The Self-Licking Ice Cream Cone Built Elephant - Information Flow and Organizational Success

"There is no shame in not knowing; the shame lies in not finding out."

Russian Proverb

You may have heard of the Indian parable immortalized in John Godfrey Saxe’s poem of the group of blind men, who come upon an elephant. Each tries to create an accurate concept of what they have found based upon their own perspective. “It’s a tree!” “It’s a wall!” “It’s a snake!” All are correct, but none of them in entirety. In order to get the true picture, they need an effective exchange of information.

Similarly, in our professional world, the critical pieces of vital information are spread among various parts of the organization, and while each has an important contribution to make to the entire operation, until they get out of their silo and integrate their piece of the puzzle with the other pieces of information spread throughout the organization, we have another analogy – the self-licking ice cream cone.

When organizational information is kept in silos and the work of the various departments is based primarily on their own information without outside input, we have the proverbial self-licking ice cream cone. This is seen when R&D builds something because the engineers think it is a great idea without asking production what it would cost to produce or marketing and sales if there is anyone out there who would actually buy it at that cost. It is not that it cannot be mass-produced, or that there is no market for it, it is that the necessary stakeholders were not brought into the process at an early enough stage to ensure the self-licking ice cream cone does not build an elephant that looks more like a tree than an elephant.

I learned early in my project and operations management career that I cannot possibly know everything. In my first full-time role as a project manager, despite my lack of formal IT training, I was assigned several IT-intensive projects. Faced with this knowledge gap, I learned the value of using experts to fill in where I was lacking. I brought the necessary subject matter experts onto my team.

Much later, while interviewing an executive at a major regional bank, this concept was brought back to me as he explained his resistance to corporate pressure to restructure his division. He explained that he had built the organization with his own strengths and weaknesses in mind. He had brought in people to shore up the organization where he was weak. 

However, this requires a high degree of understanding of oneself and of others.

I explain in my article “The Blind Leading the Blind – Emotional Intelligence and the Unaware Leader” that the first step to any kind of leadership is self-awareness, followed closely by awareness of others. This is true whether you lead major bank division or a project team. You must understand your tasks, your and your people’s strengths and weaknesses and then build your teams accordingly.

Having a well-rounded team provides the expertise and points of view to find the most effective solutions. It also helps ensure all stakeholders have input into the project and are apprised of progress on aspects of the project that are of interest to them and that are aware of changes coming their way.

However, the benefits of effective cross-functional communication and input go beyond the project itself into implementation and adoption. Unfortunately, this is where many initiatives fail.

Including others in the entire process eases resistance to change by ensuring all have real input and buy-in to the process and a stake in the success of the project. Having changes thrust upon you, which you are not ready for and had no input into elicits resistance.

On the other hand, having production, marketing, sales, and distribution represented on the team result in processes and products, which have integrated the needs of all from the beginning.  This will help integrate the new capabilities into current processes and minimizes painful and expensive adjustments that often accompany poorly coordinated hand-offs between functions. 

This means production has the processes in place when R&D turns the product over to them, and marketing and sales have ready customer demand and distribution channels ready when the product begins rolling out the doors.

In today’s world dominated by agile product development resulting in a constant flow of new iPhones, software, and tools, those who can best gauge the voice of the customer, get the best product to market, in the shortest time, and at the lowest cost reap the benefits of being the first mover.

Those who cannot mobilize their organizational assets effectively to stay ahead of the competition go the way of companies like Borders, Blockbuster, and Palm Inc., maker of the Palm Pilot. All of which were overtaken by change they refused to acknowledge just as each blind man refused to acknowledge the elephant was anything more than a wall, a tree, a rope, a snake, and a spear. Mobilizing the power of organizational knowledge can help us see clearly the full picture and act on the resulting clarity.

Going Far Together – The Value of Cultural Guides in Cross-Cultural Communication

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” 

African Proverb

The anecdote goes, that many years ago, a plane full of gold went down in the middle of Siberia. When the KGB had finally located the wreckage, they were shocked to find that the gold was gone. After careful examination, they discovered tracks in the snow leading through the forest to an indigenous hunter’s cabin. The hunter answered their authoritative knocks, but to their dismay, they found he spoke no Russian. Leaving the man under guard, they located an interpreter and began the interrogation.

“Where is the gold?” they demand. The interpreter conveys their question and the peasant claims ignorance.

The agents pressed further, “We followed your tracks from the crash site to your cabin. We know you have the gold. Where is it?” The interpreter repeats the question in the hunter’s own tongue.

The man again feigns ignorance. The agents realize more persuasive measures are required. One pulls out his weapon and points it at the hunter’s head.

“If you don’t tell us where the gold is, your days are over!”

The hunter breaks. “I buried it under the tree behind my cabin! Please don’t shoot me!” he pleads desparately.

The interpreter, without hesitation says, “Go ahead and shoot, I’m not going to tell you a thing!”

Interpreters are often indispensable when working in a global environment. The skill, trustworthiness, and professionalism of your interpreter can make or break your negotiations. You rely on them to keep you abreast of all that transpires during your meetings with your foreign counterparts. In fact, they may be the only one in the room that gets the whole picture.

However, finding someone that can take your ideas in language A and convey them to your partner in language B is only the beginning. A truly effective interpreter understands the target culture at a much deeper level. As they are well versed in the history, literature, and etiquette of the culture, they are also able to help you navigate the cultural and social intricacies of these cross-cultural interactions. In other words, they must be more than an interpreter. They must be a cultural guide.

Another story illustrates their value:

After months of correspondence, an American company has finally landed a meeting with a key Korean retail distributer. This company has the best distribution chain in the country and ties to other distributers throughout East Asia. They enter the conference room, shake hands, and exchange business cards. The host takes the American leader’s card in both hands, looks at it, carefully and thanks them by name. The American looks at the Korean’s card briefly, memorizes his name and title, and puts it in his pocket. The Korean host’s demeanor cools noticeably, but since he continues discussions, the Americans think nothing of it, but the deal just doesn’t make progress. They don’t understand what happened.

