Thought Leaders

I am thrilled to spread the word about John Spence, (Chapter 1 in my book Leaders: Their Stories, Their Words) who was named as one of the top 100 thought leaders in trustworthy business behavior for 2013 by Trust Across America! Read on...

I first 'met' John Spence years ago when we were co-authoring a blog with other leaders from many parts of the world.  He is not only insightful, knowledgeable and authentic but a human-based leader in every sense.  He looks well beyond the bottom line and works with his clients to lead joyful and fulfilled, not to mention successful lives.

To quote John "Very few people have someone from the outside to be there for them, who’s there 100% for them. Let me help you, let me serve you, let me do whatever it is I can do to assist you." That's John in a nutshell. He has your back, helps you see beyond what you're currently seeing and turns people's and organization's worlds right-side up.

I'm at the stage of my career where I want to be teaching whatever I can to those willing and eager enough to learn. Through the teaching I in turn learn and so the circle continues.  I'll have more to share with clients and continuously create the shifts in my life that I need to be making. How are you keeping your knowledge fresh, current, and relevant? We live in a world that is never static, therefore we have to continue to dance in real time with our worlds as they unfold. 

When you start getting comfortable with your work, start questioning what you don't know, partner with others to stretch you, have those percolating conversations until you're back to uncomfortable. That's when you'll be truly dancing.

The Gift of Laurier LaPierre

I'm sitting here with memories of Laurier running through my mind, as I'm sure is the same for so many others right now. All bring me a smile, make me laugh or shake my head in wonder. I remember sitting with Laurier and Harvey at a friend's birthday party (pre Ray) when Laurier turned to my date and told him he was an idiot for not appreciating me enough. That made for an interesting rest of the evening! Still, I found myself gravitating back to the two of them as the conversations weren't anywhere near as fascinating with anyone else. That was what it was like being in their company. Never enough time with them…always treasured moments.

Sitting with Laurier in his living room in conversation to capture for my book, we bantered, conversed, laughed and cried while the dog sat between us, looking back and forth at us, perplexed as if he understood every word. I wish I could have captured the spectrum of emotion for you in Laurier's voice as much as his words. No one loved our country as much as he did. And he let us know it through every word and action.

Having them over for dinner and seeing my kids and family touched by his magic was a gift beyond measure. I am so glad they had a chance to get to know him, even a bit.

Harvey and Laurier were generous enough to have a dinner party in honour of the launch of my book. At one point I found myself sitting next to Laurier. He insisted I do a reading for the group. Of course I picked the piece about him, to which Laurier kept stopping me until I would choose someone else. He teased me and taunted me until I couldn't think straight never mind read! One of the guests turned to me and said "He must really love you. I've never seen him tease anyone like this ever!" That too stayed with me. I think my whole being was smiling at that point.

Last year I made a cake for them for the holidays. This cake is present at all our family functions; holidays, birthdays, and impromtu get-togethers. Harvey was only worried that Laurier would find it in the freezer and start munching on it before the family gathering so was trying to figure out the best time for me to bring it over. I walked into their kitchen with the cake and another small wrapped package. Laurier was about to commandeer the cake before it hit the freezer, but instead, I gave him the small wrapped package. I had made him his own personal loaf which I told him I'd only give him if he'd leave the big one alone at least until the family dinner.

As the cake issue was settled, we dove into conversations about friendships and what that means, who was a true friend and who really wasn't, family, holidays, politics and everything else under the sun.

Those times were precious. Never enough. But when you're lucky enough to have known someone like Laurier, could there ever be enough time?

I'll leave you with some of Laurier's words of wisdom. I asked Laurier "What message do you want to give to the next wave of leaders in Canada? What spark do you want to light in them?" to which he replied:

"Be more conscious of our freedom in this country. Get to know people. Travel, first in our country, then through the world. Get to know Canadians. We may not have fought as many wars as other countries, but in the ones we did fight, no one has ever denied our courage. We are great conciliators. A fundamental flaw is our own people don’t know this country. They only know their region. They go to the U.S. and travel before they’ll travel in Canada. Go to Nunavut. Get to know the people who live in the snow. Watch Canadian programs! Write more. 

