One of the hardest areas of leadership is to inspire a group of people with a common vision, a shared vision. Why is this?
Typically, leaders are in love with their vision. They have a hard time letting anyone touch their vision. More often than not, their vision is years in the making and a culmination of all their hopes and dreams. It summarizes everything they are and everything they value. They would rather fail than have anyone desecrate a vision that they have come to believe in. At least, this is what a visionary often thinks.
The statue of David, by Michelangelo, comes to mind when I think of a leader’s attachment to their vision. They see their vision as perfection, a masterpiece. They almost worship it. How could you let anyone mess with such a wondrous vision? The problem with this way of thinking is that, while you may perceive your vision to be at the same level as the statue of David, it likely needs more work and polish from a team of people who can add value.
Empower Your Team with A Shared Vision
Great leaders have learned to give others on their team the hammer and chisel and let them contribute. They encourage their team to take this hammer and chisel and go chip away. They allow their team to have ownership.
“The price of success, of a vibrant, breathing vision, is partnership. The willingness to share your vision, to give the keys of the kingdom to your team, is one of the most powerful things you can do as a leader.”
It can be tough for a leader to ask for input from their team, but which is better: 100% buy-in from your team to 80% of your vision, or 0% buy-in to 100% of your vision? For most leaders, if the final vision is 80% of your vision, that’s a win. What’s the point of having 100% of your vision when your team does not buy into it? What’s the chance that your vision will succeed, that your vision will get implemented? The answer is it won’t.
This is where it gets really hard, because you have to mean it. Your team needs to believe that you actually want their input. When they hesitantly offer some thoughts, it’s important to thank them, especially if this is a shift for you and how you do things. It won’t be easy, but giving a little ownership goes a long way in creating a team who is committed to your dream.
Those on your team who implement the vision must buy into it, it is that simple. Without the buy-in of your team, the vision will go nowhere. It is sheer pragmatism. Your team will get that.
Evolve Your Vision for Success
Armed with the philosophy of why it is important to get the input of the team, you now need to put it into practice.
1. Depending on the size of your team, share your vision and have a brainstorming session.
If your team is large, consider having several groups meet separately to gather feedback. Then have the team leaders of these groups gather with you to discuss the feedback they have received.
2. Go back and redraft your vision using the input you’ve received.
You might consider having someone else redraft the vision, but since it is your vision and you are the team leader, you might want to do the redrafting. Input is good, but you are still the team leader and you still have to buy into the vision.
3. Share the redrafted vision with your team. What is good about this new version of the vision? What could be improved?
Gather their input again and redraft the vision. After a few rounds of this, you need to declare victory and make the vision final — at least final for now.
By this point, you should have a group of people who have passionately bought into the vision. They are ready to take any hill or go through any obstacle. After all, it is not just your vision, but it is now also their vision. Isn’t that what you want, a group of people passionate about the vision, locking arms together to do whatever it takes to make the vision become reality?
Reflection
What ways can you be more proactive in sharing your vision with your team?
Have you gathered your team’s input and included them in the process of setting the vision?
How are you giving your team ownership of the vision?
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
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On Saturday, June 8, 23-year-old Ashleigh Barty won the French Open Tennis Championship. She is the first Australian to win the French Open in more than 45 years.
What is amazing about Barty is that she is only 5’5” in an era where many of the great women tennis players are closer to 5’10”. Despite the height disadvantage, she has one of the stronger serves on tour. She wins matches with a combination of her serve, her groundstrokes, her variety, and her never say die attitude. But it is also her character and the backstory that make her Championship win at the French Open so compelling.
Barty is of Aboriginal heritage, the first Aboriginal tennis player since the great Evonne Goolagong. Barty has said that it would be “amazing to get more kids enjoying tennis across Australia within indigenous communities.”
Barty was one of the top junior players when she took a break after winning junior Wimbledon in 2011. She was burnt out and had lost her passion for the game. She took a three-year break and when she came back to tennis, it was on her terms. As one writer put it, “The bravest decision Ash Barty ever took was to walk away from the thing she did the best.”
