On Leadership

2013 © Filip Maertens ¢ [email protected]

On leadership Thoughts, ideas and observations


Hi, my name is Filip

ex-hacker explorer founder ¢ Securax Hacking Community (1998) ¢ Eiger Nordwand (2006) ¢ Argus Labs (2012)


1/ SOME OUTRIGHT LIES


Everybody needs to be a leader

A reason to sustain a 2.4 US$ coaching industry


You can’t get it from a textbook

Bullsh*t (but big $$$)


Doesn’t come from mimicking others

Pathetic (and funny)


There is no formula to develop it

Delusional (and a bit sad)


Corporations don’t want leaders

They want obedient workers, the illusion of leadership comes in a clever disguise


Everybody can be a leader Sometimes you can’t. Not all of the time.


Your position defines leadership

Biased and antiquated opinion. Rubbish.


Titles don’t mean anything.

Manager

Entrepreneur

Teacher

Inventor

≠ Leader


Dick and Maurice McDonald had annual revenue of US$ 350k. Ray Kroc bought them out for 2,7M US$ and today has 31,000 stores in 199 countries.


2/ IT’S A PERSONAL THING


Before you lead: prepare to give up

•  Be fearless. Your fears are a prison to yourself, limiting your range of action. Being fearless give you more power and freedom.

•  Let go of preconceptions. Become a free thinker. Unlearn all corporate B.S. See mystery in everything and everyone.


Some elements that may help

•  Charisma. A charm that can inspire devotion. Become exemplary of character.

•  Eloquence. Conveying your message is everything ! •  Intelligence. Communicating sensibly is a plus J •  Transparency. Allow others to look into your life •  Optimism. A positive attitude radiates !


“ I honestly believe that if Redfin were stripped absolutely bare for all the world to see, naked and humiliated in the sunlight, more people would do business with us ”, Glenn Kelman (Redfin)


Passion is everything

•  Leadership is personal. Your passion is the most personal and strongest leverage you possess.

•  There is no room for an ego. Everything you do is for the greater good.

•  If you can’t sacrifice, you can’t lead. Passion is the only thing that will keep you going.


“ Every time my company is financially challenged, I am the first to give up my paycheck or invest my own savings, even though my family depends on it “, personal story on the early days of Argus Labs (2013)


You need to like and read people

•  Next to passion, empathy is your biggest asset. At the end of the day, even your enemy is a human being.

•  A leader without followers is simply an idiot. •  Learn to see the potential in someone, before he does. •  Always (always) treat everyone with the greatest

amount of respect and honesty.


Know that people will attack you

•  Their main weapon will be to instill in you doubts about yourself, your worth, your abilities and potential. They will often disguise this as an objective opinion, but invariably it has a political purpose – they want to keep you down.

•  Learn to look at the world as populated with allies, enemies and traitors.


You need to make sense

•  Most people don’t understand the world and seek for guidance

•  A leader dares to takes a stand and creates clarity, even though he is operating in complete uncertainty

•  Develop a strong Reality Distortion Field •  Become outspoken about your vision.


Andy Hertzfeld first described the Reality Distortion Field as “Steve Jobs’ ability to convince himself and others to believe almost anything with a mix of charm, charisma, bravado, hyperbole, marketing, appeasement and persistence.”


Become a hero brand *

•  Your game defines what you do, and what it means to people

•  Make your name stand out, brand yourself as to support your game

•  Make sure can be recognized from far away, this is your fame

•  Find and claim the right words for your acts


Game: Revolutionize the world through innovation Name: Steven Paul Jobs became “Steve Jobs” Fame: Turtleneck, Jeans, Sneakers and Glasses and the famous “oh, and one last thing” Claim: Make super user friendly consumer devices


You never back off

•  Everything is an experiment. Execute, learn, adapt and have another go at it

•  Your perseverance is the only ticket to success for you and your followers

•  Develop a disdain for anything or anybody that restricts your mobility. Get a chip on your shoulder.


It’s a continuous learning curve

1.  You don’t know what you don’t know. Not aware you could become, or are, a leader.

2.  You know that you need to know. You realize you need to develop your skills.

3.  You know what you don’t know. You identify the gaps you need to work on.

4.  You know, grow and it starts to show. Nearly there…


3/ SOME OBSERVATIONS


Leaders only do change

•  Leadership only is required in times of change •  People don’t like change, so this means there will be

struggle or confrontation ahead. Prepare to dine in hell.


Leaders inspire

•  Leaders let their followers work with the vision, not with the execution

•  Leaders walk their talk

WHY

HOW

WHAT


Leaders work two shifts

•  Internal. To inspire and influence their followers to reach a common goal

•  External. To mitigate risks and eradicate problems and opponents.

•  Two different approaches.


Leaders are not managers

•  Managers need to maintain a process or system, and ensure things are done right.

•  Leaders need to change a process, system, or establish a new process or system, and ensure the right things are done.


Leaders over vision

•  People follow leaders, not a vision (a common misbelief)


When Maurice Saatchi was ousted by the board from Saatchi & Saatchi, the talent and accounts followed him out the door, and the company’s stock dropped 50%


Assess yourself

•  Character – who you are •  Relationships – who you know •  Knowledge – what you know •  Intuition – what you feel •  Experience – where you’ve been •  Past successes – what you’ve done •  Ability – what you can do

Elements a leader has to persuade followers Requires continuous Improvement !


4/ ON LEADERSHIP


Leadership is about influence

•  … not power, or manipulation •  Most corporations still struggle with power plays, and

traditional hierarchical lines of command. •  Power is to have people do stuff against their will

(army). •  Influence is to empower and have people reach their

potential towards a common goal (startup).


Power plays don’t work. You serve…

Reality Dream


It’s not a democracy

•  Leaders listen to what others have to say. This is considered input before taking a decision.

•  Listening to everyone ≠ joint-decision making. •  Democracy is a nice notion. But it doesn’t work. It’s

slow and a breeding ground for frustration. •  Leaders don’t waste their time on issues that disrupt

momentum.


“ Mandela would later use his father's technique, gathering leaders at his kitchen table or in his driveway and holding discussions. