Leadership Trends and Realities

Approach to Leading and Winning - Step 10

Earl Cobb

Focused Leadership is a book which provides you a synopsis of the approach I diligently crafted, refined and applied in order to get the leadership results I desired over my 30-year career leading large and small organization in Fortune 500 companies as well venture capital backed start-ups. In Focused Leadership I have incorporated a series of informative and concise discussions regarding my leadership approach, which I now call the “10-Step Approach to Leading and Winning”. 

Step 1: Leading with Intention, Not Authority

Step 2: Envision the End at the Start

Step 3: Articulate Your Vision, Repeatedly

Step 4: Don't Allow Bumps in the Road Distract You

Step 5: Energize Others to Do Their Best

Step 6: It's Not All About You

Step 7: Set a Course Lined with Short-term Successes

Step 8: Have the Courage to Make the Right Decisions 

Step 9: Insist on Accountability and Respect from All

Step 10: Persist with Purpose, Passon and Focus

Persistence, purpose, passion and focus are fundamental characteristics of effective leaders. Gaining persistence requires determination and a mindset. Persistence in leadership is somewhat analogous to running a marathon. To run a successful marathon you have to spend ample time preparing. The time you spend and what you do leading up to the race will determine how well you perform in the race.

I believe that the traditional textbook definitions of a leader’s purpose, such as maximizing employee performance, are old news. In today’s fast-paced world of the Internet, social media and global competitiveness, a leader’s purpose is to ensure that “new futures” are created as rapidly as external markets evolve.

Also, as a leader, your passion and attitude are contagious and uplifting. They set the mood for everyone around you. The same goes for your focus. If you have a “laser” focus and a mindset to win, so will your team. Leadership is simple, but is not easy. One of the factors that separate effective leaders from others is their ability to focus their attention, not just on dealing with crises, but on creating and executing ideas to move the organization forward.

If you persist with purpose, passion and focus in everything you do --- you will consistently lead and win. 

PERSIST WITH PURPOSE, PASSION AND FOCUS

Earl Cobb is the author of "Focused Leadership: What You Can Do Today to Become a More Effective Leader", and an American “rags-to-riches” success story. Through his hard work, dedication and faith, Earl has forged an accomplished career as a systems engineer, project/program manager, and gifted entrepreneur. He is also a highly respected senior management executive. He has enjoyed over twenty-five years of success within Fortune 100 companies including Honeywell, Inc., Motorola, Inc. and Wells Fargo Bank. He is the former President and CEO of MedContrax, Inc.

You can contact Earl at earl@richerlifellc. You can find his website at  www.richerlifellc.com

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Approach to Leading and Winning - Step 7

Approach to Leading and Winning - Step 6

Approach to Leading and Winning - Step 8

Approach to Leading and Winning - Step 9

Earl Cobb

Focused Leadership is a book which provides you a synopsis of the approach I diligently crafted, refined and applied in order to get the leadership results I desired over my 30-year career leading large and small organization in Fortune 500 companies as well venture capital backed start-ups. In Focused Leadership I have incorporated a series of informative and concise discussions regarding my leadership approach, which I now call the “10-Step Approach to Leading and Winning”. 

Step 1: Leading with Intention, Not Authority

Step 2: Envision the End at the Start

Step 3: Articulate Your Vision, Repeatedly

Step 4: Don't Allow Bumps in the Road Distract You

Step 5: Energize Others to Do Their Best

Step 6: It's Not All About You

Step 7: Set a Course Lined with Short-term Successes

Step 8: Have the Courage to Make the Right Decisions 

Step 9: Insist on Accountability and Respect from All

Creating a greater accountability at every level of your organization is a means to gaining both organizational improvement and building an organization of mutual respect. When you fail to hold others accountable, you reap the consequences ---some obvious and some not so obvious.

Accountability is the willingness and interest to assume responsibility for one’s work and actions. It occurs only when team members accept full ownership of the results of their work. Without accountability, your organization is incapable of achieving and sustaining its best performance.