Ben Crowe, a professional mentor and leadership coach to sports stars and corporate leaders who has worked with Barty, says, “For me, her humility, her gratitude, her respect, and her acceptance are her greatest attributes. Her goal is to be a good person and, with that foundation, go after her dreams. That is 100% authentic. She will always have that humility and respect, rather than getting caught up in ego and pride.”
Not only is Barty authentic and grounded, she has no fear. Earlier this year, before her recent success, Barty told a press conference that she fears nobody in women’s professional tennis. When asked about this, she paused, and with an intensity in her eyes, she replied forcefully, slowly, and quietly, “Fear won’t get you anywhere, mate.”
Ash Barty embodies the ideal of the great Australian cricketer, Sir Donald Bradman – a person who is a decent individual and competitor. He said, “When considering the stature of an athlete or for that matter any person, I set great store in certain qualities which I believe to be essential in addition to skill. They are that the person conducts his or her life with dignity, with integrity, with courage, and perhaps most of all, modesty. These virtues are totally compatible with pride, ambition, and competitiveness.”
Lessons from Ashleigh Barty
Stay Courageous: When Barty says she fears nothing, it does not seem arrogant. The key is to have your identity in something more transcendent — something other than the pursuit of your goal or vision — while at the same time giving it your all.
Have Strong Character: Character is everything. Having a mixture of humility, gratitude, and respect is important, as is being authentic. As you are fearlessly pursuing your dreams, keep them in perspective — be grounded and know who you are.
Ash Barty is a great role model, not only for young aspiring tennis players, but for all of us. Pursue your dreams without fear, but know who you are and stay grounded. After all, it is this that has proved a winning combination for Ash Barty.
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel. And be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.
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A miracle happened over the weekend in Australia. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison won what was called an unwinnable election. All the indications from the polls and the experts was that Scott Morrison was going to lose. Morrison is the leader of the Liberal Party (actually a center-right party). He was up against Bill Shorten, the leader of the Labor Party (the center-left party). So sure was Shorten of victory that he laid out detailed progressive policies on taxes and climate change. Morrison, on the other hand, has been Prime Minister for under a year. The Liberal Party had removed two sitting Prime Ministers in the last several years. Many people were tired of all the Liberal Party internal politics. In most cases, when one party keeps shooting itself in the foot, the other party wins.
So how did Scott Morrison win this unwinnable election? Morrison campaigned on more of a steady-as-you-go platform that did not overpromise. But Scott Morrison’s real key to victory was his authenticity. “ScoMo,” as he is affectionately called, grew up in a fairly ordinary middle-class background. His dad started off life as a policeman. Morrison is active in his church, a Pentecostal church he has been a part of for years. Australia is a pretty secular country, so being a person of faith is not always helpful politically. He is also a huge football fan of the Australian Rugby League team the Cronulla Sharks. So on the Sunday after it looked like he was going to be re-elected Prime Minister, he went to church and then went to a Cronulla football game as normal. He was mobbed by cheering crowds at the Cronulla football game. The fans knew he was one of them, a passionate Cronulla supporter.
Morrison’s message is aspirational. He says, “I believe in the promise of Australia.” He uses folksy slogans like, “If you have a go, you’ll get a go,” basically saying that if you take a chance, Australia will let you do pretty well. On the night of his victory, he said, “God bless Australia,” and that he felt Australia was the best country in the world to live in. Such language might be common place in the US, but it is not in Australia.
People could relate to this guy. He was one of them. He has been called the “daggy dad,” which in layman’s terms means your typical boring dad, without a whole lot of fashion sense. He is married with two young children.
We can learn a lot from Scott Morrison. The lessons are not so much about his party or his political philosophy. It is that people crave authenticity. Not everyone in Australia is a Pentecostal Christian or a Cronulla Sharks football fan. But people admire a man who is authentic. A family man, raising two children, with a message of hope.
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
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Who would argue that the abolition of the slave trade was not one of the most impactful events of the nineteenth century? British historian, G.M. Trevelyan said this was “one of the turning points in the history of the world.” William Wilberforce was the driving force behind this.
