It’s difficult to blog about leadership because it’s such a big subject. There are so many theories, books and concepts ranging from styles, competencies, how to be exemplary, as well as the chronicles of the various legends in both industry and life. In the interest of keeping it manageable, this blog will focus on the importance of Leadership, despite some very credible leadership naysayers, like the notable Jim Collins (Good to Great). Although, even he, finally had to admit that his own data demonstrated that Leadership made a difference in the “Great” companies.
A colleague of mine forwarded a video to me that I think provides some good insights: “Leadership Lessons from the Dancing Guy”. It starts with a man dancing at an outdoor concert. He is soon joined by a “follower”, then another and then another, and so on. Finally, enough momentum is reached; the “join-in” rate is so significant that if you don’t join in you’re the odd person out. The lesson here is that it is the first followers that are really important because without them the dancing guy is just someone that could end up looking pretty silly dancing alone. The other implication is that the “leader” isn’t important because once things take off the leader literally disappears and becomes one of the masses. He has bragging rights for being first but that’s all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW8amMCVAJQ&feature=player_embedded
Pretty interesting but what does, Leadership Lessons from The Dancing Guy, have to do with Business Leadership?
1. Power is an amplifier
There are similarities between the two but it should be noted that the Dancing Guy doesn’t have the power business leadership has. No one’s livelihood or income can be impacted by him and he can’t affect their status within the “organization”. And that kind of power should never be underestimated. Losing one’s job is right up there in significance with losing a loved one or getting divorced. When power is involved it’s like an amplifier in that every move, gesture, comment, eye brow arch, etc..., becomes so much more significant. One doesn’t like to relate it to Rock Star status as most leaders wouldn’t make the cut, but I can think of a few that have attracted a groupie or two. I specifically remember Jack Welch writing that being the CEO of GE (having power) was the equivalent of being 10 years younger and a professional football player when it came to dating. Interesting! A lot of leaders forget the impact their power can have and then are surprised when faced with a strong emotional response. That’s why even a seemingly subtle encouragement and/or endorsement can be quite effective.
2. Leadership is primarily about Change but requires Courage and Influence
The Dancing Guy provides impetus for people to change what they’re doing. He’s just out there by himself, attracting attention by being silly, and looking like he’s having fun. The fact that he’s the only one dancing draws attention. He’s out where he can be easily seen but he doesn’t solicit joiners. He just waits it out. He’s a risk taker and appears comfortable with being different. It’s interesting that he doesn’t check for feedback either, he just appears to be having fun. So confidence and risk taking are key components in providing impetus but so is positioning to get noticed and acting in way that “speaks to people”.
3. Sustainability
The Dancing Guy doesn’t have much of an agenda other than maybe having fun and encouraging others to do the same. He’s not out to build an enduring legacy or to optimize customer value. Once the song is over, so is the movement. It’s not sustainable. Business, on the other hand, requires sustainability and the prerequisite skills; which could be emotional intelligence, vision, passion, determination, ability to navigate objections, problem solving, ability to nurture, coach, and develop. In essence, it is about wanting to do something and figuring out ways to make it happen. However, in order to do that, you need to have the appropriate talent and skills. For example, there’s no point pursuing Olympic gold in the 100 meter dash if you’re not built for speed. The Dancing guy didn’t appear to have great rhythm but he did have guts and a sense of fun which is apparently what was required to get people dancing. What skills do you need to accomplish what you want in your business?
4. Leaders Need to Establish Appealing Meaning
Obviously the Dancing Guy wasn’t out to “solve world hunger” and yet he successfully got people to join in. So he succeeded in presenting an appealing idea and provided meaning in the context of having fun. Making Business Goals appealing can be a bit more challenging. Being a savvy politician or marketer is good but there needs to be a compelling impetus. It might be as simple as the survivability of the business (a pretty good motivator). Or it may be as simple as providing help to others. This gets into purpose or ‘mission’; the values and culture which are often taken for granted but shouldn’t be. There’s lots of data to support that clearly understanding and having strong purpose, values and culture are directly correlated with higher performance. The question is why. I’d suggest that the resulting clarity facilitates alignment and in turn builds confidence and trust.
