them, share themwithyourteam.Andtaketimetoevaluateyourselfregardingeachofthelawsusing theevaluation toolon the followingpages.As Imentionedat thebeginning of this book, nobody does all the laws well. That’s why youneedtobuildateam.

I wish you great leadership success. Pursue your dreams. Strive forexcellence.Becomethepersonyouwerecreatedtobe.Andaccomplishall thatyouwereputon thisearth todo.Leadershipwillhelpyou todo

that. Learn to lead—not just for yourself but for the people who followyou.Andasyoureachthehighestlevels,don’tforgettotakeotherswithyoutobetheleadersoftomorrow.

APPENDIXA:

21LAWSLEADERSHIPEVALUATION

Read each statement below and score yourself for each, using thefollowingscale:0Never

1Rarely

2Occasionally

3Always

1.THELAWOFTHELID

LeadershipAbilityDeterminesaPerson’sLevelofEffectiveness

____a)Whenfacedwithachallenge,myfirstthoughtis,WhocanIenlisttohelp?notWhatcanIdo?

____b)Whenmyteam,department,ororganizationfailstoachieveanobjective,myfirstassumptionisthatit’ssomekindofleadershipissue.

____c)Ibelievethatdevelopingmyleadershipskillswillincreasemyeffectivenessdramatically.

____TOTAL

2.THELAWOFINFLUENCE

The True Measure of Leadership Is Influence—Nothing More, NothingLess

____a)IrelyoninfluenceratherthanonmypositionortitletogetotherstofollowmeordowhatIwant.

____b)Duringdiscussionsorbrainstormingsettings,peopleturntomeandaskformyadvice.

____c)Irelyonmyrelationshipswithothersratherthanorganizationalsystemsandprocedurestogetthingsdone.

____TOTAL

3.THELAWOFPROCESS

LeadershipDevelopsDaily,NotinaDay

____a)Ihaveaconcrete,specificplanforpersonalgrowththatIengageinweekly.

____b)IhavefoundexpertsandmentorsforkeyareasofmylifewithwhomIengageonaregularbasis.

____c)Topromotemyprofessionalgrowth,Ihavereadatleastsixbooks(ortakenatleastoneworthwhileclassorlistenedtotwelveormoreaudiolessons)peryearforthelastthreeyears.

____TOTAL

4.THELAWOFNAVIGATION

AnyoneCanSteertheShip,butItTakesaLeadertoCharttheCourse

____a)Ispotproblems,obstacles,andtrendsthatwillimpacttheoutcomeofinitiativestheorganizationputsintoplace.

____b)Icanclearlyseeapathwayfortheimplementationofavision,includingnotonlytheprocessbutalsothepeopleandresourcesneeded.

____c)Iamcalledupontoplaninitiativesfortheorganization.

____TOTAL

5.THELAWOFADDITION

LeadersAddValuebyServingOthers

____a)Ratherthanbeingannoyedwhenteammembershaveissuespreventingthemfromdoingtheirjobseffectively,Iseetheissuesasanopportunitytoserveandhelpthosepeople.

____b)IlookforwaystomakethingsbetterforthepeopleIlead.

____c)Ifindgreatpersonalsatisfactioninhelpingotherpeoplebecomemoresuccessful.

____TOTAL

6.THELAWOFSOLIDGROUND

TrustIstheFoundationofLeadership

____a)ThepeopleIleadconfideinmeregardingsensitiveissues.

____b)WhenItellsomeoneintheorganizationthatIwilldosomething,hecancountonmetofollowthrough.

____c)Iavoidunderminingothersortalkingbehindtheirbacks.

____TOTAL

7.THELAWOFRESPECT

PeopleNaturallyFollowLeadersStrongerThanThemselves

____a)Peoplearenaturallydrawntomeandoftenwanttodothingswithmejusttospendtimewithme.

____b)IgooutofmywaytoshowrespectandloyaltytothepeopleIlead.

____c)Imakecourageousdecisionsandtakepersonalrisksthatcouldbenefitmyfollowersevenifthereisnobenefittome.

____TOTAL

8.THELAWOFINTUITION

LeadersEvaluateEverythingwithaLeadershipBias

____a)Icaneasilygaugemorale,whetherinaroomfullofpeople,onateam,orinanorganization.

____b)IoftentaketherightactionasaleaderevenifIcannotexplainwhy.

____c)Icanreadsituationsandsensetrendswithouthavingtogatherhardevidence.

____TOTAL

9.THELAWOFMAGNETISM

WhoYouAreIsWhoYouAttract

____a)Iamsatisfiedwiththecaliberofpeoplewhoreporttome.

____b)IexpectthepeopleIattracttobesimilartomeinvalues,skills,andleadershipability.

____c)IrecognizethatnopersonnelprocesscanimprovethequalityofpeopleIrecruitcomparedtoimprovingmyself.

____TOTAL

10.THELAWOFCONNECTION

LeadersTouchaHeartBeforeTheyAskforaHand

____a)WhenIamnewtoaleadershipsituation,oneofthefirstthingsItrytodoistodevelopapersonalconnectionwiththeindividualsinvolved.

____b)Iknowthestories,hopes,anddreamsofthepeopleIlead.

____c)Iavoidaskingpeopletohelpaccomplishthevisionuntilwehavebuiltarelationshipthatgoesbeyondthenutsandboltsofourworktogether.

____TOTAL

11.THELAWOFTHEINNERCIRCLE

ALeader’sPotentialIsDeterminedbyThoseClosesttoHim

____a)Iamstrategicandhighlyselectiveaboutwhichpeopleareclosesttomepersonallyandprofessionally.

____b)Iregularlyrelyonsomekeypeopleinmylifetohelpaccomplishmygoals.

____c)Ibelievethat50percentormoreofthecreditformyaccomplishmentsgoestothepeopleonmyteam.

____TOTAL

12.THELAWOFEMPOWERMENT

OnlySecureLeadersGivePowertoOthers

____a)Iembracechangeeasilyandbecomedissatisfiedwiththestatusquo.

____b)Ibelievethatnomatterhowtalentedthepeoplewhoworkformeare,mypositionissecure.

____c)ItismyregularpracticetogivepeopleIleadtheauthoritytomakedecisionsandtakerisks.

____TOTAL

13.THELAWOFTHEPICTURE

PeopleDoWhatPeopleSee

____a)IfIobserveanundesirableactionorqualityinteammembers,Icheckforitinmyselffirstbeforeaddressingitwiththem.

____b)Iamcontinuallyworkingtotrytomakemyactionsandwordsconsistentwithoneanother.

____c)IdowhatIshouldratherthanwhatIwantbecauseIamconsciousthatIamsettinganexampleforothers.

____TOTAL

14.THELAWOFBUY-IN

PeopleBuyintotheLeader,ThentheVision

____a)Irecognizethatalackofcredibilitycanbeasharmfultoanorganizationasalackofvision.

____b)IwaituntilIseethatmostofthepeopleontheteamhaveconfidenceinmebeforeaskingforacommitmenttothevision.

____c)Evenwhenmyideasarenotverygood,mypeopletendtosidewithme.

____TOTAL

15.THELAWOFVICTORY

LeadersFindaWayfortheTeamtoWin

____a)WhenIleadateam,Ifeelultimateresponsibilityforwhetheritachievesitsgoals.

____b)Ifmembersofmyteamarenotunifiedintheireffortstoachievethevision,Itakeactiontogetthemonthesamepage.

____c)Imakepersonalsacrificestohelpensurevictoryformyteam,department,ororganization.

____TOTAL

16.THELAWOFTHEBIGMO

MomentumIsaLeader’sBestFriend

____a)Iamenthusiasticandmaintainapositiveattitudeeverydayforthesakeofmyteammembers.

____b)WheneverImakeamajorleadershipdecision,Iconsiderhow

thatdecisionwillimpactmomentuminmyteam,department,ororganization.

