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Duck Tales

September/October 2002

When the Going Gets Tough...

Today’s leaders are facing a host of challenges—the sagging economy, corporate scandals, security issues, not to mention the potential military action against Iraq. Tough times like these demand tough leaders. Leaders who can navigate stormy waters, make good decisions, communicate the vision, and motivate the crew.

In this issue of Duck Tales,™ we’ll take a look at these issues and consider the tools you need to successfully navigate your organization through adversity.

Leading in Hard Times

One of the most important things a leader can do in difficult times is to stay engaged and accessible. For many leaders, their natural inclination is to lock themselves behind doors, keeping problems to themselves and withdrawing from others. But just the opposite approach is what successfully carries leaders through tough times. Here’s the way Trust E. Duck sees things:

Be visible. Communicate constantly and truthfully with your people. Stay with them. Instead of isolating yourself in your office, immerse yourself with your employees, encourage them, and listen. During the blitzkrieg against London in 1940, Winston Churchill refused to leave the city. He lived in an underground bunker but would walk the streets after raids to encourage, console, and inspire.
Communicate the vision. In tough times, leaders need to communicate a clear vision to carry people through the crisis. Without a vision, people lose focus and inspiration; their job becomes meaningless and they no longer are motivated. Abraham Lincoln never downplayed the terrible losses and hardships of the Civil War, but his clear vision of preserving the Union helped the country survive.
Seek wise advice. When facing problems, leaders need trusted advisors who will offer wise and perhaps dissenting opinions and then unite once a decision is made. Colin Powell said, “When we are debating an issue, being loyal to me means giving me your opinion, whether you think I’ll like it or not. At this point, disagreement stimulates me. But after the decision has been made, the debate ends. At this point, being loyal means getting behind me and executing the decision.”

Rules to Lead By

While great leaders come from across the globe and all economic lines, they share some common characteristics. Here are a few rules that have turned good people into great leaders:

Be generous with credit. Robert Woodruff, a former president of Coca-Cola, once said “Man can accomplish great success if he doesn’t care who gets the credit.” A true leader never takes sole credit for success.

Be passionate. Leaders have a true passion not only for the organization and mission they serve, but also for life itself.

Forget the crowd. With leadership comes criticism—it’s inescapable. Leaders must be able to separate what they do and who they are from outside criticism.

Never settle. Debbie Field, founder of Mrs. Field’s Cookies, always insists on real butter and real chocolate for her enormously successful cookies. She said, “Leadership is about a commitment to quality—good enough never is!”

Focus on what really matters. Those who never quite achieve leadership status are often those who “sweat the small stuff.” A successful leader is one who can readily distinguish between what is important and what is not.

Keep learning. Great leaders know that continuous learning is a must for people in even the highest positions.

Measuring Leadership

The bottom line has long been one of the largest measuring sticks for effective leadership. But experts say superb leadership should be based on much more than annual earnings. According to Kim B. Clark, Dean of the Harvard Business School, “Leadership shows up powerfully and in its most relevant context…when you’re looking at the way that an organization moves through time and how it adapts, grows, reacts, and responds to the stresses and strains and turbulences of life.” Here are Clark’s distinguishing characteristics of leadership:

Global perspective. Clark says a true global perspective includes understanding differences and similarities among cultures. Leaders who can find common ground create the most coherent systems.

Entrepreneurial spirit. This, according to Clark, is “the ability to see value, often where others can’t.”

Technical literacy. Although they don’t have to be “techies,” today’s leaders must be conversant with information technology.

Fundamental values. Leaders should possess these values: integrity, respect for others, and personal responsibility.

Leader as teacher. Leaders should be willing to teach. That’s the only way, Clark says, that organizations can truly learn how new approaches work.

Touchstones of Authentic Leadership

Leaders who truly make a difference don’t operate in a vacuum—they actively build relationships. It is only through their ability to connect with others that leaders can help nurture the community and facilitate growth. What does it take to build effective relationships? Kevin Cashman, author of Leadership from the Inside Out, suggests these five touchstones of “authentic leadership”:

Be true to yourself. To be able to connect to others, you first need to truly know yourself—who you are and who you want to be. Leadership is not so much about influencing others as it is about being the person you want to be.
Be open to others. To effect change, nothing is more important than listening with an open mind. Listening not only is fundamental to learning and understanding different perspectives, but it also shows others that you value their input.
Express yourself with integrity. “Authentic expression…,” says Cashman, “means total congruence between who we are and what we do.” People are less convinced by slogans than they are by “straight talk.”
When they see that your actions reflect your words as well as your character, they will respond with trust and respect.
Show honest appreciation. Nothing builds unity and fosters commitment more than expressions of appreciation. While leaders who criticize create fear and insecurity, leaders who praise boost morale and spark creative minds.
Commit to service. Ultimately, leaders’ effectiveness is determined not by how well they lead, but by how well they serve. Good leaders develop a spirit of community where everyone’s contributions are valued.

Focus on Survival

It’s been nearly a century since Sir Ernest Shackleton led a crew of 27 to Antarctica, overcoming tremendous odds and surviving despite more than a year of incredible hardships. The crew’s ship, which never reached Antarctica, became stuck in ice for months before eventually sinking. The crew then drifted on ice floats with just three lifeboats and few provisions. After finally reaching an island, Shackleton led part of his crew on an 800-mile journey to South Georgia, returning to rescue the rest of the men. Shackleton never lost hope and never lost one of his crew. His leadership strategy is admired and followed by many today. Here are a few of the tenets of Shackleton’s leadership philosophy, particularly in crisis situations:

Talk to them. Shackleton immediately addressed his crew, explained his plan of action, and let them know he expected a successful outcome.

Face reality. In an ongoing crisis, complacency sometimes sets in. Shackleton never let the crew forget the seriousness of the situation.

Turn opponents into foes. Shackleton took those who exhibited the most discontent and made them his confidants.

Lighten up. A leader must relieve stress and tension during a crisis. Shackleton saved a banjo from the sinking ship to use as a diversion for his crew.

Make everyone part of the solution. Shackleton made sure all of the men felt they were part of the survival effort by giving them specific tasks.

Leadership at Its Best

Tragedy can make a leader or destroy a man. In the wake of the September 11 attacks, New York’s Mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, emerged as a hero and a leader. With some comparing his leadership qualities to those of Winston Churchill, Giuliani helped rally a city, as well as a nation. Here’s a look at some of the leadership qualities Giuliani demonstrated only a year ago:

Unity. After the attacks, Giuliani urged peacemakers and antagonists to put principles and values ahead of all forms of prejudice.

Commitment. Giuliani did more than extend his condolences to families and victims—he showed up. He often attended up to eight memorial or funeral services a day to show his commitment to firefighters and paramedics.

Character. Giuliani accepted a donation of $10 million from a prince of Saudi Arabia. But when the prince later urged America to reexamine its policies in the Middle East and adopt a more balanced stand toward Palestinian causes, Giuliani promptly returned the check, saying the Prince’s statements were wrong and part of the problem.

Cooperation. When Giuliani toured Ground Zero with 40 members of Congress, he said, “There are no politics here. It’s about being an American. Not a Democrat. Not a Republican. All those little fights we have. They don’t mean anything. We need to help each other.”

Risk. Two weeks after the attacks, Giuliani said, “Life is risky. You can decide to live your life afraid, or you can decide to live your life the way Americans live their lives, which is unafraid.”