I have been thinking a lot about how leaders handle adversity recently. A few recent occurrences have led me to these thoughts.

First, last night was the Super Bowl. There are always winners and losers in sporting events. On a big stage like the Super Bowl, these winners and losers often seem larger than life. Last night the big winner was the New York Giants and their quarterback – Eli Manning. They may have faced adversity much of the season – I think they are the team with the most losses to ever win the Super Bowl. But last night, they overcame any and all adversity and won the biggest game on the biggest stage.

The New England Patriots on the other hand were the losers. A few years ago they seemed like they might be the best football team of all time. They had won multiple Super Bowls. They were led by their defensive minded coach and their confident quarterback, Tom Brady. In fact, many football experts were saying Tom Brady would go down as the greatest quarterback of all time because of the way he led his team through adversity to victory. It seemed the Patriots always believed they would win because that was the confidence Tom Brady, their leader, gave them.

Last night, and the last time the Patriots played in the Super Bowl against the Giants, Tom Brady couldn’t overcome the adversity, he couldn’t lead his team to victory. I certainly wasn’t in the huddle with the team. But I am guessing Mr. Brady is calm, cool and collected in the huddle, even when the game is on the line.

I am guessing, his blood pressure doesn’t spike, his voice doesn’t crack, his volume doesn’t increase (except maybe to overcome the noise made by ravenous football fans). I think the confidence he exudes to his teammates is one of the reasons the Patriots come up on top so often.

As leaders, we sometimes face other kinds of adversity than the adversity a football team faces. Last night, my three year old son was bitten in the face by a dog belonging to our good friends.

We were (and are) very concerned about our son. It would have been easy to yell, scream and cry when this happened. I certainly felt all those emotions.

But as the leader of my family, I needed to be the anchor, the true north. I needed all my children and my wife to see that I was confident everything would be okay – even if at times I wasn’t so sure.

In business we face challenges every day. Our employees face these same challenges and need to be confident that our companies will overcome the challenges we face and succeed.  As leaders it is our job to make sure our employees have that confidence.  It is our job to lead our employees to victory even when they think it is unattainable.

How do you present a calming influence over your employees during stressful times?

I started thinking about this question recently when my 8th grade son wasn’t motivated to get out of bed early one school morning to participate in one of his final basketball practices. Of course it wasn’t too hard for me to motivate him – ‘get up or there won’t be any XBox this weekend’. But why couldn’t he motivate himself to get up?

He is a leader. Not in the same sense you or I am – yet – but a leader none the less.

In the car on the way to school he was still complaining about having to get up early. He was giving excuses for why he shouldn’t have to – it’s the last week of basketball; I’m not going to get any better or worse by not practicing this morning; I’m not going to play any more or less in the game if I miss practice, etc.

I told him what I think most fathers (leaders) would have told him. “You made a commitment to your team. You need to see your commitment through.” Then I took off my fatherly hat and thought about the situation from a different perspective – that of a mentor.

I reminded him that he is a leader on the team and in school. That he aspires to be a leader in life. I validated his feelings by letting him know there are days when I don’t want to get out of bed too. I told him one of his jobs as a leader is to motivate his followers and that he can’t do that if he isn’t motivated. I mentioned that what motivates one person doesn’t necessarily motivate another and suggested that he needs to determine the things that most motivate him and be prepared to call on them when he needs motivating.

I gave him some suggestions: Set a goal and use a picture of that potential achievement as your motivation; find a book or movie that motivates you; find a song that motivates you.

In the end, he made it to practice – though a few minutes late – and we had an opportunity to connect about leadership. That really motivated me for the day.

What are some things that motivate you?

Tebow is the quarterback of the Denver Broncos. The reason he’s been much talked about over the last few months is he is not the traditional NFL quarterback. He is left handed, doesn’t have a strong arm, is considered more of a running quarterback than a “pocket passer”, and some would say he wears his faith on his sleeve. Oh yeah, and since he became the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos, they have won so much they made the playoffs – even though they were only playing him originally because the playoffs seemed out of reach.

Well last night Tebow and the Broncos did it again. They beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime to advance to the second round of the playoffs. Clearly, Tebow is special.

