GREAT LEADERS ARE FAIR CH. 5
CHAPTER 5
GREAT LEADERS ARE FAIR
Great leaders can be fair and still sprint to bold and decisive leadership decisions. Being fair is perhaps the trait most noticeable in great leaders and that which separates them from the ordinary, old fashioned status quo style of leadership. If people perceive a leader to be unfair or arbitrary in his or her judgment the inspiration to follow will slow the entire leadership process to a marathon pace.
Life is not simple, life is not easy and life is not fair. I have heard these phrases literally thousands of times in my own life and have begun to wonder which if any of them are true. Great leaders understand that many people hold this view; it is incumbent on the great leader to overcome it. I can begin with the oft mentioned point (or truism) that life does not appear to be simple. After all, in today’s high pressure and confusing world of rapid change, things are complicated, complex and difficult to understand. That is not simple. However, simple may not be defined as simply, so to speak, as that, and this is where great leadership takes over. I have lectured many a night on the topic of perception versus reality and the need to work on positive self images. It is imperative that the leader helps to improve the self image and life view of his or her followers. Thus, a good leader will focus the attention of the team on those things in life that are important to them. A great leader leads them to both accomplish and appreciate those things. We will not be able to do this if we are constantly telling ourselves that life is too complicated and we cannot change certain things. This again, is where superior leadership takes over and disperses this negative view of life.
If we see life as difficult and hard, if not impossible, to manage then we will have gone far in creating a life that is difficult and hard to manage. Many a good manager and leader have been confronted with this form of self fulfilling prophecy in a group. Life can be simple if we choose to make it so and if someone can inspire us to believe this. I have asked thousands of students to focus on those things in life that truly matter to them, spend a great deal of time and energy in those areas and let the other things go. Life can be simple; just devote yourself to the simple joys in life, to the people that make you happy, and the things that will always be important to you and matter for a lifetime. Again, an overly simplistic message and yet one that a good leader can implement. Everything else may in fact be too complicated. Simple rule I tell them; Keep it simple and it will stay that way; Make it complicated and fill it with high levels of stress, anxiety and tension and it too will stay that way. The choice is simple. A great leader can reduce the anxiety and stress of the team by being stress-free as well.
Life is not easy. I suppose not; but then again nobody ever said that it was. Great leaders have the ability to make life a bit easier for his or her followers. I have heard the “life is hard” speech so many times that I was drawn to ask why. Why is life not easy? Who made it hard? And where was I when these rules were made or the votes taken that declared life not to be easy? I jokingly tell my classes that I was absent the day that there was a universal declaration that life was hard. Therefore, as a rebel I can do my best with them to make life as easy as we can possibly make it. Sometimes leaders can be a bit lighthearted to lighten the mood. There are, however, some rules that I have asked them to adhere to in order to make life easy. These are the simple rules that a great leader employs as well. I have asked them to practice honesty and integrity in all that they do and always, always, tell the truth. It is just that simple and life can be made to be just a little easier if we tell the truth and practice honesty in all that we do. Life is easy. Great leaders make it a little easier.
I went to a wonderful retirement party recently where my wife was among the honored retirees. She had not prepared a speech and did not think that she would need to deliver one. Needless to say, she was called to the microphone where, to a packed and fully attentive room, she delivered a magnificent, passionate and articulate speech. She spoke with sincerity, genuineness, and honesty and every word came straight from her heart. When she returned to our table I praised her speech and said “That wasn’t so difficult, now was it?” Life can be easy if we do it the right way and always do the sincere and honest thing. Public speaking is among the most frightful things that people can encounter. Add a large room filled with family, friends and co-workers and you have a recipe for disaster. Add sincerity and a simple straightforward and heartfelt message and you have made life easy and brought a tear to the eyes of your audience. These are simple, yet important recipes for success that a great leader uses every day.
A good leader must constantly work in a world where people think that life is not fair and specifically unfair to them. Why must I work so hard? It’s not fair. Why does he or she get away with murder? It’s not fair. This leadership challenge is one that is a bit more difficult. To be fair is to be honest. To be fair is to play by the rules. To be fair is to be truthful. To be fair is to be without prejudice, hatred, anger, and discrimination. To be fair is to be sincere. To be fair is to know that everyone is being treated equally. In all of my Human Resources and Management classes I have taught that to be fair is to practice equity in the workplace for all. Equitable treatment of everyone is one of the cornerstones of great leadership and is again, practiced daily. But fairness must certainly involve more. Here, I must acknowledge an obvious paraphrase from a biblical text and tell you that I have taught that fairness is often seen as managing, leading, teaching, and treating others as you would have them manage, lead, teach or treat you. What could be more fair? Great leaders lead others as they would have others lead them. The “golden rule” is a fundamental leadership value; great leaders know this and use it every day of their lives.
In a never ending quest to shock my students and test whether they are paying attention, I tell them that all of their communication and test case answers must include the four letter F word. A few seconds later I inform them that the word, of course, is fair. Is what they said or wrote fair? Was the resolution of the case a fair one? Can they show that everyone was treated fairly and did they arrive at their conclusions in a fair and equitable manner? I have found that Americans have an innate and strong sense of fairness. We can, and do, disagree on nearly every aspect of politics and public life. Yet, I still believe that we are united in our faith in fairness. I hope that in some small way that the constant and incessant call to be fair that I have harped to my students for all these years has added a measure of fairness to the public discourse. To be fair; it is not a difficult thing to do. Great leaders are fair and their followers know it.
