Leadership

Flawed definitions

It's difficult to give leadership a succinct summary.

Lolly Daskal:

Great leaders inspire greatness in others.

Simon Sinek:

People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.

Bill Gates:

As we look into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.

John Maxwell:

Leadership is influence -- nothing more, nothing less.

Glenn Llopis:

Leadership is learned behaviour that becomes unconscious and automatic over time.

Contexts

• Personal
• Team
• Company
• Thought

Fundamentals

• About being there for other people.
• Build people, not just projects.

Styles

Mix styles as appropriate to meet goals

• Charismatic - personality, energy, inspires passion, belief, invincibility
• Innovative - grasps entire situation, goes beyond, can see, new thinking, risks, respect for ideas, failure is okay
• Command and control - follows rules, expects that from others, urgent, critical, demanding, top-down, sole decision maker
• Laissez-Faire - not directly involved, trustworthy, monitors, gives feedback, autonomy, skilled and self-directed teams
• Pace setter - high standards for themselves and all below, is an example, prone to burnout, fast-past
• Servant - service, include whole team, provides tools, outside of the limelight, let team take credit, high morale
• Situational - adaptable, directing and supportive, empowering and coaching, confusing with constant changes, reinvention
• Transformational - expect transformation when things get hard, count on best efforts, role models, encourage innovation, motivating

Characteristics

Good leaders:

• Make others feel safe to speak up
• Make decisions
• Communicate expectations
• Provide continuous feedback
• Ask questions, seek counsel
• Problem solve; abvoid procrastination

Chemicals and human evolution

• Endorphins mask pain.
• Dopamine signals reward, instilling a sense of achievement, and is very addictive.
• Oxytocin is the love chemical, serving as an addiction inhibitor. It's released during physical contact and for investment of time and effort.
• Serotonin is the status chemical, related to confidence.
• Cortisol is a stress hormone responsible for fight or flight responses; emitted at the expense of immune system.

FIRE model

• Foundation: goes first, pull those behind to move things forward. Define a code that the team can expect from you, and in turn you can expect from them:
  • Act like an owner.
  • We have each others' back.
  • We choose people over process.
  • We question our assumptions.
  • We think big and start small.
  • We don't create wave, we ride them.
  • We are intentional about our work.
  • We fail fast and recover faster.
  • We are not experts, and will keep the posture of a student, always learning.
  • We make the complex seem simple.
  • We make life easier for those around us.
  • We are here to serve, not to be served.
• Interior: you can't help others from a bad place. Ensure motivators value the right things (daycare experiment). Motivators are rooted in:
  • Autonomy - work on what you want, how you want to.
    • Process ownership
  • Mastery - learn what interests you.
    • Conferences
    • Training courses
  • Purpose - feeling a connection to your work and understanding your contribution.
    • Empathising with users through storytelling.
    • Volunteering.
• Refinements are extra touches that boost morale.
  • Field trips, for observation.
    • Doug Dietz, MRI machines for children.
• Change your team's exterior behaviour:
  • Celebrate achievements
  • Never blame individuals
  • Regular reports incorporating key statistics.