Like wind in the sails, the team is the driving force behind great change. Yet our history books betray us. They lead us to believe that great movements in history have come through the icons who were but sails filled with the power of a galvanized mob. Teams make vision reality. Leaders play a critical role within the team but the combined efforts of a cohesive team is what brings about a revolution.

The Orange Revolution: How One Great Team Can Transform an Entire Organization by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, inspired me. The Orange Revolution filled my sails with renewed vision and passion for the potential of my team to usher transformation. If you struggle to see how your own team can make a difference, I encourage you to pick up this book.

Here is my Big Takeaway: Culture, then Competence. I say often that because people matter, it matters how we lead. I also believe that if your mission really matters, it matters who's on the team. Typically managers look for team members based on their ability to perform. However, in The Orange Revolution, you'll get a glimpse into the priorities of leaders who build transformational teams. It seems that performance plays second fiddle to cultural fit. Their stories teach me that if I really care about the mission, I must care about the culture of the team. This is of course not to say that competence is not required—it absolutely is—in fact, it's essential. Yet the best leaders seem to care first about how they'll fit above how they'll perform.

If the mission really matters, it matters who's on the team.

Have you ever been part of a team where both culture and competence existed? How did it differ from teams that embodied only one of those qualities?

A leader with no credibility is a leader with no influence. A leader with no influence is not a leader.

Credibility correlates to believability. It’s trust and confidence in the person we chose to follow. It isn’t just alignment between my words and my actions. It’s also alignment between what I say and what I believe inside—where no one can see. Credibility is displayed when word, deed, and belief are in alignment.

In my own journey of leadership, I think about credibility more than just about anything else. I want those I lead to have confidence that they can trust me; that what I say, I will do. I want them to believe that what I really believe inside—about them, our mission, and our vision—is not different than what I say. Some of my biggest mistakes as a leader were saying something I thought I had to say, without truly believing it inside.

My team will never know what is in my heart for sure; they are forced to trust me. So the ball is in my court. I must be honest with myself. I must commit to them that before I speak or act, I will do a heart check to make sure I really believe it myself. If I fail to be honest with myself and them, if I act without internal conviction, I lose credibility.

Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner was one of the very first leadership books I ever read. Since I read it six years ago, few books have shaped me and my leadership values as much as Credibility has. Every leader, no matter what your sphere of influence is, should read this book.

My Big Takeaway: Discover Yourself. Credibility begins when I get honest with who I am. I have learned that I have been least effective as a leader when I have not believed in myself. How can I expect others to follow when I don't even have confidence in myself? When I look inside, clarify what really matters to me, clarify what I believe, own my skill level—then I have a platform on which to build credibility.

In your own relationship with a leader, at what point did you determine they were credible? Why? Tell us about it here!

“Fake it till you make it,” is the wrong leadership advice. This is why today in LeaderCast, I’m recommending: Crush It!: Why Now is the Time to Cash in on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk. Vaynerchuk taught me that a leader must value being—if nothing else—authentic.

Crush It! is not a leadership book in the technical sense. The message of the book is twofold: do what you are really passionate about and Crush It! The phrase “crush it,” according to Vaynerchuk, means to work extraordinarily hard. He suggests that in today’s world of technology and social networks, anyone who will commit to working very hard at something they are genuinely passionate about can build a successful business. While these are good points, they are not my leadership takeaways from Crush It!

My big takeaway from Crush It!: Authenticity Rules!

Vaynerchuk himself is a tough pill to swallow. This foul-mouthed entrepreneur might well be missing his human courtesy filter. He is an aggressively opinionated individual who believes that 15 percent of the people who meet him will not like him. As I read the first pages of his book, I was convinced Mr. Vaynerchuk was one of the most arrogant and annoying people I have ever read. I was so annoyed that I almost gave up on the book.

I value humility. The last thing I want to read is a book from some young guy telling me why he is this amazing guy the world should learn from.

Yet I often find myself learning a leadership lesson from the most unlikely of sources. In the end, the story of Vaynerchuk and WineLibrary.tv is no exception. For all his unconventionalities, he inspired me.

WineLibrary.tv, which he founded, is one of the most successful blogs on the Internet. His Internet wine shop has more than $50 million in annual sales. With more than 53,000 Facebook fans and more than 855,000 followers on Twitter, he leads an influential tribe passionate about all things wine. Like him or not, he is an effective leader. Why? He is authentic.

Gary Vaynerchuk is, if nothing else, genuine. I believe that he cares about others and believes that we live in a world where anyone—just like him—can be successful. I found myself joining his tribe enthusiastically. He is like no businessperson I have ever read or met. He reminds me that when it comes to leading, authenticity rules.

Leader, be yourself.

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!

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.

This is why I believe every leader needs to know why they lead!

You must read Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek.

The obvious question: Why? Because it will change the way you lead. It will challenge us to dig deeper. “Because I said so” is just not going to cut it anymore.

My Big Takeaway: Being clear about why I lead will have greater impact than just focusing on what I‘ll do as a leader.

