take in people’s criticism without
defensiveness and learn from it become a
chief encourage er of your team for many
years I’ve enjoyed the relationship of
the Cathy family the leaders of
chick-fil-a one day I was having dinner
with truett Cathy the company’s founder
and he said do you know how identify
someone who needs encouragement if the
person is breathing they need a pat on
the back I have yet to meet a person who
doesn’t enjoy and benefit from
encouragement no one is too successful
old experienced or educated to
appreciate positive praise encouragement
from another person a great example of
this can be found in the lives of two
talented authors and teachers CS Lewis
and jr. are talking the friends both
professors at Oxford often met to share
with each other the fiction they were
riding when Tolkien was writing the Lord
of the Rings he became discouraged Lewis
continually encouraged his friend to
keep writing
toller’s where’s the next chapter you
can’t give up now Lewis would chide in
later years talking in knowledge how
much a difference Lewis’s positive input
had made the unspeakable debt I owe him
cannot be fattened for a Tolkien for
long he was my only audience as a leader
you have great power to lift people up
mother Teresa said kind words can be
short and easy to speak but their echoes
are endless
I’m sure Lewis is encouraging words
echoed and talking’s ears as he labor to
write his fantasy masterpiece as a
leader you can have a similar impact on
others people enjoy affirmation from a
peer but they really value it from their
leader the words
I’m glad you work with me you had
incredible value to the team mean a lot
coming from someone who has the best
interest of the team Department
organization at heart if you want people
to be positive and to always be glad
when they see you coming encourage them
if you become the chief encourage or the
people on your team they
work hard and strive to meet your
positive expectations number five strike
a balance between care and candor many
people get the wrong idea about the
concept of permission a leadership when
they become acquainted with it some
think that succeeding on the permission
level of leadership means treating the
people on their team like family that is
almost always a mistake people don’t
deal realistically with their family I
don’t I have a commitment level with
them that is deeper than with others
regardless of what they do I am
committed to giving them unconditional
love they have privileges that I extend
to know other people and compromise is a
constant anyone who says they don’t
believe in compromise has never been
married or stayed married what makes a
family great isn’t what makes a team
great families value community over
contribution businesses valued
contribution over community the best
team strike a balance others think being
a permission of leader means giving team
members permission to do whatever they
want that idea is also wrong
just because you care about people
doesn’t mean you let them work without
responsibility for accountability if you
care about people treat them with
respect and build positive relationships
with them you actually have more of
numerous opportunity to speak candidly
and have hard conversations with them
that will help them to grow and perform
better
every person has problems and makes
mistakes in the workplace every person
needs to improve and need someone to
come alongside of them and help them
improve as a leader it is your
responsibility and your privilege to be
the person who helps them get better
that often begins with candid
conversation but before you have it it
helps to ask yourself what the nature
the problem might be my friend Sam Chan
says that when he is having difficulty
with a person he asked himself one
simple question is this person a can’t
or a won’t can’t is about their
abilities we can help these kind of
people in most cases not in all cases
but in most but won’t is about attitude
if the issue is attitude the time to let
that person know there is a problem is
now
because here’s the deal we hire people
for what they know and we fire them for
who they are I believe that people could
change their attitudes and can improve
their abilities and because I do I talk
to them about where they’re coming up
short if you’re a leader and you want to
help people you need to be willing to
have those tough conversations so how
does a leader handle being relational
while still being able to move people
forward by balancing care and canden
care without candor creates
dysfunctional relationships candor
without care creates distant
relationships but care balance with
candor creates developing relationships
allow me to help you understand how care
and candor work together to help a
leader succeed on level 2 caring values
the person while candor values the
person’s potential to lead successfully
on levels two and higher it is important
for you to value people that is
foundational to solid relationships
caring for others demonstrates that you
value them however if you want to help
them get better you have to be honest
about where they need to improve that
shows that you value the person’s
potential that requires candor
one of the secrets of being candid is to
think speak and act in terms of who the
person has the potential to become and
to think about how you can help them to
reach it proverb says faithful are the
wounds of a friend but deceitful are the
kisses of an enemy if you’re candid with
others but with their benefit in mind it
doesn’t have to be harmful it can be
similar to the work of a surgeon it may
hurt but it is meant to help them and it
shouldn’t harm as a leader you must be
willing and able to do that if not you
won’t be able to help you
growing change carrying establishes the
relationship while candor expands the
relationship the things that usually
help to establish a relationship or
common ground and care those things
usually aren’t enough to make a
relationship grow to expand a
relationship candor and open
communication are required most leaders
I talk to have a difficult conversation
that they know they need to have but are
avoided usually they are reluctant for
one of two reasons either they don’t
like confrontation or they fear that
they will hurt the person they need to
talk to but if a leader can balance care
and Candra will actually deepen and
strengthen the relationship let me give
you an example Cheryl came to work for
me because she was a real go-getter with
a lot of potential for six months I
watched her work and what I discovered
was that she was great at the hard side
of leadership she was energetic she was
organized she was a good planner and she
always got things done but she totally
neglected the soft sided leadership the
relational part she wasn’t winning over
anyone she was leading and as a result
she wasn’t gaining influence which meant
