Doing It Right

Where am I writing these days?

2010-04-21T10:10:00.002-05:00

I appreciate those folks who have continued to follow this blog. For a period of time, I am spending my time contributing to the Eloqua blog at http://blog.eloqua.com/.

In the beginning….Setting Priorities (I)

2009-09-21T08:28:00.002-05:00

A friend and colleague, Mike S, recently wrote to me, “I enjoy reading your thoughts on leadership and know you have dealt in the past with how a leader sets an example, acts and lives, but I was wondering if you have considered the topic I will call ‘how a leader starts’. This topic intrigues me because I am about to start something new and the timing is appropriate.”

I am starting a new role as well so this is a great moment to explore the subject of ‘In the beginning’. In a series of posts I will outline some of my thoughts as I start this new role. If you follow this blog you know I took a time out for Bill Taylor a couple of weeks ago. Before my eulogy for Bill, the previous blog was titled “Ask Questions”; I will pick back up here with “Setting Priorities”. This will be the first of several posts on this topic.

How many business books have you seen with a sub-title, “How to do everything all at once”? None; in fact usually we read statements like this from Peter Drucker, “Do first things first, and second things not at all.” I have long considered strategy to be more about what you decide NOT to do, rather than what you decide TO do. We all know we should focus, we all know we should be Setting Priorities, but how should we go about doing it?

In photography, a filter is a camera accessory that is inserted in the optical path. Filters allow added control for the photographer of the images being produced. Sometimes they are used to make only subtle changes to images; other times the image would simply not be possible without them. Likewise, we have a filter as we begin Setting Priorities. Like the photographer, our filter sits in our field of vision and controls our image of the future. Sometimes our filter makes subtle changes to the future and sometimes our view of the future simply would not exist without our filter. The filter we choose to put in our field of vision is critical. In general, I have seen two very different types of filters; serve or be served.

Serve or be served relates to the overall posture you or your organization will maintain. Serve or be served defines your frame of mind which affects all your thoughts and behavior. As I hire managers, the first thing I look at is their posture related to their people. Does this person arrive at work and think, “What will my people do for me today?” Or do they arrive at work and think, “What will I do for my people today?” The same can be said of an organization; does it exist to serve or be served? Long term the posture that succeeds is the “serve” posture.

Therefore, the first step in Setting Priorities is to place a “serve” filter in your field of vision. How is that done? Recently I got my management team together as part of “Setting Priorities” and asked them to identify our constituents; essentially I asked them, who do we serve? They identified four key constituents; employees, customers, partners and investors. Then we went through a process to identify how these constituents see us today and how they will see us in the future if we do a great job of serving them. Here is the output of that session:

For employees we want them to have a stock that is valuable, we want them to attain their bonus targets and feel engaged and part of the success of the sales organization.
For customers we want them to say we understand and transform their business, they have a great buying experience, we provide great solutions to their challenges and they are enthusiastic about being references.
For partners we want them to grow their business, be self-sufficient in driving sales and build successful marketing automation practices.
For investors we want them to say we are accurate in our forecasts, we perform consistently, we are growing faster than the market and we are the clear market leader.

We now have our filter in place. Our view of the future is seen through that filter. Everything we do next in “Setting Priorities” will be shaped by a future state thought process surrounding those we serve.

“No wind favors him who has no destined port.” - Michel de Montaigne French Philosopher and Writer, 1533-1592

In the beginning….Time Out for Bill Taylor

2009-08-26T06:07:00.001-05:00

I am starting a new role as well so this is a great moment to explore the subject of ‘In the beginning’. In a series of posts I will outline some of my thoughts as I start this new role. The last blog was about “ask questions” this one was going to be about “setting priorities”. However, last week was interrupted by the death of two important men in my life. A man named Jack Johnson, a second father to me and my best friend’s dad and Bill Taylor, my wife’s father who has meant much me.

So, I am taking a time out from the blog and instead I want to share with you an excerpt of some comments I made at Bill’s funeral service. I was honored to have the family ask to speak on their behalf.

Bill Taylor was a man. Thomas Carlyle the eighteenth century Scottish essayist who wrote extensively about various heroes who have walked the earth said, “Show me the man you honor, and I will know what kind of man you are, for it shows me what your ideal of manhood is and what kind of man you long to be”.

Now, I don’t claim to be the man that Bill Taylor was, but Carlyle’s words ring in my ears as I think about my ideal of manhood and why I honor Bill Taylor, because he is the man that I and many others long to be. What words describe that ideal? When you talk to his family and friends you keep hearing these words to describe Bill Taylor; Bravery, Courage & Strength.

These words are evident in the stories that they tell about Bill; particularly how he battled a raging melanoma to stand by his daughter Whitney’s side as she got married. Bill had Bravery, Courage & Strength. But, it was a fourth word, Love that made him the man we all knew. It was Love that made Bill Taylor a complete man.

You see, Bill Taylor was a transformed man. Those of us around him saw him grow in wisdom, stature and compassion over the last quarter century. Bill Taylor was a man transformed by two things; first, his own “Road to Damascus” moment, but most of all transformed by Love; the love of his wife Sarah Taylor. Sarah Taylor completed Bill Taylor.

For those of you that do not know the reference to “Road to Damascus” it is about Saint Paul’s transformation from Saul to Paul, Acts 9:3-6 reads,

As Saul neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul why do you persecute me”? Who are you Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

It was in that moment faced with a new truth, that Saul became Paul and the greatest persecutor of Christians became the most prolific church planter, apostle and teacher of the early Church

We all have our Road to Damascus moment, where a truth confronts us and everything that happens next is different. For Bill it was twenty-three years ago; he received what for most people would be a death sentence. He was diagnosed with melanoma and given six months to live. Well Bill proceeded to teach all of us what Mark Twain said, “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” Fortunately for Bill, by the time he got this diagnosis he was married to Sarah Taylor and her love gave him the power to live fully; though the love of Sarah, Bill had no fear of life.

Easter and Christmas are some of my best memories. Bill and Sarah gathered their entire family around them and even those not in their immediate family. Once you got to know Bill and Sarah, you were going to spend at least one Christmas or Easter at their house.

And in those moments, when they thought no one was watching, maybe one of them was opening a gift, or handing a plate to the other, hiding an Easter egg or just picking up wrapping paper, you would see a glance, a wink or a touch on the arm and through those moments you could see love.

You could see the love that same Saint Paul tells us about in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.

This is the type of Love that connected Bill and Sarah

Bill was a man. To describe Bill you have to use the words Bravery, Courage & Strength, but the greatest of all was Love.

One last story – Bill’s name, once he became a grandfather, was a great word picture of everything that was Bill. His name was Growl. He got the name from one grandchild and it was changed by another. His grandson Will Shootman gave him this name after arriving home from Italy. We had lived in Italy for a while and Will began to learn to talk in Italy. On final approach to the airport back in the States, I tried to teach Will to say, “Gramps”. But as he ran to his beloved grandfather, the only words that came out were “Growl”. Bill wore that with a badge of honor for 10 years until his granddaughter Honore renamed him. Out on his land one day, little Honore came up to Growl and shyly said, “Growlie, can you take me out on the lake?” Bill said, “What if I do not want to be called Growlie?” And Honore replied, “But that is what you are – you are my Growlie.” That was Bill – the full measure of the man – He could be both Growl and Growlie

In closing, I am reminded of a scene in the movie, The Lord of the Rings, a great story about the triumph of Good vs. Evil and the promise of Everlasting Life. In a pivotal scene, Frodo the little Hobbit is dejected after many terrible things that have happened. He is with Gandalf, the Brave, the Courageous & the Strong.

Frodo: “I wish none of this had ever happened”

Gandalf: “So do all who live to face such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us”

I know at this moment, Bill is in the presence of God, and as we sit here together, feeling like Hobbits and say to ourselves, “I wish none of this had ever happened” Bill, who taught us how to live with Bravery, Courage, Strength & Love is looking down at us saying, “So do all who face such times, but that is not for them to decide. All you have to decide is what to do with the time God has given to you”

Bill – we love you and we honor you and we will use our time well.

And for all of you that took the time to read this, thank you for honoring Bill Taylor and I challenge you to use your time well.

In the Beginning…Ask Questions

2009-07-30T11:40:00.003-05:00

I am starting a new role as well so this is a great moment to explore the subject of ‘In the Beginning’. In a series of posts I will outline some of my thoughts as I start this new role. The last blog was about “listen” this one is about “ask questions”.

Before you can listen, you sometimes have to ask questions. There are all sorts of techniques to asking questions:

Open and closed ended questions
Using a funnel
Probing questions
Leading the witness
Rhetorical questions

While these are useful, they are merely the manner in which you try to elicit input from an individual or group. No matter what technique you use, your posture becomes the most important attribute when you “ask questions”

I want to be clear about the use of the term posture. I do not mean the position of your limbs or the carriage of your body as a whole. In this context I am talking about the definition whereby posture is a mental or spiritual attitude. Your internal attitude as you ask question, no matter what technique you use, will have profound impact on the way the organization operates.

It is human nature to be fault finders. In our natural state we run around, seek out imperfections and crush them. Think about almost every strategy or planning meeting you have been in. It usually has this question somewhere in it, “All right folks, let’s figure out what is broken and let’s go fix it!” I am at the front of the parade, completely guilty of this approach. Of course, this is sometimes necessary in every business or endeavor, so I am not advocating that we never look at what is going wrong and put plans in place to recover, fix, turn around or eliminate the brokenness of an organization.

That said, we have to be careful that we do not fall in a trap where all of our questioning comes from a posture of, “what’s wrong?” Why not? There is an important principal at work here; human systems grow in the direction of what they persistently ask questions about. If I continue to ask questions from a “what’s wrong” posture, the organization will focus its time, energy and ultimately its attitude around broken things. It will grow towards what is wrong. We need to invert this outcome, instead of negation, criticism, and spiraling diagnosis, we must send our organization in the direction of discovery, dream, and design.