5. The Down Side of Responsibility
A lot of people are attracted to Power because it provides privilege but then get cold feet when faced with the responsibility that goes with it. If you’ve built a business that supports the people in it and one of those people is a drain then it is best to deal with it ASAP. No one likes to hurt another but if a person is a problem then removing them can be like cutting out a cancer. It can ensure the best prognosis regardless of how distasteful the task might be. Sometimes problems are best addressed by less invasive methods. For example, you don’t want to pull out the scalpel if a course of antibiotics will do, i.e., you don’t want to fire someone that you can help and develop. The trick is in knowing what will produce the best result and having the resolve to make it happen.
Unfortunately, some “Leaders” will let their desire to be liked override their good sense, while others will indulge in anger and bully. Think of a child parent relationship; when a child wants something that can harm them, not giving it to them just makes sense. Understanding and taking into consideration the consequences always makes sense. Bullying is primarily about control and never okay. I specifically remember one “Leader” saying he didn’t have tolerance for stupidity; that was his justification for yelling and throwing things at people. It did nothing to improve things. It just made people upset and angry and was counter-productive. There is no rationalization for abuse. Caring is important in any relationship as is the consideration of consequences. People want to feel valued and to trust that their Leader has the fortitude to do what’s best even if they don’t.
6. Challengers
The Dancing Guy didn’t have any challengers and I’m not sure what it would have looked like if he did. Maybe someone starting a candlelight vigil? And if the Dancing Guy’s movement fizzled I’m not sure it would have been a big deal. Likely the dancing guy would have disappeared into the crowd; no worse for wear. Retreating or ignoring a challenger is always an option but what if you feel that your business is worth fighting for? Minimizing collateral damage is always a priority but so is surviving. Being the equivalent of a Black Belt where you can defend or thwart attacks relatively effortlessly is about as good as it gets but sometimes you may have to hurt someone to survive. It’s best not to get involved with those types of situations but what if they can’t be avoided? What if you were faced with competitor or employee sabotage? (It does happen. I’ve seen both scenarios.) Would you have the skills to deal with it?
The bottom line is “Leadership Lessons from the Dancing Guy” can provide lots of interesting insights but the most important one is that in order to bring about change, you need a leader. And given that the environment, business or otherwise, is always changing and can threaten ones survival, the ability of leadership to facilitate change isn’t just important, it’s critical.
Thanks to Sami Syed for forwarding the video link and to Digby Howse for helping to clarify several concepts.
A colleague of mine forwarded a video to me that I think provides some good insights: “Leadership Lessons from the Dancing Guy”. It starts with a man dancing at an outdoor concert. He is soon joined by a “follower”, then another and then another, and so on. Finally, enough momentum is reached; the “join-in” rate is so significant that if you don’t join in you’re the odd person out. The lesson here is that it is the first followers that are really important because without them the dancing guy is just someone that could end up looking pretty silly dancing alone. The other implication is that the “leader” isn’t important because once things take off the leader literally disappears and becomes one of the masses. He has bragging rights for being first but that’s all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW8amMCVAJQ&feature=player_embedded
Pretty interesting but what does, Leadership Lessons from The Dancing Guy, have to do with Business Leadership?
1. Power is an amplifier
There are similarities between the two but it should be noted that the Dancing Guy doesn’t have the power business leadership has. No one’s livelihood or income can be impacted by him and he can’t affect their status within the “organization”. And that kind of power should never be underestimated. Losing one’s job is right up there in significance with losing a loved one or getting divorced. When power is involved it’s like an amplifier in that every move, gesture, comment, eye brow arch, etc..., becomes so much more significant. One doesn’t like to relate it to Rock Star status as most leaders wouldn’t make the cut, but I can think of a few that have attracted a groupie or two. I specifically remember Jack Welch writing that being the CEO of GE (having power) was the equivalent of being 10 years younger and a professional football player when it came to dating. Interesting! A lot of leaders forget the impact their power can have and then are surprised when faced with a strong emotional response. That’s why even a seemingly subtle encouragement and/or endorsement can be quite effective.
2. Leadership is primarily about Change but requires Courage and Influence
The Dancing Guy provides impetus for people to change what they’re doing. He’s just out there by himself, attracting attention by being silly, and looking like he’s having fun. The fact that he’s the only one dancing draws attention. He’s out where he can be easily seen but he doesn’t solicit joiners. He just waits it out. He’s a risk taker and appears comfortable with being different. It’s interesting that he doesn’t check for feedback either, he just appears to be having fun. So confidence and risk taking are key components in providing impetus but so is positioning to get noticed and acting in way that “speaks to people”.
