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Leadercast 2017 (Revisited)

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For those of you who read my review of Leadercast from a month ago, though I provided some valuable notes from what I experienced, there is no doubt that I started that post with some fairly critical commentary about the overall experience, and the concerns I had about the future of the event. I cannot fully retract those comments, because they are not only my experience, but my evaluated experience. Only a different future experience would be adequate to do so. At the same time, my hopes for the future of the Leadercast event have changed and I now feel willing to experience it again.

Leadercast is a huge event. I have mentioned that I have attended both the live event in Atlanta, as well as the simulcast here in Asheville, over many, many years. The event is held annually. As of late 2016, Leadercast is head up by a new CEO, Duane Cummings. Leadercast claims more than 100,000 attendees at this one day event, at more than 700 locations, in 20 different countries.

My most recent blog post was made on May 11th. You can imagine my surprise when on early May 12th there was message on my phone from none other than the CEO of Leadercast, Duane Cummings, wanting to talk to me about my concerns as posted on my blog. After fulfilling a few of my morning obligations, I returned his call that same day. Duane spent over 30 minutes with me discussing my concerns, and the present vision for Leadercast. He explained some of the opportunities that exist for regular attendees, and also that some of my concerns had been addressed this past year at the local Atlanta event. There were some explanations, such as the shorter event day, that I still question (it is only one day a year after all), however I understand the basis upon which the change was made. I also feel that I understand a little bit better about the difficulties in putting together such a large event meant to serve leaders of so many ages and demographics.

Most impressive is simply the fact that he called, and then followed up with an email, expressing that his intention for Leadercast is to serve all of the Leadercast community. One of the criticisms I mentioned to him in the call (not in the prior blog post) was that at the local event in Atlanta the speakers’ books were no longer being offered for sale. I did not write about it because it seemed somewhat minor, and more of a personal beef about the event. I explained to him my awareness that in just two years 50% of the workforce will be Millennials, but I offered to him the fact that also means that 50% will not be, and some of those people still prefer to read out of books, instead of interactive applications on an IPad. He explained to me that this was his first year leading the event, and that he actually brought the sale of books back to the Atlanta live event this year (2017). He indicated in his follow up email that as long as he is leading the event, they will still offer books for sale at the live event. Leadercast in Atlanta used to be a place where I purchased my leadership reading for a full 6 months, and this itself may bring me back to Atlanta to give it another chance.

Much to my surprise, a week after our phone call I received a large box at my office, addressed from Leadercast. It contained leadership books. I had neither asked for, nor in any way ordered any of these books. It was a gift which was very much appreciated by me. Of the books enclosed, I only already had one (which I gave to an Associate in my law firm). One I was not familiar with was “The Sensational Salesman” written by none other than Duane Cummings. It was the first one that I pulled out of the box, and the first I have finished reading. It is a well written parable book (such as the parable books that Patrick Lencioni writes). Not only do I highly recommend this book, but several of the life lessons that the main character of the book experiences were exemplified by Duane in these few communications I had with him. His book helped me understand that Leadercast is in good hands, and well poised for the future, if he believes and carries out what he writes about in his book. His call and interaction with me proved that is most likely the case. I highly recommend his book, and now will probably plan to attend Leadercast Live in Atlanta on May 4, 2018.

Thanks to Duane Cummings for making this one (of over a hundred thousand) member of the Leadercast community feel like his concerns are important. Thanks for living the leadership principles that you write about. A live example of servant leadership is always so much more impressive than what anyone can write in a book.

Leadercast 2017 – Great Content (but not enough of it)

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I have attended Leadercast for many years. Occasionally I miss one due to a scheduling conflict, but I have been to most. I have attended live in Atlanta many times, have done the Executive Experience a few times, and have also attended a simulcast in Asheville two times. My observation is that though some content remains excellent, there is less of it. I am not exactly sure when the downturn occurred, but the fact that the event is ending one hour earlier in the day the last two years (end time of 330P instead of 430 PM), and the pullout of John Maxwell, (last appearing a few years ago), may have much to do with it. Pricing has escalated for the Executive Experience in Atlanta, though regular attendance is still affordable. It is my observation that as Leadercast has searched for new speakers to provide content, it seems that perhaps they have lost sight of the fact that not every great leader of an organization is a great speaker about, and teacher of, leadership. The sweet spot for Leadercast and other leadership conferences seems to be to find speakers who do both well. I am afraid that with fewer hours being filled, the odds are greater that one or two speakers who lack that special quality to teach and convey leadership content have a greater likelihood of affecting the overall impact and effectiveness of the event; the kind of impact that causes an attendee to say: “I can’t wait for next year”.

