More On Authenticity and Leadership

Continuing on the theme of authenticity in leadership . . . .

In The Leadership Challenge by James Kouzes and Barry Posner, there is a powerful passage on how leaders need to be authentic, sincere, and passionate.

You must know what you care about.  If you don't care, how can you expect others to do so?  If you don't burn with desire to be true to something you hold passionately, how can you expect commitment from others?  And until you get close enough to flame to feel the heat, how can you know the source? You can only be authentic when you lead according to the principles that matter most to you.  Otherwise you're just putting on an act.

Many leaders pour their efforts into many areas.  Beyond their normal job, they may be passionate about a non-profit organization, passionate about an artistic hobby, or passionate about athletic endeavors.  Being passionate in many areas of life is important to be an authentic leader.

Leaders Need Authentic Relationships

Dan Rockwell writes a great blog called Leadership Freak.  He provides insight on a number of topics in the field of leadership.

Recently, he had a post on how leaders need authentic relationships with other leaders. One suggestion that Rockwell gives is "take the first step by opening up, authentically. Don’t spill your guts. Just toss a bit of your heart out."

I am trying to connect to other leaders, both inside and outside my company. More and more, I have been opening up to others.  When others talk, I listen carefully to those small "bits of their hearts."  Sometimes, I ask them more details about those comments later.

Max De Pree talks about how many aspects of leadership are fragile.  Authentic connections are fragile.  A lot of care is needed to start them and a lot of care is needed to nurture them.

Kubrick and "The Making of The Shining"

I have been reviewing some of Stanley Kubrick's work.  Kubrick is a great example of a visionary and someone strongly driven by passion. 

As part of the "Stanley Kubrick Collection" on VHS, "The Shining" stars off with "The Making of The Shining" by Stanley's wife, Vivian Kubrick. 

Two particular scenes stood out. 

• At a large table, Jack Nicholson is reviewing lines at one corner, Shelley Duvall is reviewing lines at another corner, and Stanley Kubrick is typing new script revisions at another corner.  There are several points in "The Making of The Shining" where they discuss the on-going evolution of the script.
• There is one scene in the movie where Nicholson is locked in a walk-in freeze and he is talking to Duvall.  In planning the scene, Stanley Kubrick is looking for the best angle to film.  He finally decides on lying down with a camera under Nicholas who is leaning against the freeze door.

In addition to "The Shining," I have recently watched "Spartacus", "The Killer's Kiss", and "Clockwork Orange".  Each one captures Kubrick's passion and vision at different points in his career.

Education and Attracting Success

"Success is not to be pursued; it is to be attracted by the person we become.” — Jim Rohn

This is the basis for self-improvement and education. This concept separates those who merely attend and those who internalize a topic.  How many people do you know who attended a class, seminar, or training, but really don't absorb much.

Some people debate the value of higher education.  One of the key results of a college degree or a graduate degree is to put oneself in a mindset so that future success can be easily attracted.  Education helps one see value in things which may be easily overlooked.  There may be an idea, a conversation, a book, or an event that an educated, curious person will able to use as a growth opportunity. 

Walt Disney's Support of the Military in WWII

Walt Disney:  An American Original by Bob Thomas (Simon & Schuster, 1976) is a good business biography.  It covers Disney's life, often highlighting his passion to entertain people, the power of his vision, and his creativity.

It was particularly interesting in describing Disney's support of the military in World War II. Several events stood out.

• Early in the war, Disney started making training videos for the War Industry as well as for the military.  Some of his films included Four Methods of Flush Riveting for Lockheed Aircraft and Aircraft Carrier Landing Signals for the Navy.
• Disney was losing a lot of artist to the draft.  The Draft Board assume that the artist were just making Mickey Mouse.  Walt Disney decided to bring the Draft Board into the studio to see the war efforts. The Draft Board members had to be cleared by Army Intelligence, Naval Intelligence, and the FBI, and they were still areas of the studio which were off limit due to the top secret nature of the work.  The Draft Board changed its mind and re-assigned drafted employees back to Disney Studios.
• Walt Disney was a big fan of the book Victory Through Air Power by Alexander de Seversky.  Disney worked with de Seversky to make a film about the principles in the book.  Roosevelt and Churchill saw the film in the summer of 1943.  The film is credited with the increased role of air power in the D-Day invasion.

Supermarket Changes in San Fernando Valley

There are a few changes occurring with supermarkets in San Fernando Valley. First, the San Fernando Valley Business Journal recently ran an article about the closing of three Albertsons Supermarket locations.  The locations include one at Van Nuys Boulevard and Sherman Way in Van Nuys; one at Devonshire Street and Reseda Boulevard in Northridge; and the location at Central Avenue and Chevy Chase Drive in Glendale.

