“The biggest concern for any organization should be when their most passionate people become quiet.” Bridgette Hyacinth
Back in the day when Fast Bank and Trust (FEBTC) was one of the best banks to work for, I mustered up the courage to apply for a job in their IT Division. Four sets of interviews, and a month after, I received a list of hiring requirements. I was ecstatic about the opportunity. Only about 20% of the applicants got in.
There are numerous things to learn in the field of Information Technology. Before joining FEBTC, I gathered a good number of years of experience as a developer. I was gradually moving into IT support. The primary goal of my function is to maintain and support the software and hardware requirements of the Bank employees. I had a dozen support engineers who perform scheduled maintenance of the hardware and software in the Head office and the different branches across the country.
I was pumped up with passion, reporting to work on the first day. The team I was managing was also excited about their work. They clearly understood the value they bring into the Bank. We cannot afford to have our IT infrastructure fail us, especially during banking hours.
As expected from a new hire working for my dream company, my first few months were full of new learnings. I reported to their IT facility, eager to work and serve the Bank and the employees.
The first impression of my new manager was great. He said all the right things like, “We are all one team here,” “You can always come to me for questions, I have an open-door policy,” “We welcome new ideas in our department.”
As the months go by, I started noticing that his words did not match his actions. Every time I requested a bit of coaching, he would always politely say that his calendar is already full for the week. We can try next week. He would be quick to shoot down ideas raised by the team in several brainstorming exercises for essential projects. Not only were the suggestions shot down, but it was also unfortunate that the person presenting got a bit of scolding.
In several meetings, he claimed that the successful idea was from him. He seemed to forget to give credit to the people who took his ideas and execute them.
Six months later, I noticed that the team stopped suggesting ideas in meetings. People also started to fear raising bad news. The team stressed that the messenger of bad news would get shot. Unfortunately, this feeling also got to me. I started keeping quiet in meetings. We just allowed our manager to run it the way he wishes. We kept silent for another reason. Keeping quiet allowed us to gather information from the ensuing discussions, so it was not so bad.
You can feel the energy level of the team drop to the ground. Our manager managed to extinguish our passion for our work. Some of the team members started reaching out to head hunters.
Fortunately, our manager was promoted. Yes, he was promoted to another function away from us. His successor was a true blue leader. Our new manager walks the talk. In a few short months, our passion returned, our motivational levels went through the roof.
Leaders! Let us not push our people to stop caring for our organizations. As the old saying goes, “Employees join companies. They do not leave companies. They leave their managers.”
“Greatness is not for you — it’s not for your benefit. Greatness is not about being famous nor even about being appreciated by others. Greatness lies in being of service to others, participating in creating a better world, and calling others to greatness.” Jesse Lyn Stoner
“D” was a career Barclays Banker from the United Kingdom. The largest commercial bank in the Middle East hired him to lead a significant part of their Banking Operations. Our banking operations at the time had around 1,600 of the 10,000 employees. In 2019, the Bank generated SR11.4 Billion ($3,000,000,000) in net profits. In the same year, they reported SR507 Billion ($43,000,000,000) in assets. This 2021, NCB bought out the Saudi American Bank (formerly a CitiBank affiliate) despite the pandemic.
At this point in my career, I had the opportunity to report to a Filipino, American, Saudi, and New Zealand National. Yes, “D” has a dry sense of humor like most British nationals I have met. In hindsight, “D” has exemplified servant leadership, although he claims that he is an atheist.
Let me share this in the form of bullet points:
1. Clear Vision. He would take the time to explain to us the vision of the function. His habit of describing a particular goal or project objective is so easy that everyone in the room would understand what he expects from us. Most of the time, he would stand up and draw on the whiteboard. He knew that images tend to be easily understood. He was very keen on clear communication as well.
2. Leadership Development. Mentoring us came easy and intentionally from “D”. Feedback was immediate and fair. Praises were given in public. Reprimands were done in the privacy of a closed office or meeting room. In a tough feedback session, he would have the humility and control to hold his thoughts and allow us to explain our side. Unlike most leaders where you are guilty until proven innocent, he would make sure to hear us out first. Hearing us out was done genuinely. He wanted to understand. It was not your typical “hearing out the direct report” to find holes to shoot at.
