Lesson 1: The responsibility of persons in position of high leadership is to the objective.      

Washington was often criticized for not being decisive and forceful as some would have assumed he should. “Had I the powers, I could do you much good” (McCullough, 2005, 245) commented General Lee (second in command) to a member of Congress, thus intimating a dictatorial need in the Commander and Chief. However, Washington was circumspect in his authority being careful not to stretch the latitude of authority given by Congress, lest he be thought to be a dictator. The study of Washington’s leadership produces insight for modern chief executives and senior leaders regarding their high position and how to dispatch duty within the framework of a business objective while retaining moral accountability. After devastating losses in New York, and while in full retreat, Congress ultimately deposited onto Washington full powers to operate the war as he saw fit. In response he said: 

"Instead of thinking myself freed from all civil obligations by this mark of their confidence, I shall constantly bear in mind that as the sword was the last resort for the preservation of our liberties, so it ought to be the first thing laid aside when those liberties are firmly established." (McCullough, 2005, p. 286)

Thus the character of Washington is clearly established as a person focused on the objective – his duty and social responsibility, and not on position, power, or personal gain.

 

Lesson2: Passion, belief, perseverance, and commitment are requisite leadership traits.

Some people are loyal to a cause; some are loyal to a position. A striking example of this is found when comparing Benjamin Thomson with Nathanael Greene. Both requested a commission in the American Army and were refused. Thomson consequently defected and served in the British Army (McCullough, 2005, p. 32). Greene chose to enlist as a private in the continental army, preferring the cause over the title (McCullough, 2005, p. 23). Within a short period of time Greene proved his ability and was ultimately promoted to Colonel and eventually General. He ended the war as one of Washington’s key officers, and like Washington, served the entire duration of the war. Greene had profound influence on the success of the revolution. 


Lesson 3: Leadership is the art of executing goals and objectives through the efforts of others.

The Continental Army lacked all of the professionalism and experience which embodied the British forces. Yet, Washington understood two fundamental principles of leadership that proved invaluable. First, he developed the talent available to him including subordinate officers and an untrained army. He said “make the best of mankind as they are, since we cannot have them as we wish” (McCullough, 2005, p. 256). Second, he understood that people cannot be forced; they must be inspired if the best work is expected. Furthermore, he said: “Leaders can instill great confidence […] troops properly inspired […]will often exceed expectation or the limits of probability” (McCullough, 2005, p. 284). He also said “a people unused to restraint must be led, they will not be drove” (McCullough, 2005, p. 293). It was through his presence, his passion, his commitment, and his unwillingness to give up even when threatened with the worst of outcomes, that motivated soldiers to outlast and ultimately out-maneuver the richest and best trained force in the 18th century world. Grooming resources to maximize talents and minimize deficiencies is the responsibility of a good leader and manager (Drucker, 2001, p. 10). Washington displayed the special knack of understanding the nature of his men. A point that must not be overlooked when contemplating the execution of goals and objectives through leadership techniques.   

 
References

Drucker, P. (2001). The essential Drucker: Selections from the management works of Peter F. Drucker. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

McCullough, D. (2005). 1776. New York: Simon & Schuster.

 

Sometimes leadership is subtle.  In 1983 I was a young Marine serving in Camp Pendleton, California. It was tough to survive on a Corporal’s pay in southern California, so I frequently took on odd jobs. I met a man by the name of Wally Malifua http://byu.scout.com/2/524339.html who was quite an inspirational teacher at Oceanside High School. In addition to teaching Wally ran a small security business for school activities and community dances. I was invited to be a member of that team.

One evening I received an assignment to provide security at a Hispanic community dance. The location was out in the hills at an old neighborhood hall. My partner was an aged Samoan gentleman who spoke very little English. As we met at the hall I grew gravely concerned. I thought “Here I am, out in the middle of nowhere, at a dance where there is likely to be trouble, and all I have for a partner is this old man.”

