1. How to be an
Authentic Leader
Stan Garfield
March 12, 2008
2. Pre-test
1. How many people think they have
been leaders in the past?
2. How many people think they are
leaders right now?
3. How many people would like to
become leaders in the future?
12 March 2008
3. Have you ever
Been a team captain?
Done volunteer work?
Held an elected office?
Implemented a new idea?
Served as a scout leader?
Influenced others to take action?
Organized an event or a trip?
Spoken on behalf of others?
Tried something you hadn’t done before?
Helped connect people to one another?
12 March 2008
4. Anyone Can Lead
Leadership is not the same as management
You don’t have to be the supervisor of people to lead them
You can lead in any situation
School
Work
Family
Friends
Team
Organization
Group
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5. Roles of Authentic Leaders
Establish core
Principles
Values
Objectives
Communicate to
Inspire
Align
Motivate
Empower by
Listening
Trusting
Supporting
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6. Attributes of Authentic Leaders
NOUNS
Trust, Truth, and Transparency
Caring, Sharing, and Daring
Integrity, Loyalty, and Courage
VERBS
Respect, Recognize, and Reward
Empower, Empathize, and Encourage
Coach, Communicate, and Collaborate
ADJECTIVES
Approachable, Fair, and Logical
Passionate, Persistent, and Persuasive
Calm, Creative, and Curious
12 March 2008
7. Authentic Leaders DO NOT:
Criticize, Blame, or Ridicule
Demean, Embarrass, or Undermine
Intimidate, Threaten, or Bully
Lie, Cheat, or Exploit
Badmouth, Belittle, or Backstab
Questions
Have you ever had a coach, supervisor, or teacher like this?
How did that make you feel?
Do you think any of these behaviors are necessary?
12 March 2008
8. Know Thyself
What are your
Values
Principles
Beliefs
What are your
Passions and Interests
Skills and Abilities
Weaknesses and Blind Spots
How do you allocate your time to
Studies and Career
Friends and Family
Communities and Pastimes
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9. Maintain Your True Self
Act the same in all settings
Studies and Career
Friends and Family
Communities and Pastimes
Don’t compartmentalize
Let everyone know your beliefs, interests, and priorities
Embody Competence, Commitment, and Compassion
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10. Lead by Example
Model desired behaviors
Practice what you preach
Put yourself in the shoes of others
Prove what can actually be done
Demonstrate expertise and credibility
Keep in touch with reality
Convey optimism
Get your hands dirty
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11. Be Bold
Take prudent risks
Be willing to fail
Tackle your fears and overcome them
Take the initiative to start things
Imagine, Invent, and Innovate
Prototype, Pilot, and Perfect
Rock the boat, stir the pot, and shake things up
Expect the unexpected
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12. Follow Your True North
Stick to your principles
Act on your beliefs
Don’t be swayed due to expediency or pressure
Maintain healthy skepticism
Avoid fads
Ignore the prevailing wisdom
Don’t follow the crowd or run with the herd
Don’t always do it by the book
Adjust over time based on experience
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13. Decide
Use common sense
Be assertive
Make tough decisions
Avoid paralysis by analysis
Know when to declare success
Admit failure, learn, and move on
Embrace debate, set a deadline, decide, and proceed to
implement
Propose, Plan, and Produce
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14. Have a Bias for Action
Set high standards for
Achievements
Results
Deliverables
Follow up, inspect, and adjust
Follow through and don’t let anything drop
Avoid complacency, delay, and indecision
Attack your own position before others do
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15. Communicate Relentlessly
Write and speak convincingly, completely, and compellingly
Use language concisely, correctly, and clearly
Use multiple channels and vehicles
Avoid jargon, corporate speak, and buzz words
Ask questions, listen attentively, and respond forthrightly
Return calls and reply to email in a timely manner
Link, converse, and correspond with diverse people
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16. Reach Out and Engage
Be generous with your time
Be approachable, available, and accessible
Avoid isolation
Practice MBWA (Management By Walking Around)
Seek input, encourage constructive suggestions, and follow
through
Pay attention
Reach out, motivate, and inspire
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17. Use Storytelling
Motivate others to action
Build trust in you
Build trust in your organization
Transmit your values
Get others working together
Share knowledge
Tame the grapevine
Create and share your vision
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18. Be Thirsty for Knowledge
Curiosity won’t kill you
Set a regular time for reading
Make time to attend lectures, seminars, and conferences
Listen to books on tape, podcasts, and broadcasts while
multitasking
Know what is going on in your organization, specialty, and field
Participate in communities of practice and interest
Know your stuff and become a respected thought leader
Share your knowledge
Try things out
Allow time for thinking, imagining, and brainstorming
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19. Practice Personal Knowledge Management