You would see “D” spending most of his time on his people agenda. He would discuss, provide constructive feedback, hold interviews of new hires for his Division, and perform performance appraisals. He does not look to pass or fail people. He looks for ways to get his people to get “A’s”
3. Training. Dave is a firm believer in training and development. He would even get approvals for an additional training budget should we happen to consume the funds by mid-year.
4. Rules are never broken. D believes that once you start breaking or bending the rule, then you create chaos. Most of the organizational dissatisfaction stems from bending the rules for certain people.
Case in point, I had a direct report whose mother was in the hospital for a prolonged period. The health coverage limit was already exhausted. Her son, who reported to me, had to find alternative funding. He came to me asking for a top-up salary loan. Unfortunately, the rule we had was that we have to fully pay our salary loan before applying for a new one. It was an emergency.
I empathised with my direct report and signed the exemption form from HR.. It needed the signature of the Sector Head. I walked over to the office of “D”. I was confident that “D” also has a mom and sign the exemption form.
He looks at the document, reads it, looks up at me. He quietly handed me the unsigned form. He said that he could not sign it. He then explains that one of the biggest problems he had to fix when he joined was the low morale of the Division. The previous Sector head had signed for a lot of policy exemptions. He had a huge heart for his team, and his intentions were pure.
However, the exemptions lit up a lot of internal feuds. People are claiming favoritisms. One employee gets a gasoline allowance exception when another employee does not get it, even if they are in the same position. Another employee has his wife and children in the HMO as an exemption, while another employee does not.
Although “D” cannot sign the exemption form due to the HR policy, he passed the hat. He took out an empty brown envelope from his side drawer. He pinched a few bills from his wallet and placed them inside the envelope. I then understood that we would raise money to give to my direct report.
5. “Passing the credit.” I have never seen “D” take credit for any of the achievements in our Division. He would always thank the team in public. If the Bank CEO or the owners credit him for a job well done, he would be quick to draw and pass the credit to his team. He does not just casually give credit to the team. He would name the team member and what each has contributed to the achievement.
I can go on and on but let me leave you with a thought. “D” understands that the greatness of his Division does not come from him. “D” understands that greatness comes from his people.
We have to have a clear intention to develop our people. Now that is truly a servant leader.
Thank you very much “D” for everything I learned from your leadership.
I never knew how to articulate the connection between servant leadership and coaching until I came across an article from Ken Blanchard.
Come to think of it; coaching is indeed an integral part of servant leadership. Christ himself, the model for servant leadership, coached the twelve disciplines for a few years before giving them the “Great Commission” written in Matthew 28:19-20a
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
The twelve disciples then continued to use servant leadership in the development of other disciples. Over 2,000 years later, Christianity has 32% of the world’s population. On the other hand, the authoritarian leadership of the Roman Empire no longer has a stronghold of the world. The once-great Roman Empire ceased to exist in the 5th Century AD.
Leadership needs to prepare new servant leaders. Having a sense of the long game is the only way any organization can survive the test of time. Authoritarian leadership, on the other hand, will eventually destroy the organization. Worse, an organization collapses after the autocratic leader leaves because the remaining leaders are not prepared to grow the organization.
I will keep saying that leaders do not build organizations. Great leaders develop great people and fellow leaders. Great people create great organizations.
A powerfully embedded coaching program wrapped in a servant leadership culture can ensure organizational longevity in the long game of what we call “business.”
I encourage everyone to read Ken Blanchard’s article by clicking HERE:
Thank you and stay safe,
Jordan Imutan jordan@imutan.com (email) @jordanimutan (social media)
A chair will not stand if one or more legs are missing. A Servant leader will not lead effectively if one or more of the legs are missing.
Leg 1: The Heart of a Leader
Genuine Servant leadership starts from the heart. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23 NIV. Everything we do flows from our hearts. The way we treat others is a reflection of our hearts. Our empathy flows from our hearts.