3. Sustainability
The Dancing Guy doesn’t have much of an agenda other than maybe having fun and encouraging others to do the same. He’s not out to build an enduring legacy or to optimize customer value. Once the song is over, so is the movement. It’s not sustainable. Business, on the other hand, requires sustainability and the prerequisite skills; which could be emotional intelligence, vision, passion, determination, ability to navigate objections, problem solving, ability to nurture, coach, and develop. In essence, it is about wanting to do something and figuring out ways to make it happen. However, in order to do that, you need to have the appropriate talent and skills. For example, there’s no point pursuing Olympic gold in the 100 meter dash if you’re not built for speed. The Dancing guy didn’t appear to have great rhythm but he did have guts and a sense of fun which is apparently what was required to get people dancing. What skills do you need to accomplish what you want in your business?
4. Leaders Need to Establish Appealing Meaning
Obviously the Dancing Guy wasn’t out to “solve world hunger” and yet he successfully got people to join in. So he succeeded in presenting an appealing idea and provided meaning in the context of having fun. Making Business Goals appealing can be a bit more challenging. Being a savvy politician or marketer is good but there needs to be a compelling impetus. It might be as simple as the survivability of the business (a pretty good motivator). Or it may be as simple as providing help to others. This gets into purpose or ‘mission’; the values and culture which are often taken for granted but shouldn’t be. There’s lots of data to support that clearly understanding and having strong purpose, values and culture are directly correlated with higher performance. The question is why. I’d suggest that the resulting clarity facilitates alignment and in turn builds confidence and trust.
5. The Down Side of Responsibility
A lot of people are attracted to Power because it provides privilege but then get cold feet when faced with the responsibility that goes with it. If you’ve built a business that supports the people in it and one of those people is a drain then it is best to deal with it ASAP. No one likes to hurt another but if a person is a problem then removing them can be like cutting out a cancer. It can ensure the best prognosis regardless of how distasteful the task might be. Sometimes problems are best addressed by less invasive methods. For example, you don’t want to pull out the scalpel if a course of antibiotics will do, i.e., you don’t want to fire someone that you can help and develop. The trick is in knowing what will produce the best result and having the resolve to make it happen.
Unfortunately, some “Leaders” will let their desire to be liked override their good sense, while others will indulge in anger and bully. Think of a child parent relationship; when a child wants something that can harm them, not giving it to them just makes sense. Understanding and taking into consideration the consequences always makes sense. Bullying is primarily about control and never okay. I specifically remember one “Leader” saying he didn’t have tolerance for stupidity; that was his justification for yelling and throwing things at people. It did nothing to improve things. It just made people upset and angry and was counter-productive. There is no rationalization for abuse. Caring is important in any relationship as is the consideration of consequences. People want to feel valued and to trust that their Leader has the fortitude to do what’s best even if they don’t.
6. Challengers
The Dancing Guy didn’t have any challengers and I’m not sure what it would have looked like if he did. Maybe someone starting a candlelight vigil? And if the Dancing Guy’s movement fizzled I’m not sure it would have been a big deal. Likely the dancing guy would have disappeared into the crowd; no worse for wear. Retreating or ignoring a challenger is always an option but what if you feel that your business is worth fighting for? Minimizing collateral damage is always a priority but so is surviving. Being the equivalent of a Black Belt where you can defend or thwart attacks relatively effortlessly is about as good as it gets but sometimes you may have to hurt someone to survive. It’s best not to get involved with those types of situations but what if they can’t be avoided? What if you were faced with competitor or employee sabotage? (It does happen. I’ve seen both scenarios.) Would you have the skills to deal with it?
The bottom line is “Leadership Lessons from the Dancing Guy” can provide lots of interesting insights but the most important one is that in order to bring about change, you need a leader. And given that the environment, business or otherwise, is always changing and can threaten ones survival, the ability of leadership to facilitate change isn’t just important, it’s critical.
Thanks to Sami Syed for forwarding the video link and to Digby Howse for helping to clarify several concepts.