that her leadership was going to be very
limited I scheduled a meeting with her
so that we could have a candid
conversation about her leadership style
I don’t know how much I respected her
ability and how much I cared about her
as a person but I also let her know that
she was falling short and how that would
limit her in her ability to lead people
I also offered to coach her on the
relational side to her credit she
accepted my criticism and took my help
for the next couple years I met with her
regularly pratik to her interaction with
others gave her reading assignments and
asked her to do things that would
stretch her she blossom as a leader and
began to win people on level two and
that freed her up to keep growing it
wasn’t long before she worked her way up
to level four with many people in the
organization not everyone responds well
to candid conversations let’s face it
honesty can hurt some people shut down
when you criticize them others leave and
work somewhere else however if you have
candid conversations with someone and
that person hangs in there and grows
she will make herself a candidate for
the climb up to level 3 and beyond just
as Cheryl did Karen defines the
relationship while candor directs the
relationship solid relationships are
defined by how people care about one
another but just because people care
about one another doesn’t mean that they
are going anywhere together you need the
team moving together to accomplish a
goal is the responsibility of a leader
and it often requires candor my friend
Colin Sewell owner of several auto
dealerships said to me leaders have to
make the best decision for the largest
group of people
therefore leaders give up the right to
cater to an individual if it hurts the
team or the organization getting results
always matters and good leaders never
lose track of that one night at a
basketball banquet the president of a
junior college was congratulating the
coach and the team profusely the beaming
coach asked the president would you
still like me as much if we didn’t win
I’d like you as much the president
replied I just miss having you around
retired Army General and former
Secretary of State Colin Powell noted
good leadership involves responsibility
to the welfare of the group which means
that some people would get angry at your
actions and decisions it’s inevitable if
you’re honorable if you want to lead
people well you need to be willing to
direct them candidate
Karin should never suppress candor while
candor should never displace Kari the
bottom line which has already become
very clear is that good leaders must
embrace both care and candor
you can’t ignore either so to help you
keep the balance between the two I’ve
created a carrying tender checklist for
working with people before having a
candid conversation make sure that you
can answer yes to the following
questions have I invested enough in the
relationship to be candid with them do I
truly value them as people am I sure
this is their issue and not mine am I
sure I’m not speaking up because I feel
threatened it’s the issue more important
than the relationship does this
conversation clearly serve their
interest and not just mine am I willing
to invest time and energy to help them
change am I willing to show them how to
do something not just say what’s wrong
am I willing and able to set clear
specific expectations if you can answer
yes to all of these questions then your
motives are probably right and you have
a good chance of being able to
communicate effectively as a young
leader I found it very difficult to have
candid conversations with people I often
postpone those difficult talks hoping
that an issue would go away seldom did
that happen maybe you relate to that if
so you’ll be glad to hear that you’re
normal however you need to know that
candid conversations are leaders
responsibility and must be done but in
[Music]
but an employee is hired to get a
certain job done and doesn’t that hurts
the team and the organization and then
it’s time for the leader to take action
that can be very hard but in the long
term it is the best not only for the
organization but also if the person who
needs to hear what’s not going right the
next time you find yourself in a place
where you need to have a candid
conversation just remember this
do it quickly shovel the pile while it
is small to accommodate never an anger
use the caring candor checklist do it
privately you want to help the person
not embarrass him or her do it
thoughtfully in a way that minimizes
embarrassment or intimidation if your
goal is to help the individual improve
the team and fulfill the vision of the
organization then this is the path you
should follow as a leader as you work
with people and have candid
conversations allow me to remind you of
one more thing candidness is a two-way
street if you want to be an effective
leader and earn your way onto level 2
you must allow the people you work with
to be candid with you
you must solicit feedback and you must
be mature and secure enough to take in
people’s criticism without defensiveness
and learn from it leadership expert
warren bennis observe effective leaders
reward dissent as well as encourage it
they understand that whatever momentary
discovered they experience as a result
of being told from time to time that
they are wrong is more than offset by
the fact that reflective back talk
increases the leaders ability to make
good decisions caring for people making
good decisions for everyone involved and
building solid relationships is what
level two is all about this is
permission at its best
the laws of leadership at the permission
level if you want to use the laws of
leadership to help you grow and win
permission on level two then consider
the following the law of influence the
true measure of leadership is influence
nothing more nothing less if you boil
leadership down to its essence it is
influence leaders help people work
together to accomplish goals that
benefit everyone involved how does one
person get others to do something
willingly excellently and consistently
by influencing them when I first
developed the five levels I called it
the five levels of influence
why because each time a leader climbs a
level their influence increases the
influencing process begins at level two
where relationships are formed that is
where leadership begins the shift from
coercion to cooperation the law of
addition leaders add value by serving
others why do people initially want to
be at leadership is the de gate power to
have more freedom to receive a bigger
paycheck to feed their ego many times
leaders begin their careers with selfish
motives maybe that’s not a good thing
but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing if
we are willing to change and put our
focus on others I’ve observed that most
level one leaders who have no desire to
move up to level two permission haven’t
gotten beyond the selfishness of wanting