Leaders that have fallen in history are leaders without a heart. These are leaders driven by greed, self-centeredness, arrogance. These eventually lead to their downfall. The bigger the ego, the higher the fall.
Protect your heart from pride and fear. Pride blinds leaders into thinking that they know everything. It makes them stop listening to outside views and advice. Prideful leaders end up judging an idea based on the person saying it instead of its merit. Prideful leaders don’t even bother asking for the views of people several layers below them. That is unfortunate since these people are the ones closest to the ground. Our rank and file better understand clients and markets than the corporate suits sitting in their executive offices.
Fear, on the other hand, distorts the reality of the leader. Fear of losing his seat will cause a leader to make the wrong decisions. Fear of looking silly in the public’s eyes will make a leader please the people instead of doing what is right. Fear fuels arrogance.
I am not ashamed to say that I admire our Pasig City Major Vico Sotto. Ask any of Pasig’s residents; they will attest that he is a Leader with a heart. Mayor Vico is a walking, talking example of a true Servant Leader. A Leader with a big heart to serve his followers.
Leg 2: The Mind of a Leader
Servant leadership has a cerebral aspect to it. A great leader can craft a clear, concise vision that is bigger than the company they lead. They draw an image that paints a picture of a better society. The company they are responsible for is only a player in the mission for this greater good.
In this mission, the Servant leaders identify the values their employees need to exhibit. The leadership of the company then exemplifies these values. These values are part of the screening process for new hires. These values are part of the leadership appraisal process.
Servant Leaders are clear about their purpose, their reason for being. They embrace their purpose and live up to it. They also understand that employees also have a reason for being.
Leg 3: The Behavior of a Leader
Psychological safety is a significant concern of a Servant leader. They understand that their behavior affects the way people behave. Establishing psychological safety in the workplace encourages others to voice out their ideas. People are not afraid to make a mistake. Employees have the confidence to debate topics with higher-ups without fear of reprisal.
It does not matter what a leader says; it’s his behavior that counts. You hear stories of leaders saying that their people are their most important asset yet fail to behave accordingly. When times get tough, the first budget they cut is the training budget. Stories about loyal employees devoting years of their life to the company but not recognized or rewarded are commonplace. Instead, it’s the employees that suck up to management that climbs the corporate ladder.
Servant leaders spend 80% of their time developing people, selecting the right people, providing constructive feedback. They don’t spend 80% of their time criticizing their staff, micromanaging their leaders. They don’t bring down people; they bring out the best in them. Servant leaders do not pass or fail people. Servant leaders help people excel.
Servant leaders understand that they cannot build great companies on their own. It’s arrogance for a leader to say he drove a company to success. A great leader develops great people. It’s great people that build great companies.
Leg 4: The Habits of a Leader
Servant leaders make a consistent, courageous decision. They have the habit of sticking to what’s right and not what’s popular. A Servant leader has formed the correct habits from the first three legs. They don’t have to think about being empathetic or not; They are automatically empathetic. It’s second nature to them.
It is typical for them to ask questions when they do not understand something. They don’t have to hesitate for fear of looking fooling. Servant leaders are fueled with humility day-in, day-out.
Servant leaders are the same at home, in the office, with friends, with strangers. They are genuine. Their values do not change even in the heat of problems. The Vision of a Servant Leader is always top of mind.
A Servant leader’s gaze is always on the greater good. They are reliable. They are consistent.
This is a prelude article to a four-part series I will be writing. The next article will be called ‘The four building blocks of servant leadership.’ Before we dive into the four building blocks of servant leadership let us first talk about the stages of growth. It is a simple framework I learned after working with a McKinsey consultant a few years ago.
In a nutshell, when we learn something new, we have to go through four basic steps or stages. The first two stages fall under the responsibility of the person teaching us. The last two stages are our accountability.
The first stage is when we are ‘unconsciously unskilled’ of the new competency we are learning. For example, we are learning how to drive for the very first time. As you enter the vehicle with your instructor, you don’t know what you don’t know. Also, you do not possess the necessary driving skills at this point.