Who is William Wilberforce?
In his later years he was regarded as “the conscience of his nation,” but his early life did not give any indication that he would become a man so respected and revered. Born in 1759 in Northern England to wealthy parents, he went on to study at Cambridge University. He was never a serious student, but he was known to be witty, charming, and eloquent. With the charisma of a natural leader, Wilberforce was elected to Parliament at 21 — the youngest age you could be elected — along with William Pitt, who became Prime Minister just three years later.
The Turning Point
In 1785, Wilberforce had an “intense religious experience” while traveling, prompting him to consider leaving Parliament and going into the ministry. At this juncture, his life could have taken a very different course had his friend and mentor John Newton not intervened. This former captain of slave ships had his own religious conversion, becoming an Anglican minister and abolitionist — and went on to write the hymn “Amazing Grace.” Newton urged Wilberforce to continue his political path and to live out his faith in the place where he could have the most impact.
The Abolition
From that point forward, Wilberforce devoted his whole being to the abolition of the slave trade and of slavery itself. At this time, the slave trade was dominated by the British, and was entrenched in political and monetary interests. The abolition of the slave trade would be a difficult battle.
In 1789, Wilberforce introduced resolutions against the slave trade to parliament for the first time. They did not pass. For 18 years he continued to propose these bills, but again and again, they were defeated. Finally, in 1807 the tide began to turn. In speech after speech, members of Parliament spoke in favor of the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire. Prime Minister William Grenville called the bill “a measure which will diffuse happiness among millions now in existence, and for which [Wilberforce’s] memory will be blessed by millions yet unborn.”
Three days before Wilberforce died in 1833, he learned that Parliament was passing a law that would free all slaves in the British Empire.
How One Man Lived Out His Beliefs
We can learn a lot from Wilberforce. Showing humility and empathy with those opposed to him, and by demonstrating an understanding of the financial impact of the abolition of the slave trade, he won people over. He appealed to their sense of morality and pressed on, asserting that the abolition of the slave trade was the right thing to do.
With his natural charisma and charm, it was said that “with all his talents he would probably have been Pitt’s successor as Prime Minister if he had preferred the party to mankind.” Instead, he believed strongly that pursuing the abolition of the slave trade and slavery was his purpose in life. This was how he was going to lead a life of significance. Consistent through this battle was the anchor in his life: his faith.
How to Make a Difference in Your Own Life
There are lessons we can learn from William Wilberforce for our own lives, as we seek a life of purpose and significance:
The anchors in our life should guide our actions. For Wilberforce, it was his strong faith.
Making a difference happens when we match our beliefs with our passions and our skills. Wilberforce matched his faith with the passion he had for abolition. He lived his vision out in Parliament, an arena he was particularly gifted in. He was one of the most skilled speakers of his day.
We all need a good mentor. Wilberforce had a great mentor in John Newton, who urged him to stay in Parliament and live out the anchor of his faith.
A strong support network can be the key to our vision becoming reality. Wilberforce had a support network who shared his vision. This group of friends, “the Clapham sect” were devout people who were influential in government and business.
The strength of Wilberforce’s faith and the passion he had for his vision of the abolition of the slave trade and slavery helped him overcome many obstacles. How can that translate to your own life?
Find out what you believe in, such that you believe in it to the depths of your soul, and live it out.
Discern what cause or vision your beliefs are calling you to.
Ensure that this cause or vision is in line with your skills and natural aptitudes.
Talk to a mentor to seek counsel and to friends who will support you along the way.
Be committed to your path and grounded in the anchor of your beliefs. There will inevitably be obstacles. Perseverance comes from the determination that what you are devoting your life to really matters.
Few of us may feel that we can have the impact that William Wilberforce did. Even he, at a younger age, had no idea what he was capable of, but we all want in some way to lead a life of significance. Our own impact may not be as well-known as that of Wilberforce, but the impact of many people leading lives of significance can add up to a world-changing difference.
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
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Our beliefs form the very core of who we are. They are the essence of our true selves. Living and leading our life in harmony with our most deeply held beliefs is a major step toward leading a life of significance – a life that is not about us but about serving others and making a difference in the world.
