Saturday March 21, 2009

Leadership is an extreme thing

SCIENCE OF !IL"IN# LE$"E%S y %OS&$N '&I%$N

It is a()ut traits (ut n)t *ust a()ut traits+ In 1997, while I was working at NBC News, Mother Teresa, Nobel Prize winner, died. While preparing or a spe!ial progra""e on her li e as a trib#te to her, I started browsing stories and a!ts abo#t her. $ere was a sh%, intro&ert wo"an, born as 'gnes (on)ha Bo*a)hi#in, who i"pa!ted the world. 't the height o the siege o Beir#t in 19+,, she "anaged to pers#ade the Israelis and Palestinians to !ease ire long eno#gh to allow the res!#e o -7 !hildren ro" a hospital. ' !apti&ating stor% was when she went to an Indian baker% and insisted on getting ree bread or her ho"eless !hildren in Cal!#tta. The baker slapped her hard and asked her to get o#t o there. .he did not be!o"e de ensi&e or s"a!k the baker or his assa#lt on her. Instead, she !al"l% said, /I probabl% deser&ed that slap or asking or ree bread. Now, please gi&e "e "% bread.0 .he harassed the baker or two ho#rs #ntil he !o#ld no longer tolerate her and *#st ga&e her the bread to get rid o her. $ere, she displa%ed her e)tre"e h#"ilit% b#t also her e)tre"e asserti&eness in one sit#ation. 'nd I started to get a sense o what leadership was. .o, what is leadership1 Being o#tspoken, !haris"ati!, &isionar%, inspiring and passionate does not "ean that %o# are a leader. 2eadership is abo#t traits b#t not *#st abo#t traits. I ha&e dis!o&ered that all leaders, ro" Mother Teresa to 3a!k Wel!h, ha&e this sa"e abilit%4 The% are e)perts at #sing the right traits at the right "o"ent. $ere5s a 6#i!k 6#estion. Whi!h is "ore i"portant or leaders to ha&e4 The abilit% to listen or the abilit% to talk1 The abilit% to be detail7oriented or the abilit% to see the big pi!t#re and be strategi!1 The abilit% to learn or to tea!h1 The abilit% to be h#"ble or to be asserti&e1 To r#le b% a#thorit% or b% in l#en!e1 The abilit% to dri&e !hange onesel or to e"power others to lead the !hange1

These traits are generall% the polar opposites o ea!h other. Ironi!all%, the answer to ea!h o the 6#estions abo&e is4 Both. 2eadership is abo#t !onte)t and sit#ation. It is the abilit% to beha&e in the right wa% at the right ti"e and to do the right thing at the right "o"ent. In inter&iews, Mother Teresa said she learnt to "o&e sea"lessl% between the two e)tre"es ro" her st#dies o 3es#s. $e displa%ed s#!h e)tre"e !ontrast in beha&io#r when he a#thoritati&el% re"o&ed illegal sellers ro" the te"ple pre"ises with a whip. 'nd %et *#st a ter that, he h#"bles hi"sel to wash the eet o his ollowers. 8ro" "% personal resear!h and obser&ation o top leaders in a!tion, in!l#ding 3a!k Wel!h, I ind that great leaders are a pe!#liar b#n!h 9 al"ost like :r 3ek%ll and Mr $%de when it !o"es to their leadership a!tions. The% e ortlessl% "o&e ro" opposite leadership traits with e)pertise. .#n Tz#5s The 'rt o War sa%s4 /Bene&olen!e and righteo#sness "a% be #sed to go&ern a state b#t !annot be #sed to ad"inister an ar"%. ;)pedien!% and le)ibilit% are #sed in ad"inistrating an ar"%, b#t !annot be #sed in go&erning a state.0 .#n Tz# #nderstood that leadership was !onte)t#al and sit#ational. 2eadership /tri!ks0 !annot be applied in go&ern"ent as to "ilitar% as to b#siness. Conte)t "atters. 3a!k Wel!h alwa%s said leadership was all abo#t <;s4 ;nerg%, ;nergises, ;dge and ;)e!#te. 3a!k lied. =$e orgot to "ention the other ; 9 ;)tre"e>. Wel!h is a !lassi! e)a"ple whose entire leadership lega!% is based on swinging between e)tre"e leadership traits. $a&ing worked at (eneral ;le!tri! or "ore than 1, %ears, I ha&e personall% seen Wel!h !onstantl% swit!h between e)tre"es. $e sw#ng ro" sta%ing "a!ro, &isionar% and dis!#ssing strateg% to instantaneo#sl% digging deep, asking 6#estions that enable hi" to plo#gh thro#gh the details o a sit#ation. That5s what real leaders do 9 swing ro" one e)tre"e to another and be able to handle both e)tre"es per e!tl% well. I ha&e also seen Wel!h #se a#thorit% and ear to dri&e ho"e a point or to ens#re that an a!tion is taken b#t, at the sa"e ti"e, he also en!o#raged his e"plo%ees to ha&e ownership, engage"ent and e"powered the" to take a!tion b% the"sel&es. This see"s rather !ontradi!tor% b#t it is reall% sit#ational. Wel!h knew when positional power was ne!essar% to get things done and when to #se in l#en!e to e"power his e"plo%ees. That5s the power o great leaders 9 the abilit% to #se both e)tre"es o leadership traits to the #llest e)tent.

