CONTENTS
| Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | iii |
| The Nature of Leading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 1 |
| 1. A Matter of Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 3 |
| 2. Character: A Foundation for Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 11 |
| 3. Adversity: The Forge of Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 15 |
| Trust-Building Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 19 |
| 4. Honesty: The Cornerstone of Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 21 |
| 5. Technical Competence: A Qualification for Coaching . . . . . . . . . . | 23 |
| 6. Inspiration: Breathing Life into the Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 27 |
| 7. Visibility: A Leader I Can See . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 29 |
| 8. Unselfishness: A Team-Serving Attitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 31 |
| 9. Humility: Modesty of Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 37 |
| 10. Communication: Painting Clear Pictures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 41 |
| 11. Justness: A Fair and Objective View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 45 |
| 12. Consistency: Walking the Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 47 |
| 13. Respect: A Two-Way Street . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 51 |
| 14. Decisiveness: Someone Has to Make Choices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 53 |
| 15. Loyalty: Keeping Faith with the Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 55 |
| 16. Courage: Commitment to Do Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 57 |
| Trust-Building Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 59 |
| 17. Understanding Your Role . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 61 |
| 18. Knowing Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 73 |
| 19. Motivating the Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 85 |
| 20. Balancing People and Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 93 |
| 21. Caring for the Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 99 |
| 22. Using Power and Influence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 105 |
| 23. Navigating the Corporate Terrain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 115 |
| 24. Disciplining the Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 125 |
| 25. Encouraging Criticism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 133 |
| Building Trustworthy Teams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 141 |
| 26. A Team Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 143 |
| 27. Ingredients of a Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 147 |
| 28. Steps in Building a Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 151 |
| 29. Characteristics of Good Team Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 157 |
| 30. The Team Feeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 159 |
| Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 161 |
Appendix A
| |
| TECHSTAR Personality Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 163 |
| Temperament Questionnaire Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 165 |
| Temperament Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 167 |
| TECHSTAR Personality Scorecard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 171 |
Appendix B
| |
| Leading Principles Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 173 |
Appendix C
| |
| Trust-Breaker Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 181 |
| End Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 183 |
| Helpful Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 187 |
| Helpful Films . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 189 |
| Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 191 |
| About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | Inside Back Cover |
LIST OF FIGURES
| |
| 1-1 Credibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 5 |
| 1-2 Earning and Losing Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 7 |
| 1-3 Total Trustworthiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 9 |
| 8-1 Whom Do I Serve? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 32 |
| 17-1 Functions of a Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 62 |
| 18-1 Task vs. People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 77 |
| 18-2 Rationalvs. Emotional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 78 |
| 18-3 Four Basic Quadrants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 79 |
| 18-4 Quadrant Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 80 |
| 18-5 TECHSTAR Personality Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 81 |
| 18-6 TECHSTAR Personality Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 83 |
| 18-7 TECHSTAR Personality Scorecard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 84 |
| 20-1 Coaching for Superior Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 94 |
| 20-2 The Managerial Grid® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 96 |
| 23-1 Triangulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 117 |
| 23-2 Tactical Midpoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 119 |
| 24-1 The Discipline Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 127 |
| 28-1 The Ten P's of Project Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 156 |
| A-1 TECHSTAR Personality Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 163 |
| A-2 TECHSTAR Personality Scorecard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 171 |
Introduction
IN 1931, a young Army major by the name of George S. Patton, Jr., intrigued
with the study of humans in conflict and the effect of leadership on their
behavior, authored a text entitled Success in War. Within its pages, he wrote:
Our means of studying war have increased as much as have our tools for
waging it, but it is an open question whether this increase in means has
not perhaps obscured or obliterated one essential detail, namely, the
necessity for personal leadership.
Patton had learned through hard experience that technological affluence profits
little if an organization is destitute in leadership. Leaders, he knew, are the
structural center of a team, the hub around which the organizational wheel is
built, and the catalyst to an alchemy of human ingredients, without which the
powerful potion known as team cannot be brewed. He went on to build the Third
Army, a formidable fighting force whose WWII exploits were feared by the
enemy and cheered by Americans at home and overseas.
What was Patton's secret? He was a team-forger-a leader with the ability to
fashion individuals into a tool more powerful than the sum of its individual parts.
Yet Patton's experience is not unique, nor is the military in sole possession of
Patton's wisdom. Pat Riley, former head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, New
York Knickerbockers, and currently with the Miami Heat, has made a career of
transforming professional basketball teams from disconnected under performers to
finely tuned, well-orchestrated teams. In The Winner Within, Riley tells of his
appointment as head coach to a flagging Los Angeles Lakers team in 1981.
