LEADING WITH INTEGRITY, A Critique

Chapter 1 – Leading Change through Virtue and Value

Kolb and Rea begin at the only place there is to when one is considering character and integrity related to leadership; with Aristotle, who was the world’s first great ethical voice. Interestingly the authors have used the seven classical virtues to frame their arguments throughout this book. Something I think is poignant in the first chapter is the discussion of the impetus for their writing of this book, and the lack of leadership in this nation. I think that for people my age, 30’s, who are supposed to be coming into their own as leaders and productive members of our society have lacked sufficient role models throughout their lives, especially in the business world. Meaning that for most of my life I have heard repeated stories about the corruption of our business leaders and political leaders. People that were supposed to inspire. The most tragic thing about this moral slide in the business world over the last thirty years is that people like me who are soon to be business leaders, do not know how to behave to model properly for the next generation. Hopefully all these stories of dishonest behavior, and their terrible detriment, will prove to be cautionary tales.

· Chapter 2 – Character

I found the section on teaching character to business students to be particularly affecting. As a member of the team writing the environmental literacy plan for Nevada, we often talk about the depth stages of true understanding. The terms we use for these are “emergent, functional, and operational” which basically are a scale from emergent where one understands facts to operational where one takes those facts and knowledge putting them into practice in everyday life. For example one can easily gain (or be taught) the knowledge that plastic water bottles do not biodegrade therefore must be thrown into a landfill and may last forever there; however deepening the understanding of why that fact is important, and furthering that knowledge to influence someone to use a refillable water bottle made from recycled material and perhaps not even purchase disposable bottles anymore is extremely difficult. Ethics professors at business schools face the same challenge. Everyone knows the ‘golden rule’; everyone knows the ‘right’ way to act; but it is changing minds effectively enough so that when a business leader is faced with a moral dilemma they make the right decision despite earnings potential is a task that will require staunch commitment over seriously extended periods of time. And those involved should expect that once they feel the glow of possible success, that they reinvent and reinvigorate because the pendulum is sure to be set to swing back toward the direction of profit at any cost.

· Chapter 3 – Competence; Adding Value

Value is a tricky concept for a business. I think of creating value as developing a ‘product’ that conveys long term productivity and sustainable profitability for a firm, regardless of the business. Being from the Bay Area and an A’s fan (though they are second only to my beloved Angels) I appreciate the example of Billy Beane and the money ball model. The Oakland A’s are one of the most enjoyable teams to watch, though lately they have been cellar dwellers. Though I love baseball to the depth of my soul, I understand that it is at its core entertainment, and when you don’t have the dollars to spend on bringing in personalities that hit dingers, you bring personalities that will give their fans a show every time. Meaning young players with heart that put up a fight in every game, that keep people in their seats (buying hot dogs and jerseys) until the last pitch; veterans with history that could redeem themselves at any moment; because these players have personality and inspire not just fans but true FANATICS who value your product beyond all others and support your organization even when it is in the cellar.

· Chapter 4 – The Nature and Development of Leadership

The discussion of power as a ‘zero-sum’ equation is quite fascinating. I find myself falling into this trap and occasionally believing that in power equations this is truly the case, however one must remember to be patient and not rash when that surge of jealously or contempt attempts to surface when one feels threatened. If one is patient and recalls their own skills and competence one can reconcile feeling vulnerable and use the energy of competition to drive individual ambition and in turn benefit the organization as a whole. As a leader one must remember that a subordinate showing confidence and a surge in power should be seen as a result of their own effective leadership. As humility is also an important leadership trait, expressing sincere gratitude to a confident employee for doing an exceptional job can ingratiate that employee to the leader and the organization therefore ensuring their efforts always serve the shared purpose instead of the self.

· Chapter 5 – Courage

When examining courage one comes to realize that acting with courage is the ‘operational’ quality of the more fundamental virtue of love. Only when one has the feelings of love can one summon the courage to act to preserve those feelings or the object of those feelings. As a virtuous leader one must love their organization, and all that entails, to be able to act in the face of fear and immoral temptation. Courage is defined as acting despite fear; making the moral choice in the most difficult of situations; choosing sustainability and long-term prosperity over the quick and easy path. If one does not have a deep and elemental love for their occupation, (not to the sense of a vocation but close) then how could one ever act with the courage it would take to keep one’s organization advancing, ethical, and prosperous? The truth is that courage would be impossible without love, but it is truly more important than love because it is a display of the depth of the understanding of that love, and the understanding of love for oneself as well.

