Questions to Stir the Heart
By Dr. Edwin Weaver
January 21, 2009
As an American, I am so very happy to the people starting to unite. For decades, we have become more and more splintered, everyone going in their own direction, pulling the nation apart. President Obama's charisma has pulled the people together again, but for how long.
Leaders, true leaders, must challenge the people. They must move people from where they are to a new place, a new level. Charisma, by itself, will not move the people to the next level. Yes, it does have the effect, often temporary, of pulling people together, but more is needed. The heart must be stirred and inflamed.
Nothing stirs the heart like probing questions, reflective questions, innovative questions. The leader not only asks these questions, but also gives us answers to them, the answers we need to follow. That is what all the great leaders have done to move the people from the pulling together stage to the action stage.
I was watching for President Obama to do this at his inauguration; however, he only asked one question. He made many statements, but only one question.
Review some of our great leaders, Washington, Lincoln, and Kennedy. They asked questions of the people, heart stirring questions, reflective questions, innovative questions. They also gave the answers, answers, which pointed in the direction in which the people needed to go.
To unite Americans, move them into a new and better
That is why the questions are important for a leader. Without the questions to stir the people, they will loose the motivation, which was ignited by the charisma. The questions keep the direction alive. The questions keep the motivation alive. The questions provide the reason to continue. The questions stir our hearts.
The hopes of
Charisma and Show, But is Obama a Leader
By Dr. Edwin Weaver
January 19, 2009
No one would doubt that Mr. Obama is charismatic. He has a strong appeal factor working for him. He is good at words and knows how to put on a show. His trip to
I am not a pessimist, but each day I doubt him a little more. Charisma is not everything. Yes, it helps a leader. In fact you really can not be a leader unless you have a certain amount of charisma, but you need more.
There are 10 main points to be a good leaders and I am wondering if Mr. Obama will stack up. My doubts really started to surface when he backed down on a fight with congress on, what I considered, a vital part of the stimulus plan.
If you remember, Mr. Obama proposed to give a tax credit to companies which retained present workers and a larger credit if they hire new employees over and above the replacement of exiting employees. This would have done wonders for the economy and for the morale of the people, but congress said no we don't want it and Mr. Obama cut it out of the package, without a fight.
A leader has to be prepared to fight when the fight is worthwhile and this was a worthwhile fight. Keeping Americans working is more important that protecting the profits of huge dinosaur corporations.
You will say that if the big corporations and the banks go under there will be no jobs. Yes and No! The government has already set a precedence of taking over institutions and could step in and take control of the failing corporations. As for the banks, their greed led to their downfall and now the government wants to protect their greed.
Let's face it, if the banks failed who would get hurt? Only the big guys! 83% of Americans (the average American) do not have over $100,000 in any one account. Therefore they would not lose one dime. The government would give them their money back, only the big guys would lose, the same big guys who, through their greed, caused this mess. Mr. Obama should have fought congress to keep Americans working.
In other words, keeping the average American working instead of protecting big money is a battle worth fighting for and Mr. Obama did not take the challenge, he caved in to congress and their desire to protect big money. That makes me think that he lacks two of the essential points to be a good leader; concern for the people and willing to fight when it is necessary.
Only time will tell if Mr. Obama is a true leader or just another silver tongued politician. Good luck Mr. Obama.
While Rome
By Dr. Edwin Weaver
January 13, 2009
As with Nero fiddling while
I believe that everyone is well aware that we are in a depression. Yes, the
They could have stopped this problem long before it got started, but like the others in the banking and corporate world, they were enjoying the ride (hoping it would not end while they were around). Now we have a problem.
Very simply, the problem is that people are losing jobs because the economy is depressed. As people lose jobs, less is spent and more people lose their jobs and the spiral continues.
Solution -
1) Keep us working in our present jobs. Provide us with some security. If we feel secure, we will spend again. If we spend we start the economy on the road to recover.
2) Get the people who have been unemployed working. It will take 6 months to 2 years for the psychological scars to heal, but as soon as they do, these people will start spending, improving the economy
3) Keep the banks afloat so the people do not panic. Then as spending starts, get the banks to start loaning again.
It will take some GOOD administrators watching over everything, not like they have with TARP. If some good people are placed in charge, there is hope.
While people are being kept in their jobs and new jobs created, congress can argue on how to prevent this from happening again, but at this minute they need to serve the people who elected them.
We need a closer watch on the financial institution and the corporate world. it may sound like Big Brother, but those who have been in charge have proven they can not be trusted. Even with a big brother system, those who do the correct thing do not have to worry. The only ones who worry about someone looking over their shoulder are the one who are doing what is right. Then we should start to get back on track again. Hopefully the right track this time.
Resurrecting the US
Or fighting the snowball effect
By Dr. Edwin Weaver
The
To add to this problem Mr. Obama's advisors did not have a clue to what was happening or they were extremely optimistic. To give you an example; before Mr. Obama was elected he was going to create 1 million jobs, at the middle of December 2.5 to 3 million jobs, just before New Year's 3.5 million jobs and today 4.1 million jobs.
It would appear that our new president's advisors do not understand the economics of a depression or the consequences of it, even though they are economists. A recession or depression is like a snowball rolling downhill. It will continue to get bigger until something stops it. This snowball has gathered a lot of momentum. It would have been easier to stop 2 or 3 months ago, but no one was looking at the snowball at that time. Now, it is racing down on
Scenario One - The Good
This scenario requires President Elect Obama to use all his charisma and leadership skills to push this through. It is similar to his current plan with only a few twists, but these twists are the parts that will stop the snowball.
With the remaining emergency funds, President Obama bails out the industries which employ the most Americans. Part the bailout for the industries carries the clause that no employees get laid-off. He also starts his reconstruction of the
Not laying off employees is a two edged sword. First it keeps the morale of the
Of the 3 million unemployed American, Mr. Obama's plan to reconstruct the infrastructure of the
I am not addressing the banks because they are falling due to people not having money to pay their mortgages. If the people are working again, they will be able to pay their bills and the banks will not be in dire straits. Therefore further bank bailouts would be unnecessary.