____c)Iinitiatespecificactionswiththepurposeofgeneratingmomentumwhenintroducingsomethingneworcontroversial.

____TOTAL

17.THELAWOFPRIORITIES

LeadersUnderstandThatActivityIsNotNecessarilyAccomplishment

____a)Iavoidtasksthatarenotrequiredbymyleadership,don’thaveatangiblereturn,ordon’trewardmepersonally.

____b)Isetasidetimedaily,monthly,andyearlytoplanmyupcomingscheduleandactivitiesbasedonmypriorities.

____c)Idelegateanytaskforwhichateammembercanbeatleast80percentaseffectiveasIcouldbe.

____TOTAL

18.THELAWOFSACRIFICE

ALeaderMustGiveUptoGoUp

____a)Iknowmakingtrade-offsisanaturalpartofleadershipgrowth,andImakesacrificestobecomeabetterleaderaslongastheydon’tviolatemyvalues.

____b)Iexpecttogivemorethanmyfollowersdoinordertoaccomplishthevision.

____c)Iwillgiveupmyrightsinordertoreachmypotentialasaleader.

____TOTAL

19.THELAWOFTIMING

WhentoLeadIsAsImportantAsWhattoDoandWheretoGo

____a)IexpendasmucheffortfiguringoutthetimingforaninitiaiveasIdofiguringoutthestrategy.

____b)Iwilllaunchsomethingusingaless-than-idealstrategybecauseIknowthetimingisright.

____c)Icansensewhetherornotpeoplearereadyforanidea.

____TOTAL

20.THELAWOFEXPLOSIVEGROWTH

ToAddGrowth,LeadFollowers—ToMultiply,LeadLeaders

____a)IbelievethatIcangrowmyorganizationmorerapidlybydevelopingleadersthanbyanyothermethod.

____b)Ispendasignificantamountoftimeeveryweekinvestinginthedevelopmentofthetop20percentofmyleaders.

____c)IwouldratherseeleadersIdevelopsucceedoutontheirownthankeepthemwithmesothatIcankeepmentoringthem.

____TOTAL

21.THELAWOFLEGACY

ALeader’sLastingValueIsMeasuredbySuccession

____a)IpossessastrongsenseofwhyIaminmyjobandwhyIamleading.

____b)IneachpositionI’veheld,Ihaveidentifiedpeoplewhocancarryonafterme,andIhaveinvestedinthem.

____c)OneofmystrongestmotivationsistoleaveanyteamIleadbetterthanIfoundit.

____TOTAL

Nowthatyouhavecompletedtheevaluation,examineeachlawandnoteyourstrengthsandweaknesses.Usethefollowingguidelinestohelpyouproceed.

8–9Thislawisinyourstrengthzone.Makethemostofthisskillandmentorothersinthisarea.

5–7Targetthislawforgrowth.Youhavepotentialtomakeitastrength.

0–4Thisisaweakness.Hirestaffwiththisstrengthorpartnerwithothersinthisarea.

APPENDIXB:

21LAWSGROWTHGUIDE

Formanyyears I havewrittenbooks toaddvalue topeople.Now thatyou and your team have completed the leadership evaluation, Iencourage you to use the following resources to enable you to leadyourselfandothersmoreefficiently.

1.THELAWOFTHELID

LeadershipAbilityDeterminesaPerson’sLevelofEffectiveness

The21IndispensableQualitiesofaLeader

TheRighttoLead

The360DegreeLeader—Value#2:“LeadersAreNeededatEveryLeveloftheOrganization”andValue#4:“GoodLeadersintheMiddleMakeBetterLeadersattheTop”

2.THELAWOFINFLUENCE

The True Measure of Leadership Is Influence—Nothing More, NothingLess

DevelopingtheLeaderWithinYou—Chapter1:“TheDefinitionofLeadership:Influence”

The360DegreeLeader—SectionI:“TheMythsofLeadingfromtheMiddleofanOrganization”andSectionII:“TheChallenges360DegreeLeadersFace”

WinningwithPeople

3.THELAWOFPROCESS

LeadershipDevelopsDaily,NotinaDay

TodayMatters

YourRoadMapforSuccess—Chapter5:“WhatShouldIPackinMySuitcase?”

The360DegreeLeader—Lead-UpPrinciple#9:“BeBetterTomorrowThanYouAreToday”

LeadershipPromisesforEveryDay

The21MostPowerfulMinutesinaLeader’sDay

4.THELAWOFNAVIGATION

AnyoneCanSteertheShip,butItTakesaLeadertoCharttheCourse

DevelopingtheLeaderWithinYou—Chapter5:“TheQuickestWaytoGainLeadership:Problem-Solving”

ThinkingforaChange—Skill2:“UnleashthePotentialofFocusedThinking”;Skill4:“RecognizetheImportanceofRealisticThinking”;Skill5:“ReleasethePowerofStrategicThinking”

BecomingaPersonofInfluence—Chapter7:“NavigatesforOtherPeople”

5.THELAWOFADDITION

LeadersAddValuebyServingOthers

TodayMatters—Chapter12:“Today’sGenerosityGivesMeSignificance”

ThinkingforaChange—Skill10:“ExperiencetheSatisfactionofUnselfishThinking”

BecomingaPersonofInfluence—Chapter2:“NurturesOtherPeople”

The360DegreeLeader—Lead-UpPrinciple#2:“LightenYourLeader’sLoad”;Lead-UpPrinciple#3:“BeWillingtoDoWhatOthersWon’t”;Lead-AcrossPrinciple#3:“BeaFriend”Lead-AcrossPrinciple#3:“LettheBestIdeaWin”

YourRoadMapforSuccess—Chapter8:“IsItaFamilyTrip?”andChapter9:“WhoElseShouldITakewithMe?”

6.THELAWOFSOLIDGROUND

TrustIstheFoundationofLeadership

DevelopingtheLeaderWithinYou—Chapter3:“TheMostImportantIngredientofLeadership:Integrity”

BecomingaPersonofInfluence—Chapter1:“IntegritywithPeople”

The360DegreeLeader—Lead-UpPrinciple#1:“LeadYourselfExceptionallyWell”

Ethics101

7.THELAWOFRESPECT

PeopleNaturallyFollowLeadersStrongerThanThemselves

ThinkingforaChange—Skill6:“FeeltheEnergyofPossibilityThinking”

YourRoadMapforSuccess—Chapter4:“HowDoIGetTherefromHere?”

WinningwithPeople

The360DegreeLeader

8.THELAWOFINTUITION

LeadersEvaluateEverythingwithaLeadershipBias

ThinkingforaChange—Skill8:“QuestiontheAcceptanceofPopularThinking”andSkill11:“EnjoytheReturnofBottom-LineThinking”

The360DegreeLeader

LeadershipGold(comingMarch2008)

9.THELAWOFMAGNETISM

WhoYouAreIsWhoYouAttract

TodayMatters—Chapter13:“Today’sValuesGiveMeDirection”

The360DegreeLeader—Lead-AcrossPrinciple#4:“AvoidOfficePolitics”

TalentIsNeverEnough

TheChoiceIsYours

10.THELAWOFCONNECTION

LeadersTouchaHeartBeforeTheyAskforaHand

25WaystoWinwithPeople

The360DegreeLeader—Lead-UpPrinciple#5:“InvestinRelationalChemistry”;Lead-AcrossPrinciple#1:“Understand,Practice,andCompletetheLeadershipLoop”;Lead-DownPrinciple#1:“WalkSlowlyThroughtheHalls”;Lead-DownPrinciple#2:“SeeEveryoneasa‘10’”

BecomingaPersonofInfluence—Chapter8:“ConnectswithPeople”

WinningwithPeople

11.THELAWOFTHEINNERCIRCLE

ALeader’sPotentialIsDeterminedbyThoseClosesttoHim

The17IndisputableLawsofTeamwork

The17EssentialQualitiesofaTeamPlayer

TeamworkMakestheDreamWork

The360DegreeLeader—Lead-DownPrinciple#4:“PlacePeopleinTheirStrengthZones”andLead-DownPrinciple#7:“RewardforResults”

12.THELAWOFEMPOWERMENT

OnlySecureLeadersGivePowertoOthers

FailingForward

The360DegreeLeader—Lead-AcrossPrinciple#7:“Don’tPretendYou’rePerfect”

WinningwithPeople—Section1:“AreWePreparedforRelationships?”