(reat leaders know when to abandon or 6#it a ailed idea and when to p#rs#e it #ntil it s#!!eeds. Man% wo#ld sa% that Nelson Mandela5s greatest lega!% as President o .o#th ' ri!a was the wa% he !hose to lea&e it. Mandela !o#ld ha&e been president or li e =and he had good reason to do so> b#t he !hose not to. Mandela knew that leaders lead as "#!h b% what the% !hoose not to do as what the% !hoose to do. ?et, he did not 6#it the ight in those ,7 %ears he was in prison. $e perse&ered. $e knew when to 6#it and when not to. Mahat"a (andhi led a i th o h#"anit% to independen!e in a leadership st%le that broke e&er% politi!al r#le in the book. $e took n#"ero#s beatings witho#t a ight and readil% a!!epted prison ter"s b#t, at the sa"e ti"e, he also "obilised a "ar!h against the British in the ,<@7"ile .alt Mar!h and de ied his !olonial r#lers b% #rging his ellow !o#ntr%"en to b#rn their oreign7"ade !lothing. (andhi was also wise eno#gh to "obilise people ro" all walks o li e to stand #p or hi". ?et, he took personal leadership to a di erent le&el b% in li!ting hi"sel with pain and asting. $ere was a "an who was the epito"e o leadership 9 le&eraging the power o /e)tre"e leadership.0 .o what does this "ean or "e1 Can %o# be!o"e the ne)t (andhi, Wel!h, Mandela or Mo%es1 A !o#rse %o# !anB I "et :a&id Mo%es, the "anager o o&er7a!hie&ing ootball !l#b ;&erton, and he "entioned how he learnt &er% earl% in his li e the i"portan!e o de!ision7"aking and "anaging ea!h sit#ation di erentl%. $e said there is no or"#la or leadership. 2eadership is abo#t reading and rea!ting a!!ordingl% to e&er% sit#ation and knowing ea!h is #ni6#e. 8or e)a"ple, i there is a de!ision that needs to be "ade, there are two wa%s to approa!h it4 Ane, b% #sing data and the other, b% #sing int#ition. (reat leaders know when to #se what. Ar "anaging %o#r e"plo%ees 9 sho#ld %o# #se !o"plian!e or sho#ld %o# e"power1 (reat leaders know when to e"plo% a dire!ti&e st%le or when e"powering leadership is needed. The% rea!t to ea!h sit#ation a!!ording to its !onte)t. Mark#s B#!kingha" in his book, First Break all the Rules, did resear!h on tho#sands o leaders. $e o#nd that the greatest "anagers in the world see" to ha&e little in !o""on, di ering in se), age, and ra!e and e"plo%ing &astl% di erent st%les.

?et, despite their di eren!es, the% share a !o""on trait4 The% do not hesitate to break &irt#all% e&er% r#le held sa!red b% !on&entional wisdo". 'nd the% break these r#les be!a#se the% #nderstand that ea!h sit#ation a!ed is #ni6#e and re6#ires leadership / le)0. There is a ti"e to be h#"ble, %et there is a ti"e to be asserti&e and take a!tion. There is a ti"e to ens#re per e!tion, %et there is a ti"e to go or speed and si"pli!it%. There is a ti"e to s"ile and a ti"e to get serio#s. ' ti"e or dis!ipline and a ti"e or spontaneit%. (reat leaders know the right ti"e when to alternate between !ontrasting leadership traits. :e!ision7"aking based on !onte)t and sit#ation lies at the heart o great leadership. .o, %o# want to be a leader1 2earn to be e)tre"e. 2eadership is, a ter all, an e)tre"e thing. C Roshan Thiran is CEO of Leaderonomics, a social enterprise. You can hear him live every onday at !pm on his o"n radio sho" on BF #$.$. %is dream is to see alaysia produce its o"n &andhi, other Teresa and, hopefully, a 'avid oyes to take alaysian foot(all out of its current state.