How do we do this? How can we send our organization in the direction of what works? There is a fairly significant body of work around the field of Appreciative Inquiry. Appreciative Inquiry joins two powerful words.

Ap-pre’ci-ate, v. valuing; the act of recognizing the best in people or the world around us; affirming past and present strengths, successes, and potentials; to perceive those things that give life (health, vitality, excellence) to living systems

In-quire’, v., 1. the act of exploration and discovery. 2. To ask questions; to be open to seeing new potentials and possibilities.

How does appreciative inquiry manifest itself as you ‘ask questions’? Think of these two questions; “We are trying to grow this business, what is wrong? What is broken? Why can we not seem to grow the business?” Or; “We are trying to grow this business; can you tell me some examples of where growth has worked? How do we replicate those examples?”

You can picture the difference in my posture as I ask those two questions. You can almost sense the difference in the room during these two very different conversations. This mode of questioning repeated time and again at all levels throughout the organization can have a profound impact on the attitude, energy, initiative and success within a company. In fact, David L. Cooperrider and Diana Whitney assert in some of their writing on Appreciative Inquiry, “The single most prolific thing a group can do if its aims are to liberate the human spirit and consciously construct a better future is to make positive change the common and explicit property of all.”

In the beginning…ask questions. But check your posture. Beyond your questioning techniques, what is the core of what you are trying to find out? Are you trying to discover all that is broken or examples of where success is occurring?

Winston Churchill said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” We have to ‘ask questions’ in such a manner that we give our folks the chance to see the opportunity in the difficulty.

In the beginning…Listen

2009-07-12T17:52:00.000-05:00

At the end of the series titled Joshua’s lessons on leadership, I asked for input on topics. A friend and colleague, Mike S, wrote me this in response, “I enjoy reading your thoughts on leadership and know you have dealt in the past with how a leader sets an example, acts and lives, but I was wondering if you have considered the topic I will call ‘how a leader starts’. This topic intrigues me because I am about to start something new and the timing is appropriate.”

Mike S, your timing is impeccable. I am starting a new role as well so this is a great moment to explore the subject of ‘In the beginning’. In a series of posts I will outline some of my thoughts as I start this new role including what is effective and what is a dud. Mike thanks for the idea – this series may turn out different than you thought, but let’s go on a journey together. I hope others contribute; you all have plenty to share about your own individual ‘In the beginning’ experiences.

Napoleon said, “Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in.” When you start a new role folks around you expect immediate action. Chaos will reign. There is new terminology to learn, decisions are waiting for you, people will use your arrival to advance their agenda, meetings to go to, trips to take, people to meet and all sorts of pop-up crises. Breathe deep and know that ‘In the beginning’ is a rare moment when you are most in control of your calendar. Heed Napoleon’s advice and take time to deliberate. In amongst the cacophony you must answer four simple questions:

What needs to be done? How will it get done? Who will get it done? When will we know it is getting done? With these questions answered you will be far more effective at ‘go in’.

Your most potent tool to discover the answer to these questions is the art and skill of effective listening. If I do a Google search on ‘effective listening’ I get 1,940,000 responses. Cleary a popular subject, yet not one I can cover completely in a blog post. However, I would like to share a few lessons taught to me by my friend and mentor, Margreet van de Griend, senior partner at the consulting firm Axialent (www.axialent.com).

Margreet counsels us to think about interpersonal interactions in the context of a 2x2 matrix where the vertical axis is level of advocacy (low to high) and the horizontal axis is level of inquiry (low to high). This provides four different modes:

Low advocacy/low inquiry – observing
High advocacy/low inquiry – asserting
Low advocacy/high inquiry – listening
High advocacy/high inquiry – influencing

In order for us to take advantage of Margreet’s framework, we have to exercise effective advocacy and inquiry skills. Effective advocacy requires that we clarify our intentions, remain centered, express ourselves, support the expression of others and persist with our perspective through the objections of others.

Effective inquiry requires that we park our agenda, attend to the other person through body language, amplify their ideas through encouragement and clarifying questions and reflect the other person through effective summarizing and paraphrasing.

In addition to learning, practicing and implementing these skills we have to determine which mode to operate in given the situation. It should be a purposeful decision to be observing, vs. asserting vs. listening vs. influencing. Think back to the key questions we need to answer; what, who and how. Can we get these questions answered by merely observing? If we spend our time asserting our position, can we discover what we need to know? The answer to both questions is a resounding ‘no’. We need to be either in an influencing or a listening mode. Both call for a high level of inquiry.

Look back at the list of skills under inquiry. If we could pick only one to execute it would be ‘park your agenda’. Here is a challenge. Pay attention to the next five conversations you have. Notice how often during the conversation you are timing the other person; trying to determine when they are going to take a breath and formulating your point or counterpoint to whatever they are saying. If you are like me, the only way for someone to finish a thought sometimes is for them to never breathe. I find myself waiting to pounce on any moment of silence. When that is happening, I am not truly listening. Park your agenda; it is likely the most important action we can take to improve our ability to listen and influence.

In the beginning we are likely more objective than at any point in our tenure. We probably have more control over our time than we will ever have. Objectivity and time are critical ingredients for effective deliberation. There will be a moment to ‘go in’. Take a moment now to deliberate, discover, inquire and park your agenda.

In the beginning…Listen

Joshua's lessons on leadership - Joshua's Last Lesson

2009-06-28T22:00:00.002-05:00

For those of you that follow this blog, I apologize for the length of time between posts. I generally update this blog every week or so and it has been four weeks since my last update. The last month has been a blur of travel that ended up with me accepting a role at a new company. I now plan to get back on my regular blog schedule. As always, I’d love any input on topics.

If you have been following the blog you know that I’ve been writing about leadership lessons from Joshua ben Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, which would become known as the most militaristic of the tribes of Israel through Joshua's campaigns. If this is the first post in the series you have read, please do a quick review of the March 30, 2009 blog titled “Joshua's lessons on leadership - Intro”; that post highlights why I am looking into Joshua’s life.

In the last entry, Joshua reminded us that “Leaders Protect the Truth”. In this post, I close out my thoughts on Joshua with “Joshua’s Last Lesson”.

The stage for this last lesson is Joshua’s farewell address. Joshua lead the Jewish people for 28 years and brought an area of land bounded by the Egyptian empire to the south and the Mesopotamia to the north under one rule through 14 years of conquest and settlement. This was no easy task since no one power ruled this section of land; it was inhabited by seven Canaanite tribes in 31 fortified city-states scattered all over the map, each ruled by its own "king." Here is what we know, "when the country was at rest from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then old and well advanced in years, summoned all Israel, their elders, leaders, judges and officials". Joshua summoned them for his farewell speech. I imagine that people sat on the edge of their seat to listen. They were all there to hear the last words of the man who lead them to their permanent home.

Have you ever noticed we pay more attention to someone’s farewell speech than most anything else they say? I had a coach who once told me, “Alex, it is not about how you enter a role that matters; it is about how you leave it”. Think about some of the famous farewell comments through history:

Napoleon – “Do not regret my fate; if I have consented to survive, it is to serve your glory”
Edward VIII – “I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility without the help and support of the woman I love”
Lou Gehrig – “I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth”
LBJ – “I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as President”
Douglas MacArthur - “I came through, and I shall return”
George Washington – “Observe good faith and justice towards all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all”

When it comes time to give a farewell address people become thoughtful and selective with their words. Whether passing on an idea, encouragement, closure, a lesson or a directive, a farewell message speaks loudly about the person’s deepest character and passion.

So what did Joshua tell the people that were gathered to listen to his final lesson? What did they hear as they leaned into his farewell address? "Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written…without turning aside to the right or to the left”

The last lesson of Joshua directs us toward strength, obedience and determination. Strength observed as moral power, firmness, or courage. Obedience defined as subjection to rightful restraint or control. Determination described as the quality of being resolute; firmness of purpose.

At the end of his life, in his farewell address, Joshua gives us one last great lesson. When we lead, it is not our words that matter. It is our actions that should demonstrate strength, obedience and determination.

Joshua's lessons on leadership - Leaders Protect the Truth

2009-05-29T06:50:00.004-05:00

In a series of posts, I want to discuss what we can learn about leadership from Joshua ben Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, which would become known as the most militaristic of the tribes of Israel through Joshua's campaigns. If this is the first post in the series you have read, please do a quick review of the March 30, 2009 blog titled “Joshua's lessons on leadership - Intro”; that post highlights why I am looking into Joshua’s life.

In the last entry, I discussed the need to remember “Leaders Eat Last”. In this post, Joshua reminds us “Leaders Protect the Truth”.

I want to use a mechanism created under Joshua’s rule as a proxy for the level to which we need to seek out and protect the truth in the organizations we lead. The back-story for this analogy is the concept of the Cities of Refuge.

In the Israelite society Joshua led, there was no police force to investigate crimes. If someone was killed, it was the moral responsibility of the family member who was closest to the victim to investigate and avenge the murder. This person became the avenger of blood – the kinsman redeemer.

However, a human redeemer’s subjectivity, passion, and anger at the loss of their family member just might cloud their judgment. They might end up avenging the death by killing someone who wasn't guilty of a capital crime.

Joshua, as the leader of his people had to set up a system to protect the innocent and provide time to sort out the truth of a situation. The system was ‘Cities of Refuge’. What we know from tradition is that any of the Israelites or any alien living among them who killed someone accidentally could flee to these designated cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.

