The Leadership Contract

Our blog this week comes from Vince Molinaro.  An engaging speaker, he conducts keynote presentations for corporations and conferences. He is also the author of the New York Times Best Selling book, The Leadership Contract (Wiley, 2013). Vince’s message is powerful, insightful and thought provoking. Thank you to Vince for allowing us to share his innovative opinions on the future of leadership. For questions or comments, Vince can be reached at www.knightsbridge.com.
 
 
The Leadership Contract
By Vince Molinaro, Managing Director, Leadership Solutions, Knightsbridge
 
For many years, an employment contract existed between employees and organizations. You know the one ─ you get a job, agree to be a strong performer, remain loyal, and the organization would take care of you until you retire.
 
But did you know that there is also a leadership contract? Most employees don’t, and many are unaware of its terms and conditions.
 
The fact is that many leaders enter into the leadership contract without ever really knowing what’s involved. It’s a lot like downloading software onto your computer. At some point during the installation process, you will be presented with long, boring, exhaustive terms and conditions for the download. And you know that if you don’t accept them, you won’t be able to complete the process. So you click agree, without ever reading the terms.
 
In an alarming parallel, we have many leaders today who just clicked ‘agree’ to get the promotion, the higher salary, the power and the perks, without truly understanding what it is they’re signing up for.   That has created many reluctant leaders who cannot effectively serve their organizations. That’s why leadership has become such a critical priority in organizations today. The leadership gaps of today won’t enable organizations to succeed tomorrow. Every organization knows that they must do better when it comes to leadership.
 
Doing better begins with understanding this idea of the leadership contract and its four main terms and conditions.
 
Leadership is a decision. Make it.
Sometimes, it’s all too easy for leaders to forget that leadership is ultimately a decision. Of all the great leaders I’ve worked with, they all describe times in their careers where they made the conscious decision to be the leader. Unfortunately, in my work, I also see a lot of leaders who are simply filling the role without ever consciously deciding to lead, and accepting all aspects of the job. Like Tom Brady, this will help you take your game to the next level.
 
Leadership is an obligation. Step up.
Many leaders don’t appreciate that leadership brings significant obligation. In the end, it’s not all about you – it’s about your customers, your employees, your shareholders and the communities in which you do business. It means thinking and behaving differently, and acknowledging you are no longer a bystander in your organization, but that you must step up every single day to make things better.
 
Leaders today and tomorrow must be able to:
1. Align and engage.
2. Take an enterprise-wide perspective.
3. Build relationships.
4. Master complexity and uncertainty.
5. Develop other leaders.
6. Model the values.
 
Leadership is hard. Get tough.
If you’ve been leader for any period of time, you know it is hard to do. As a result, leaders need to get tough so they can effectively lead through all the pressure they encounter.   You will need to be resilient. However, being able to take a punch and shake it off is only part of what it means to have leadership toughness. You will also need a real sense of personal resolve and determination.
 
You will need to understand that being tough is not about being rough. Yelling at people is easy. Mistreating employees is easy. Real toughness involves having the courage to make difficult decisions about poor performers, holding people accountable, and delivering candid feedback. However, instead of dealing with these issues head-on, many leaders wimp out. And as a result, they are not fulfilling their leadership obligation.
 
Leadership is a community. Connect.
I was flying home to Toronto after a business trip. On the plane, I was surrounded by a group of eight young men who were talking loudly, joking around, full of excitement and energy.  After striking up a conversation, I found out they were a line crew for a utility company headed to Toronto to pick up some trucks and then drive to Connecticut to repair electrical lines damaged by Hurricane Irene.
 
This mission explained why they were so excited, but I noticed something else about this group. They were constantly teasing each other. They shifted easily from talking about their personal lives to talking about the job. It was obvious that they shared a deep connection. They weren’t just friendly coworkers; they had a true bond.
 
I asked one of the group why they were “so tight”? He said, “Doing the kind of work we do, we’re taking our lives into our hands every single day. We’re like a band of brothers. We have to have each others’ backs – one mistake and you can lose somebody forever.”
 
How many of us can say that we feel this way about our own colleagues at work? Do you have a band of brothers and sisters in your organization?
 
Make the choice to connect with your fellow leaders on a personal level. It’s time to change the quality of our relationships at work. It’s time we expect more from ourselves and our fellow leaders. If you do, you will take the first step towards creating a community of leaders. And if you do, you will build a strong leadership culture that will begin to set your organization apart.
 
Building a Community of Leaders
Building a strong community of leaders is critical to your organization’s success. It is the ultimate differentiator. It’s at the core of the leadership contract.
 
At an organizational level, commit to use the terms and conditions described above to create your own leadership contract. One that clearly spells out what you expect from your leaders and what you will not tolerate. Find ways to help your leaders build relationships with one another – it’s difficult to build a community of leaders among a group of strangers. Commit to building the best leadership in your industry.
 
At a personal level, you can also start to make a difference. Take a moment to reflect on the leadership contract. Ask yourself which area you have been neglecting as a leader? It’s time to take your personal leadership to the next level. It’s your obligation to your organization. Review the terms and conditions of the leadership contract then make a commitment to sign up to be the leader you must be.
 
·         Leadership is a decision. Make it.
·         Leadership is an obligation. Step up.
·         Leadership is hard. Get tough.
·         Leadership is a community. Connect.
 
Start today.