My Samoan partner and I took our stations at the entrance to the hall. Our initial task was to make sure nobody entered the dance with alcohol or anything that could be dangerous. As the participants piled in I eyed each one carefully, looking them up and down, doing my best to look tough and make sure nothing got past me.

About 30 minutes into our assignment there was a lull in activity and my partner came over to me. In halting English he said: “You want to fight?” I replied “Excuse me?” He just looked at me and said “You want to fight?” I was a bit confused but managed to say “No!” Then he taught me one of the greatest lessons of my life. He simply said “Then why you look like fight?” He then paused and added “Smile.” I was stunned. But as I contemplated his words, and as I watched him more closely, I realized what he was teaching.

He greeted every person coming into the hall with dignity, courtesy, and a big smile. I was greeting everyone with suspicion and intimidation. His message to me was clear – If I wanted to fight, I could keep my current body language going and I would certainly get my wish. Of course I did not want to fight. I began to adopt the words of my wise old Samoan companion and I smiled, greeted each person with warmth and a friendly gesture, and tried to make conversation.

We had no fight that night. I am convinced the reason we had no fight is because my companion taught me how to diffuse a potentially hostile situation with love and kindness. As I look back on that experience almost three decades later, I realize that my old Samoan friend was tough and more than capable of holding his own in a brawl. Yet his wisdom and kindness are eternal reminders to me that our presence goes before us. The attitudes we feel inside, the prejudices we think we are hiding, the beliefs and fears we have, all emanate in front of us and those whom we meet can read our spirit and intent.

One of the great leadership lessons of my life came that night. I started the night believing I was the leader. I ended the night recognizing that I was lucky to be the follower. The most powerful forms of leadership come from individuals who are confident, humble, unassuming, not judgmental, anxious to see the success of others, and perhaps most of all, patient with the occasional ignorance of youth.

When I talk about making the team, I often refer to attitude and how a great attitude can make all the difference in our ability to perform. To illustrate, I want to share a story that helps me remember the value of attitude.

I had the opportunity to coach varsity football underneath the winningest coach in Oregon high school history. Dewey Sullivan was a legend, and before he passed away, after coaching for 42 years in Dayton, Oregon, it was my privilege to coach under him. This was a special treat because Dewey also was my high school coach when I was a player and he had a profound influence on me from the first day we met.

I will never forget an experience during one of the first games I coached under Dewey. My role was to be a spotter in the crow’s nest. I was on one end of the radio and Dewy on the other. As soon as the first half was over, I rushed out of the crow’s nest to walk with Dewey into the locker room and share my observations so he could process them before addressing the team. The game was at a small school in the Estacada hills in Oregon. The walk from the field to the locker room was quite a distance, maybe a quarter of a mile or more. The last half of the walk was a fairly strenuous uphill walk full of rocks and uneven ground.

As we talked, Dewey changed the subject and made a passing comment about the rough terrain. I responded “Yea, I cannot believe it.” I was just about to launch into a barrage of “why can’t the school do a better job of grooming the path, it’s bad enough we have to walk this far and chew up our valuable half-time….” But, before I could get that all out, Dewey calmly said: “Yea, it’s a great workout, it really is rolling my calves.” I was stunned. It took me a minute to figure out that the very thing I was about to lambast, Dewey was feeling grateful for. Whether Dewey knew what I was thinking or not, I’m not sure. But, based on my experience with him, I suspect he did know and that is why he made the comment that he did. He was teaching me. He was teaching me about being graceful under pressure, and about appreciating all types of adversity.

I never saw Dewey get mad because of adversity. This was amazing because he faced a great deal of adversity coaching for all those years, where he faced mounds of pressure and often unfair treatment. But, he never got mad at adversity. Dewey seemed to have a unique ability to see the positive side of almost everything. So now, when life gets a bit difficult, or when things do not work the way I think they should, I remember that story – and I ask myself, are these annoying rocks, or is this an amazing workout? You see, I learned from Dewey that the perspective we place on the adverse conditions either enables us to see more clearly, or disables us and hinders performance. When we cloud our minds with anger we lose the value of the adversity. And, there is no doubt, adversity has great value. I know this because Dewey taught it to me.

