In addition to my Bible reading, I read these 16 books in 2012.

• Einstein (Walter Isaacson)
• Screw Business as Usual (Richard Branson)
• Robert E Lee on Leadership (H.W. Crocker)
• Do More. Faster  (Brad Feld, David Cohen)
• Good Strategy Bad Strategy (Richard P. Rumelt)
• Marketing in the Age of Google (Vanessa Fox)
• The Advantage (Patrick Lencioni)
• Standout (Marcus Buckingham)
• The Ultralight Startup (Jason Baptiste)
• Great Leaders Grow (Ken Blanchard, Mark Miller)
• The Innovator’s DNA (Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen, Clayton M. Christensen)
• The Power of Storytelling (Jim Holtje)
• The Startup of You (Reid Hoffman, Ben Casnosha)
• The Strategist (Cynthia Montgomery)
• Love Works (Joel Manby)
• The Executive and The Elephant (Richard L. Daft)

Happy reading in 2013. ESH.

I have the privilege to host people from other companies regularly.  They visit Stripco to see our equipment (some of it is quite unique), learn about our software, and a host of other things.  As a general rule, we welcome these people (yes, even competitors) and spend as much time with them as they want.

On Tuesday two gentlemen visited to talk about ERP software.  We spent a couple hours covering their topics and went to lunch.  They thanked me for all the time I had given.  I told them it was my pleasure and that I’ve done it several times this year.  One of them said, “Wow, and I thought we were special.  We’re not.  You’re special.”  I was blown away by the sincere compliment. (Important note: I’m no more special than any of us.)

In the business world (or at least this man’s world – CFO of a publicly traded company), it is apparently special that a person would generously give a couple hours to help others, expect nothing in return, and do it regularly.  I wish it wasn’t special.  If it’s common in your world, that’s fantastic. However, if generosity is not common in your department, division, company, industry or whatever, I highly recommend you try it.

Here are a couple reasons why…

Your leadership results will improve when you’re generous.  The results of your leadership are equal to your vision raised to the power of your influence.  Generosity makes a positive impact on your influence.  People respond favorably to generosity.  It has the amazing power to soften a hard person.  It rubs off and spreads to others.  So make it a genuine habit (no fake generosity allowed; people can see it a mile away).  You’ll be blown away how it comes back in unexpected and remarkable ways.

Good stewardship requires generosity.  Wherever you are or whatever your position, you’re just a care-taker – for a while.  It’s temporary.  No matter how powerful or entrenched you may feel, it will end.  The President of the United States is term-limited.  CEO’s retire.  You can be fired.  We all die.  So hold it loosely, with this perspective.  Then consider the desirable outcomes for your successors.  You have an obligation to give away your knowledge and expertise freely or to at the very least pass it on to the next generation.

It’s a net value-add for the one that is generous.  On the surface, the math doesn’t make sense… I give three hours to someone without any expectation for payment or reciprocity of any kind.  That’s -3 +0.  You’re down three.  But the surface isn’t where the math of generosity exists.  Unfortunately, I can’t tell you how it works – exactly.  I can tell you that you will get more than three in return.  It may take time or the proper perspective to realize it, but it will happen.  When you give, you get more in return.  If you don’t believe me, I challenge you to try it.  Give freely and generously.  See what happens.  I dare you.

Yesterday, it was a capital equipment vendor.  They wanted to give their Plant Manager a tour of our facility.  So I gave the tour, answered the questions, and yes – got another lunch.  I could have really used that time for other important things.  But I don’t care.  I am genuinely thrilled to give my time and insight with no strings attached.  Are you willing to try it?  You won’t regret it.

So go. Lead. Generous.

In addition to my Bible reading, I read these 34 books in 2011.

• Tribes by Seth Godin
• Purple Cow by Seth Godin
• Poke the Box by Seth Godin
• Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne
• Flash Foresight by Daniel Burrus
• Crazy Love by Francis Chan
• Decision Points by George W. Bush
• Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
• Multipliers by Liz Wiseman and Greg McKeown
• Leadership: A Very Short Introduction by Keith Grint
• Enchantment by Guy Kawasaki
• The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki
• The Dragonfly Effect by Jennifer Aaker and Andy Smith
• Win: The Key Principles to Take Your Business from Ordinary to Extraordinary by Dr. Frank I Luntz
• Your Brain at Work by David Rock
• Lead Big by Ward Clapham
• Too Many Bosses; Too Few Leaders by Rajeev Peshawaria
• The Dip by Seth Godin
• The Element by Ken Robinson
• Switch: How to Change Things when Change is Hard by Dan Heath and Chip Heath
• Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent
• Forgotten God by Francis Chan
• Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur by Derek Sivers
• Instant Influence by Michael V. Pantalon
• What Technology Wants by Kevin Kelly
• Groundswell by Josh Bernoff
• The Five Disfinctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
• Getting Naked by Patrick Lencioni
• The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
• The Seven Laws of Learning by Richard L. Godfrey, Gerreld L. Pulsipher, and Hyrum W. Smith
• Humiltas by John Dickson
• Great by Choice by Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen
• Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
• American Sketches by Walter Isaacson

