by Glenn Parker | Mar 31, 2020
Copyright Wavebreak Media Ltd, 123rf.com
We have all heard
a good deal over the years about “crisis management.” Crisis management often
treats a disruption or unexpected event as something to be “managed” in such a
way that minimizes harm to the organization. It often begins with denial or even
minimizing the event:
- “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
- “People are exaggerating the
situation.”
- “It’s not that bad.”
- “It will all be over soon.”
However, in times of a real crisis such as war, financial meltdown, or pandemic, leadership—not simply management—is required. Real leaders don’t deny, deceive, or deflect. We believe, more specifically, that Positive Influence Leadership is necessary in times of crisis.
Positive Influence Leaders Are Supportive.
They are not cheerleaders who tell everyone that it’s going to be fine. They are, however, calm and confident and, most of all, truthful. They make it clear that, while this may be a long-term battle, we are in this fight together and “I have your back.”
Leaders like David Gibbs, CEO of Yum Brands (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell), just recently made it very clear to their millions of customers and thousands of franchisees around the world that they are “open for business” and well-positioned for this crisis because they long-ago perfected “contactless” delivery, drive-thru, and carry-out. This is the kind of supportive leadership people need to hear right now
Positive Influence Leaders Are Teachers.
They listen to your concerns. They understand your needs. They provide the information and knowledge you need in order to deal with the crisis. In an attempt to “manage” the crisis, managers often give out confusing and sometimes conflicting information. The most effective positive influence leaders have the knowledge that we all need to get through the crisis; and, perhaps more importantly, they have an ability to communicate that information in a way that we can all understand.
Dr. Deborah Birx, a key member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force and a well-respected global health expert, has what has been described as “that essential and rare skill, which is the ability to explain really complicated, fairly technical, scary health situations in a way that ordinary people can hear and say, ‘I understand, and she’s speaking to me.’” She exemplifies what it means to be a teaching style positive influence leader.
Positive Influence Leaders Are Motivators.
They see that something special in you that may not have even been apparent to you. They provide you with the freedom to do your job without micro-managing, because they provide a clear statement of the goal and then get out of the way, allowing you the freedom to figure out how to get it done. And lastly, they give you access to the resources you need to do the job and empower you to act while making it clear, “I’m here if you need me.”
Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York, the epicenter of the U.S cases of the coronavirus, has spoken directly to the people of the state, asking that they practice sensible sanitation and limit contact with others, especially in groups, because as he said, “We need everyone to be safe, or no one can be safe.” He has motivated the state bureaucracy to cooperate, has used state labs for testing, has forced local officials to close schools and offices, and gotten the military to create more hospital beds to treat virus patients. During this scary time, we need motivators who are going to go to bat for us. Governor Cuomo is doing this for his state.
Positive Influence Leaders Are Role Models.
They can be a powerful force from whom you can learn how to do things “the right way.” You can choose to closely emulate a person you admire or you can simply extract certain traits and integrate them with your style. A role model can also be someone whom you’ve never met, but have admired from afar.
Taiwan’s Vice President, Chen Chien-jen, is an epidemiologist with a
doctorate from Johns Hopkins. Under his leadership, when the COVID-19 outbreak
in neighboring China first became known to the WHO, Taiwan established a
national command center to coordinate all government efforts. They quickly
began testing patients for coronavirus; established a toll-free number to
encourage citizens to report cases; instituted land and sea border controls,
active case finding, and quarantine of people with suspected infection; and
ensured the health system had the necessary resources to manage patients with
the disease.
In a time of crisis—war, financial,
or medical—Positive Influence Leadership is essential. Whether you are trying
to ensure that your teams know you are all in this together, or you are trying
to model leadership behavior for an entire country, we all need a leader that
is going to have our back and model behavior in a positive way.
As Abraham Lincoln said a very long
time ago:
“I am firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the facts.”
For more stories of positive influence and how you can become a positive influence leader, pick up a copy of our new book, Positive Influence: The Who Helps People Become the Best Self (HRD Press, 2020).
by Glenn Parker | Mar 14, 2020
Copyright Dmitrii Shironosov, 123rf.com
You are indeed fortunate if all, or even most, of the people in your life are a positive influence. Maybe you were told at a young age that “you can do it” the first time you hoped on a two-wheel bike, auditioned for the school orchestra, tried out for the field hockey team, or stood up to the neighborhood bully.