Here are some interesting facts about these Cities of Refuge:

They were strategically located so there would be easy access to them for anybody seeking refuge.
Highways were built to increase the ability for someone to get to these cities of refuge.
These highways were maintained so that nobody was ever hindered in getting to these cities.
Bridges were built across every ravine, so that the person running for refuge wouldn't have to waste time climbing to the bottom of the ravine and then up the other side.
The highways were rebuilt every spring after the heavy winter rains so that the road surface would be smooth and easy to run on.
At every crossroads or intersection on these highways, there were big, bold signs pointing the way with the word ‘Refuge’ in large letters.
The gates of the cities of refuge were never locked.
The city was well stocked to provide for any fugitives who came to stay for however long they might need to be there.
The cities were designated for all the people of Israel, including the stranger.
The same justice, the same protection and provision, were free to all.

How effectively are you setting up ‘Cities of Refuge’ in the organization you lead or are a part of? Are you building and maintaining roads for the truth to get to you? Are you building bridges? Are there signposts in your organization with ‘Truth’ in large letters? Are all people able to bring the truth or just a selected few of your favorites? Do you do anything unconsciously that locks out the truth?

I know people are not getting physically killed on our teams. Yet conflict occurs all the time. An error happens. A mistake is made. A deal is lost. A customer gets mad. A decision costs the organization time and money. Then people start defending and justifying. This sets off acts of accusation and retribution that get increasingly personal. These acts disintegrate into permanently scarred team members, colleagues who become incapable of trusting each other. Nine times out of ten, the event was less egregious and purposeful than assumed. There is an innocent person involved that needs refuge. There is a truth that needs to be protected. When your folks see you reliably seek out the truth of a situation by taking the time to discover and understand all perspectives they will stop making personal accusations and trust will reign.

Look back at the effort that was necessary to insure safe passage of a person to a City of Refuge. You and I must take a page from Joshua’s book and go through the same level of effort as Joshua creating routes for the truth to get to us, protecting, defending and highlighting those routes.

Winston Churchill said, “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” We have to give the truth a chance to get its pants on and pass all the fiction that gets created. Or as it is written on the main tower of my alma mater, The University of Texas “Ye Shall Know the Truth, And the Truth Shall Make You Free.”

You are the guardian of the truth. Leaders Protect the Truth.

Joshua's lessons on leadership - Leaders Eat Last

2009-05-17T09:18:00.006-05:00

In the last entry, I discussed the reality that “Results Matter”. In this post, Joshua reminds us “Leaders Eat Last”.

The setting for this lesson comes after Joshua has led Israel through many victories. Tradition has it that he is close to 100 years old when he completes the battles that returned a people group to a land they had left 400 years earlier. By this time Joshua had rolled up a pretty good record, 31& 0, decent results for a wandering people who had just crossed the Jordan. Although Joshua did not obtain a total victory over the territory (he did not defeat the Philistines and others inhabiting the seacoast, and he did not capture the northern lands between Mt. Hermon and the Euphrates River, which would not be totally captured for another 300 years) he completed enough to shift from warrior to administrator.

After the victories, Joshua led an effort to divide the land between the various tribes that had wandered with Moses and fought with Joshua. We read that, “Joshua took the entire land and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war”. It is in the act of dividing the land that Joshua sets an expectation of leadership. After all of the land had been divided, we find out that “when they had finished dividing the land into its allotted portions, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance. They gave him the town he asked for - Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim. And he built up the town and settled there”.

Let me get this straight; Joshua leads an army in a multi-year battle with 31 different kings, gives all the land away and then merely asks for a city to live in? Was Joshua a Marine? Forgive a little literary license. I know Joshua was not a Marine, but I can see the Marine code in the way that Joshua led. The code includes, in order:

Accomplish the mission
Look after the welfare of your people
Look after your own needs

With this code in mind, Marines take care of Marines first. This is where one of the more well known aspects of the Marines gets its’ origin…when Marines eat, the lowest ranking eat first, the highest ranking eat last. It is an action observable by all, which occurs each day and is a visible sign of the culture of the organization.

I just finished reading a book I highly recommend called “The Unforgiving Minute” by Craig Mullaney. Craig grew up in a blue-collar, Irish-Catholic family and went to the U.S. Military Academy. He graduated West Point in 2000 and was commissioned in the United States Army. After completing Ranger School, Craig continued to the University of Oxford on a Rhodes scholarship. In 2003, Craig led an infantry rifle platoon along the hostile border between Afghanistan and Pakistan with the 10th Mountain Division as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Here is what General David Petraeus said about Craig’s book, “The Unforgiving Minute is a wonderful, beautifully written story of the education and development of a young soldier-scholar, the coming of age of an infantry officer, and the exercise of a small unit leader's responsibilities in a tough, complex, and frustrating situation in Afghanistan. It captures particularly eloquently and movingly the relationships among those who walk point for our nation as part of that most elite of fraternities, the brotherhood of the close fight.”

What does the Unforgiving Minute have to do with Joshua? During Ranger training Craig writes, “There is a chain of command, but there also is a chain of influence…I had to lead by example. If I wanted them to march faster, I had to march twice as fast with a smile on my face. If I wanted them to extend their threshold of pain, I had to push myself even harder and under no circumstance could I afford to whine. The only way to gain my squad’s loyalty was to show loyalty to them. I served them, not the other way around.”

At one point Craig is standing on Omaha beach in Normandy with a Lieutenant Colonel who is a combat veteran and a Ranger. Craig asks the Colonel, “How do you know you’ll handle combat?” The Colonel replies, “You don’t, you’ll never know until you are there. What you will know for certain is that it will be chaotic and loud, and you’ll be ready to piss in your own boots. You’ll be more scared of letting your men down than anything the enemy is going to do to you. And then you’ll lead from instinct and judgment. That is the price of a salute”

The price of a salute. Leaders are human, there is a tendency at least for me to say in my mind, “I have done this for 25 years, I deserve a little (fill in the blank – glory, luxury, rest, stuff, nice hotel room, bigger seat on the airplane).” Basically saying, “What are the rewards of a salute?” Joshua divides the land and gives it away first. He gets his inheritance after the people he has led. Joshua reminds us to eat last. To show others through action the level at which you care about their welfare. To serve and not to take. To wake up in the morning and think,"What will I do for my team today?" not "What will my team do for me today?"

The price of a salute? Eat last.

Joshua's lessons on leadership - Results Matter

2009-05-04T13:40:00.007-05:00

In a series of posts, I want to discuss what we can learn about leadership from Joshua ben Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, which would become known as the most militaristic of the tribes of Israel through Joshua's campaigns. If this is the first post in the series you have read please do a quick review of the 30 March, 2009 blog titled “Joshua's lessons on leadership - Intro”; that post highlights why I am looking into Joshua’s life.

In the last entry, I discussed the importance of “Inner Strength”. In this post, Joshua shows us “Results Matter”.

Winston Churchill said, “However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.” Results matter and for the leader, the ability to demonstrate results is a force multiplier. People trust a leader that gets it done. Joshua illuminates this principal during one of the more famous stories in his life - the Battle at Jericho.

Ancient Jericho is located at Tell es-Sultan, next to an abundant spring on the western edge of the Jordan Valley, just north of the Dead Sea. The site’s water supply and climate have made it a desirable place to live from the very beginning of settled habitation. A Neolithic settlement at the site goes back to about 8000 BC, making Jericho the world’s oldest city.

The site is strategically located. From Jericho you have access to the heartland of Canaan. Any military force attempting to penetrate the central hill country from the east would first have to capture Jericho. Therefore, Joshua must conquer and hold Jericho for the tribes of Israel to move into their new home.

Joshua comes into the battle with a great track record. Recall from the post on 13 April that he lead an important victory early in his career. Then he was picked by the legendary leader of the tribes to bring the wandering population into their new homes. He had also just led important victories against the King of Heshbon and the King of Bashan; these two cities lay just east of the Jordan river and their capture allowed the tribes to have a protected launching point for crossing into their desired homeland. Finally, right before the battle, he led the people to cross the Jordan River during a time of year when it should have been at flood stage, yet all got across safely.

Joshua would need this track record because he asked his army to do something unexpected. Joshua had in inspiration of how the Battle of Jericho would be fought. “We will march around the city once with all the armed men and do this for six days. Then on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in."

Let me put this in perspective. The Siege of Antioch took place during the First Crusade from October 21, 1097, to June 2, 1098. During those eight months battle engines were created, raised up against the walls and destroyed, hundreds of sorties were attempted; the crusaders were under continuous surprise attack. In the winter months, they ran out of food and ate bark, drank the blood of their animals, suffered disease and famine. In general, a siege of a walled city was really hard work and it lasted a long time with intense suffering on both the besieged and the attackers.

So I can only imagine the reaction of Joshua’s generals when he laid out his plan, “Guys, you will not have to fight and the siege will only last seven days – seriously”. The generals look at Joshua and then look up at the walls of Jericho.

An earthen barricade surrounded Jericho with a stone retaining wall at its base. The retaining wall was 12–15 feet high. On top of that was a wall six feet thick and about 20–26 feet high. At the crest of the barricade was a similar wall whose base was roughly 46 feet above the ground level outside the retaining wall. This is what loomed high above the Israelites as they marched around the city each day for seven days. Humanly speaking, it was impossible for the Israelites to penetrate the impregnable stronghold of Jericho.