Yes, this is a very simplified outline. I have a written a 20 page analysis of the situation using this scenario, however no one would want to sit on the internet and read 20 pages.
Scenario Two - The Bad
Now we look at the flip side of the coin. If the lay-offs are not stopped, there will be over 6 million Americans unemployed by the end of March 2009. Remember the snowball, as companies lay-off workers there are less people to purchase goods and more companies will lay-off workers and it continues to grow.
This high unemployment will mean the continued bailout of the banking system and other entities. More people unemployed means more defaults on loans. More defaults on loans means more banks going under.
Next stop, the
This would destroy the confidence in the
If you would like to read the entire analysis, you may request either the GOOD SCENARIO or the BAD SCENARIO or both. The good scenario is approximately 20 pages and the bad scenario is approximately 27 pages.
Update for President-Elect Obama
By Dr. Edwin Weaver
January 9, 2009
With less than two weeks until Barak Obama becomes our next president he is running into problems already. His fellow Democrats are not in favor of his budget cuts and tax cuts even though he has acknowledged that the
We all know you have, what is supposed to be, some of the greatest minds in the country working on these problems. They have given you advise on how they think the country can be saved from this economic crisis. However, Mr. Obama, either they are not fully informing you of all pertinent data or it is just being ignored.
Let us look at some of the research data that the newspapers do not print. A report issued in 2007 (using data accumulated over 45 years) tells us that there is significant and lasting negative effects of displacement for workers displaced during their prime earnings years, ages 35-53 (which is the age of the majority of the workforce who are losing their jobs). What does that mean? Very simply, when a person losses his/her job there are long lasting negative effects to the person and the economy.
Our own government (Dept. of Agriculture) has done research on the negative effects and concurs with results found by [ Brenner & Starrin, 1988; Buss & Redburn, 1983; Dooley, Catalan & Willson 1994; Hamilton, Broman, Hoffman, & Renner, 1990; Hamilton, Hoffman, Broman & Rauma, 1993; Kessler, House & Turner, 1987; Iverson and Sabroe, 1988; Leana & Feldman, 1992; Liem & Liem, 1988; Ware, Jackson, and Banks, 1988 ] which tell us that individuals, displaced workers, experience heightened feelings of anxiety, depression, emotional distress, and hopelessness about the future, increases in somatic symptoms and physical illness, compromised immune system functioning, lowered self-esteem and self-confidence, and increased hostility and dissatisfaction with interpersonal relationships.
In other words, once a person loses his/her job they are depressed and they lose their confidence and feel hopeless about the future. Now I ask you Mr. Obama, if a person feels this way how likely are they to go out and buy things? After all it is spending money which will cause the economy to recover, true? If the people do not buy things, the companies will still go bankrupt. If the companies go bankrupt they default on their loans which cause the banks to go bankrupts; meaning more bailouts, etc.
Looking at this information what would be the best plan of attack to save the economy? Just give banks and companies bailout money? They did not operate their banks and companies correctly before, what makes you think they will do any better after you give them money? Let us look at the truth, they are wasting the money or using it for themselves. Will the bailout save our economy? How does that help the average worker?
1.6 Billion dollars has been used for a handful of bank executives (FRANK BASS and RITA BEAMISH, Associated Press Writers Dec 21, 2008). That 1.6 billion would have kept 40,000 Americans working for the next 12 months. How many have lost their jobs so that these few can get their bonuses? Those 40,000 American would still be employed, still spending and that is what will bring the country out of this depression.
The only solution Mr. Obama is to keep people working in their present jobs. I have said it before and I will say it again, keep the people working in the present jobs! You will overcome the emotional hardship and the financial hardship experienced by displaced workers (people who have lost their jobs). You will keep their spirits up and the spending habits will return. If you continue with just your stimulus plan and putting people back to work, instead of protect current jobs, you will face a depressed
It is your choice Mr. Obama. What will you do?
References:
Baumol, William J., Alan S. Blinder, and Edward N. Wolff. 2003. Downsizing in
Bellah, Robert, Richard Madsen, William M. Sullivan, Ann Swidler, and Steven M. Tipton. 1985. Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life
Baumol, William J., Alan S. Blinder, and Edward N. Wolff. 2003. Downsizing in
Bellah, Robert, Richard Madsen, William M. Sullivan, Ann Swidler, and Steven M. Tipton. 1985. Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life
Burgard, Sarah A. Jennie E. Brand, and James House. 2007. "Toward a Better Estimation of the Effect of Job Loss on Health." Journal of Health and Social Behavior.
Chan, Sewin, and Ann Huff Stevens. 2001. "Job Loss and Employment Patterns of Older Workers." Journal of Labor Economics 19:484-521.
Dooley, David, Jonathon Fielding, and Lennart Levi. 1996. "Health and Unemployment." Annual Review of Public Health 17: 449-465.
Fallick, Bruce. 1996. "A Review of the Recent Empirical Literature on DisplacedWorkers." Industrial and Labor Relations Review 50:5-16.
Farber, Henry S. 2005. "What do we know about Job Loss in the
Hauser, Robert and John Robert Warren. 1997. "Socioeconomic Indexes for Occupations: A Review, Update and Critique." Sociological Methodology 27:177-298.
Hammermesh, Daniel S. 1989. "What Do We Know About Worker Displacement in the
Kessler, Ronald C., J. Blake Turner, and James S. House. 1989. "Unemployment, Reemployment, and Emotional Functioning in a Community Sample." American Sociological Review 54:648-657.
Kletzer, Lori. 1991. "Earnings after Job Displacement: Job Tenure, Industry and Occupation." in Job Displacement: Consequences and Implications for Policy, edited by J. T. Addison.
Kletzer, Lori. 1998. "Job Displacement." Journal of Economic Perspectives 12:115-136.