· Chapter 6 – Faith

Finally the authors broach the subject of long-term productivity versus short-term profitability. Short-term profitability, I believe, leads to the extreme pressures to produce earnings that cause people to make immoral choices, because it is often the easier choice to make as one can see the reward and most believe they can ‘walk away’ afterward, that the repercussion of doing something unethical or even illegal won’t catch up to them, and that the immediacy of the reward (perhaps they feel they truly need it, or truly do need it) is worth the perceived risk which to those who even consider such actions is substantially low. It is exceedingly more difficult to ‘keep the faith’ and trust in those around you to help you, as an individual, and your organization succeed in the long run; ‘keep the faith’ that by making the virtuous choices and trusting people around you, you will reach that reward eventually and through the process be a happier individual, an uncorrupted soul, with the same reward in the end or perhaps an even better one because you can be at peace with your decisions and live without regret.

· Chapter 7 – Justice

There is nothing like injustice in the actions of a leader toward their followers to turns ones followers against them. Injustice is a glaring lesion in a workplace because even if the injustice is not directed toward oneself it is visible in the body language and the tone of voice of one’s coworkers. Even if one is not aware of the specific actions resulting in the feelings of unfairness, and deeper the feelings of betrayal, one can see the loss of trust in the face of the employee that has been wronged. In my own personal experience that person will never behave the same at work ever again. Fear of being wronged again, and mistrust of their leader (actually to say their boss would be better phrasing) will forever influence their work, and their feelings about the organization as well. That same person is now unfortunately even more susceptible to making unethical decisions because their considerations are exclusively for themselves. Therefore when faced with that choice of ethical long-term success versus unethical short-term profitability that same individual will most likely choose themselves and their own self-interest over the interests of their organization.

· Chapter 8 – Leadership and Corporate Responsibility

Here the authors come to the crux of their argument, that it is extremely difficult to meet the expectations of all an organization’s stakeholders let alone surpass them. It is a constant struggle to not only survive as an organization, but to be productive while doing so. Continual adjustments must be made, constant tweaking of one’s actions to always be pursuing that idealized vision of the future, or the idealized state of organizational success. This again evokes Martin Luther King, as he often spoke of always pursuing that idealized version of our futures. We cannot forget ever that idealized vision as it should always serve to drive us toward that vision, shaping our decisions and actions to the betterment of ourselves, our employees, our organizations, and ultimately our society as a whole. Animals is nature are driven by natural selection and competition toward this vision, but humanity has the benefit and curse of choosing the pathway to that idealized vision, and often we sacrifice the long term faraway vision for the immediate gratification of the rewards of the present. In business clarifying that idealized vision for our organizations is crucial, as is populating our organizations with individuals that seek the idealized vision as passionately and as devotedly as we as leaders do.

· Chapter 9 – Prudence

This chapter was especially powerful for me as it is analogous to the occurrences at my own organization. Kolb and Rea call prudence a virtue and I believe it is necessary to be quite prudent as a leader with integrity, however it has recently occurred to me that prudence can easily be mistaken for a coldness and business-like attitude that unfortunately has me frowned at lately at the office. As a person with huge demands on my time I pride myself in my time management and the building of a “to-do” pipeline so that I can get out ahead of my workload to avoid the stress created by completing work at the last minute. My boss, bosses really, work very differently from me and when conditions change close to deadlines due to their lack of planning and poor communication, I am frustrated as I must then become their savior as they are too busy to pick up the slack that they were responsible for creating in the first place. What would have been more efficient and effective is for them to act with greater prudence and foresight into situations with which they should be much more familiar with than I. Then they could have properly empowered me and others to handle required initiatives and complete tasks with a healthy cushion prior to our deadlines so that we wouldn’t have to work fourteen hours a day, six days a week to accomplish what should have been a stress-free execution of strategic responsibilities. My reaction to these failures in prudence has been cold and perhaps one would say I lack understanding and compassion, however one’s empathetic and sympathetic response to situations I believe has a limit, perhaps I have reached mine. Or conceivably one may argue that prudence and practicality should trump sensitivity at certain times to preserve a business’ productivity and reputation.

