Session 1-Roles of Leadership

Rice University Athletics Student-Athlete Development
Leadership Development Program Developing Leaders in Sports and in Life Delivered by Mike Van Hoozer (Sponsored by Athenian Consulting Group)
Copyright 2005, Van Hoozer & Associates, LLC. All rights reserved.
Session 1: Embracing Your Leadership Role

7 Roles of Leadership:
(from the book The Invisible Hand of Leadership, Mike Van Hoozer) 1. Lead Learner A leader should strive to learn, develop, and grow for a lifetime. By serving as a lead learner, they set the tone and example for the organization and the people they lead to do the same. You never reach a point where you know it all. From my article: The Hard Side of Business: Developing People Im the CEO of my company, exclaimed a seasoned executive of a company. I am looked upon for vision and direction. But more than that, I am looked to for the answers. Do leaders need to have all the answers in order to earn the respect of their employees? Moreover, can a leader have all the answers? A better question still might be: Should one leader attempt to provide all the answers? Based on my experience, the answer to these questions is a resounding no! A single leader does not, cannot, and should not have all the answers for the questions that arise in todays society. A top CEO of a Fortune 500 company was quoted as saying, If youre not confused, you dont know whats going on. The reality is that a single person should not be relied upon as the sole source of knowledge. In todays fast moving economy, theres no way one person can keep up with the changes in business strategies, processes, and technologies. Yet, some leaders still resist the urge to seek insight from others. These leaders are afraid to ask for help, because they fear other people will see this as a sign of weakness. Ironically, a passion for learning should be viewed as a sign of great strength. Leaders at all levels of an organization should be confident enough in their abilities that they can be vulnerable enough to ask questions and seek insight from others. Vulnerability in this sense is not a sign of weakness. It demonstrates a willingness to embrace lifetime growth and learning. It means they are open to other viewpoints. It allows them to absorb outside information and infuse it with their own ideas. It indicates that combining a variety of thoughts from several people ultimately helps the organization find the best alternative to a solution and in turn makes them a better leader. The Leader as Lead Learner Views learning as a life-long experience Never assumes they know everything Learns from every experience in life
Places an extreme priority on learning Has an intense and passionate thirst and quest for knowledge Is receptive to new ideas from others Always shares their knowledge with others Develops a teachable point of view Incorporates learning into their self-development
Ways that Leaders Learn: Action Learning o Practice Fields o Life Experiences Observational Learning o Apprenticeships Course Learning o Formal Learning o Self-development
Key Examples: 10,000-Hour Rule from Malcom Gladwell, Outliers: Studies suggest that the key to success in any field is practice: 10,000 hours of it 20 hours a week for 10 years. Michael Johnson, Olympic Gold Medalist and World Record Holder in the 200 and 400, focused for 10 years on improving his time by 1.5 seconds. Kobe Bryant, a guard and arguably one of the best NBA players of all time, sought out center Hakeem Olajuwon during one summer to learn his Dream Shake post move.
Key Questions: What are my strengths as a leader?
Lead by example.. Learn from everyday situations-not only mine but others as well.. Stay positive.. optimistic all the time Share knowledge.. In what areas, can I grow as a leader?
Finding more sources.. to have more experience..
How can I more fully develop my strengths to benefit the people I lead and influence?
Be observant.. strive to learn.. know your limits.. Who are the mentors that I need to spend time with on a regular basis to learn from? Maybe upperclassmen who has been in my situation.. Counselors.. Coaches?
2. Activator The Leader as Activator knows how and when to act and when to lead through others. The art of activating allows leaders to make an impact through direct action taking advantage of their strengths and opportunities as well as indirect action through others. When leaders activate, it opens up opportunities for others. From my article: The Hard Side of Business: Developing People I was watching the Lakers play the Spurs the other night and heard Coach Phil Jackson communicate the challenge above to Kobe Bryant during a timeout. In this moment, he was telling Kobe that he had been trying too hard to pass it to his teammates, and he needed to go back to being active, not passive. Kobe became the aggressor in the next 3 possessions and made three incredible shots as well as a great pass to teammate Pau Gasol as Kobe drew the defense to him leaving Gasol open for a dunk. Activate the ball means more than shooting the ball or keeping it yourself. Activate the ball literally means to create more offense through your own shot or effective ball movement. It means being a threat to drive, pass, or score which opens up opportunities for yourself and for your teammates. Many times, I see leaders in sports, business, and life who are not activating the ball. They operate from one of three leadership styles rendering themselves, their team, and their organization ineffective. The first style is being too passive. Some leaders relinquish their responsibilities to guide, direct, coach, and grow the talent around them. This passive behavior can come as the result of a lack of coaching competence, a desire to avoid giving feedback (both positive