Unfortunately, no one had explained the personal value Asian cultures place on a business card. It is considered an extension of the person and a key component of personal dignity. The card is , a part of what is known as “face.” As such, a business card should be given the same respect that is due the person it belongs to. By not giving the card proper respect, the American offended the host. Teaching local etiquette is a key role of a cultural guide, but this can only happen if their involvement began weeks before the trip.

During my many trips throughout Eastern Europe as part of American official delegations, we would begin our preparations weeks beforehand. As an interpreter, one of my key duties was to prepare a country briefing. This included a short history of the country, a basic familiarization with the language, including key phrases and words. I would follow this with a short lesson on customs and etiquette. One of the lessons I taught included the regimented order of standard toasts in Russia. This had a significant impact on building positive working relations with our hosts. For example, I taught that in military circles, the third toast in Russia is traditionally to the fallen, drunk standing, without clinking glasses. On one multi-site inspection, this third toast fell to my non-Russian speaking team leader. He gave an eloquent tribute to those who had fallen defending both of our homelands, including mention of the Soviet and American soldiers who together defeated fascism. By this simple toast, he earned the enthusiastic esteem of our Russian counterparts. Due to his good relations, he was able to overcome some very thorny issues that arose during the inspection in a very effective and amicable way.

As the above examples show, the insight a cultural guide can provide requires goes beyond linguistic support. Their ability to help avoid missteps and build an affinity with our partners. The cultural literacy the guide provides can pay significant dividends.

As an interpreter, I have supported people from all levels of responsibility from small team leaders to government officials and leaders of national-level NGOs. As I grew in experience, my management responsibilities grew as I managed the interpreters and teams of my own. Regardless of my rank, while serving as the interpreter, my basic duty was to ensure that both sides clearly understood the other. However, early on, I came to understand that my most important role was guiding my team through the intricacies of inter-cultural interaction and ensuring they understood not only the words, but also the unspoken meanings of their partners’ actions and ensure our team’s actions did not convey inappropriate messages.

A cultural guide’s training differs somewhat from a simple interpreter or translator.[1] Whereas many interpreters’ and translators’ skills extend beyond the mechanics of language to include cultural proficiency as well, each individual specialist falls somewhere on the continuum of cultural competency.

Full cultural literacy requires an in-depth understanding of the many factors, which make up the shared understanding and values of a culture. This often requires both formal and informal prolonged exposure to the language and the culture gained from significant time in country and study of its culture, history, art and literature, and philosophies. It is key to understand that language is merely the most basic vehicle by which understanding is shared between people, but it is not the only, and often not the most important one.

To be able to converse at a high or near native level, one needs to understand the unspoken cultural realia that is often interweaved into conversations, especially at a higher intellectual level. A simple phrase can carry meaning understood by natives due to its cultural context. For example, if an American says, “Here’s your sign,” we instantly picture Larry the Cable Guy and understand the implied meaning. No further explanation is necessary. A culturally literate specialist must understand and be able to convey this meaning in both languages.

When looking for an interpreter, it is important that they have the skills, both linguistic and cultural, to give you the support you need. There are some key concepts to keep in mind.

First, you should integrate your cultural guide into your team in the early stages of your preparations. They should be a key part of your planning process. Your guide will understand such vital factors as timelines to expect, the approaches that will be most effective, what would be an appropriate gift, what would be the best hierarchical makeup of your team based on your goals, and many other similar factors that will determine your schedule, scope, and tactics you will employ during your trip. Furthermore, if you visit a certain country regularly, you may want to include a cultural guide as a permanent member of your team.

Second, a cultural study led by your cultural guide should be a key component of your team preparations. This should include a historical synopsis, cultural norms and etiquette, any holidays during your trip, and key words and phrases such as greetings, please, thank you. A study aid or phrase book, including the name and address and phone number of both your host and of your accommodations in the local script to give to a cab driver or law enforcement if the need arises is highly recommended.

Third, your cultural guide should be trusted and confident enough to ask for clarification if something you say or do is unclear or if it may be interpreted negatively. He/she should be comfortable in explaining the possible meaning and consequences of that action or statement and clarify whether that is your intent or not. As with other members of the team, their input should be valued, but a professional interpreter and cultural guide understands that their role is not to lead the team, but to advise and facilitate understanding. Once they are sure the principal understands how the statement will be understood, if they decide to proceed, the interpreter’s role is to convey that meaning – no more, no less.

Fourth, understand that an interpreter/cultural guide interprets meaning, not words. What you say may require expansion or may be conveyed in few words than in your language. It may even not be possible to translate. This is especially true with humor. ALWAYS run jokes by your cultural guide before telling them. Humor often does not translate and puns or plays on words almost never do. Don’t put your interpreter on the spot of the mythical interpreter, whose boss tells a joke that does not translate. The interpreter, in desperation, explains to the audience, “My boss just told a joke that doesn’t translate, but if you don’t laugh, he’ll fire me, so when I say laugh – please laugh.”

Fifth, the cultural guide should not be the team leader. While a team leader well versed in the language and culture is an asset to the team, having another acting as a sounding board and filter is often vital. I have on occasion interpreted for people whose language was on par or better than my own, but wisdom and protocol require an official interpreter.[2] Working through an interpreter has certain benefits in official exchanges. First, if you also speak the language, it gives you a double pass at what your partner is saying and additional time to consider your response. If you do speak the language, I would advise speaking directly with your counterpart, however, during the official portions of the inspection, use your interpreters.

Finally, vet your cultural guide carefully. They will be key in ensuring you and your partner fully understand each other as well as helping you not only avoid the cultural landmines that could scuttle your success. Furthermore, a good cultural guide can also that could give you that added edge.

