Real Leaders Don't Boss (24 page)

Provide an opportunity for employees at various levels of an organization to interact in a congenial setting.

Don't forget to encourage your own employees to volunteer for community organizations whose appeal they find compelling and whose special events can make a difference.

It is also important to recognize contributions in and by the community, and reinforce your company's brand at the same time. A brand, after all, instantly conveys a message, including an organization's reputation, standing, mission, and values. The brand also creates a reaction in people that reveals how much they trust the organization and desire its products or services. A strategically and carefully planned community appreciation event or open house will not only help to polish your brand, but will give you a good idea of your
brand's standing in the community. Community perception of a brand can make or break a company's success. Special events can backfire, though, if they're not clearly thought out with specific goals in mind, and if the staff is not in place to carry them out.

Even if the special event is meant for a company's employees, the CEO may wish to invite community leaders in for a closer, more personalized look at the company and its people. Inviting a few strategically chosen community members and leaders can present an unmatched opportunity for sharing the real company culture and community, so long as this does not shift the focus of the event from its primary purpose. If employees sense the event that is supposed to honor them is really just an opportunity for the executives to look good in front of community leaders, it will backfire.

If the company is facing changes or looking to expand into new markets or offer new products, a special event can be a great way to introduce the changes in a way that fosters ownership. It helps employees feel on board for the new direction, and creates momentum for going forward.

Leadership, as you've read in these pages, takes many forms: formal and informal, highly visible and subtle as well. Real leaders give back to their communities in much the same multi-faceted way and, in doing so, are role models for others to follow. Leading with the example of having a positive impact on those less knowledgeable or less fortunate teaches other aspiring leaders to always be humble and compassionate in how they live their lives.

Dusty Baker is legendary and his legacy is powerful—not just in Major League Baseball. Baker is the only man in MLB to be named manager of the year three times. The current
manager of the Cincinnati Reds, Baker also played 16 seasons with Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Oakland; went with his teams to three World Series; and won the pennant in 1981. He was named to the All-Time Los Angeles Dodgers team and as a manager named to the All-Time San Francisco Giants team. But beyond his sports leadership accolades, honors, and awards, Baker is a real leader who believes in giving back.

A prostate cancer survivor, Baker deeply believes in helping educate others about prostate cancer. He is active in fund-raising efforts for prostate cancer research and treatment, too. “Sometimes you wonder what's your purpose on Earth,” Baker said. “I know baseball wasn't my only purpose. Maybe I'm supposed to spread the word and help people with cancer.”
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Baker also founded the nonprofit Dusty Baker International Baseball Academy, which focuses not only on athletics but also on “the core principles of developing self-confidence, self-reliance, and self-discipline.”

Reflecting his values that combine sportsmanship, scholarship, and humanity, the following Ralph Waldo Emerson quotation hangs in his office:

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.
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Historically, an important mark of a successful leader has been whether his or her accomplishments endure through time. Despite today's rapidly changing global economy, that measure of true success remains the same. Real leaders such as Dusty Baker make a difference in the lives of those around them and in the companies, workplaces, and communities where they work and live no matter the changing times or external forces.

Real leaders create and leave legacies for those who come after them. Those legacies can be sweeping and grand, such as Ray Kroc and the business model he developed for McDonald's that revolutionized the fast-food industry, or Jack Welch, who as the leader of General Electric rebuilt the once-struggling company into a giant powerhouse.

Or, a leadership legacy can take place on a much smaller scale, but just as powerfully for the individuals involved. The way Senator Lugar mentors interns in his Washington, D.C., Senate office is a great example. His willingness to spend time with those young people creates a lasting impression—a legacy. Not only does it help these young leaders in their personal leadership growth, but it also creates a precedent that they will likely follow in the future with their own people.

I was privileged to have worked with a number of outstanding physicians during my time in the healthcare industry, including a select few whose extraordinary medical skills were exceeded only by their humanity. For nine years, I worked with Richard Schreiner, MD, in his dual role as chairman of the department of pediatrics and as physician-in-chief of Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. A neonatologist by training, Schreiner transformed a good pediatrics department into a
preeminent one, which continues to serve as a model for other hospitals across Indiana and the United States.

Schreiner readily admits that he had no specific management training before taking over the department of pediatrics, only a passion to provide children with the best care possible.
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Yet, his personality and desire to succeed exemplify several attributes that today's leaders should emulate:

Technical excellence with an unparalleled sense of modesty.

Frugality in business, but an unbounded generosity toward his patients and their families.

The humility and wisdom to hire and retain a highly accomplished, collegial, and caring team of medical professionals (including Drs. Jim Lemons, neonatology; Ora Pescovitz, endocrine/diabetes; Howard Eigen, pulmonary; and others, including Jay Grosfeld, a pediatric surgeon and chair of the surgery department).

A record of supporting employees, constantly encouraging them to treat one another, very ill children, and their parents and families in the most caring way possible, while avoiding the temptation to micromanage them.

A bronze statue of Dr. Schreiner now stands in the lobby of Riley Hospital. It is fitting that Schreiner never sought such an honor. Instead, a colleague, supported by his legion of friends and associates, commissioned a teenage sculptor to create a life-sized statue of his likeness, a testament not only to one of the giants in pediatric medicine, but also to a leader who transformed the hospital and the department of pediatrics into a national center of excellence.

Is your office or company a happy place? Seriously—if someone walked into your office or company or place of business for the first time today, what would be his or her impression? If he or she were to think that this is a happy and productive place, that's a plus. A happy workplace is a sign of tangible leadership. This cannot be overemphasized: happy workers make the best workers. Performance of a team is often determined, in part, by whether their leadership celebrates their successes and allows them to celebrate.

How would you rate your workplace on the “happiness” scale? If it scores low, what tangible things can you do to make it a happier and more productive place? Do your company and its leadership celebrate the successes of employees? If not, why not? What can you do to make a difference?

A positive company culture can help curb absenteeism, boost morale, and enhance productivity. Leaders should present a positive attitude, which includes a smile, a sense of humor, and a supportive manner when dealing with staff. Real leaders expect high standards and values among their employees, and they model and reinforce those standards of honesty, resiliency, commitment, and integrity in their own behavior. All of this contributes to the company's culture and influences how the company is led and managed. Some company cultures are stronger than others, but all influence the selection of personnel, workplace ethics, and relationships—among employees, with customers, and with the community. Some cultures are longstanding, whereas others have been formed more recently. Companies with strong corporate cultures that have contributed to long-term success include GE, Procter & Gamble, Four Seasons, Abbott, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, and BMW.

A leader doesn't have to be charismatic, tall, attractive, or wealthy to be successful, but it is important to be able to propel others to achieve success. What are the traits that help to build inspiring leaders? What can you do to acquire those skills and strengthen existing ones? In the absence of external leadership, what can you do to unlock your internal leadership passion? How can you encourage others to do the same?