Levy, Frank. 1995. "Incomes and Income Inequality." in State of the Union:
Podgursky, Michael and Paul Swaim. 1987. "Job Displacement and Earnings Loss: Evidence from the Displaced Worker Survey." Industrial and Labor relations Review 41:17-29.
Rain, Jeffrey,
Ruhm, Christopher J. 1991. "Are Workers Permanently Scarred by Job Displacement?" The American Economic Review 81:319-324.
Seitchik, Adam. 1991. "Who Are Displaced Workers?" in Job Displacement: Consequences and Implications for Policy, edited by J. T. Addison.
Stevens, Ann Huff. 1997. "Persistent Effects of Job Displacement: The Importance of Multiple Job Losses." Journal of Labor Economics 15:165-188.
Warr, Peter and Paul Jackson. 1985. "Factors Influencing the Psychological Impact of Prolonged Unemployment and Reemployment." Psychological Medicine 15: 795-807.
Wetzel, James R. 1995. "Labor Force, Unemployment and Earnings." in State of the Union:
Dear President Elect, What do Economists Know?
By Dr. Edwin Weaver
January 3, 2009
Today President Elect Obama said, "Economists from across the political spectrum agree that if we don't act swiftly and boldly, we could see a much deeper economic downturn that could lead to double-digit unemployment and the American dream slipping further and further out of reach," (AP News on Yahoo. Com http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090103/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama ) This was in reference to creating new jobs.
Creating jobs will help, but the psychological effect of losing one's job demoralizes. Have you ever lost your job? It hurts. It takes months, years to fully recover from losing one's job.
I have worked for Rescue missions and other organizations which help the needy and homeless. I have seen men, women and families hit hard times. It demoralizes them completely. Even after they got work it would take months, even years before they started to get back to normalcy.
Yes Mr. Obama, you may create jobs and the person may be working again, but they are still demoralized and will not return to their old habits until they have fully recuperated from the stigma. That means they will not return to their old spending habits for quite some time, which also means a long recovery from this recession.
I have watched these people. I have worked with them. They did not want to spend money for fear of what might happen. They bought only what was absolutely necessary. They feared going back to the streets again. Their self esteem was destroyed and it took time before they felt confident that they could succeed again.
Dear Mr. President Elect, a great leader worries about the people, not only that they are working and that they have food and money, but the great leader worries about their morale also. Their moral is the highest concern.
Economists know about numbers, not people and feelings, that is why economists are not leaders. President elect Obama, you know that it is the people who will make or break this recession. Mr. President, you must focus on keeping the people working at their present jobs. Keep them from falling into a demoralized state which will hurt the recovery of the country.
I am not an economist, but I know people. I have worked with and helped people for over 30 years. Mr. President Elect, you need some people on your team who know the common man and how he/she thinks and feels. If you want our country to recover soon, keep the people working in their current jobs and create jobs for those who are out of work. You will kill two birds with one stone.
You will keep the income taxes coming in from those who are still employed. You will keep their morale up and their spending up, which will help to create new jobs. You will put the unemployed to work giving them a little hope. Between the enthusiasm and the spirit of those who are still working and the chance at a new position by those who are unemployed, the country will take on a new hope. With your charisma leading them, they will pull together to make a new
However, if you let the people become unemployed, they will lose hope. Even your charisma will not excite them. The road to recovery will be long and hard.
Best regards and best of luck
Dr. Edwin Weaver
Where Do We Go From Here
By Dr. Edwin Weaver
December 30, 2009
For more than 18 months I have been warning people that we were in danger. Our faulty leadership was setting us up for a big fall. However, while the stock market was rising and everyone was laughing all the way to the bank, no one wanted to believe the truth. The same thing happened just before the great depression. What will happen this time?
In the summer of 1929 Forbes was calling it the "golden age of American industry". Not too long ago the Wall Street Journey was calling this the most prosperous time in history, China and India expanding at record breaking rates, the whole world moving into a new era; a close parallel. Does that mean we are heading into another GREAT DEPRESSION? It all depends on one important factor.
The economists say that another great depression is impossible. They say we will suffer a deep recession, but not a depression; the economic are not right for it to happen again. However, these economists lack one important aspect, the same aspect which drove the 1930s depression so deep; economists know number, not people.
People decide how deep the depression will go, more importantly the attitude of the people. in the 1930s people were depressed, they lack hope, they lacked vision, they lacked purpose. That is why the depression lasted so long, even though the government was adding money to the economy and giving jobs; the same plan that Obama has.
It is not prosperity or the lack of it which drives people; it is hope, vision and enthusiasm. This comes from leadership. Leadership is the important factor which will determine how deep this depression goes.
Obama is not super leader. He can not mobilize everyone in every sector. The companies need great leadership if they are to survive and the people are to have hope. Unique Leader Professional Leadership Development has worked with people around the world, often in the poorest countries in the world. We have seen the effects of great leadership on the people, even when the government was devoid of leadership, even when the government was corrupt and rotten. Great Leadership motivates, great leadership gives hope, great leadership provides a vision of what is to come, and great leadership destroys despair.
It is time for companies to throw out the bad and develop leadership which is true leadership, not over paid, number crunching, money hungry businessmen. We need true leaders if we are to avoid the worst depression the world has ever seen.
The article below was one that was published four years ago. I had many comments at the time, however the warning involved in the article was never heeded. I have choosen to re-publish it in hopes that people will hear the warning and make a change...
What the Business World needs now are True Leaders
By Dr. Edwin C. Weaver
Remember that song in the late sixties, "What the world needs now, is love, sweet love"? The song is still true, but there is another crisis on the rise. We have bigger and bigger companies, but less leadership.
This is amazing considering the fact that Leadership training is the current buzz word. Every company talks about leadership training, there are hundreds of training companies offering these courses, yet for all this we lack leaders, or at least good leaders.
Where are the people like Henry Ford, the Lee Iacocca and the other great business leaders? We see millions being made, but that is not a sign of leadership. That is a sign of greed.