BecomingaPersonofInfluence—Chapter9:“EmpowersPeople”

ThinkingforaChange—Skill9:“EncouragetheParticipationofSharedThinking”

YourRoadMapforSuccess—Chapter6:“HowDoIHandletheDetours?”

TheDifferenceMaker

13.THELAWOFTHEPICTURE

PeopleDoWhatPeopleSee

The360DegreeLeader—Lead-DownPrinciple#5:“ModeltheBehaviorYouDesire”

DevelopingtheLeaderWithinYou—Chapter6:“TheExtraPlusinLeadership:Attitude”andChapter9:“ThePriceTagofLeadership:Self-Discipline”

YourRoadMapforSuccess—Chapter1:“TheJourneyIsMoreFunifYouKnowWhereYou’reGoing”andChapter2:“HowFarCanIGo?”

14.THELAWOFBUY-IN

PeopleBuyintotheLeader,ThentheVision

DevelopingtheLeaderWithinYou—Chapter8:“TheIndispensableQualityofLeadership:Vision”

YourRoadMapforSuccess—Chapter3:“HowDoIGetTherefromHere?”

25WaystoWinwithPeople

WinningwithPeople

15.THELAWOFVICTORY

LeadersFindaWayfortheTeamtoWin

The360DegreeLeader—Lead-UpPrinciple#8:“BecomeaGo-ToPlayer”

ThinkingforaChange—Skill1:“AcquiretheWisdomofBig-PictureThinking”andSkill3:“DiscovertheJoyofCreativeThinking”

TheDifferenceMaker

16.THELAWOFTHEBIGMO

MomentumIsaLeader’sBestFriend

DevelopingtheLeaderWithinYou—Chapter4:“TheUltimateTestofLeadership:CreatingPositiveChange”

The360DegreeLeader—Lead-UpPrinciple#4:“DoMoreThanManage—Lead!”andLead-UpPrinciple#8:“BecomeaGo-ToPlayer”

17.THELAWOFPRIORITIES

LeadersUnderstandThatActivityIsNotNecessarilyAccomplishment

DevelopingtheLeaderWithinYou—Chapter2:“TheKeytoLeadership:Priorities”

TodayMatters—Chapter4:“Today’sPrioritiesGiveMeFocus”

ThinkingforaChange—Chapter5:“UnleashthePotentialofFocused

Thinking”

The360DegreeLeader—Lead-UpPrinciple#1:“LeadYourselfExceptionallyWell”

18.THELAWOFSACRIFICE

ALeaderMustGiveUptoGoUp

DevelopingtheLeaderWithinYou—Chapter3:“TheMostImportantIngredientofLeadership:Integrity”

YourRoadMapforSuccess—Chapter7:“AreWeThereYet?”

TodayMatters—Chapter8:“Today’sCommitmentGivesMeTenacity”

Ethics101—Chapter5:“FiveFactorsThatCan‘Tarnish’theGoldenRule”

19.THELAWOFTIMING

WhentoLeadIsAsImportantAsWhattoDoandWheretoGo

The360DegreeLeader—Lead-UpPrinciple#6:“BePreparedEveryTimeYouTakeYourLeader’sTime”andLead-UpPrinciple#7:“KnowWhentoPushandWhentoBackOff”

ThinkingforaChange—Chapter3:“MastertheProcessofIntentionalThinking”andSkill10:“EmbracetheLessonsofReflectiveThinking”

20.THELAWOFEXPLOSIVEGROWTH

ToAddGrowth,LeadFollowers—ToMultiply,LeadLeaders

DevelopingtheLeaderWithinYou—Chapter10:“TheMostImportant

LessonofLeadership:StaffDevelopment”

DevelopingtheLeadersAroundYou

YourRoadMapforSuccess—Chapter10:“WhatShouldWeDoAlongtheWay?”

BecomingaPersonofInfluence—Chapter10:“ReproducesOtherInfluencers”

The360DegreeLeader—Lead-DownPrinciple#3:“DevelopEachTeamMemberasaPerson”;SpecialSection:“CreateanEnvironmentThatUnleashes360DegreeLeaders”;SectionVI:“TheValueof360DegreeLeaders”

21.THELAWOFLEGACY

ALeader’sLastingValueIsMeasuredbySuccession

TheJourneyfromSuccesstoSignificance

BecomingaPersonofInfluence—Chapter6:“EnlargesPeople”The360DegreeLeader—Lead-DownPrinciple#6:“TransfertheVision”

DaretoDream...ThenDoIt

NOTES

1.THELAWOFTHELID1. McDonald’s Canada, “FAQs,” http://www.mcdonalds.ca/en/aboutus/faq.aspx (accessedAugust8,2006).

2.THELAWOFINFLUENCE1.PeggyNoonan,Time,September15,1997.

2.ThomasA.Stewart,“BrainPower:WhoOwnsIt...HowTheyProfitfromIt,”Fortune,March17,1997,105–6.

3.PaulF.BollerJr.,PresidentialAnecdotes(NewYork:PenguinBooks,1981),129.

3.THELAWOFPROCESS1.SharonE.Epperson,“DeathandtheMaven,”Time,December18,1995.

2. James K. Glassman, “An Old Lady’s Lesson: Patience Usually Pays,”Washington Post,December17,1995,H01.

3.“TheChamp,”Reader’sDigest,January1972,109.

4.MiltonMeltzer,TheodoreRooseveltandHisAmerica(NewYork:FranklinWatts,1994).

4.THELAWOFNAVIGATION1.Forbes.

2.JohnC.Maxwell,ThinkingforaChange:11WaysHighlySuccessfulPeopleApproachLifeandWork(NewYork:WarnerBooks,2003),177–80.

3. JimCollins,Good toGreat:WhySomeCompaniesMake theLeap . . . andOthersDon’t(NewYork:HarperBusiness,2001),86.

5.THELAWOFADDITION1. Julie Schmit, “CostoWins Loyaltywith BulkyMargins,”USAToday, September 24, 2004,http://www.keepmedia.com/pubs/USATODAY/2004/09/24/586747?extID= 10032&oliID=213(accessedAugust24,2006).

2.AlanB.GoldbergandBillRitter, “CostcoCEOFindsPro-WorkerMeansProfitability,”ABCNews, August 2, 2006, http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Business/ story?id=1362779 (accessedAugust16,2006).

3.BarbaraMackoffandGaryWenet,TheInnerWorkofLeaders:LeadershipasaHabitofMind(NewYork:AMACOM,2001),5.

4. Steven Greenhouse, “How Costco Became the Anti-WalMart,”NewYork Times, July 17,2005,http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article(accessedAugust22,2006).

5.GoldbergandRitter,“CostcoCEOFindsPro-WorkerMeansProfitability.”

6.Greenhouse,“HowCostcoBecametheAnti-Wal-Mart.”

7.Matthew25:31–40(TheMessage).

8.DanCathy,Exchange[conference],November2,2005.

6.THELAWOFSOLIDGROUND1.RobertShaw,“ToughTrust,”LeadertoLeader,Winter1997,46–54.

2.Russell Duncan,Blue-EyedChild of Fortune (Athens:University ofGeorgia Press, 1992),52–54.

3.Robert S.McNamarawithBrianVanDeMark, InRetrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons ofVietnam(NewYork:TimesBooks,1995).

7.THELAWOFRESPECT1.M.W.Taylor,HarrietTubman(NewYork:ChelseaHousePublishers,1991).

2. Careers By the People, “Principal,” http://www.careersbythepeople.com/index/do/bio/(accessedAugust31,2006).

3. NCAA, http://www.ncaa.org/stats/m_basketball/coaching/d1_500_coaching_records.pdf(accessedAugust31,2006).

4.AlexanderWolff,“TalesOutofSchool,”SportsIllustrated,October20,1997,64.