As we pursue our vision and lead our lives, our deeply held beliefs help ensure that we are on course. They provide anchors for our lives. If we feel that we have led a life that betrays everything that we believe in, that is soul crushing. It is a place you do not want to be.
Where Beliefs Come From
What are these beliefs that can form anchors for our lives? They are typically a set of principles, a moral philosophy, if you will. They may be rooted in a major religion, such as Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, or Islam. They could also be based on a philosophical way of thought, such as the writings of Confucius, Plato, Aristotle, or John Stuart Mill.
That there are documented writings that address the purpose of life and where we find that purpose is an advantage of a religious way of thought. There are also teachers that can provide guidance and help us live in accordance to our purpose.
Discovering Your Own Beliefs
It’s important that you spend some time examining your beliefs. What do you believe? Is every area of your life in alignment with your belief system? If not, why not? For anchors to be really effective in our lives, we must really think through and believe in our belief system. Having halfhearted beliefs does not provide a strong anchor.
Below are a few things you can get started on today that will take you one step closer to discovering the anchors in your life:
Write out and describe the principles that you lead your life by. It might be humility, integrity, and self-sacrifice. Or perhaps, kindness, generosity, and compassion.
Then, think about why you believe in these principles. Why are you so passionate about them? Spoiler alert: If you are not passionate about your beliefs, that is a problem.
Next, think through where your beliefs come from. Do they come from a particular moral philosophy or a religious way of thought?
Lastly, start to immerse yourself in more of the writings and teachings behind your beliefs. Talk with teachers of these beliefs or others who have similar beliefs.
Applying Your Beliefs as Life Anchors
Once you have found the belief system that forms the anchor of your life, you can then start to evaluate and apply your anchors to every aspect of your life. I’ve highlighted a few steps and questions to reflect on below.
Do an audit of your life, your vision, and your path. Are your beliefs in alignment with your life and path?
If your life and path are not in line with your beliefs, outline the steps you will take to get your life and your path into alignment with your beliefs.
An important part in ensuring we are living our beliefs is to talk to our closest friends who are open and nonjudgmental. Tell them what your beliefs are and how they should affect how you live. Get their input as to how you are doing in living out your beliefs.
You may find that your daily life is so full of to-do lists and endless tasks that you forget what anchors you. When this happens, make it a daily practice to spend time strengthening your anchors. Whether it’s through teachings or meditations, it’s essential to feeling calm and centered as you go about your day.
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel. And be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.
👉 Take the free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment to discover where you are on your journey of moving beyond your crucible and how to chart your personal course to a life of significance: https://beyondthecrucible.com/assessment/
John Fairfax, my great-great-grandfather, is a perfect example of a man who did not let his crucible experience define him. Rather, his crucible experience was the springboard to bring his vision to life. It created an inflection point that changed the path of his life and the course of my family’s future.
John Fairfax was born in 1804 in the county of Warwickshire in England (hence the first name that my father and I have). He did not grow up a wealthy man. At age twelve, John was apprenticed to a local bookseller and printer. At age twenty, he moved to London to work for the Morning Chronicle newspaper. He later moved back to Warwickshire and founded the Leamington Chronicle.
John’s Crucible Moment
In 1836, John was faced with a crucible moment. His paper published an article condemning the conduct of a local lawyer. The lawyer sued the paper. While the court ruled in favor of John Fairfax and the Leamington Chronicle, the lawyer —knowing that John’s resources were limited — sued the paper again. The court again ruled in favor of John and the paper. Unfortunately, the heavy legal expenses forced John into bankruptcy.
The bankruptcy left John devastated. All that he had dreamed of over the last decade seemed to be gone. The townspeople, including friends from his local church, wanted to raise money to support John and help the Leamington Chronicle continue, but John would not accept charity.
Moving Forward
In 1838 John and his wife, Sarah, took their three young children on the arduous four month journey to Australia. John felt unfairly persecuted, but he did not give up on his dream of building his own newspaper. If anything, the dream and the vision grew.