and constructive), and a lack of understanding about what motivates and inspires the people around them. The second style is being domineering and controlling. This extreme can be seen in selfish leaders who think their people exist to provide them with their position. Selfish leaders operating from this extreme are threatened by the success of their team and are not willing to grow and share their experience with their people. They fear the greatness in others versus relishing in the talent of their people. Other leaders operate from a third style based on limiting beliefs. These leaders are not necessarily threatened by the greatness of others, but they are guided by a limiting belief that tells them they are the only one who can accomplish a task. These types of leaders do not believe and trust in the talent and potential of their people, and they operate from this paradigm in the way they assign tasks and communicate to their team both verbally and nonverbally. People walk on eggshells trying to constantly prove their worth, because everything in the environment communicates that you are incompetent till proven competent.
The best leaders are activators. They are active in the lives of other people and communicate belief and trust in the talent and potential of the people around them. Activators grow their talent by sharing wisdom and lessons learned to help expedite the learning curve. They also activate the ball; simply put, they strive to be their best every day and in so doing, they inspire others to be their best as well. Activators understand the world around them, and they seek opportunities to positively impact people at home, at work, and in their community. They effectively balance scoring when they need to and passing off to a teammate when necessary. My challenge to you is not to sit back and watch the world go by Be an Activator and make things happen for you and for those in your sphere of influence. The Leader as Activator Leads through proactive action Possesses a keen understanding and awareness of his or her strengths as well as the strengths of others Leads by example and the force of their impact pulls others in the direction of pursuing their best Understands how his or her actions affect and impact others in a given situation as well as the overall result Makes an impact through direct and indirect action (with or without the ball)
Key Examples: Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan Steve Jobs
Key Questions: How can you grow more in this role as an activator? Have interest in others life.. Help them reach their goal if you can.. Communicate your knowledge if it could help.. Do you find it difficult knowing when to lead directly and when to lead through others? Sometimes.. when I do not know the personal firmly. You never know who accepts help from others and who doesnt.. and specially from specific people.. it needs a good friendship or connection from other to take that step.. When were you at your best as an activator (in a game, a project, etc.)?
3. Coach A great leader teaches and trains the people he or she leads. The Leaders as Coach focuses on a goal of maximizing the potential of individuals and the team they lead. From my article: The Hard Side of Business: Developing People The American Heritage Dictionary defines the word coach in this way: n. One who gives private instruction. v. To train or instruct; teach. A coach represents both a noun and a verb at the same time. He or she is a person who gives instruction and guidance and is always focused on the art of coaching. A coach is continually trying to find new ways to train and instruct his or her pupils. A coach cares about their growth. A coach listens to their feedback and incorporates it into his or her teaching methods. A coach carefully watches their progress making mental notes along the way about what methods were successful in helping the student develop and reach his or her potential. A coach incorporates these notes to help him or her become a better coach. All the while, the coach is considering the best interests of the team. He or she is constantly striving to find new ways to build individuals that can work together for the greater good of the team. Pat Riley, who coached the Los Angeles Lakers to four NBA championships in the 1980s, defines coaching as the ability to blend the talents and strengths of individuals into a force that becomes greater than the sum of its parts. A coach in the truest sense of the word possesses the ability to bring out the best in others so that they can accomplish something greater than any one individual would have dreamed of accomplishing alone. As Pat Riley demonstrated through his own example of effective coaching, he was able to blend some very good talent like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy with some overachievers like Kurt Rambis and A. C. Green to create a whole that was greater than the sum of its parts. Coach Riley accomplished this feat, not by constantly berating his players, although Im sure he may have raised his voice a time or two to make sure they understood his passion and intensity for winning as well as his caring and concern for their development. Instead, Coach Riley focused on what motivated his players and preached a message full of guidance and encouragement. To provide proper guidance and encouragement, a leader must be willing to provide both positive and constructive feedback. Some people automatically assume I am talking about a fluffy term that relates to only providing positive comments. Believe me, this is not the definition of coaching by any means. While coaching does involve providing positive feedback, it also involves equipping the person with the right kind of instructive advice that will help the person develop into a true leader. This means a coach must sometimes provide constructive feedback to an individual. Many people often mistakenly refer to