In the second stage, we become ‘consciously unskilled’ of driving. We start to learn the fundamentals of driving. We learn how to start the engine, safely change lanes, keep our distance from the car in front of us, park, and so on. We are now knowledgeable of what it takes to drive safely. However, we are not yet skilled drivers. This is where the responsibility of the teacher ends. From here onward, the student is now accountable for the next two stages.
The student now makes a choice or a mind-shift. The student makes a decision to practice the skill or forget about it. This is the same case in mentoring. Students can learn what it needs to be a great and effective leader or they just don’t bother. Dave Jones, my former direct manager, used to say ‘you can lead a horse to water but you cannot force it to drink.’
The choice to practice the knowledge acquired helps the student develop the new skill. Thus, the third step. The student is now ‘consciously skilled.’ The student has driving know-how and made the choice to hone the skill through practice.
One day the student will reach the final stage ‘unconsciously skilled.’ He no longer has to think about the skill. It has become muscle memory. It’s the same again in leadership development.
For instance, great leaders are great listeners. In the beginning, the leader would have to consciously keep his opinion to himself and let the people in the room share their thoughts. It is always good practice for the highest-ranking person in the room to speak last. This is contrary to a leader’s instinct. They are usually in a hurry to discuss or resolve the issue at hand. They are the first to speak. When this happens, most of the people will either agree with the leader or just keep their opinions to themselves. This is definitely not a collaborative or healthy environment.
I had the privilege to work with a great leader that allows the people in the room to voice their opinions first. Faisal Sakkaf showed everyone that their view is welcomed and respected. Speaking last also gave Faisal the opportunity to hear a possible gem or two from the group. Possibly, there is an idea that comes out of the discussion that is better than his original view. He can then recalibrate his views as the discussion ensues.
Think back about leadership lessons you learned or read about in the past. How far in, the four stages, did you bring the skill? Were you persistent enough to push it through the third and fourth stages?
If you do not have a properly communicated clear vision, then what do you have? How do you lead others without a vision. A secret vision does not count. A vision that stays in the executive boardroom does not mean a thing.
A vision crafted for hanging on hallways and staircases does not count. Those are simply. decors. These are visions so generic they might as well be drafted by a grade school student. Wait, maybe a grade school student can articulate it better. A seventh-grade student must be able to comprehend your vision. If they cannot, then it’s just a show of your range of vocabulary. A true vision is clear, self-explanatory, easily understood, easily recalled, and compelling.
A true vision is never self-serving. A true vision is written for the greater good of society. The company merely works to help achieve that greater good. That’s their mission. Disney’s vision ‘To make people happy’ is meant for the greater good of people outside the company. It’s not to be the biggest, the brightest, the grandest. Such vision statements are self-serving. Such vision is driven by the pride of its leadership. There is humility in a true vision statement.
“To create a better every day life for the many people.” is Ikeas vision. They did not write to be the biggest furniture company in the world. It was bout about themselves. Other companies can participate in the vision “to create a better every day life for the many people.” Ikea sees itself as a company that has joined the movement.
“Empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.” is Microsoft’s vision. Similar to Ikea, the vision has is not about the company. It’s about helping others to achieve more. They are participants in a movement.
The list goes on. None of these visions is self-serving. “Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.” Nike. “To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.” Tesla “To be a company that inspires and fulfills your curiosity.” Sony “To give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.” Facebook “A just world without poverty.” Oxfam
A true vision drives employees to the greater good. A true vision helps employees understand why and how their work matters. They are able to connect their work to the greater good.
Going to work for companies like these give meaning to an employee’s life. They are proud to work for these companies. There is a sense of fulfillment, a sense of purpose. There is a sense of satisfaction.
I had the chance to work with many companies back in the Philippines. Many have visions that are mere words written on walls. There are companies that have no vision at all. Then, there are those whose vision is to be the biggest company in their industry. Such companies are driven purely by profits. They only care about their shareholders. These companies do not even invest in the development of their people. It was seen as an unnecessary cost.
You can tell if companies, like these, do not have a clear compelling vision. Ask their HR Manager about their attrition rates. They will have a higher than the normal number of people leaving the company than industry standards.
