Provision #661: Leadership 101
by Bob Tschannen-Moran
Laser Provision
In the USA, it's March Madness when it comes to college basketball. The top
teams, male and female, in every division are in the midst of their playoffs.
One thing every team has in common is that every team has a coach. This designated
leader is responsible for recruitment, training, strategy, practice, and execution
on the court. The buck stops there when it comes to leadership. One of the more
legendary coaches is "Coach K" from Duke University. What's the secret to his
success? Nurturing relationships, building infrastructure, and establishing high
standards. With that, we kick off our new Provision series on leadership.
LifeTrek Provision
A few weeks ago a visitor to
the LifeTrek Coaching Blog
left the following comment: "How do you find ideas for articles? I always lack
new ideas for articles. Some tips would be great." My short answer: I don't
know. Things just come to me based upon what is happening in my life right now.
My wife remarks occasionally that I am one of the most naturally
curious people she knows. That is certainly part of the answer. I write about
what I want to learn, not about what I already know.
Another part of the answer is that I pay attention to the question of my
calling. What does the world want from me now? As you can probably tell, I usually write
these epistles in the 48 hours before I publish
them. Judging from the steady stream of reader replies, people seem to appreciate the timely perspective they bring on current events; it's engaging to
be invited to think so deeply about something
that just happened yesterday, or last week, or last month.
That's especially true when I focus our awareness on what is
happening as well as on our ability to make a significant, positive
contribution. Those are, in fact, two of the most essential coaching questions.
How are things now (awareness)? How can we best contribute to making things
better in the future (action)? The two are integrally related. Sometimes
awareness precedes action; other times action precedes awareness, and often the
two go hand-in-hand as simultaneous partners in what's known as the
action-learning process. Coaching is all about action-learning.
But coaching is not the only profession that pays attention to action-learning.
Indeed, I would argue that we must all pay attention to the dynamics of
action-learning whenever we hold a position of responsibility or leadership. Are
you a parent with young, growing children? Are you a teacher with a classroom
full of students? Are you on a team that's trying to get something done? Are you
a leader who has set something in motion? Are you concerned about your own
future or the future of the world? If your answer is "Yes" to any or all of
those questions, let alone the many question variants, then understanding and
mastering the art of action-learning is for you.
So what does the world want from me now? It has something to do with coaching,
leadership, and action-learning. Several years ago, I purchased a URL from
someone at considerable expense that I have still not developed:
CelebrateLeadership.com. I still love the URL, especially since so many of my
coaching clients are working with me to successfully think through and navigate
their way through the challenges of leadership, but the time was not right for
me to focus on this matter until now (even though our Australian partner,
Mike Alafaci, has been
after me to do this for years).
The tide has turned me toward leadership with the upcoming publication of our
new book,
Evocative
Coaching: Transforming Schools One Conversation at a Time. Although the
book is written primarily for people who work with teachers in K-12 schools, the
coach approach presented in the book will be useful to any leader in any team,
group, or organization. We propose a shift that's easy to understand yet
challenging to master: evocative leaders abandon traditional "tell-and-sell"
methods in favor of generative "listen-and-learn" methods.
"Tell-and-sell" is, of course, the time-honored approach to leadership. When I
was younger, that was certainly my naive understanding. Becoming a leader, which
started happening to me at an early age, meant – I thought – that I was called
to make decisions and to make other people buy into and implement my decisions.
If I could persuade them through rational means, then being a leader gave me the
authority to say, "Since we don't agree, we're going to do it my way because I
say so." In other words, leadership meant I had the opportunity to throw my
weight around if necessary.
With that understanding of leadership, it's no wonder that I got up to 235
pounds! The stress of "tell-and-sell" leadership reveals itself in many
different ways: teams become increasingly dysfunctional, results are
increasingly compromised, conflicts are increasingly common, and health issues
are increasingly chronic. "Tell-and-sell" is certainly one way to get things
done, but this is approach is costly and, in most cases, it is not as effective as "listen-and-learn."
We refer to "listen-and-learn" leadership as evocative leadership. That's
because the "listen-and-learn" stance draws people out and builds people up. It
connects with people emotionally and empowers them to find their voice. It is
the key to meeting challenges and accomplishing goals in the ever-changing
landscape of the modern world.
