Decipher the Stone - Principle-Centered Leadership - part #1

Quality and empowerment are not complete without principle-centered leadership. The notion of principle-centered leadership was first introduced into the literature in 1990 by the late Stephen R. Covey. Over time, many people have built on his original thinking and called it by many other names. Still, from my perspective, Covey was the one who defined the concept. 

As he wrote in his book by the same title, “Principle-centered leadership introduces a new paradigm - that we center our lives and our leadership of organizations and people on certain “true north” principles…. Principles are not invented by us or by society; they are the laws of the universe that pertain to human relationships and human organizations. They are part of the human condition, consciousness, and conscience. To the degree people recognize and live in harmony with such basic principles as fairness, equity, justice, integrity, honesty, and trust, they move toward either survival and stability on the one hand or disintegration and destruction on the other.” It was powerful thinking thirty years ago and every bit applicable to today’s challenges.

From my perspective, when the principles of trust and respect join with the principles of integrity, justice, and equity, leaders can unify quality and empowerment into a sustainable, strategic and operational platform for long term success. For the development of this integrated foundation to take place, the leaders of a company must sit down and deeply reflect on the mission or purpose of the organization. They also must recommit to the core values that guide daily actions at all levels. With a deep understanding of and commitment to being mission-driven and values-led, principle-centered leadership can flourish and be the catalyst for synergy. It is the combination of the commitment to principles and people, over authority and control, that creates new and better outcomes.

This week, reflect on the above quote and write what are the core principles that guide your life, be they at work, at home, or in your community. You, too, can be a principle-centered leader and principle-centered person, no matter what your job title.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

Decipher the Stone - Empowerment

Along with the concept of quality which I explored last week, the second concept which is no longer discussed on a regular basis is empowerment. Between 1986 - 1995, the word empowerment was rarely used or even mentioned. Then in the mid-90s through to the turn of the century, it was the buzz word and a very hot topic amongst leaders. According to all of the best-seller books and strategic level conversations taking place at the time, empowerment was the answer to all our problems. “We just need to empower people” was the rallying cry.

However, during the early years of this new century, fewer and fewer people talked about empowerment and in particular empowering people. This happened in part because the concept was corrupted by poor leadership behaviors and totally dysfunction teams. It was power without choice and many times positional power that was used against others. Clearly, empowerment was not the solution for all our problems. 

Still, I have meet empowered leaders and empowered teams that are making a difference and generating quality outcomes. These people have confidence in their ability and their knowledge to rise to the challenges before them. They also have confidence in their team and their company. They believe they can make the right decisions and they believe they are role modeling what is most important.

At the same, these empowered people and teams make effective and thoughtful choices about how to create quality outcomes and meet their goal obligations. They also believe they are engaged in meaningful work. With the above in mind, I believe it is time we reclaimed the concept of empowerment. 

First, I believe empowerment is the by-product of the correct alignment between structure and shared values.  John Paul Lederach wrote in his extremely thought-provoking book called The Moral Imagination: The Art and Soul of Building Peace (Oxford University Press, 2005), “Structural history and personal biography are connected.” The history of who reports to whom over time impacts our perspective and understanding. The same is true for who works with whom within a team setting. When people in leadership positions tolerate poor interpersonal behaviors amongst their direct reports or on teams in combination with role modeling these same behaviors as well, then those who report to them or work with them will focus less on making effective decisions as much as try to stay off their supervisor’s radar screen. Nobody wants to be seen as the problem or to be blasted for poor outcomes caused by other peoples’ lack of attention, clarity or action.

Second, the foundation for empowerment is the same foundation for continual quality outcomes. When people know and are supported to generate quality based outcomes within a work place that is based on respect, trust, and cooperation, then empowerment creates optimism, hope and courage to face the challenges before them. Empowerment allows for the development of ownership and, over time, innovation to be the norm.

This week, remember that quality and empowerment are interconnected. People, not just systems, make empowered acts and quality outcomes a reality.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

Discover the “Rosetta Stone” of Change

In 1799, during the Napoleonic occupation of Egypt, a Frenchman discovered the Rosetta Stone near Alexandria. The Rosetta Stone commemorated the ascension of Ptolemy V to the Egyptian throne in three writing systems: Greek, cursive Egyptian, and ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. 

Subsequent study of these inscriptions lead European scholars to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics for the first time, thus providing access to a much broader view of history through the translation of ancient Egyptian texts. The Rosetta Stone facilitated the understanding of the ancient Egyptians’ unique world view previously obscured from modern explanation. 

Many people in leadership positions right now know their organization needs to become more nimble, flexible and agile doing the next two years. They recognize the importance of shared values, clarity of strategic intent, and the importance of building a high degree of trust and collaboration within and between teams. 

However, they are struggling to figure out how to create this depth of clarity and action throughout their organizations such that it is sustainable, i.e. a flywheel for positive focus and momentum through the current and emerging challenges. In short, they feel like they are trying to read ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics without the a Rosetta Stone.

When I listen to a diverse number of people in leadership positions share and explore what they are doing that is working and what they are doing that is not working, it has become clear to me that we must decipher three key concepts this winter, namely quality, empowerment and principle-centered leadership.  We must create a new level of understanding and rediscover the common threads that unite these key concepts. In short, we need to discover a “Rosetta Stone” of change for this new decade.

This week, I encourage you to sit down and reflect about what you know to be true about quality, empowerment and principle-centered leadership. Then, over the coming weeks, we can bring my thoughts and your thoughts together into a greater whole.

Happy New Year!

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257