You cannot blame the employees for leaving. Who would want to work for a company whose sole focus is raising shareholder value? If you are not a shareholder then why should that matter to you? Leaders often forget that it’s great people that build great companies. However, great people are drawn by great vision. Teamwork is harnessed by a great vision. They are driven by a worthy purpose.
What is your vision? Is your vision written for the greater good? Is your vision easy to recall? Is your vision easy to understand? If your vision compelling?
“Success is indeed a team sport. Failure, you can pretty much do it on your own.” as one of my favorite quotations goes. Great Leaders know this by heart more than mediocre ones.
Yes, a leader sometimes claims that the success of the company was from their leadership. Yes, there may be merit in some of this. However, they cannot steer a company to succeed without a crew to support them. Even their executive assistant helps in this quest. A good EA would be guarding the time of the leader with tenacity. They make sure that the leader maximizes the use of their time. They keep out distractions and time-wasting people.
You would need a great marketing team to execute your vision and brand message. A good finance team helps manage funds in good times and bad. A good sales team brings in revenue to fuel growth. Even the driver plays a key role. He ensures you arrive safely at your meetings on time.
The biggest lie about success is the self-proclaimed self-made millionaires. There is no such thing as a self-made man or woman. We are social beings, and we need people around us. We need people to support our goals. We need people to rally behind us.
Another danger of self-professed self-made people is the outcome of their retirement. Through the years, they lead from a center of power. The center being themselves. The company is likely to collapse after they leave. A void will be left behind. No one was groomed to take over the helm.
Great leaders, on the other hand, understand that business is a long game. They look at business far beyond their tenure in the company. Japanese businessmen have this view of their companies. They understand that not taking the time to develop other leaders in the organization will have a detrimental effect when they leave.
Great leaders understand that there are no real winners or losers in the business. Companies are either ahead or behind in the long game. New players will come join the game. Other companies may leave the game. Even the most established companies fall behind without good leadership. Take IBM, once an unstoppable force in front of the pack, whose leader turned arrogant. Today they are behind in their game.
Great leaders like Bill Gates early in his career made sure that employee and leadership development is at the core of their business. I had the opportunity to work with managers of Microsoft Middle-East. It was fascinating to know that they even have metrics on learning. Knowledge sharing was also part of the culture. Team members need to write a ‘white paper’ of projects they complete and share it in a central knowledge base repository.
Contrary to the claims of some leaders, leaders don’t build great companies. I beg to disagree. If you observe companies that have succeeded through generations of leadership succession, they had one very important thing going for them. They understand that great leaders develop great people. Great people build great companies. There is no other way to truly thrive in the long game of what we call ‘business.’
One, of many admirable traits of our Pasig City Mayor, is that he is not afraid to go against traditional political decision-making. Mayor Vico Sotto dares to push through on decisions that he feels are for the good of his Pasiguenos.
There were instances where he was criticized for his stand. He was criticized for being the first City to implement the Universal Healthcare law. Many of his peers were afraid of the repercussions of supporting such a law. All his colleagues are still undecided or are against the law. Mayor Vico pushed through for Pasig City. He is working to make medical services affordable for Pasiguenos.
He also aligned the City budget to accommodate a record 13,000 scholars. He required traffic enforcers to attend professional development programs. He is fighting to clean the deeply rooted corruption in the local government.
The City of Pasig was popular for its corruption. You can trace this back to the previous leadership. Corruption was instituted as a family business by the previous city Mayor. Mayor Vico dared to run against a 27-year political dynasty.
Leaders must choose between what is right and what is popular. Leaders must choose between what is legal and what is ethical. Leaders must choose between personal gain and service to others. Leaders must choose between short-term gains and long-term benefits. Leaders must choose between pushing their ideas and listening to others. Leaders much choose between dictatorship and meritocracy. Leaders must choose between talking and listening to others. Leaders must choose between ego and humility.
We all know what good leaders need to chose. However, decisions are difficult to make most of the time. However, leaders are placed in a position of influence to make those tough decisions. Leaders are placed in their position to make the right decisions.
