The Artist: A Leadership Philosophy
By Jenny Hayes
Leadership
The ability to inspire and guide individuals, create healthy cultures, and perform constant improvement for yourself and the organization.
Author: me
Inspire and Guide Individuals
Everyone has a story and each story has significant details that impact people’s behavior. These life details, such as where you were raised, how you were raised, and who raised you, generate your values in life and your character. A person’s character is constantly changing as more details are added to your life story. The good, bad, and very bad all influence your values, for example, becoming a parent, being deployed, or losing a loved one. These values impact your character because they are important to you. Character is what is inside a person that motivates them.
I start with character because if you understand someone’s character, you have a super power that may actually predict what individuals will do in certain situations. Most importantly, if you can align organizational goals with individual values, you have a very powerful asset. Just like every story is unique, so is everyone’s character. The only way to understand an individual’s character is to LISTEN to their story.
Create Healthy Cultures
Presence
A good leader always shows up. A leader must be there for the good, the bad, and the ugly. Sometimes the process is unpleasant, but a leader is there to take care of issues for the team. In fact, the leader’s main function is to solve problems. Leadership requires one-on-one contact. Leadership is a contact sport. You have to be willing to step in when no one else wants to because the situation is difficult. This includes upholding discipline within the organization. It is imperative for the morale of the organization, and any violation of policy or procedures must be addressed immediately. Otherwise, you create a laissez faire culture that disrupts the organization and destroys morale.
Leaders need to provide guidance and direction to the organization. There must be a clear vision. This vision is not a poster on a wall, but requires interpersonal communication throughout the organization. Everyone should know and be working toward that vision. If a leader does not communicate effectively, the organization will not know where they are headed.
Direction
Lead by example. You have a huge influence on the performance and attitude of the organization. Negativity is contagious, but so is enthusiasm. Collin Powell wrote, get mad and get over it. As a leader, your bearing and emotions can be reflected in your team. Leaders should ensure that the climate is healthy. If the team is not effective, the leader is responsible to correct the issue and transform the group into an impactful, scalable, and useful team.
Seeing is believing. In order to ensure that the organization understands your dedication to the team, they must see you set the example. You should conduct yourself as you would expect for others to act. Safety is a huge priority for any organization. It is unfortunate when individuals are injured or killed due to an accident. However, you cannot expect anyone to follow you when you preach no drinking and driving but are seen leaving social functions under the influence. Setting the example is key to effective leadership.
Continuous assessment of morale is fundamental to ensuring the climate is conducive for a healthy work environment. The best way to assess your organization physically is being where the action is, in other words, boots on ground. I believe that situations are better assessed and communication is more effective through interpersonal communication, without the use of computers. Leaders must compartmentalize personal issues. Maintain a positive attitude and your organization will be infected with enthusiasm. Their spirits and motivation will be high when they see yours is high.
You must take care of yourself. It is hard to lead if you do not have a strong balance between work and family. You must set the example for others to take care of themselves and their family. The Army will come and go, but your family will always be there. Do not ever forget them!
Caring and Trust
Effective leaders inspire and guide people, because their character creates a relationship with trust and confidence. Commendable leaders are fueled by serving others. Commendable leaders will create environments that foster teamwork, innovation, and movement to greater things. Be available to assist when you are needed. There is nothing more important than your people.
Leaders must be willing to listen to concerns and recommendations from team members for them to feel valued within the organization. An individual can always do what you tell them to do, but I would rather have someone speak up if they have a better idea. It does not make you weak following someone else’s plan, especially if it is better.
Perform Improvement for Yourself and the Organization
Developing and Training
Invest in your people. All individuals have the potential to be leaders. Leaders are not born; they are developed into leaders. Encourage individuals to solve problems, take initiative, and expect mistakes. Most of my best lessons were outcomes of mistakes. As General McCrystal says, it is possible to let someone fail without making them a failure. However, it is a leader’s responsibility to be accountable for each individual’s performance. Give each team member the freedom to do their job, but you must remember you are responsible. You must supervise everything and everyone. Never look past the small stuff. Never walk past a deficiency without making any corrections. Individuals will perform better if they know you will take interest in what they are doing. I believe in the statement to trust but verify. Everyone makes mistakes and it is always beneficial to catch mistakes before it negatively impacts operations.
My leadership strategy has been to surround myself with smart, talented individuals and create an environment for them to prosper. People are the plan. Teach and mentor every individual in the organization. You must build a foundation for your team to grow. Training and developing your people will always have positive outcomes.
Invest in yourself. The day that a leader thinks they have learned all they need to know, they are already irrelevant. In today’s complex and changing environment, leaders must continue to developed their knowledge and skills. The effectiveness of your decision making process depends on it.
Conclusion
When I was in junior high, I wanted to be an artist. Mark Twain said, “The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.” I didn’t become an oil painter. I became a leader. Instead of painting on a canvas, I am painting on individual’s lives.
Leadership is an art; every leader gets what they create. Just like art, the artist may have many different styles to render their craft. History is filled with leaders with aggressive, stern styles, such as Hitler, Stalin, or Patton. Some lead through compassion, such as Gandhi, Mother Theresa, and Jesus Christ. All of the above are leaders in some shape or form. People know and will remember them from what they did at some point in time.
My leadership art uses a combination of aggressiveness, compassion, and strategic ploys to carry out my craft. I strive to be the example of a respected leader. My life philosophy is to get dirty and do something. How can I make things better is a question I ask myself continuously. I want to leave this world knowing that I have made an impact.