a leadership position for their own
benefit to move up to level two leaders
need to understand that great leaders
practice the law of addition they lead
in order to help people and add value to
them
the law of solid ground Trust is the
foundation of leadership Trust is the
foundation not only of leadership
relationships but of all relationships
you cannot influence people who don’t
trust you you cannot build positive
relationships with people if they
perceive you negative
Trust is a glue that holds people
together trust begins at level two and
it grows as you climb to the higher
levels of leadership if people trust you
they will be willing to move upward with
you without trust you’ll quickly find
yourself back down at level one the law
of magnetism who you are is who you
attract I’ve studied leadership dynamics
since I was a teenager and something
I’ve noticed early is that birds of a
feather flock together it is a fact of
life that like-minded people are
attracted to one another groups of
people tend to be of similar age values
and background I’ve also seen that
leaders attract who they are not
necessarily who they want as you gain
influence in your department or
organization that can be good news or
bad news if the people who start
flocking to you our relational
non-territorial teachable and productive
and that is a positive statement about
your leadership if they are positional
close-minded and unmotivated then that
reflects negatively on your leadership
if you want to change your team then
change yourself the law of connection
leaders touch your heart before they ask
for a hand if you want to build
relationships and gain people’s
permission to lead them then work hard
to connect with them i define connecting
as having the ability to identify with
and relate to people in such a way that
it increases your influence with them
that is what you must do on level 2 to
win them over and earn the right to
leave the law buy-in people buy into the
leader than division
beaters are by nature visionary they
have great hopes that big tree they want
to win and win big but a great vision
without a great team often turns into a
nightmare teamwork makes the dream work
I’ll discuss how to build a team on
level 3 often leaders share their
visions with me and then ask do you
think my people will buy into my vision
when they ask me this I know they don’t
understand level 2 permission and
probably haven’t won it yet with their
people why do I say that because they’re
asking the wrong question instead they
should be asking and my people bought
into me the size or the worthiness of a
leaders vision often isn’t what
determines whether it will be achieved
the determining factor is usually the
level of the leader before you ask
people to move forward to achieve the
vision they must first buy into you as a
leader before they buy it to you as a
leader you must have earned their trust
and gained permission to lead them that
begins on level number 2 beliefs that
help a leader move up to level number 3
moving up to level 2 from level 1 is a
significant advance in leadership
ability very often an achiever or a
producer will be given a leadership
position at level 1 with the expectation
that that person can make the transition
from worker to leader most of the people
who failed to move up into leadership
don’t make it because they never
understand the importance of building
relationships with people that they work
with and gaining their permission to
lead them however there are still more
important leadership levels to be won if
you have worked your way up to level 2
with people and have gained their
confidence as a person who cares about
them then it’s time to start thinking
about the way a level 3 leader does to
begin that shift keep in mind the
following three things number one
relationships alone are not enough
although the permission level may bring
you and your team great satisfaction
relationally if you stay on level 2 and
never advance you won’t really prove
yourself as a leader the good news is
that if you have connected with your
team you have some influence with them
the question now is what are you going
to do with that in
fluids true leadership takes people
somewhere so that they can accomplish
something that requires a leader to
connect people’s potential to their
performance the permission level is
foundational to good leadership but it
is not your ultimate goal number two
building relationships requires twofold
growth throughout this chapter I’ve
talked about building relationships in
doing that I focused on how people need
to grow toward each other but for
relationships to be meaningful there is
another kind of growth that also is
needed people must also grow with each
other growing toward each other requires
compatibility growing with each other
requires intentionality if you are
married or in a significant long-term
relationship then you probably
understand how these dynamics come into
play when you first met your partner you
move toward one another based on
attraction common ground and shared
experiences you establish the
relationship however relationship can’t
last if you never go beyond those
initial experiences to stay together you
need to sustain the relationship that
requires common growth if you don’t grow
together there’s a very good chance you
may grow apart similarly if you are to
have any staying power as a leader you
must grow toward and with your people
just because you’ve developed good
relationships with your people don’t
think that you’re done on the relational
side there’s still more work to do
number three achieving the vision as a
team is worth risking the relationships
building relationships with people can
be hard work but to succeed as a leader
to move up to the higher levels of
leadership you have to be willing to
risk what you’ve developed relationally
for the sake of the bigger picture
leaders must be willing to sacrifice for
the sake of the vision if achieving the
vision is worth building the team it is
also worth risking the relationships
building relationships and then risking
them to advance the team creates tension
for a leader that tension will force you
to make a choice to shrink the vision or
stretch the people to reach it if you
want to do big things you need to take
people out of their comfort zones they
might fail they might implode they might
relieve their own tension by fighting
you or quitting risk always changes
relationships if your risk and win then
your people gain confidence you have
shared history that makes the
relationship stronger Trust increases
and the team is ready to take on even
more difficult challenges however if you
risk and fail you lose relational
credibility with your people and you
will have to rebuild the relationships
risk is always president leadership
anytime you try to move forward there is
risk even if you’re doing the right