GREAT LEADERS ARE FAIR
Great leaders can be fair and still sprint to bold and decisive leadership decisions. Being fair is perhaps the trait most noticeable in great leaders and that which separates them from the ordinary, old fashioned status quo style of leadership. If people perceive a leader to be unfair or arbitrary in his or her judgment the inspiration to follow will slow the entire leadership process to a marathon pace.
Life is not simple, life is not easy and life is not fair. I have heard these phrases literally thousands of times in my own life and have begun to wonder which if any of them are true. Great leaders understand that many people hold this view; it is incumbent on the great leader to overcome it. I can begin with the oft mentioned point (or truism) that life does not appear to be simple. After all, in today’s high pressure and confusing world of rapid change, things are complicated, complex and difficult to understand. That is not simple. However, simple may not be defined as simply, so to speak, as that, and this is where great leadership takes over. I have lectured many a night on the topic of perception versus reality and the need to work on positive self images. It is imperative that the leader helps to improve the self image and life view of his or her followers. Thus, a good leader will focus the attention of the team on those things in life that are important to them. A great leader leads them to both accomplish and appreciate those things. We will not be able to do this if we are constantly telling ourselves that life is too complicated and we cannot change certain things. This again, is where superior leadership takes over and disperses this negative view of life.
If we see life as difficult and hard, if not impossible, to manage then we will have gone far in creating a life that is difficult and hard to manage. Many a good manager and leader have been confronted with this form of self fulfilling prophecy in a group. Life can be simple if we choose to make it so and if someone can inspire us to believe this. I have asked thousands of students to focus on those things in life that truly matter to them, spend a great deal of time and energy in those areas and let the other things go. Life can be simple; just devote yourself to the simple joys in life, to the people that make you happy, and the things that will always be important to you and matter for a lifetime. Again, an overly simplistic message and yet one that a good leader can implement. Everything else may in fact be too complicated. Simple rule I tell them; Keep it simple and it will stay that way; Make it complicated and fill it with high levels of stress, anxiety and tension and it too will stay that way. The choice is simple. A great leader can reduce the anxiety and stress of the team by being stress-free as well.
Life is not easy. I suppose not; but then again nobody ever said that it was. Great leaders have the ability to make life a bit easier for his or her followers. I have heard the “life is hard” speech so many times that I was drawn to ask why. Why is life not easy? Who made it hard? And where was I when these rules were made or the votes taken that declared life not to be easy? I jokingly tell my classes that I was absent the day that there was a universal declaration that life was hard. Therefore, as a rebel I can do my best with them to make life as easy as we can possibly make it. Sometimes leaders can be a bit lighthearted to lighten the mood. There are, however, some rules that I have asked them to adhere to in order to make life easy. These are the simple rules that a great leader employs as well. I have asked them to practice honesty and integrity in all that they do and always, always, tell the truth. It is just that simple and life can be made to be just a little easier if we tell the truth and practice honesty in all that we do. Life is easy. Great leaders make it a little easier.
I went to a wonderful retirement party recently where my wife was among the honored retirees. She had not prepared a speech and did not think that she would need to deliver one. Needless to say, she was called to the microphone where, to a packed and fully attentive room, she delivered a magnificent, passionate and articulate speech. She spoke with sincerity, genuineness, and honesty and every word came straight from her heart. When she returned to our table I praised her speech and said “That wasn’t so difficult, now was it?” Life can be easy if we do it the right way and always do the sincere and honest thing. Public speaking is among the most frightful things that people can encounter. Add a large room filled with family, friends and co-workers and you have a recipe for disaster. Add sincerity and a simple straightforward and heartfelt message and you have made life easy and brought a tear to the eyes of your audience. These are simple, yet important recipes for success that a great leader uses every day.
A good leader must constantly work in a world where people think that life is not fair and specifically unfair to them. Why must I work so hard? It’s not fair. Why does he or she get away with murder? It’s not fair. This leadership challenge is one that is a bit more difficult. To be fair is to be honest. To be fair is to play by the rules. To be fair is to be truthful. To be fair is to be without prejudice, hatred, anger, and discrimination. To be fair is to be sincere. To be fair is to know that everyone is being treated equally. In all of my Human Resources and Management classes I have taught that to be fair is to practice equity in the workplace for all. Equitable treatment of everyone is one of the cornerstones of great leadership and is again, practiced daily. But fairness must certainly involve more. Here, I must acknowledge an obvious paraphrase from a biblical text and tell you that I have taught that fairness is often seen as managing, leading, teaching, and treating others as you would have them manage, lead, teach or treat you. What could be more fair? Great leaders lead others as they would have others lead them. The “golden rule” is a fundamental leadership value; great leaders know this and use it every day of their lives.
In a never ending quest to shock my students and test whether they are paying attention, I tell them that all of their communication and test case answers must include the four letter F word. A few seconds later I inform them that the word, of course, is fair. Is what they said or wrote fair? Was the resolution of the case a fair one? Can they show that everyone was treated fairly and did they arrive at their conclusions in a fair and equitable manner? I have found that Americans have an innate and strong sense of fairness. We can, and do, disagree on nearly every aspect of politics and public life. Yet, I still believe that we are united in our faith in fairness. I hope that in some small way that the constant and incessant call to be fair that I have harped to my students for all these years has added a measure of fairness to the public discourse. To be fair; it is not a difficult thing to do. Great leaders are fair and their followers know it.
posted by Mark Willand | 11:46 AM
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