John’s vision of building a paper “without fear to express opinion…without the reproach of self-interest, sworn to no master and free from the narrow interests of sectarianism” eventually would become a reality. In 1841, John purchased the Sydney Morning Herald.
The existing motto of the paper fit neatly into John’s vision: “In moderation placing all my glory, while Tories call me Whig – and Whigs a Tory.” In today’s language, it would read, “while Conservatives call me Liberal and Liberals call me Conservative.” Unlike many papers of the day, John’s newspaper would not be a party newspaper.
John was able to forgive the wrong done to him and was not bitter. Years later, John would return to Leamington and pay off the debts of his creditors, even though he did not have to. They were wiped clean in bankruptcy. John even paid off the debts of the lawyer who had unfairly sued him.
What can we learn from John’s story?
– Our failures don’t have to define us. – Our failures can sometimes be a catalyst for bold risk-taking. – Our crucible moments can increase our determination and expand our vision — and help bring that vision to life. – To be able to move forward, we need to forgive.
John’s story is a great example of how a crucible experience of great loss, tragedy, and unfair persecution can motivate us to achieve our vision. We could do well to learn from John Fairfax and the way he allowed his crucible experience to propel him forward.
Reflection
How can your crucible experience motivate you to achieve your vision, and perhaps an expanded vision? How can you let go of any bitterness you may have toward others?
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel. And be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.
👉 Take the free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment to discover where you are on your journey of moving beyond your crucible and how to chart your personal course to a life of significance: https://beyondthecrucible.com/assessment/
I have found that when you use a crucible moment to help others, it can be very healing. When we take the focus off ourselves and try to use what we have been through to help others, it can make a huge difference in our spirit and our lives. Living such a life — using the pain of a crucible experience to help others — is what leading a life of significance is all about. But how do we get to a place where our experiences empower us rather than define us?
What is a Crucible Moment?
First, we need to define what a crucible moment is. Typically, it’s a painful experience that changes us. If we choose, it can be like a refining fire, molding us into something new. We can either wallow in our misfortune or we can choose to use our pain to help others and lead a life of significance. How we use our pain depends on the type of experience we have had. No person’s crucible moment is exactly the same as anyone else’s. Rather, each experience is incredibly personal.
A crucible moment can include the following difficult experiences:
The loss of a business. Losing your job or being fired. Living with a health challenge such as cancer. Having your marriage end in divorce. Losing a loved one.
Crucible moments such as these can be searing. How do you recover from losing a job that you have put everything you have into? What about feeling like you were unfairly fired from your job? Maybe you have a health challenge, due to the poor genetics in your family. How is that fair? Or what about having your marriage end in divorce after years of being together? How do you carry on with life, alone? What does each day look like when someone you love has passed away?
Find Time for Reflection
When faced with a crucible experience, the first step to moving beyond it and finding the purpose to your pain is through reflection. You have to first understand what you are feeling and why, as well as understand what happened, before you can take the next step to moving on.
Here are some steps to help with reflection:
Be honest with yourself. Assess how much of the situation was your fault. Perhaps you played a role in being fired. In a health challenge, assess how much your lifestyle (diet and exercise) was a contributing factor. With a divorce, perhaps it was not all his or her fault. Maybe your behavior or actions did not help, either.
Ask for input. Get input from others who know and care about you. Perhaps some coworkers can give you their perspective as to why you were fired. Some loved ones, if asked, might be able to help you determine how much of what led to your divorce was your fault and what was not.
Take responsibility. This might involve accepting the role you played in being fired, getting divorced, or the impact that an unhealthy lifestyle may have played in your health situation.
Accept and Forgive
Very often with crucible moments, acceptance and forgiveness are key. If you made mistakes that led to the loss of your business or your job, you have to accept it and own it, and then forgive those you might have a grudge against. It is not easy, as I know all too well. In a health challenge, you might have eaten properly and exercised, and might have still gotten sick. You might be angry at the world or at God. Or with a marriage, you might have suffered abuse and, understandably, have a lot of anger.