We are the first country to believe in diversity. The question of language is no longer necessary. Get to know people's souls. It's in their art and literature. Learn languages. Travel. I want the people of my country to know the stories of my country. Look at human courage. Education is more than knowledge…it's an instrument of discussion. Know what makes our country be right now. Connect with people. We used to have pen pals. Now, through technology, it's even easier. Use technology that is available to you to be better human beings. Better human beings make a better world. Ultimately, if you fail, you will be the generation of the greatest failure in the history of mankind." (Excerpt from Leaders: Their Stories, Their Words - Conversations with Human-Based Leaders.)
 
I didn't have a chance to say it before, but thank you, Laurier, for all you've brought to my life. Be at peace. You'll be in our hearts forever.

John Spence Speaks on "The Most Important Thing I Have Ever Learned"

John Spence is a Human-Based Leader extraordinaire. It's not only what he says and does...it's the core of who he is. His story in my book in Leaders, Their Stories, Their Words has inspired people around the world. 

This TED talk is yet another indication of he not only turned his life around but how he deeply and profoundly impacts people in a myriad of ways.  It's an honor and privilege to know him.

Joel Manby: Human-Based Leader Extraordinaire

I first "met" Joel Manby when I watched him on Undercover Boss. There will always be sceptics in this world who ask questions like "Didn't Manby's co-stars think it was odd that a television camera was documenting someone's first day at a unglamorous job?" or comments to that effect. I met Joel in person in Michigan where we were both speakers at Catalyst University. I can tell you, what you see (or saw on the show) is what you get. He is a caring, interested, interesting person and a Human-Based Leader to the core.
 
I was honored to continue the conversation with Joel as there was so much more I wanted to know and share with my readers.

Listen in:
 
D.K.    Looking over the span of your career to this point in time, was there a moment, an occasion or experience when you realized you were exactly where you dreamed of being?

J.M.    There was not a specific moment or experience. But I do know that in past jobs, I felt as if something was missing. I have now been at Herschend Family Entertainment (HFE) nearly 15 years. I've been courted by other companies for bigger jobs with more pay, and have never felt a calling to go elsewhere. That tells me I am where I'm supposed to be. So many people search for something external to help them feel fulfilled. I realized that fulfillment has to come from within. Human beings to a great extent might be hard-wired to measuring success based on output. I believe wherever your values system comes from, you'd better be in alignment with it.

D.K.    Was there something tangible about how you made the decisions on your career path that gave you the absolute certainty you shouldn't be doing anything else? With a business background and years in the automotive industry, transitioning to themed parks and the family entertainment world is quite the shift.

J.M.    For many years, I was caught up in WHAT I was doing; the level of responsibility, and the output of the job. Over time, I became more concerned with HOW I was doing it. Quality output” was the price of entry anywhere I worked, but I was more interested in the higher calling of leading people the right way such as caring about HOW they are treated. I had a glimpse of what it meant to combine a firm set of behavioral values with a firm set of performance principles in my stint at Saturn. At 27, I was fresh out of business school. Saturn was my first leadership position. They cared deeply about people and profits. In many ways, I have been searching ever since for that balance of caring about people and profits like we had a Saturn. I found it here at HFE. At HFE we call it Leading with Love.

D.K. I recently read the manifesto The Four-Letter Word That Makes You and Your Work Irresistible by Mark Sanborn where he says " LOVE is a four-letter word in the business world. It makes us uncomfortable. It seems inappropriate or even taboo", a perspective shared by many business leaders. Joel not only has the courage to embrace it in the business world but shares it and lives it with all those around him. The conversation continues....

J.M.    Love is a four letter word in business for at least two reasons. First, some think leading with love will hurt profits. I think the opposite is true and HFE has returned over 14%/year to investors for a 10 year period, even through the recession so that argument doesn’t work for me. Second, many think leading with love is SOFT. It is not. Leading with love is hard because you have to care about how your decisions impact others.

D.K.  Where did your desire to Lead with Love come from?