Having said the above, two regular speakers, Andy Stanley and Dr. Henry Cloud, as well as new (non-regular) speaker Dan Pink, provided excellent content. Though I am not sure I would have encouraged all of my law firm attorneys to attend the whole day, I wish that they had been there to hear these three excellent speakers, discussing their insights on leadership, and specifically on the topic of “Purpose”. Here is some of what learned:

Andy Stanley – His session was titled “Powered by Purpose”. As usual he started the day off with a practical and informative overview of the topic for the day. His view is that purpose is a means to an end. Folks tend to ask themselves: Why am I here? And, what is my purpose? He believes that until we are willing to be a means to an end, we will not have true purpose. He pointed out that he believes that those who simply devote themselves to themselves will have nothing but themselves to show for themselves. The point of purpose is to determine how you will serve others, and if your plan does not include service of others, it does not have true purpose. He left us with three action points:

  1. Look at everything we do through the lens of “means”.
  2. Pay attention to what stirs your heart in struggling to discover purpose.
  3. Surround yourself with “on purpose” people

Dan Pink went on to discuss the two types of purpose. The first is with a big “P”. It is that big, transcendent thing that an organization strives for to make a difference in the world. The second type is with a little “p”. It is all about making a contribution on a daily basis. Leaders should want their people to have both of these questions answered:

  1. Am I making a difference?
  2. Am I making a contribution?

Dan left us with two action points:

  1. As we go about what we do, ask the people who we work with more questions about why, instead of how? Be more informative to them about the why of what they are doing, instead of just the how.
  2. Dan made the point that great leaders are a sentence. He used examples such as Lincoln and Roosevelt, and described what sentence probably defined each of them. He challenged us with: What is your sentence?

Dr. Henry Cloud gave his usual excellent Leadercast presentation. The conference started with defining purpose and discussing how it is cultivated in an organization. Dr. Cloud spoke about accountability. He discussed what works when it comes to accountability, what does not, and why it does not.

He said that Purpose requires:

  1. Vision
  2. Engaged Talent
  3. Strategy
  4. Measurements and Accountability
  5. Fixing or Adapting to what is discovered in the process

The problem is that we are not all “10’s” as leaders in all of these things, and unless we have folks strong in all areas and hold them accountable, our organizations tend to look like the leader, and have the same strengths and weaknesses as the Leader has.

He stated that accountability in an organization is going to have certain characteristics:

  1. Clear agreed upon expectations
  2. When those expectations must be met (timing)
  3. How living up to expectations will be inspected
  4. Communication throughout the process

“Lead Through Change” a Big Hit in Asheville, NC

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Former Senators Tom Daschle and Bill Frist debate health care leadership issues

Former Senators Tom Daschle and Bill Frist debate health care leadership issues

John Maxwell receives the Mother Teresa Prize for Global Peace and Leadership at Lead Through Change in Asheville, NC

John Maxwell receives the Mother Teresa Prize for Global Peace and Leadership at Lead Through Change in Asheville, NC

Last month several members of my law firm had the opportunity to attend a new leadership program, “Lead Through Change” held in my hometown of Asheville, North Carolina. The focus of the program was leadership during the present time of enormous change affecting the health care industry. As a law firm that has many medical profession clients, we felt that we needed to be on the cutting edge of what the medical field is facing today. The speakers included two former Senators (Tom Daschle and Bill Frist), leadership expert John Maxwell, leaders of the American Medical Association and the American Dental Association, and local Mission Hospitals CEO, Dr. Ron Paulus. The event was a production of the Luminary Leadership Network, led by Bill Murdock, founder of our local Eblen Charities. I was so impressed with the content, and learned so much, that I thought I would share some of what I learned about leadership in this one day event focused on the health care industry.

