chrisjenson.com

Leadership is a responsibility – not a right, title or position. It's the responsibility entrusted to us by those who choose to follow. Their trust is a delicate gift, so how we lead matters.

What we learned yesterday was good for yesterday, so today we must elevate our vision once again and continue to refine and define our leadership through learning.

Leadership is about believing that a different future is possible – that where we are is unacceptable, because there is something better for us ahead. Leaders can come from anywhere. In fact, the darlings of leadership history have a knack for showing up from the most unlikely places. You may be tempted to say, "It is not my place." Well, that may be true, and that might be why you are the best person to lead us to change.

Because leadership is about moving us from here to there—from our present reality to a preferred future, it is imperative that we view managing change as a critical skill of our leadership. Change is difficult. I believe the measure of a leader is how s/he brings us through times of change.

Chip and Dan Heath are the authors of a fantastic book about the skill of leading change: Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard

Here is my Big Takeaway: Motivate the Elephant! The elephant is a metaphor for our emotions. In times of change, it seems that just simply creating a plan is not good enough. The reason is because at some point, change becomes hard. When it become hard, you can have the most precise and clear plan and still fail. Why? Because people are more than just a mind; people have soul and heart. The plan is important, but it is insufficient on its own. Great leaders know that people want to have their heart set on fire. They want to be moved in their heart. You can't fake these leaders.  You can steal a plan, but cannot fabricate inspiration.

If you think this sounds like fluff, then you missed the point. The elephant is a great analogy. It represents an unstoppable, mighty force. When the people on your team have been moved in their heart, you have an engine more powerful than an elephant.

Leaders, create your plan. Share your vision. And if you are really going to create lasting change, you must move my heart.

In what ways do you feel leaders can move hearts? Leave your comments below!

You’ve heard it said: "It's not personal, it's just business." I think what they mean to say is: "I understand that I'm hurting you right now. It’s just that your pain is less important to me than my gain.” You know, one day we'll die and unless our checkbook is the only thing we want at our funeral, we need to rethink our leadership values in business. We spend a lot of our lives at work. What do we want it all to add up to? Life is short and how we use our time is priceless. So let’s do something together we believe will change the world! Let's not waste our time doing something that isn't truly good for humanity and personally fulfilling.

Must we choose between making a difference and making a profit?

 
In Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose, CEO Tony Hsieh answers that question with an enthusiastic "No!" In fact, in his debut book, an autobiographical story of Zappos.com, Hsieh argues that his company’s success has come in large part due to their focus on creating a company culture that makes employees, vendors and customers happy!

Growing Zappos.com from essentially zero sales in its first year into more than $1 billion in annual sales eight years later was not easy. You’ll be inspired to see in Delivering Happiness why their customers are so loyal, why their business is so successful and why they are one of Forbes’ top 25 best companies to work for. They turned their attention towards their culture. They built a company with clear values; values they cared about not just in the office, but in life. When they could have built just another Internet company that sold shoes, which likely would have been their demise, they decided to do something different—deliver happiness.

Here is my Big Takeaway: you don't have to choose between profits and purpose. Think about what really matters to you. At the end of the day, what do you want to have spent your time doing? I refuse to just manage the status quo; I want to make a difference. I want our team to make a difference—in our students’ lives, in our clients’ lives, and in each others’ lives. Here’s my gentle reminder to us, leaders: people matter, so it matters how we lead.