Henry Ford, Lee Iacocca and the other greats not only thought about making money, they also thought about people. People were important. That is a sign of all great leaders.
Go back 3000 years to Cyrus the Great, leader of Medes and Persians. He said he would not rule any group who did not want to be ruled by him. He knew the value of people. He made laws to improve the lives of his people.
Suleiman the Great, a leader in the
Henry Ford paid people what they were worth. He placed small factories in rural
The same can be said for Lee Iacocca. He was connected to the people. He knew what the people wanted. He knew how to be apart of the people, yet lead them. After he became the head of Chrysler, he lowered his salary to one dollar per year until he could turn Chrysler around. This made him popular with the average worker and everyone. He knew people were important.
In 2003 Business Week did a poll, nearly 80% of those surveyed in the Business Week/Harris poll said that the CEOs of large companies put their own interests ahead of workers and shareholders. The people controlling the large companies and corporations do not care about people. They are not leaders.
The world is facing a leadership crisis. People are no longer important, only making money and growing bigger. The heads of companies change every couple of years, or less, which leads to the people feeling a lack of stability in their work life.
In big business, people have become less than a number, which was a big complaint during the sixties and seventies, they are now completely disposable. Pampers has a better chance of survival than the average worker.
Without true leaders at the helm of these giant companies, the people of the world will suffer. There will be no hope of job security. There will be no hope of a future. Yes, people lost their jobs under Henry Ford and Lee Iacocca, but there was hope, there was some semblance of stability.
It is a time to become serious about producing true leaders in business. Otherwise, there will be no hope left, no stability. What kind of world will we have when hope is dead?
During the past 25 years, Dr. Weaver has worked with people in more than 20 countries. He has helped people open their own companies, turn around troubled companies and prepare for the next generation of leaders.
For more articles on Succession Planning, Management and Leadership go to UNIQUE LEADERS www.uniqueleaders.org
Do You Have the Right Stuff
By Dr. Edwin C. Weaver
December 2008
Many of your will remember that over 14 months ago I was warning people about the impending collapse which has transpired on us. I warned that companies needed true management and true leaders in place. That is still true.
Though the times are rough they will get worse. Your company's survival depends on getting true managers and even more important true leaders in place as rapidly as possible.
True leadership can weather the storm that is about to hit the corporate world. Only a true leader will be able to keep the people going and producing.
During times of stress and depression the spirit of even the employed worker will become disheartened and demoralized. That is where the vision, charisma and enthusiasm of a true leader will have its best effect.
Don't look at the CV, look at the person. Education may be a downfall at this point. You need a leader and that is not always taught in the institutes of higher learning. As the latest report from Wharton School of Business says, people do not trust the corporate giants. You need a change.
Now I am not an Obamanite, but we need a change. We need to start at the down and work down. We need a true leader at the head of the company and an allow him/her to rally his/her supporters and eliminate the other.
Sounds cruel? Perhaps, but in the near future it will be survival of the fittest. Where does you company stand??
I have been training people for close to 30 years; through 2 recessions and my most profitable times were the recessions. If you can inspire the people to follow you, you can accomplish miracles. And that is exactly what many companies need right now, a miracle.
During the 'good time' people are happy and do not need inspiration. Their only concern is keeping up with the Jones. Now, for most people, there is a new experience, a recession and not just a recession, but a deep hard recession. Most employees have never had to weather a true recession. Their parents saw the late 70's and early 80's but most of our employees were just children, they have no experience in this matter.
That makes the need of a true leader even more important. Remember, don't look at the CV and do not look at the age, look at the person. Even a young person, who has not experienced a recession, can lead people out of it. Look at the person.
Once you have found the right person, you may need to dig out some of your retired leadership to mentor and help this person take charge. They should not try to take over or oppose, only guide this person. If you do not have any good retirees who can help out, you will need to find a good leadership development group. Not your run of the mill canned seminars and workshops; you need true hands on development.
So why are you still reading this article? Get going! Time is ticking away and everyday a new calamity arises.
If you need help, you can contact Dr. Weaver at www.uniqueleaders.org
Leadership in Times of Trouble
By Dr. Edwin Weaver
Unique Leaders
March 3, 2008
As the
All throughout recorded history, the country or company who had good leadership, in place, prior to a recession was able to weather the storm and come out stronger and better than before. These times of trouble or recessions weed out the weaker companies and the weaker leadership.
This is not to say that just because a company survives the recession that they have good leadership. A company may survive because they have enough capital in reserve to weather the storm. The difference is the condition of the company after the recession.
The company who survives the recession only on capital comes out of the recession hungry. They need to replenish their capital. They did not have good leadership prior to the recession, so they were not poised to survive and take advantage of the recession. Therefore, they exit the recession alive but hungry. Their capital is depleted and they fall on their competitors like a ravaging animal.
On the other hand, the company who had good leadership prior to the recession saw the writing on the wall and they were prepared for the recession. They had plans A B and C ready. During the recession they were able to continue making profits, without depleting their capital.
Because of their superior position, while the recession was still in progress, they were able to offer hope to companies who were floundering in the troubled times. Even in the recession, they were able to buyout weaker companies and make them profitable again. Though money was tight, they were able to re-train the management team of these companies and install new leadership, which model the parent leadership.
At the end of the recession, they exit the tough times stronger than when the recession began. They now control more than before and have more profits entering the company than before. They have expanded their territory in an honorable way.
Which of these models will your company copy? Will you survive on capital? Will you flounder and fail? Will you survive and even though in a recession, prosper?
Leadership trained by Unique Leaders survives and leader their companies to prosperous ground. To find out more about leadership in times of recession, contact Unique Leaders - www.uniqueleaders.org
Unique Leaders Professional Development Consultants can help you with leadership development, management training, and succession planning. www.uniqueleaders_005.htm
Corporate Blind Spot
By Dr. Edwin C. Weaver
Oct. 22, 2006
Recently I was offered a position with a large Saudi corporation. They were doing an upper level shake up, a revamping of the entire corporate HR department. The sales and profits had been climbing year on year, but there were problems in employee retention and training. They were making money and expanding rapidly, but there were many problems inside the company.