To be able to move on you have to forgive, whether or not the other person deserves forgiveness. Forgiveness is as much about helping you move on, as it is about showing grace toward the other person. Forgiveness is a choice. It is not about how you feel. To be able to forgive, sometimes talking to a trained therapist can help. Prayer or meditation can also be very helpful.
Moving On: Using Your Experience to Help Others
The key to moving on after acceptance and forgiveness is finding ways to help others using your own experience. Losing a business or being fired can give you empathy for others who have been through something similar and perhaps you have some insights that might help others avoid what you have been through. This could mean being a mentor to other business leaders.
Living with a health challenge can give you a degree of empathy to come alongside others, such as those battling with cancer, that other people are not really able to. Perhaps you could join or lead a group of cancer survivors, for instance.
With a divorce or the loss of a loved one, you could be part of groups that exist to help such people. For instance, you could join a group of spouses of veterans who have lost their loved ones, or a group for people coping with loss or, depending on the situation, be part of a group who have suffered abuse in their marriage.
Whatever your experience is, there is immense strength in sharing your story. It’s not only empowering, but it can help to light the way for those who are walking a similar path. Helping others who are going through what you have been through can be incredibly healing. The pain never completely goes away, but when we use our pain to help others, we find purpose to our pain and to our lives.
If you’re ready to find power and purpose in your crucible moment, I encourage you to ask yourself the following reflective questions. To dive even deeper, feel free to download our free Crucible Leadership workbook.
Reflection
What type of crucible experience have you been through?
Who do you have to forgive?
How can you use the pain you have been through to help others?
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.
Take the free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment to discover where you are on your journey of moving beyond your crucible and how to chart your personal course to a life of significance: https://beyondthecrucible.com/assessment/
I was walking on Siesta Key Beach in Sarasota, Florida, a few weeks ago — the day before we were to return to Maryland. Siesta Key Beach is rated as one of the top beaches in the US, but today it was shrouded in fog. You could barely see 100 yards in front of you, out to the Gulf or inland to the condos lining the beach. The fog was so dense that you could feel the moisture on your skin.
The fog made me think of vision. Having your vision become reality is like walking on the beach in a dense fog. You have this sense that you are going in the right direction, but you rarely see your exact goal in the distance. Your goals and vision may evolve and change over time as you keep heading forward. It’s much like Walt Disney’s vision of animated cartoons telling stories that later evolved into color feature-length films like Snow White and, ultimately, into theme parks like Disneyland.
Cognitively, you have this sense you are going in the right direction because your vision lines up with your beliefs and your aptitude. Your vision may well have come out of a crucible experience that makes you want to make a difference, perhaps so that other people won’t go through what you went through. But in your gut, you know this just makes sense. It is the right thing for you to do. You are on the right path.
To me the fog is beautiful. If there was no fog, we could see our goals and vision clearly and no faith would be required. People of faith think of the verse in Hebrews that says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” More broadly, we believe there is a plan and that somehow what we have been through is going to help others, or just simply that our lives will count for something.
So, we keep going, one step at a time, through the fog — not quite sure where we will end up, but confident that we are going down the right path. Sometimes, as we reach our goal or perhaps a key milestone, we see something unexpected. In this case, as I reached the end of the beach I saw this bush with shells hung on the branches. I have walked to this end of the beach many times before, but I don’t remember seeing shells on the bush. Perhaps it was always there, and I did not notice. Or perhaps it just came there during the mystery of the fog.
Reflection
Reflect on the vision you have. Spend five minutes and write down the vision that you feel is pushing you forward.
How much do your trust your vision and the path that is unfolding?
Assuming you do believe you are on the right path, how can you keep trusting the process? Who can you talk to that can encourage you to stay the course?
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.
Take the free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment to discover where you are on your journey of moving beyond your crucible and how to chart your personal course to a life of significance: https://beyondthecrucible.com/assessment/
Abraham Lincoln is commonly regarded by most historians as the greatest American President. The great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy said that Lincoln’s supremacy compared to other great leaders in history was due to “his peculiar moral power and … the greatness of his character.” Lincoln was able to assemble a great team and create an environment for them to succeed. The cornerstone of his leadership that enabled him to do this was his character.