One of the challenges in leading a group of people in a team setting is to make sure the message you need to communicate is received. The studies indicate only a small percentage of what is verbally communicated is actually internalized. As a coach working with varsity athletes, junior high athletes, casual recreation athletes, or in working with boy scouts or varsity scouts, I found the natural energy a young person can make it difficult for them to focus on what the leader is saying.

Based on my many years of experience in working with youth and adult teams in business, community, athletics, and scouting, I found the saying “eyes on me” to be a quick way to gain the team members’ focused attention. By saying “eyes on me” and by making eye contact, the ability of my teams to internalize my critical instructions during intense situations increased.

“Eyes on me” works in youth athletics. Anyone who has worked with a group of youth athletes (ages 12-18) knows that even in a tense situation the players may not all hear what the coach is saying during critical moments. For example, during an intense time-out in a championship game I needed to diagram an out of bounds play. The energy of the girls as they ran to the huddle was high. As is typical, they wanted to get water, a towel, congratulate each other on their latest play, and attend to a host of other business. On the other hand, I wanted them to quickly huddle around me and listen to my instructions. In 30 seconds a lot can be communicated. Or, in 30 seconds the entire time-out can be wasted resulting in an unprepared team susceptible to mental mistakes. I use the “eyes on me” technique in these situations. In a strong commanding voice, but with calmness and a positive nature, I say: “eyes on me.” This phrase immediately draws the person’s attention to the speaker and if the coach makes frequent eye contact with each player while the instructions are given, the intense interpersonal connection is sustained and results in increased information retention. By the way, because of this technique I was able to modify an existing out-of-bounds play, assign players to a spot, and cover a few strategic points beyond the out-of-bounds scenario in less than 30 seconds. If you are wondering, the team ran the play to perfection and we won the championship. Winning was of course wonderful. However, as I reflect on the season, and that game, I find the ability for us to communicate quickly and efficiently as a team, and to execute instructions given under duress was an amazing highlight.

Youth do not purposely try to ignore their adult coach or leader. It just so happens that inside the youth psyche a lot of messages are moving around all at once. By providing a phrase, such as “Eyes on me” the team can be conditioned to snap out of their current set of random thoughts and refocus quickly on the coach.

This same technique works with boy scouts and varsity scouts. Often, in the middle of an adventurous activity, the leader needs to get across something important. I have used the “eyes on me” phrase to help the boys reorient to my instructions, address safety issues, and to reinforce critical learning points.

The beauty of the “eyes on me” phrase is that there is no threat, there is no critical comment, there is no message being sent that negatively implicates the youth. Sometimes as adult leaders of youth we can become extremely frustrated with the sporadic adolescent attention span. This frustration may cause us to lapse into giving off angry energy and put the audience into a defensive posture. “Johnny, why can’t you listen.” Or even more subtle, but still ineffective is, “Johnny, you are not listening.” These types of corrections only serve to stimulate a defensive rebellious attitude that, by the way, potentially lies within each of us. By simply having a way to get the focused attention of the youth, and doing it in a way that does not put them into a defensive or embarrassed posture, leaders enjoy a higher probability of getting a message across successfully.

This technique works in the classroom as well. The other day, I taught a class and had two students carrying on a private conversation. While speaking, I subtly moved closer to them. They continued. I continued my lesson and moved even closer to them. Eventually, I was right next to their desks. I was giving my lesson, they were still chatting. Finally, while speaking, I used my knee and nudged their desk. They looked up and smiled, and while continuing to give my lesson, I looked at them and smiled. The class was not disrupted, nobody was put on the defensive, and the lesson continued. If I had followed my initial instinct to ‘call them out’ and say: “Johnny and Jacob, why aren’t you paying attention,” they would have potentially been pushed into the negative zone. By using a subtle technique combined with the power of a smile, I was able to regain their attention.