They looked back at Joshua, “Seriously guys, I am just saying that if we do this and then blow a horn and shout the walls will come down”. Without a track record of results, I imagine Joshua’s generals looking at each other and raising their eyebrows. Maybe one or two who are complete sycophants say, “Yes!! That is a great plan”. Then the rest grumble to each other, “OK, the river is one thing, but shout at the walls and they fall down? Let’s humor poor Joshua for seven days and then we can build our real siege plan”

Yet, the army followed his command; they were following a man who had delivered increasingly difficult results. For six days marching and not attacking or even threatening the city probably lulled the defenders. A change in pattern on the seventh day should have alerted the defenders. The silent marchers appeared as before, but this time marched around the city seven times. This completed, they turned toward the walls and the priests leading the column each blew a ram's horn and the multitude shouted. At this, the walls fell. This created an easy slope up the earthen embankment between the inner and outer city walls, allowing the army easy access to an impenetrable city. No description is given of resistance, only of results, “every man charged straight in, and they took the city and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it”

Joshua had an inspiration and asked his army to follow. Without a track record of results would they have followed the plan he outlined? Maybe or maybe not. However it was far easier for them to follow with confidence and energy knowing their leader usually got it done. Results matter - not just for the mission today, but also for the mission tomorrow.

Joshua's lessons on leadership - Inner Strength

2009-04-24T06:54:00.003-05:00

In the last entry, I discussed the importance of “See the truth; but not for worse than it is”. In this post, Joshua shows us “Inner Strength”.

The story of Joshua’s “Inner Strength” occurs at the end of his mentor’s life. Joshua had been #2 to Moses for almost 40 years. Together they had led the tribes on a nomadic journey that lasted an entire generation. At the end of the journey, when they are just about to cross the Jordan River and change from being nomads into their permanent residence, Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of everyone else, "Be strong and courageous, for you must lead these people to their future home, the home we have discussed this entire journey and you must divide it among them as their inheritance”.

There is no great time to take over for a legend. There is no perfect moment to step into a giant’s shoes. However there are some moments more difficult than others. Imagine Joshua, “What Moses? Where are you going? Just wait a few more miles, get the tribe to their new home and then I can take it from there. And can you go ahead and divide the land before you leave? You have a lot more credibility than me. What if they do not listen to me?”

I had a similar (albeit substantially less dramatic and important) moment in my work life. I was at a company and had just been asked to take over the leadership of a large organization. My task was to take over from someone who had been at the company for a long time, was well liked, fire about 20% of the organization and then restore morale.

Gulp.

The day after we let a several hundred people go we had an all-hands meeting. The meeting was in a large building with bleachers along one wall. I came in the back of the building and had to walk down the bleachers to the floor and turn around and address the team. As I walked down the bleachers, I could feel the fear, distrust, frustration, anticipation and worry emitting like raw electricity from the hundreds of people in the room. Alone, walking down the stairs, all I could see was a solitary microphone like a lost child in the middle of the room. I realized at that moment, the people in the room did not really care about me personally; they cared about themselves, their future and what was going to happen next. They really just wanted and needed to know that whoever walked up to that microphone and opened their mouth had their hands on the wheel and was willing to drive. I was alone. Fortunately I had a mentor just moments before tell me, “Alex – be strong and courageous, you can do this”

Moses tells Joshua he believes in him, he tells him to be strong and courageous in front of the entire gathering of people. We learn from the story that Joshua was filled with wisdom when Moses transferred power to him. Then Moses climbed the 3,300 foot Mount Nebo on the northwest edge of the Dead Sea just across the Jordan River from Jericho, looked into the future home of the tribe, and died.

At that moment Joshua is by himself. He is the picture of leadership and loneliness. Joshua is isolated and the only thing he can rely upon is “Inner Strength”. He looks to that which gives him inner strength. For Joshua it was his creator and he heard, “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people, be strong and very courageous. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged”. Three times he heard these words, the same words he heard from Moses and this provided him “Inner Strength”

In our journey there will be moments when we are alone. The great philosopher Dr. Seuss tells us this in his seminal work, Oh The Places You’ll Go!

All Alone! Whether you like it or not, alone will be something you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

In those moments, you will need to determine what gives you “Inner Strength”. For me in my lonely moment, it was having the one person I needed to believe in me, believe in me. A person who knew well the words of Thomas Carlyle, “Tell a person they are brave and you help them become so”. For Joshua it was the belief that his creator was supporting his next steps.

What is it for you? Whatever it is, you must find it and have it, because you will need it. In those moments, if you do not have “Inner Strength” you will not be prepared to lead. You will be defined by these crucible events where the only thing that gets you and the team to move forward is your “Inner Strength”

Joshua's lessons on leadership - See the truth: but not for worse than it is

2009-04-13T17:49:00.004-05:00

In the last entry, we dug into a lesson about obedience, when Joshua “fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered”. In this post, we learn the importance of “See the truth: but not for worse than it is”.

After the battle with the Amalekites, Joshua becomes Moses’ aid de camp. Moses took him everywhere, even up the mountain when Moses got the first set of famous stone tablets. A little over two years after the battle where Joshua showed obedience, came the event that Joshua showed the importance of “See the truth, but not for worse than it is”

Moses selects twelve men to go explore Canaan, the land that the Israelites were supposed to settle in. These twelve men were each selected as leaders from the original twelve tribes of Israel. Joshua was among the men. Moses gave fairly broad instructions to the men, “Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country. See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they un-walled or fortified? How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees on it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land." Essentially these twelve leaders were sent out on a reconnaissance mission; they were spies.

The twelve men spent time gathering information about Canaan, even bringing back examples of the fruit that existed. Moses gathered advisors to listen to the reports, "We went into the land to which you sent us, and you were right, it would be a great place for us, however, the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large.” A man named Caleb, who would become a key partner of Joshua said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."

Then all hell breaks loose, the rest of the men, except for Joshua start shouting over each other in the assembly meeting, “We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are." Worse, they walked among the rest of the people telling them, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them." They created a truth that was worse than it really was.

Have you noticed there is always a group of people, when confronted with a challenge, who choose to see the worst of all the outcomes? Moreover, it is insufficient for them to be worried by themselves; they must bring people along with them. This infection of worrying is actually easy to accomplish; worry can be more contagious than hope. So their definition of “lead” is to get others to worry with them. When it happens, they think they have followers. In reality people are just following their fears not the person who speaks to the fear.

Here is the interesting thing about worry vs. fear. Fear we will all feel. Fear will enter our journey often. Worry does not have to be our companion. Worry is fear not healed by belief. If I believe in the team, their talents, their preparation, their effort, their sponsorship and their attitude I need not worry. My belief in any situation can heal my fear. So these “leaders” who were walking around the tribes were not sowing fear; they were creating worry. This is not the job of a leader.

Dwight Eisenhower wrote to his wife from Algiers on December 30^th, 1942, “As pressure mounts and strain increases everyone begins to show the weaknesses in his makeup. It is up to the Commander to conceal his; above all to conceal doubt, fear and distrust”. Eisenhower understood the leader's job is to heal fear through belief and not let worry take hold in the gut of the team.

What about Joshua? Let’s look back at the rest of the story. The night that the spies came back with their report, after worry had been sown all the people of the community raised their voices, wept and grumbled, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt."

Joshua and his partner Caleb, stood strong in front of the entire community and said, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. Do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone…do not be afraid of them."

There was still conflict and argument, but this moment by Joshua, where he “saw the truth, but not for worse than it is” was a turning point in the Israelites history.

Or, in the words of Napoleon, “A leader is a dealer in hope”. Joshua was dealing hope, not worry.

Joshua's lessons on leadership - Obedience

2009-04-08T18:26:00.006-05:00

In the last entry, we dug into the backdrop for Joshua’s leadership lessons, in this entry, I want to look the very first time we hear about Joshua, when he “fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered”. When Joshua arrives on the scene, he teaches us an unforgettable lesson about obedience.

The battle with the Amalekites occurred right after events that have provided idioms in almost every culture. Have you ever heard, “like manna from heaven” or “get water from rocks”? Well, the Israelites had just been led out of Egypt and through the parting of the Red Sea. They were about six weeks out of Egypt and they were complaining to their leader Moses that they had nothing to eat – this is when strange bread like substance called manna started appearing every day. Manna is cross cultural, it is also identified in three different places in the Qur'an, each mentioning the divine supply of manna as one of the miracles with which the Israelites were favored. Then the Israelites started whining that they were thirsty and wished they had never left slavery and according to the story, Moses struck the rock at Horeb with a stick and caused water to flow from it.

It is against this backdrop that Joshua is ordered into battle. The entire tribe is whining for food, which they are given, then whining for water, which they receive. I can only imagine that going in to combat was not high on the list of things folks wanted to do - much whining was going on for sure. All we know about this battle is that the Amalekites, aboriginal people of Canaan and the Sinai Peninsula that waged constant warfare against the Hebrews started it. The Amalekites attack and in response Moses tells Joshua, “Grab some men and go attack the enemy, I will be hanging out on the hill watching you”

Joshua does it. I am not sure I would be as obedient as Joshua. I am not sure it was real easy to find folks in the tribe willing to go fight. My response might have been, “What, I am going to battle and you are going up on a hill with a stick in your hand?” But Joshua does it, and check out what happens next. This is the narrative we have of the battle, “So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.”

Wow, to me that is obedience to a leader. Joshua is down on the field of battle sweating, bleeding, suffering and he looks up and watches the ebb and flow of the battle depend upon his leader's arms rising and falling. “I am down here swinging a sword and you are up there waving your arms?” He has to give it all he has got, obedient to the task and dependent upon his leader’s actions.

When you read the work ‘obedient’ over and over again, does the hair on the back of your neck stand up? Mine does, I am not sure I want to be ‘obedient’. Why?

“The strongest is never strong enough always to be master, unless he transforms strength into right, and obedience into duty” - Jean-Jacques Rousseau, French writer whose novels inspired the leaders of the French Revolution.

What is Rousseau saying? Turn obedience into duty? Rousseau understood the very nature of humans that we take pride in duty and see it as strength of character. Yet we scorn obedience allowing the mental image of a dog and master creep into our minds. Obedience is the act of complying with authority. Duty is something that one is expected or required to do by moral or legal obligation, the respectful and obedient conduct due a parent, superior, elder, etc.