I have been listening to all the sports pundits talk about what makes Tebow special. Even some traditional news outlets have picked up the story. While he is certainly a skilled athlete, most agree his skills are not superior to many other quarterbacks in the NFL.

Some may say it’s his religious faith. I commend his beliefs but I suspect there are many other professional football players with similar beliefs.  So what is it that makes him special?

I can tell you what it is and I’ve never even met Tebow. It’s LEADERSHIP.

Tebow’s teammates believe in him. They are willing to follow him anywhere. They are willing to give everything they have in pursuit of the common goal (winning the game) as they see him doing the same thing. And guess what. Here’s the part you haven’t heard before.

He believes in them.

Too often we talk about great leaders as these strong personalities that people are drawn to and for whom they are willing to give their all. I believe many great leaders have those strong personalities. I believe one of the characteristics of a great leader is one who has committed followers. People who believe strongly in the leader.

However, if the leader doesn’t share that commitment, belief and faith in his followers, he will not be a leader for long. Think about the people you lead every day. Do they believe in you? Of course they do. Do you believe equally in them? If not, think about why not and what needs to happen for you to share the belief.

Great, winning organizations have great leaders and great followers who believe equally in each other and the goals they are trying to reach together.

Many people also use this as a time of goal setting for the coming year – looking forward to new opportunities. This is my favorite part of the new year’s arrival. While I think it’s important to measure past performance, you can’t get very far ahead by looking backward.

So, here are some of my business and personal goals for 2012:

1. Increase total company revenues by 10% through new customer acquisition.
2. Create efficiencies in company systems to reduce total employee time worked by 10%.
3. Develop program to identify qualified candidates for employment. Reduce time to acquire new employees by two weeks.
4. Work out a minimum of three times weekly.
5. Eat dinner with my family every night I am in town.

Did you notice anything about my goals? They are all SMART – Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant and Timely. It’s important to make all your goals SMART – it will help you make sure they are appropriate and will allow you to know when you’ve accomplished them.

What are some of your business and personal goals for 2012?

Doug Conant, former CEO of Campbell Soup Company agrees that practice makes perfect. Mr. Conant recently published a book titled, “Touchpoints”. I am putting the book on my 2012 reading list.

An article about the book I recently read indicates that Conant believes its vital for leaders to understand what the people they are leading are thinking and what they need in order to accomplish their organization’s goals.  Conant re-connected his team during the worldwide financial crisis of 2008 by walking around and talking to his employees.  Through this process, he learned what his employees were thinking.  He was able to re-focus the organization based on these findings and engage his employees in their direction.

Conant believes great leaders don’t focus on themselves but on those they lead.  He suggests leaders should ask themselves three simple questions.

1.  What does the organization need?

2.  What can others do to help it?

3.  What must I do to make certain we are on track?

The answers to these questions may be complicated and they may even evoke additional questions.

My guess is many leaders don’t get it right the first time either.  But, if leaders are willing to practice, practice, practice, eventually they will git it right.

Are you on a leadership journey?  Are you practicing to become a better leader every day?  Feel free to share some of the leadership lessons you are learning with the folks reading this blog.

I believe everyone has the potential to become a leader.  But like a muscle, what we do with leadership potential is the difference between being a poor to average leader and being a good or even a great one.

Every industry has many leaders and many more people who have the ability to lead.  But now is a difficult time to be a leader, and as a result fewer people are stepping up to lead.  It’s difficult right now because leadership requires time and energy many of us think we don’t have.

Over the last three years, many industries and businesses have faced so many challenges that we are exhausted trying to do more with less.  We are challenged daily to find new business opportunities.  With no end in sight, it’s a difficult time to develop your leadership muscle.  But if you don’t, who will?

When you boil it down, there are a few key reasons to choose to lead:

1.  At its most basic, you need to be a leader so you can provide for your family and the families of your employees.

2.  Being a leader means you will help shape the direction of the industry in which your company competes.

3.  Being a leader provides gratification that you are giving back to an industry that has given much to you.

These are all great reasons to become a leader.  Think about this though – if you don’t become a leader, will your business survive?