Share – let others know what you have learned
Innovate – take good ideas and improve on them
Reuse – don’t reinvent the wheel
Collaborate – take advantage of what others know
Learn – don’t repeat the same mistakes
Be aware of what you don’t know
Hypothesize, Test, Analyze, Ponder, and Conclude
Observe, Experiment, and Improve
12 March 2008
20. Can you lead without deep knowledge?
Some say good managers can manage anything; they can manage
without really knowing what they are trying to manage. It’s the
management skills that count.
I argue strongly that the best job can be done when the manager
has a genuine and thorough knowledge and understanding of the
work.
I don’t see how managers can even understand what standards to
observe, what performance to require, and how to measure results
unless they understand in some detail the specific nature of the
work they are trying to supervise.
Source: David Packard in The HP Way, pages 154-
12 March 2008
155
21. Build Your Team
Recognize others with similar strengths
Seek out others with complementary skills and attributes
Recruit, mentor, and promote wisely
Learn from those you lead and those who lead you
Don’t be threatened by others with more knowledge and skills
Encourage team members to move on when they are ready
Constantly add to your social network
Set high expectations, but treat people decently
Replace team members as required
12 March 2008
22. Manage Your Time
Always be on time
Be organized
Don’t short-change any element of your life
Don’t be a workaholic
Work efficiently during the normal work hours, and then go home
Encourage others to do the same
Delegate appropriately
Don’t micromanage
Budget your time
Consistently use electronic tools such as calendar and task list
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23. Focus
Identify key priorities
Stay on task
Stick to a few key goals
Don’t get distracted
Follow a schedule
Meet all commitments
Expect the same from others
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24. Check Your Ego
Act unselfishly
Let your deeds speak for you
Share the credit for achievements
Publicize the accomplishments of others
Don’t worry about yourself
Help anyone who asks
Pay it forward – it will all come back to you
12 March 2008
25. 10 Commandments
Authentic Inauthentic
1. Be bold 1. Be reluctant
2. Be upbeat 2. Point out what’s wrong
3. Know what’s going on 3. Be ignorant
4. Tell stories 4. Recite dry facts
5. Act 5. Wait
6. Collaborate 6. Go it alone
7. Seek out ideas of others 7. Know it all
8. Try new things 8. Stick to the tried and
true
9. Remain calm
9. Blow up
10. Plan
10. React
12 March 2008
26. 10 More Commandments
Authentic Inauthentic
1. Admit mistakes 1. Spin, make excuses, and pass blame
2. Speak spontaneously 2. Repeat the usual message
3. Use direct language 3. Use clichés
4. Communicate openly 4. Withhold information
5. Be visible and accessible 5. Hide behind closed doors
6. Be courageous 6. Be afraid to fail
7. Tell the truth 7. Obscure, obstruct, and obfuscate
8. Take a chance and go for 8. Play it safe and delay
it
9. Always go by the book
9. Think for yourself
10. Exploit others
10. Treat others fairly
12 March 2008
27. The Wisdom of Hewlett and Packard
Dave Packard: Create an environment where people
Have a chance to do their best
Realize their potential
Are recognized for their achievements
Take initiative in return for individual freedom
Work as a team for a common purpose
Bill Hewlett: Cardinal points of his moral compass
1. Knowledge
2. Modesty
3. Justice
4. Hard Work
12 March 2008
28. Corporate Objectives
1. Profit: To recognize that profit is the best single
measure of our contribution to society and the ultimate
source of our corporate strength. We should attempt to
achieve the maximum possible profit consistent with our
other objectives.
2. Customers: To strive for continual improvement in the
quality, usefulness, and value of the products and
services we offer our customers.
3. Field of Interest: To concentrate our efforts, continually
seeking new opportunities for growth but limiting our
involvement to fields in which we have capability and
can make a contribution.
4. Growth: To emphasize growth as a measure of strength
and a requirement for survival.