this as constructive criticism. Criticism is the act of finding fault with someone or something in an adverse manner. Criticism cannot be constructive in that its whole intent is to tear down. Feedback provides an evaluative response with the intent of correcting to achieve a better result. The intent of constructive feedback is to build up. The difference is in the words, the tone of voice, the delivery, and the motivation. A narcissistic, command-and-control leader delivers the message and leaves a wake of bodies in his path. A true coach, however, knows how and when to provide the feedback in a way that it is heard, received, understood, and incorporated into the other persons life. A true leader delivers feedback in order to help a person achieve his or her maximum potential. As Ralph Waldo Emerson says, Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great. Some leaders still rule through fear and intimidation. Other leaders maintain an attitude of incompetent till proven competent meaning that they subscribe to the prove me wrong mentality. These leaders coach from a viewpoint that their followers are incompetent until they prove this theory wrong. Both of these coaching methods do not produce a healthy environment and cannot yield longterm results. Leaders who demonstrate an inherit belief in their people will instill the most confidence in their people, produce the most constructive environment, and yield exponential, long-term results. This type of leader believes in the talent of the follower and coaches them to accomplish their maximum potential. The leader constantly frames his or her feedback in terms of the followers potential to be while still holding the follower accountable for results. This type of leader represents the true essence of coaching. The Leader as Coach Motivates others to greatness Truly knows his or her players Is the consummate teacher Provides both positive and constructive feedback Equips the person with the right kind of instructive advice that helps the person develop into a true leader Delivers the message in a way that it is heard, received, understood, and incorporated into the individuals life
Key Examples: John Wooden, Hall of Fame UCLA Basketball Coach, maximized the potential of his players at UCLA on and off the court. He defined success for his players and teams in this way: Success is peace of mind which is a
direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming. Key Questions: Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest) on your ability to give positive and constructive feedback to others.
What are your areas for improvement when it comes to listening, coaching, and providing feedback?
What is the best advice you have ever received from a coach?
4. Counselor The Leader as Counselor listens well and hears and observes both verbal and non-verbal communication. Great counselors listen first and provide advice when prompted or necessary. They are able to effectively discern the situation and how to impact the needs of a person in a given situation. They are also able to ask the right questions to help a person discover the right answers. From my article: The Hard Side of Business: Developing People Listening. Oh yeah! Thats when Im thinking of what Im going to say next. Unfortunately, this response is common among many people in leadership positions. For them, listening means a pause in the conversation that allows them to think of their next brilliant piece of advice. These types of leaders prescribe a solution based on their own frame of reference, instead of diagnosing the situation based on the other persons position. Moreover, they think being a good counselor means always providing the right piece of advice. In actuality, a good counselor is first and foremost a good listener. Great counselors communicate their listening skills through their eyes, body language, and ability to empathically connect with their counselee. The urge to talk is often like a wave waiting to crash onto a sandy beach. A person comes into your office and says they want to discuss a problem with you. They begin to describe the situation and before they completely define the problem, you jump in and say, I know exactly what you are going through, and do I have the perfect solution for you! Human nature dictates that we solve the problem at hand. This tendency is especially apparent in men. What we often forget is that people want to be heard and understood first. Once a person knows that you truly understand him or her, the person is more willing to receive the advice you have to offer. Moreover, you are in a better position to prescribe the right solution, because you have listened to the problem and diagnosed the problem at hand. Many times counseling just involves listening, being a sounding board, and asking the right questions to allow the other person to discern and discover the correct path or choice. The Leader as Counselor Builds a relationship with the counselees Listens empathically Provides insight and advice Knows thy counselee Uses reflective backtalk as a tool to help counselees in their development o Talks about their potential to be Helps create a fertile foundation for success Encourages the heart Is a chief advocate and a big fan
Delivers the truth in love
Key Examples: Mark Sanborn, leadership expert and author, gives this advice regarding asking great questions: A good question has value to both he or she who asked and he or she who answers. A good question provides insight to both parties, not just the asker. A good question assumes value in the answer. If a question creates an answer that doesnt provide insight, why ask it? Ive heard many ask a question designed to show how much the questioner knows rather than seek new information. Ralph Waldo Emerson always asked this reflective question of his friends and colleagues: What has become clear since we last met?
