Building Trust: Leading by Example

This is post four of 10 regarding the attributes that build trustworthy leaders.


Leading by example is heard so much now days it has become cliché. Although talking about it may be jaded the volume of talk has not necessarily led to a commonplace practice of leading by example in today’s leadership corp. Much work is yet to be done!


Leading by example boils down to what we discussed in the last post about walking your talk. If we want others to do as we command, it is a given that we should be willing to do it ourselves. Trustworthy leaders do not ask others to do things that they have not done or would not do given similar circumstances. In our reference book on this series of building trust, Leadership from West Point, the author of the chapter on building trust (14), Colonel Patrick Sweeney, relates leading by example to leading from the front. Here is what he says:


“Leaders who lead from the front communicate to their soldiers that they are confident in their own and the unit’s abilities, have the courage to meet the dangers of combat, and would not ask soldiers to face danger or do a task that they themselves would not be will to do.”


Although this relates mainly to combat and the military it is just as pertinent to the boardroom and organizational battlefields we face as leaders every day. It is easy to say to our team, “be courageous and do the right thing;” it is more difficult to be courageous ourselves and lead them in doing the right thing. Are you leading out front and by example? If you do not know ask yourself, “Where do I stand when crap hits the fan?” Do I holler “incoming” and run for cover while leaving my team out there to take the hard hit alone. When hard days or hard times come upon our organizations are we hiding in the closet or out front letting our people know that we are in this thing together. We as trustworthy leaders must be out front especially during the bad days, and not just the good days, if we want to develop trust.


When we are consistently out front with the team during bad times we build credibility and trust. We are telling them by our presence that we can be depended upon, at all times. Once your team expects and knows without any doubt you will be with them during the “artillery strikes”, every time, and all the time, you will have their trust and support as much as they have yours. They will know that you have a strong belief in them to get through the tough times, to win, to overcome, to survive. Being there and leading from the front by the example of your words and deeds will build a bond of interdependence between them and you. They will fight with you, for you, and for the team, when they know you are willing to go down with the ship if things turn bad.


Have you ever read the book, We Were Soldiers Once … and Young, by Joe Galloway and Hal Moore? It was about the 1965 Battle of the Ia Drang Valley in the Vietnam War where Colonel Moore commanded the US Army troops of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment as they fought off a vastly superior North Vietnamese force. Perhaps you watched the movie that was made based on the book. It starred Mel Gibson as Colonel Hal Moore. It is a great movie; one that I recommend to anyone who has not seen it.


If you have read the book or saw the movie, I am sure you remember the part where Colonel Moore told his soldiers that he would be the first man on the ground and the last man to leave. Not only did he say it, he meant it, and he did it too. He walked his talk, out front and by example! What is more important is that his men believed him too! You do not and cannot lead from the front and by example like Colonel Moore if you do not believe in yourself and in your team, and perhaps more importantly, your team believing in you too. It does not just happen; it takes time to develop that level of trust.


Do you think that mission would have been successful without Colonel Moore being out front and leading by example? I do not! I suspect there were no us versus them attitudes in Colonel Moore’s unit. What about your unit or team? Does your team or organization have the, us and them and a them and us, mentality? If you answered yes to this question, look first to your own leadership and secondly at those above you, and only then should you begin looking down the chain of command to understand why it exist. If this is the climate in your team or organization, I would stake my life that the problem is with your leadership or the overall leadership culture of the organization rather than the failure of followers.


I doubt the battle of Ia Drang Valley was the first time Colonel Moore demonstrated his care and a sense of concern for his team; or that it was the first time he ever demonstrated his leadership skills by being out front leading by example. If we wait until the bullets start flying to lead by example and out being out front I suspect it will not end well for you or your team. The interdependence that comes from a ‘we are all in this together’ mentality is developed through your leadership one day at a time. The trust is earned by one example, one act, and one deed at a time. It is like putting pennies in a jar one at a time. Over time you will have built it up to be a sizable amount where others can go and take withdrawals. Remember though, as your team takes withdrawals on your trustworthiness account, you must continue to make deposits!