Appointing a Team of Rivals
Lincoln had a profound sense of self-confidence mixed with humility. He knew who he was and was content within his own skin. This sense of inner confidence and contentment with who he was enabled him to appoint a team irrespective of what they thought of him. He was not easily threatened, nor was he insecure. This was most apparent at the beginning of his presidency when he appointed three rivals for the Republican nomination for president to three of the most important positions in his cabinet. William Seward was his main political rival and he appointed him to arguably the most important position in the cabinet, Secretary of State. Salmon Chase, a former governor of Ohio and US senator, was appointed as Secretary of the Treasury and Edward Bates was appointed as Attorney General.
What was amazing about these appointments, is that not only were these men his political rivals, but they each thought that the wrong man had been nominated for president by their party. They had rather a dim view of Lincoln and saw him as a relatively uneducated person from the wilds of Illinois. Lincoln, however, wanted the strongest cabinet possible, irrespective of their personalities or even whether they respected or liked him. He stated that “we needed the strongest men of the party in the Cabinet” and that he “had no right to deprive the country of their services.”
Few leaders appoint a team of people who were their rivals for the top position and who don’t necessarily respect them. It’s a risky move. These former rivals may well try to undermine the leader and may potentially still lobby for the leader’s position. Salmon Chase was the most difficult of his cabinet and did work to undermine Lincoln at times. In 1864, which was an election year, Chase and his supporters published a pamphlet very critical of Lincoln saying that Chase had “more of the qualities needed in a President.” Chase would often threaten to resign to reassert his authority. Eventually Lincoln accepted Chase’s resignation but ended up nominating Chase to be the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in December 1864. Even Lincoln did not really want to do this, but he said that “there is not a man in the Union who could make as good a chief justice as Chase.”
Creating a Successful Environment
Lincoln not only picked a group of people with diverse skills to be in his cabinet, but he also created an environment for them to succeed. Lincoln was fiercely loyal to his team and would always support them. He would not let short-term political expediency make him sacrifice a key member of the team who deserved to stay. In 1862, the North suffered some military reverses. Members of Congress blamed the Secretary of State, William Seward, who in the early years of Lincoln’s presidency was seen as the power behind the throne. While Seward offered to resign, Lincoln calmly listened to his members of Congress and defended Seward against their accusations. Team members do not forget this kind of loyalty.
Lincoln also took input well. During Lincoln’s writing of the Second Inaugural Address after the 1864 election, Lincoln actually asked some of his team to give input into the address. Another example of Lincoln’s ability to receive input was shown by a meeting Lincoln had with a military officer who said that while he had not voted for Lincoln in the election, he would loyally support him. Lincoln said to the officer that “when you see me doing anything that for the good of the country ought not to be done, come and tell me so, and why you think so…”
By the end of Lincoln’s presidency and certainly after his death, the attitudes of Lincoln’s team had changed dramatically. William Seward, Lincoln’s key rival for the Republican presidential nomination, said Lincoln was “the best and wisest man he [had] ever known.” Edward Bates said that Lincoln “comes very near being a perfect man.” What accounts for such a turnaround in attitudes by Lincoln’s team? In summary, it was his character. Lincoln not only had this innate self-confidence, humility and self-awareness, but he took input well and was fiercely loyal to his team.
Learning from A Man of Character
What can we as leaders learn about organizational leadership from Lincoln? Appoint the best leaders to your team with a diverse set of skills and backgrounds irrespective of what they think of you. Your job is to set a clear vision and direction…and then win them over. The more secure you are and the more authentic and self-aware, the more you will build trust with your team.
It all boils down to your character as a leader. This is the key to assembling a great team and creating an environment for them to succeed. If you can’t be a leader of character who leads by example, you should not be a leader. It’s better to step out of the way and let a better leader, a leader of character, take your place.
Reflection
Examine your own character as a leader. Do you have the self-confidence to appoint a team with diverse skills, even if they may not even like you? If not, outline areas of deficiency (taking input, loyalty, delegation) and work up a plan to improve.