In our modern, globally connected world, the likelihood we will find ourselves working with people who speak another language and have different cultural norms. Having a well-trained and trustworthy cultural guide to help you navigate the sometimes complicated cultural maze and help you find the common ground where you and your counterparts can take advantage of the strengths each side brings to the table is critical to your success.


[1] Many people use the terms interpreter and translator interchangeably. While many may be able to do both, many professionals focus on one or the other. Translation normally refers to written translation, while interpretation refers to conveying spoken communication in another language.

[2] If you do speak the language, but are working through an interpreter, never publicly criticize or correct your interpreter. You will only discredit him/her and yourself in front of your counterparts.

A Mile in Another's Shoes – The Value of Perspective

Developing a Global Mindset through Foreign Language and Cultural Immersion

"He who does not travel, does not know the value of men." Moorish Proverb 

An American negotiating team arrives in Riyadh.  They are sure their proposal will be a big hit with the Saudi negotiating team.  Their talking points are ready, and they feel they should have the whole thing sewn up by evening.  However, their best-laid plans begin to unravel as the Saudis refuse to act like Americans.  They just don’t seem to want to get down to business.  The meetings start with coffee and small talk without a mention of business, and continue with tours of the city and other social events.  The Americans are growing frustrated.  What did they miss?

The thing is the Saudis are not doing anything wrong.  Just as the Americans are acting like Americans, the Saudis are just being Saudis.  For them, you must show your guests hospitality and get to know your prospective partners before you start talking business – to do otherwise would be rude.  This approach to business, common in many cultures including Arab, Asian, Latin, and Slavic is often unfamiliar to Germanic and Anglo-Saxon cultures, where friendship is friendship, business is business, and the one does not necessarily have to exist for the other to happen.  For these cultures, time is precious and the thinking is, “We came on business so let’s get to it!”

This may be a fictional caricature of a common situation, but it illustrates the intricacies of cross-cultural interactions occurring daily around the world.  As the global economy continues to grow and integrate, more and more people are coming into contact with other cultures and finding that not everyone works, thinks, or acts as they do. 

Just a few decades ago, relatively few people had direct contact with people outside their own country.  Most of their acquaintances were just like them. 

Things have changed dramatically.  The Internet, social media, and modern transportation have changed the way we live and interact with the world outside our own communities.  The effects on everyday life are significant. 

In today’s globally connected virtual economy, anyone with a computer and an internet connection can find and find your business, leading to not only new customers and but also to new partners.

For example, acting on a friend’s suggestion, a farmer set up a website to help grow his feed sales.  His website succeeded beyond his expectations when a customer placed a large order from China.  This farmer found himself in a crash course on international trade.

Checkpoint Charlie and Warning Sign in Cold War Berlin

As the world continues to integrate, the exchange of ideas, capital, and goods across borders has reduced hostility and border controls between countries.  As William Shurtz, the second president of Thunderbird School of Global Management pointed out, "Borders frequented by trade seldom need soldiers."[1]    

Border posts now stand empty across Europe and free trade agreements are proliferating around the globe.  Even when conflict does arise, as it has between Russia and Ukraine, it is often moderated by economic ties and potential loss of markets. 

With all these global opportunities, what can provide a competitive advantage? 

A common characteristic of today’s most successful companies is their ability to leverage diversity and foster the free exchange of ideas.  Those brave enough to seek out and welcome ideas that challenge their own paradigms find benefits, which would be unachievable in a mono-cultural setting. 

For example, Google’s famous free lunches and recreation rooms are more than perks.  They are part of a larger strategy to facilitate contact between people from different backgrounds, specialties, and functions.  Providing settings, where their employees can exchange ideas with people outside their normal social or professional spheres allows Google to mobilize the capabilities and perspectives of different people to resolve problems, create new innovative products, and find ways to increase the customer base.    

As with any great opportunity, diversity also presents its own problems.  Working with those who think and act differently increases chances for conflict and misunderstanding.  To navigate these waters, we must take time to understand the cultures and people we will be working with, we must build an appreciation of the diversity in the world around us, and foster a spirit of adventure to explore it.  We need to build a global mindset.[2] 

Monsour Javidan, the Executive Director of Thunderbird School of Global Management’s Najafi Global Mindset Institute, describing the Global Mindset in 2010, writes:

“Leaders with a strong stock of Global Mindset know about cultures and political and economic systems in other countries and understand how their global industry works. They are passionate about diversity and are willing to push themselves. They are comfortable with being uncomfortable in uncomfortable environments. They are also better able to build trusting relationships with people who are different from them by showing respect and empathy and by being good listeners.”[3]

Empathy and trust comes through good communication.  Therefore, learning another language and its associated culture is key in building a global mindset.  In 2004 Christine Uber Gross conducted a survey of Thunderbird graduates, who must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language before graduation, on the impact of foreign language study on their professional life.  She found that 82% of graduates rated the impact of language and cultural literacy in their professional life as significant.[4]  While learning a language is only the first step in gaining a global mindset, it strengthens our ability to empathize with others.

Until we learn to express ourselves in another’s language and see the world from their perspective, we have a hard time seeing beyond our own cultural biases.  In other words, we must spend time walking in another’s shoes.  As we learn about the cultural landmarks, of their art, history, religion, and language, we find that ours are not the only way to see the world around us.  This opens our perspectives and makes us more tolerant of others, even those with whom we do not share a common language.  Language study does more than teach communication – it expands our horizons, opening our minds to new ways of seeing the world and relating to others.

In fact, research has shown that people, who learn to express themselves in another language, learn to see issues from a broader perspective.  This impacts how we learn and positively influences intellectual development.  This is especially evident in bilingual children.  Therese Sullivan Caccavale, President of the National Network for Early Language Learning (NNELL)[5] points out that:

“Studies have shown repeatedly that foreign language learning increases critical thinking skills, creativity, and flexibility of mind in young children. Students who are learning a foreign language out-score their non-foreign language-learning peers in the verbal and, surprisingly to some, the math sections of standardized tests.” 