Senator Daschle had some really interesting thoughts about the issues facing the healthcare industry, and why we continue to have such difficulties. He said that there are four key factors to future leadership in that industry: 1) Resiliency, 2) Innovation, 3) Collaboration and 4) Engagement. As he explained what these four factors meant to health care leadership, I thought that perhaps they also applied to the legal industry, which is also experiencing massive change.

Mission Hospitals CEO Ron Paulus gave a phenomenal talk on the difficulties he has experienced in times of change and how his leadership has developed as he has struggled through challenging times. He suggested two book resources for folks who are entrusted with the leadership of an organization; 1) Organizational Culture and Leadership by Edgar Schein, and 2) The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander. I immediately bought both of them online, and am currently reading the first.

The final speaker of the day was leadership guru John C. Maxwell. His basic laws of leadership apply to every discipline and industry.   He focused on the attitude of a leader while being challenged with change and uncertainty in the organization being led.

I believe the intent is to repeat his event in the future. I definitely recommend that you visit this site for further information: http://leadthroughchange.com/

Essential Qualities of an Effective Leader Part 1: Servanthood

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I am often asked the question: What are the qualities of an effective leader?  I’ve heard many leaders speak to this question, most with different answers; usually different qualities and differing views on the importance of each.

I believe that there are three basic qualities that are found in the most effective leaders, whether they are leaders with position, or simply persons of influence without a title. I believe these qualities are important whether you are a leader in a law firm or a participant in any other endeavor in life. These three qualities are: 1) Mission, 2) Trust and 3) Servanthood. Over the next three blog posts, I will explain in details my thoughts regarding each of these policies, in reverse order. So first, let’s take a look at the concept of “Servanthood”.

Early on in my study of leadership I was exposed to a view of leadership known as “Servant Leadership”.  Through my study of this concept, I discovered that event though you have a title, and even if you do not, your effectiveness as a leader to those who you desire to follow is directly tied to your willingness to both serve and empower them.

Leadership speaker Ken Blanchard explains servant leadership as being composed of four personal attributes.  Here’s my summary of those four, applied to law firm and lawyer leadership:

Heart – This first attribute is about the motivation of the leader.  Is the leader more interested in serving others or serving himself or herself?  Is your desire to lead the firm, or other lawyers in the firm, related to a desire to control others or maintain personal autonomy in your practice?

If you desire to truly understand your motives ask yourself a few of these basic inquiries:

How do you feel when others offer you correction or constructive criticism?  Truly inside, how do you feel? A servant leader is not afraid of constructive criticism. If service is the goal, constructive criticism is always accepted as profitable to not only the leader, but the law firm.

How do you feel when others excel or gain success? When someone else who is a peer or subordinate is recognized?  Are your really happy for them on the inside?  The leader with a heart for service rejoices when those who are being led experience recognition and success.

So, the bottom line is to first examine your heart.

Head – The second attribute is about knowing what you are doing, and why you are doing it. Leaders of law firms need to understand the mission, vision and values of the organization. They must be able to describe them to not only those being led, but also those who might be led, such as prospective clients. You might ask yourself a few questions to see how you doing:

Do those in the law firm, or the group that I lead, share the same vision and values?

Is the actual brand that my law firm has in the communities we serve consistent with the brand that our firm says it has, or desires to have?

Hands – This third attribute is about what you do.  Your motives can be pure, and you can express why you do what you do, but your actions speak louder than those words.

The inquiry here is: What are you doing, and are your actions consistent with what you say?

Habits – You can have a good heart, and all the plans you need, and even start performing, but unless you have discipline you will fail.  Leaders need to have a plan to stay on course; otherwise the emergencies of today crowd out your opportunities to expand service to, and empowerment of, others. Ask yourself the following questions:

Even though I desire to lead others, how am I doing on leading myself?

Do I study leadership on a daily basis?

Just like the practice of law, do I practice leadership on a daily basis?

To the extent possible, have I surrounded myself with a leadership growth environment?

It is important to understand that this principle of servant leadership does not only apply to staff or lawyers within your firm, but equally to leadership of clients.  With regard to clients, it’s not only about the results of the work that you are doing for them.  They have certain basic requirements or expectations that they anticipate in that regard. The servant leader, however, is not only going to simply meet a client’s needs, but exceed them. The successful client leader of the future is not only going to be about results, but results and relationship. Results and relationship is the only way leaders are truly able to both serve and empower clients, which is what servant leadership of clients is all about.