I sat with the new corporate HR director for hours discussing the problems the company had been facing. The parent company owns 8 other companies and they all follow the lead of the parent company. All had the same problems.
He told me that each company had an HR director who was European or American and the head of training was European or American. After telling me this, he wanted me to explain why none of them were able to see the problems? He could not understand how you could have high caliber management, yet lack results.
I told him it was a leadership problem. You can have all the right policies and procedures, but if the leadership is not good, everything will suffer. You can have the best minds in the world, but if there is no true leadership, little will be accomplished.
The new HR director asked me how I would fix the problems in the training departments. He noted that I am a leadership specialist, but he wanted to know how I would ascertain the main problems, how long it would take and what policies I would change.
I laid out a plan to evaluate the current programs within 6 months and I told him from there we would have to see how long it would take to fix the problems. I told him depending on how extensive the problems, the solutions could take months or years to implement.
I then continued with the need for leadership training at all levels, but he was not that interested in that aspect of the program. I attempted to show him that leadership was the root cause of the company's current dilemma. Had there been good leadership, you would not be facing these problems now.
The owners, three brothers, had started from scratch and built an empire, but then handed over control to corporate heads. When they were in direct control, the problems did not exist. They lead the company, they had a vision for the company, they inspired loyalty; they were the leaders.
Now, the company is in the hands of corporate 'chiefs' and there have been problems ever since. Yes, the company makes money, lots of money and that is the blind spot of 87% of the corporations today. They make money and every year the profits increase masking the internal problems; lack of true leadership.
This new HR director wants to bring in the finest brains to solve the problems. He has grand ideas. He worked in the
In truth, it will be a fix, but a temporary fix. In time everything will drift back to its present state. The owners will see the problems again and once more fire all the top management and bring in fresh blood. Hopefully, they will hire in leadership experts and develop a company of true leaders, all focused on the same vision for the company.
Examine your company. Do you have true leadership? Are you committed to developing true leadership? Or are you happy as long as the money keeps coming in?
For more insights and articles on leadership and management go to
THE POWER OF VISION
By Dr. Edwin C. Weaver
Oct. 7, 2006
There has been a lot of controversy about what talent or skill makes a person a great leader. I have read dozens of articles and everyone has there own view. One says that communication skills are the key to being a leader, but of course he works for a company which provides training in the communication skills. As for me, I believe it is something deeper, perhaps something which can not be taught, vision.
Can you teach someone to believe something? Can you teach someone to hope? Can you teach someone to look beyond what is to what could be? Can you teach someone how to have a burning desire for something or is that something deep down inside?
I will leave those debates to the psychologist and philosophers. My only point is that vision makes the great leaders, not communication skills, not planning skills, or the others. They may help, but the center, the key is vision. Let's look at history as a proof.
Everyone considers Alexander the Great as a great leader, but he lacked good communication skills. In fact, because of his poor communication skills there were three mutinies or revolts during his short life. The only thing that kept things together was his presence and his vision. That inspired his men to keep following him,
You will say that presence is the key to being a great leader, but where does the presence come from? If you do not have a burning vision for what could be, do you have a presence? Examine all the people who are known to have presence. Every one of them has a burning vision within them. Some only have a vision for themselves, but they have a burning vision.
Well, what about planning, organizational skills? Let's look at a couple of business leaders to decide. Look at Fred Maytag, the founder of Maytag. He was not very organized, according to the standards set by training companies. He was always starting something new, while still in a current project. Mr. Maytag did have something else though he had a vision for his company. That vision inspired everyone else.
The same is true for Henry Ford. His vision for Ford Motor Company inspired thousands to follow him. He was not known for his organizational skills, he was known for his vision.
Ok, so it is not communication skills or organizational skills which make a person a leader, what about a concern for the people? Yes, that does help to make you a 'good' leader, but it does not make you a leader.
Fred Maytag, Henry Ford, Cyrus the Great and others have all been concerned about the people. It made them a good leader, but it did not make them a leader. Look at Hitler, was he concerned about the people, but he was a leader. Another example is Osama Bin Laden, is he concerned about the people? He is a leader. Many follow him, even to their death, but he is not good.
So being concerned about the people will decide if you are considered a good leader or an infamous leader, but it, of its self, will not make you a leader. Look at how many people there are in the world who are concerned about the welfare of other, but they are not leaders.
Therefore, I must conclude that vision is the key to making a person into a leader. The vision must be one that encompasses the whole company or community.
If it is only a personal vision, you will not be a leader. You may inspire yourself to do great things, but you will not inspire others to do great things and after all that is what a leader does. He inspires others to do great things.
Now, the question stands, can vision be taught? I believe that it can. Examining history, we see that people like Alexander the Great had mentors. People who help them find the vision that was deep inside them. People who help define and unlock the power of that vision.
You might be a school teacher, a parent or a professional mentor, but if you do not have a strong burning vision you need someone to help you discover the vision and focus that vision. That is what the businesses need to devote their training time to. They need to develop this vision in their top management to make them leaders then teach them the other skills to make them into good leaders.
What are the benefits? Maytag and Ford are still around, the companies are still there, 100 years later. The leader will help to provide sustainability to the company. If you are good at developing leaders, you will be like Fredrick I and his son Fredrick the Great. You will have generations of leaders and generations of sustained profitability.
The choice is yours, try to develop leaders using the other techniques or go to the root and develop a leader. A report in 2003 by DDI showed that 80% of corporate management were only concerned about themselves. They did not have a vision for the company.
These men and women were well trained in communication skills, time management, planning, etc. The missing link was vision. Is it time to develop a vision in the people you want to lead your company?
More articles on leadership and management can be found at http://uniqueleaders.org
10 Points to be a Successful Leader
By Dr. Edwin C. Weaver
July 15, 2006
Everyone would consider people like Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan and George Washington to be good leaders. Even in business, people like Fred Maytag, Henry Ford and Lee Iacocca are considered good leaders. What do these people have in-common? Are there any commonalities which will make for a successful leader?
