LEADERSHIP
THREE BIG LEADERSHIP CLICHÉS – AND HOW TO RETHINK THEM
STICKING TO YOUR GUNS MIGHT SIGNAL STRENGTH, BUT IS IT ALWAYS THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION? AND WHEN IS IT BETTER TO “SPRINT” VERSUS FOCUS SOLELY ON THE LONG GAME? IN THIS OPINION PIECE, WHARTON DEAN GEOFFREY GARRETT REFORMULATES THREE COMMON LEADERSHIP TRUISMS.
When I was preparing to speak with a group of senior executives at Wharton’s recent CEO Academy in New York on what it takes to do their jobs, I was worried that my remarks would amount to nothing more than a litany of leadership clichés. Then it struck me, why not turn some time- tested truisms on their head? Here are three popular clichés
from the leadership playbook that can get you into trouble, and my reformulations to help make your leadership more effective.
conviction-based leadership. Sticking to your guns is valued because it signals strength, courage and commitment under adversity, which is why we so often think about war heroes in this way.
But what happens when sticking
to your guns proves to be the wrong strategy? You have to embrace a different cliché. In the words of country music legend Kenny Rogers in “The Gambler,” leaders need to “know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em.” There is no simple score sheet to tell you when the positives from sticking to your guns become outweighed by the negatives. But the world is littered with examples where leaders wait too long to make the switch. Think General Lee’s historic defeat at Gettysburg in the American Civil War, Jeff Immelt at GE or John Chambers at Cisco.
1. STICK TO YOUR GUNS. Strong leaders “stick to their guns” – maintain their core beliefs, commitments and strategies – in the face of daunting odds, right? “This lady’s not for turning” was Margaret Thatcher’s version of this, her personal badge of honor amid spiraling British unemployment in the early 1980s, and her template for
“What happens when sticking to your guns proves to be the wrong strategy?”
Most leaders will change course
eventually because there is not much valor in heroic defeats. But the best leaders will change course long before the writing is on the wall. Compare the demise of Kodak with the transformation of IBM. But how
do you know when the writing is on the wall? The answer is judgment, arguably the most valuable trait in a leader.
It’s easy to recognize in
hindsight, because good leaders make good decisions—the definition of good judgment. Judgment, however, is hard to identify and even harder to develop. And judgment matters most in context, in its application to a specific organizational environment. And that brings me to my second cliché.
2. QUESTION EVERYTHING. Albert Einstein’s motto for life is said to have been “question everything.” Being intellectually inquisitive is essential to a fulfilling life, and to a successful career. It is also true that leaders need always to be questioning standard operating procedures in their organizations: Why do we do things this way? Is there a better way? Why haven’t we changed? How can we change?
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DOMmagazine.com | dec 2018 |
jan 2019
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