Happy reading in 2012. ESH.

I attended the recent Coaching Clinic at The University of Notre Dame and got to hear from three Championship coaches.  Urban Meyer won two Championships with the University of Florida.  Chip Kelly took his Oregon Ducks to this past year’s Championship game.  Brian Kelly is the second year head coach at Notre Dame, where he will win at least two Championships in the foreseeable future (or at least that’s how I see it).

These three coaches run (or ran) big time college football programs and have a tremendous amount of pressure for results.  They face something that most leaders do not (or could not); they have a nationally televised test of their leadership each weekend.  I was really looking forward to listening for any clues they may provide about leadership.  Since the two day event was a coaching clinic, I expected a lot of Xs and Os.  If I didn’t get much on leadership, I’d at least get to attend two spring practices!

I was thrilled when each man spoke passionately about leadership during their keynote addresses.  It shouldn’t surprise anyone that success at the highest level of college football requires outstanding leadership.  Here is a portion of each coach’s point of view on leadership.

Chip Kelly said the role of the head coach (leader) is to “create an environment where the players have a chance to be successful and then get out of the way.”  Oregon’s offense was potent, racking up more points than minutes played on several occasions.  So what did it take to achieve this extremely high level of success on the field?  The Oregon coaching staff had to recruit amazing talent.  They had to game plan for the defenses they were going to face.  They had to practice extremely well.  Then they had to trust their preparation and let the guys play.  This model can be applied to almost any leadership circumstances: get great people; have a great plan; train well; let the team execute.

Urban Meyer said that you must know what makes your program click.  You must have a plan, based on your core values.  If you don’t have a plan, you don’t have a chance.  I found it interesting that Coach Meyer didn’t even care what the plan is; he just demands it exist.  When the plan is in place, then there are three components to execute it.  First, everyone must believe in the plan, no exceptions.  You have to sell the plan constantly.  Finally, you must demand it.  He admits that demanding it is the hardest part.

Brian Kelly told us to work on winning every day.  He said that “winners make a habit of manufacturing their own positive expectations in advance of the event.”  He explained that this is done by paying attention to the smallest details in order to create a sense of pride.  Although winning football games on Saturday is the objective, Coach Kelly said the reason he is a coach is to develop young men.  He focuses on development in five areas: intellectually, spiritually, socially, physically, and skill.  Imagine your organization with a laser focus on personal development to achieve victory.

Success in football is so much more than a metaphor for success in other organizations.  Football is the quintessential team sport, and most organizations rely heavily on teamwork.  I wonder how differently we might lead if we knew we’d face the press core and internet boards once a week to examine every intricate decision we made in our leadership…  Do you have the right personnel in place, or do you need a top 5 recruiting class as soon as possible?  How well have you game-planned?  How prepared is your team?  If you’re not confident in these things, don’t worry about your results.  They’re going to be lousy.  You’re not ready to play.  On the other hand, if you have great people, the right plan and proper preparation, these three champions think you’re going to be successful!

I wear the same pair of shoes to work every day. They’re nothing special, except for one thing. They are allowed to get dirty. Some areas of my shop floor have oil, and my shoes get messy. I learned the hard way that they do not belong in the house. So my work shoes sit in the garage and never go inside. Consequently, I take them off before I enter the house.  At some point during my twenty minute drive home, I’ll reach down and untie them. I’m usually lugging my computer bag when I get home; so it’s nice to quickly kick off my shoes and go inside.

A couple of weeks ago, I had untied my shoes on the way home from work.  As I approached the intersection near my neighborhood, I realized something was wrong.  There was a truck in a neighbor’s back yard, and it had significant damage to the front end.  The driver of a second car was attempting to back out of the yard as well.  He was dazed and confused with blood running down his face.  We had a little more than a foot of snow on the ground at the time.  I took one look at this second car and knew the accident was not just a fender bender.  The driver wasn’t making any progress because the front left side of his car was smashed badly.