12 March 2008
29. Corporate Objectives (continued)
1. Employees: To provide employment opportunities for HP
people that include the opportunity to share in the
company's success, which they help make possible. To
provide for them job security based on performance, and
to provide the opportunity for personal satisfaction that
comes from a sense of accomplishment in their work.
2. Organization: To maintain an organizational
environment that fosters individual motivation, initiative
and creativity, and a wide latitude of freedom in working
toward established objectives and goals.
3. Citizenship: To meet the obligations of good citizenship
by making contributions to the community and to the
institutions in our society which generate the
environment in which we operate.
12 March 2008
30. Bill George on Authentic Leadership
Create your own Personal Leadership Development Plan based on:
1. Knowing your authentic self
2. Defining your values and leadership principles
3. Understanding your motivations
4. Building your support team
5. Staying grounded by integrating all aspects of your life
Authentic leaders demonstrate these five traits:
1. Pursuing their purpose with passion
2. Practicing solid values
3. Leading with their hearts as well as their heads
4. Establishing connected relationships
5. Demonstrating self-discipline Source
12 March 2008
31. Examples 1-5 from Bill George
Purpose: Wendy Kopp started Teach For America, the most
successful secondary educational program of the past 25
years.
Values: Thad Allen built the Coast Guard around values. When
Hurricane Katrina hit, officials at all levels of government
argued about who was responsible while the Coast Guard
simply swung into action, saving the lives of stranded victims.
Leading with heart: Marilyn Carlson Nelson changed Carlson
Companies from decades of top-down rule to expressing
empathy for her employees and compassion for her
customers.
Relationships: A. G. Lafley, CEO of Procter & Gamble, took
over an organization in turmoil. On a visit to a remote office, he
looked a young employee in the eye and said, "The work you
are doing is vital to the future of P&G."
Self-discipline: Warren Buffett became the wealthiest man in the
world by avoiding debt and high-risk investments and concentrating
onMarch 2008 companies and long-term positions. Buffett has been an
12 value
32. Examples 6-8: World Leaders
Mohandas Gandhi
Martin Luther King
Jr.
Nelson Mandela
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33. Examples 9-10: Presidential Candidates
"The two leading candidates at present, John McCain and
Barack Obama, are on the rise precisely because they are
authentic.
McCain, who experienced his crucible as a prisoner-of-war in
Vietnam, tells it like it is. He is not afraid to go against popular
positions or the Republican hierarchy, including the current
president. As he has assumed front-runner status for the
nomination, the hard-liners in the Republican Party have tried to
bring him in line, but he has steadfastly refused.
Obama's authenticity is precisely what makes him so appealing
to such a wide range of voters. He seems "good in his skin," and
is able to rise above the negative attacks. His message of hope
and change, backed up by specific programs that seem logical to
most people, is inspiring a lot of Americans to get engaged in the
political process. For all the talk that he would wither under the
pressure, he seems to get stronger and more confident as he
goes." Source: Bill George
12 March 2008
38. My Leadership Journey
Boy Scouts HP
Washington Conferences
University
Articles, Blogs, and Book
Saint Louis University
Communities
DEC
Basketball Coaching
Compaq
12 March 2008
39. Ten Keys to Remember
1. Follow your passions – play to your strengths
2. Treat others with respect – and earn theirs
3. Never give up – keep on striving
4. Be true to your word – do what you say you will
5. Stay positive – have fun in what you do
6. Expect a lot of yourself – and of others
7. Challenge conventional wisdom – think for yourself
8. Ask not what others can do for you – ask what you can do for them
9. Leave the world a better place – make a contribution
10. Put a little love into everything you do – it is always possible
12 March 2008
40. How to remember the keys: PICKLES
Passion
Integrity
Communication
Knowledge
Love
Empowerment
Service
Bob
Farrell
12 March 2008
41. Final Exam
1. What would the world be like if everyone adopted these
principles?
2. How would you like to work for an authentic leader?
3. Are you willing to be an authentic leader?
12 March 2008
42. Note: Most images are linked to sites with additional details
My Articles and Presentations http://stangarfield.googlepages.com/
Reading List http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddj598qm_18d7gg48cw
These Slides http://stangarfield.googlepages.com/HowtobeanAuthenticLeader.ppt
MSU Promotions Commons http://stangarfield.googlepages.com/msupromotionscommons