There is a power in united communities. In fact, for me there is something magical about being a part of a community with a purpose bigger than myself. No one should have to go to work every day and feel alone and purposeless. I would call that a miserable job! We have the ability to make a difference and change the world–both the world we work in and the worlds we serve through coaching. We won't make a difference alone though. We will only do it as a united force.

There is a synergistic effect that takes place when individuals come together united by culture, leadership and purpose–when a group of people become a tribe.

I always recommend books that I believe will challenge and develop our leadership philosophies. Why? Because the people impacted by our leadership are too valuable and deserve our best everyday. Today I have 2 recommendations for you. The first is the heart behind why tribal leadership is important. The other is the practical plan for building a tribe.

1. Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us, by Seth Godin

Big Takeaways: (1) Our title might be our biggest obstacle to leading.  (2) We want to belong to something special, but we need you to lead us there. This book is not a "how-to" book; it is pure inspiration! It has caused me to think about my own experience everyday. Do I wake up and come to work with a sense of purpose? Or do I just come to work? I want come to work and feel that the 8 hours I spend in the office are directly contributing to my passion. So the ball is in my court! I get to make a difference! Tribes will inspire you to lead with purpose.

• Emphasis: Inspiring passionate people to lead us to something great.

2.  Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization, by David Logan, John King and Halee Fischer-Wright.

Big Takeaway: The language in your team reflects the health of your team. This book is one of Tony Hsieh's (CEO of Zappos.com) highly recommended books. He credits the principles in Tribal Leadership for helping him build Zappos.com from a profitless Internet retail shoe store almost out of business into a billion dollar organization. I have to say that this book has challenged me to think about the culture of my team–are we inspired and united by genuine purpose. It will give you a tool to evaluate your team culture and a plan for what to do next. If you find yourself thinking about your team culture and are stuck with what to do about it, you must read Tribal Leadership.

• Emphasis: Practical guide to building a team united by language, culture and purpose.

TJC

The challenge is that communication is not just about carefully chosen words. Don't get me wrong; the words you choose are immensely important—just not most important. My belief in a person’s value and motive makes a big difference in how my communication with them–regardless of the words I choose–lands. Did you hear that? My belief about a person makes the biggest difference in how they will hear what I'm saying to them. For example, if I am approaching a team member with a difficult message it is imperative that I resolve first what I truly believe about them as a person. If I see them as the problem, that will cast a shadow over my message–no matter how "empowering" I pretend to be–and ultimately produce the exact wrong effect in the team.

As a leader, communication is your teams' lifeblood. If you lose healthy, open, honest communication between team members you lose the life of the team.

Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box by The Arbinger Institute challenged me. It challenged me to think about not just what I say, but more importantly, what I think about the the person I'm saying it to. Written in parable format, this simple read will turn the microscope around for a healthy dose of self-examination.

Here is my Big Takeaway: I can say the right thing with the wrong beliefs and achieve the wrong results.

**DISCLAIMER: This book is for us real leadership dorks–like me–who want to read anything about leadership.

TJC

In today’s changed economy, this is arguably the most important question to ask yourself. Why? Because if anyone can do it, anyone will do it. If anyone will do it, it’s not that special. If it’s not that special, you won’t get rewarded for it. The more special it is, the more special the reward. Now are you convinced?

I recommend books that deepen our beliefs about leadership. Why? I believe that world change happens when good followers veer off course and create a new path for others to walk into the extraordinary–in other words: when followers stop following and start leading.

Leaders don’t see limitations; they see opportunities in need of creative solutions. Leaders don’t have excuses; they have ideas for creating a different future. Leaders don’t manage the status-quo; they create inspiration to achieve the impossible. Leaders are indispensable.

Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?, is another home-run by Seth Godin. Don’t read this book if you like to make excuses for not going above and beyond. Don’t read this book if you are fine doing just what is asked of you. Read this book only if you’re interested in being challenged to become the solution creator, the difference maker, the system’s heretic, the rebel artist–the leader.

2 Big Takeaways:

1. My work is a canvas–my choice is to create something special or status quo
2. Only what is special will be rewarded

TJC

You could settle the management/leadership section of your local bookstore, read every book on the shelves and miss one of the most compelling leadership stories ever told. To Reach The Clouds (a.k.a. Man on Wire) is the autobiography of Philippe Petit—the man who tight-rope walked between the New York City World Trade Center towers in August of 1974.

What are you dreaming about?  Does your team have the potential to defy the odds and achieve something amazing? Let's face it: no one accomplishes greatness on their own. If you, in any way, lead a team, Philippe's story is a must read (while the book was made into a documentary called Man on Wire, I recommend reading the book because leaders are readers).

Philippe’s story is permeated with subtle, yet poignant, lessons for any leader who cares about stepping onto their “wire” and inspiring others to consider the impossible.  Here are my “Big 3”…

3 Big Takeaways from To Reach The Clouds:

1. Trust and conflict are essential elements of a leaders team.
2. Passion plus intentional practice are an unstoppable force!
3. Fear of failure is only a problem if it stops the mission.

Philippe may not fit the mold for a typical "business leader," yet this rebel artist heightens the bar for us all. He built a team and accomplished the impossible.

TJC