I parked along the road and hopped out to see if everyone was okay or needed help.  I ran into the snow covered yard and realized that my shoes were untied.  They filled with snow as I walked from the car to the truck to check on each driver.  Fortunately the driver of the truck was doing okay, not hurt too badly if at all.  The driver of the car was bleeding and disoriented. He didn’t know where he was and needed medical attention.  An off-duty police officer reached the scene at the same time; so he called the authorities, which were quick to respond.  After doing what little I could to help the situation, it was time to leave.  My feet were soaking wet and freezing cold.

This little experience reminded me of the importance to keep your shoes tied in leadership.  It’s so easy to check out early, but leaders’ lives rarely afford it.  You can be called upon at any time to hop out of the car and help.  If your shoes are untied (or off), how effective can you really be?  These poor people were just in a semi-serious accident, and the first person to help them had cold wet feet and was slightly distracted.  It certainly wasn’t my best.  So while a leader certainly needs time away, don’t untie your shoes until you get home.

In addition to my Bible reading, I read these 18 books in 2010.  I recommend each.

Have you ever observed something in your organization that just makes you shake your head and wonder how in the world it could happen?  Don’t worry.  You’re not alone.  The reality is that results of leadership can be unintended consequences.  Many times these situations are negative or even painful, but thriving organizations can have just as many (or more) head-shaking moments because of something outrageously positive.

Consider the possibility of unintended consequences as a result of your leadership.  What could go wrong as a result of your vision?  How could things go badly because of your influence on the organization?  Just as importantly, consider ways you may be surprised and delighted because your vision allows and your influence encourages exceptional, even unforeseeable, results.

Many times these unintended consequences occur along the way, as your organization carries out its daily operations.  For example, a bank’s daily operations include deposit and withdrawl transactions, along with loan and investing services.  A branch with a leader that values customer service, makes it a priority in the vision for operations, and influences employees toward that end through encouragement and recognition, may observe a teller close the window and walk an elderly customer to her car.  This simple act of kindness has nothing to do with banking but everything to do with valuing the bank’s customers.  The teller deserves the lion’s share of kudos for a job well done, but you should not overlook the environment established by the leader of the branch.  Consider an environment where the speed of transactions is most important.  If there was a line of customers, the teller may not have made the same choice to help with the walk to the car.  This is not to say one is right or wrong.  The leader should simply consider the possibility of unintended consequences and keenly observe them over time.  If the observations are little gems that capture the organization’s heartbeat, the leader can have confidence.  If the observations are less than satisfactory or worse – come with a steep price tag, the leader needs to reconsider vision or more likely – influence.

Consider a college (or any level) football coach and team.  The number one component of the coach’s vision is to win.  College football is big business with millions of dollars on the line for bowl appearances, not to mention the improved sales of team branded items for a team that wins.  The school’s athletic organization shares the vision, from the university president to the athletic director and of course – the boosters and fans.  College football is a slightly unique business in that it has a governing body in the NCAA with enumerated rules and regulations.  A big time college football coach has tremendous pressure to win and many constraints in his way, namely the NCAA rules and the opposing team.  This highly competitive and emotionally charged environment has the propensity for unintended consequences.  A perfectly well-meaning coach with a single-minded focus and incredible intensity could influence a player to use performance enhancing drugs.  This unintended consequence has significant hazards for the student-athlete and the school.

Consider a family where the parents’ vision is to raise and turn out to society responsible adult citizens.  Dad and mom usually have eighteen years of pointing their kids in the right direction (vision) and teaching right and wrong, better and best (influence).  They try to teach responsibility and integrity.  For several years, these efforts may seem in vain.  But one day when they least expect it, they observe a son or daughter selflessly give to another or courageously persevere a trial.  The specific decision or circumstances were never considered, nor was the result specifically intended, but at that moment a parent’s heart can rejoice and swell with pride.

Regardless of your specific leadership opportunity, whether banking, football, or parenting, consider the possibility of unintended consequences.  This takes imagination, and you will improve with experience.  It’s absolutely worth the effort and will provide unique insights to your leadership if you’re willing to open your eyes and be honest with yourself.

As a leader develops a Vision for the future of an organization, he/she should consider the level of detail that vision should contain.  Specific leadership circumstances will play a key role in the consideration.  The detail of an architect’s vision for the construction of a skyscraper will be quite different than a Broadway director’s vision to stage a show.  Each is well served to consider the appropriate level of detail required to motivate a desired result.