things your risk is introduced but there
is no progress without risk so you need
to get used to it the bottom line is
that you can slow down early in your
leadership to build relationships on
level two or you can forge ahead trying
to skip straight to level three but if
you do you will have to backtrack later
to build those relationships I need to
recognize that doing that will slow your
momentum and it will actually take you
longer to build the team than if you did
it the right way in the first place
Starbucks founder Howard Schultz said if
people relate to the company they work
for if they form an emotional tie to it
and buy into its dreams they will pour
their hearts into making it
I believe that is true what is the key
link between people and the company the
leader they work with that leader is the
face heart and hands of the company on a
day-to-day basis if that leader connects
as you reflect on the upsides downsides
best behaviors and beliefs related to
the permission level of leadership use
the following guidelines to help you
grow as a leader number one be sure you
have the right attitude toward people
the key issue when it comes to the
permission level of leadership is how
much you like people and how much they
like you and here’s the good news
you can control how much you like people
and in general if you generally like
people they will find you to be likable
this may seem too simplistic but make a
decision to like everyone from today
forward even if they don’t like you
right out that intention then sign it
and date it if you need to keep it in
front of you as a daily reminder to make
people a priority number two connect
with yourself to become someone who is
good at building relationships with
others you must become the kind of
person you would want to spend time with
using the five components listed in this
chapter for connecting with yourself put
yourself on a growth plan that will help
you to win the following self-awareness
know your personality type temperament
talents strengths and weaknesses
self-image deal with any personal issues
you may have so that you can think of
yourself in a positive way self honesty
look at yourself realistically and
decide to face reality no matter how
much it may hurt self-improvement make a
commitment to grow in your ability to
develop relationships self
responsibility acknowledge that you are
responsible for your own actions and
attitudes
number three understand where you’re
coming from
are you a naturally relational person
who tends to put people ahead of
productivity or are you an achiever who
tends to put productivity ahead of
people you must recognize which you are
and learn to win both relationships and
results number four Express value for
each person on your team take some time
and come up with positive things that
you can honestly say about each person
on your team then take the time during
the next week to tell each person at
least one positive thing about
themselves
number five evaluate where you are with
your team write a list with the names of
the people on your team now for each
determine how well you know them by
answering the following questions which
come from materials the Eli Lilly
corporation developed from the five
levels of leadership what three
non-business things do you know about
this person what does this person value
what are this person’s top three
concerns what does this person want or
hope for in life if you are unable to
answer these questions for someone on
your team then you need to spend more
time getting to know that person set
aside time this week to get to know him
or her better
number six accept the whole person as a
part of leading if you want to be a good
leader you don’t get to use people’s
time and skills while ignoring or
neglecting the rest of them as
individuals that’s not fair or right
learn to accept responsibility for
helping people in dealing with the messy
side of leadership or step down and get
out of leading without standing on the
sidelines and criticizing the way other
people lead number seven make fun of
gold
one of the best ways for goal-oriented
individuals to develop a more people
oriented style of leadership is to try
to make the workplace more fun if you’re
more task oriented than people oriented
and make fun of go on your to-do list
that will make it more palatable for you
while at the same time making you more
likeable never 8 give people your
undivided attention many people in the
workplace today feel dehumanized and
demoralized they believe that the
leaders and organizations they work for
don’t care about them as people to
counter that when you engage with people
pay attention and really listen few
things communicate that you care for
people better than giving them your
undivided attention and it doesn’t cost
you anything but time number nine become
your team’s encourage or in chief people
are naturally attracted to people who
give them confidence and make them feel
good about themselves you could be a
leader who does that if you’re willing
to become an intentional encourage you
try it out for the next two weeks say
something encouraging to someone on your
team every day then watch to see how
that person responds do that with
everyone on your team and they will not
only want to work with you but they will
also get more done number 10 practice
care and candor if you care about your
people you’ll want to be honest with
them in a way that helps them when you
see that someone on your team is making
mistakes or in some way falling short
plan to talk with that person
immediately use the carrying Kandor
checklist to make sure that you do it in
the right way and remember it’s hard to
go wrong as long as you’re practicing
[Music]
making things happen separates real
leaders from one of these the production
level is where leadership really takes
off and shifts into another gear
production qualifies and separates true
leaders from people who merely occupy
leadership positions good leaders always
make things happen they get results they
can make a significant impact on an
organization not only are they
productive individually but they also
are able to help the team produce this
ability gives level three leaders
confidence credibility and increased
influence no one can fake level three
either you’re producing for the
organization and adding to its bottom
line whatever that may be or you’re not
Thomas Watson the founder of IBM noted
the outstanding leaders of every age are
those who set up their own quotas and
constantly exceed them that is a good
description of a level three leader they
are self-motivated and productive as a
result they create momentum and develop
an environment of success which makes
the team better and stronger another
benefit of leadership on level three is
that it attracts other highly productive
people producers are attractive to other