Though the Lakers' roster read like a Who's Who of basketball luminaries
(Kareem Abdul-Jabar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, et al.), they just weren't
playing as a team. With the guidance of Coach Riley and the hard work of each
member of the team, the Lakers regained their championship form and went on to
become a formidable basketball dynasty, ruling the court for most of the 1980s.
Lest we believe that Coach Riley just had a lucky streak, he has proven himself
to the task twice more at the professional level. Riley left the Lakers in 1990.
After a stint as color commentator, he assumed head coaching duties for the New
York Knickerbockers. Again, great players, but no synergy. Under the tutelage of
Riley, they became playoff contenders within a year, losing to the Bulls by only a
single game. Leaving the Knicks in 1994, he accepted the head coaching position
of the Miami Heat, another struggling team. Same story. Within a year, the Heat
had become a playoff contender. Resuming coaching duties with the Heat again
in 2005, he led them to an NBA championship.
Riley, too, is a team-forger. In The Winner Within, he wrote:
If there's one thing on which I'm an authority, it's how to blend the talents
and strengths of individuals into a force that becomes greater than the sum
of its parts. My driving belief is this: great teamwork is the only way to
reach our ultimate moments, to create the breakthroughs that define our
careers, to fulfill our lives with a sense of lasting significance.
These are not new words. Any student of leadership reads them again and again,
in historical studies as well as modern day recitations of the art called leading.
Great leaders in government, business, the armed forces, and sports all learn that
distinguished accomplishments come from teams, and superb teams are the
reflections of exceptional leaders-leaders who don't just energize teams, but
who synergize them.
If leadership is so important in building teams, you would assume that the study
of leadership would occupy a central position in both the development of
potential leaders and the continued refinement of those already in leadership
positions. Instead, in most business environments, leadership studies are rarely
included, especially for the first line leaders who need them most. Junior leaders
are expected either to have or somehow to acquire the necessary characteristics
and skills to lead effectively. Indeed, those who have demonstrated expertise as
technicians or engineers are frequently thrust into the ranks of leadership in a
"sink or swim" fashion which, all too often, results in a drowning. Not only is a
team damaged in the process, but a potentially good leader may be set back years
in development.
Trustworthy Leaders is a short study in the characteristics and skills shared by
effective leaders in business, sports, government, and military endeavors. It
draws upon the thoughts of proven leaders, past and present, to identify the
attitudes and actions which underlie the development of trust between leaders
and team members. The objective of the work is to help bridge the gap for those
who have not had the advantage of careful, organized study.
The focus of this work is on age-old leadership principles, traits, and skills rather
than some avant-garde view of leading. My experiences and studies have
convinced me that there is no new or undiscovered method of leading. People are
people, and influencing them to accomplish tasks within their respective
environments is the crux of leading. Lord Baden-Powellor Juliette Gordon Low,
Scouting's founders, would have taught us the same lessons.
Since the ideas themselves are as old as humans and universally applicable to most
leadership environments, the illustrations and quotations have been chosen to paint
clear images rather than to achieve an artificial balance between races, sexes, or
ages. As such, I have not attempted to make this work all things to all people. To
have done so would have diluted the content and distracted from the theme. Instead,
I have drawn on my own experiences-the same method by which each of us learns
to lead-to illustrate the concepts presented in the book. As a result, you will find
examples from sports, business, and the military. In that sense, this book is not
strictly business.
If you are not interested in sports, you may object to the use of sporting
examples; yet the development of sports teams offers a unique opportunity to
study leadership and its effect in a compressed time frame. To watch Coach Mike
Krzyzewskiof the Duke Blue Devils or Coach Pat Summit of Tennessee's Lady
Vols lead their teams in college basketball is a fascinating and instructional study
in the art of leading. We see leadership in action as these great coaches use
forceful behavior when appropriate while, at other times, choosing persuasive,
gentle behavior as the most influential tool for the situation.
Similarly, if you have no affiliation with the military community, you may object
to the use of martial illustrations. Some believe that there is not a legitimate
comparison between leading military organizations and business organizations.
Leading is an exercise in the acquisition and
employment of power, not for the purpose of
serving oneself, but for guiding a team toward
accomplishment of an objective. The effectiveness
of a leader is proportional to the leader's
credibility in the eyes of the team. When a leader
behaves in a fashion that engenders trust, team
members are more likely to follow.