Duty and Obedience are essentially the same thing; one noble and one mocked. Why do we feel different about the two? It is because with duty, we feel that we have had some choice in the matter and by choosing created a voluntary compact that is honorable. Obedience on the other hand feels like it is laid over us like chains, we had no say in the matter and we are treated like slaves.

Alcibiades, Athenian commander in the 1st Peloponnesian War, said, “If force must be employed with a subordinate, take care that it be minimal. If I command you, "Pick up that bowl," and set a sword-point at your back, you will obey but no part will own the action. You will exculpate yourself, accounting, "He made me do it, I had no choice." But if I only suggest and you comply, then you must own your own compliance and, owning it, stand by it.”

Obedience must be taught and learned. But to teach it, you must first submit to it and experience it, the good type of obedience and the bad, so that you know the right way to install obedience in an organization. Not with a sword to the back.

We see the making of a leader start with the obedience of Joshua. Joshua showed us a key truth, how can you ask others to obey, unless you have first learned what it means to obey?

Joshua's lessons on leadership - Intro

2009-03-30T09:08:00.003-05:00

Why Joshua? At the end of the series on David I asked folks what they wanted to hear about and I got a comment that said, “Alex, what about followership? Great leaders are first great followers such as David's respect for flawed King Saul. How much improvement would there be in our companies and culture if we gave as much effort to being a good follower as we do to become a good leader?”

Everyone, regardless of your belief system, knows about a guy named Moses, but what about the guy that had to follow him? Joshua is the second person to lead the Jewish people. He spent the early part of his life training under Moses, and took over for him when the Israelites entered the land of Canaan. Joshua's charisma and skill as a leader are evident from the success of the Jews during his lifetime, and their rapid decline following his death. In fact the Israelites do not find a comparable leader until Samuel hundreds of years later.

Joshua was born in 1536 B.C. and died in 1426 B.C. This is a period of time where Egypt re-unified her empire. Ahmose I (1570-1546) drove the asiatics from Avaris, and began the unification. Under Amenhotep I (1546-1526) Egypt began the process of establishing a great empire. Amenhotep pushed Egypt's borders beyond those of the Old Kingdom and established an Egyptian presence in Asia. Thutmose I (1525-1512), pacified the Nubian south, and his successor, Thutmose II (1512-1504), solidified the Egyptian presence in Palestine to the Syrian border. Thutmose III (1504-1450) became Egypt's greatest warrior pharaoh, and is known to history as the Napoleon or Alexander of Egypt. Thutmose III established the empire far into Asia, demanding tribute from Babylon, Assyria, and the Hittites. He fought 17 campaigns abroad and was victorious in all of them. Thutmose III established a professional army through which Egypt reached its pinnacle as a military power. Joshua lived and led against a backdrop of a great empire at its’ peak.

Any look into Joshua’s leadership can leave you stunned by the brutality of battles, bloodshed and warfare. So, it is important to understand the phase of civilization that Joshua lived within. The period starting in 1500 B.C. through A.D. 100 covers the transition from the Late Bronze Age to the Iron Age and was a time during which a revolution in most aspects of people's existence and organization occurred. During this time humankind refined the social structures that were essential to the functioning of large and complex social orders and, in doing so, brought into existence a new and more destructive form of warfare. There was almost constant war, a time in which states of all sizes came into existence only to be extinguished by the rise of still larger empires, which, in their turn, were destroyed by military force.

The time of Joshua saw the practice of war become firmly rooted in man's societies, experience and psychology. War, warriors, and weapons became a normal part of human existence.

After Joshua’s death a time of disarray existed among the Israelites until Samuel arrived in 1115 B.C. This occurred against a backdrop of one of the most important stimuli in warfare - the discovery and use of iron. The Hittites first employed iron as a technology of war about 1300 B.C. The importance of iron in the development of ancient warfare lay not in its strength or ability to hold a sharp edge. Iron's importance rested in the fact that unlike bronze, iron was widely available. It was easier to extract and the abundant supply of this material made it possible for states to produce quantities of reliable weapons cheaply. No longer was it only the major powers that could afford enough weapons to equip a large military force; almost any state could do it. The result was a dramatic increase in the frequency of war.

While the armies of the Late Bronze Age when Joshua led were large compared to those at the beginning of the period, they were very small by comparison to the armies that fought later in the Iron Age. Persian armies under Darius and Xerxes in the time of David could easily number 200,000 – 300,000 soldiers. While the army of Sargon of Akkad in 2300 B.C. is estimated as large as 5,400 men, an army of this size represented a supreme national effort and even then could be deployed in the field for only a short time. In general there were much smaller Bronze Age armies than the one that Sargon led.

The net of all of this is that Joshua led at a brutal time in history under the shadow of an empire. A time when warfare was beginning to define mankind, yet weapons and weaponry had not yet progressed to the point where large armies were possible. Warfare under Joshua was up close and personal. Battles and therefore families, tribes and civilizations were won, lost sustained or destroyed based upon the actions of 10, 100 or 1,000 people at most.

Now that we have the backdrop for Joshua’s leadership lessons, let’s see what we can learn from him. The next post will look at the very first time we hear about Joshua, when he “fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered”.

David's lessons on leadership - Will you be carried?

2009-03-23T08:08:00.005-05:00

In a series of posts I reflect upon what we can learn about leadership from David, King of Israel. If this is the first post in the series you have read, please do a quick review of the January 2, 2009 blog titled “David’s lessons on leadership – Intro”; that post outlines why I am looking into David’s life. Also, this is the last post I will write on “David’s lessons”. Next week I will move on to another topic. If there is something on your mind you would like me to write about, let me know.

The previous blog dealt with Reputation – created with character, strengthened by consistency, tested by trials and reflected in how others react to us over time. This post deals with one of the main methods to ultimately judge our leadership. The question is, Will you be carried?

The back-story for this last lesson about David comes from a battle toward the end of his life. We learn from the story that “Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted.”

Each of us has our main strength. It may be speed, physical strength, compassion, mental agility, empathy, speech, creativity or endurance. However, there is some characteristic we know we can count on and we rely upon it when in our moment of greatest need.

What happens when we can no longer count on our greatest strength? What happens when the one thing we have counted on fails us? What happens when the one characteristic we knew would lift us above a crisis is no longer there? We press on it, like a foot pressing a brake pedal connected to a severed brake line. Over and over, but the skill, trait or gift does not respond…

Even a king like David grows old. As he got older, David became unable to fight as he once did. In this battle against the Philistines, David's life was at risk when he wore out physically against a descendant of Goliath. Against the very people that David made his name, David lost the one thing he could always count on – his strength in battle. And how did the people respond? They did not discard him, they did not throw him out; they stood in front him. His men said, “Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel will not be extinguished.”

How will people react to you when your gift runs its’ course? Will they stand in front of you, protect you, and show you other gifts you still have to give? Other gifts and talents you do not even know you have? Or will they walk past you, neglect you and move on to others? How they react will show you the impact you have made with others. How they react will show you if you have spent a life on your own agenda or spent a life living to serve others. For all his flaws and faults, David tried hard to be true to his beliefs and he did serve his people, Israel. Years of action, decisions, public sacrifices, and atonement demonstrated to the people of Israel who he was and what he stood for and believed in. In return, Israel stood in front of David.

Walter Lippman, an influential writer, journalist and founding editor of The New Republic said, "The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on."

Will the people you lead carry on? Like David, Will you be carried?

David's lessons on leadership - Reputation

2009-03-13T16:10:00.004-05:00

In a series of posts I reflect upon what we can learn about leadership from David, King of Israel. If this is the first post in the series you have read, please do a quick review of the January 2, 2009 blog titled “David’s lessons on leadership – Intro”; that post outlines why I am looking into David’s life.

The previous blog dealt with Trust - comprised of character and competence. This post deals with “Reputation”

What is your dearest possession? Maybe your reputation is not #1, but I bet it is near the top. This lesson on reputation comes from the time that Hushai the spy leveraged David’s reputation into an advantage.

The back-story to this intrigue is that Absalom, the third son of David leads a revolt against David. As Absalom holds the city and David is in retreat, Absalom seeks out his chief advisor. This advisor, Ahithophel tells Absalom, “I would choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David. Attack him while he is weary and weak”.

Absalom turns to another advisor, Hushai, who he does not know is in place to defend the king’s interest and spy for him. Hushai’s response instills fear in Absalom by reminding him of David’s reputation as a warrior. "The advice Ahithophel has given is not good this time. You know your father and his men; they are fighters, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. If he should attack your troops first, whoever hears about it will say, 'There has been a slaughter among the troops who follow Absalom.' Then even the bravest soldier, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will melt with fear, for all Israel knows that your father is a fighter and that those with him are brave.”

David’s reputation alone caused his son to stop pressing forward when he had an advantage and changed the course of the war of rebellion with his own son.

We all have a reputation, the question is – how close is it to who we are? You cannot create your reputation, since it is what people think of you. All you can do is concentrate on your character, maintain consistency and then be comfortable with what happens next. Abe Lincoln said, “Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.”

I was on a job interview recently in my hometown and sat down to breakfast with a CEO who is well connected in the local high tech community. He said, “Alex, this is a pretty small place and I have been checking you out”. Gulp – here it comes, my reputation. “Alex, word is that even when faced with challenging situations you do the right thing”.

Wow. Now, I want a job with this man and the company he leads, but whatever happens from here, I am OK. That morning - that moment in the breakfast meeting, I received a great gift. I was told that my reputation was someone who will do the right thing. I learned that at least for one brief moment, my reputation and what I desire my character to be are sometimes in sync. That is pure gold, and I will do all that is possible to defend and maintain that reputation.

In David’s life, his reputation was a weapon, it preceded him, and it got things done for him even when he was not present. It is the same for us; we can get things done through just our reputation. The question is, “what do you want to get done through my reputation?” Once you know that answer, the best next action is to work on character. And the best way to work on my character is to focus on who we are becoming, not just what we are doing.