· Chapter 10 - Temperance

In this chapter Kolb and Rea deftly state, “smart, hard-working leaders can fail because they misperceive their corporation’s circumstances, they mismanage information and control, and they persist in relying on unsuccessful habits.” I believe this to be absolutely true, and especially so when the organization is undergoing change. The attitude that what was once effective should be repeatedly even though the organization and its products have been adjusted radically is quite frustrating to observe as an employee. And I wholly concur with the authors that, “the best way out of a business debacle is to take a disciplined approach, learn from mistakes, and listen to others’ advice.” Maybe I only agree so readily because it is my own advice I wish would be followed. The temperance virtue is tantamount in my own theory of organizational science. I think that firms should craft their actions to resemble natural systems I have noticed that natural systems have a better track record at long run sustainability than do businesses and industries. Therefore a CEO should act like the human brain (the world’s most amazing machine) and operate in a dual feedback loop model making small adjustments that accelerate or decelerate the firm. These slight adjustments are like using both hands on the wheel of your car, not totally necessary when driving Highway 50 across Nevada, but crucial when navigating the Mt. Rose Highway. And just like your vehicle an organization will more than occasionally encounter a windy road.

· Chapter 11 – Love

Understanding what the authors are trying to accomplish by including love as a leadership virtue is key to understanding why love is such a crucial virtue. When a leader shows love to their followers they are showing them that they are valuable to not just the organization but to the leader themselves. When a person is aware of that love they are effected by it positively. They have the internal power to be self-motivated and empowered to accomplish what is needed of them for the grater shared purpose of the firm. An individual that is empowered at their deepest self, their highest hierarchical level of need, they are at their most productive and therefore are most beneficial to the organization. Without that feeling of being invaluable an employee is left feeling empty in their position, and empty people cannot accomplish the work needed for an organization to leap from being good to great.

· Chapter 12 – Hope

The authors’ final virtue, hope, goes hand in hand with what may be the most essential and primary of a leader’s duty and is congruent with Covey’s effective habit of “beginning with the end in mind”. The ability to envision the ideal future state of one’s self, business, industry, and the world at large is a tantamount vitrtue in every great famous and even infamous leader. MLK and Hitler both were exceptionally gifted at picturing their ideal future and therefore were effective at mobilizing their followers to work toward that state. Albeit, Hitler’s vision was frightening and morally reprehensible. This hope gives a leader the ability to have courage in the face of adversity and be that shining example to their own organization. Without this employees would be behest with hopelessness, which would in turn lead to apathy and indifference, which no one would want their organization to be fraught with.

The Power of Positive Reinforcement

Bringing out the Best in People – 3 Things that will work for me!

Aubrey Daniels presents a lot of great ideas on management and I especially liked his commentary on The Scientific Approach to Leadership and pinpointing precision which I may find applicable in future career endeavors. However, currently I work for a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide experiential education opportunities to students related to environmental science. As most of our funding is derived from grants, we are a rather non-results driven organization; in fact only our development team currently has actual fiscal goals to achieve. Despite the lack of concrete (or fiscal) goals or any true system to measure success, there are three behavior models described by Daniels that I could see implementing in my current organization and also utilizing to improve , or ensure high, performance. These models are:

· Goal Setting to Shape Behavior

· Teams and Empowerment

· Increasing Creativity and Managing Change

Goal Setting to Shape Behavior

Daniels’ explanation of understanding and properly setting goals is certainly affecting. As someone who has worked in an aggressive sales environment, and a lifelong athlete, goal setting has always been a major part of my psyche. And I have often found myself personally disappointed in my performances because I did not reach that stretch goal I have visualized for myself whether in the office or on the playing field. What I did not understand about setting goals was not just that one shouldn’t stretch them out too far, but also that when setting them one must consider what one can and cannot control.

As a youth softball coach I worked a lot with my players on setting “proper” goals. It would be futile as a pitcher to set a goal to strike out every batter one faces for example. One may throw a great pitch, in fact the exact pitch that was intended, but the batter may simply make a good swing and hit the ball, or they could get lucky and get a ‘texas leaguer’ to advance to first. Therefore I would coach my players to formulate goals that they could control, so an acceptable goal would be instead to ‘throw pitches down in the strike zone when one has two strikes on a batter’ or to ‘keep the ball on the outside half of the plate’. Both these goals being not only achievable but also controllable. So the same logic could be applied to employees, that goal setting be assuredly controllable for each individual.