Please remember that trust in your leadership character and competence is earned when your team sees that you are willing to share in the hardships right beside them, or should we say out in front of them? Trust is earned when your team knows that if all goes to hell in a hand basket you will take the responsibility, and if all goes well you will give them the glory and praise. That is leadership out front, up close, and personal. It is leadership by example. It is the kind of leadership that builds trust and interdependence. It is the kind of leadership that wins regardless of the battleground. It is the Colonel Hal Moore kind of leadership. It should be our kind of leadership too, if we want to develop leadership trust and winning teams within our organizations.

Colonel Hal Moore – An American hero and a leader!

Esse Quam Videri                                                                                                       

Arete'
Carpe Diem

Giving an Honest Day’s Work Reflects Honesty and Integrity

My last post was about honesty and integrity; the third in a series of ten posts on the attributes that develop leadership trust. I am in the process of completing the next post which is, Leading by Example. Until I can get that post completed, I will throw this out to you to chew on for awhile.


I think we can all agree that a huge part of honesty and integrity is giving a full day’s work for a full day’s pay. Not only is it important to give a full day of service to the boss, it is also important to give him our very best effort. Please read this poem by Red Steagall that teaches a great cowboy lesson about pride in work and that any job worth doing is worth doing right. There is much to be said about the cowboy ethic.


Red is one of the finest “cowboy poets” out there today. Listed below is a link to his website and a picture of Red. I hope you will visit his website and read more of his inspiring work. I want to personally thank Red for his permission to use his wonderful work on my blog site.

                                                                      Red Steagall

http://www.cowboypoetry.com/redsteagall.htm#Fence

My wish to each of you is that all your fences will be built straight and strong and with great pride in your workmanship. Jon


The Fence That Me and Shorty Built


We'd picked up all the fencing tools
And staples off the road.
An extra roll of 'bob' wire
Was the last thing left to load.

I drew a sleeve across my face
To wipe away the dirt.
The young man who was helping me
Was tuckin' in his shirt.


I turned around to him and said,
"This fence is finally done,
With five new strands of 'bob' wire
Shinin' proudly in the sun.


The wire is runnin' straight and tight
With every post in line.
The kinda job you're proud of,
One that stands the test of time."


The kid was not impressed at all,
He stared off into space.
Reminded me of years ago,
Another time and place.

I called myself a cowboy,
I was full of buck and bawl
I didn't think my hands would fit
Post augers and a maul.


They sent me out with Shorty
And the ranch fence building crew.
Well, I was quite insulted
And before the day was through,

I let him know that I'm a cowboy,
This ain't what I do.
I ain't no dadgummed nester,
I hired out to buckaroo.


He said, "We'll talk about that son,
When we get in tonight.
Right now you pick them augers up.
It's either that or fight."


Boy, I was diggin' post holes
Faster than a Georgia mole.
But if a rock got in my way
I simply moved the hole.


So when the cowboys set the posts,
The line went in and out.
Old Shorty's face got fiery red
And I can hear him shout.


"Nobody but a fool would build
A fence that isn't straight.
I got no use for someone who ain't
Pullin' his own weight."


I thought for sure he'd hit me
Glad he didn't have a gun.
I looked around to find a place
Where I could duck and run.


But Shorty walked up to me
Just as calm as he could be.
Said, "Son, I need to talk to you,
Let's find ourselves a tree."

He rolled a Bull Durham cigarette
As we sat on the ground.
He took himself a puff or two
Then slowly looked around.

"Son, I ain't much on schoolin',
Didn't get too far with that.
But there's alot of learnin'
Hidden underneath this hat.

I got it all the hard way,
Every bump and bruise and fall.
Now some of it was easy,
But then most weren't fun a'tall

But one thing that I always got
From every job I've done,
Is do the best I can each day
And try to make it fun.

I know that bustin' through them rocks
Ain't what you like to do.
By gettin' mad you've made it tough
On me and all the crew.


Now you hired on to cowboy
And you think you've got the stuff.
You told him you're a good hand
And the boss has called your bluff.


So how's that gonna make you look
When he comes ridin' through,
And he asks me who dug the holes
And I say it was you.


Now we could let it go like this
And take the easy route.
But doin' things the easy way
Ain't what it's all about.