For 30 years I have been in business. I have been a manager (all levels), administrator, and owner of my own companies. I always wanted to be a good leader, so for most of my business career I have studied different leaders, I have notice 10 points which all of them had. They did not have these to same degree, but all the leaders, both world and business leaders, had these. I will tell you the points and then explain how I use each one, along with the results.
I divide the 10 points into 2 groups; attitude and skills. Amazingly each group has 5 points. Under attitude we have:
1) Worked towards the greater good
2) Suffered with their soldiers or people
3) Fought wars, only when necessary
4) Had strong personalities
5) They were willing to take risks
Under the skills we have:
1) Great communication skills
2) Great planning skills
3) Great delegating skills
4) Great at being Proactive
5) Good at negotiations
These are the Essential 10, as I call them. Every leader who was missing one or more of these had extreme difficulties or just plain failure. As an example we will look at Fred Maytag and his son E.H. Maytag.
Fred understood people. He wanted to help people. In bad times he suffered with his employees. On the other hand, E.H. was only concerned about the business and money. Yes, you would say he was a great businessman, but was he a leader? He led the company, but he did not lead people.
Because E.H. Maytag lacked that concern for the people and did not suffer with the troops, it cost him labor problems. In fact in July of 1938, he had to sign a deal and allow the union into the company. All because he cut employee's salaries by 10% and had continued to anger his employees. Good business move, but a poor leadership move.
In contrast, the union would have never gotten in if his father Fred Maytag was in power. Fred inspired his people. They were loyal to him, because he was loyal to them. When there were good times, everyone enjoyed them and when there were bad times, everyone suffered. How much greater could the Maytag Company have been if E.H. Maytag was a leaders of the people like his father?
As you see, if you are missing one of the Essential 10, you will not be an effective leader of people. You may do well as a businessman, but as a leader of the people you will fail. As to how successful each leader was that depended on how well the Essential 10 were developed.
As an example, Alexander the Great did not develop his communication skills. He had them, but he was weak in that area and did not develop it. His over sight almost cost him everything. Three times his men revolted, because of misunderstandings. These could have been avoided and he would have accomplished more, but the fact remains that he did not develop this skill.
How well each of the Essential 10 is developed will serve as a gauge to your success. Henry Ford stands as a good example of this principle.
Henry Ford saw the BIG picture and he wanted to help the average person, he gave his employees more to help them, he only went up against the competition after his son persuaded him to do so, he definitely had a strong personality, he would not be pushed by anyone, he took many risks, some of which did not work, but he tried, he made sure people understood him and tried to make sure that he understood what they said, he planned out things years in advance, he knew he could not do everything him self so he gave some things to others to complete, but he made sure they were capable and then held them accountable, he was always looking for what could go wrong and trying to prevent it or at least be prepared for it. Yes, he exercised all of the Essential 10 and developed them and as you know Henry Ford was a great success.
Now let us look at the Essential 10. So that there is little confusion about how I am using each of these phrases, I will explain them.
GREATER GOOD
Everyone one of the world leaders mentioned started out to improve things for their people or the country, even Hitler wanted to improve
If the person's eyes are focused only on the bottom line, he will fail (as a leader). He will make some happy and the others will be unhappy. This leads to revolts, strikes and more problems than he can counter. He must think of all the people; the shareholders, management, the workers and even the consumer. He must see the BIG picture and how to include everyone into that picture. Then he must institute policies which will be fair to all.
This is a difficult, but not an impossible job. The leader will know how to show each group that his ways are the best for everyone. As the Japanese are fond of saying, a win - win scenario.
Even Genghis Khan had a vision of how his people should be. He united the people into one group and stopped the bickering between tribes. He made laws that were fair to everyone. He wanted peace and security for his people.
Henry Ford wanted to provide a car that everyone could afford. He didn't want just the rich to enjoy this luxury; he wanted everyone to enjoy it.
Lee Iacocca wanted to save the jobs of thousands of people. He wanted to save the honor of the
Only when we lose sight of the greater good do we start doing what is wrong. When Napoleon wanted more than just the greater good of the French, he met his
SUFFERING WITH THE TROOPS
This is another weak point for today's leaders. Not many are willing to take a cut in pay. Not many are willing to move to a lower rent area. Not many are willing to suffer with the troops.
Suffering with the troops means if the company is doing poorly, you take less money, shorter paid vacations, less perks, etc. Today's leaders are not willing to sacrifice anything of their own for the good of all. They will cut the number of workers the company has, but they will not cut their own pay or benefits. They will cut the retirement benefits, but they will not cut their own benefits. That is why you see labor disputes and poor performance in companies. Why would you be loyal to a person who might stab you in the back at the first sign of financial loss?
Imagine if the CEO cut his own pay by 20% and then asked the employees to take a 10% pay cut to help get the company back on track. What do you think the outcome would be? Yes, some would not want to take the cut, but the majority would see the example of the leader and follow him. Remember the old saying, "Lead by example."
Suffering with the troops does a lot to galvanize the group. Every time it has happened, the troops came together as a stronger unit and fought harder than they had before. The Americans had almost lost the revolutionary war, then at
On Christmas Eve
Suffering with the troops pulled everyone together. They became one unit, one family, one man. No one was different. No one was better than. Everyone was in it together. Suffering with the troops is powerful!
Lee Iacocca did the same. He said "I will only take $1 a year until the company is making a profit. This galvanized all the employees to help turn the company around. As you know, it worked. Chrysler, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, turned around and became a profitable company which is still making a profit.
Not suffering with the troops has led to many revolutions. When the people see that they are suffering and no one at the top is losing anything, instead they are gaining, the people become discontent. This is a de-motivating factor which will lead to people abandoning the company and even fighting against it. Remember the French revolution and what happened to the rich who let the people suffer!
