| Every since serving a hitch in the military, | | | | Understand the power in the seeming |
| I have been nagged by the question that's | | | | passiveness of "have." Leaders cannot get |
| been hanging around leadership since time | | | | results by themselves. They need others to |
| immemorial: How can some leaders persuade | | | | help get those results. Today, with speed, |
| people to believe in them and follow them and | | | | flexibility, and teamwork being driving |
| other leaders can't? But it wasn't the | | | | competitiveness, the control-freak |
| military that provided me with a framework to | | | | order-leader who must tyrannize and micro |
| answer that question. It was Albert Einstein | | | | manage can't compete against the leader who |
| and his quest for the unified field theory of | | | | can build and motivate teams to get results. |
| the universe.Einstein is well known for his | | | | In short, the leader who can "have" others |
| special and general theories of relativity, | | | | get results.(3) THE BEST WAY TO HAVE PEOPLE |
| two of the crowning intellectual achievements | | | | GET RESULTS IS NOT TO ORDER THEM BUT TO |
| of the 20th century. But what he is not so | | | | MOTIVATE THEM. Like leadership purpose, |
| well known for is a magnificent quest that he | | | | motivation is another concept that is |
| carried on for some 30 years - and ultimately | | | | misunderstood by many leaders. If we |
| failed in. That was his quest for a unified | | | | misunderstand the concept of motivation, how |
| field theory of the universe, a theory that | | | | in the world can we motivate anybody to do |
| explains all the forces of the universe. And | | | | anything? Here are the four "eternal truths" |
| it was a quest that inspired me, in my small | | | | of motivation: A. Motivation is not |
| way, to find an answer to the leadership | | | | something people think or feel but what they |
| question.Einstein's special theory combined | | | | PHYSICALLY DO. Only when people take |
| space and time into a single concept known as | | | | physical action can they in truth be defined |
| the space-time continuum. He spent the rest | | | | as "motivated." B. Motivation is not |
| of his life failing to develop a unified | | | | something we can do to anyone. We as leaders |
| field theory that incorporated gravity into | | | | can only communicate. The people we want to |
| the electromagnetic field. But it wasn't his | | | | motivate must motivate themselves. The |
| trying to solve the conundrums of physics | | | | "motivatee" and the motivator are always the |
| that inspired me. It was his trying to unify | | | | same person. C. Motivation is driven by |
| the grand forces of the universe that's so | | | | emotion. In fact, the words emotion and |
| compelling.Just as there are grand forces | | | | motivation come from the same Latin root, |
| driving the activities of the universe, I'm | | | | meaning "to move." When we want to move |
| convinced that there are grand forces driving | | | | people, motivate people, to take action, we |
| the activities of leadership. Whether we are | | | | engage their emotions. D. Motivation happens |
| talking about small or large organizations, | | | | best when it is triggered by face-to-face |
| organizations of butchers, bakers or | | | | speech.(4) WE LEAD WELL ONLY WHEN THE PEOPLE |
| candlestick makers, the same leadership | | | | WE LEAD ARE LEADING WELL. Let's throw out |
| forces - leadership laws, if you will - | | | | the old concept of leadership. That concept |
| apply. Or at least that I was my theory, | | | | is based on the idea of "followership" - |
| that was my quest: to find the laws of | | | | successful leaders being the ones who got |
| leadership, if they did indeed exist, and | | | | people to follow them. Baloney! Today, the |
| then show how those laws can be applied in | | | | speed and scope of change in the marketplace |
| any organizational challenge. In short, we | | | | demand a new vision of leadership, leadership |
| can have a "unified field theory of | | | | that can not only deal with that change but |
| leadership."I won't go into the details of | | | | actually speed it up and make opportunities |
| how I came to develop the theory - only that | | | | of it. That vision is this fourth |
| after a quest of several decades, working | | | | proposition. How many times have we heard |
| with leaders of all stripes, I developed | | | | this seeming praise, "They're such great |
| what I call the Unified Field Theory of | | | | leaders, they can't be replaced!" Within the |
| Leadership Success. I'm certainly not | | | | terms of the new leadership dynamics, those |
| unifying such grand concepts as gravity and | | | | "great, irreplaceable leaders" are in truth |
| the electromagnetic field; but my theory, in | | | | poor leaders that should be gotten rid of! |
| its small way, has helped many leaders around | | | | If the leader's function is to have others |
| the world raise their leadership | | | | get results, then the best way is not simply |
| effectiveness to much higher levels.Here then | | | | to motivate them but to motivate them to lead |
| is the Unified Field Theory of Leadership | | | | others to get those results. When we |
| Success. It is not magic dust to transform | | | | challenge our leaders to truly lead, we |
| you into a great leader. It is instead a | | | | change their world and ours. Only then are |
| polestar to guide and help you invigorate | | | | we leading well.Those are the four |
| your leadership and communication efforts.The | | | | propositions of the Unified Field Theory of |
| UFTLS is expressed as a series of four | | | | Leadership Success. Einstein failed in his |
| propositions.(1) BUSINESS SUCCESS HAPPENS | | | | quest for a unified field theory; but the |
| WHEN PEOPLE GET RESULTS. Clearly, this is | | | | success or failure of this Theory of |
| not some strange, UFO- like concept. | | | | Leadership rests with you. Put it into |
| Instead, it is a BFO - a Blinding Flash of | | | | action. Guided by its ideas, develop |
| the Obvious. Yet obvious or not, it is | | | | strategies, processes, and leadership skills. |
| ignored by many leaders - too many leaders. | | | | You will start on the road to being a better |
| Too many leaders focus on enabling such | | | | leader. Because the four propositions do |
| drivers as quality initiatives, | | | | provide defining differences between leaders. |
| re-engineering projects, and cost-cutting | | | | Those differences are not as grand as the |
| programs - at the expense of the people who | | | | differences between gravity and |
| must animate those drivers.For instance, I | | | | electromagnetic fields, but they can help you |
| know of a company that is engaged in the | | | | do that very simple, down-to-earth thing that |
| fourth major restructuring in the past half | | | | your career, that any career, rests on: |
| dozen years. Three of those initiatives have | | | | leadership.============================= |
| failed, mainly because they ignored the human | | | | |
| leadership aspect. In fact, I propose that | | | | 2004 © The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. |
| the new initiative is doomed to fail too. | | | | All rights reserved. |
| It's obvious why: instead of being driven by | | | | |
| a compelling market strategy, strong | | | | =============================PERMISSION TO |
| products, or a vision of marketplace | | | | REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in |
| leadership, this new restructuring is being | | | | newsletters and on web sites provided |
| driven by a new computer system!The officers | | | | attribution is provided to the author, and it |
| are restructuring the company primarily to | | | | appears with the included copyright, resource |
| better employ that system, not to better | | | | box and live web site link. Email notice of |
| employ people for results. I daresay the | | | | intent to publish is appreciated but not |
| light that they may perceive to be at the end | | | | required: mail to: The author of 23 books, |
| of the tunnel will turn out in truth to be a | | | | Brent Filson's recent books are, THE |
| search party looking for survivors.(2) | | | | LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL |
| LEADERS DO NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN GET | | | | and 101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS. |
| RESULTS. Another seemingly obvious | | | | He is founder and president of The Filson |
| statement. Yet when I give talks to leaders | | | | Leadership Group, Inc. - and has worked with |
| around the world, and ask them, "What is the | | | | thousands of leaders worldwide during the |
| most important thing you do as a leader?" | | | | past 20 years helping them achieve sizable |
| some 95 percent of them give every answer but | | | | increases in hard, measured results. |
| this one. This is the right answer. | | | | |