The boss expects a job well done,
From every man he's hired.
He'll let you slide by once or twice,
Then one day you'll get fired.


If you're not proud of what you do,
You won't amount to much.
You'll bounce around from job to job
Just slightly out of touch.

Come mornin' let's re-dig those holes
And get that fence in line.
And you and I will save two jobs,
Those bein' yours and mine.


And someday you'll come ridin' through
And look across this land,
And see a fence that's laid out straight
And know you had a hand,


In something that's withstood the years.
Then proud and free from guilt,
You'll smile and say, 'Boys that's the fence
That me and Shorty built."

© 1993, Red Steagall, reprinted with permission

This poem may not be reprinted or reposted without the author's written permission.

Building Trust with Honesty and Integrity

This is a continuing series on attributes that develop leadership trust. Today I will be discussing honesty and integrity. Honesty and integrity was listed as third in order of importance by the surveyed soldiers as discussed in chapter 14 in the book Leadership Lessons from West Point. Most surveys that I am familiar with generally rank integrity and honesty as number one in importance. Rankings are, I guess, like beauty; it is in the eye of beholder. I can certainly understand why soldiers and others whose jobs are physically dangerous would rank competence and loyalty above all other attributes. But anyway, let’s get going with the attribute of honesty and integrity.


Honesty and integrity are certainly core attributes of leadership regardless of where ranked. No reasonable person would disagree of its importance to developing trust in a leader. Being honest and acting with integrity is simply speaking and doing what is morally and ethically right based upon right reasoning. It is about being, knowing, as well as, about doing. Being a moral person and demonstrating moral behaviors is about keeping oneself in alignment with their own core values and virtues and those of their organization.


Leadership integrity is of utmost importance because it lays the foundation for the organizational culture. Leader honesty and integrity gives everyone boundaries for executing the organizational mission. Organizations with leaders who model honesty and integrity and demand it from everyone else are basically providing a template for conducting business. An organization or a leader of a team within an organization with a highly developed culture of integrity is one that is more effective and efficient. It is important to remember that an organization’s leadership culture is nothing more than the sum total of the qualities of individual leaders within the organization.

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. So picture in your mind a blacktop highway stretching straight out in the distance as far as the eye can see; a highway with well defined ditches on each side. At the end of the highway is your destination, mission or goal. Picture yourself and your team or organization walking along this highway heading toward your destination. This highway metaphor reflects an organization or subunit with a well defined culture of moral excellence. Let me explain further. (By the way this road has a name; it is called the High Moral Highway.)


A leader of integrity and honesty within a morally cultured organization can say to the team; “This is our vision. Up this highway is where we want to go; your job is to help get us there anyway you chose as long as you stay on the inside of the ditches. You know what is between the ditches and you know what is beyond the ditches. Go and act accordingly.” The ditches, of course, represent moral boundary lines. Between the ditches reflects the beliefs, values and moral compass of the organization.


When your organization clearly and concisely points out where true moral north is and has honest leadership to model it, the leader is able to get out of the way and let the team achieve the goals and objectives more effectively and efficiently. Without a leader of integrity who sets the high ethical standard for his team, or without clear, concise, well understood organizational values a leader would have to always present to ensure compliant behaviors.

Can you imagine as the leader, walking along this highway and every few steps having to stop and bark out at someone, “Do this!”- “Don’t do that!” - “Get back over here!” Not to mention worrying about what “they” are doing when he is not present. Does this reflect what you, as the leader of your team, are doing now?  I hope not but if you are I can tell you where your destination is; Burnout City!


Without the moral culture in place you the leader would have to use your less effective positional authority, i.e., the old carrot and stick approach, to get things done. This we can agree is a poor and inefficient way of leading. As a leader do you have the time to walk guard duty with a big stick?  Do you?