producers they respect one another they
enjoy collaborating they get things done
together that ultimately creates growth
for the organization leaders can get to
level one for an almost endless number
of reasons they show promise they have
connections they play politics they have
seniority the organization is desperate
you name it and someone has proudly
received a leadership position because
of it leaders who are naturally good
with people or who take pains to learn
people skills can move up to level two
but some people never move up from level
two
permission to level three production why
they can’t seem to produce results when
that is the case it’s usually because
they lack the self disciplined work
ethic organization or skills to be
productive however if you desire to go
to higher levels of leadership you
simply have to produce there is no other
way around it
the upside of production you now have
leadership credibility with the addition
of production
people’s leadership really begins to hit
its stride built on a foundation of
strong relationships leaders who get
results dramatically improve their team
and organization there are so many
upsides to level 3 here are six number
one leadership production gives
credibility to the leader the ability to
produce results has always been the
separation line for success it is also
the qualifying line for leadership Peter
Drucker
often described as the father of modern
management expressed it this way there
are two types of people in the business
community those who produce results and
those who give you reasons why they
didn’t authentic leaders know the way
and show the way to productivity their
leadership talk is supported by their
walk they deliver results the live on
their performance not their potential
they lead by example and their ability
to get results tends to silence their
critics and build their reputations
colin powell asserted you can issue all
the memos and give all the motivational
speeches you want but if the rest of the
people in your organization don’t see
you putting forth your very best effort
every single day they won’t either
level three leaders take their people
where they want them to go they don’t
send them there they’re more like tour
guides than travel agents why because
people always believe what we do more
than what we say therefore the
credibility of a level three leader can
be summed up in one word example
recently I ran across the story of a
great general from history named the Pam
Ananda’s a leader of Thebes he was a
brilliant military tactician who
defeated the vox of Spartans
his victories brought him great acclaim
but they also produced enemies within
his own city the opponents of a Pam
Ananda’s could find no easy way to
destroy or discredit him so instead they
sought to humiliate him they put him in
charge of collecting the city’s garbage
a thankless job in a filthy city even
though he knew his appointment to the
job was done out spies it was meant to
humiliate him he accepted it with
dignity saying if the position will not
reflect Laurie on me I will reflect
glory on the work I suspect that this
story is apocryphal but it still proves
the point if we do our work with
excellence and help others to be
productive we gain great leadership
credibility I found this to be true in
my own career as I was graduated from
college with a bachelor’s degree to
churches offered me the job of being
their pastor one was in Maysville
Kentucky it offered an excellent salary
and benefits and was an exceptional
place to begin my ministry career the
other was in Hill ham Indiana was a very
small Church in the middle of nowhere
that could not afford to pay me a
full-time salary
I chose Hill ham / Maysville why I
wanted to prove to myself and others
that I could lead people and build a
congregation my father advised me that
Hill Han would be a better place to
learn it was one of my best decisions as
a leader during the three years that I
led that church it grew and prospered in
many ways many people began to attend
the church for the first time people
were growing spiritually and we were
recognized as the fastest growing Church
in the denomination we even had to buy
land and build a new building it was in
Hill ham that I learned to move up from
level one position to level two
permission to level three production my
leadership credibility among my peers
was established there and doors for
greater opportunities quickly opened to
me those are some of the reasons I say
that every uglier should have a place
like Hill ham to learn how to lead Port
Walt Mason wrote a poem called the
Welcome Man which describes the
credibility that level three leaders
have here’s an excerpt there’s a man in
the world who has never
turn down where ever he chances to
straight he gets the glad-hand in the
populous town or out where the farmers
make hay he is greeted with pleasure on
deserts of sand and deep in the aisles
of the woods wherever he goes there’s
the welcoming hand he’s the man who
delivers the goods people welcome
achievers who deliver the goods who get
results number two leadership production
models and sets the standard for others
visually producers and achievers always
have an impact on the people who work
with them and for them to illustrate the
point I want to share with you my
all-time favorite story called sell not
spell now that is SEL SEL not spell spel
a newly hired traveling salesman wrote
his first sales report to the home
office it so stunned the brass in the
sales department because it was obvious
that the new salesperson was ignorant he
obviously couldn’t spell here’s what he
wrote I seen this outfit which they
never bought a dimes worth of nothing
from us and I sold them some goods I’m
now going to Chicago before the man
could be given the heave-ho by the sales
manager along came this letter from
Chicago I’ll come here and sold a half a
million fearful if he did and afraid if
he didn’t fire the ignorant salesman the
sales manager dumped the problem in the
lap of the president the following
morning the ivory tower sales department
members were amazed to see posted on the
bulletin board above the two letters
written by the ignorant salesman this
memo from the president with equally
atrocious spelling we’ve been spending
too much time trying to spell spel
instead of trying to sell SEL let’s
watch those sales si ILS I want
everybody should read these letters from
Gooch who is on the road doing a great
job for us and you should go out and do
like he done okay I admit that it’s a
corny story but I just love it because
it shows how loudly
activity speaks to any organization
Gooch in the story may not be a level 3
speller but he is certainly a level 3
producer and as a result the company
president held up his example as a
standard apology that’s how it is in
leadership productivity puts people at
the head of the class and when the
producer has already done the slow work