5.MitchellKrugel,Jordan:TheMan,HisWords,HisLife(NewYork:St.Martin’sPress,1994),39.

8.THELAWOFINTUITION1.CathyBooth,“Steve’sJob:RestartApple,”Time,August18,1997,28–34.

2. Leander Kahney, “Inside Look at Birth of the iPod,” Wired, July 21, 2004,http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,64286-1.htm(accessedSeptember1,2006).

3. Ana Letícia Sigvartsen, “Apple Might Have to Share iPod Profits,” InfoSatellite, March 8,2005,http://www.infosatellite.com/news/2005/03/a080305ipod.html(accessedApril6,2006).

4. BBC News,“iPod Helps Apple Quadruple Profit,” December 10, 2005,http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk(accessedSeptember1,2006).

10.THELAWOFCONNECTION1. CBC News Canada, “Bush Visits ‘Ground Zero’ in New York,” September 15, 2001,http://www.cbc.ca/story/news/?/news/2001/09/14/bushnyc_010914 (accessed September 11,2006).

2.SherylGayStolberg,“YearAfterKatrina,BushStillFightsfor9/11Image,”NewYorkTimes,August 28, 2006, http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/28/us/nationalspecial/ 28bush.html(accessedSeptember12,2006).

3.H.NormanSchwarzkopf,“LessonsinLeadership,”vol.12,no.5.

4.H.NormanSchwarzkopfandPeterPetre,ItDoesn’tTakeaHero(NewYork:BantamBooks,1992).

5. Kevin and Jackie Freiberg, Nuts! Southwest Airlines’ Crazy Recipe for Business andPersonalSuccess(NewYork:BroadwayBooks,1996),224.

11.THELAWOFTHEINNERCIRCLE1. Michael Specter, “The Long Ride: How Did Lance Armstrong Manage the GreatestComeback in Sports History?” New Yorker, July 15, 2002, http://www.newyorker.com/

printables/fact/020715fa_fact1(accessedSeptember15,2006).

2. Dan Osipow, “Armstrong: ‘I’m More Motivated Than Ever,’” Pro Cycling, June 23, 2005,http://team.discovery.com/news/062205tourteam_print.html(accessedSeptember15,2006).

3.DiscoveryChannelProCyclingTeam, “CyclingFAQ: LearnMoreAbout TeamDiscovery,”http://team.discovery.com/index.html?path=tabs3(accessedSeptember15,2006).

4. LawrenceMiller,American Spirit: Visions of a NewCorporate Culture (NewYork:WarnerBooks,1985).

5. Warren Bennis, Organizing Genius: The Secrets of Creative Collaboration (New York:PerseusBooks,1998).

6.Proverbs27:17CEV.

7.JudithM.Bardwick,InPraiseofGoodBusiness(NewYork:JohnWileyandSons,1988).

12.THELAWOFEMPOWERMENT1.PeterCollierandDavidHorowitz,TheFords:AnAmericanEpic(NewYork:SummitBooks,1987).

2. Lee Iacocca and William Novak, Iacocca: An Autobiography (New York: Bantam Books,1984).

3. Lynne Joy McFarland, Larry E. Senn, and John R. Childress, 21st CenturyLeadership:Dialogueswith100TopLeaders(LosAngeles:LeadershipPress,1993),64.

4.BenjaminP.Thomas,AbrahamLincoln:ABiography(NewYork:ModernLibrary,1968),235.

5.RichardWheeler,WitnesstoGettysburg(NewYork:HarperandRow,1987).

6.DonaldT.Phillips,LincolnonLeadership:ExecutiveStrategiesforToughTimes(NewYork:WarnerBooks,1992),103–4.

13.THELAWOFTHEPICTURE1.StephenE.Ambrose,BandofBrothers(NewYork:SimonandSchuster,2001),36.

2.DickWinterswithColeC.Kingseed,BeyondBandofBrothers:TheWarMemoirsofMajorDickWinters(NewYork:Penguin,2006),frontflapcopy.

3.Ambrose,BandofBrothers,38.

4.Ibid.,95–96.

5.Winters,BeyondBandofBrothers,283.

6.About.com:U.S.Military, “HistorianStephenE.Ambrose,AuthorofBandofBrothers:TheStory of Easy Company,” http://usmilitary.about.com/library/milinfo/bandofbrothers/blbbambrose.htm(accessedSeptember26,2006).

7. Author unknown, quoted in John Wooden with Steve Johnson,Wooden: A Lifetime ofObservationsandReflectionsOnandOfftheCourt(Chicago:ContemporaryBooks,1997).

8.AjilonOffice,“TroubleFindingthePerfectGiftforYourBoss—HowAboutaLittleRespect?”October 14, 2003, http://www.ajilonoffice.com/articles/ af_bossday_101403.asp (accessedSeptember25,2006).

9.RudolphW.GuilianiwithKenKurson,Leadership(NewYork:MiramaxBooks,2002),37.

10.Ibid.,209.

11.Ibid.,70.

12.Ibid.,xiv.

14.THELAWOFBUY-IN1.OtisPort,“LoveAmongtheDigerati,”BusinessWeek,August25,1997,102.

15.THELAWOFVICTORY1.JamesC.Humes,TheWitandWisdomofWinstonChurchill (NewYork:HarperPerennial,1994),114.

2.Ibid.,117.

3.ArthurSchlesingerJr.,“FranklinDelanoRoosevelt,”Time,April13,1998.

4.AndreBrink,“NelsonMandela,”Time,April13,1998.

5.MitchellKrugel,Jordan:TheMan,HisWords,HisLife(NewYork:St.Martin’sPress,1994),41.

6. Southwest Airlines, “Southwest Airlines Fact Sheet,” http://www.southwest.com/about_swa/press/factsheet.html#Fun%20Facts(accessedOctober19,2006).

7.Freiberg,Nuts!SouthwestAirlines’CrazyRecipeforBusinessandPersonalSuccess.

8.SouthwestAirlines,“SouthwestAirlinesFactSheet.”

9. Southwest Airlines, Annual Report 2005, http://www.southwest.com/

investor_relations/swaar05.pdf (accessed October 20, 2006). [Stockholders’ equity and totalassetsarefrom2005,thelatestavailable.]

10.Freiberg,Nuts!SouthwestAirlines’CrazyRecipeforBusinessandPersonalSuccess.

16.THELAWOFTHEBIGMO1. Guardian Unlimited, “Regus London Film Festival Interviews 2001: John Lasseter,”November 19, 2001, http://film.guardian.co.uk/lff2001/news/0,,604666,00.html (accessedOctober25,2006).

2.CatherineCrane,WillJohnson,andKittyNeumark,“Pixar1996”(casestudy),UniversityofMichigan Business School, http://www-personal.umich.edu/ ~afuah/cases/case14.html(accessedOctober27,2006).

3. Brent Schlender, “Pixar’s Magic Man,” Fortune, May 17, 2006,http://cnnmoney.printthis.clickability.com(accessedOctober24,2006).

4. Michael P. McHugh, “An Interview with Edwin Catmull,” Networker, September/ October1997, http://was.usc.edu/isd/publications/archives/networker/ 97-98/Sep_Oct_97 (accessedOctober26,2006).

5.Crane,Johnson,andNeumark,“Pixar1996.”

6. Pixar, “PixarHistory: 1995,” http://www.pixar.com/companyinfo/history/1995.html (accessedOctober30,2006).

7. Austin Bunn, “Welcome to Planet Pixar,” Wired, http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.06/pixar_pr.html(accessedOctober25,2006).

8. IMDb, “AllTime Worldwide Boxoffice,” http://www.imdb.com/boxoffice/ alltimegross?region=world-wide(accessedOctober30,2006).[FiguresasofOctober23,2006.]