The decisions they make will establish the legacy they leave behind. The decisions they make will clarify how people will see them. The people they are leading will see them as servant leaders or not.
It is not up to the leaders to say that they made the correct decisions or not. It’s the people around them that make that judgment.
It takes courage to do the right thing. When you do the right thing, it inspires others to do the right thing. It’s hard to stand up against outside pressures, from internal politics. You can get in trouble. It takes relationships we foster that give us the courage to do the right thing. Courage is external and comes from the support we feel from others. Courage sparks courage.
Finding your purpose is one module in my workshop that provides a deep insight for the participants. For most, it is similar to a “wow” moment. A moment of realization. Most of us know we have a purpose. But, we cannot articulate it. We have a feeling of what it is. We just cannot put it down into words.
So here, I wrote an article on how to identify and live your purpose. I hope you find this useful.
Step 1. Identify your purpose.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
Every single one of us has a purpose in life. We exist for a reason. We are not born to wander around aimlessly. Knowing our purpose gives us a reason for being, a reason to wake up in the morning energized. Knowing our purpose helps us make decisions. Knowing our purpose helps us prioritize our life. The problem is that most of us do not know our purpose in life.
We cannot live a life of purpose if we do not know what our purpose for existence is. If you are interested in knowing your purpose in life, let me walk you through a few steps that will help crystallize it.
Get a blank piece of paper and a pen. You may also use the digital pad that comes with your smartphone.
Activity 1:
Think back in your life and come up with three happy moments. Moments that you will never forget. Moments that put a smile on your face as you recall it. Write these three events down on your piece of paper or smartphone.
You can refer to the template below:
Activity 2:
Read your three stories carefully and choose the best one. The one event that tops the other two. Cross out the other two from your list.
Activity 3:
Think of 3-5 nouns that best describes that moment. You can refer to the list of nouns below for assistance. You can come up with nouns that are not listed.
Activity 4:
Think of 3-5 verbs that best describes that moment. You can refer to the list of verbs below for assistance. You can come up with verbs that are not listed.
Activity 5:
Narrow your noun selection and chose two. Cross out the rest.
Activity 6:
Narrow your verb selection and chose two. Cross out the rest.
Activity 7:
Carefully look at the two sets of verbs and nouns. See which combination of one verb (first) and one noun (second) best resonates with you. A verb+noun combination you can connect with. I was able to articulate mine three years ago. It is Igniting Potentials. When I look back on my life, I notice that I always feel energized running workshops, having talks, and coaching. I believe that we all have great potentials. It is just that we sometimes need help to bring them out and nurture them.
Activity 8:
On a scale of 1-10, with one being the lowest and ten the highest, how does your purpose score? If your score is lower than eight, then keep tuning it. An accurate purpose statement needs to score anywhere from 8 to 10. An accurate purpose statement should give you the chills and excite you.
Step 2. Craft a concise Just Cause or Vision
“Where there is no vision, the people perish” Proverbs 29:18
I discovered the best way to craft a just cause or a compelling vision from Simon Sinek’s book “The Infinite Game”. Allow me to share it..
Everyone has a vision or a mission statement. But we lack a standard definition of those terms, using the same words in different ways. This leads to more confusion than cohesion, both internally with our people and externally with our stakeholders.
So let’s throw out the words and start over. Words must be simple to be understandable. They must be understood to be repeatable. And if they are repeatable then they will spread.
In our founder Simon Sinek’s upcoming book, The Infinite Game, we put forward a new term: advancing a Just Cause.
A Just Cause is linked to our WHY, our noble purpose for being. Our WHY comes from our past—it is our origin story and it is who we are. Our Just Cause is our WHY projected into the future. It describes a future state in which our WHY has been realized. It is a forward-looking statement that is so inspiring and compelling that people are willing to sacrifice to see that vision advanced.
There are five criteria to have a Just Cause. It must be 1) for something, 2) inclusive, 3) service-oriented, 4) resilient, and 5) idealistic.
For Something
It serves as a positive and specific vision of the future.
