Leadership on the Field of Play

One day after a staff meeting in which a manager had publicly dressed down a coworker, a wise colleague turned to me and said, “You can’t make anyone smart by calling him stupid.”   That truism served me well over the years in many ways.   In the case in point here, the unfortunate coworker had failed to meet a monthly goal.   The reason wasn’t really important; it was a stumble along the pathway to success.   Not catastrophic, and fixable. Our chastised compatriot knew how to address his shortcoming, and our manager was aware of that fact.   The demeaned individual never forgot his public flogging.   And apparently neither did I. The point here is that the manager did not further anyone’s cause.   Not his own, because of the way he handled the situation.    Not the employee’s, because that person felt demotivated.   And not the rest of the team’s, since we had witnessed what we all feared could be our own fate. In the end, no one w...

When things seem to be going well, be careful not to believe your own hype. No matter where the credit goes, remember that success is a team effort.   This is true whether you are the leader or not.   Every team member (and leader) is in danger of forgetting that they alone are not the reason for success.   The peril here is that someone (including you) may attempt to recreate past glory without the benefit of the full team. An example: For a number of years I led a team responsible opening new physical sites in multiple states.   This was an intricate process that involved government relations, accreditation approvals, real estate deals, and mounds of associated paperwork. We broke a lot of new ground in this area, and eventually other institutions tried to emulate our success. Not surprisingly, those institutions recruited my team heavily as they formed their own expansion teams.   The flaw in this strategy was that none of my team really understood the e...

This is a question that leaders are often asked.   I have never understood it.   I guess it is supposed to help leaders focus on what needs attention in their organizations.   I always shocked interviewers by telling them that as president of my institution I slept soundly most nights. “Why?” they would ask.   My answer was simple.   I had assembled a solid team that at its height spanned the globe, or a good part of it.   With hundreds of thousands of students and tens of thousands of faculty and staff, I was always sure that somewhere in my organization there was a problem.   I was also sure that there was someone on my team who was addressing that issue, and that if necessary I would be briefed in the morning. No need to toss and turn. I always reminded myself that my team was applying multiple points of view--and a lot of expertise-- to any problem, and that often my personal perspective was limited by my distance from the issue. Worrying ...

It can be lonely at the top.   But only if you let it be.    Good leaders surround themselves with teams that share the burden, remembering that the leader has final accountability.   In particular, I urge leaders to find a “Mr. Spock.”   If you remember the original Star Trek series, or even if you don’t, Captain James T. Kirk was the leader of a strong team.   Notable among the team members was Mr. Spock, second in command.   Kirk was forceful, decisive, and intense.   Spock was cool, logical, and brought a balance to Kirk’s style.   He provided input and advice to Kirk, giving perspective that often informed Kirk’s actions, whether he took Spock’s specific advice or not. I was lucky to have found my Spock during the most challenging part of my career.   As a trusted colleague and advisor, my Spock regularly worked through situations and issues with me.   We did not always agree, but he helped temper my style and was of gre...