Reputation - created with character, strengthened by consistency, tested by trials and reflected in how others treat us. "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently." Warren Buffett

David's lessons on leadership - Trust

2009-03-07T07:11:00.005-06:00

The previous blog dealt with knowing that until people see us “Take a Stand” they will never know our values or be in a position to choose to accept our values or move on. This post deals with “Trust”

The backdrop for a lesson on trust comes in an interaction between Jonathan, David’s best friend (see “Jonathan Moments” – February 9^th) and his soldiers.

Jonathan becomes disgusted with his dad, Saul the king. He is disgusted because right after Jonathan led a great victory that Saul claimed was his own victory, Saul tries to lead 600 men into battle without weapons. We read in the story that not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, so Israel had to pay their enemy to have their plowshares, mattocks, axes and sickles sharpened. As a result, on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand.

Jonathan takes matters into his own hands and tells one of his soldiers, “Let’s you and me go into the enemy camp and destroy it”. His soldier tells him, “do all that you have in mind; I am with you, heart and soul." Jonathan's soldier "Trusts"

Contrast the soldiers response, with Jonathan’s retort to one of his father’s commands. Saul had told the army not to eat until they had their victory. But Jonathan found some honey on the ground and ate it any way. One of the soldiers told him, "Your father bound the army under a strict oath, saying, 'Cursed be any man who eats food today!' That is why the men are faint." Jonathan’s response, "My father has made trouble for the country. See how my eyes brightened when I tasted a little of this honey. How much better it would have been if the men had eaten today?” Jonathan's words and actions show his men he has no "Trust" for his father.

What a difference in the way the soldier spoke of his leader and the son spoke of his father. The soldier has trust and deference and the son only has condescension. Why the difference?

The level of trust that we have in a leader dictates the speed and obedience of our following (the concepts are derived from a book by Stephen Covey Jr. called “The Speed of Trust”). High trust, high speed and high obedience. Low trust, questions, debates and delays. Where does trust come from? Character and competence. Character is comprised of integrity and intent. Competence is built on capability and results. Let me break this down a bit further:

Integrity – when there is no gap between intent and behavior. You see this in people when they act in harmony with their deepest values and beliefs.
Intent – based upon motive, agenda and related behavior. It is the reason why you do something.
Capability – the knowledge, skills, ability and attitude that a person brings to a situation.
Results – getting stuff done matters. Or as Master Yoda says, “Do or do not, there is no try”

Each of us falls short on one of more of these four items at any point in time. The more we demonstrate a complete picture to our team and improve each of these areas, the more they trust us, the faster we operate together and the more effective we become.

So what was the difference between Jonathan and Saul? The soldier saw a few specific things in Jonathan. First, he demonstrated capability and results in the first attack he led. Second, his character was on display before heading into the raid on the Philistines when he told the soldier “Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few”. Jonathan was a capable man of action who walked the talk in terms of his belief system. He showed integrity and intent.

Contrast the view of Jonathan with the view Jonathan might have of his father. Saul could not put arms into the hands of his people and took credit for actions that were not his. He could not get results and his intent was suspect. Although Saul was strong and effective, his flaws caused him to do things that negatively influenced the way his people viewed his character and competence.

What is the lesson? Objectively review our integrity, intent, capability and results. Score ourselves, where do we fall short? Be surrounded with a few trusted advisors. Seek their input, ask them to articulate the areas where we are lacking and ask them to help us improve. And then – trust your people. Operate with an internal compass that says most people really want to do the right thing. Henry Stimson, who was an American statesman, served as Secretary of War, Governor-General of the Philippines, and Secretary of State said, “The chief lesson I have learned in a long life is that the only way you can make a man trustworthy is to trust him; and the surest way to make him untrustworthy is to distrust him.”

Know you have to earn their trust, but trust them first.

David's lessons on leadership - Take a Stand

2009-02-27T13:36:00.003-06:00

The previous blog dealt with knowing we all have flaws and being aware our flaws can lead us to join the ranks of “Tragic Heroes”. This post deals with the topic of “Take a Stand”

There was a long period in David’s life when he was on the run from Saul. Recall that Saul was David’s mentor and king, he became jealous of David and went through a bi-polar experience some days loving David and some days wanting to kill him. It was in one of these ‘kill him’ moments we see David stand tall among his men and “Take a Stand”

Around 1000 B.C., Saul was chasing David through the Desert of Maon when he broke off his pursuit of David because the Philistines were raiding his land. As Saul turned, David went up and “dwelt in the strongholds at En Gedi”, which is the largest oasis along the western shore of the Dead Sea.

Saul finished his battle with the Philistines and took 3,000 men back to En Gedi to capture David. Saul basically calls in the cavalry; he now outnumbers David 5:1. Saul ends up having to relieve himself in a cave that turns out to be the very same cave that David and his men are hiding in. David’s men encourage him, telling him, "This is your moment, go kill Saul, it is a sign from above”. Six hundred frightened men, badly outnumbered convince their leader that in this moment he can deliver them from their weary travails.

David sneaks up to kill Saul and at the last moment spares him. David merely cuts a piece of Saul’s robe (which he later shows Saul to prove that he does not want to kill him). David comes back to his men and rebukes them. He does not allow them to attack Saul. He tells them, “Saul is my king and I made an oath not to lift my hand against him”. David’s men see him “Take a Stand”

I look at this story and think “What are David’s men saying about him?” Were they saying, “Look how great and glorious our leader is because he kept an oath and see how gracious he is toward Saul”? Or were they saying, “What the heck has gone wrong with David? We are on the run, tired, hungry, living in a rock, he has every chance to deliver us and yet he does not!”

We never know their reaction. As you study this story you see the reaction of David’s men upon finding Saul, yet there is nothing about their reaction to David letting Saul go. Why is there no record of their reaction in that moment? Here I think is the lesson – it did not matter…

There will be moments in which you are publicly presented a situation where you have to either “Take a Stand” or please the people you lead. Until people see you “Take a Stand” they will never know your values or be in a position to choose to accept your values or move on.

So here is a moment for David’s men; they see the choice that David made. They know the sacrifice of this choice since David is on the run with them. They see David have the opportunity to end it all yet choose to keep an oath and respect authority. David’s men now know his values and can choose to follow him and his belief system or move on.

We do our people a favor when we “Take a Stand”; we let them know our value systems and ourselves. We are no longer anonymous. There is an old Chinese proverb - “A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows public opinion”

Show your values, don’t just talk about them; “Take a Stand”

David's lessons on leadership - Tragic Heroes

2009-02-17T16:54:00.005-06:00

In a series of posts, I am going to reflect upon what we can learn about leadership from David, King of Israel. If this is the first post in the series you have read, please do a quick review of the January 2, 2009 blog titled “David’s lessons on leadership – Intro”; that post outlines why I am looking into David’s life.

The previous blog dealt with the impact of the support of one person, the change that occurs in our lives and leadership journey when we have a “Jonathan Moment”. This post deals with the topic of “Tragic Heroes”

For this topic we go back to a time before Saul knew David, a time when Saul became king. There came a point in Israel’s history when pressure emerged to centralize government into a kingship. This pressure was largely from the threat of Israel's neighbors, especially the Philistines, whose victories had resulted in the destruction of the central sanctuary at Shiloh. This reason for wanting a king is consistent with a well researched book called “Guns, Germs and Steel” in which author Jared Diamond points out that throughout history, amalgamation of smaller groups or tribes occurs for two reasons; merger by threat of external force or actual conquest. Examples of merger by threat of external force include the Cherokee nation in the early 1700’s, the United States shifting from a loose set of states to a federal government in the late 1780’s and the central imperial German government of the 1870’s.

So, the elders of Israel wanted and demanded a visible king be appointed over them. They wanted to be like the well-organized nations surrounding them and have a leader who could take them to victory over their foes. They petitioned Samuel and Samuel sat Saul down to tell him he would be king.

As Samuel is telling Saul he will be king, Saul, says to him, "But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?"

Saul starts off so well, asking a fair question, “Why me?” He starts with the admirable trait of humility, which leaves him quickly as he becomes king. We first see it leave him when his son Jonathan bursts on the scene and demonstrates the first of what will be a repeated ability to lead an attack. “Saul had the trumpet blown throughout the land and said, "Let the Hebrews hear!" So all Israel heard the news: "Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost”. Saul takes the credit for Jonathan’s attack on the garrison of the Philistines. We see the fatal flaw in Saul begin to take root. We know it is pride. We know it is vanity and the desire for glory. Saul’s own sense of insecurity will not allow his own son to receive credit. Saul needs the praise.

Saul as king has all the traits that Israel wants in a king, he is taller than most, good looking, strong and comes from a prominent family. But his pride is his flaw, Saul is like some of the men and women we see attain fame, fortune and glamour only to fall from grace with a character failing. Saul is a Tragic Hero, the main character in a tragedy who makes an error in his actions that leads to his downfall. The main characteristics of a Tragic Hero include:

The hero is led to his downfall due to hubris, or excessive pride.
The hero discovers his fate by his own actions, not by things happening to him.
The hero sees and understands his doom, and that his fate was revealed by his own actions.
The hero is physically or spiritually wounded by his experiences, often resulting in his death.
The hero is often a king or leader of people, so that his people experience his fall with him. This could also include a leader of a family.
The hero learns something from his mistake.
The hero is faced with a serious decision.
The suffering of the hero is meaningful.

We see it around us today, in the failed institutions, the corporate leaders who forgot about leading, the athletes who disappoint us, and the public servants that betray our trust. All around us are Tragic Heroes; we watch them fall and we see them suffer. Here is what we must understand; they are not different from us. In each one of us is a character trait that keeps us going and gives us fuel, but has the potential to be our downfall. In each one of us exists a Tragic Hero. For all are human and all have a flaw; the more the spotlight of the world pierces us, the more our flaw becomes known.