While being against something may be effective in rallying people, it doesn’t inspire and it won’t last. A Just Cause is what you stand for rather than what you stand against.
Inclusive
It is open to all those who wish to contribute.
A Just Cause attracts people from diverse skillsets. Too often visions and missions are tied to a specific product or activity. If your stated purpose is about technology or sales, for example, then it is mostly designed for engineers or salespeople. Everyone else who is not an engineer or salesperson may feel like or even be treated as, second-class citizens. A Just Cause inspires all to make their worthwhile contributions and feel valued for it.
Service-Oriented
The primary benefit of the cause has to go to those other than you, the contributors.
For example, if you go to your boss for career advice, the expectation is that the advice you receive will benefit your career. If your boss gives you advice that benefits their self-interests, they are not service-oriented. This extends to organizations, leaders, and investors. The products and services an organization develops must be designed to primarily benefit their customers, not the company itself. If you are a leader, your leadership has to benefit the people in your span of care. And, if you are an investor, the investments you make have to benefit the company with which you are investing. Of course, you can expect a return on your investment, but it must be of secondary benefit. The primary benefactor of the investment is the recipient, not the investor.
Resilient
Be able to endure political, technological, and cultural change.
Again, if you define your Just Cause based upon the prevalence of particular technology or a specific product and there is a market change, your Just Cause will not last.
Idealistic
Big, bold, and ultimately unachievable.
It’s not about becoming the biggest, the best, or number one. It’s not about reaching some arbitrary revenue target, even if it is huge. It is about pursuing something infinite—for all intents and purposes, you will not ever attain it. It is, indeed, a vision and not a goal. And as you make progress toward that better future state you imagine, you will be able to feel and measure your momentum. A Just Cause is an ideal. It is something so noble that we would be willing to devote our lives and careers toward advancing it. And, when our careers are over, the Just Cause can live on and serve to inspire further progress; that can be our legacy.
Most people and organizations do not write good vision or mission statements, not because they are bad people, but because we do not yet have a standard definition or guidelines. We are hoping that this framework helps you cast a Just Cause that inspires people for the long run. And, remember, it is the leader’s job to ensure people feel a part of something—not that they simply have a part in something. Inspire your people, and they will inspire you.
“For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. “Matthew 25:29
We all have strengths and areas for improvement. There are two actions that we need to take for both. Strengths are skills or competencies that come naturally. Are you good at solving problems? Are you good at speaking in front of dozens of people? Are you good at remembering things? Are you good at building something?
If you did not have to worry about money, what positive things would you be doing? What strengths will you be using?
List these down. The objective with strengths is to keep improving them. If you are good at writing, then continue building that skill. If you are good at public speaking then continue studying the skill and keep practicing it. If you are good at problem-solving then keep looking for problems to solve.
On the flip side, what skills do you need to improve on? We are all born with areas for improvement just like we are born with strengths. Improving our areas for improvement has a limit. Areas of improvement can seldom turn into a massive strength. There are two approaches you can take to address them.
If the area for improvement does not hinder your purpose and your Just Cause, you can probably set it aside for now.
If the area for improvement is important for your purpose or just cause, you need to develop it to the best of your ability. You can then augment it. You can partner with someone who happens to have your area for improvement as their strength. If you’re not good at finance, try to understand the basics then get someone good at it. We are not perfect human beings that can be good at everything. There is no such thing. Having the humility to embrace both strengths and weakness is at the core of what makes leaders great.
Step 4. Seek the best use of time
“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:15-17
Looking busy does not mean you are busy and productive. Not every meeting needs to be attended. Not every task needs to be personally completed.
There is a simple check when you are doing your day-to-day work. Always ask yourself ‘Is this the best use of my time?’ Of course, you need to qualify that question. Is this the best use of my time concerning my purpose and just cause? If the answer is yes then proceed. If no, then find a better use of your time.
The enemy of productive life is saying ‘yes to everything. Not everything is important. Knowing your purpose and your just cause will help you filter the tasks you need to do. It clears out all the unnecessary weeds in your task list.
