The Leadership of Politics (NOT the politics of leadership)

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Leadership Thought of the Month

Monthly thoughts, musings, random ideas, or occasionally something I’ve read that I thought you might like to hear about - all relevant to leadership of course!

Ok, so, fair warning: there is a slight political theme to the top section of the newsletter this month. However, it’s in service of a higher message about leadership and some key lessons that are just as applicable, and just as important, for leaders in any workplace (not to say there aren’t plenty of politicians who could serve to apply these lessons better, but that’s as political as I’ll be getting today, I promise!).

Let’s start with the quote above from Pulitzer Prize winning author and expert on Abraham Lincoln; Doris Kearns Goodwin. The quote is particularly interesting in the context of her expertise on Lincoln, who sought to include those differing opinions within his team. If one of the more revered leaders of history saw the value in this practice, what does that tell us about the importance of diverse views in our teams today?

By contrast we can look at examples of the “Yes Men Culture” phenomenon that we’ve probably all seen in action at work at least once in our careers, where a homogenous group of people (usually men, although this can vary depending on the industry) sit in a room and violently agree with each other and/or the person ‘in charge’. And I think we all know what quality of decision-making results from this. Famous examples might be the inner circle of advisers to certain British Prime Ministers in recent decades, big and often unpleasant names from history, or we could look at some high-profile failures in the business world, certain mergers and acquisitions, famous companies collapsing, and so on. There’s a reason thinkers as far back as Socrates have talked about the danger of this type of culture.

This is super relevant to founders, leaders, or managers because it underlines why conflict, disagreement, and dissenting views should be treated as precious, something to encourage, value and pay due consideration to when you’re making decisions.

We live in contentious, divisive times, and when jobs, paychecks, titles, status, perceived authority and so on are on the line - as they often are (or seem to be) in the boardroom, the meeting, the video call; it’s so easy to lose sight of the purpose and value of expressing different points of view, disagreeing, even conflicts. That is why this lesson is so important to leaders everywhere; not just in politics.

It’s Lonely at the Top…

It’s a cliche we’ve all heard - ‘it’s lonely at the top’, ‘leadership can be lonely’ etc. So from now on, in each edition of Leader Not A Boss I’ll offer a quick tip to help you break that isolation. Whether you’re a busy leader in a company large or small, a business owner, a solopreneur, or a new manager, loneliness at the top is something you’ll face at some point in your leadership career or even at some point each day.

This month’s tip is 80% genuine advice and 20% shameless plug. Here’s the 80% first: previously I’ve written about the value of networking, and this tip is in a lot of ways the end goal of building your network. Find your tribe/community/group of like-minded peers. This may feel a little repetitive from a previous edition but I don’t mind saying it again because 1. it’s important and meaningful, and 2. it’s the end goal as opposed to the process of getting there, if that makes sense?

For the 20% plug: Integrity Leaders is one such option, and I’d humbly offer you a place there anytime (see the top and bottom of this page for links to join, in fact), but that’s only 20% of this tip because - genuinely - if it’s not the right place or the right fit for you then I encourage you to find a place that is, where you’ll find the support, learning, community spirit and more that is right for you and your career. There’s plenty of other options so don’t be afraid to explore them (maybe in-person meetups are better for you, maybe you want to be among industry peers, etc.).

Celebrating Great Leaders

In each newsletter, I’ll drop a quick paragraph or two about a great leader who deserves a bit of celebrating.

This is the part where I’m really going to dance around my ‘no politics’ rule (it’s more of a guideline…) because it’s been an eventful month or so since the last edition in terms of global politics.

Not to be too western-centric, but I’m choosing two leaders to celebrate this month. Or, more accurately, I’ve chosen two specific moments of great leadership from each of them.

Have I got you guessing yet?

These may be obvious, but here goes, I’m talking about President Joe Biden, and (now former) Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. These are two national leaders and politicians, each with their own controversies and reasons to be unpopular in various circles, which is why I said “specific moments” just now. For the purposes of these two examples, let’s suspend our political biases for the next few paragraphs - and hopefully by choosing one each from the left/right wing of the political spectrum I’ve made that slightly easier…

Here’s the moments I’m thinking of, and why I think they’re moments worth celebrating as examples of great leadership:

1. Rishi Sunak’s resignation/final speech - after fighting a losing campaign and ultimately losing his job, the one thing Mr Sunak did that week which I think is worth reflecting on was his final speech as Prime Minister. It featured words like: "I'm sorry", "I take responsibility", "I thank them [colleagues] for their hard work, and their service", "I will step down as party leader……not immediately, but once the formal arrangements for selecting my successor are in place", and perhaps most unusually he expressed support, respect and good wishes for his victorious opponent. If you haven’t seen it yet, then I recommend searching it out on YouTube. I'm not going to pretend I'm sad about the election result, but I can't help admiring the grace in defeat on display in that speech and that moment.
   