9. Claudia Eller, “Disney’s Low-Key Superhero,” Los Angeles Times, June 12, 2006,http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/1057182661.html?dids=1057182661:1057182661&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+12%2C+2006&author=Claudia+Eller&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=The+Nation(accessedOctober26,2006).

10.JayMathews,Escalante:TheBestTeacherinAmerica(NewYork:HenryHolt,1988).

17.THELAWOFPRIORITIES1. JanetC. Lowe,JackWelch Speaks:Wisdom from theWorld’sGreatest Business Leader(NewYork:JohnWileyandSons,1998),110.

2.JohnWoodenandJackTobin,TheyCallMeCoach(Chicago:ContemporaryBooks,1988).

18.THELAWOFSACRIFICE1. King Encyclopedia, “Montgomery Improvement Association,” http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/about_king/encyclopedia/MIA.html(accessedNovember8,2006).

2. The King Center, “Chronology of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,”http://www.thekingcenter.org/mlk/chronology.html(accessedNovember8,2006).

3.DavidWallechinsky,TheTwentiethCentury(Boston:Little,BrownandCompany,1995),155.

4.HillaryMargolis,“AWholeNewSetofGlitchesforDigital’sRobertPalmer,”Fortune,August19,1996,193–94.

5.AntoniaFelix,Condi:TheCondoleezzaRiceStory(NewYork:NewmarketPress,2005),48.

6.Ibid.,34.

7.Ibid.,67.

8.Ibid.,72.

9.Ibid.,127.

10.Ibid.,152–53.

19.THELAWOFTIMING1. David Oshinsky, “Hell and High Water,” New York Times, July 9, 2006,http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/09/books/review/09oshi.html?ei=5088&en=4676642ee3fc7078&ex=1310097600&adxnnl=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1162847220-jiFf9bMhfwwKfuiWDA/Nrg(accessedNovember6,2006).

2.CNN, “NewOrleansMayor,LouisianaGovernorHoldPressConference” (transcript),airedAugust28,2005,10:00a.m.ET,http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0508/28/bn.04.html(accessedNovember6,2006).

3. Jonathan S. Landay, Alison Young, and Shannon McCaffrey, “Chertoff Delayed FederalResponse, Memo Shows,” McClatchy Washington Bureau, September 13, 2005,http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/12637172.htm(accessedNovember2,2006).

4. CNN, “Red Cross: State Rebuffed Relief Efforts: Aid Organization Never Got into NewOrleans, Officials say,” September 9, 2005, http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/08/katrina.redcross/index.html(accessedNovember2,2006).

5. Madeline Vann, “Search and Rescue,” Tulanian (Summer 2006),http://www2.tulane.edu/article_news_details.cfm?ArticleID=6752 (accessed November 7,2006).

6. Answers.com, “Hurricane Katrina,” http://www.answers.com/topic/hurricane-katrina(accessedNovember7,2006).

7.ColemanWarnerandRobertTravisScott,“WhereTheyDied,”TimesPicayune,October23,2005, http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/timespicayune/access/ 915268571.html?dids=915268571:915268571&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Oct+23%2C+2005&author=Coleman+Warner+and+Robert+Travis+Scott+Staff+writers&pub=Times+-+Picayune&edition=&startpage=01&desc=WHERE+THEY+DIED+(accessedNovember7,2006).

8. Douglas Southall Freeman, Lee: An Abridgement in One Volume (New York: CharlesScribner’sSons,1961),319.

9.SamuelP.Bates,TheBattleofGettysburg(Philadelphia:T.H.DavisandCompany,1875),198–99.

10.Ibid.

11.RichardWheeler,WitnesstoGettysburg(NewYork:HarperandRow,1987).

21.THELAWOFLEGACY1.GrenvilleKleiser,Training forPowerandLeadership (GardenCity,NewYork:GardenCityPublishing,1929).

2.Q&ASessionwithTruettCathyandDanCathy,Exchange[conference],November2,2005.

ANEXCERPTFROMLEADERSHIPGOLD

Introduction

SEARCHINGFORGOLD

IconfessI’vewantedtowritethisbookforalmostadecade.Inaway,I’vebeenworkingonitformostofmylife.ButIpromisedmyselfthatIwouldnotsitdownandwriteituntilIturnedsixty.InFebruaryof2007,Ireachedthatmilestoneandbeganwriting.

I’vehada remarkableand rewarding journeyasa leader. In1964attheageofseventeen,IstartedreadingandfilingthoughtsonthesubjectofleadershipbecauseIknewleadingwasgoingtobeanimportantpartofmy career. At age twenty-two, I heldmy first leadership position. In1976 Ibecameconvinced thateverything risesand fallson leadership.Thatbeliefwasaccompaniedbyapassion tobea lifelongstudentandteacherofthisvitalsubject.

Learningtoleadeffectivelyhasbeenarealchallenge.Teachingotherstoleadeffectivelyhasbeenanevengreaterone.Duringthelate1970sIpoured myself into training and raising up potential leaders. To mydelight, I discovered that leaders could be developed. That eventuallyprompted me to write my first leadership book in 1992, entitledDeveloping the Leader Within You. Since then I have written manyothers.Formorethanthirtyyears,leadingandteachingleadershiphavebeenmylife’swork.

ADDINGVALUETOYOURLEADERSHIP

Thisbook isa resultof yearsof living ina leadershipenvironmentandlearningthroughtrialanderrorwhatitmeanstobealeader.ThelessonsI’velearnedarepersonalandoftensimple,yettheycanhaveaprofoundimpact.Ihavespentmyentirelifeminingthem.Ithinkofeachchapterasagoldnugget.Inthehandsoftherightperson,theycanaddtremendousvaluetotheirleadership.

Asyoureadeachchapter,pleaseunderstandthat...

1.I’mstilllearningaboutleadership.Ihaven’tarrived,andthisbookisnotmy final answer on the subject of leadership.Within weeks of thisbook’s publication, there will be thoughts I wish I could add. Why?Because I continue to learnandgrow. Ihope tokeepgrowinguntil thedayIdie.IexpecttokeepdiscoveringnuggetsthatIwanttosharewithothers.

2.Manypeoplehavecontributedtotheleadershipgoldinthisbook.

Oneofthechaptersinthisbookisentitled,“FewLeadersAreSuccessfulUnlessaLotofPeopleWantThemtoBe.”Thathascertainlybeentrueforme.It’ssaidthatawisepersonlearnsfromhismistakes.Awiseronelearns from others’ mistakes. But the wisest person of all learns fromothers’successes.TodayIstandontheshouldersofmanyleaderswhohaveaddedgreatvalue tomy life.Tomorrow Ihopeyouwillbeable tostandonmyshoulders.

3. What I’m teaching can be learned by nearly anyone. GreekphilosopherPlatosaid,“Thegreaterpartofinstructionisbeingremindedof things you already know.” That’s what the best learning is. As anauthorandteacher,whatI trytodoishelppeopletrulyunderstandinanewandclearwaysomethingthattheyhavelongsensedintuitively.Itrytocreate“ahamoments.”

Though I have livedmy life in leadership bymoving forward, I havebegun to better understand it by looking backward.Nowat age sixty, Iwant to share with you the most important lessons I’ve learned as aleader. This book ismy attempt to take the leadership gold I’veminedthrough painful trial and error and put it on the “lowest shelf ” so thatinexperiencedaswellasexperiencedleaderscanhaveaccesstoit.Youdon’t have to be an expert to understand what I’m teaching, and youdon’thavetobeaCEOtoapply it. IneverwantanyonewhoreadsmybookstobelikePeanuts’CharlieBrown,whoadmiredasandcastlehehadcreatedonthebeachonlytohaveitleveledbyhugeadownpour.Ashe looked at the smooth place where his artwork had once stood, hesaid,“Theremustbealessonhere,butIdon’tknowwhatitis.”Mygoal

isn’ttoimpressyou.It’stobeafriendwhohelpsyou.