When leading a team use techniques to gain a drifting team member’s attention without causing embarrassment and defensiveness. This is especially important when working with youth. Use a catch phrase such as “eyes on me” when you absolutely need everyone’s focused attention. With a long history (over 27 years) of working with youth, I have found this positive approach highly efficient and a contributing factor to long-lasting and enjoyable team atmospheres. The negative approach simply results in the team member(s) feeling like he or she cannot wait to get out of your presence. Keep your communications positive, stay in command, smile, and use catch phrases which trigger attention responses needed for team success.

Leadership…The topic of leadership is amazingly broad. Hundreds of definitions exist attempting to refine and specify exactly what leadership means. But today, I want to share the one thread which seems to me to be key in any good leader’s approach: the thread of affiliation.

Briefly, people desire to belong to something great. But, not only do they desire to belong, they desire to contribute. A brilliant philosopher, executive, and social scientist by the name of Chester Barnard [1] explained that the motivation of tangible items, such as money or wealth, only lasts for a short time (one - two years) for most people. Certainly, a person may be motivated to contribute their time, talent, and energies for a brief period in exchange for monetary compensation. But, Barnard said those who are drawn into an organization for intangible reasons of belonging and contributing enjoy a long-lasting relationship. In other words, intangible values, and specifically the sense of affiliation and contribution create the strongest forms of incentive available to garner lasting commitment and followership.

Neal A. Maxwell said of the Mormon pioneers: “church members did not become inactive while crossing the plains, when the sense of belonging and being needed was so profound” [2]. In other words, when a person is needed and their contribution valued, their desire to invest of themselves into an organization retains an enduring quality even under the most extreme conditions.

Now you ask, what does this have to do with leadership, with youth, or with coaching? Here is the point – as leaders we must remember what it means for team members to achieve their goals and to contribute. In other words, enable and praise contribution. Give all glory out to those who follow and take none in to yourself. When contribution and affiliation are prized, respected, appreciated, and recognized, individual team members rise to an entirely new and higher level of performance and capability.

I have seen all types of leaders. Those who are most effective build their followers with emotional and intellectual strength by valuing contribution and by placing the follower role above the leader’s role in public comment and sincere context. In essence, the best leaders seem to allow others to flourish. In fact, they not only allow it, they facilitate it.

Leaders who use their opportunity to stand in front of the crowd and draw all of the intangible energy coming from the leadership experience to benefit themselves miss a wonderful opportunity. Leadership interactions do seem to create a strong energy which is powerful and might be thought of as food for the soul because it makes one stronger, hardier, and more alive. This powerful intangible energy provides enabling capacity for those who imbibe. By diverting the intangible energy created from leadership opportunities from self to followers, the leader and followers both enjoy an increased measure of satisfaction because the energy created exhibits a multiplier effect. That is to say, the energy created by building others redoubles again and again and again, etc., impacting others for great good. Like a ripple in a pond the positive energy of facilitating affiliation and contribution spreads outward in a series of waves. There is something deep within the human soul that craves recognition, appreciation, and belonging; and when a person receives it a new and stronger desire to share that passion and power is created. When leaders facilitate the motivations of affiliation and contribution the entire group benefits because the energy is multiplied effecting not only direct team members, but others who enjoy direct and indirect associations with the team as well.

Based on my research and years of experience, I find leaders who build those around them enjoy a long-lasting, consistently dedicated, and highly loyal following. Leaders who use their role to achieve personal benefit or to fulfill their own internal needs of self-importance never acquire the true wealth that loyalty, dedication, and teamwork foster. When working with a team, whether of adult professionals or teen-age athletes, the approach that consistently gets the greatest results is to seek after the welfare of the team, make sure the opportunity for affiliation and contribution exists, and then recognize success vehemently.

 

1.            Barnard, C., The functions of the executive. 1938, Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 334.

2.            Maxwell, C.H., ed. The Neal A. Maxwell Quote Book. 2009, Deseret Book: Salt Lake City, UT.

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