2. Biden’s decision to halt his re-election campaign - again coming at the end of a long ‘battle’, the behind-the-scenes context of which is difficult for us to fully know or understand. Following months of pressure to quit the election, step aside and allow someone else to run, Mr Biden made what was probably the most difficult decision of his career. There’s leadership on display in the way he handled that process once he had come to the decision, no delay or obfuscation, a letter talking about how proud he is of the accomplishments of the team and of his country (worth a read if you haven’t seen it). And quickly moving to endorse a replacement candidate. When leaders come to the end of their tenure for whatever reason, the succession plan and the transition out of the organisation can make or break the future of that organisation - so there’s great lessons in this moment and the way he chose to handle it.

Perhaps these examples stand out more because they appear to be moments of politicians and national leaders doing the opposite of what was expected of them, and choosing to do something for the greater good; and perhaps that’s notable because it’s become so rare in our politics of late.
Or maybe that’s just my own bias getting in the way of my objectivity?
I’ll leave you to think about it and form your own opinions.

Podcast News

ICYMI: This Month On The Leading with integrity Podcast

A quick round up of recent episodes, with links, so you can catch up on ones you missed!

• Ep.118: Is Your Ladder Leaning On the Right Building? Leading with Purpose as Your Authentic Self, with Eric Sardina 
  (26-Jun-2024 - 01hr 21min)
  Listen Here, or Watch On YouTube
  Have you figured out your purpose? In career, in life, for some it’s a divine calling tied closely to their beliefs, while for others it’s simply about finding the intersection of what they’re good at, what they enjoy, and what they can have the most impact by doing. Whatever the underlying logic, finding your purpose or mission in life can be a truly transformational moment. For leaders it's a key step in being able to lead authentically, essential for trust-building and success in the long-term. I discuss these questions and more with guest, Eric.
  

• Ep.119: Adapt and Thrive - Leadership Tips for High Performing Teams, with Joey Lye 
  (03-Jul-2024 - 51min)
  Listen Here, or Watch On YouTube
  Can you think of a better person to talk to about teamwork, high performance, or leadership than a former olympic athlete? I chat to Olympian and Coach, Joey Lye about confidence, high performance, how to adapt and thrive, and her experiences of teamwork, leadership and crisis on the world’s stage as a competitor at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 - a.k.a. the ‘Covid Games’. Sports aren't usually my thing, as you may know, but that doesn't mean I don't recognise the value and lessons to be learnt from awesome people like Joey.
  

• Ep.120: Service-first Leadership and How To Build Great Culture, with Clifton Savage 
  (10-Jul-2024 - 01hr 17min)
  Listen Here, or Watch On YouTube
  Are you serving your people every day? For guest Clif Savage (CEO, Leader, Consultant) the answer is a firm 'Yes', this service- and people-first approach to leadership - a.k.a. servant leadership - can have impact across your team or business when effectively applied, paying dividends from team engagement to customer outcomes. We talk about how he applies these principles to his own leadership, the benefits it has to organisational culture, company success, and beyond. Learn how this philosophy plays into nearly everything you do as a leader; communication, values, recruitment, staff retention, authenticity, training and development.
  

• Ep.121: You Don’t Need to Be the Smartest Person in the Room: Self-Leadership, with Christian Espinosa 
  (17-Jul-2024 - 01hr 12min)
  Listen Here, or Watch On YouTube
  Are you the smartest person in the room? It's ok not to be, especially when you're the leader - it's more important to see, appreciate, and leverage the skills & knowledge of all those people in the room who ARE the smartest. In this episode, I'm joined by Christian Espinosa, he wrote the book on getting the best out of the smartest people in the room. We hear about Christian’s career and experiences, explore his take on leadership, cybersecurity, and life. An entertaining, enlightening, and educational chat that covers everything from Leadership to NLP, from Cybersecurity to AI and autonomous cars. A great episode for all you techie-leaders out there.
  

• Ep.122: Reluctant Resilience, Modern Leadership and the Family Business, with Chrissy Myers 
  (24-Jul-2024 - 01hr 03min)
  Listen Here, or Watch On YouTube
  Do you cultivate resilience in yourself and your team? I'm joined by Chrissy Myers, author of ‘Reluctantly Resilient’, CEO of two companies including a third generation family business, and supporter of various non-profits, community projects and philanthropic ventures. We talk about the lessons Chrissy kindly shares from her own career, advice on how leaders can be more resilient to the challenges of work and what it's like to take on a family business. Key highlights for me are our discussions about hiring slow, firing fast, caring leadership and putting people & community before profits or processes. I also loved the hearing about the idea of work shadowing or "the working interview" instead of the traditional approach to hiring.