The continual reinforcement strategies outlined by are certainly intuitive, and would be effective if applied in my current organization. However I think that Daniels missed an opportunity when describing stretch goals. I understand and accept the theory that workers only meet goals to avoid punishment, and that high achievers will reach their goals and stop working, but if one replaces the rather rhetorical and meaningless stretch goals with a solid shared vision and purpose for the organization, employees still have that idealized state which to work toward. Therefore as a manager I plan to create, and share, a compelling organizational vision and mission to replace the setting of stretch goals.

Teams and Empowerment

My current position and organization operates in a lot of team, or committee, environments to accomplish projects. There is a lack of competitiveness in my organization that I believe sometimes inhibits radical success, but it also contributes to a harmony between people, and among departments. However I have observed the effects of positive reinforcement among team members, though I wonder if it is possible to positively reinforce too much and/or too frequently? It is possible that my organization does this and I believe that it results in mediocre achievement, though I cannot say mediocre effort as it is tough to judge what someone’s true effort capabilities are. Perhaps if we instituted a large reward for the highest achieving team member on a given project, then employees would be inspired to go above and beyond the regular mediocre achievement I observe daily, and that has become relatively acceptable within my organization.

What really caught my attention in Daniels’ chapter, was the emphasis upon providing very clear initial direction when embarking on a team project. When working with highly educated, reasonably competent, but possibly lacking in task-specific skills, it has become apparent from my experience and reading Daniels’ analysis that the providing of direction initially, then reinforcing, is crucial at creating the desired behavior patterns. This is definitely something I will keep in mind, to be sure to clearly delineate the desired direction of the team’s project and then show trust in my employees to let them loose to accomplish their tasks.

Increasing Creativity and Managing Change

Daniels’ chapter on reinforcing creativity as a behavior, I found very enlightening. I feel that creativity is often underrated. Maintaining a high level of creativity is what truly enables an organization to remain at the top of their industry for a sustainable period of time. To be able to foresee the direction an industry is headed and formulate a strategy that enables an organization to capitalize upon changing business environments is crucial. As stated by Daniels it is that continual reinforcement of the creation of creative options on action items that keeps the creative juices flowing within an organization.

Much like reinforcing effort and achievement that goes above and beyond the expected for an individual or a team, as a manager one must consciously reinforce that creative initiative. To never do anything the same why twice keeps one’s competition on notice of the prowess of an organization. Also as a manager one must remember to not engage in negative reinforcement of non-creative solutions, but remember to reinforce only through positive acknowledgement of truly creative solutions. For my own organization it will be important to remember to only acknowledge such creativity that effectively advances the purpose of an individual or team related to a task; and not to fall prey to awarding averagely creative solutions.

7 Habits... Management or Parenting Guidebook?

7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE – A Critical Analysis and Summary

INTRODUCTION

I understand that this book is a seminal work in modern business literature, probably widely considered a classic. However I find Covey’s work overly simplistic, and his recommendations things that have been ingrained in me since childhood by parents, coaches, even public school teachers, as keys to being successful. As someone who was not raised with religion my parents let me develop my own moral compass through everyday activities, and I attempt to apply these values I have developed to my professional and personal life. What made the true difference for me morally were the punishments I received as a young child when perhaps I was a bit ‘too big for my britches’ and thought I could get away with poor behavior, and was filled with the shame of disappointing my folks and of myself acting in a cruel or stupid manner.

Covey’s text ignores the true shaping of a leader that occurs as a child. I think executive who don’t already embody these habits will find it near impossible to adopt said habits. This is the second time that I have read this book, and still I struggle to find the innovative thought in it, and struggle to find the arena in which I believe it could actually change things for the positive. Perhaps though Covey may succeed in molding leaders who are close to reaching these ideal behaviors on their own to reach a highly effective state, or may give those who educate young people a platform on which to stand and pass along to their students these effective habits with dynamism to inspire their own internal motivation for a lifetime.