4.MuchoftheleadershipgoldI’msharingisaresultofleadershipmistakesImade.Someof the things I’ve learnedwereverypainful tomeat the time. Icanstill feel thestingas Ipass themon toyou. IamremindedofhowoftenIhavemademistakes.Yet,IamalsoencouragedbecauseI’mgladtorecognizethatIamwisertodaythanIwasinyearspast.

Poet Archibald MacLeish remarked, “There’s only one thing morepainful than learning from experience, and that is not learning fromexperience.”ToooftenIseepeoplemakeamistakeandstubbornlyplowahead only to end up repeating the samemistake.With great resolvetheysaytothemselves,“Tryandtryagain!”Howmuchbetteritwouldbeto,“Try,thenstop,think,change,andthentryagain.”

5. Your ability to become a better leader depends on how yourespond.

Readingabookisneverenoughtomakeadifferenceinyourlife.Whathasthepotentialtomakeyoubetterisyourresponse.Pleasedon’ttakeshort-cuts with this book. Hammer every gold nugget into somethinguseful that canhelp youbecomeabetter leader.Don’t be like theboyplaying chess with his grandfather, who cried, “Oh no! Not again!Grandpa,youalwayswin!”

“Whatdoyouwantmetodo,”repliedtheoldman,“loseonpurpose?Youwon’tlearnanythingifIdothat.”

Theboyresponded,“Idon’twanttolearnanything.Ijustwanttowin!”

Wanting to win isn’t enough. You have to go through a process toimprove.Thattakespatience,perseverance,andintentionality.WilliamA.Wardsaid,“Committingagreattruthtomemoryisadmirable;commit-tingittoalifeiswisdom.”

Isuggest thatyoukeepthisbookasyourcompanionforasignificantamount of time so that it becomes a part of your life. Author and

professorPeterSenge defines learning as “a process that occurs overtime and always integrates thinking and doing.” He goes on to say,“Learningishighlycontextual...Ithappensinthecontextofsomethingmeaningfulandwhenthelearneristakingaction.”

Ifyouareanemergingleader,Irecommendthatyouspendtwenty-sixweeksworkingyourwaythroughthebook—oneweekforeverychapter.Readthechapterandthentakethetimetofollowtheinstructionsinthatchapter’sapplicationsection. Ifyou take time to leteach lessonsink inand then flesh itoutby takingactionbeforegoingon to thenextone, Ibelievethatintimeyouwillbeamazedbythepositivechangesthatoccurinyourleadership.

If you are a more experienced leader, take fifty-two weeks. Whylonger?Becauseafteryouhaveworkedyourwaythroughachapter,youshouldspendaweektakingpeopleyouarementoringthroughthatsamechapter.

Bytheendoftheyear,notonlywillyouhavegrown,butyouwillhavehelpedemergingleadersinyourorganizationtogotothenextlevel!

LEADERSHIPMAKESADIFFERENCE

Why should you go through all this trouble to learn more aboutLeadership?For thatmatter,whyhave Iworkedsohard to learnaboutleadership and mine gold nuggets for forty years? Because goodleadership alwaysmakes a difference! I’ve seenwhat good leadershipcando. I’veseen it turnaroundorganizationsandpositively impact thelivesofthousandsofindividuals.True,leadershipisnoteasytolearn,butwhatworthwhilethingis?Becomingabetterleaderpaysdividends,butittakes great effort. Leadership requires a lot from a person. It isdemandingandcomplex.Here’swhatImean...

Leadershipisthecouragetoputoneselfatrisk.

Leadershipisthepassiontomakeadifferencewithothers.

Leadershipisbeingdissatisfiedwiththecurrentreality.

Leadershipistakingresponsibilitywhileothersaremakingexcuses.

Leadership is seeing the possibilities in a situation while others areseeingthelimitations.

Leadershipisthewillingnesstostandoutinacrowd.

Leadershipisanopenmindandanopenheart.

Leadership is the ability to submerge your ego for the sake ofwhat isbest.

Leadershipisevokinginothersthecapacitytodream.

Leadershipisinspiringotherswithavisionofwhattheycancontribute.

Leadershipisthepoweroftheonemademanyandthemanymadeone.

Leadershipisyourheartspeakingtotheheartsofothers.

Leadershipistheintegrationofheart,head,andsoul.

Leadership is the capacity to care, and in caring, to liberate the ideas,energy,andcapacitiesofothers.

Leadershipisthedreammadereality.

If these leadership thoughts quicken your pulse and stir your heart,then learningmoreabout leadershipwillmakeadifference in you,andyouwillmakeadifferenceinthelivesofothers.Turnthepage,andlet’sgetstarted.

Chapter1

IFIT’SLONELYATTHETOP,YOU’RENOTDOINGSOMETHINGRIGHT

Myfather’sgenerationbelievedthatleadersshouldnevergettooclosetothe people they lead. “Keep a distance,” was a phrase I often heard.Good leadersweresupposed tobea littleaboveandapart from thosetheyled.Asaresult,whenIbeganmyleadershipjourney,Imadesuretokeep some distance between me and my people. I tried to be closeenoughtoleadthembutfarenoughawaytonotbeinfluencedbythem.

This balancing act immediately created a lot of inner conflict forme.Honestly,IlikedbeingclosetothepeopleIled.PlusIfeltthatoneofmystrengths wasmy ability to connect with people. Both of these factorscausedmetofighttheinstructionIhadreceivedtokeepadistance.Andsure enough, within a few months of accepting my first leadershipposition,mywifeMargaretandIbegandevelopingclosefriendships.Wewereenjoyingourworkandthepeopleintheorganization.

Likemanyleadersearlyintheircareer,IknewthatIwouldnotstayinthisfirst jobforever.Itwasagoodexperience,butIwassoonreadyforbigger challenges. After three years, I resigned to accept a position inLancaster,Ohio.I’llneverforgettheresponseofmostpeoplewhentheyrealizedwewereleaving:“Howwouldyoudothisafterallwehavedonetogether?”Manypeople tookmydeparturepersonally. I couldsee theyfelthurt.Thatreallybotheredme.

Instantly, the words of older leaders rang inmy ears: “Don’t get tooclosetoyourpeople.”AsIleftthatassignmenttotakemynextleadershipposition,Ipromisedmyselftokeeppeoplefromgettingtooclosetome.

THISTIMEIT’SPERSONAL

Inmysecondposition,forthefirsttimeinmyleadershipjourney,Icouldemploy staff to help me. One youngman showed great promise, so Ihired him and began pouring my life into him. I soon discovered thattraininganddevelopingpeoplewasbothastrengthandajoy.

ThisstaffmemberandIdideverythingtogether.Oneofthebestwaystotrainothersistoletthemaccompanyyou,observewhatyoudo,givethemsometraining,andthenletthemmakeanattemptatdoingit.That’swhatwedid.Itwasmyfirstexperienceinmentoring.

Ithoughteverythingwasgoinggreat.ThenonedayIfoundoutthathehadtakensomesensitiveinformationIhadsharedwithhimandviolatedmyconfidencebytellingothersabout it. Itnotonlyhurtmeasaleader,but italsohurtmepersonally. I feltbetrayed.Needless tosay, I lethimgo.Andonceagain, thewordsofmoreexperiencedleadersranginmyears:“Don’tgettooclosetoyourpeople.”

This time I had learnedmy lesson. I onceagain determined to keepspacebetweenmeandeveryonearoundme.Iwouldhirestafftodotheirjob.AndIwoulddomyjob.AndwewouldonlygettogetherattheannualChristmasparty!

ForsixmonthsImanagedtomaintainthisprofessionalseparation.Butthen one day I realized that keeping everyone at a distance was adouble-edged sword. The good news was that if I kept people at adistance,nobodywouldeverhurtme.Butthebadnewswasthatnoonewould ever be able to helpme either. So at age twenty-five, Imade adecision:Asa leader, Iwould “walk slowly through thecrowd.” Iwouldtakethetime—andtherisk—ofgettingclosetopeopleand letting themgetclose tome. Iwouldvow to lovepeoplebefore trying to lead them.Thischoicewouldattimesmakemevulnerable.Iwouldgethurt.Yetthecloserelationshipswouldallowmetohelpothersaswellasbehelpedbythem.Thatdecisionhaschangedmylifeandmyleadership.