What we all want from our team is willful and voluntary compliance and not coerced compliance. We want to command and not demand. We want discretionary effort that goes beyond “what is required by policy.” Coerced compliance is good for as long as the boss is looking whereas the willful and voluntary compliance is effective without leadership presence. With honesty and integrity a leader communicates and models moral and tactical expectations. He communicates with others by being transparent and allowing them to see him as an model of how to do things right while also doing the right thing. Colonel Sweeney in the aforementioned book states that:


“Honest communications also helps alleviate concerns regarding leaders’ possessing hidden agendas or motives. Leaders with honest/integrity provide employees with a sense of predictability of how the leaders will act in the future, especially in tough or morally challenging situations. This sense of confidence that leaders will be honest and behave morally regardless of the situation leads to the development of trust.”


And with this earned trust they will follow your leadership in the same way you have modeled it.


Consider your own leadership within your individual team and your organization’s leadership for a moment. Ask yourself these questions:


• Does the team know where the ditches are? Am I a ditch jumper? Do I look the other way when someone jumps the ditch?


• Have you provided them with a compass that clearly shows a morally north direction?


• Are you and the other leaders modeling values-based leadership? Do you do exactly what you say you are going to do, when and how you say you are going to do it?


• Are you walking the talk, or talking one way and walking another while expecting everyone else to walk your talk?


• Do you carry and conduct yourself at all times as a principled leader?


• Do you seek out proactive opportunities everyday to develop trust by modeling, teaching and promoting ethical behavior? Or do you just sit back and wait for a moral crisis to happen and then reactively threaten everyone with the stick to enforce compliance?


If you as a unit leader or if the leaders throughout your organization do not walk between the ditches, you and they should not expect the team or the organization as whole to do so! It won’t happen, guaranteed. You cannot march outside the ditch while telling your team, “Don’t come over here.” Where you are, they will come. If you read my earlier post of Major Bach’s speech to U.S. Army officer graduates you will recall that he said,


"Your word will be their law. Your most casual remark will be remembered. Your mannerism will be aped. Your clothing, your carriage, your vocabulary, your manner of command will be imitated….To exert moral force you must live clean, you must have sufficient brain power to see the right and the will to do right. Be an example to your men. An officer can be a power for good or a power for evil. Don’t preach to them—that will be worse than useless. Live the kind of life you would have them lead, and you will be surprised to see the number that will imitate you. A loud-mouthed, profane captain who is careless of his personal appearance will have a loud-mouthed, profane, dirty company. Remember what I tell you. Your company will be the reflection of yourself. If you have a rotten company it will be because you are a rotten captain."


It is a shame that people don’t understand this. The first place an organization usually looks when it has a moral or ethical crisis is down the chain of command. The proper place to look, first and foremost, is at the leadership corp. Then if necessary look down the chain of command.


I will end with this: Give some thought as to what you and your organization are doing to teach and promote honesty and integrity as values to all members of the unit or organization. Principles, values and leadership attributes must be kept in the forefront all the time. Every day should be seen as an opportunity to teach, model, and promote honesty, integrity, and the other leadership attributes of a principled organization. Only when people trust you will they permit you to lead them. Develop your trustworthiness with honesty and integrity; stay within the ditches and make sure those under your command know where the ditches are! Every day!


And, oh, throw that damn carrot and stick in the ditch. It only works for tyrants and then only as long as they are looking, and they can’t always be around watching; can you?


Esse Quam Videri

Carpe Diem

The Principles of Leadership Are The Same Regardless of Target Group

The link below is a column by John Rosemond.  John is a family psychologist and nationally renowned speaker.  Although his article that is linked below is about parental and teacher leadership with children, there are some interesting ideas and parallels that are related to leadership generally.  To get your interest let me post a couple of things he wrote about that we can relate to leadership in our own area of leadership.

1. Children that disobey are not happy campers.  The same can be said about followers of all ages.
2. A person in a position of authority doesn't always lead in a manner worthy of esteem.  Don't we have to earn trust and respect as leaders?
3. An adult earns the respect of children by leading in a manner that makes a child want to obey.  Isn't that one of the secret of leading; creating voluntary and willful obedience?
4. Effective Leaders command not demand.  The ole' carrot and stick is ineffective in the long run and only when you the leader is  present to enforce the rules.
5. Don't try to develop relationships with your team by foregoing good leadership practices.  Relationships will follow and develop with your effective leadership and not the other way around.


Enjoy the article! Click on "Weekly Column" to go to the link




Weekly Column