If the leader makes an error, unexpected or undesirable results may occur.  The Broadway director leads performance professionals with years of experience (usually).  One can imagine how blueprint-level detail could stifle the creativity of the actors.  Whereas you may not want to ride an elevator to the top of a skyscraper built from the loose marks of an architect that allows for creativity during construction.

Too many details in a leader’s vision may suffocate great people.  Too few details can allow an organization to wander aimlessly.  The leader that considers an appropriate level of detail and designs it into the organization’s vision has prepared for great results.

There are several questions the leader can ask when wrestling with the details of a vision.  What is the risk of leaving details unspoken?  What is the risk of too many details?  What is the proper origin for the details of the vision?  Are the details absolute, or can they reflect the uniqueness of individuals in the organization?  Is strict conformance necessary, or do I prefer creativity?

The level of detail consideration is just one of many mechanisms to move the lever of Vision to help a leader prepare for and deliver great leadership results.

Why do people say the best leaders lead by example?

If this is true, it provides a great insight on how to become a great leader.  Just set an example, right?  That can’t be the end of it.  People aren’t saying that a great leader sets a bad example.  So it stands to reason that someone who does a great job leading by example sets a great example.  It is probably equally true that a bad leader may be bad because of a bad example.

So how should an aspiring great leader set a great example?  I process this (and most) leadership question(s) through my frame work for Leadership Results, which simply states that they (the results of your leadership) are equal to Vision raised to the power of Influence.

The circumstances of your leadership position require unique considerations.  The principle is true, no matter if you sit in the CEO’s chair or work as a Production Supervisor.  Each (and all others) has an opportunity to be a great leader by example.  Both the CEO and Supervisor have two levers available to them.  Vision is the whats, the wheres, and the whens.  Influence is the hows and the whys.

The CEO may decide to enter the widget market (what) in North America (where) in Q2 of 2011 (when).  He/She will accomplish it by allocating resources (how) to achieve the growth objectives of his/her firm (why).

The Supervisor will decide to build widgets (what) on assembly lines 6, 7, and 8 (where) on-time per customer requirements (when).  He/She will accomplish it by training the labor force and communicating expectations (how) to achieve productivity, quality, and efficiency objectives of his/her firm (why).

You may identify more closely with one or the other.  However, the circumstance-specific considerations of Vision and Influence applies to each leadership scenario.  If we’re impressed by the results of either leader, we can look back at the things he/she did along the way to “set a good example.”  The leader knew what to do, where to do it, and when it needed done.  In other words, the leader had a positive Vision.  Furthermore, the leader knew both how and why to do it as well.  The leader also had a positive Influence.  So the leader ends up with positive results, interpreted by observers (those led or outsiders) as a great example.  The observer walks away and has occasion to say that the best leaders lead by example!

I’d encourage you to consider the example you set in terms of Vision and Influence.  If you’re satisfied, congratulations!  You’re well on your way to being described as a great leader by example.  Oh, one little caveat… That description will only come if the observers of your leadership agree that the example is positive.  However, if you’re not confident your example will stand up to close scrutiny, I offer you two levers to motivate change: Vision and Influence.  Use them, but use them wisely!

Your leadership impacts the whos of your organization much more profoundly and importantly than the whats.  Take time to consider who you lead.

You lead people, whether five or five thousand.  Human beings.  Each with a unique and precious soul.  Many times leaders only face this reality in tragic circumstances such as injury, sickness or death.  However, humanity exists whether or not it’s acknowledged.

While individuals are unique, people share a lot in common.  They were all born, and they will all die.  They are made of flesh and bone.  They laugh, and they cry.  At this level, circumstances are irrelevant.  It doesn’t matter what your organization does, people should be given consideration and respect for the basics of humanity.

Moving along the continuum toward characteristics that make individuals unique, we find common ground in groups.  Consider doctors or engineers or professional football players.  We can identify characteristics that represent these groups (not necessarily each individual), which are commonly based on shared experiences.  At this level, the circumstances of your leadership matter very much.  While it might make for some good comedy, I don’t recommend treating doctors like NFL players or visa versa.

Finally, leaders will deal with individuals.  Each has characteristics that make him/her unique.  At this level, both circumstances and the uniqueness of individuals should be considered.  Your influence with employees is impacted by these things.

So who are you leading?  A human being.  A group.  A unique individual.  Each applies.  Consider approaches to your leadership that accounts for each: respect humanity; understand groups; get to know and value individuals.