J.M.  My desire to Lead with Love is based on my faith. It took me a long time to get here. I moved 10 times the first 15 years of marriage, struggled with working too long, and traveling too much, which hurt my family. It was a wake-up call. I needed to remember that loving others included those at home as well. I needed to have relationship time at home too, and figured out a way to balance home and work. My family and I came up with their key points of what made them feel loved, and I work very hard to stick to those desires. 
 
At HFE, I learned that love works not only at home, but in the rough and tumble for profit business world. We have a huge responsibility at HFE. Not only is our motto "Creating Memories Worth Repeating" but we have a responsibility for the safety and well-being of all who walk through the gates of our facilities. We also care for our people. There is pain everywhere. So many of our people are struggling with something, so we "Share it Forward" with an internal foundation that uses funds to help employees in need. We have programs for just about everything to support our people from Catastrophic relief, Single Parent Support, Marriage Counseling, to Financial Help (Debt Relief). We have helped nearly 10% of our workforce with some kind of aid this year.

We grow our people and have a philosophy to promote from within as much as possible. If we create supportive relationships in our work environment, an environment that's grounded, centered and emotionally healthy, we'll all succeed which will also support great guest experiences.

I continuously remind myself to find your own “true north”. I ask myself "How do YOU want to behave and what kind of environment do you want to be in? What kind of people do you want to work with?" Life, both personal and professional, is about relationships. I focus on that. I've seen so much in my 30+ years in business; great leaders and horrible leaders, companies with horrendous cultures and companies with caring cultures. I never stopped believing there could be a better way. If you feel discontented and want more from your work, there is something stirring. Intuition is a powerful wake-up call. You need to figure out what you have to do to live in congruence with your core values. If you can't, you might just have to get out and go elsewhere if the organization isn't aligned with your values.
Key areas I focus on are:

• To listen better,
• To ask better questions which tests my thinking as a leader,
• To be willing to change my mind more, and
• To hire and keep better people

The fact is, we are ALL going to "cheat" at something every day. What I mean by that is we're always going to have to choose one thing over another. The important factor to remember is there are always consequences to our choices and actions. Figure out what they might be and choose accordingly. For instance, in leaving the auto industry, I had to accept working with less prestigious brands in a less prestigious industry, but I would never go back. If you stick to being home for dinner except in an emergency at work; it COULD cost you something (for eg. a lost sale, accolades, promotion) but what is more important?

D.K.    I consider Human-Based Leaders™ those who have a passion for what they do and compassion for those they do it with. Both are evident in your episode of Undercover Boss. Can you tell me more about how you demonstrate and promote HB leadership within your organization? Do you acknowledge it and reward it in some way?

J.M.    We have developed a set of values we expect all our employees to adhere to. All leaders complete Servant Leadership training to make sure they understand HOW to lead and follow the values.

We continually discuss the need to manage the tension between our three shareholder objectives which are profit and growth, a great place to work for great people, and servant leadership. We discuss the 2X2 matrix and how people’s salary raises are dependent upon achieving both “do” and “be” goals.
 
D.K.    Why would the next generation of leaders want to follow you? What about you will inspire them?

J.M.    We have a clear Vision and Mission. We have a clear definition of success. They will know if they are winning or losing. We care equally about the “do” goals and the “be” goals. We are family oriented. We care deeply about quality. If 'it' is not remarkable, we look to change it. We have FUN....this is the FUN business.

D.K.    What words of wisdom would you like to pass on to them?

J.M.    Do what you love to do, it is the only way you can do excellent work.

Joel's book Love Works: Seven Timeless Principles For Effective Leaders will be released end of May, 2012. Click here to pre-order and learn more about this extraordinary Human-Based Leader.

Paying Your Leadership Forward

Paying their leadership forward seems to be a common thread that emerges in the stories of my book Leaders: Their Stories, Their Words. Not only do they lead people from a sense of values and humanity, or as I call it "humanness", they honor those who helped them evolve into their leadership by doing something that matters.