One person who understands these dynamics of leadership is the legendary
basketball coach of the Duke Blue Devils and the US 2008 and 2012 Olympic teams,
Mike Krzyzewski. "Coach K," as he is better known, has distinguished
himself as someone who knows how to create and build excellent basketball teams.
If you read his book, Leading from the Heart, you'll learn that he's been
doing that for the past 40 years with spectacular success.
What's his secret? As a leader, he pays equal attention to three critical
dynamics:
- Nurturing Relationships. Most leaders give lip
service to the notion of nurturing relationships; Coach K gives his very
life. From the moment he first encounters a prospective player, he
establishes an extremely personal and caring relationship that lasts a
lifetime. How does he know? Because years after players have left his teams,
they still call for a little Coach-K love. Going above and beyond the call
of duty, with a strong benevolent ethic, is a primary task of leadership.
- Building Infrastructure. Leaders understand that
individuals are limited as to what they can accomplish on their own. In
fact, we have a mantra in coaching that speaks to this dynamic: "If you
working an individual, and not working with the environment, you are working
with less than half the situation." Leadership happens in the context of
systems, and evocative leaders call forth greatness from individuals not
only by appealing to their character but also by building the infrastructure
so they can be successful.
- Establishing Standards. In order for the
"listen-and-learn" approach to constitute leadership, it has to be set in
the context of high standards that leaders adhere to and invite others to
adopt as well. Double standards, "do I say not as I do," undermine trust, compromise teamwork, and subvert effectiveness. When
leaders establish and live by their own high standards, it's natural for
others to follow suit.
I will be writing about these and other leadership dynamics in
the weeks ahead. I invite you to send me your questions and favorite leadership
lessons. Together, we'll move beyond old-school thinking about leadership to the
new wave of how best to work with and get things done through people. Coaching
Inquiries: What leadership responsibilities do you hold? In what ways to you
nurture relationships? Build infrastructure? Establish high standards? How would
you describe those standards? How well do you live by them? Who could assist you
to clarify and strengthen your standards? To reply to this Provision, use our
Feedback Form. To
talk with us about coaching or consulting services for yourself or your organization,
Email Us
or use our
Contact Form
to arrange a complimentary conversation. To learn more about LifeTrek Coaching programs,
Click Here.
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LifeTrek Readers' Forum (selected feedback
from the past week)
Editor's Note: The LifeTrek Readers' Forum contains selections from the comments
and materials sent in each week by the readers of LifeTrek Provisions. They do
not necessarily reflect the perspective of LifeTrek Coaching International. To
submit your comment, use our Feedback Form or
Email Bob.
Just wanted to say congratulations on your new program and the
success you are having. I listened to the interview on
Blog Talk Radio with Mary. Having worked in the schools as a student and
then professional for nearly a decade and then being a parent (and of a son
with special needs), I am pleased to see your efforts moving forward! My
sister-in-law works in a fairly progressive district in TX and told me they
had a lot of "coaches" . I'll have to share your work with her. I'm sure my
coaching skills would have come in handy when I worked with resistant
teachers way back when. I was a special education resource teacher, working
with teachers to mainstream children into their classroom to be successful.
:-)
Just saw your new picture on
Plaxo. What a
great photo! It really captures your spirit. I'm now in Baghdad for my
second trip, where I'm coaching the leadership team of the Zain telecom
company here. Fascinating culture and, as you can imagine, incredibly
challenging conditions. Wonderful people. Eager learners. Looking forward to
working with the team together as the next step. Real mix of nationalities
in the leadership team including an Iraqi CEO who is as much Texan as Iraqi,
having spent much of his life there and has now returned to help rebuild
Iraq. Definitely an adventure! Top
May you be filled with goodness, peace, and joy.
Bob Tschannen-Moran
President, LifeTrek Coaching International,
www.LifeTrekCoaching.com
CEO & Co-Founder, Center for School Transformation,
www.SchoolTransformation.com
Immediate Past President, International Association of Coaching,
www.CertifiedCoach.org
Author, Evocative Coaching: Transforming Schools One Conversation at a Time,
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