Leadership on the Field of Play

Occasionally I am asked to either review grant proposals or to comment on symposia and the like that deal with the future of various enterprises.   Perhaps the most common prefix I encounter in these endeavors is “re-“.   And especially used in the words “rethink” and “reinvent.”   I have found this to be particularly true in higher education, but these treacherous words can be found in any organization that is looking for innovation or a conversion event of some sort.   My experience is that the verb being sought after in such instances is not “re-“ anything.   It is “change.” Rethinking and reinventing can be insidious traps.   They too often assume that the same teams working inside the same boxes can produce something new.   What usually happens is that we find the same pieces in the same box, just reorganized.   There is a great commercial that shows how mattress companies “rethink” mattress composition on a regular basis. It explains th...

As a leader you will spend an inordinate amount of time negotiating.   We often think of negotiation as something that goes on at a high level, involving CEOs and other high-powered executives.   In reality, you will find that a lot of negotiation takes place at much lower level. Why?   The answer is simple.   Everyone wants something from you.   They would prefer for you to just give them whatever they want and go away, but they are prepared to bargain if they must. You will likely find it necessary to haggle with your team over everything from job titles (the difference between “VP” and “Senior VP” for instance), to office space, administrative help, and even parking spaces.   This can become a bit tiresome and even annoying, but try to remember how it was when you were down the chain of command. Keep in mind that as you negotiate with one team member, you are actually negotiating with the entire team.   This is because you will be expected to d...

Get through it.   Get over it.   Get on with it.   Got it?   As a leader (read: person in charge), people and the situations they create will piss you off on a regular basis.   Getting even is too easy if you are the head person.   Don’t bother with it.   You can expect to be disappointed, frustrated, and likely disrespected on a fairly regular basis.   You will discover that transgressions committed in, on, or by your team will wash out in time. There is no advantage in exacting retribution on individuals or teams just because you can.   It sets a tenor of conflict that is hard to ameliorate. The best course is to take the high, by-the-book road. If action is necessary, take it.   Such action may take the form of written reprimands and the like, things that you will find in the HR manual.   This is the appropriate, transparent route.   It sends a message that you are aware of a given transgression...

You can read lots of articles and opinion pieces that tout failure as a pathway to success. They champion taking risks and making mistakes as a good way to find a formula for achievement.   I can’t say I agree with this point of view.   There is nothing wrong with not failing.   Taking risks does not have to entail failure. And “failing” has an unhappy finality about it that runs counter to success in general.   You can read a lot about failing and then starting over with the knowledge and experience you gained from failure.   If this is the case, then you aren’t really “failing” and “starting over.”   Rather, you are still continuing on your designated path.   You may have encountered a bump, but you are still progressing.   Failure implies that you have somehow stopped. And trust me, if you really fail you will know it. Falling short of a mark is not failing as long as you keep moving ahead toward success. The point here is that it is NOT O...