I read an interesting article today about leadership. I’d like to share it with you. (Click here to read it)

In the article, the author explores the makings of a good leader by providing three examples from the world of sports (something I enjoy).  Her thesis is interesting – there are many qualities and characteristics we all look to find in great leaders.  But the most important one is hardly ever mentioned – the followers.  What makes a great leaders is the willingness of the followers to let that person lead.

Her example of a current great leader (probably by just about any definition) is Tim Tebow.  Tebow is the inexperienced, and under-qualified quarterback of the Denver Bronco’s who has led his team to five straight victories.  Tebow’s teammates seem willing to follow him anywhere!

Of course followers won’t let just anyone lead them.  Leaders must demonstrate they have integrity, confidence, clarity and decision-making abilities.  They must earn the trust of their followers.  All great and sustainable leaders have earned and maintained the trust of their followers.

Certainly people cannot become leaders without the characteristics necessary to earn that trust.  However, no matter what abilities a leader has, if he doesn’t have followers, he isn’t a leader.

Of course that’s not really the tradition is it?

The tradition and true reason for celebrating Thanksgiving is to do just that – give thanks. I won’t go into a history lesson here but if you need a refresher course, click here.

The last few years have been challenging ones for many people in this country and throughout the world.  The number of people without jobs in the US is staggering.  Many of those with jobs live under the constant stress and pressure that their job may not exist tomorrow.  The financial strain put on most families as a result of the weakened economy over the last few years is significant.  Overall, we are in unchartered waters and struggling to swim.

Yet we have much to be thankful for.  I was reminded of this from my three year old son.  While having a family meal the day before Thanksgiving, he reached out his hands and stated, “we need to pray and give thanks”.  We of course asked him to lead the prayer – and he reminded us of what’s important in our lives.

He said thanks for each person in our family individually; for the health of our family members, specifically noting those who had not been well; for the food we were eating and the home we live in.  Out of the mouths of babes – right?

He reminded us that within our busy and stress-filled lives, we must take time to remember and be thankful for the important things.  It certainly was a great reminder for me.  I hope it was for you too.

Here is a list of some of the things I am most thankful for:

1.  My family

2.  My business and all our employee partners and association partners

3.  My friends

4.  The health and well being of those closest to me

Respond to this blog to share the things you and your family are thankful for this year.

I love this saying – in other words, for teams or organizations to succeed it takes more than one successful person.  I recently read a Harvard Business Review blog posting that reminded me of this concept.  Click here to read the posting.

What greater example is there of this concept than the 2011 Indianapolis Colts.  This is a team that has defined success in the National Football League for many years.  This year, with one major change to their team (their quarterback is out for the season) they aren’t just under-performing, they are FAILING.

How do businesses make sure their team doesn’t fail because one key player can no longer perform?  Build your team around many successful people – not one great player and several mediocre ones. Seems simple enough.

But how does one do this?  The leadership of the organization has to make one of their top priorities recruitment and retention of key performers.  Job descriptions should be clearly defined.  Employment testing and personality testing should be used to make sure the right people are being selected and that they are assigned to the right positions.  (See Jim Collins’ Good to Great concept of the right people in the right seats on the bus)

It’s not easy.  Missteps will be made.  One thing is for sure though – if organizations don’t make a concerted effort to build a successful team of people, when their key employee leaves (and he/she will leave), the organization will suffer.  Many times organizations can’t survive these departures.

Make sure your team WINS!

Wrong.

Leadership isn’t being the smartest person in the organization or the one with all the answers. Leadership is the ability to get all the people in your organization to strive to achieve a single purpose, the mission of the organization.

Great leaders lead by getting their employees to figure out the answers to key questions on their own. They accomplish this not by giving their employees the “right” answers, but by asking the right questions so their employees come up with the “right” answers on their own.

Great leaders ask questions like, “What do yo think of this”, “How do you think we should handle this situation”, “If this was your decision to make, what would you do”, “How will this decision impact our ability to accomplish our mission”?

Check out this blog for more thoughts on why leaders should ask questions, not give answers.

What do you think about this approach to leadership?