What do Bill Gates, Tiger Woods, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Lady Gaga and Tom  Hanks have in common?  Three things: they are passionate, they have tremendous perseverance, and they all dropped out of college. Successful leaders don’t come in any particular shape or form.  While leading  requires education, succeeding requires courage, conviction, and grit. Failed leaders share this – they lack true and powerful conviction in their ideas, and they are unable to keep going when they are tired, frustrated, bored or disheartened.

Do you have Grit?

Click here to take a 12-question Grit survey

Management expert Warren Bennis says, “in a world of growing complexity, leaders are
increasingly dependent on their subordinates for good information, whether the leaders want to hear it or not. Followers who tell the truth, and leaders who listen to it, are an unbeatable combination.”

Mature followers add value to their organization by actively combining execution with critical and honest thinking about the process. I share with you Robert E. Kelley’s research which sheds clear light on followership styles and the traits of good followership.

Sheep Type Followers are passive and unthinking. They do what they are told and passively comply with orders without thinking about what they’re doing, about innovation, or about alternative actions.

Yes People Type Followers are very active, but still unthinking. They mindlessly agree with everything they hear and volunteer for everything they can. Gaining favor and
approval is their motivation.

Survivor Type Followers are committed to staying out of trouble. By sticking to mediocre performance, they avoid standing out in any way. Melting into the background is their goal.

Alienated Followers are critical thinkers but passive. Their keen observations turn into complaints and criticism rather than actions that improve the situation. They have an effect of wearing down the morale around them.

Effective Followers are both critical, independent thinkers and active in expressing and executing their ideas. They seek out responsibility, and work independently to accomplish goals. When they see something that can be improved, they think things through and offer suggestions for improvement.

Here are some traits for cultivating good followership for yourself or your organization.

Positive attitude: Your level of enthusiasm will have a direct effect on the group and the leader’s feelings concerning the task. Display an upbeat and energetic attitude when performing and promoting tasks. Goal accomplishment will often rest with the followers’, as well as the leader’s enthusiasm.

Critical thinking: Take a proactive stance toward organizational problems. Behavior is a function of decisions, not conditions. Assess, analyze and evaluate your task and take the initiative and the responsibility to improve things.

Self-discipline: Develop awareness and understanding of your own emotions and needs as well as your fears and strengths. Discipline harnesses strength and provides stamina. By disciplining yourself, you give your leader time, peace of mind, and efficiency in their work. 

Integrity and Honesty:  Thoughtful dissent is more valuable than an air of collegiality. You may experience some discomfort when sharing with your leader an honest and critical opinion, but this is offset by the fact that insightful and critical feedback increases a leader’s ability to make good decisions.

Followership and leadership transcend ego needs and impulses. As a valued follower, you may put your job on the line by speaking up. But ask yourself this – is your job is worth the personal cost of following a leader who values his or her ego more than the good of the company’s vision and people?

But what is the price? What must we give up in order to be at ease, to be comfortable? Is discomfort inherently wrong or bad? Is discomfort a sign of failure or shortfall? Does our natural impulse to reject discomfort and reach for comfort serve our greater good or innate potential?

Dave faces discomfort daily as he develops new delegation skills that improve his managerial effectiveness. Shira experiences consistent mild pain as she stretches her stiffened body in an effort to fend off disease from years of motionlessness. Tom has periodic headaches as he spends nights learning to grasp the nuances of financial statements in order to bring his division back to profitability. Nan cringes at every “no” she receives on her new sales career.

Dr. Duckworth of Penn University discovered that People who accomplished great things combined a passion for a single mission with an unswerving dedication to achieve that mission, in spite of obstacles and however long it might take. She named this quality ”grit.” Her Grit Scale has proven a better predictor success of Westpoint cadets than the school’s own sophisticated assessments.

I propose that Grit is willingness to remain in discomfort. Successful people in all disciplines – from science to art to business to war – have grit. Here are a few ideas for becoming grittier, for gracefully facing and embracing discomfort, for having more success:

• Clearly articulate a long-term goal. Be specific and detailed. “I want to write,” is weaker than, “I want to write a travel based novel this year.”
• Break down your goals into chunks. Focus your performance on the tasks and behaviors that will achieve your goal.
• Dig up your passion. Passion flows from authentic desire, it’s critical for persistence. Be attuned to what truly moves you about your goal.
• Visualize the end goal as already realized. Picture yourself with book in hand, at the top of the podium, or in your new corner office.
• Play mind games to push past discomfort. Ask yourself (when exhausted) How will I benefit? Remind yourself that pain is temporary; use imagery to get through tough spots.
• Develop optimism. Believe that no matter the obstacles or effort, you can prevail. Challenge your limiting beliefs. Stop your focus on what can go wrong and remember the times you made it go right. Keep records of successes.
• Collaborate with objective allies. Use your coaches, mentors and supporters to keep you engaged, accountable, and focused. None of us “just do it” by ourselves. We all benefit from counsel and support.

I leave you with these intriguing words from Khalil Gibran, ” Have you only comfort, and the lust for comfort, that stealthy thing that enters the house a guest, and them becomes a host, and then, a master? Ay, and  it become a tamer, and with hook and scourge makes puppets of your larger desires. Though its hands are silken, its heart is of pure iron. It lulls you to sleep only to stand by your bed and jeer at the dignity of the flesh. It makes mock of your sound senses, and lays them in thistledown like fragile vessels. Verily the lust for comfort murders the passion of the soul, and then walks grinning the funeral.”