The way we communicate influences our view on the world and reflects our cultural norms.  However, the interaction between language and culture flow both ways – language is also a product of a society’s shared historical and cultural legacy.  For example, Russians seldom use the verb “to possess something,” but rather say that something is near them.  This is a product of a history where the only person who truly owned anything was the sovereign who could take their possessions away at will.  Conversely, this conception of ownership also influences how Russians themselves view ownership and authority.  In gaining an understanding of others’ perspectives, we can better understand them and build productive relationships.

Building this understanding requires focused study, exposure to different ways of thinking, and immersion in language and culture.  Awareness of this is not new.  Programs like the Middlebury Language Schools[6] and the American Graduate School of International Management (today Thunderbird School of Global Management) [7] pioneered education in language immersion and internationally focused business management in the first half of the 20th Century.  However, with the growth of globalism and international trade have created a greater awareness of the need for cross-cultural and global leadership skills, resulting in a growing number of programs similar to those pioneered at Middlebury and Thunderbird.

Language and international business courses abound using a wide variety of methodology.  However, not all are equally effective.  While school courses, books, and computer programs can provide a basis for cultural and language proficiency, the watershed event in one’s education involves some kind of immersion.  Whether this is formal study abroad or working in a factory with native speakers, only when one is regularly exposed and required to function in a language and navigate the culture, will true proficiency develop. 

Furthermore, higher-level proficiency requires more than grammar and vocabulary.  Whereas much of the higher-level communication takes place in using abstract ideas, cultural context, and inferred meaning, this requires complementing the mechanical aspects of language with an understanding of the target culture.  This requires an immersion, building a sound knowledge of its art, history, religions, climate, political system, values, and many other factors.

Living in another country for an extended time, where you must function not only linguistically, but in daily interpersonal and cultural interactions infuses those aspects of culture, which are impossible to learn in a classroom.  Long-term interaction with the people, their language, and culture reinforces an understanding of the locals’ worldview and norms of interpersonal behavior.  Only then do the deeper, abstract meanings of their conversation begin to make sense.

We live in a world where global trade is no longer the undisputed domain large multinational firms with their substantial war chests of capital allowing them to leverage global markets.  Today, the Internet and cheap and efficient global delivery services allow even small businesses to export their goods around the world, requiring these much smaller companies to work with partners, clients, and legal systems around the world whose native cultures, laws and regulations, and languages are different from their own.

In the modern globalized world of business and mass communication, the ability to understand not only what people say, but also how they feel, their values and desires is vital in maximizing the synergistic potential of our multicultural world. When we can accept others’ way of thinking and living not as wrong, but simply as different from our own, we begin to understand that we can learn and benefit from looking at the world from their perspective. We are then on our way to a richer more fulfilling life as we are better equipped to succeed in business, resolve thorny political issues, to appreciate the wonderful diversity of our world, and build lasting relationships based not on coercion and threats, but on mutual respect. 

While we will not always agree and our interests will not always mesh, when we understand how others see the world and accept their right to do so, we can then find ways to make it a place we all can live in.  Studying not just foreign languages, but various cultural perspectives allows us to enter another’s soul – to walk in their shoes.  This helps us gain a deeper understanding of not only other cultures but our own as well.  The first step to true emotional intelligence is self-awareness.  This is impossible without the reflecting pool of our multicultural world.  When we see our culture and views juxtaposed against others, we can better understand ourselves.  This new understanding will lay the foundation for a truly global mindset and unlock the potential the diversity of our world has to offer.

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[1]  Thunderbird School of Global Management. About Us. 2 April 2012. 7 April 2012 www.thunderbird.edu/about_thunderbird/thunderbird_good/about/index.htm.

[2] For more information on what a global mindset is and how it influences our ability to interact with the diversity in today’s world, see Thunderbird’s Najafi Global Mindset Institute at http://globalmindset.thunderbird.edu/

[3]  Javidan, Mansour. "Bringing the Global Mindset to Leadership." Harvard Business Review (May 19, 2010): https://hbr.org/2010/05/bringing-the-global-mindset-to.html#.

[4]  Grosse, Christine Uber. "The Competitive Advantage of Foreign Languages and Cultural Knowledge." The Modern Language Journal (Vol. 88, No. 3 (Autumn, 2004)): 351-373.

[5] Duke University. "American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)." Fall 2007. Cognitive Benfits of Learning Language, Vol 8, Issue 1. http://www.actfl.org/advocacy/discover-languages/for-parents/cognitive#sthash.gk6l0BzU.dpufIf. 1 November 2015.

[6]  Middlebury Language Schools. The Language Schools' Mission Statement. http://www.middlebury.edu/ls/academics/language-schools-mission-statement. 1 November 2015.

[7] Thunderbird School of Global Management.  Thunderbird History.  http://www.thunderbird.edu/thunderbird-history.  1 November 2015.

The Blind Leading the Blind – Emotional Intelligence and the Unaware Leader

"The Blind Leading the Blind" by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1568)

File:Brueghel Blinde.PNG. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Fifteen years ago, my oldest son sat in front of the mirror looking at the little person staring back at him from the glass.  The baby in the mirror mimicked his every move.  He looked quizzically at the other child, then reached up and pulled his hat off.  Up until this moment, he had played with his reflection as if it were another baby, but now he had made a life-changing discovery.  He become aware of himself, taking the first step in becoming aware of those in the world around him.  This self-awareness is the first step in learning to interact with others – of learning to influence those around us. 

Recently, a reader asked what I considered the ten most important leadership traits.  The question has been on my mind since.  I repeatedly listed the defining characteristics of a true leader, but each list was a duplication of hundreds of others I have read.  I didn’t feel that adding to the already substantial and extensively studied genre would be as beneficial as taking a road a little less traveled.  Therefore, I decided to expand upon a factor I see as essential in any interpersonal relationship.

