Real Leadership for Dean Williams - Book Report/Review Example

? Topic: Summary of book (Real leadership for "Dean Williams by Book Report/Review, Management Overview about the book What you do is important; but how you do what you do is more important. The later style of functioning is the hallmark of a true leader. In the book, “Real Leadership: Helping People and Organizations Face Their Toughest Challenges,” Dean Williams does that precisely. He advises the leader to trust in the intrinsic ability of an individual and encourage him to challenge the reality of the situation, be guided by own convictions and develop the strategies accordingly. Out of his arguments, Williams articulates a new paradigm that takes a fresh look at the function and purpose of leadership—responsible leadership. A leadership that is willing to trust the alternative choice of action. In an atmosphere of freedom, people give better results and develop capacity of anticipation to react as the situational demands. People should be allowed to cultivate the habit to challenge the procedures wherever they hold up the progress and go by the supreme interests of the institution, instead of working like dumb, driven cattle, and remain ‘yes-men,’ always. When habits, practices, priorities and values are never challenged, the culture of the institution becomes like the water in a stagnant pool—it stinks! So, the type of leadership as visualized by Williams has the foresight to move with the changing conditions and demands of the situation. Such leaders have perfected the art of mobilising people to take benefit of the opportunities, as otherwise the threats will overtake the strength of the organization. Williams does not articulate theory from the textbooks, their arguments and counterarguments. He lets fresh water flow in the area of leadership and lists six important challenges that every organisation encounters. They are the outcome of his practical experiences of working in different organisations in different geographical areas. He cites historical examples as well. He has interviewed politicians and important business magnates, to perfect applications of real leadership. Chapter 1: Odin, Enron, and the Apes: Distinguishing Real Leadership from Counterfeit Leadership. Williams writes, real leadership baffles definition and “The question, “What is real leadership—the kind of leadership that keeps or world from falling apart and improves the human condition?” is one that philosophers, politicians, poets, and prophets have wrestled with since the beginning of time.”(2005:4) The perspective of each leader is different and he thinks, whatever he does is correct in the circumstances that he is confronted with. Williams’s book is unique because of the path-breaking options he tenders before the people and he elucidates the importance of transformational options. After studying and with the practical experience in working in diverse fields, he sums up, “Basically, the goal is to get the people to do what you want them to do.”(2005:4) He makes it clear, how an individual with perception and the capacity to take right decisions at the right time, taking into consideration the views of his people, can make a difference to the organisation, and can arrest the downward slide. He cites the example of Norse God Odin and writes, “Metaphorically, Odin represents all authority figures—bosses, managers, politicians and CEOs. (2005:8) They all can make a difference if they are willing to exercise real leadership. Desperate situation in a business, need to be tackled not with desperate remedies, but with a responsible approach, taking into consideration the views of the heterogeneous sections of people. Threats must be confronted and must not be allowed to subdue the organisation and the leader must have the passion for insight and to discover the lacunas in the functional areas. The tendency to ‘follow the leader’ with implicit faith is fraught with grave consequences. Citing the consequence of faulty leadership Williams writes, “Counterfeit leadership provided by Enron’s Chairman and CEO, Kenneth Lay, in 2001……and almost overnight, the world woke up to a tale of corporate greed, malfeasance, and financial chicanery of Shakespearean proportions.”(2005:14) This is a warning to the investors. Chapter 2: Diagnostic Work: Determining the Principal Challenge In Chapter 2, “Diagnostic Work: Determining the Principal Challenge,” Williams emphasises the need for the leader to be ever vigilant. Each and every detail, howsoever insignificant may look apparently, demands the thorough attention of the leader and he needs to take a decision for or against it. What is important is consideration. The team needs to be presented with a challenge always to prevent the reverse swing in the organisation. The leader must know the prospectus and limitations of the entire canvass in front of him. William writes, “Certainly any group or organisation faces many serious problems demanding attention. But the leader must learn how, like Odin’s ravens, to take a bird’s eye view of the terrain and generate a more complete picture of the bits and pieces that are presented by the individual and various factions.”(2005:31) Listening is great art that demands patience, and the leader must cultivate it. His arguments, strengthen the validly of the wise old sayings, ‘two heads are better than one.’ and ‘union is strength.’ The most important aspect of decision-making for a leader to assess the threats and opportunities well in time, as the time factor is important in deciding the business strategies. A declining organisation must adopt the corrective course without loss of time and suggestions and feedback from his people should be part of the agenda of decision making. Reversing the organisational culture is a question of tough asking; nevertheless the option will have to be availed, in the fast changing technological world, also impacted by internet revolution. The actual turnaround is preceded by the psychological turnaround. When there is no transparency in the process of decision-making, the next development is the blame game before the organisation reaches the position of passivity and helplessness. Empowerment builds confidence of the people, and adds to their sense of belonging, which has direct bearing on their output. Chapter5: The Transition Challenge: Moving from One System of Values to Another Rapidly advancing technological innovations have kept the leaders on tenterhooks. The leaders are aghast, what choices to adopt and what should be ignored. The emotions attached to the old practices and products play the crucial role. In Chapter 5, the author discusses about the biggest challenge related to transition. Williams writes, “To ensure the group is able to adapt and thrive in a changed environment, deal with a threat, or take advantage of the opportunity, the leadership is to transition the group into a new state of operating and refashion the values, loyalties, and mindsets of the people.”(2005:115) Transition is a drastic process, and needs gradual implementation. Certain definite steps are needed for orchestrating transition of values, habits and attitudes in an organisation. In this chapter Williamson tenders several historical and political examples related to transition. Change may result in success or it may lead to disaster. A leader can build or break an organisation as their power affects the organisation enormously. Depending on the outcome of the decisions taken by the leader for transition, he may be hailed as a visionary or condemned as a villain. Williams writes, “Fundamentally, real leadership gets people to confront reality and change values, habits, practices, and priorities in order to deal with the real threat or the real opportunity the people face. It facilitates improvements in the human condition. Counterfeit leadership, on the other hand, provides false solutions and allows the group to bypass reality." (2005: ix ) Praise as a visionary and condemnation as the villain is not a fairy tale, the life and after-life of Mao Tse Tung, is the recent historical example of this genre, the details of which have been given in the subsection, “Great Leap Backward,” in this chapter. What happened in China is the result of the dogmatic and authoritative power exercised by one individual, owing allegiance to a specific ideology which no section, political, administrative, or judicial were able to challenge it. He was heading a totally closed system, and only his opinions and decisions prevailed. The subdued followers, knowing fully well that what opposition would mean, deceive the leader, and thus the chances of change and progress are thwarted. They follow their leader Mao to please him and they do not own the desire for the overall progress of the country. That is the beginning degeneration. Mao proclaimed that rapid industrialisation was the panacea for the progress of the country. His followers repeated the same like parrots and acted according to his orders, without dissent on any point. He ordered the formation of Peoples Communes for increasing production. The Communes were given the dual responsibility to increase agricultural production and producing steel. He hoped to achieve miracle with the activity that had contradictions. Production target was so tight, and the furnaces kept on melting steel, day and night. The domestic apparatus and old steel of all sorts was melted. When enough coal was not available for the furnaces, chairs, benches and doors were used as fuel, but the furnaces remained aglow. This is the glaring example of following the leader implicitly, and blind loyalty an ideology and getting the production through propaganda. Williams quotes the report of Mao’s personal physician Dr. Zhisui Li [who] visited the countryside with Mao and noted: “The backyard furnaces had transformed the rural landscape. They were everywhere, and we could see peasant men in a constant frenzy of activity… “Good news reporting stations” were set up in the….The excitement was contagious. I was infected too…But I was seeing that transformation with my own eyes….” (2005:132) Williams further wrote, “Dr. Li soon learned that this whole event was staged to impact Mao.”(2005:132) Under an autocratic leader and party functionaries, the frightened people had lost the power of reason and the will to resist wrong procedures for transition. The envisioned end results might be noble, but the means employed to achieve the same were ignoble. The results of the efforts were exaggerated and the failures were intelligently covered up. The wise saying goes, ‘you can fool some for all time, all for some time, but not all for all time.’ Mao’s instigated war between the Communes to produce more, backfired, as the targets were unrealistic, and the goal promised was vague. If someone opposed the targets, he was dubbed as anti-Communist, enemy of the people, and his fate could be anything. Disasters of all sorts followed and the promised Great Leap Forward resulted into the leap in to an area of unmitigated hardship, and thirty million people died from starvation This could be the plight any organisation, small or big, if the procedure for transition adopted is unrealistic, when the plans are imposed without taking into consider the pros and cons of the implementation procedures of the plan. Unless there is transparency in the system, people will simply follow the plans, as they are silenced in to following it, if possible they will resist it, and unless errors are rectified through healthy discussions, well in time, the results will be the same as explained in the above example. Euphoria for change is an undesirable development; rather the concern for transition should be the genuine one, in the true interest of the organisation. People need to serve the true cause, not render lip-service to please the boss. Shirking responsibility and buttering the authorities, to get praise, is a harmful feature of the