of building relationships on level 2 his
or her leadership really takes off I had
to learn this the hard way when I came
out of college someone could have
written a book about all the things I
didn’t know I was just a kid and had no
idea how little I knew but I like people
on it worked hard and I could produce as
a result new worlds open up to me very
quickly
I was surprised and pleased when people
started asking me to speak at
conferences to tell my story as a result
my influence began to grow and soon
leaders began to visit our church and
ask more questions many times these
leaders were older and much more
experienced than I was I found that very
humbling but it also inspired me to want
to help people more that was when I
began to develop resources I wanted to
keep helping people long after my
personal contact with them was finished
this eventually led to my writing books
have been published I don’t tell you the
Spragg what I’m really trying to
communicate is that anyone who can
produce has a chance to influence people
at a higher level that’s the power of
level 3 production if you can develop
solid relationships with people and you
can produce you can be an effective
leader productive leaders are an example
to the people they lead and their
productivity sets the standard for the
team President Abraham Lincoln
recognized this during the American
Civil War the president relieved General
John C Fremont of his command he said it
was for this reason his cardinal mistake
is that he isolates himself and allows
no one to see him Lincoln knew that
leaders need to be among their people
inspiring them with their ability
letting them see what the standard
should be for their performance when
leaders produce so do their people
productive
i-i’ve on results from themselves and
the team they show the way for others to
follow
number three leadership production
brings clarity and reality to the vision
good leaders constantly communicate the
vision of the organization they do it
clearly creatively and continually but
that doesn’t mean that everyone who
receives the message understands and
embraces it the production level of
leadership communicates the vision
through action which helps people
understand it in ways that they may not
have before
when followers see positive results and
seek goals being met they get a clearer
picture of what it means to fulfill the
vision one day during the American
Revolutionary War George Washington rode
up to a group of soldiers trying to
raise a beam to a high position the
Corporal who was overseeing the work
kept shouting the words of encouragement
but they couldn’t manage to do it after
watching their lack of success
Washington asked the Corporal why he
didn’t join in and help the Corporal
replied quickly to realize that I am the
Corporal Washington very politely
replied I beg your pardon mr. corporal I
did
Washington dismounted his horse and went
to work with the soldiers until the beam
was put into place wiping the
perspiration from his face he said if
you should need help again call on
Washington your commander-in-chief and I
will come level three leaders help their
people see what productivity looks like
and with each day of productivity the
team gets one step closer to making the
vision a reality
that encourages members of the team it
validates their efforts it makes the
vision that much clearer and clarity is
compelling productivity also expands the
vision because with increased competence
and skill the people doing the work
recognize that they can actually
accomplish more than they may have
believed was possible
number four leadership production solves
a multitude of problems many people in
leadership positions try to solve
problems by using systems or they pay
others to try to solve the problems for
them but the truth is leaders cannot
delegate the solving of problems to
someone else they have to be active in
breaking through obstacles putting out
fires correcting mistakes and directing
people leaders on the production level
do that and once their effectiveness
becomes contagious and spreads
throughout the team productivity begins
to solve many problems many more than
management or consultants ever will
historian and essayist Thomas Carlyle
observed nothing builds self-esteem and
self-confidence like accomplishment
productivity is inspiring people who
feel good about themselves often produce
good results and good results create
positive momentum and high morale for
years I wondered which comes first high
morale or high productivity I have heard
good arguments for both sides of this
chicken-or-egg question I have seen high
morale stimulate production and I’ve
also seen productivity create high
morale I can’t say that it always
happens one way but here’s what I do
know remove production and high morale
will fade fast keep producing and high
leaders who can produce positive results
on level three always have a positive
impact on their team leaders who can’t
produce always hurt their team in the
war of 1812 the American General William
winder led his forces to defeat against
the British despite a four to one troop
superiority in the process he was taken
prisoner
however realizing that winders
incompetence made him an ideal opponent
the British returned him to the American
army as a result when the British later
attacked the American capital they were
able to overcome defending forces and by
winder and burn much of it to the ground
if winder had been able to advance the
level-3 in leadership prior to taking
command as a general perhaps his men
could have stopped the British Army’s
advances and battles as it was he
succeeded only in hurting the American
cause productive organizations led by
level three leaders are hard to beat
their effectiveness is high of so is
their morale former General George C
Marshall said morale is the state of
mind it is steadfastness and courage and
hope it is confidence and zeal and
loyalty it is staying power the spirit
which endures to the end the will to win
with it all things are possible without
it everything else is for naught number
5 leadership production creates momentum
when well that organizations sustain
high morale and high productivity over
time they gain momentum which is any
leaders best friend momentum helps a
leader do anything and everything more
easily that’s why I call it the great
exaggerator without momentum everything
is harder to do than it should be with
it everything is easier
my wife and I live in coastal Florida on
a river that flows into the ocean about
a mile from our house so every day we
witnessed the AB and the flow of the
tide
I sometimes enjoy swimming in the river
and I’ve made a discovery when I’m
swimming with the tide my progress has
little to do with the speed and the
strength of my strokes it is determined
by how fast the tide is moving swim with
it and you make fast progress swim