FIGHT ONLY WHEN NECESSARY
Many in business and in government need to learn this lesson. Too many today try to conquer new territories by force. Before the company decides to conquer by force they should consider peace with companies in the new territory, a partnership or joint venture.
All the best leaders have offered peace and a union with them. If the other party refused the offer of peace, then they fought, but if they accepted the peace, then they worked together.
Could this work in business? Of course it could work, as long as greed or power is not the motivating force in the company. The outcome would be more prosperity for all.
Alexander offered peace to every town. If they accepted, they were considered as one with Alexander's people. They had all the same rights as the rest of his people. This made them loyal to him. It also created one of the largest armies the world had seen.
As far as how well you fight when you have to, that is strategy which is a different training session.
STRONG PERSONALITY
Charisma, you must be a person the people will listen to and want to listen to. You have to be good with the people. There are many brilliant men and women in the world but they can not accomplish their goals because they lack the charisma to get people to work with them. And even when they are somewhat charismatic they still lack another essential part.
Another part of strong personality is conviction. You must have the conviction that you are right and stand up for it. You must have conviction that the vision you have for the company is the best way to go and stand up for it. You can not vacillate.
There are many people who are 'likable' but they lack the conviction and so people do not follow them. Then you have people who have conviction but no charisma and they are just obnoxious. They irritate you and they sound pushy.
Charisma and conviction combined give you a strong personality. The leader must have a strong personality to get the people to follow him into battle and possible death. Today, in business, there is not much of the physical death, but there is still a kind of death that is possible, career death. The leader has to be able to take you into the battle, into unknown territories and lead you out the other side in victory.
Every time that a leader has lacked the charisma to make people listen and the conviction to make them believe in him, he has lost his power to lead. You see it throughout history; a person rises to power only to fall shortly thereafter, but when you have a person who is charismatic and full of conviction, even if he is thrown in jail the people still follow him. Look at Nelson Mandela.
Usually it has been a combination of the attitudes and skills which cause the fall, but if he could have kept the strong personality he may have had the opportunity to stay in power longer and perhaps change.
TAKING RISKS
The last of our major attitudes is risk. Let's face it; most people do not like change. They will do anything to keep from changing, but the leader sees change as necessary at times. The leader will take the risk so that all may benefit. He sees that the path they are on is a dead end, but if they go to a new area they may live.
There is always the possibility of failure, but the leader does not see failure as failure, he sees it as a learning lesson. He also has looked closely at the situation and he knows that there is a 'good' chance that they will win. It is a calculated risk.
I guess you might say that risk taking has to do with courage; the courage to go ahead when everyone else wants to go back, but not a blind reckless courage. The leader has a calculated courage.
Skills
I am sure that enough has been said about the skills list. I do not need to explain them. I do not believe that I use them any differently than any other training consultant.
Conclusion
You have seen that The Essential 10 are the key points which separate the leaders from businessman or manager. There is another very important factor, responsibility. The person must be willing to take responsibility for his actions and for the other people as well.
Responsibility is usually the big divider. I have trained many and when it came down to taking full responsibility, 30% would stop there. They wanted to be leaders, but they did not want to take responsibility for everyone and everything. As I explain, your decisions will affect the lives of hundreds, thousands or possibly millions of people, are you ready to take that responsibility?
You can train them, but you can not force them to take the responsibility for everyone. This will be your hardest decision. As the company owner or stakeholders, you must decide whether the person will be responsible or not. I can teach him the skills. I can help him develop the attitudes and fine tune the skills, but I can not make you decision for you as to whether he is the right person to lead the company, that is your duty.
Dr. Weaver has worked leaders in small, medium and large companies around the world. His unique formula for developing true leaders has won him acclaim where ever he has gone. To learn more contact Unique Leaders
Leader or Overachiever
By Dr. Edwin Weaver
In this fast paced world, the person who can out perform others is promoted to the top. In some cases this is a benefit, but when it comes to true leadership, it can be a curse.
The desire to achieve is a major source of strength in business, and it is on the rise. Unique Leaders consulting firm has seen a steady increase in the extent to which achievement motivates managers. There's a dark side to the trend, however. By relentlessly focusing on tasks and goals, an executive or company can damage performance.
Overachieves tend to command and coerce those below them. They do not cultivate followers. They cultivate employees.
The overachiever is driven by power or a lust for power. In contrast, the true leader is driven by a vision of improvement. The overachiever draws his strength and power from controlling other, while the true leader draws his strength and power from empowering other to see a future that was hidden from them or that they though was unattainable.
The overachiever is forceful, where as the true leader is charismatic. Studies show that great charismatic leaders are highly motivated by socialized power.
The company may feel that the overachiever is a blessing, but in the end, he is a curse. Instead of developing a strong loyal crew or team, he develops resentment. There has been much research done on the subject and they all show that turn over under an overachiever is much higher than under the charismatic leader. The turn over can be up to 40 times higher. With the cost of searching for qualified employees and their training, the overachiever is costing the company more than his achievements could possible profit the company.
Rather than order people around, the true leader provides vision, seeks buy-in and commitment, and coaches. The true leader seeks to understand himself and how he can be a benefit to all concerned.
If you're an overachiever seeking to broaden your range, you can study your actions and ask your team, peers, and manager to give you honest feedback. You can adopt specific new behaviors, such as engaging your team in a discussion of how to achieve goals, rather than issuing a set of directives. The company as a whole can play a part, too: Organizations must learn when to draw on the achievement drive and when to rein it in.
For more on development of true leaders contact Unique Leaders
Leaderless Leadership
By Dr. Edwin Weaver
Unique Leaders' Professional Development Consultants
A few days ago Ed Zander stepped down as CEO of Motorola. This is an example of the ever deepening crisis in the business sector.
Companies are in trouble. They look to person to turn the company around. Someone comes up with a lot of promises and technical talk, but later they can not deliver on those strategy and promises. What is the problem?
In the case of Ed Zander and Motorola, they said that changes have been made. They said that improvements have been made, but the profits tell a different story.