In leading high performance organizations, I have always made a concerted effort to utilize personal and team accountability to drive the execution of strategy and the accomplishment of organizational goals. Although the prospect of instilling accountability throughout an entire organization can seem daunting, I have found that each team member within an organization has the capability, if called upon, to contribute to building personal and team accountability. However, accountability is not something you can make people do. It has to be chosen, accepted and agreed upon by all the members within your organization. Your team must “buy in” to being accountable and responsible.

Also as a leader, it is vital that the people you are leading have respect for you. If you have their respect, they will work harder and longer to help you reach your vision.

Mutual respect is one of many values that most organizations seek to institutionalize. Like all values, it cannot be legislated or regulated into existence. However, it can be learned and it can be coached. It must also be demonstrated by you as the team’s leader.

From an organizational context, a team’s respect is not something handed to you when you take on a new leadership role. It is an essential leadership quality that you must build and earn over time. I have learned that if you know what you want, maintain a positive attitude, make yourself available and value team member differences, you can accelerate the process.

Although there is no sure method for gaining respect in a leadership role or instilling accountability instantly within an organization, as the team’s leader you should still insist on accountability and respect from all. Then, you should aggressively establish and embrace a workplace environment which will provide nourishment to both.

INSIST ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND RESPECT FROM ALL

Earl Cobb is the author of "Focused Leadership: What You Can Do Today to Become a More Effective Leader", and an American “rags-to-riches” success story. Through his hard work, dedication and faith, Earl has forged an accomplished career as a systems engineer, project/program manager, and gifted entrepreneur. He is also a highly respected senior management executive. He has enjoyed over twenty-five years of success within Fortune 100 companies including Honeywell, Inc., Motorola, Inc. and Wells Fargo Bank. He is the former President and CEO of MedContrax, Inc.

You can contact Earl at earl@richerlifellc. You can find his website at  www.richerlifellc.com

Related articles

Approach to Leading and Winning - Step 7

Approach to Leading and Winning - Step 6

Approach to Leading and Winning - Step 8

Approach to Leading and Winning - Step 8

Earl Cobb

Focused Leadership is a book which provides you a synopsis of the approach I diligently crafted, refined and applied in order to get the leadership results I desired over my 30-year career leading large and small organization in Fortune 500 companies as well venture capital backed start-ups. In Focused Leadership I have incorporated a series of informative and concise discussions regarding my leadership approach, which I now call the “10-Step Approach to Leading and Winning”. 

Step 1: Leading with Intention, Not Authority

Step 2: Envision the End at the Start

Step 3: Articulate Your Vision, Repeatedly

Step 4: Don't Allow Bumps in the Road Distract You

Step 5: Energize Others to Do Their Best

Step 6: It's Not All About You

Step 7: Set a Course Lined with Short-term Successes

Step 8: Have the Courage to Make the Right Decisions 

One of my favorite leadership quotes is one that is attributed to Winston Churchill. It states, “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”

Throughout my career, I have been both a practitioner and a student of leadership. I have read almost every book on leadership that I have been able to get my hands on. Most of the contemporary literature on leadership focuses on leadership styles, characteristics, principles, traits, models, etc. Much of the literature offers a great deal of historical insight, comparisons and advice. However, what I have found to be most intriguing is how the virtue of “courage” seems to be omnipresent. Aristotle once called courage the first virtue and alluded to the fact that courage is the virtue which makes all of the other virtues possible.

I believe that in addition to being the most important human virtue, when it comes to organizational performance and success --- courage is also the most important virtue of an effective leader.

The reason I have been such a fan of the Winston Churchill quote mentioned above is that I have learned that in the context of leadership, courage is both a “verb” and a “conjunction.” It takes a certain brand of courage to execute both the “gives” and the “takes” required to get the best results for the entire organization. Effective team and organizational leadership is about being able to synergistically blend talent and get the most out of diverse human experiences. In order to make this approach to leadership work for everyone involved, you must possess the brand of “courage” that allows you to not only fearlessly “stand up and speak” but to also fearlessly “sit down and listen.”

In addition, Focused Leadership is characterized by an intense focus on decision making which complements this brand of courage. As leaders, we are not strangers to decision making. However, we all find ourselves, at times, faced with the need to make a decision that is right for our team but challenging for others (and maybe ourselves) to swallow. I can recall scores of decisions I have made over my career which fall into this category. They all, at the time, seemed to take on the dimensions of “life or death” decisions. However, in hindsight, I recall that every decision that landed “on the side of the team as a whole” turned out to be the right decision.