LONELINESSISNOTALEADERSHIPISSUE

TodayIrealizethatlonelinessisnotapositionalissue;itisapersonalityissue. Being at the top doesn’t mean you have to be lonely. I’ve metlonelypeopleatthebottom,ontop,andinthemiddle.There’sacartoonin which an executive is shown sitting forlornly behind a huge desk.Standing meekly on the other side of the desk is a man dressed incoveralls,whosays, “If it’sanycomfort toyou, it’s lonelyat thebottomtoo.”

Tomany people, the leader’s image is that of an individual standingalone at the top of the mountain, looking down on his people. He’sseparated, isolated,and lonely.Thus thesaying, “It’s lonelyat the top.”But Iwouldarguethat thephrasewasnevermadebyagreat leader. Ifyouare leadingothers and you’re lonely, then you’re not doing it right.Think about it. If you’re all alone, thatmeans nobody is following you.Andifnobodyisfollowingyou,you’renotreallyleading!

Lonelinessisnotapositionalissue;itisapersonalityissue.

What kind of a leader would leave everyone behind and take thejourney alone? A selfish one. Taking people to the top is what goodleaders do. Lifting people to a new level is a requirement for effectiveleadership. That’s hard to do if you get too far from your people—becauseyoucannolongersensetheirneeds,knowtheirdreams,orfeeltheirheartbeat.Besides, if thingsaren’tgettingbetter for thepeopleastheresultoftheleader’sefforts,thentheyneedadifferentleader.

TRUTHSABOUTTHETOP

Becausethisleadershipissuehasbeensopersonaltome,I’vegivenitalotofthoughtovertheyears.Herearesomethingsyouneedtoknow.

NOONEEVERGOTTOTHETOPALONE

Few leadersaresuccessfulunlessa lotofpeoplewant themtobe.Noleadersaresuccessfulwithoutafewpeoplehelpingthem.Sadly,assoonas some leaders arrive at the top, they spend their time trying to pushothersoffthetop.Theyplaykingofthehillbecauseoftheirinsecurityor

competitiveness.Thatmayworkforatime,butitusuallywon’tlastlong.When your goal is to knock others down, you spend toomuch of yourtimeandenergywatchingoutforpeoplewhowoulddothesametoyou.Instead,whynotgiveothersahandupandaskthemtojoinyou?

Takingpeopletothetopiswhatgoodleadersdo.

MAKINGITTOTHETOPISESSENTIALTOTAKINGOTHERSTOTHETOP

Therearea lotofpeople in theworldwhoarewilling togiveadviceonthingsthey’veneverexperienced.Theyarelikebadtravelagents:Theysellyouanexpensiveticketandsay,“Ihopeyouenjoythetrip.”Thenyounever see them again. In contrast, good leaders are like tour guides.Theyknowthe territorybecause they’vemade the tripbefore,and theydo what they can to make the trip enjoyable and successful foreverybody.

Aleader’scredibilitybeginswithpersonalsuccess.Itendswithhelpingothers achieve personal success. To gain credibility, you mustconsistentlydemonstratethreethings:

Initiative—Youhavetogetuptogoup.

Sacrifice—Youhavetogiveuptogoup.

Maturity—Youhavetogrowuptogoup.

Ifyoushowtheway,peoplewillwanttofollowyou.Thehigheryougo,thegreaterthenumberofpeoplewhowillbewillingtotravelwithyou.

TAKINGPEOPLETOTHETOPISMOREFULFILLINGTHANARRIVINGALONE.

AfewyearsagoIhadtheprivilegeofspeakingonthesamestageasJimWhittaker, the firstAmerican toclimbMt.Everest.During lunch Iaskedhimwhathadgivenhim themost fulfillmentasamountainclimber.His

answersurprisedme.

“IhavehelpedmorepeoplegettothetopofMt.Everestthananyotherperson,”hereplied.“Takingpeopletothetopwhocouldnevergettherewithoutmyassistanceismygreatestaccomplishment.”

Aleader’scredibilitybeginswithpersonalsuccess.Itendswithhelpingothersachievepersonalsuccess

Evidentlythisisacommonwayofthinkingforgreatmountainguides.Years ago I saw an interviewwith a guide on60Minutes. People haddied while attempting to climbMt. Everest, and a surviving guide wasasked, “Would theguideshavedied if theywerenot takingotherswiththemtothetop?”

“No,”heanswered,“but thepurposeof theguide is to takepeopletothetop.”

Thentheinterviewerasked,“Whydomountainclimbersrisktheirlivestoclimbmountains?”

Theguide responded, “It isobvious that youhaveneverbeen to thetopofthemountain.”

Irememberthinkingtomyselfthatmountainguidesandleadershavealotincommon.Thepurposeofleadershipistotakeotherstothetop.Andwhenyoutakeotherswhomightnotmakeitotherwisetothetop,there’sno other feeling like it in the world. To those who have never had theexperience,youcan’texplainit.Tothosewhohave,youdon’tneedto.

RetiredarmygeneralNormanSchwarzkopfremarked,“Youcan’thelpsomeone up a hill without getting closer to the top yourself.” Thedifference between a boss and a leader is that a boss says, “Go.” Aleadersays,“Let’sgo.”

MUCHOFTHETIMELEADERSARENOTATTHETOP

Leaders rarely remain stationary. They are constantly on the move.

Sometimes they are going down the mountain to find new potentialleaders.Atothertimestheyaretryingtomaketheclimbwithagroupofpeople. The best ones spendmuch of their time serving other leadersandliftingthemup.

“Youcan’thelpsomeoneupahillwithoutgettingclosertothetopyourself.”–NORMANSCHWARZKOPF

Jules Ormont said, “A great leader never sets himself above hisfollowers except in carrying responsibilities.”Good leaderswho remainconnected with their people stoop—that’s the only way to reach downandpullothersup. If youwant tobe thebest leaderyoucanbe,don’tallow insecurity,pettiness,or jealousy tokeepyou fromreachingout toothers.

ADVICETOLONELYLEADERS

If you find yourself too far from your people—either by accident or bydesign—thenyouneedtochange.True,therewillberisks.Youmayhurtothersorbehurtyourself.Butifyouwanttobethemosteffectiveleaderyoucanbe,thereisnoviablealternative.Here’showtogetstarted:

1.AVOIDPOSITIONALTHINKING

Leadership is relational as much as it is positional. An individual whotakesa relationalapproach to leadershipwill neverbe lonely.The timespent inbuildingrelationshipscreatesfriendshipswithothers.Positionalleaders,ontheotherhand,areoftenlonely.Everytimetheyusetheirtitleand position to “persuade” their people to do something, they createdistance between themselves and others. They are essentially saying,“I’muphere;you’redown there.Sodowhat Isay.”Thatmakespeoplefeel small, alien-ates them,anddrivesawedgebetween themand theleader.Goodleadersdon’tbelittlepeople—theyenlargethem.

Everyyear I invest time teaching leadership internationally.Positionalleadership is away of life inmany developing countries. Their leadersgather and protect power. They alone are allowed to be on top and

everyoneelse isexpected to follow.Sadly, thispracticekeepspotentialleadersfromdevelopingandcreateslonelinessfortheonewholeads.

Ifyouareinaleadershipposition,donotrelyonyourtitletoconvincepeople to follow you.Build relationships.Winpeople over.Do that andyouwillneverbelonelyatthetop.

2.REALIZETHEDOWNSIDESOFSUCCESSANDFAILURE

Success can be dangerous—and so can failure. Any time you think ofyourselfasasuccess,youstarttoseparateyourselffromothersyouviewaslesssuccessful.Youstarttothink,Idon’tneedtoseethem,andyouwithdraw. Ironically, failure also leads to withdrawal, but for otherreasons.Ifyouthinkofyourselfasafailure,youavoidothers,thinking,Idon’t want to see them. Both extremes in thinking can create anunhealthyseparationfromothers.