This came to me as I tossed and turned in bed trying to get my biological clock to figure out where I was and what time it was after another trip half way around the world.   As happens in the state between consciousness and unconsciousness, I experienced a moment of clarity.  Maybe it was a result of my overwhelming fatigue or because I sympathized with my wife’s efforts to sleep through my nocturnal gymnastics, but it occurred to me how important awareness is in our relationships with others.

A leader must influence others to contribute their time, efforts, and passions to achieve a vision.  Leaders can approach this one of two ways.  They can force or motivate.  While the former can work provided the leader has the brute force or authority to enforce their will, it is far from the most effective method.  In this environment, devotion to the cause is low and resentment to the leader high.  A beaten dog will lash out at its oppressor at the first opportunity.  People are no different. 

On the other hand, while motivating others to contribute their efforts to your cause willingly is much more nuanced and at times difficult, it is much more effective since it builds devotion and enthusiasm for the leader and their vision.  Motivated people are more willing to sacrifice and go the extra mile to reach the organizational goal.  However, motivating others requires that you understand yourself and the other stakeholders in the process.  It requires awareness on multiple levels.  It requires emotional intelligence or EQ.

British journalist Russell H. Ewing explained the difference between these two approaches.  He explained:

“A boss creates fear, a leader confidence. A boss fixes blame, a leader corrects mistakes. A boss knows all, a leader asks questions. A boss makes work drudgery, a leader makes it interesting. A boss is interested in himself or herself, a leader is interested in the group.”[1]

Dr. Travis Bradberry,[2] coauthor of Emotional Intelligence 2.0, divides emotional intelligence into two categories:  Self-awareness and social awareness.  These describe how we perceive ourselves and those around us.  This, in turn, determines how we manage, first ourselves and then others. 

Our ability to influence others is predicated on our understanding of their needs, preferences, strengths, and weaknesses.  However, to understand others, we must first understand ourselves.  Hence, self-awareness is the first step.  Psychologist, scientist, and journalist Daniel Goleman wrote:

“If your emotional abilities aren't in hand, if you don't have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can't have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far.”[3]

Self-awareness ensures we understand our own strengths, desires, and limitations.  Without this, we cannot possibly lead anyone else. 

Knowing what we are and are not capable of is only part of the equation.  We also must have a vision of where we want to go and why.  If we don’t know where we are going and have a compelling reason why others should follow us there, how can we lead them?  We are merely blindly leading the blinded.  Carl G. Jung said: 

“Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”[4]

Self-awareness is even more vital in a team environment where we must mobilize individual talents and manage the inevitable conflicts.  Until we know who we are, what makes us tick, our strengths and weaknesses; we cannot begin to understand and effectively manage ourselves, let alone others.  Until we know and are able to admit what we can and cannot do, we cannot begin to see the value others can contribute to our vision and goal accomplishment.  No amount of education or number of honorifics after our name can possibly ensure we know everything.  We need others to fill in the gaps. 

Furthermore, no one wants to work with someone who insists they have no faults and cannot see beyond his or her own ego.  If you are not able to acknowledge your limitations and recognize the relative strengths of others, those with better insight, the ones you really need on your team, will refuse to follow.  Even if you happen to be charismatic enough to attract people to your cause, you can only berate them or lead them into a ditch so many times before they stop following.  On the other hand, a climate that fosters respect for the contribution of others breeds devotion and cooperation.  The late co-founder of Hewlett-Packard David Packard pointed out:

“A group of people get together and exist as an institution we call a company so they are able to accomplish something collectively that they could not accomplish separately – they make a contribution to society, a phrase which sounds trite but is fundamental.”[5]

As part of a team, we need to feel needed – to feel we can make a real contribution.  We also need to feel that our opinions matter – that even the leader is open to feedback and advice even if it questions their decisions.  Only a truly self-aware person can take critical feedback without taking offense.  Even unjustified and malicious criticism has the potential to help us improve. 

Once we have a fair and unbiased awareness of ourselves, we can begin learning to understand others.  Knowing what motivates every member of our team can unlock the enormous potential contained therein.  Motivation is highly personal.  Some are motivated by material rewards while others by praise or accomplishment, but most people will give their all to be part of a winning team, even if the fiscal rewards are higher elsewhere.   Simon Sinek, the author of Start with Why explains how different rewards motivate.  He says:

“When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute,” [6] furthermore, he also pointed out that, “We follow those who lead not because we have to, but because we want to.”[7]

How do we make people want to follow us?  Effective motivation is relationship based not transactional.  While earning a paycheck is one of the main reasons we work, the non-monetary rewards of working on a great team that accomplishes great things often has more influence on where we choose to work, how long, and how much effort we are willing to expend for that employer.  

For example, Fortune ranks Google as the best company to work for in 2015.  They write that while employees consider its famous perks a plus, employees most often point to the opportunity to work with great people and accomplish great things as the greatest perk of all.  In fact, Google goes to great lengths to facilitate interactions between its employees.  The free food and fun are engineered to create opportunities for employees from all over the organization to interact, building a strong corporate team.  The cafeteria lines run just slow enough that one has to stand in line, giving an opportunity to chat with others around you.  The tables are long and set close together causing strangers to sit near each other.[8]  These factors cause people to interact with others outside their own circle.  The result?  A cross-pollinization throughout the organization that breeds enthusiasm and innovation and a company that attracts and utilizes the best and brightest.

Similarly, a leader must get to know their people and learn what motivates them.  This is a vital first step in getting the most out of the team.  When we take time to know them and let them know we are interested in them as a person their devotion and motivation increases.  My father recently retired from Swanson Enterprises.  He fondly tells of corporate leadership visits to his machine shop.  The CEO and head of human resources would spend a significant amount of their time wandering around the shop floor talking to the workers.  He said they knew each of them including details of their families.  My father felt part of the team, he felt his leaders knew him and cared about him. Even in retirement, he is still a company advocate.