As a part of your effort to become a more effective leader, you should strive to have the brand of courage required to make decisions that are best for your team and your organization’s success.

HAVE THE COURAGE TO MAKE  THE RIGHT DECISIONS

Earl Cobb is the author of "Focused Leadership: What You Can Do Today to Become a More Effective Leader", and an American “rags-to-riches” success story. Through his hard work, dedication and faith, Earl has forged an accomplished career as a systems engineer, project/program manager, and gifted entrepreneur. He is also a highly respected senior management executive. He has enjoyed over twenty-five years of success within Fortune 100 companies including Honeywell, Inc., Motorola, Inc. and Wells Fargo Bank. He is the former President and CEO of MedContrax, Inc.

You can contact Earl at earl@richerlifellc. You can find his website at  www.richerlifellc.com

Related articles

Approach to Leading and Winning - Step 7

Approach to Leading and Winning - Step 6

Approach to Leading and Winning - Step 7

Earl Cobb

Focused Leadership is a book which provides you a synopsis of the approach I diligently crafted, refined and applied in order to get the leadership results I desired over my 30-year career leading large and small organization in Fortune 500 companies as well venture capital backed start-ups. In Focused Leadership I have incorporated a series of informative and concise discussions regarding my leadership approach, which I now call the “10-Step Approach to Leading and Winning”. 

Step 1: Leading with Intention, Not Authority

Step 2: Envision the End at the Start

Step 3: Articulate Your Vision, Repeatedly

Step 4: Don't Allow Bumps in the Road Distract You

Step 5: Energize Others to Do Their Best

Step 6: It's Not All About You

Step 7: Set a Course Lined with Short-term Successes

You cannot expect your team to know or understand every aspect of the operational strategy required to fulfill your vision. It is up to you, as the leader, to set the proper course and provide the strategic bearings for getting from here to there.

In addition to regularly articulating their vision, effective leaders also spend time illustrating how best to strategically achieve the goals, overcome the challenges and reach the vision. At times, leaders must clearly explain a team member’s strategic role in fulfilling the vision and meeting the challenges. This type of “on-going” direction and coaching is not only informational but is also inspirational.

Occasionally, based on the makeup of your team, it may be necessary to coach team members that are in key operational roles. These team members must maintain the mindset required to read strategic “markers” placed in operational environments. Strategic thinking is by nature not inherent in all individuals and may differ in degree among team members. The proper strategic mindset provides your team with the ability to come up with all the best possible solutions for various scenarios.  The goal is to have them respond to internal or external factors in a manner consistent with the strategy required to reach your vision. Thinking strategically is also an effective and useful way to create short-term and long-term options which might result in more successful solutions.

Experience over the years has taught me that, along with strategic direction, your team and organization also need to feel that they are making progress toward reaching your vision. A sense of progress is important in order to maintain the passion that your vision provided from the outset. I have found that setting a strategic course lined with short-term successes is an effective and powerful way to provide your team with a true sense of accomplishment. 

Short-term successes seem to have the same effect on our psyche and sense of progress as do long-term successes and major accomplishments. Researchers have determined that one of best ways for people to see progress is through short-term successes. Short-term successes seem to set in motion the wheels of motivation, productivity and passion. However, you must remember that short-term successes are only effective when they are visible to the entire team and the victory is closely related to the ultimate goal.

Therefore, to become a more effective leader, you should supplement your vision with “on-going” strategic direction; discretionary coaching on strategic thinking; and a course lined with short-term successes.

Earl Cobb is the author of "Focused Leadership: What You Can Do Today to Become a More Effective Leader", and an American “rags-to-riches” success story. Through his hard work, dedication and faith, Earl has forged an accomplished career as a systems engineer, project/program manager, and gifted entrepreneur. He is also a highly respected senior management executive. He has enjoyed over twenty-five years of success within Fortune 100 companies including Honeywell, Inc., Motorola, Inc. and Wells Fargo Bank. He is the former President and CEO of MedContrax, Inc.

You can contact Earl at earl@richerlifellc. You can find his website at www.richerlifellc.com