Coming Soon…

This week Join me tomorrow for Ep.123: How to Disagree Without Disrespect, and Why it Matters, with guest Philip Blackett. We’ll be discussing an idea that is too easily forgotten in the heat of the moment with all of the modern context and stresses: it’s ok to disagree with someone and a disagreement isn't necessarily about bringing the other person to 'your side' or persuading them they are wrong.

This is pretty relevant to the subject of the top section today and it’s pivotal to effective leadership, because great leaders recognise the value in opposing views, see the benefits of healthy confrontation, and are active in the way they encourage and develop these things within their teams. Philip has authored several books, including "Disagree without Disrespect: How to Respectfully Debate with Those who Think, Believe, and Vote Differently From You".

Tune in when the episode releases tomorrow morning at 0830 (UK BST), here’s the link: https://smartlink.ausha.co/leading-with-integrity/ep-123-how-to-disagree-without-disrespect-and-why-it-matters-with-philip-blackett-the-leadership-podcast 

Next week I’ll be joined by communications coach to parents of pre-teens, Marcus A. Higgs, we’ll be covering a variety of topics from his career journey to the role of communication and effective conflict management - why this is important to your leadership, and more.

Later in August The rest of August will centre on a key theme: burnout and stress at work. I have a short series of 4 episodes planned for this, kicking off on 14th August with the first of a two part interview with Burnout Recover Coach, Eugene Lee. We’ll be chatting about our own burnout experiences, lessons learned and steps to prevent or recover from it, with the second part the next week. Followed by a conversation on 28th August about the role of discrimination in causing stress, anxiety, and burnout, with Dr. Frank Douglas, and concluding in the first week of September with a discussion on the impact of burnout and more with ‘Chief Burnout Officer’, Michael Levitt.

Want to Get Into Podcasting?

It was recently suggested to me that, having recorded well over 100 episodes of Leading with integrity now, I might offer a few ideas here for anyone considering getting into podcasting themselves…

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, because the more I think about it the more sense it makes to me. If you’re not sure about podcasting and can’t bring yourself to take my earlier advice of ‘just do it’, then I understand, but try this instead: go do some guest spots on other people’s podcasts first.

With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I’d done this myself, before launching head first (or should that be head over heels?) into hosting and creating my own show. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a host for the many reasons I’ve talked about before, but trying my hand as a guest first would have given me a valuable opportunity to learn from other hosts, get to grips with my message, and practice speaking.

If you’re not sure how to go about guesting, here’s some ideas:

1. If you know a podcast host already, ask them if they’re looking for guests, most usually are and probably won’t mind you asking (👋 Want to be on mine? Drop me a reply or DM…)

2. Research other shows and reach out to the hosts of some you like or that fit your niche.

3. There are a variety of podcast guest/host matching sites available, I have tried several of them and my current favourite is Podmatch - full disclosure though, this one does involve a monthly fee (but if you’d like to support what Leading with integrity is doing, and assuming it’s not too cheeky of me, here’s my affiliate link!).

4. If none of those appeal, please do drop me an email sometime as there are a few great podcasters I’ve been fortunate enough to meet over the years, and at least one introducer-service; I’d be happy to connect you with any of them but we should definitely chat first!

That’s all for this edition, thank you for reading and I hope you’ve enjoyed it (any feedback is, as always, welcomed).

I’ll be back in your inbox again next month, and until then:

Be a Leader, Not a Boss!

David

In case you don’t know me that well, I’m David Hatch and I’m here to help new managers and first-time founders with their leadership skills, so they can become leaders not bosses, lead with integrity, and build happier, higher performing teams, more effective organisations, and, ultimately: successful businesses.

If you’d like to join Integrity Leaders, my online leadership community and participate in live member-only workshops, sessions/events, and access an ever growing list of leadership resources as well as get early access to podcast episodes, you can be part of it now with a complimentary trial for 60 days - all I ask in return is your engagement and honest feedback. At the end of those 2 months, there’s a no-fee reduced-access membership option, or you can choose to become a paid member (£39/month).

Small announcement: At the end of summer (which in the UK is a moving goalpost so, let’s call it first week of September, being generous about it) the 60-day free trial will be closing. So if you’re on the fence, sign up soon or you’ll miss the two-months-for-free opportunity!

Here’s the link:
Integrity Leaders: Community membership and learning, for new leaders or first-time founders.