Step 5. Focus on Results
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
I had an interesting staff back when I was the head of the IT Support function for a local bank. Every time I asked him the status of the Domain server upgrade project assigned to him, he would always reply with the steps he is taking. He replied that he is currently reading the relevant technical books, the upgrade software CD he requested from Microsoft, the hardware upgrade he requested from purchasing, and so on. He would always show the effort he was putting into the project. He was so focused on his effort.
At the end of the day, it is about results. Was the domain server upgraded? Yes or no? However, this particular employee was more focused on the effort he needs to put in. This is not a special case. I have worked with employees and managers alike with the same thinking.
This is an all too common response in todays corporate world. People would defend their lack of progress by pointing to their efforts. Employees hiding behind the number of hours they spent working on a task. The people that move ahead of others are the ones focusing on results. They understand that it’s the result that counts.
Successful leaders focus on results. For instance, creating a work environment that fosters psychological safety results in a more cohesive team. This results in team members having the courage to try new things. This results in employees having each other’s backs. They know that their colleagues will not backstab them. They know that their leaders have their backs.
Keep your eye on the results of your effort when living your purpose. Feel free to adjust your plans and actions depending on the result (or lack of) of your actions. Review your results given your purpose and just cause.
Thank you.
Stay safe,
Jordan Imutan www.servantleadersph.com Let us build a Nation of Servant Leaders from all walks of life. +63.917.518-3554
“Do you ever win in marriage? Do you win in parenting? Do you win in life? Do you win in business?” asked Simon Sinek in his book The Infinite Game.
Simon is one of the best Leadership gurus out there. He provides an interesting framework. I thought about it and how it applies to life. It is true that you never really win in marriage or business. Yet, most of us go through life as if there are winners and losers. We see life through the lens of winning or losing. We look at our careers and leadership approach in the same manner. We look at business in the same way.
A majority of businesses have a short game mindset. The majority of the companies view performance in terms of quarterly earnings. Leaders look at a business from an annual revenue perspective. Leaders sacrifice long term gains for short term benefits.
Great leaders on the other hand look at the business from a long game point of view. They look at their business way beyond their tenure. The best companies plan and execute with the view of the next 20,30 or even 50 year. They build resilient companies.
If you think about business from a long game perspective, you will realize that there are no real winners and losers. What we have are companies that are ahead or behind others.
Companies claim that they want to the biggest in their industry. Okay, the biggest according to what set of metrics? Do all companies in the industry subscribe to the same metric? Even if they do, when a company wins then what’s next?
Maintaining the number one position is harder than reaching it. New players will always come around to dislodge these short game minded corporations. Netflix dislodge giant Blockbusters. Amazon dislodged the biggest brick and mortar bookstores. There are no real winners in business.
New companies can come into the game to play. Companies that run out of resources and willingness to play drop out of the game. The game will continue regardless of who’s playing.
Playing the long game provides leaders a better perspective. Leaders can plan for the long game while playing the short game. The short game is played only to understand your journey in the long game. They provide leaders with speed and distance traveled.
Great leaders go after a cause bigger than their company. A cause that is so profound that there are other companies and leaders rallying behind it. Leaders that look at the long game makes sure that their company survives long after they retire. They do not build a company culture around them and their personality. They create a culture that develops other leaders that will continue to grow their business. A culture of collaboration and teamwork. A culture of service and trust.
Life is the same. We don’t win in life. We join the living. While we are at it, we should be doing our best to play our long game until we die. We play the short game by establishing personal goals and try meeting them. Goals that are carefully crafted to help a cause bigger than our life. A cause that benefits others and not ourselves.
When we pass away, life goes on. It’s better to live life with the view of the long game. A view beyond our brief years of existence. A view of building a legacy that will continue beyond our lifetime. A life of service to our families, love ones, colleagues, customers, and others.
How would you want to be remembered? Have you made a positive impact on your family well beyond your stay on earth? Have you made a positive impact on the people you encountered in life? Did you use your life in service of others?
Stay safe, Jordan Imutan
Let’s build a Nation of Servant Leaders from all walks of life.
Too many companies have untrained leaders that fail. 