Unfortunately, most of us encounter people who seek (sometimes unknowingly) to bring us down with their negativity in the name of:
“I’m just trying to be realistic and practical. It’s a long shot.”
Turn the Challenge into a Positive Influence
One practical coping strategy is to take the negativity as a challenge, with an approach that goes something like this: “I’ll prove them wrong.” For example, we have heard people say, “You think I can’t do it; I’ll show you” or “You believe my decision makes no sense. You will eat those words.”
It’s a familiar story. Zane Grey, who wrote 90 books that sold some 50 million copies, faced multiple rejections of the first manuscripts. In fact, one editor told him: “I don’t see anything in this to convince me you can write either narrative or fiction.” Yet Grey persevered, because he wanted to prove them wrong and believed he had stories to tell about the American West that people would want to read.
Gerry, a GE engineer we interviewed for this project, told us about an early negative experience in his life. His high school guidance counselor laughed when Gerry said he wanted to go to college and study engineering. When the counselor told him, “You can’t do it”—Gerry was motivated to prove her wrong. As he told us, “It gave me a chip on my shoulder.”
Jennifer, another person in our study group, was asked skeptically by her mother, “What are you going to do with a history degree?” Jennifer then set out to prove her mother wrong, as she moved from intern to a permanent position and on up to chair and curator at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. As Jennifer told us, “I didn’t see [my mother’s question] as a negative factor, but I did see it as a challenge.” However, she was also quick to acknowledge that her mother’s passion for American history helped create Jennifer’s love of history.
What’s been your experience dealing with negativity? Do you embrace it as a challenge? We’d love to hear your story.
For more stories of how people deal with the forces of negativity, pick up a copy of our new book, Positive Influence: The Leader Who Helps People Become Their Best Self (HRD Press, 2020).
by Glenn Parker | Mar 7, 2020
Copyright gpointstudio, 123rf.com
Perhaps you’ve led a charmed life in which all or most of the people you’ve encountered have been positive influences. For example, maybe you met someone early on who created a desire to learn, helped you fashion a set of positive values, taught you a set of relevant skills, or instilled in you a belief that failure is just one step on life’s journey.
Unfortunately, many of us come across people who, for a variety of reasons and often without any malicious intent, try to make us feel “less than” with comments such as:
“I must warn you that women don’t do well in this type of work environment.”
Sometimes you can walk away from a person like this, but often it’s not possible when the person is your boss. However, what you can do is take responsibility for the situation and develop an approach that includes getting your job done in a way that benefits the organization.
As the human resources (HR) business partner for the chief technology officer (CTO), Nancy (one of our study participants) quickly realized that he had issues working with senior level women in the organization. For example, he would rarely meet with Nancy, did not include her in important team meetings, and complained to other senior level managers that she was incompetent.
Nancy learned that it was possible to work with his organization by forging alliances and partnerships with his team in order to provide the HR services that were needed. One key discovery was that she did not need his sponsorship to create many effective working relationships with his team. Another more powerful discovery was that she was never going to change his assessment of her, no matter how great a job she did with his organization. It was his problem! The experience was liberating for Nancy, because she learned that she did not need or want to work in an organization that did not value her contributions. As she told us—“and that was worth all the stress.”
She has now moved on to another organization where she has “always felt supported.” In a clear example of “paying it forward,” Nancy actively ensures that “no one that I work with ever feels devalued for any reason.”
For more stories of how people deal with the forces of negativity, pick up a copy of our new book, Positive Influence: The Leader Who Helps People Become Their Best Self (HRD Press, 2020).
by Glenn Parker | Mar 5, 2020
Copyright lekstuntkite, 123rf.com
Learn How Positive Influence Leaders Provide a Hand Up, Not a Hand Out
If you are fortunate, there are people along the way that provide just the right help at the very time that you need it. We have come to call these people Positive Influence Leaders. Capturing the essence of that idea, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall famously said:
“None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody—a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League crony, or a few nuns—bent down and helped us pick up our boots.”