Everything sounded good. From all aspects of the plan, everything should have gone as planned. The company should have turned around. What happened?
The curse of today's business world hit Motorola - Leaderless Leadership. You can have the best plans in the world, but without true leaders, nothing gets done. You can have the best strategy and information, but without true leaders, nothing will be accomplished.
Businesses must plan. Businesses must develop strategies, but most importantly businesses need true leaders. The locating and development or true leaders must supersede all other priorities.
With true leaders at the helm, a company will turn around. Even if it takes longer than needed, the company will turn around and become vibrant again.
Just because the company is not turning around as fast as hoped, is no reason to abandon the ship. Does a leader leave his country, because the country is not going they way he planned? Does a military leader leave his troops because the battle is not going as he planned?
No, true leaders stay until the very end. True leaders continue to encourage and stimulate their troops to win. True leaders do not give up and their followers do not give up. That is one thing that was lacking with Ed Zander and Motorola - followers.
A leader has followers. Followers are loyal to the leader. They will follow him into any battle. They will follow him into the depths of hell if needed, but most in business are not leaders. They are only people placed in authority.
Motorola needs a person who can inspire and motivate the entire company to pull together. Motorola needs a person who truly has concern for the people and a vision for the future of the company and the people in the company. Motorola needs a true leader.
In these uncertain times, the need for true leadership is greater than ever. The lack of true leadership will drive businesses, the
Take a look at your company. Do you have a true leader to the top or just people of authority? There is still time to develop good leadership, but time is running out. A financial crisis is looming on the horizon.
Unique Leaders develops true leaders. For almost 20 years, Dr. Weaver has been developing people to be true leaders in business, communities and churches.
Contact Unique Leaders - Professional Development Consultants
Great Leader or Infamous Leader
What is the difference between a great leader and an infamous leader? Does your company have a leader? Which type of leader is guiding your company?
Often we confuse great with infamous. We say that a leader is great when in fact he is infamous. What is the real difference between a great leader and an infamous leader?
Both have similarities; vision, charisma, organizational skills, strategy, great communication skills. Normally all the skills are the same, where the difference enters is in the attitudes or character.
The great leader is doing something for the good of all, where as the infamous leader is concerned only for himself or himself and the company. People like Fred Maytag and Henry Ford were great leaders.
Yes, they wanted to make a profit. They wanted their families to have a better life, but not at the expense of others. They shared their prosperity with those who helped them become prosperous (the employees) and others around them (the community, etc).
What ever they produced, they believed it was for the good of all. The way they produced it was believed to be the best way possible. If they found that there was a better way, they incorporated it into the job.
Take Fred Maytag as an example. Before he started Maytag Washers, he owned a farm machine company; threshers. The threshers of this day were dangerous. Many workers were hurt using this machine. Fred Maytag helped to invent a devise which would make the thresher safer for the workers. This is concern for others. He did not wait until the government or some consumer activist group pushed him to make changes, he saw a problem and fixed it.
Of course, the infamous leader makes good profits, some times excessive profits. The products do not have to be a benefit to people, only make a profit. They only look after the profits and themselves. If there is a problem, they will wait until there is no choice before they spend a dime to fix it. They may help the community, but only after they have made their billions and only to improve their image, not because they have a concern for the people. We all know a famous software king that matches this description.
Unfortunately, in today's society the infamous leader is praised and the great leader is sneered at. People think the great leader is odd or soft and the infamous leader is a great businessman, but of course, some thought Hitler was a great leader.
We need great leaders, not profit hungry businessmen. We need role models for the next generation. If you don't believe me, look at this generation. Their only concern is getting ahead, getting the best position and making as much as they can, no matter what, no matter how.
What is company developing; great leaders, infamous leaders or profit hungry people in authority? If you want true leaders contact Unique Leaders, we develop world class leaders.
Fred Maytag
This is part of Unique Leaders' "Insight on Great Business Leaders"
Examining great business leaders to gain from their experiences.
VISION and CONCERN FOR OTHERS
"In all business, there is a factor which cannot be compensated for in dollars and cents or computed by any measure. It has no relation or connection with the mercenary and is represented only by the spirit of love which the true craftsman holds for his job and the things he is trying to accomplish."
Fred L. Maytag
Fred Maytag, the founder of Maytag Washers, was a great business leader in his days. What made Fred Maytag a great leader? In his case attitude was more prevalent than skills. He was not an educated man; he just had what it takes...
What made Fred Maytag different from others? He had vision and a concern for others. In the July 2006 article 10 Points to be a Successful Leader, we went into detail about these traits and how they help a person become a great leader.
F.L., as he was called, saw what was coming. He saw the changes in
The leader has vision. He can see the possibilities and knows that they are attainable. F.L. was in the farm machine business when he saw the future. He knew that the washing machine was something that was going to stay. He inspired others to believe in his vision and Maytag Washers was started.
He also had a vision of quality, which also relates to concern for others, which he inspired in his workers. He inspired his workers to produce the best or do not produce anything.
Part of the power of Fred Maytag and his ability to inspire others was his genuine concern for others. When you know that someone truly is concerned for your well being, you are more willing to put out the effort for this person.
Fred Maytag had that genuine concern for others. He wanted to succeed, but not at the cost of others, unlike some corporate leaders today. As he succeeded he helped those who were apart of that success.
Fred Maytag built homes for his workers and sold the homes to them on easy terms. He wanted them to have homes of their own. He built a theater, water plant and other things for the community. He had a true concern for those around him.
Fred walked among his workers, he was not above them, he was apart of them. He was always ready to listen to them. One of his favorite slogans was "is everybody happy?" and he meant it.
True concern for others and vision are two of the foundational traits for a great leader. Without vision you are nothing more than a hired hand. Without concern for others you are nothing more than a Hitler.
I look forward to hearing comments on vision and concern for others.
For more than 30 years I have been studying the lives of great leader (military, business and political). I have tried to model their success and to a good degree, I have enjoyed success. Nothing that I write about is theory, has been applied to my life with success.
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