Joe Saltzman shows how much he honors his mentor and past High School English teacher, Ted Tajima by giving his all to his students and sharing Ted's impact as a role model with everyone around him. He states it beautifully when he says "The best lessons I’ve learned along the way are these: always put others ahead of yourself, and never do anything solely for personal gain. By helping others, by doing the best job you can on everything you do, true joy will be yours. The unhappiest people I know are the ones whose goals are trivial and unimportant, and who put what they do second to what they want to get out of it. I believe that if you care about what you do and put all your talent and time into it, the rewards will come. But to do something simply because of those rewards is to fail." 

Ron Kitchen had many who dramatically impacted his life from Ewing Kauffman in an exchange he had with him at the ball field to his mother's best friend to a good friend who mentored him into business.  In his words, "Most people want to be asked to mentor, whether it’s officially or unofficially. They’re willing to give you a little bit of themselves to help if they believe you’re honest and genuinely trying to use that to move forward. I’ve never had anybody who I asked for help and mentorship who turned me down, and I don’t think I’ve ever turned anybody down either." 

The key factor with these leaders is they don't forget their roots nor the people who helped them emerge into their leadership. They don't take all the credit for being "self-made" they acknowledge those around them who they paid attention, listened to and learned from.

There were a few people in my life who showed me not to take no for an answer. Jim, an early mentor and teacher told me I could hugely impact the world if I just gave myself the permission. David told me "no" had no business being in my vocabulary. And Paul told me to go out and start my own firm as I was making a name for myself way back when and I had a choice to either make it for the consortium I was affiliated with or myself.  I listened. The rest is history.

When I was talking at Catalyst University I challenged the people in the room to find others who can help them make their dreams a reality. Everything knows something about life and living that we don't.  Ask them for their guidance and help and give the same back. Do it without any expectations of anything in return and you'll get back more than you imagined.

Clients often call and ask if I might speak to their kids who are going away to university. I always say yes and hope that they'll help someone some day who's in the same boat. Next week I'm donating my time to teach at a local high school. This is the age when dreams are formed and if I can light a small light in the hearts and minds of these students, it's worth every minute and then some.

How are you going to reach out and pay your leadership forward? Before you start telling yourself (and others) that you're no one special or have nothing to share, think again. You just have to think deeper. In the day and age where social media makes it so easy to reach out and connect, your impact can go a long way to helping many realize their goals and dreams.

Just do what matters.

A Book Launch With a Twist

Maybe in some ways I'm old school. Yes, I know digital book sales are going through the roof while print sales continue to decline and yet there is something so perfect about the feel of a real, live physical book.

There's also something deeply gratifying about sharing a book with someone I respect and care about. We all buy books for ourselves and yet when someone says "I chose this for you" and gives it to you, well… that has a whole other level of meaning.

So I decided, with my new book Leaders: Their Stories, Their Words, I wanted to be able to reclaim that experience for you. Not just the giving part, but the gathering part. It's my hope that in sharing this book with others, you'll get people talking about Human-Based Leadership so they act on a radically different level. Bring people together and who knows what will emerge? So I spent a lot of time brainstorming ways to inspire people to order not one but two copies of the book. One to keep, one to share.

I wanted to do something different for you...

To that end, we decided to hold the launch in my home town and not in a mega-urban centre (as was requested). We also decided to hold it at the locally-owned Play, food & wine and not a book store, so it can be a gathering and celebration of Human-Based Leaders; both you and those you've identified as HB Leaders.

I decided that I needed to be giving away more than I was getting. Not only did I want to share these amazing stories with you but wanted you to be able to share them with someone you greatly respect. Which is why, when you buy 2 books, you're getting them at our cost. Add edgy conversations you can sink your teeth into and delicious food for you to do the same at one of Ottawa's most highly-rated spots, and we have a recipe for an evening to remember.

Click here to check it all out in detail and register and feel free to share this with anyone you feel would enjoy not only the book, but the experience.  

For those of you who can't attend the live event, we'd love to hear your stories about Human-Based Leaders. Share a story with us along with your name and email address and we'll not only send you a discount code for the book but possibly choose your story for publishing on the web.