PART I – Habits 1, 2, and 3 – Covey takes credit for common sense and strong parenting…

HABIT 1 – Be Proactive

In this part Covey introduces the concept of taking control over one’s life, developing a strong internal locus of control. Doing so allows people to be more effective leaders as they are not focused on the negativity of situations, or behaviors of others, in which they cannot control. The best way to better understand this habit is to use baseball as a metaphor. One may be a great hitter, doing their best to succeed at the plate they hit a screaming line drive toward left-center field, but the center-fielder makes a great diving play and catches the ball before it drops to the pitch. Could the batter have done anything better in that situation? No, he hit the ball as well as possible he could not control the outfielder’s excellent effort, and to dwell negatively on this event would only serve to cloud his ability in his next at bat which, as Covey states, he should be proactive and be thinking about as soon as that hit died in the center fielder’s glove. Goals and personal vision must be controllable, realistic, and measurable, and if one gives their best effort in pursuit of such properly crafted goals, then most likely one will achieve that goal, and if one does not it is most likely because of a factor outside of one’s personal control. Therefore, one should not dwell upon the negativity of the factor they cannot influence and instead should move on to focus upon what can be done differently to succeed the next time.

HABIT 2 – Begin with the End in Mind

Having a clear vision of what one wants to accomplish is key to success in business according to Covey. The idealized future state is crucial to forming a strategic plan to reach that vision, though crafting the implementation is crucial as well. The clearer one can illustrate one’s accomplishments in their mind the easier it is to formulate the plan to reach that idealized vision. Some of our greatest leaders have religiously practiced this habit, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. But something that Covey misses is that just as essential to having a vision that is clear and based upon deep, fundamental, classic truths is the ability to share that vision with others and to help others picture that idealized future as plainly and vividly as the leader himself does. Otherwise one is just another Don Quixote charging windmills on a grassy Spanish plain. But how does one transfer that vision? Personally I think that through integrity and passion shown by a leader’s communications with their employees and displayed in their behaviors not only quarterly and annually but over the long-run of an organization’s life is the only way to achieve “buy in” through the entire organization.

HABIT 3: Put First Things First Principles of Personal Management

Covey states Habit 3 as the execution step. So already one is proactive enough to not dwell in a blame game therefore one is free to craft their idealized vision of the future, but the question still remains… how does one reach that glowing picture of success and happiness? This is probably the most difficult step of all, as many people can learn to focus on the future, and many can sufficiently picture a realistic, achievable ideal state, but channeling their energy and resources to reach that state is quite difficult. If it was easy we would have been living in utopia millennia ago. Here Covey presents his four quadrants of time management, with the axes being ranges of a specific activities’ importance and its urgency. Covey states that to be effective one concentrate upon the activities in quadrant II, activities that are important but not urgent. The idea being that one can tackle all of one’s important activities before they become urgent. Unfortunately those of us whom operate in the medium and small business sectors know that urgent and important activities often crop up without warning, and if one is not prepared to meet the requirements of such events because they are always wearing the rose colored glasses as a result of their retentive personality, any sort of abnormality in routine brings on such a high level of stress that anxiety is transferred onto one’s employees. This is hugely detrimental to one’s organization, and if it happens too often can be crippling to an organization. Therefore strict adherence to the quadrants, I think will ultimately cause a business especially a small one to become ineffective.

PART II – The Scientific Method of Management

HABIT 4: Think Win/Win

Covey states that thinking win-win is one of the six philosophies of human interaction. When one is a win-win person one seeks symbiotic relationships based in principle behaviors where one is afforded mutual benefit. This is opposed to other situations where one views the world as a zero-sum equation, or one seeks to win at the expense of others or their own values, or one is the “doormat” for the world always the victim or one refuses to play the game if they cannot win. There must be integrity in order to establish trust in the relationship and to define a win in terms of not only one’s personal values but in terms of the values they have instilled in their organization as its leader. And in a win-win situation one is focused on the relationship they are building with the stakeholder instead of on the immediate transaction of the situation. Therefore, creating a long-term symbiosis that will help one sustain productivity in one’s organization for the long haul. Occasionally though one may be forced into a win-lose situation because of a coveted resource, then one must do business and lead to win but not at the personal expense of their competitor. And what happens between the lines should always be left between the lines because one does not know what the future holds, and to burn bridges or create enemies could surprise one unpleasantly on their path to their idealized vision.