Recall Polonius' advice to his son Laertes in Shakespeare's Hamlet, “This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man”.

Know your flaw, be true to yourself and know what your flaw can do. Know that without care we are each capable of joining the ranks of Tragic Heroes.

David's lessons on leadership - Jonathan Moments

2009-02-09T20:22:00.005-06:00

The previous blog dealt with going astray and why we should “Stay on Mission”. This post is a commentary on impact of the support of one person, the change that occurs in our lives and leadership journey when we have a “Jonathan Moment”.

Early in David’s journey to leadership he went through a very difficult moment. In that moment one friend, Jonathan stood with him and Jonathan’s allegiance led David to the next stage of his life.

Before I describe the moment, I need to give you the back-story. After David kills Goliath at the tender age of 17, Saul the king promoted him to a high rank in the army. David continued to serve Saul and lead troops into battle on Saul’s behalf. The people of Israel and Judah loved what David was doing and the rest of the army commanders also became impressed with his victories. In addition, David began a deep friendship with Jonathan, the son of Saul. Saul goes through a strange metamorphosis whereby all the admiration that lands on David starts to make Saul jealous. Saul started as a mentor to David and then makes several attempts to assassinate him.

The pivotal, difficult moment comes during the New Moon Festival or Rosh Chodesh, which was an important and visible ceremony for Saul. David is convinced Saul is trying to kill him and Jonathan is equally convinced that his father, Saul, would never kill David.

They devise a way to test Saul’s intent. David is to stay away from the feast and when Saul asks Jonathan about David, Jonathan is to say that David wanted to go to Bethlehem and be with his family. Jonathan would watch his father’s reaction and then come to a place where David is hiding and provide a secret signal. He told David, “I will shoot three arrows to the side of where you are hiding, as though I were shooting at a target. Then I will send a boy and say, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I say to him, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,' then come, because, you are safe; there is no danger. But if I say to the boy, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' then you must go”

Well, Saul gets angry that David is not there and tells Jonathan that David must die. Jonathan heads out to where David is hiding and implements the plan. Jonathan sends the signal that lets David know that Saul means to kill him. As David gets up to leave all he has ever known, his friend Jonathan says to him, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other…between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.”

This is a moment of deep despair for David. When he heard the words, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?” he knew that his life was changed in a profound way. Everything he knew would be different. Where he lived, how he lived, what he did and who he walked with - all different and all a mystery at this moment in time. However, knowing Jonathan believed in him, David was able to move forward.

Each of us has moments in our lives when something happens and we know everything next will be different. Leading up to that moment, we may think about the change, we may plan for the change, but until it is there we are not really “all in”. Then it happens and the bridges burn behind us. It is that moment when it is so critical to have at least one person who believes in you. With just one person, you can move through life’s stages with confidence.

An example for me was a demanding moment at work on March 30^th, 2003. It was the end of our fiscal year and everything crashed around my shoulders; I knew the next step would be difficult and different. At that moment I had one man, an ex-boss and mentor, write me a short note. I have kept it to this day. Here is what he wrote:

I stopped by this morning, but you were in the gym. Since you looked like you had just watched your puppy get run over last night, I wanted to check in on you this morning.

However, knowing you as well as I do, I know you have moved on to the New Year, and are walking with confidence and enthusiasm this morning. Your team will expect you to be mad and lack some confidence and conviction after a rough close to the year, and as usual I know you will surprise them, and they will draw strength from your example.

Watching you attack your job, and emerge as one of the true top sales leaders in our company this year, all while "Doing it Right", has inspired me. It hasn't surprised me, though. Nor is it the first time you have inspired me. Just wanted to drop you a note and make sure you weren't going to let two or three accounts, a war and an I/T slump have any impact on your confidence or your ability to lead. I'm not sure why I bothered.....I know you won't let that happen. You never have in the past.

Five years later this note still inspires me, it tells me at least one person believed in me in a really rough moment. I am not sure this person knows just how much they lifted me up at this moment. My ‘Jonathan’ arrived at the exact moment I needed him.

When Jonathan tells David, “Go in peace we have sworn friendship with each other”, he is giving David the incredible power of belief; the power one person receives when he or she knows there is at least one person who believes in them. Each of us needs to commit to being a Jonathan. Commit to taking a moment and letting the David’s in your life know you believe in them and are faithful to them. When you say these four words, “I believe in you”; you can change a person’s life and shepherd them through the most difficult moments they face.

Go - hand someone a “Jonathan Moment”.

David's lessons on leadership - Stay on Mission

2009-02-02T05:36:00.005-06:00

The previous blog dealt with a detail on how leaders should treat their team titled “Everyone Matters”. This post shifts to a discussion of going astray and why we should “Stay on Mission”

Much has been written about David, including recognition that he did some unsavory things in his life. Of all his many mistakes, taking Bathsheba as a wife probably comes in at the top of the list - not just for what he did, but also for how he did it. The lesson for us in David’s affair with Bathsheba is related to where David was when all this occurred vs. where he was supposed to be.

David, now King of Israel, wakes up one evening and as he is walking around he sees Bathsheba bathing and is struck by her beauty. He immediately asks about the young lady and is told she is the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah. The names of these two guys are important because they are both counted as David’s Mighty Men; basically David’s Green Berets.

So now we have David, bored on a rooftop, strolling around surveying all he ‘owns’, eyeballing the daughter and wife of two of his greatest warriors. But wait, it gets worse. David summons Bathsheba, they get together and she gets pregnant. In an attempt to cover this up, David recalls Uriah from the front and tries to talk him into spending the night with his wife so that the child would appear to be from Uriah. Uriah is such a loyal soldier he refuses – he wants no comfort while his men are in tents in the field. David tries to get him drunk and send him home. Still Uriah refuses, choosing instead to sleep on a mat on the floor. Now David gets desperate and he sends Uriah back to battle and commands the general in charge, Joab, “Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die." Uriah dies in battle.

If you are like me, at this point your head is in your hands and you are just shaking your head in amazement; David – how could you let this happen? David, what were you thinking?

If we look deeper into the story of David and Bathsheba we find a very telling moment, it is at the start of the story, “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.”

David stayed home following one of his greatest victories in the Ammonite-Syrian war. David gathered all Israel together, led them from the front over the river Jordan and did battle at Helam. The Syrians fled before Israel - seven hundred chariots were destroyed, forty thousand horsemen killed and all the kings allied with the Ammonites and Syrians fled.

Looking back over everything I have read about David, he is always out in the field leading the army, fighting the fight. It is what he was built to do. But this spring, this moment before the events with Bathsheba, the army goes out without its king.

Instead of leading his army, David sent Joab and stayed at home.

We all will make mistakes in our lives. Because we are human we all will do things that are clearly not in the interests of the people we lead, the people we love and the people we respect. I am pretty sure most of us will not screw it up to the level that David did with Bathsheba and Uriah, but we will do something wrong. When we look back at our mistake(s) we will realize that all too often a sense of ease and security was the prelude to our errors.

There is an old saying that has many origins; the devil finds work for idle hands. I was surprised to find out derivations of this phrase exists in most languages around the world.

L'oisiveté est la mère de tous les vice – French

Şeytan aylak ellere iş bulur – Turkish

Cabeça vazia é oficina do diabo – Portuguese

Laiskuus on kaikkien paheiden äiti – Finnish

La pereza es la madre de todos los vicios – Spanish

L'ozio è il padre dei vizi – Italian

Zahálka je matkou neřesti – Czech

The lesson for us in the story of David and Bathsheba is to Stay on Mission, stay working on what you are built to do, remain in front with your team, do not let a sense of ease and security overwhelm you. When we know what we are built to do and we remain focused on our mission, the chances of screwing things up recedes.

Consider the following speech from the book “Gates of Fire” by Steven Pressfield. Gates of Fire is the story of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. It is the story of how 300 Spartans held off 20,000 Persians so the remainder of Greece could get ready for war. During a brief pause in the fighting the Spartan king Leonidas tells the Persian king what a king should be doing,

“I will tell His Majesty what a king is. A king does not abide within his tent while his men bleed and die upon the field. A king does not dine while his men go hungry, nor sleep when they stand watch upon the wall. A king does not command his men’s loyalty through fear nor purchase it with gold; he earns their love by the sweat of his own back and the pains he endures for their sake. That which comprises the harshest burden, a king lifts first and sets down last. A king does not require service of those he leads but provides it to them. He serves them, not they him.”

Stay on Mission

David's lessons on leadership - Everyone Matters

2009-01-25T19:47:00.001-06:00

In a series of posts, I am going to reflect upon what we can learn about leadership from David, King of Israel. If this is the first post in the series you have read, please do a quick review of the January 2, 2009 post titled “David’s lessons on leadership – Intro”; that post outlines why I am looking into David’s life.

The previous post dealt with a detail on how leaders should treat their team titled “Care for your crew”. For this post I am going to stay on the topic of the team with a discussion on “Everyone Matters”

In a particularly difficult moment of David’s life, he provides a great lesson for how leaders should treat everyone that is part of accomplishing a goal or pursuing a mission. However, before we get to this lesson, I need to set it up with a brief back-story.

David was running from Saul (his former boss and king of the Hebrews) and getting quite weary of it. So he broke with his own people and started serving Achish, who is the Philistine king of Gath. David brought with him a large band of well-trained men and was assigned a city to live in – Ziklag. For a year and a half David raided other people on behalf of Achish and the Gath king became so convinced of David’s loyalty that he assigned David and his men to be bodyguards during Achish’s planned attack on Saul and the Hebrews. At Achish’s request David and his men pack up their gear and prepare to go to battle alongside the Philistines.

