I know we have had a tough ride the past couple of years.  I know the economy is down.  Everyone can feel it and so can I.  I’m here to share some keys to success in a down economy. It just so happens that all the companies that I consult to follow this recipe and are growing even in this difficult time.  I don’t believe it is just coincidence. They have done an enormous job in following a small set of crucial principles for success in any economy.  While companies all around them are shrinking, these few are growing.  Here are the principles that have led to success.

1. They get that leadership is the most important factor in determining long-term success and so they spend time cultivating leadership. They hire well and they work hard at being both strong leaders individually, but also collectively.
2. They are committed to creating an engaged workforce.  No kidding, it really made a difference having such a workforce, since their workers remain not only dedicated to the success of the company, but also they are resourceful and flexible—two of the most important ingredients to success.
3. Their strategy is focused and clear and everyone in the company understands it and buys in.  They all know the three most important things and can connect their own work with the company’s success.
4. Straight talk, coupled with open minded and openhearted communication is the key.
5. These companies have multiple touch points for meaningful dialogue—they figure out what problems to tackle, they figure out the solutions, and they do it together.  They adopt a blend of healthy direction setting leadership and inclusivity.
6. Everyone in the company takes responsibility—there is no room for laying blame.
7. They execute really fast—faster than their competition. (You know the story of the two friends in the woods who meet a grizzly.  One starts putting on his sneakers and the other says, “That’s not going to help.  Don’t you know you can’t outrun a grizzly?”  The other replies, “I know, I just need to outrun you.”)

So there you have it in a nutshell—the keys to success in a down economy.  Actually it’s the keys to success in any economy but is particular true in periods of financial difficulty.  Here’s the rub, however.  These principles have been developed over time.  You can’t just bolt them on to a company. It takes time, effort, and care to operate a company consistent with these principles.  Ones that do, and that did their homework a long time ago have poised themselves for at the very least survival, and at best growth in spite of what appear to be insurmountable hurdles.

If Not Now, When?

Hillel, (born c.110BCE-10CE in Jerusalem) was a famous religious leader, and one of the most important figures in Jewish history. He is associated with the development of the Mishnah, the idea that all peoples can study the bible and learn actively from its tenants, and the Talmud, one of the central texts of mainstream Judaism—a growing body of knowledge that is filled with teaching stories and guidance for right living.   Renowned within Judaism as a sage and scholar, he is popularly known for the saying: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?”

I love this saying because in simple language, it teaches us both right living and right leadership. Let’s break it down into its component parts.

If I am not for myself, who will be for me?

If I do not stand up for myself that who am I? If I cannot believe in myself, then what kind of leader can I be?  Who will follow me if I will not follow myself?  This is one of the primary principles of extraordinary leadership. Great leadership starts (does not end) with self belief.  This is not egotistical belief, which is usually twinned with  insecurity and self-absorption. It is the notion I matter, I am capable, I am worthy.  All great leaders feel that.  They don’t demand our attention, they command it. Leadership comes from the depths of their soul from which certainty arises, certainty born from self-solidity.

If I am only for myself, what am I?

This is the notion that although I am inner guided, I am outer focused.  Great leaders care far more for their purpose—which by definition is always about being of service to something outside oneself—than for themselves and their personal ambitions.  Great leaders are servants to a cause.

If not now, when?

If it is meant to be it is up to me is a wonderful phrase that captures the spirit of this.  It is a saying born out of the sense that I matter, I can take a stand and in so doing, move the world.  What are we waiting for?  Our waiting does nothing but perpetuate the status quo.  We all live a short time on this earth, and now, not tomorrow, is the time to make a difference.

If we all follow Hillel’s guidance, we would all be the better for it.

How Essential Am I?

A funny thing happened today.  I was facilitating a meeting of an executive team.  They were together in the east coast while I was on the west coast.  We were using video and teleconference to see and hear one another.  During the meeting I pressed my mute button to prevent them from hearing me cough.  I forgot to press the unmute button, however I did not realize this.  About three minutes had passed when I intervened to guide the group in a particular direction and no one responded.  I repeated myself (again, unaware that I was still muted) and again no one responded.  I chalked it up to the fact (or so I thought) that they were so engrossed in the conversation that my intervention was not heard. I decided to honor this and keep my counsel for a while longer.  The group appeared to not only self-correct, but its conversation seemed quite effective.  A few minutes later I had something to say, but again they did not hear me, so again I kept my counsel.  It was only when they did not hear me a few more minutes later than I realized my gaffe.  I was on mute the whole time.

What is disturbing about this is that perhaps my efforts are, and were not necessary.  I like to think of myself as someone who adds value to a meeting and I feel that I am often essential to the cause, but this experience offered the possibility that perhaps I’m not as essential or valuable as I’d like to believe.

I wonder how essential our leadership is.  As leaders, our goal should not be to make ourselves indispensible, but instead to create conditions where the team can operate without us as leaders.
I like to think that I’ve added so much value to the team that they can now self-correct better than if I were present all along, and that perhaps I’ve helped them be less reliant on me.  This frees me up to think about where else I can add value and perhaps elevate my contribution.  Isn’t that part of what the goal of all leaders needs to be?

I Love Dynasties

In a world where it is common to root for the underdog, I am going to take a risk and share quite openly that:  I LOVE DYNASTIES!

Yes, I admit it. I root for the top dog—the one who figured it out and got there by picking themselves up by the bootstraps, and who dared to defy the odds. I root for the person who has shown us what greatness is, and then works their butt off to stay on top.  I root for the teammate who puts in the extra hours, keeps thinking about how to stay ahead of the pack, and who is never complacent.  I root for the New England Patriots, Tiger Woods, Serena Williams, The Boston Celtics, Roger Federer, Muhammad Ali, and Annika Sorenstam…..and Apple Computer.

It is not that they show us who we are, but who we can become.  My interest in greatness and mastery is not elitism. I believe everyone has greatness in them.  I root for dynasties because they teach us so much about what aspiration means and what achievement means at the highest level. I especially root for the teams and organizations that were not fed from a silver spoon, and who rose up against all odds.   I believe that you can take people who are ordinary and create an extraordinary process or culture where the sum is a powerful, winning combination. Sorry NY Yankees and George Steinbrenner; I don’t root for you.  You paid your way to stardom and that teaches us little.

Some of my friends root for the downtrodden, the underdog, and the masses, and I do too.  Just because I love dynasties, it doesn’t mean I care less about everyone else.  Quite the opposite. What I really love is when someone rises up from out of nowhere, finds their own way, and then shows us that anyone can be a top dog.  It is the heroic journey that I love and it is those that took the road less travelled and came out ahead that show us so much about who we all are and what we are all are capable of.

So you go, Patriots.  Come on, Roger, beat ‘em again. Yeah for the San Antonio Spurs.  Let’s hope once again the Boston Celtics rise to teach us what teamwork and sacrifice can do.