3 Quotes that Expand the Definition of Leadership
“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.”
Walt Disney
Books I’ve read in March:
- The Education of a Coach by David Halberstam. For insights from Halberstam’s book click here.
- Theory U: Leading from the Future as it Emerges 2nd Edition by C. Otto Scharmer.
3 quotes from Theory U:
The following quotes expand my thinking on leadership. I’m interested in your reaction.
Quote #1:
“Successful leadership depends on the quality of attention and intention that the leader brings to any situation. Two leaders in the same circumstances doing the same thing can bring about completely different outcomes, depending on the inner place from which each operates.”
The above quote motivated me to reflect on how leaders show up. What are your intentions, beyond producing results?
The question for the beginning of the week is, “How might you show up as a leader?”
Quote #2:
“At its core, leadership is about shaping and shifting how individuals and groups attend to and subsequently respond to a situation. The trouble is that most leaders are unable to recognize, let alone change, the structural habits of attention used in their organizations.”
Successful leadership begins with paying attention – noticing – attending.
Busyness is the enemy of noticing. The result is absence.
Going through the motions of leadership solidifies established patterns.
Leaders that doesn’t notice have failed to authentically show up.
The habit of NOT noticing produces patterns of frustration for individuals and relationships.
How might you begin to attend to people and situations?
How might you shape and shift how others attend to people and situations?
Quote #3:
“…connecting to one’s best future possibility and creating powerful breakthrough ideas requires the intelligence of the heart and the hand – not just the intelligence of the head.”
- How might you open your heart?
- How might you enhance your ability to appreciate and love?
- What wonder are you stifling?
- How might you see the whole, rather than just the parts?
- How might you choose to act with the future in mind?
Watch for an interview with C. Otto Scharmer on Facebook live the afternoon of March 23. (A link to the Leadership Freak Facebook page will be provided at a later time.)
What are you learning from books you are reading?
What comes to mind when you think of the three Scharmer quotes?
Reading list for March:
- Servant Leadership in Action by multiple co-authors.
- Intelligent Disobedience: Doing Right When What You’re Told to Do Is Wrong by Ira Chaleff.
- The Book of Mistakes: 9 Secrets to Creating a Successful Future by Skip Prichard.
Added for March:
- The Essentials of Theory U: Core Principles and Applications by C. Otto Scharmer
- The Mind of the Leader: How to Lead Yourself, Your People, and Your Organization for Extraordinary Results by Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter
*I relax my 300 word limit on weekends.
I read on a daily basis, with a hunger for information. I have always believed that I view people and situations in accordance with all three quotes. I want to believe I am a BIG thinker type person that approaches situations and people in both the present with a firm eye on the future.
When it comes to leadership, I recommend the books: “Inside Drucker’s Brain”, “In the Eye of the Storm – The Life of General Norman Schwarzkopf” and “Contented Cows Give Better Milk”. There are so many other great ones, any other suggestions?
Frame the Issue!
Leaders frame the problem or opportunity in new ways. That get’s our attention. Leaders inspire us to see things from a new angle or point of view. The new frame expands our view of what’s possible and how things can be better.
Related to quote 2–finding the right frame will shape and shift how individuals and groups attend to and subsequently respond to a situation.
It’s very difficult to dissemble the jargon (plain language?) of the quotes cited …
#3 deserves an affirmation from a designer …
(he)ART – spirit/vision,
MAN(ufacture – hand/doing), and
LOGOS(logic/rationality – principle) …
Heart, Hand, and Head …
all need to be aligned and reconciled
for INTEGRITY
to be achieved and sustained.
When excellence is the object, progress is the result.
… and by the way, “integrity” is the answer to each of the 5 questions from #3.
As a woman I feel excluded from you affirmation (he), MAN….and if you tell me the use of MAN includes me — truly that isn’t helpful…..
Alright, how about HUMAN(ufacture) …its about humanity and what we do and ACHIEVE. You’ve got no reason to feel or believe YOU are being excluded, other than your own negative thinking. I can find nothing gender disparaging in the initial post, any of the comments, or in my own. Feel free to point out to me if I’m missing something relevant, material or inaccurate. Thanks.
Re Quote #2
Tom Peters and Robert H. Waterman, noted in their book, In Search of Excellence, a behavior they called “management by walking around.” It’s fairly self-explanatory and very effective. Unconsciously, I do this all the time, and my direct reports notice it.
I’m currently reading Dave Ramsey’s entreleadership book. It’d helping me to realize how important written goals are. Not just saying them, but actually writing them out on paper.
Successful leadership begins with paying attention – noticing – attending.
I know a leader who only shows up to nitpick and catch people doing it wrong. We call it the “Gotcha Game”. People do not tell this leader anything because it can and will be used against you.
Another leader I know shows up to help us get it right, not catch us doing wrong. She listens and offers encouraging and helpful insight. People flock to her and tell her things so she can help make things better.
Most Excellent quotes and a Most Excellent post. Great stuff.
The first and second quotes makes me think of servant leadership. Being to busy to not notice and having intentionality. Reminds me that relationship or influence is the end goal not just the job.
Love the first quote “quality of attention and intention”. When a leader is intentional, they have chosen a course of action while thinking about the outcome.
Some of the worst leadership I’ve observed has come from managers failing to consider the consequences of their actions or other people, resulting in unintended consequences that could have been avoided.
As for the questions “how might I show up as a leader?”, I will try to show up with intention – that is, I will think hard about how I am affecting others before proceeding with a course of action. Thinking about how I engage or impact others is harder, and might take longer, and it might stress me out, but that’s how I’ll try to keep showing up as a leader.
Nice post!