A major renovation is occurring at the Ralph's Supermarket at Ventura and Hazeltine in Sherman Oaks.  Several posts at Curbed LA discuss the long battle for the project's approval. 

Art in Los Angeles: Great Time

Zocalo Public Square sponsored a panel discussion in Los Angeles Grand Park on the topics of How Can L.A.’s Art Museums Thrive?  One of the panelists was Los Angeles County Museum of Art Director Michael Govan. Govan had two good comments lon the state of art in Los Angeles. (Rough quotes.)

"If you include the visual arts in Hollywood along with the other artists, photographers, and sculptors, there are more artists in Los Angeles now than in any city ever in history."

"Los Angeles museums are often compared to New York musuems. Most Los Angeles museums are much younger and only now coming into their own. Los Angeles museums now are growing and evolving like the New York museums of the 1940's, 1950's, and 1960's."

Govan feels that overall this is a great time to be involved in art in Los Angeles.

Multi-Faceted Careers

Most of use realize that the economy and the career world has changed.  One no longer gets a college degree in Field X, the gets a job in Field X, and then works for 40 years in that job until retirement.

Adam Richardson had a good post today on Harvard Business Review (HBR.com), entitled "Lessons from a Career, Interrupted."  He explains his own career path mixing design work and research.  His challenge was some companies could not see the role for a "hybrid" employee.  Richardson points out that such multi-faceted hybrid professional are often the one able to approach and solve unique problems.

There are two aspects of my own career that I would recommend to others who are interested in a multi-faceted career and are in the early preparation stage or in a later transitional stage.

Experimental Science Research:  Often, experimental research involves hands-on equipment work beyond the scientific problem being explored.  Many researchers become experts in machining, electronics, and programming just to study a different field.  Learning these specialties gives someone the appreciation of the low-level details.  Plus, they have the basic knowledge and common language to communicate with experts they need.  Many careers today involve learning new skills to adjust to changes.

Small Business Operations:  I have started up businesses as well as had core roles within independent departments.  One quickly learns about accounting, human resources, payroll, marketing, vendor relations, IT, and facilities.  Being involved in all aspects can be overwhelming, but the global view allows you to see synergies and advantages that may be misses. 

Questions Leaders Should Expect: De Pree

Leaders should expect the following questions from their followers.

• What may I expect from you?
• Can I achieve my own goals by following you?
• Will I reach my potential by working with you?
• Can I entrust my future to you?
• Have you bothered to prepare yourself for leadership?
• Are you ready to be ruthlessly honest?
• Do you have the self-confidence and trust to let me do my job?
• What do you believe?

From Leadership Jazz by Max De Pree (New York, Dell Publishing, 1992).



Max De Pree was CEO of Herman Miller and guided it to outstanding levels in terms of Top Companies to Work For and Most Profitable Companies.  In his writings, he takes examples from Herman Miller to convey solid leadership principles.

From the eight questions above, "Can I achieve my own goals by following you?" is a very challenging one for leaders to address with their followers.  Each follower has a list of distinct goals.

The first step for the leader is to build the trust so that the follower can openly share.  This will take time and constant work.  Consider the interview situation.  One common question for the candidate is "What are your goals."  Everyone knows the answer will be slanted toward what the hiring manger wants to hear.   As the leader builds the relationship over time, the follower will feel comfortable to to go beyond the safe, generic interview goals and start sharing her true goals.

Once the leader learns the goals of the followers, the leaders should look for ways to bridge various activities to the activities of the organization.  The leader should constantly expand their outlook so that they can see various connections.  For example, if a follower has a goal to eventual start their own business, the leaders can introduce new roles and there connection to starting that new business. 

Watercolor Comparison: Boyle and Leven, North Hollywood

"Two Friends, Two Artists"
The personal watercolors of production designers Robert F. Boyle and Boris Leven
Until 8 September
Gallery800 at the Lankershim Arts Center

Robert Boyle is best known for work on North by Northwest and Fiddler on the Roof.
Boris Leven is best known for work on The Sound of Music and West Side Story.

As friends and classmates from USC, they would take outings and both paint watercolors of the same scene. The exhibit at Gallery 800 shows side by side some of these works depicting rural California and Los Angeles. Some picture are Baldwin Hills Oil Fields, others are barns and farmyards.

www.gallery800.com

A link to the exhibit webpage is here:  http://www.adg.org/?store=art&art=boyle_leven

From Galley800 Website