Key Questions: Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest) on your ability to discern what other people are thinking or feeling.
What questions have you found to be effective in helping you lead better as well as helping others perform better?
How can you build on your strengths in this role and as well as improve your ability to serve as a counselor to others?
5. Mentor Mentoring is the leverage point of leadership. The Leader as Mentor has a goal of building and developing other leaders, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the individual, the organization, and ultimately the mentor. Mentoring involves guiding or instructing someone in their respective field or discipline. A great mentor provides example, instruction, and wisdom that accelerates the development of another person. From my article: The Hard Side of Business: Developing People I dont have time to help him. If he cant figure it how to do it, I guess Ill just do it myself. Unfortunately, I have heard this kind of quote too many times from many a so-called leader. In this fast-paced world with too many tasks to accomplish, mentoring is often the furthest thing from a persons mind. For some people, mentoring is a foreign concept. Other people understand it but dont make it a priority. Mentoring is the leverage point of leadership. One person can only do so much. A leaders production is dependent upon his or her ability to produce, but it also depends upon his or her ability to lead through others. Mentoring is the craft of developing another person to become a leader, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the individual, the organization, and ultimately the mentor. Many leaders are blind to the correlation of mentoring and their own individual production. Some of them decide erroneously that they must do all of the work. Others take a more narcissistic approach and insist on receiving all of the credit. In the January-February 2000 issue of Harvard Business Review, Michael Maccoby discusses the pros and cons of narcissistic leaders. In his article, Maccoby relates five key weaknesses of narcissistic leaders: Sensitive to Criticism Poor Listeners Lack of Empathy Distaste for Mentoring An Intense Desire to Compete
With many old-school leaders still taking the narcissistic approach to leadership, it is understandable why they dont see the benefits to mentoring. In fact, they have a distaste for mentoring as Maccoby so eloquently states. They abhor it and see no value in it whatsoever. In my experience of observing and teaching about leadership, most leaders who negate the value of mentoring either have never experienced the pleasure of a great mentoring relationship or they are unwilling to credit their own success to a mentoring relationship. The perplexing point for me is how a leader can avoid the promising aspects of mentoring. Even a narcissist would want to produce exponentially beyond his own ability! Mentoring provides this distinct advantage to produce beyond yourself. When a leader makes it a priority to mentor other people, he or she can accomplish a lot
more. The leaders production capability becomes tremendous, because he or she can produce through themselves as well as through other people. As the leader develops his or her people, they begin to take the initiative to produce. This kind of leader focuses on developing the production capability, or effectiveness, of his or her people. As the people grow and develop into leaders, the organization is stronger and more effective, and the leader has exceeded his or her own production limitations. The Leader as Mentor Equips the person with the right kind of instructive advice that helps the person develop in their technical field or discipline Shares knowledge and advice freely, openly, and regularly (Disciplined approach) Is keenly aware of the mentees interests and desires Provides information and knowledge that is tailored to the mentees interests Helps monitor the progress of the mentee and gives feedback, encouragement, and instruction to help the person achieve his or her goals
Key Examples: John Wooden died in 2010, but his legacy will be felt through people for generations to come as evidenced by how many people live and teach his Pyramid of Success. More companies are placing a focus on succession planning and developing high potential and high performers.
Key Questions: Who is in your sphere of influence that you can take a more active role in mentoring?
What are some action steps that you will take to become a more active mentor in the lives of people in the next 90 days? The next year?
What will be your legacy at Rice University?
6. Designer Designing is the art form of understanding the people that have been entrusted to you, the goals that need to be accomplished and the problems that need to be solved, and putting people in a position to succeed. The Leader as Designer is a master architect that can design systems, plays, and structures that allow people to succeed and perform at their best both individually and collectively. From my article: The Hard Side of Business: Developing People Many leaders love the limelight. They love getting credit for a job well done. Progression is based on performance, and most people perceive performance to be only the things that are visibly seen. A basketball player executes a play to perfection, and the fans immediately praise him giving little thought to the mastermind behind the play. In this case, the coach designed the play to take advantage of the stars innate