Other's Views of Human-Based Leadership

Recently, Will Lukang wrote about Authentic Leaders and stated "Authentic leaders have integrity and lead with compassion for their people.  Like all other leaders they have the vision, insight, influence and followers.  But the difference between a regular and authentic leader is that the authentic leaders care.  They truly care about their constituents"....."The world is changing and competition is all around us.  The need for authentic leaders is more important than ever.  If you’re in position of authority, ask yourself the question: Is doing the right thing your way of doing things?  Are you there to serve or be served?  Hopefully your answers are doing the right thing and to serve your constituents." Read on...

And Dan Rockwell writes:"How do you want others to feel when they are around you?

• Like you are smart or like they are smart?
• Like they have great ideas or like you have great ideas?
• Like they are stars or like you are a star?"

Be intentional is his overall theme. Read on...

The bottom line is people take jobs because of people and they leave jobs because of people and that applies right across the board.

In Leaders: Their Stories, Their Words, John Spence speaks to just that when he says "When I was hired, my first boss was mean and aggressive and paranoid. I loved my job. I loved the people I worked with. I was absolutely enthralled with the work I was doing. But I would get up every morning, shaking as I put my clothes on, and drive home from work crying every day because my boss, my “leader,” was so tyrannical that it was just painful. 

I learned a huge lesson about the impact leaders have on other people’s lives. Whether you lead two people or 20,000 people, you have a huge obligation, responsibility, and incredible impact on the joy, the balance, the love, and the fun in people’s lives. You can either make their work exciting and fun or make their lives a living hell."

It's all about choice; Human-Based Leader or Power-Based, command and obey leader.

Change Agent

Robert Zitz (Chapter 12 of Leaders: Their Stories, Their Words) is retiring from the public service after more than 32 years of dedicated government service to his country. He held key positions as Deputy Director, Mission Support Directorate, The National Reconnaissance Office,  Deputy Associate Director at the United States Secret Service, and Deputy Under Secretary of Preparedness and National Protection & Programs at Department of Homeland Security to name a few.

In the book, we discussed what's next for him and, as he's retiring from government (but not retiring completely), our conversation will continue. Stay tuned...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the article that was written about his retirement, (got goeint - Chronicling the future of geospacial intelligence http://www.gotgeoint.com/archives/geoint-visionary-rob-zitz-retires-from-government-service/), USGIF President Keith Masback said "With all of that said, there seemed to be universal agreement during the ceremony and in the discussion afterwards, that Rob’s most critical lasting legacy may well be his devotion to developing the next generation of Intelligence Community leaders. He continuously mentored and developed young minds and inspired everyone he has come in contact with. Rob Zitz is truly a leader among leaders in the GEOINT community."

Rob has joined the Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) in the company's Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Group as Senior Vice President and Chief Systems Architect. In this role, Zitz will help shape the group's solutions in airborne, maritime, national security space, and ground ISR programs, along with associated processing, exploitation, and dissemination  systems.  

He is a change agent in every sense of the word. In our conversation he spoke about what that means... "One of the lessons of a successful change agent is you've got to be good at visioning. You've got to be able to foresee the future and understand what the possibilities are. Visioning involves understanding the strategic changes that will irrevocably change your customers’ operating environment. These changes include threats, geopolitical shifts, economic trends, health issues, climate change, etc."

When I asked him what was next, Rob said "I'm talking now to the leadership of the intelligence community to see how I can continue to contribute. I expect to work on transformation, meaning helping to connect the dots inside the Intelligence community, the military community, the Homeland Security community, and law enforcement community. I expect I will continue to be in a position to help integrate and share information up, down, back and forth, and sideways." 

 We look forward to seeing how Rob writes this next chapter in his life.
_______________________________________________________________

SAIC is a FORTUNE 500® scientific, engineering, and technology applications company that uses its deep domain knowledge to solve problems of vital importance to the nation and the world, in national security, energy and the environment, critical infrastructure, and health.  The company's approximately 41,000 employees serve customers in the U.S. Department of Defense, the intelligence community, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, other U.S. Government civil agencies and selected commercial markets.  It is headquartered in McLean, Va. (PR Newswire)