One of the strengths of mature leaders is that they listen well and welcome sharing of information fully.  Stephen Covey in his book “seven habits of highly effective people” encourages to “seek first to understand and then to be understood.”  This is the way the mature leaders interact.  They seek mutual understanding, foster open communication, and stay receptive to bad news as well as good.

Most people learn early on how to speak, but many forget how to listen well. In fact there is research that indicates that we hear half of what is said, listen to half of what we hear, understand half of it, believe half of that, and remember only half of that. Did you get that??

Let me translate that for you into an eight-hour work day, it means:

• You spend about 4 hours listening.
• You hear about 2 hours worth.
• You actually listen to 1 hours worth.
• You understand 30 minutes of that hour.
• You believe only 15 minutes worth; and
• You remember just under 8 minutes worth.

The art of communication forms the building blocks for collaboration and teamwork.  A team works well together when the members can relate to one another.  Emotionally competent leaders are able to extend themselves, reach out, and collaborate well together with others in the pursuit of the common goals and growth.

Emotionally competent leaders manageg conflict and change; they are adept at negotiating and resolving disagreements.  They know how to handle difficult people and tense situations with diplomacy and tact, but more importantly they can spot potential conflict, bring disagreements into the open, and help deescalate it before it grows.

People are different from one another.  Some are logical and others emotional, some are outgoing while others are shy, some are spontaneous while others are structured.  There are a variety of personality traits that differentiate people.  But we all have to work together.  Emotionally competent leaders recognize the differences and, when situations arise that bring differences into conflict, they have tools to maintain the collaboration and the communication.

The book describes the journey of Captain Abrashoff when he takes command of the USS Benfold as a newly promoted Captain. The USS Benfold at the time was considered the worst ship in the Navy. Captain Abrsahoff was committed to leading differently, having experienced working for both good and poor managers during his career, and took command of the ship with a drive to be leader of change. His philosophy can best be described in the chapters of his book which make up his formula for success:

* Lead by example- Walk the talk, your employees notice the congruency

* Listen aggressively- Especially to those who have opposing points of view and what you might not want to hear

* Communicate purpose and meaning- Let all your employees know the role they play and the difference they make in achieving the vision and mission for the organization

* Create a climate of trust- As a leader you must give trust to earn trust

* Look for results not salutes- Do things for the right reason; leave your ego at the door

* Take calculated risks- To be innovative and do things differently you must be willing to take risks that are thought out and strategic

* Build up your people- Focus on the strengths of your employees, encouraging them to develop and expand their capacity

* Generate Unity- Remind your employees that you are here to achieve a shared mission and to perform as a team working together

* Improve your people’s quality of life- You need to replenish your employee’s energy and investment in the work by allowing them to re-energize and experience a greater work life balance

I was truly inspired reading this book as Captain Abrashoff demonstrated an example of how someone can turn around an organization by believing in their employees, having a clear vision and knowing what was possible. He wasn’t in a position where he was able to recruit the best and the brightest but instead inherited the staff that often times were in their positions to escape bad situations back at home. He chose to believe in them and their potential, communicated his vision and his belief that they could help him achieve it, and allowed his employees to be part of something bigger than themselves and gave them an opportunity to maximize their own potential.

I would encourage anyone in a leadership role to consider reading the book and implementing his strategy. The results he achieved in his 2 years as the commander of the USS Benfold speak for themselves and assure you that if you commit to the approach, that you too may exceed your own expectations of who you are as a leader.

Commitment is evident by the level of attention, perseverance, and enthusiasm a person  has toward a project, goal, or team. Commitment is the seed that germinates determination and will power. And, as we all know, where there is a will there is a way.

Commitment can practically be a synonym for accountability. Commitment, like accountability, requires self-discipline, determination, and pride. In the presence of these inner competencies, execution and accountability are easy to implement.

One of our coaching clients, a marketing manager in a Fortune 500 company, was charged with rolling out a new alcohol-testing device. The Department of Transportation (DOT) lowered the threshold for alcohol levels in DOT governed industries (trucking, boating, airlines, etc.). As a first step in the project, the team had to conduct research into existing software and hardware for breathalyzers, distribution channels, and market readiness.

During the course of the coaching, it became clear that the project deadline was looming near, but the project was far from completion. In a coaching meeting, he shared that one of his team, Helen, was tasked with studying the use of existing distribution channels for the new device, and was behind schedule – she was not committed to the project.

We used the following 3 keys to help him address the challenge of commitment:

• Identify your priority, the rank order of a task or project
• Recognize the source of Motivation, the energy that drives behavior and decisions
• Establish Discipline in thought and action (consistent attention to the task)

And here are a few commitment questions this manager used to evaluate Helen:

To identify priorities

• How does the project or task rank compared to others on your list?
• Do your priorities compete or complement one another?
• Is the priority aligned with organizational mission and goals?

To recognize source of motivation

• What are the physical, emotional, or mental benefits from this project?
• Do team members recognize the valueand importance of their contribution to the project or task?
• Do team members make a connectionbetween their project involvement and their career path?

 To establish discipline

• What is your process for follow up?
• Do disciplined behaviors get recognized, rewarded, and reinforced?
• Do you create clear and complete action plans for goals?

In your managemet role, identifying priorities eliminates a great deal of internal competition for resources. Also, recognizing motivation provides the
fuel and the stamina for engaging in a project. Furthermore, motivated
individuals accountable, because they WANT to focus on the task or project.
Finally, establishing discipline is an investment in successful accountability. Discipline is a path we travel on the way to accountability and execution. By combining organizational systems and processes with personal support, discipline can become deep and comfortable.