As Dr. Bob Nelson, an expert on employee motivation said: 

“An employee's motivation is a direct result of the sum of interactions with his or her manager.”[9]  

As with motivation, this interaction can be positive or negative.  Positive motivation results from the employee feeling valued and the leader helping them succeed by effectively utilizing their talents and abilities.  When in touch with his or her people, the leader speaks to what is important to the employee and sets them up for success.

Leaders’ awareness does not end with those they lead.  It extends up, down, laterally, and outside the organization.  John C. Maxwell’s The 360° Leader explores this concept in depth. He points out that:

“Ninety-nine percent of all leadership occurs not from the top, but from the middle of an organization.”[10]

This means that leaders must be aware of the needs of all stakeholders and be able to influence people above, below, lateral, inside, and outside their organization.  Ignoring any one of these groups could leave them without the knowledge and resources they need to succeed. 

Those above us set the vision, but not usually in a vacuum.  Being aware of their desires and needs not only helps us align our efforts to their vision, but also helps us to shape that vision.  People are more likely to listen to those who listen to them.  When we take time to understand our leader and their vision, we tell them we care about it and want to help achieve it.  This does not mean we blindly accept their vision but we rather try to understand it so as to be able to align our efforts to the leader’s and framework our proposals to fit it.  This puts us in a position to improve the joint vision. 

This concept applies to those below us.  When we are aware of the needs and desires of our subordinates as well as what they are able to contribute, we can assimilate this into our vision and ensure those above us are able to do the same with theirs.  This applies to our lateral relationships.  Knowing the resources and needs of those in other parts of our organization allows us to marshal their resources as well as support their efforts in achieving organizational goals.  In this way, all in the organization are pulling in the same direction.

The success of an organization, however, is not independent of external factors.  We all have customers, suppliers, government regulators, and those impacted by our operations.  While it is impossible to know everything, being aware of the needs and potential contributions of all these players is vital to our own and our organization’s success.  Products flop because companies ignored the voice of the customer. Expenses spiral out of control because companies fail to keep abreast of what is going on with their suppliers. Businesses lose access to markets or bases of operation when locals, upset at exploitation or negative environmental impacts on the population, rise up against the company as happened after the Union Carbide disaster in India in 1984, which killed almost 4,000 and injured over 550,000.

Being aware of all these stakeholders allows us to take their needs, opinions, and desires into account when setting goals and working towards them.  Managed correctly, we can mobilize the assets they have to offer in pursuing mutually beneficial goals while minimizing negative impacts, which increase their opposition to our operations.  It is said that a rising tide lifts all boats, but this is not necessarily good if the rising tide is a tsunami.  While steamrolling the opposition can work in the short term, it often blows back on us down the road.  Those we steamrolled may be our future employees, suppliers, or customers.  Cultivating good relationships will rarely backfire.

When we swallow our pride and look try to become aware of others, our horizons expand, our resources increase, and our vision of what is possible becomes clearer as we include more and more perspectives and points of view.  None of us made it this far alone and our continued progress depends on our ability to marshal those around us to our cause and help them make it theirs as well.  Myopia will only lead to the ditch of disaster, a broad view puts us on the pathway to success.

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[1] Font Stream Admin. Font Stream. 20 January 2014. Webpage. 5 April 2015. <http://www.frontstream.com/30-inspirational-employee-engagement-quotes/>.

 [2] Bradberry, Dr. Travis. Why You Need Emotional Intelligence To Succeed. 12 January 2015. 4 April 2015. <https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-you-need-emotional-intelligence-succeed-dr-travis-bradberry?trk=object-title>.

[3]Goleman, Daniel. Brainy Quote. 2001-2015. 3 April 2015. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/d/jwCJZcZVpbHRyy0W.99>.

[4] (Jung) Jung, Carl G. Good Reads: C. G. Jung Quotes. 2015. http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/38285.C_G_Jung. 18 April 2015.

[5] Font Stream Admin. Font Stream. 20 January 2014. Webpage. 5 April 2015. <http://www.frontstream.com/30-inspirational-employee-engagement-quotes/>.

[6]  (Font Stream Admin)

[7] Sinek, Simon. "TED.com." September 2009. Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action. 5 April 2015. <http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?language=en#t-11422>.

[8] Colvin, Jeff. "Fortune 100 Personal Bests - The 100 Best Companies to Work For." Fortune 15 March 2015: 32-36. Print.

[9] Nelson, Bob. Brainy Quote. 2001-2015. 5 April 2015. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/bobnelson194814.html>.

[10] Maxwell, John C. The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2005. E-book.

Earned, Gained and Lost – Unlocking the Dividends of Respect in Team Building

Franklin D. Roosevelt, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, General George Patton, and Winston Churchill: Leveraging Respect in Leadership (Source: Wiki Commons)

Great leadership talent exists in times of peace as well as crisis.  However, extreme conditions demand that everyday people become extraordinary.  Some of the 20th Century's greatest leaders were proven in the crucible of the Second World War.  Political leaders like Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth, Josef Stalin, Chaing Kai-she, and Mao Zedong faced the challenge of motivating their nations to sacrifice comfort, money, and time to support the effort to free their countries from external threat.  Meanwhile, military leaders like Dwight D. Eisenhower, George S. Patton, George McArthur, Charles de Gaul, and Georgiy Zhukov faced the prospect of motivating their troops to risk their lives in defending their homeland, many going willingly to certain death.  What was it in these people that motivated their followers to risk all to follow them?  There are several motivators in the leader's toolbox.  However, only one - love and respect - has the power to motivate people to give their all willingly and gladly to fulfill the leader's vision.