against it and you move very slowly no
matter how hard you work at it when the
tide is up all the boats rise when it is
down all the boats go down it’s hard to
fight the tide the same is to be said of
leadership momentum have it on your side
and your performance is actually better
than your capability for example think
about what happened with Apple when the
company introduced the iPhone it created
a tidal wave of momentum and vastly
increase their market share not only in
smartphones but also in computers after
years of being marginalized as a niche
company with relatively small but very
loyal following they are now mainstream
again and going strong
that’s why I often advise leaders to
spend less time trying to fix problems
and more time trying to create momentum
level-3 is a momentum producing
environment production level leaders
understand momentum and use it to the
organization’s advantage and they also
understand that not everyone in an
organization helps to create momentum
here’s what I mean there are three types
of people when it comes to momentum they
are momentum takers the vast majority of
people don’t start anything nor do they
stop anything they just go along for the
ride if momentum is moving they move
with it
if it has stopped so do they their
productivity and effectiveness are based
almost entirely on what others do to
make things happen in the organization
for that reason they need good leaders
who produce and create a productive
environment that is one of the reasons
why define morale as faith in the leader
momentum breakers
the second type of person actually hurts
morale and momentum in an organization
not only do they not produce but they
prevent others from producing these
types of people caused problems and
whether intentionally or not hurt the
organization momentum makers the final
type momentum makers are level three
leaders they produce they make things
happen they create momentum their
behavior is consistent with the advice
given by the legendary Alabama football
coach Paul Bear Bryant who said don’t
worry about making friends don’t worry
about making enemies worry about winning
because if you win your enemies can’t
hurt you at if you lose your friends
can’t stand you if you build solid
permission elationship on top of a
foundation of positional rights and add
the results of productivity you will
gain momentum and when you do you’ll
find that your work comes to fruition
more quickly that is a benefit of level
three number six leadership production
is the foundation for team building who
wants to leave a championship team no
one who wants to leave the cellar
dweller everyone people simply love
being on a winning team winners attract
people some good some bad some average
the key to building a winning team is
recognizing selecting and retaining the
best people from the ones you attract
the good news is that if you reach level
three you know what productivity looks
like because you live it the bad news is
that having talented people on the team
doesn’t automatically guarantee success
you could still lose with good players
but you cannot win without them the
difference comes from building them into
a team which I’ll discuss later in this
chapter but remember this if you aren’t
a proven producer you won’t attract and
keep other proven producers that’s why
the downside of production the weight of
leadership just got heavier like
everything else in life the production
level of leadership has its downsides as
well as its upsides with level 3
leadership achievement within the
organization becomes easier
however the leadership itself doesn’t
become easy here are the four main
downsides I’ve discovered on level 3
number one being productive can make you
think you’re a leader when you’re not
all great leaders are productive however
it is possible to be a producer and not
a leader
personal success does not always
translate into team success leadership
is defined by what a person does with
and for others it is established by
making the team better and more
productive it’s measured by what the
entire group accomplishes not by the
individual efforts of a person in charge
good leadership is never based on what
someone does by and for himself I know
many individual producers who have no
desire or ability to lead others some
don’t have the people skills others
don’t have the desire to be responsible
for others or take the time to help them
become productive for example Ted
Williams was one of the greatest hitters
in baseball here’s the last player to
have a batting average over 400 during
the season yet he was not a successful
hitting coach when his players were not
hitting well he would say keep your eye
on the ball the advice was given by a
man with extraordinary coordination who
was successful because he was able to
look at a ball and tell what kind of a
pitch it was by how the stitching moved
in his mind it was all simple all he did
was keep his eye on the ball his players
who were less talented needed more
instruction Ted Williams was a great
player but he never made it as a leader
in baseball organizations all over the
world make the mistake of putting high
producers into leadership positions only
to watch them fail to lead well I’ve
done that I’ve seen someone make things
happen and thought wow this person is
going to be a fantastic
only to have that person continue to
make things happen for himself but
ignore and demoralize his team that’s
not leadership why is this mistake made
so often because of prerequisite for
being an effective leader is the ability
to be effective yourself that is one of
the qualifying marks of a leader but it
is not the only qualification good
leaders must establish themselves in
their position on level one gain
people’s permission on level to be
productive on level three and possess
the desire to take the entire team to a
higher level number two productive
leaders feel a heavy weight of
responsibility for results I once saw a
cartoon depicting a sales meeting in
which the speaker said we run our
business like a game show produce and
you come back don’t produce and we have
some lovely parting gifts for you that’s
humorous but that’s also the way it is
for leaders if a football team doesn’t
win the coach gets fired if a
corporation doesn’t make profits the CEO
gets the axe if a politician doesn’t do
a good job for his constituents he
doesn’t get reelected in any
organization the responsibility for
results rests with the leader what the
World War two British Field Marshal
Bernard Law Montgomery said was true no
leader however great can long continue
unless he wins victories productivity is
measurable organizational growth is
tangible profitability is quantifiable
leaders who fail to increase them are
held accountable leaders who add to them
are rewarded and then asked to achieve
even more the next time high performance
requires high commitment honestly many