process of transition. The boss must be willing to discuss the modalities of transition with the employees, the employees amongst themselves need to engage in healthy interactions about the various stages of transitions, be cautious about the possible pitfalls, the details of the journey, the route-map must be drawn, concerns and problems visualised needs to be given a proper platform for discussion. As new insights take form, the responsibility of implementing should be delegated, wherever necessary. The culture of an organisation is its heritage. In the hype of transition, it should not be discarded. Something of value in the system should be preserved. Transition without disturbing the basic culture is possible. It is the duty of the leader to reorient the people to the intended procedures and benefits of transition. If the people are kept in the dark, their disposition to the intended change will be negative, and a new development of rumor-mongering may begin within the organisation, that would end in the loss of confidence. In the process of transition, the CEO must be the most relaxed individual in the organisation, and he must delegate most of the functions and procedures related to the transition to the middle level management. The process of transition, affects most of the people in an organisation, and people react as per the level of progression of their minds. Williams writes, “While it is plainly impossible to meet everybody’s emotional needs and expectations, those who would lead need to realise that complex psychological dynamics are at play.” (2005:139) The leader will go by the principle of maximum use for the maximum number of people for the maximum time. Perhaps a true leader has no other option. Changing the gears of the organisation may result in inconvenient bumps. What is important is the honesty and integrity in implementing the process of transition, so that it should benefit to all and give room to the opinions of all, as far as possible and feasible. 9. Leading in Multiple Challenges: The Case of T.E. Lawrence In this chapter Williams begins with the mythological example, and then goes to historical cases to highlight his perspective of the leadership issues. He cites the qualities of the supreme God Odin, “….but his words and actions would always be framed by a larger purpose—to add to his store of wisdom and understanding while helping his people deal realistically and responsibly with their problems.”(2005: 217) Here is the leader who keeps a close watch on the situation and changes his responses accordingly. Leaders stumble and Williams puts it, “Leaders tend to get into trouble when they apply the same tactics that succeed in one context to address another.”(2005: 217) Five fingers of a hand are not alike and five different situations are not alike. Agility and mobility are the watchwords for the leaders. They need to be strong in sums and capable “to know how to shift gears.” (2005:217) The author seals the arguments with a solid assertion, “distinct leadership challenges require distinct leadership strategies.”(2005: 217) A leader needs to be on the move constantly. Even in a tough area like politics, true leadership can result in sterling consequences, according to Williams. He tenders the noble example of T. E. Lawrence, on the eve of his honoring by King George V, with Distinguished Service Oder (DSO) He quotes Sir Winston Churchill, “Lawrence stopped him and in a low voice stated with utmost respect that it was impossible for him to receive any honor from His Majesty while Britain was about to dishonor the pledges he had made in His Majesty’s name to the Arabs who had fought so bravely.”(2005: 232) This is the example of the leadership prowess of Lawrence, to challenge the problematic realities in the political context. 10. Moving Forward: Taking Responsibility for Yourself as an Instrument of Power A leader needs to be conscious about his powers to impact the situation and get the results. He should be unselfish, abjure personal aggrandisement, for the sake of the cause dear to his heart. Leaders invite problems when they are adamant and stubborn and assert that whatever they say is correct. The correct approach is, according to Williams, the leader must be ready to adopt whatever correct is there in the world. He must be at the right spot at the right time to take right type of decisions. A leader’s decisions own rewards and consequences. He is responsible for the organisation and success or otherwise depends on the choices one makes. He must see that his team works well to accomplish the targets. The leader should not duck responsibility for fear of failure, overawed by the scale of the problem or situation. In the process of transition, it should be possible for his people to take their revised responsibilities, without much problem. The leader will have to use a number of strategies to get people on the newly laid business tracks and get them moving. When the leader provides the feedback he must be ready with his convincing and acceptable arguments. Otherwise, with forced acceptance, the individual feels victimised. Therefore, people must know for certain their revised roles and responsibilities in the process of transition. Make them aware of their larger goals in the organisation. Never be afraid to own your responsibility for your actions and develop a deep sense of pride in it. The leader’s confidence level must inspire his people. Delegate clearly without giving room for ambiguities and give them freedom and then demand results. Perhaps under such conditions, results will come without demanding them. They will also carry the feeling that their efforts make a difference and contribute to the growth of the organization. Do praise people, when praise is due. This is the biggest bonus for an individual. References Williams, Dean (2005) Real Leadership: Helping People and Organizations Face Their Toughest Challenges, Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Read More