Our research clearly shows that many people have been influenced by a teacher, a manager, or a parent who said, “You can do it” or “I will help you get through it.” Call it a mentor, a coach, or simply a friend, someone was there for you at a critical juncture in your life. For example, Oprah Winfrey cites author and poet Maya Angelou as a special person who provided guidance through some of the most critical periods in her life.
Leslie, one of the people in our study group, after a number of years in the workforce, went back to graduate school to become a teacher. She was fortunate to encounter a professor who instilled in her a passion for teaching. He taught her all the practical tools she needed to be successful in the classroom, but he didn’t map out a plan for her.
Dr. Benjamin Mays, former president of Morehouse College, met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., when he was an undergraduate at Morehouse, and the two remained close until Dr. King passed away in 1968. In his speeches and writings, Dr. King’s emphasis on the dignity of all human beings and the failure of America to live up to its stated ideals came from Dr. Mays.
Frank, an IT manager we interviewed, coached a member of his team to handle user complaints without getting defensive. As Frank told us, “I didn’t intervene with the users; rather, I let him learn by handling it himself.”
Hall of Fame basketball player Bill Russell said his mother was a great mentor: “She taught me to stand up for myself, to use my brainpower on my behalf.” Although his mother died when he was twelve, her influence stayed with him throughout his life, influencing his thoughts, goals, and aspirations. Russell’s life is replete with examples of independent thinking and standing up for his beliefs.
In all of these cases, and in many others, the person was not handed a business or a job or a part in a movie. The gift they received was a “hand up”—an inspiring or supportive message from an influential person. That leader, mentor, teacher, coach, or parent was a positive influence on them, such that they credit their success to that relationship. It is their strongly held belief that:
“Without this person, I would not be where I am today.”
For more stories of positive influence and how you can become a positive influence leader, pick up a copy of our new book, Positive Influence: The Who Helps People Become the Best Self (HRD Press, 2020).
by Glenn Parker | Feb 15, 2020
Copyright Brian Kinney, 123rf.com
When a young Jack Nicholson was growing up in New Jersey, he had a summer job in a local movie theater. He saw every performance of On the Waterfront with Marlon Brando—twice a night. Nicholson was spellbound. As he said, “I couldn’t take my eyes off him.” It was from that experience that he decided to pursue an acting career. Brando was a positive influence leader on several generations of actors who never met him.
Interestingly, we have come to understand that a person may be positively influenced by someone even without having met them. Such a positive influence leader is almost always an iconic role model, such as Ronald Reagan was for a generation of politicians and Marlon Brando was for several generations of actors. As Nicholson has said many times, he was part of the first generation of actors that idolized Brando, but far from the last.
Beginning in the 1950’s, Brando indirectly influenced several generations of actors by shifting their approach away from the British classically stage-trained style to the Stanislavski method taught by Stella Adler. Brando studied acting with Adler and later with Elia Kazan. While Brando is acknowledged to have had “something special,” he took acting seriously and studied hard to get better. An entire generation of actors was positively influenced by one actor, a role model whom most never met.
For example, he inspired Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Nicholson early on; followed by Sean Penn, Johnny Depp, Daniel-Day Lewis; and more recently, Christine Bale, Ryan Gosling, and James Franco.
Finding your Role Model
You do not have to look to a famous actor or athlete to find a role model who can be a powerful force in your life and career. It can be, among others, a parent, teacher, coach, or manager. A role model is a person who provides an example from whom you can learn how to be successful. You may choose to closely emulate a person you admire, although you may also benefit by extracting certain traits and values and integrating them with your unique style.
Even Jack Nicholson, while he idolized Brando, was smart enough to recognize that it is ultimately all about who you are. As you may have already found, the effective role model is a positive influence by articulating a clear vision and describing a path forward. They never foster a dependency relationship, but rather empower you to seek and find your own destiny.
For more stories of role models and positive influence leaders and how you can become a positive influence leader, pick up a copy of our new book, Positive Influence: The Leader Who Helps People Become the Best Self (HRD Press, 2020).
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