How good are you at taking input from your team? The next time you have a team meeting or are meeting with an employee individually, make it a point to listen first before you say anything.
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
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We have looked at several different areas of leadership. Some have been internal, such as character, and some have been external, such as vision. We have talked of the ‘being’ of a leader. Character, internal beliefs, and crucible experiences often lead to vision. But how do we make vision become reality? What about the ‘doing’ of a leader? That is where organizational leadership becomes important.
There are two key aspects of organizational leadership; selecting the right people and creating an environment for them to succeed. This is a huge part of the doing of a leader. Yes, the leader has to lead the way in coming up with the vision in the first place. They must also continually be the primary evangelist of that vision both within their organization and to the outside world — but this is not sufficient. One of the primary roles of the leader day-to-day is to find the right people and to create a cultural climate that ensures their success.
Finding the Right People
Conventional wisdom says the most qualified candidate is the person with the most experience and skills for the position in question. That is part of the equation but not the whole part. To find candidates who will really drive the vision forward, you need to first hire for character, then for mission, and then for skills. When we talk about character, you should look for team members that are honest, driven, and hardworking. You’ll want them to be team players, humble, and willing to take input. Second, they need to be absolutely sold out for the mission of your organization. If you are Southwest and your mission is to connect people and families at affordable prices, you really need to find candidates who passionately care about this mission. Lastly, your team should have the skills and experience that are required for their roles.
Another layer on top of hiring your team is to consider what kind of leader — indeed what kind of person — you are. You have to know your unique design and how you are wired. This will help you hire a team with complementary skills. If you are a take-charge leader who acts first and thinks later, you might want to hire a team with a more reflective approach. If you are more of a contemplative leader, you might want to have people around you that are more action-oriented. You want to have a team around you with complementary skills, approaches, and ways of thinking.
Creating the Right Environment
Once you have hired the right team, you have to create an environment for them to succeed. A number of companies have excellent visions, great missions, and good values, but the trouble is that they often don’t live them out. Enron suffered one of the biggest bankruptcies in US corporate history in the early 2000s. The CEO was convicted and sentenced to many years in prison and the company was accused of misleading its board and the public. Enron’s core values it claimed it had were respect, integrity, communication and, excellence.
For an organization to succeed, it must truly live its values and mission. It starts at the top with senior leaders modeling the organization’s values and mission in how they live and treat people. Senior leaders such as this will do everything they can to ensure that all the organization’s systems such as hiring, retention, promotion, compensation, and benefits all support the mission, vision, and values of the organization.
When you hire great people and give them a clear mission, you then must step out of the way. Talented, motivated, and driven individuals won’t be micromanaged. Hire the right people based on character, mission, and skills and let them help you make your vision happen. They might do their jobs differently than you would do it, but that is OK. If the job is getting done the right way (in harmony with the mission of the organization by people of good character), then let your team make it happen.
Cultivating a Thriving Organization
The beauty of successful organizational leadership is that it allows senior leaders to do what they love doing and what should be a big part of their job. It allows them to dream big visions and put plans in place to make them happen. When an organization is led by bold visionary leaders who put dreams into action, it motivates the rest of those in the organization even more. After all, these senior leaders have already hired the right people. They have also created an environment for them to succeed. The outcome is that the organization now has leaders leading boldly with a team eager and waiting to bring the vision of the organization to life. Isn’t that what everyone wants?
Reflection
Are you looking for character first when hiring? If not, consider redoing your hiring process to ensure people are hired for character, then passion for the mission, and then skills.
Are all areas of your organization supporting your vision, mission, and values? Take a few moments to do a thorough examination of all your systems (hiring, retention, promotion, compensation, and benefits) to ensure that they all support the vision, mission, and values you believe your organization must have.
Are you micromanaging or giving your talented and motivated team members the freedom to soar? If you’re micromanaging, re-examine if you have the right team in place that complements you.
To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.
Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.
Take the free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment to discover where you are on your journey of moving beyond your crucible and how to chart your personal course to a life of significance: https://beyondthecrucible.com/assessment/