leaders who reach level 3 tire of
leading because of the weight of
responsibility they feel most leaders
experience days when they wish no one
was watching their performance looking
to them for direction or wanted them to
make something to happen however
effective leaders understand that the
cost of leadership is carrying the
responsibility of their team’s success
on their shoulders that is the weight
every leader feels starting on level 3
you will have to decide whether you’re
willing to carry it
number three production leadership
requires making difficult decisions a
large corporation recently made a stray
dog a senior vice president when asked
why they would do such a thing the board
of directors replied his ability to get
along with everyone
his prompt response to a pat on the back
his interest in watching others work and
his great knack for looking wise while
saying nothing made him a natural for
the position
if only leadership were really that easy
whenever you see a thriving organization
you can be sure that its leaders made
some very tough decisions and are
continuing to make them success is an
uphill journey people don’t coast their
way to effective leadership
environmental advocate T boone pickens
says be willing to make decisions that’s
the most important quality in a good
leader if you want to lead at a higher
level be ready to make difficult
decisions on level two leaders often
have to start making difficult people
decisions on level three leaders
continue to make those but also add
difficult production decisions that
makes leadership even more difficult
I’ve already told you about how
difficult I found it to make decisions
early in my career you may find it
helpful to know that today as I look
back I regret the decisions I fail to
make more than I do the wrong decisions
I did make don’t fall into the same trap
I did of postponing decisions when I
should have made them what kinds of
difficult decisions are leaders likely
to make on level three most of them will
be decisions you must make relations I
make on level three relate to my team
the rest are personal ones that require
change honesty and self-discipline as
the American writer Mark Twain said to
do right is wonderful to teach others to
do right is even more wonderful and much
easier that is so true as a leader on
level three you must make the difficult
decision to
be successful before you try to help
others be successful hold yourself to a
higher standard than you ask of others
make yourself accountable to others set
tangible goals and then reach them
accept responsibility for personal
results admit failure and mistakes
quickly and humbly ask from others only
what you have previously ask of yourself
gauge your success on results not
intentions and remove yourself from
situations where you are ineffective it
has been my observation that when
leaders are confronted with these
difficult decisions on level 3 many fail
to make them what they may not
understand until it’s too late
is that failing to do so will eventually
disqualify them from leading themselves
or others their leadership potential
becomes stunted and they cannot remain
on level 3 I can remember facing each of
these decisions on level 3 it took me a
long time to make some of them it
certainly wasn’t easy sometimes it still
isn’t
but each decision created a personal
breakthrough in my leadership journey I
encourage you to win in this area of
your leadership life persevere even in
moments when you feel the way Moses must
have felt when the Red Sea parted and
the people waited for him to take them
forward saying to himself why must I
always go first going first may not
always be easier fun but it is always a
requirement of leaders it paves the way
for the people who follow and increases
their chances of success for completing
the journey number for production
leadership demands continued attention
to level 2 becoming accountable for the
productivity of the team does not mean
that leaders can stop caring for the
people they lead remember just because
you add a new level of leadership does
it mean you leave the previous one
behind there is a real temptation for
leaders on the production level to
neglect relationships in pursuit of
achieving a good bottom line result
however if leaders do that for an
extended period of time
they burned their relationships with
their people and they will eventually
find themselves
back on level one don’t fall into that
track keep developing the relationships
and caring for them as you produce
results best behaviors on level three
how to make the most of production and
leadership moving up through level 3
based upon solid level 2 relationships
is no small feat for any person many
people find themselves incapable of
achieving it if you have the opportunity
here’s what you need to do to make the
most of it number one understand how
your personal giftedness contributes to
the vision one of the keys to the
production level of leadership is
understanding how your gifts and
abilities can be used productively to
further the vision of the organization
part of that is personal in previous
chapters I discussed the importance of
knowing yourself and deciding on your
personal leadership style this is
slightly different if you are a leader
you must have a sense of vision for your
leadership and it must align at least
during the current season with the
vision of the organization you serve it
took me a long time to develop a sense
of where my true strengths lie and how I
could serve an organization that I lead
discovering it took effort and the
process was often messy but eventually I
came to understand that I had special
gifts and abilities and so do you there
is a strong relationship between
giftedness and effectiveness as a leader
on the production level if I ever wanted
to reach my potential as the leader I
had to know what my personal
contribution could be to the
organization the same is true for you
as an example I’ll tell you the four
areas where I personally contribute the
most to the productivity of an
organization for a team influencing
people which is leadership connecting
with people that’s my relationship
skills communicating with people
speaking and creating resources to help
people writing these comprise my
strengths so they are the key to
production for me and where the best
results will be realized
knowing this doesn’t let me off the hook
as far as growth and learning are
concerned I am as committed to learning
and growing today as I was back in the
early 1970s when I started my first
personal growth plan the difference is
that now I concentrate almost
exclusively on growing in those four
areas after discovering what I was made
to do I began to focus my efforts the
more focused you are within your talents
the more rapid the rate of growth and
the greater you increase your overall potential to be a productive leader