Russ Volckmann, PhD
Monthly Explorations to Focus and Support Leadership in Business and Life through Coaching
Volume I, No. 1 - February 2001
Leadership Quote
"I often say that leadership is deeply personal and inherently collective. That's a paradox that effective leaders have to embrace."
-- Peter Senge,Shambhala Sun, January 2001
Introduction
Welcome to Leadership Opportunity, a monthly e-journal about leadership in business and life. This e-journal is about leadership. It is about leadership in business and life. In both cases, leadership is both an individual and collective act. It is written for those who want to strengthen the quality of leadership for their businesses, organizations, clients and in their own lives, careers, and relationships
I hope that other will contribute material to this e-journal. And I will do my best to assure fresh, interesting and challenging ideas and explorations of interest to leaders. The contributions of others are welcome and will be solicited. If you are interested in contributing a short article to this e-journal, please e-mail russ@leadcoach.com
Leadership
As an individual act, leadership is most often seen as heroic in some sense. I describe the models of leadership that prevail in business as heroic, because they treat the leader as the center of their way of thinking with the expectation that the leaders behavior determines the success of any enterprise.
And leadership is heroic. There are situations, moments, events in which heroic leadership crystallizes action on the part of others so that something of value to the leader and to the followers is achieved. This is most obvious in our archetypal leadership situations in scenes of war, sports and other "action-oriented" events.
Heroic leadership is apparent in politics and business. Martin Luther King, Jr. on whose birthday I am writing this, was certainly a heroic leader. Suu Kyi in Burma, Roosevelt, Lincoln, Churchill, Rosa Parks, Gandhi, Mandela, and so many, many other men and women have demonstrated their leadership in times of crisis and challenge. Their leadership has been portrayed as "archetypally" heroic.
In business we have other leaders who have been so portrayed, albeit often with less glory. In modern times, Welch, Iacocca, Jobs, are names that come to mind. Our literature treats business executives as heroic leaders by implication. They save companies, open new markets, innovate, etc.
Yet, it the face of rapid change and complexity, the heroic model of leadership is important AND insufficient. Here's another quote:
"The era of the CEO as Zeus on high has really been broken down. When I'm at a meeting with a bunch of bright, energized people, I really don't think of myself in that way." Deborah Coleman, former Apple CFO and CEO of Merix Corp.
The Challenge
This e-journal is focussed on the space between two important streams of development. It is about 21st Century leadership in business. It is about the ways coaches can effectively work with leaders in business and life.
Here is the meeting place of these two important elements in the future of business and coaching. I hope you will join us, leaders and coaches, in exploring how the development of leadership can yield important results. This is a leadership opportunity.
A good place to begin when looking at leadership issues in a business organization is the context. Begin that by identifying the forces of change.
- Is there growing complexity? What kind - technological, market, workforce, competition, other?
- Is the pace of change shifting: slowing down, speeding up?
- How is the leader seeing and experiencing change in their business?
- Is this ongoing, accelerating, slowing down, temporary?
Appreciating the context of leadership is essential in taking further developmental steps.
Each issue includes a summary of a publication related to leadership.
Harriet Rubin, "The Perfect Vision Dr. V.," Fast Company, February 2001, 43, p. 146."
At the Aravind Eye Hospital in Madurai, India, 82-year-old Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy has solved the mystery of leadership: He brings eyesight to the blind and light to the soul."
Leaders often find that the organizations they create miss the mark of their original vision. Dr. Venkataswamy overcame crippling arthritis to become "the most admired cataract surgeon in India who has defied retirement, runs five hospitals that provide 180,000 operations a year, 70% of which are charity cases. Those who can afford it seek him out because he is world class. "He is a doctor to the eyes and a leader to the soul."
And what has he to teach us about leadership? First, that leadership is a personal quest to achieve a heartfelt mission. It is augmented by self-knowledge and a BIG vision. AND it is about building a culture of community in which others can realize their potentials, even in achieving higher consciousness.
Second, that money is helpful, but not the primary motivation. By cutting costs while producing high quality, his self-sustaining hospitals have attracted students and doctors from around the world and become the largest single provider of eye surgery in the world. And the reward from work is what you become by doing it.
Third, attracting patients (customers) is about being market-driving, not market-driven, and making a difference.
Thanks for taking the time to consider this epublication in a world of data overload. For leaders, collaborators, consultants, academics and coaches alike, I welcome you to some ideas and a dialogue that may benefit us all. I hope you will contact me soon with your idea, reference or article. Suggestions on improvement are welcome.
Russ Volckmann, PhD
Coaching Leaders in Business and Life
Email: russ@leadcoach.com
Web: www.leadcoach.com, Tel: 831.333-9200, FAX: 831.656-0110
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This material is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Financial, Legal and Professional information is not Financial, Legal and Professional advice. You should see a Financial, Legal or Professional in the area in which you live if you need advice.
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