HABIT 5: Seek First To Understand Then To Be Understood

This is my favorite of all the habits as it speaks to the scientist that is fundamental in my personality. I always seek to gather information and observe before deciding or acting unless required by the situation. Only when one deeply understands all the parameters and variables in a situation, can one come to a conclusion as to how to best proceed in pursuit their personal and organizational vision. Effective listening and empathy is the key to this habit, again something that was ingrained in me as a child. Our prejudices and stereotypes are ingrained very early in our psyche and are extremely difficult to break, and heavily influence the depth of our understanding of our co-workers, customers, investors, and employees’ issues. These mentalities act like a brick wall between true understanding and listening for show. When one truly listens empathetically one gains the trust of the other person, therefore when one speaks with that same individual in the future one’s voice is suddenly highly respected. And most likely that individual will pass their experience of the boss being an empathetic and understanding leader further widening and deepening one’s “circle of influence”. Additionally I like this habit because empathetic listening will pay off hugely for a leader when one attempts to share one’s ideal organizational vision. The wider and deeper the circle of influence the more effective the sharing of personal vision will be, and the more able the organization will be to proceed with the end in mind.

HABIT 6: Synergize, Principles of Creative Cooperation

Synergy means the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and the essence of synergy is to value and respect differences, to use them to build on strengths, to compensate for weaknesses, and to remain adaptable and therefore prepared for whatever the future may hold. Key to synergy is recognizing one’s own weaknesses and failures and not fearing them. To create a team more effective than the sum of their parts one must integrate parts that complement. If one is open with their own weaknesses as a leader one will not feel threatened by others contributing ideas because they will be secure in their position of authority and their ability to be the most effective person for that leadership position. If one doesn’t truly believe that then one probably shouldn’t be in that position in the first place, and perhaps one should care deeper about the success of the organization than one does about their own interest, and if a better candidate comes along be prepared to improve oneself for the sake for the organization or step aside for its benefit. Our human bodies operate in a way to be in a productive state of homeostasis through the existence of positive and negative feedback loops that make small adjustments to keep the body functioning smoothly. If it wasn’t for these wonderful loops that slow our hear rate to allow our brain and digestion to function at higher levels then perhaps we would just be lumps of flesh in a primordial sea or monkeys in a jungle. An organization is the same way, if it doesn’t have the dual feedback loops it is mired in a blame-game of negativity or a runaway group think sycophantic mentality. Balance is the key to synergy, and complementary skills and personality types are the key to creating those synergistic highly effective organizational teams.

PART III – Lucky Number Seven, and Bringing it all Home to Roost

Habit 7: Principles of Balanced Self-Renewal

Number seven is holistic approach to management which insists that every aspect of one’s life is a crucial component of one’s managerial effectiveness. It is the insurance that one’s gun will always be fully loaded with bullets to attack any situation that may arise. It is the belief in the preparation of the batter before he steps into the batter’s box, that one’s preparation can fully enable you to do your absolute best effort to reach your realistic and measurable goal. So that there is no excuse for not being proactive and equipped. Covey extols upon the necessity of keeping your mind sharp by reading, writing, organizing and planning. Reading

broadly and exposes oneself to great minds, thereby absorbing the thoughts of great thinkers and leaders so that an effective course of action will present itself readily when needed.

Covey finishes with the potential effects of following the seven habits and the benefits they can help one’s organization realize. Following the habits will enable courage in the face of challenge, projects will be seen to effective completion, conflicts will be resolved without ineffective resolution, and the most important things will be tackled first and directly. Most importantly though the habits will help a leader achieve that desired state of a shared organizational vision and purpose. Through this team members will achieve a deeper sense of ownership in the organization and their role within it. Teams will be enhanced by desired diversity and creative solutions and pathways will abound.

I understand what Covey is trying to say and perhaps my low opinion of this text stems from the fact that these are things I have been instilled with since childhood. Perhaps what Covey has wrought is less a management manual and more a guide book to parenting and raising a child that can think critically and problem solve; a child with empathy that listens deeply to their fellow citizens and acts effectively on the information they observe and gather. Something our nation desperately needs to foster in its youth. So instead of this book being a seminal text in a business school perhaps high school and university professors should be the ones adapting this to enhance their own character building curriculum.