In a twist of fate, the princes and nobles that surround Achish fear that David is a spy and make Achish choose between David and themselves. Achish chooses his own and sends David back to his adopted city of Ziklag.

Here is where we pick up the story and arrive at David’s lesson for us that Everyone Matters.

David and his men get back to Ziklag and find it a smoking ruin. One of the tribes that David has been raiding, the Amalekites, have come into town while David was gone, crushed the city and stolen everything; wives, children, cattle and goods. Their entire adopted city is destroyed; David and his men are at their lowest point, they wept aloud until they had no strength to weep (1 Sam 30:4). It got so bad that some of David’s men even starting talking about executing David for convincing them to follow Achish. David is now dealing with a potential mutiny along with the loss of his own family and household.

David, always a man of action, takes six hundred men and goes after the Amalekites. When they get to the Besor Ravine, two hundred of the men become too weary to go on. They are left at the ravine and the rest of the men carry on the raid on the enemy. The raid is successful; they retrieve their families, all of their possessions and a large amount of the enemy’s wealth as well. On the way back to Ziklag they arrive at the ravine where the weary men had encamped. Some of David’s men start going over to the dark side (Star Wars reference) saying, "Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go” (1 Sam 30:22).

David replies, "The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike." (1 Sam 30:24). David made this command, given at the end of a battle, into a statute and ordinance for Israel.

I have long believed that for extraordinary performance to occur in an organization, three things must be in the minds of each individual; 1) they know their role 2) they believe it matters and 3) they are able to be proud of their work. David sets the tone for his leadership early saying, ‘each will have a role in my kingdom and no role is more important than any other’. We need to take this lesson and extend it into our team and our organizations. If you are like me, you probably always say ‘thank you’ to each who are serving, but may not mean it with the same level of intensity for every role that is being performed. We have to constantly ask ourselves, in our hearts do we think some roles are more important than others? Malcolm Forbes said, “People who matter are most aware that everyone else does, too”. The guy who had a private 727 jet named ‘Capitalist Tool’ and published Forbes magazine; the ultimate capitalist realized the same thing David taught us 3,000 years ago – Everyone Matters.

David's lessons on leadership - Care for your crew

2009-01-18T05:38:00.006-06:00

In a series of posts, I am going to reflect upon what we can learn about leadership from David, King of Israel. If this is the first post in the series you have read, please do a quick review of the January 2, 2009 post titled “David’s lessons on leadership – Intro”; that post highlights why I am looking into David’s life.

The previous post covered the broad topic of David’s Last Words. This post will go into an important detail; how do you treat the people on your team? For this lesson, let’s go to an interesting event in 2 Samuel 10. First a little background. While David was wandering, trying to evade Saul, he was shown kindness by a king named Nahash (by the way there are two different kings named Nahash). Much later, Nahash dies and is succeeded by his son Hanun. At this time David has become king and decides to send a delegation of ambassadors to Hanun. David wants to express sympathy to Hanun for losing his father, thinking, "I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me."

Instead of accepting the delegation, Hanun cuts off half of each of their beards, removes the bottom part of their garments and sends them home; clearly poking his finger in David’s eye. David has an interesting response, “Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back.”

What is the big deal? So they cut a little hair, why is David going through the effort to keep them in Jericho rather than just bring them home? Why let them grow their beards back? Turns out the beard is a big deal.

The Sikhs consider the beard to be an integral part of the male human body as created by God and believe that it should be preserved, maintained, and respected as such.

The Hindus keep beards depending on caste and Dharma.

Because scissors have two blades, halakha (Jewish law) permits their use to trim the beard, as the cutting action comes from contact of the two blades and not the blade against the skin. This is important since Talmudic tradition explains Leviticus to mean that a man may not shave his beard with a razor with a single blade, since the cutting action of the blade against the skin "mars" the beard.

In Eastern Christianity, beards are often worn by members of the priesthood, and at times have been required for all believers.

Many Muslims believe that growing a beard is required under Islamic law due to the saying of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that Muslim men should grow their beards and trim their mustaches.

Whatever your religion throughout history there has been value universally set upon the beard, sometimes as man’s greatest adornment; a symbol of virility and wisdom. Cutting off of one-half of it was the greatest insult that could have been offered to the ambassadors, and through them to David their king.

So we learn that this act by Hanun, shaving off half the beard of the men in the peace delegation was no small matter. David’s response was instructive; he showed his men tremendous respect. David could have brought his men back and paraded them in front of his army to whip his army up into a frenzy in preparation for battle (later they did go defeat Hanun and his army). However, he chooses not to sacrifice the dignity of his men. In this moment David shows that a good leader looks after the whole person, not just the parts that the leader needs. A good leader does not use and discard his people as pieces of a war machine; he cares for them as people first. Or as my good friend Mike Kilbane told me, "Mission first, people always". One can imagine the goodwill this action brought David among those who remained in Jericho and those he lead back home.

Once you put a person first, you can ask them to sacrifice and they will be happy to do it. As I told a friend the other day who was preparing for a difficult speech; there is no greater compliment you can pay someone than to ask them to make a sacrifice for you and/or the mission. Assuming of course, that you put that person first in your heart before you ask them to sacrifice. Admiral Grace Hopper said, “Leadership is a two-way street, loyalty up and loyalty down. Respect for one's superiors; care for one's crews.”

David’s leadership lesson for us today is ‘care for your crew’

David's lessons on leadership - Last Words of David

2009-01-10T06:52:00.012-06:00

In a series of posts, I am going to reflect upon what we can learn about leadership from David, King of Israel. If this is the first post in the series you have read, please do a quick review of the post titled “David’s lessons on leadership – Intro”; that post highlights why I am looking into David’s life.

Here is a paraphrase from 2 Samuel 23; These are the last words of David, “the Rock of Israel said to me: 'When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth.'"

I want to hear from people who have been through the pressure of leadership. I want to learn what has worked and not worked for them. I especially want to listen when they say, “It has been a long life, and here is what I discovered”. So when a guy like King David says, “here are my last words” my ears perk up. David is reflecting toward the end of his life and he gives us two simple but thoughtful maxims to lead by; rule with righteousness and rule with the fear of God.

Rule with righteousness - Righteousness is a condition that has been mangled by association with self-righteousness, and both are thrown out after many correctly discredit self-righteousness. As a result people do not know what righteousness is. Being self-righteous is being confident of one's own righteousness, especially when smugly moralistic and intolerant of the opinions and behavior of others. Being righteous is acting in an upright, moral way.

So we have a challenge; the more we become aware of righteousness and attempt to act in a righteous manner, the greater the odds are that we become self-righteous. How do we follow David’s advice and cut through this Gordian Knot? We have to create a set of standards by which we will act and constantly compare ourselves to that standard without worrying about credit or glory. For example David gave us some of his standards:

Walk blamelessly
Speak the truth from your heart
Have no slander on your tongue
Do no wrong to your neighbor
Cast no slur on your fellow man
Despise a vile man
Keep your oath
Lend money without usury
Do not take a bribe

Those may not be the right standards for the group you lead, but you must establish something. For those of you that read the “Boundaries” section of my Passion blog you know I argue for Getting it Done and Doing it Right, where Doing it Right includes these standards:

Team Player - Do they place the team's needs above their own? Do they willingly share expertise with others? Do they respect, seek and embrace input from others?
Integrity and Accountability - Do they accept blame as well as glory? Are they ethical, trusted by customers, partners and their team? Do their actions match their words? Do they demonstrate through action that self-improvement is a priority?
Optimism and Enthusiasm - Are they a source of energy vs. a use of energy within the team? Do they see the truth, but not for worse than it is? Can they argue their position, but support the organizational decision?

A young man who worked for me several years ago called me the other day and we talked about his transition to management. He was reflecting upon the things he had learned about managing his sales team. There was a lot of value in what he had learned although it was still at the functional level; the tasks necessary to get the job done. I challenged him with this question, “What is your brand?” What do people know is from you? Basically what are your standards that you establish and model? Establishing those standards and publicly living up to them without pride or boasting is how we can rule with righteousness.

Rule with the Fear of God – This one is a bit more complicated for leadership in a secular environment. How can we apply David’s advice to a multi-faith situation? What value can it have for a leader who is not religious? First let’s define what “Fear of God” is. I read this from a guy named Graham Barker who lives in Perth, Australia, “Over the years I have learned to deeply respect God, both for who He is and what He has done. I have a healthy reverence for His standards, and His right to judge each of us. I admire His attributes, such as power, patience, love, mercy, and the way He respects our free will. All of this sums up what it means for me to fear God; the acute awareness of the presence of God's power that produces in me a sense of awe and calls forth from me honor, respect and reverence.”

Too often the word 'fear' is paralyzing for many people. There are two very different definitions of the word and it is important to apply the right one. The first definition is a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger; the second is a reverential awe. Fear of God is much more about a reverential awe than a distressing emotion; and reverence at its' core is a feeling of profound respect for someone or something.

Here is how I interpret Graham's comments. There is someone or something out there bigger than me, that entity is aware of my actions, has a set of standards for me, but is also forgiving and understanding. Therefore, I am compelled to respect their authority and conduct myself accordingly with a deep sense of accountability. All of us, regardless of our personal belief systems can apply this principle to mean that our power and influence as a leader should never be absolute. We need to establish some type of authority over ourselves. There must be someone or some group that we are connected to who we trust, who knows us, will be truthful to us and we respect and honor. Leadership cannot exist in a vacuum; it is irresponsible to put ourselves in that situation. Consider these wise words from Abraham Lincoln, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power”

'When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise’. I might summarize David final words to say; “When you lead others, do the right thing and act knowing someone else bigger, stronger and wiser than you is watching”. If we could just do these two things, our character would encourage our teams; and they would get would get the benefit of David's last words.