The ability to inspire and guide individuals, create healthy cultures, and perform constant improvement for yourself and the organization.
Author: me
Inspire and Guide Individuals
Everyone has a story and each story has significant details that impact people’s behavior. These life details, such as where you were raised, how you were raised, and who raised you, generate your values in life and your character. A person’s character is constantly changing as more details are added to your life story. The good, bad, and very bad all influence your values, for example, becoming a parent, being deployed, or losing a loved one. These values impact your character because they are important to you. Character is what is inside a person that motivates them.
I start with character because if you understand someone’s character, you have a super power that may actually predict what individuals will do in certain situations. Most importantly, if you can align organizational goals with individual values, you have a very powerful asset. Just like every story is unique, so is everyone’s character. The only way to understand an individual’s character is to LISTEN to their story.
Create Healthy Cultures
Presence
A good leader always shows up. A leader must be there for the good, the bad, and the ugly. Sometimes the process is unpleasant, but a leader is there to take care of issues for the team. In fact, the leader’s main function is to solve problems. Leadership requires one-on-one contact. Leadership is a contact sport. You have to be willing to step in when no one else wants to because the situation is difficult. This includes upholding discipline within the organization. It is imperative for the morale of the organization, and any violation of policy or procedures must be addressed immediately. Otherwise, you create a laissez faire culture that disrupts the organization and destroys morale.
Leaders need to provide guidance and direction to the organization. There must be a clear vision. This vision is not a poster on a wall, but requires interpersonal communication throughout the organization. Everyone should know and be working toward that vision. If a leader does not communicate effectively, the organization will not know where they are headed.
Direction
Lead by example. You have a huge influence on the performance and attitude of the organization. Negativity is contagious, but so is enthusiasm. Collin Powell wrote, get mad and get over it. As a leader, your bearing and emotions can be reflected in your team. Leaders should ensure that the climate is healthy. If the team is not effective, the leader is responsible to correct the issue and transform the group into an impactful, scalable, and useful team.
Seeing is believing. In order to ensure that the organization understands your dedication to the team, they must see you set the example. You should conduct yourself as you would expect for others to act. Safety is a huge priority for any organization. It is unfortunate when individuals are injured or killed due to an accident. However, you cannot expect anyone to follow you when you preach no drinking and driving but are seen leaving social functions under the influence. Setting the example is key to effective leadership.
Continuous assessment of morale is fundamental to ensuring the climate is conducive for a healthy work environment. The best way to assess your organization physically is being where the action is, in other words, boots on ground. I believe that situations are better assessed and communication is more effective through interpersonal communication, without the use of computers. Leaders must compartmentalize personal issues. Maintain a positive attitude and your organization will be infected with enthusiasm. Their spirits and motivation will be high when they see yours is high.
You must take care of yourself. It is hard to lead if you do not have a strong balance between work and family. You must set the example for others to take care of themselves and their family. The Army will come and go, but your family will always be there. Do not ever forget them!
Caring and Trust
Effective leaders inspire and guide people, because their character creates a relationship with trust and confidence. Commendable leaders are fueled by serving others. Commendable leaders will create environments that foster teamwork, innovation, and movement to greater things. Be available to assist when you are needed. There is nothing more important than your people.
Leaders must be willing to listen to concerns and recommendations from team members for them to feel valued within the organization. An individual can always do what you tell them to do, but I would rather have someone speak up if they have a better idea. It does not make you weak following someone else’s plan, especially if it is better.
Perform Improvement for Yourself and the Organization
Developing and Training
Invest in your people. All individuals have the potential to be leaders. Leaders are not born; they are developed into leaders. Encourage individuals to solve problems, take initiative, and expect mistakes. Most of my best lessons were outcomes of mistakes. As General McCrystal says, it is possible to let someone fail without making them a failure. However, it is a leader’s responsibility to be accountable for each individual’s performance. Give each team member the freedom to do their job, but you must remember you are responsible. You must supervise everything and everyone. Never look past the small stuff. Never walk past a deficiency without making any corrections. Individuals will perform better if they know you will take interest in what they are doing. I believe in the statement to trust but verify. Everyone makes mistakes and it is always beneficial to catch mistakes before it negatively impacts operations.
My leadership strategy has been to surround myself with smart, talented individuals and create an environment for them to prosper. People are the plan. Teach and mentor every individual in the organization. You must build a foundation for your team to grow. Training and developing your people will always have positive outcomes.
Invest in yourself. The day that a leader thinks they have learned all they need to know, they are already irrelevant. In today’s complex and changing environment, leaders must continue to developed their knowledge and skills. The effectiveness of your decision making process depends on it.
Conclusion
When I was in junior high, I wanted to be an artist. Mark Twain said, “The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.” I didn’t become an oil painter. I became a leader. Instead of painting on a canvas, I am painting on individual’s lives.
Leadership is an art; every leader gets what they create. Just like art, the artist may have many different styles to render their craft. History is filled with leaders with aggressive, stern styles, such as Hitler, Stalin, or Patton. Some lead through compassion, such as Gandhi, Mother Theresa, and Jesus Christ. All of the above are leaders in some shape or form. People know and will remember them from what they did at some point in time.
My leadership art uses a combination of aggressiveness, compassion, and strategic ploys to carry out my craft. I strive to be the example of a respected leader. My life philosophy is to get dirty and do something. How can I make things better is a question I ask myself continuously. I want to leave this world knowing that I have made an impact.