While all these leaders undoubtedly motivated their nations using the soft power of patriotism, love of homeland, and charisma, their overall approaches varied significantly.  The Soviets and the Chinese resistance to foreign domination augmented the carrot of patriotism with the very large stick of oppression.  Many Soviet soldiers heroically advanced to certain death without a glance backward, but there was, nevertheless, an added motivator to keep them going forward, the People’s Commissariat of Internal Affairs or the NKVD.  The Soviet soldiers well knew that while going forward meant near certain death, they knew that chances of survival were greater advancing toward the German lines than retreating into the hands of Stalin’s security forces.  They also knew that surrender was not an option, not only in the sense of General Ivan Panfilov’s words, “Before us lies death, behind us Moscow.  There is nowhere to retreat,” but also Stalin’s threat that the family of any soldier surrendering to the enemy would be sent to the Gulag.  While patriotism in the Soviet Union was undoubtedly high, fear of State imposed consequences for less than full obedience was also a big motivator.

However, the British and Americans took a different approach.  Franklin D. Roosevelt’s fireside chats and Winston Churchill’s speeches on radio and before Parliament were voices of hope in the darkness of war.  Using the power of their own personalities and love of the homeland, they steeled their nations without the need for penal battalions and NKVD enforcers. 

Leaders have numerous tools for motivation at their disposal.  They can lead from the front, motivating their people to succeed by their example and devotion to the ideal they represent, or they can threaten from behind, forcing subordinates forward through fear and intimidation.  While the soft power of respect and positive motivation requires sustained effort, it nevertheless provides much greater dividends.  We are willing to go to greater lengths for those we love and respect than for those we fear.  A dog beaten into submission will bite back at the first opportunity.  People are no different.

Respect is necessarily backward looking as its Latin roots show.  We see its root in spectator and spectacles.  By adding the re- prefix, it takes on the meaning of looking again or looking back.[1]  In meeting someone, their perceived potential plays a role in building respect, but it this is only transitory.  It is the accumulated effect of their actions over time, viewed from the clearer perspective of the present, which builds respect.  Hence, we follow leaders for reasons tied how we see their past actions – if they have proven themselves worthy of our respect.  Hence, there are various motivators based on our past interactions that motivate us to follow or not follow our leaders.

Consequently, the motivation to obey our leaders falls into four basic categories.  The first and most primitive is fear of punishment.  Although General Dwight D. Eisenhower cautioned against this approach to leadership by pointing out, “You do not lead by hitting people over the head – that’s assault, not leadership,” pain avoidance can motivate.  Nevertheless, fear does not inspire one to excel and does not build effective teams.  Rather, it builds resentment and mistrust.  Working out of fear, we do only what is necessary to avoid the leader’s wrath, and the suspicion fear breeds can drive a wedge between members of otherwise effective teams. 

The second category involves rewards.  Pay, bonuses, performance awards, and promotions are common examples.  Promised rewards are probably the most widely used form of motivation, especially in Western meritocracies.  While rewards are an effective and important part of any leadership plan, they are not the whole answer. Although incentives motivate, they do not necessarily inspire or build team cohesion since the effect lasts only as long as rewards continue and competition for recognition or material rewards can fragment teams. 

The third motivator is duty.  Although of a higher order than the base inducements of the first two, it still does not necessarily inspire.  Many of us would go to work out of duty and do what is expected of us, even giving up some of our comfort, but this still lacks the ability to inspire us to willingly sacrifice more than the leader asks or duty requires.

Inspiration truly comes into play only in the highest order of motivation – love and respect.  Eisenhower defined leadership as, “the art of getting someone else to do something you want done – because he wants to do it.” As the top military commander, Eisenhower had the positional power and broad authority to punish those who did not obey his commands.  However, he preferred to use his soft power to influence his men and women.  They respected him and knew he respected them in return. 

General George S. Patton also understood this principle and the need to lead from the front.  While notorious for his temper, his men nevertheless followed him out of respect and because he respected them in turn.  His leadership philosophy was, “Do everything you ask of those you command.”  Patton lived, fought, and suffered with his men, and they, in turn, were ready to follow him to the ends of the earth.  His wish to be buried among them in Luxemburg in a grave marked by a simple white cross, identical to those marking the resting places of his men who valiantly followed him to their deaths shows this devotion. 

Luxembourg American Cemetery and Patton Grave

(American Battle Monuments Commission, via Wikimedia Commons)

While these famous leaders are great examples of the power of earned respect, other less renowned people have a profound influence on our lives, powered by the respect they earn through daily contact.  My father is such an example. 

Although not a man of great learning or worldly influence, my father is, however, a man possessed of wisdom, integrity, and compassion for others.  He is a friend to all and always true to his word.  His closest and most enduring friendships were with those, who could bestow little worldly advantage.  Perhaps that is why those friendships were so close and their respect for him was so great. 

My father worked hard his whole life, rarely asking anyone for help.  Nevertheless, anytime there was a need, especially among the elderly of our small town, my father would be there with his seven children to help.  He not only showed us how to act, he led us in selfless service.    

The value of service I learned from my father has been vital to my growth as a leader.  He taught me caring for people was more important than authority, material compensation, or what can be gained from the relationship.  In fact, he made it clear that I was to under no circumstances to accept anything more than cookies and lemonade in return for service.  I learned that a warm smile, a hug, a thank you, and the knowledge that you have helped someone means more and is more lasting than any monetary reward ever could be.  I am amazed at the enduring friendships, built on gratitude and mutual respect that he has cultivated.

My Dad and his legacy - Thanksgiving 2016

My respect for my father extends beyond his example of service.  The firm but fair way he and my mother enforced discipline in our home has left its imprint on my life.  My father rarely raised his voice or physically punished us, and when he did, he had a more than ample reason.  He and my mother enforced high standards without oppression.  We obeyed because we loved and respected our parents and didn’t want to disappoint them.  My father insisted we display the same integrity and work ethic he showed. He never demanded my respect – he earned it.  Through years of teaching, mentoring, and being an example for us, he was someone all seven of us could admire and strive to be like.