3.UNDERSTANDTHATYOUAREINTHEPEOPLEBUSINESS

The best leaders know that leading people requires loving them! I’venever met a good leader who didn’t care about people. Ineffectiveleadershavethewrongattitude,saying,“Ilovemankind.It’sthepeopleIcan’tstand.”Butgood leadersunderstand thatpeopledonotcarehowmuch you know until they know how much you care. You must likepeopleoryouwillneveraddvaluetothem.Andifyoubecomeindifferenttopeople,youmaybeonlyafewstepsawayfrommanipulatingthem.Noleadershouldeverdothat.

4.BUYINTOTHELAWOFSIGNIFICANCE

TheLawofSignificanceinThe17IrrefutableLawsofLeadershipstates,“Oneistoosmallanumbertoachievegreatness.”Noaccomplishmentofreal value has ever been achieved by a humanbeingworking alone. Ichallengeyou to thinkofone. (I’vemade thischallengeatconferencesforyears,andnoonehassucceededinidentifyingoneyet!)Honestly,ifonyourownyoucanfulfillthevisionyouhaveforyourlifeandwork,then

you’reaimingtoolow.Occasionallyapersonwillintroducehimselftomebysaying, “Iamaself-mademan.” Iamoften tempted toreply, “I’msosorry.Ifyou’vemadeeverythingyourself,youhaven’tmademuch.”

InmyorganizationsIdon’thaveemployees;Ihaveteammates.Yes,Ido pay people and offer them benefits. But people don’t work for me.Theyworkwithme.Weareworkingtogethertofulfillthevision.Withoutthem,Icannotsucceed.Withoutme,theycannotsucceed.We’reateam.Wereachourgoalstogether.Weneedeachother.Ifwedidn’t,thenoneofusisinthewrongplace.

Leadershipisrelationalasmuchasitispositional.Anindividualwhotakesarelationalapproachtoleadershipwillneverbelonely.

PEOPLEWORKINGTOGETHERFORACOMMONVISIONCANBEANincredibleexperience.Yearsago,whenoperatictenorsJoseCarreras,PlacidoDomingo,andLucianoPavarottiwereperformingtogether,areportertriedtofindoutiftherewasacompetitivespiritamongthem.

Eachsingerwasasuperstar,andthereporterwashopingtouncoverarivalrybetweenthem.Domingodismissedit.“Youhavetoputallofyourconcentrationintoopeningyourhearttothemusic,”Domingosaid.“Youcan’tberivalswhenyou’retogethermakingmusic.”

FormanyyearsnowIhavetriedtomaintainthatkindofattitudetowardthepeopleIworkwith.Ourfocusisonwhatwearetryingtoaccomplishtogether,notonhierarchiesorprofessionaldistanceor thepreservationof power. I’ve come a longway fromwhere I started inmy leadershipjourney.Inthebeginningmyattitudewasthatitwaslonelyatthetop.Butithaschanged,followingaprogressionthatlookssomethinglikethis:

“It’slonelyatthetop,”to

“Ifit’slonelyatthetop,Imustbedoingsomethingwrong,”to

“Comeuptothetopandjoinme,”to

“Let’sgotothetoptogether,”to

“It’snotlonelyatthetop.”

NowadaysInever“climbthemountain”alone.Myjobistomakesuretheteammakesit tothetoptogether.Someof thepeopleI invitetogoalongpassmeandclimbhigher than Ido.Thatdoesn’tbotherme. If IknowIwasabletogivethemahandandpullthemupalongtheway,thatisveryfulfillingtome.Sometimestheyreturnthefavorandpullmeuptotheirlevel.I’mgratefulforthattoo.

If you’re a leader and you feel isolated, then you’re not doingsomethingright.Lonelinessonthepartofaleaderisachoice.Ichoosetotakethejourneywithpeople.Ihopeyoudotoo.

IfIt’sLonelyattheTop,You’reNotDoingSomethingRight

APPLICATIONEXERCISES

1.Areyoubetteratthescienceorartofleadership?Someleadersare better at the technical side of leading: strategy, planning, finances,etc. Others are better at the people part: connecting, communicating,castingvision,motivating,etc.Whichisyourstrength?

Ifyouaremoreofatechnicalperson,neverlosesightofthefactthatleadershipisapeoplebusiness.Takestepstoimproveyourpeopleskills.Trywalkingslowly through thehallsso thatyoucan talk topeopleandgettoknowthembetter.Readbooksortakecourses.Askafriendwhoisgoodwithpeopletogiveyousometips.Dowhateverittakestoimprove.

2.Whydoyouwant tobeat the top?Mostpeoplehaveanaturaldesire to improve their lives.Formany, thatmeansclimbing thecareerladdersothattheycangainahigherposition.Ifyouronlymotivationforleadingiscareeradvancementandprofessionalimprovement,youareindangerofbecoming thekindofpositional leaderwhoplays“kingof the

hill”withcolleaguesandemployees.Spendsometimesoulsearchingtodiscoverhowyourleadershipcanandshouldbenefitothers.

3.Howbigisyourdream?Whatisyourdream?Whatwouldyouloveto accomplish in your life and career? If it’s something you canaccomplish alone, you are missing your leadership potential. Anythingworthdoingisworthdoingwithothers.Dreambig.Whatcanyouimagineaccomplishing thatwould requiremore than you can do on your own?Whatkindsof teammateswouldyouneed toaccomplish it?Howmightthe trip benefit themaswell as youor theorganization?Broaden yourthinkingandyouwillbemorelikelytothinkofclimbingthesummitwithateam.

BOOKSBYDR.JOHNC.MAXWELLCANTEACHYOUHOWTOBEAREALSUCCESS

RELATIONSHIPS

BeaPeoplePersonBecomingaPersonofInfluence

Relationships101ThePowerofInfluence

ThePowerofPartnershipintheChurchTheTreasureofaFriend

Ethics101WinningwithPeople

25WaystoWinwithPeople

ATTITUDE

BeAllYouCanBeFailingForward

ThePowerofThinkingBigLivingattheNextLevelThinkonTheseThingsTheWinningAttitude

YourBridgetoaBetterFutureThePowerofAttitude

Attitude101ThinkingforaChangeTheDifferenceMaker

TheJourneyfromSuccesstoSignificance

EQUIPPING

DevelopingtheLeadersAroundYouEquipping101

The17IndisputableLawsofTeamworkThe17EssentialQualitiesofaTeamPlayer

PartnersinPrayerYourRoadMapforSuccessSuccessOneDayataTime

TodayMattersTalentIsNeverEnough

LEADERSHIP

The21IndispensableQualitiesofaLeaderRevised&Updated10thAnniversary

EditionofThe21IrrefutableLawsofLeadership

The21MostPowerfulMinutesinaLeader’sDayDevelopingtheLeaderWithinYou

Leadership101LeadershipPromisesforEveryDay

The360DegreeLeaderTheRighttoLeadThePowerofLeadership

ABOUTTHEAUTHOR

John C. Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert,speaker, and author who has sold over 13 million books. Hisorganizations have trained more than 2 million leaders worldwide. Dr.Maxwell is the founder of EQUIP and INJOY Stewardship Services.Every year he speaks to Fortune 500 companies, internationalgovernment leaders,andorganizationsasdiverseas theUnitedStatesMilitaryAcademyatWestPointandtheNationalFootballLeague.ANewYorkTimes,WallStreetJournal,andBusinessWeekbest-sellingauthor,Maxwell was named the World’s Top Leadership Guru byLeadershipgurus.net. He was also one of only 25 authors and artistsnamed to Amazon.com’s 10th Anniversary Hall of Fame. Three of hisbooks, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Developing the LeaderWithinYou,andThe21 IndispensableQualitiesofaLeaderhave eachsoldoveramillioncopies.