Comments

Brilliant Tom and thank you again for sharing. I agree there is no ‘short cut’ to leadership. Have no fear though - followers are ALWAYS the best judges of leaders. Followers lead leaders. It is NEVER about how much money leaders make for themselves or for the company. Leadership credibility has nothing whatsoever to do with money. Followers see through bullshit a mile away. Short term leaders with no depth do not survive because followers bring them down by testing their integrity.

Posted by Trevor Gay at November 20, 2009 3:53 PM

Sounds nice Tom, but based on what you've said in the past, you'd have no problem if that 2000 person operation was shipped from North Dakota to China.

Posted by zorro at November 21, 2009 9:53 AM

Excellent thoughts, Tom. Thank you. Although, I'm not too sure that one can get away from the etymology of the word "sacred." In fact, it is very difficult to get away from the root of words generally, even though meaning is expanded upon.

In a wonderful post, "Not Fitting In", David Porter wrote on leadership. He posited that true leaders "don't fit." Yes, true leaders often don't fit, but wise ones understand their surroundings and lead in a way that will both challenge others and bring them along.

True leaders by their very nature are out front, ahead of others. This can be difficult for the leader and follower. It takes understanding on all sides. True leaders lead with wisdom that enable mutual understanding, being by their very nature visionaries.

True leaders provide the best environment of understanding which challenges and fosters others in various degrees. The onus is on them; the outcome is on all.

Thanks, Tom, for your leadership. I have learned a lot.

I agree with the basic premise of Trevor's comment, but I also think that we often try to put everyone on the same par. This is just simply not so. True leaders are leaders for a reason, even if they are made better by those whom he leads.

Posted by Judith Ellis at November 21, 2009 10:31 PM

Leadership skills are very important and are increasingly important as we move deeper and deeper into the information age as well as the PC and emotional age.

http://www.powercareernow.com/

Posted by allan at November 22, 2009 3:21 AM

Dear Tom,

As always, brilliantly conveyed.

As a retired soldier myself, I can resonate with the call for "sacred trust". As per your last part, I too live by and promote the same dictum, "No One Gets Left Behind".

BTW, I would like to follow up on your interview article "Tom Peters: In search of leadership heroes" that was posted at Training Zone.uk on 28 Apr 09. See:http://www.trainingzone.co.uk/item/197144

They said, you offered to answer questions and I posted one. And, I am still waiting for your response!

Please read my comments at that post,including one on my disappointment over low responses, at a time when research said, "The ILM's Leadership Index recently revealed that UK employees have lost faith in their leaders"

Yes, do keep writing more on the need for leadership trust. It would be good if the stories come from small time players and simple lifestyle folks.

Posted by Yuvarajah at November 22, 2009 8:35 PM

Absolutely! There are an awful lot of managers out there who don't like people...and it shows! It impacts performance, productivity, customer satisfaction, and market results. I wonder how many companies link employee churn in a meaningful way into promotion and compensation? And why they don't!

I too found David Porters post to be most terrific and interesting! I recently read...wish I remembered where...that leadership in it's purest sense was the ability to influence. Perhaps it's not that leaders don't fit...it's that they fit differently and into places where "managers" can't. Being out front doesn't gurantee the ability to influence anything. This is something that is earned...like trust...and credibility.

Posted by Dave Wheeler at November 23, 2009 12:03 AM

Thank you, Tom.

We know that leadership is the art of mobilizing others toward shared aspirations and taking care of all stakeholders: owners, leaders, managers, other employees, including women, customers, suppliers, the community, the government, etc. i.e. all those upon whom the firm depends for its survival and success.
Great leaders are visionaries whose intuition helps them to recognize and capitalize on business opportunities and whose success is based upon surrounding themselves with “like-minded” professionals who trust and complement them to help reinforce their strengths and eliminate their weaknesses. The mantra embodied herein is “Build grand castles in the air while ensuring that they rest on solid foundations.” This is in direct contrast to mediocre leaders who surround themselves with yes-people who, by their very nature, are unable to contribute positively to the bottom line!
The wisdom of effective leaders enables them to appreciate the views of their inner circle and others. In situations where consensus cannot be reached, they have an uncanny ability to cut to the chase and make informed decisions.
True leaders realize that business involves human beings and that pro?table growth results from fruitful relationships. They normally possess both formal and informal power. Formal power is entrusted to them by virtue of their position in the company. Informal power results from their core belief system. They lead by example, thus earning the respect and admiration of their peers and subordinates. As a result, employees are enthusiastic about going beyond the call of duty for “their” leaders.
Great leaders build organizations that are vibrant and performance driven. They structure employee compensation packages in a way that promotes and reinforces the right behaviors and rewards people on the basis of individual as well as team performance. They believe that a base salary pays the bills, whereas variable compensation, including earnings before interest, taxes, dividends and amortization (EBITDA)-based bonuses, motivates employees to challenge themselves and increase their contribution to the ?rm on a consistent basis. These leaders ?nd reasons to pay bonuses as opposed to those leaders who ?nd reasons to deprive employees of bonuses they truly deserve!

Maxwell Pinto, Business Author
http://www.strategicbookpublishing.com/Management-TidbitsForTheNewMillenium.html

Posted by Maxwell Pinto at December 2, 2009 1:46 PM