ability. Furthermore, the coach recognized the situation including the other teams strengths and weaknesses and called a play to exploit the defense being played. His star player still had to execute, but would he have scored on a poorly designed play? Probably not. The chances for success are extremely higher with a well-designed play. So it is with leadership. Many leaders dont naturally migrate to the task of design. This task is not openly rewarded, so it is often left by the wayside. Yet, design is an extremely important part of leadership. The leader, like the coach, must design an effective organizational environment in order for her followers to thrive. A leader who recognizes the importance of design will produce results now and well into the future. The Leader as Designer Puts the success of followers ahead of personal praise Designs an effective environment for others to succeed Discovers the power of leverage and uses it to perfection Is keenly aware of the impact one life can have on another Understands the strengths and abilities of others and designs accordingly
Key Examples: Tex Winter, the architect of the Triangle Offense the X-Factor that helped the Chicago Bulls win 6 championships in the 90s and the Lakers win 5 rings in the 2000s. The role of Steve Jobs as the Chief Designer at Apple as well as Jonathan Ive, the Senior Vice President of Industrial Design at Apple Inc. Jonathan is the leading designer and conceptual mind behind the iMac, titanium
and aluminum PowerBook G4, G4 Cube, MacBook, unibody MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Key Questions: How can you grow more in this role as a designer?
What strengths and insights do you possess that will allow you to impact the design of your teams and projects?
What type of environment do you thrive in?
7. Servant Leader Someone who takes responsibility for the development of others, gives of themselves, and measures their worth by how well those around him or her succeed. From my article: The Hard Side of Business: Developing People The traditional hierarchy within most organizations is a pyramid where people report to a boss. The boss is responsible for managing and leading the individuals, yet the followers spend most of their time serving and responding to the needs of their boss sometimes to the detriment of their customers. The servant leader inverts this pyramid and becomes responsive to the needs of those that he or she serves. If a follower needs direction, they give it to him. If they need support and encouragement, he or she provides it for them. If an individual needs resources to get their job done, he or she acquires the necessary resources. The followers, in turn, become responsible able to respond to the needs of those they serve such as the customer or their peers. The role of serving is the most critical role of leadership and is the true leverage point for all of the other roles mentioned above. While servant leadership is truly the hardest role of leadership, it can yield the greatest impact on people. By serving the needs of followers, the most effective leaders can design, coach, counsel, mentor and facilitate the successful performance of their followers and their business. Larry Bossidy, the former CEO of Allied Signal, has an excellent quote related to the true evaluation of a servant leader: How am I doing as a leader? The answer is how are the people you lead doing? Do they learn? Do they visit customers? Do they manage conflict? Do they initiate change? Are they growing and getting promoted? You wont remember when you retire what you did in the first quarter of 1994, or the third. What youll remember is how many people you developed. How many people you helped have a better career because of your interest and your dedication to their development . When confused as to how you are doing as a leader, find out how the people you lead are doing. Youll know the answer. Seek first to serve and all the other things will be added unto to you. The Leader as Servant Leader Is People-centered vs. Program-centered Exists primarily in a leadership role or position to serve others Serves as the catalyst for emotionally energizing the team members Is passionate about helping others succeed Pursues significance as a redefinition of success Focuses on being significant in the lives of individuals, in organizations, and in society
Is able to influence regardless of title
Key Examples: Benjamin Zander, Conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and author of the book The Art of Possibility: I set as the goal the maximum capacity that people have I settle for no less. I make myself a relentless architect of the possibilities of human beings. C. William Pollard, Former Chairman of ServiceMaster: A servant leaders results are measured beyond the workplace, and the story is told in the changed lives of others. Robert Browning: A mans reach should exceed his grasp. Max De Pree, former CEO of Herman Miller and author of the book Leadership is an Art: The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.
Key Questions: How can you serve the needs of your team, teammates, friends, family, and peers?
What strengths do you possess that are complimentary and supplementary to the people around you?
How do you measure success as a leader?

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Rice University Athletics Student-Athlete Development

Session 1: Embracing Your Leadership Role

Key Questions: What are my strengths as a leader?

Finding more sources.. to have more experience..

Delivers the truth in love

What will be your legacy at Rice University?

What type of environment do you thrive in?

Is able to influence regardless of title

How do you measure success as a leader?

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