My father taught me many things, but one lesson, in particular, had a special impact.  Once, when I had done something against the high morals my parents had instilled in me, my father explained the importance of a good reputation – of the respect people have for you.  He explained that it takes a lifetime to build a good reputation, but a thoughtless act can destroy it in a moment.  Furthermore, he taught me that while I can choose my actions, I cannot choose their consequences and must take responsibility for my own choices.  In this, he pointed out that perception matters more than intent.  The excuse that I didn’t mean to hurt anyone doesn’t take away the pain I had caused.  After ensuring I understood, he personally took me to the person I had harmed to make proper amends. 

These lessons are particularly applicable in our modern virtually connected world.  With the power of the Internet and social networks, words spoken in a moment of passion, a picture, a post, a tweet, an e-mail can cause irreparable damage to our reputations and relationships.  While telling someone off may seem a good idea at the moment, once we hit the send button, it cannot be retrieved or its distribution controlled.

Organizations too can lose the respect of their employees, customers, and stakeholders.  Maltreatment of employees or customers no longer stays within closed doors.  With tools such as GlassDoor, Indeed, and LinkedIn, potential employees and customers can see how we treat those who work for us and gauge the morale within our organizations.  Some companies, rather than changing their managerial climate, try to control this damage by intimidation and legal threats.  This only exacerbates the problem.  Enforcement of morale via the pink slip does more harm than good.  The only truly constructive way to maintain a good public image and internal morale is to ensure our actions merit respect.  The dividends of this approach are incalculable.  An organizational culture based on true mutual respect can unlock the potential held in the collective talents and abilities of all stakeholders.

Thus far, we have focused on the respect we earn as leaders.  However, respect not only binds people to their leader, it also binds members of a team to each other.  When we respect and love our leaders and colleagues, our enthusiasm and willingness to go the extra mile increase.  When we base our teams on mutual respect we help, listen, and mentor each other.  We value each and every member’s contribution.  This builds unity and a culture of mutual respect.  In this environment, the leader’s role is not to drive them forward, but to cultivate this climate and to direct the team enthusiasm in accomplishing organizational goals and visions.

Basketball player, Senator, and author Bill Bradley advised, "Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it."[2]

Similarly, Jillian Ellis, the coach of the US women’s national soccer team, explained, "If there is a mutual respect between players and coaches, that keeps the team honest and makes for a very healthy environment which in turn promotes other important qualities such as work ethic, integrity and a positive atmosphere for competing and winning."[3]

Recently, during a team discussion, the subject turned to effective leadership.  My leader’s views impressed me.  He emphasized the role of mutual respect in any leader-follower relationship.  He explained that respect is “earned, lost, and gained.”  I found this statement insightful because it follows my father’s lifelong example and teachings of earning and keeping a good reputation. 

While one can be appointed as a leader, this does not make them one.  A true leader earns his title over time by respecting and earning the respect of those he leads.  The key to understanding respect and its tie to leadership is that it is not simply given – it must be gained and earned.  However, we must not forget that it can also be easily lost.  Earning and keeping respect requires work and time.

I have often observed the interrelationship between leadership and respect.  I watched many true leaders work to gain and keep the respect of their people. As they did so, they were able to achieve many great things. 

Unfortunately, I also watched some lose this respect through thoughtlessness and disrespect and consequently struggle to meet basic objectives.  Without motivated and enthusiastic people at their back, they were left with the limited effectiveness of punitive enforcement of their will.

Years ago, a new lieutenant illustrated the power of earned respect to me as a young Airman.  Rather than “lead” from his office, he came out onto the shop floor, approached one of the crews and said, “Teach me to fix something.”  By showing he respected our contributions and was interested in us, he took his first step on the road to earning our respect.  Using similar approaches, he had soon gained such respect that any of us would do anything for “LT.” 

A leader who respects their people and who can earn the respect of their subordinates, in turn, fosters respect among them.  Consequently, they will find the effectiveness of their teams increase, resorting in organizational pride.  Teams, where the views and positions of all are not respected, restrict their potential informational and problem-solving power.  While hierarchy is necessary to maintain order and too little discipline can cost a leader the respect of his team just as much as too much.  A proper balance ensures all team members have a voice in decisions, leveraging the maximum amount of experience and knowledge. 

This is the root of the final aspect of respect.  A leader must be firm, but fair.  Respect is not earned by being indulgent and never confronting non-conformance.  A leader must care enough to correct.  One of the leaders I most respect reprimanded me on a regular basis.  Nevertheless, each time I stood in front of him to hear of my shortcomings, there was a reason.  Furthermore, he didn't simply berate me, he clearly pointed out where I had fallen short, explained the consequences for further substandard performance, and provided the resources necessary to reform myself.  Under his tutelage, I was eventually able to exceed his expectations.  When I did, he let me know and bestowed greater responsibility on me.  While I feared his displeasure, I learned to respect him as a firm but fair mentor and coach.

Respect is one of the most misused words in the English language.  Many think not fulfilling their demands shows a lack of respect.  Not agreeing with their views, no matter how irrational, is also a sign of disrespect. 

We must get back to the real meaning of this important concept.  Respecting someone means that while we may not always agree, we still value them, their contributions, and their input.

Leaders like those whose names are engraved in the annals of history respected and earned the respect of those with whom they accomplished so much.  They succeeded because they respected the contribution of those they led and did not rely on their own wisdom alone.  When we are able to swallow our pride and allow others to contribute to our collective success, we will earn their respect and devotion to not only us personally, but to the vision we embody.

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[1] According to Oxford Dictionaries, describes the origin of respect as:  Late Middle English: from Latin respectus, from the verb respicere 'look back at, regard', from re- 'back' + specere 'look at'. (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/respect)

[2] Bradley, Bill. Bill Bradley Quotes. 1 March 2015. 1 March 2015. <http://www.art-quotes.com/auth_search.php?authid=6579>.

[3] Benson, Michael. "Winning Words: Classic Quotes from the World of Sports." Benson, Michael. Winning Words: Classic Quotes from the World of Sports. Plymouth, UK: Taylor Trade Publishing, 2011. Pg 156. Google Book.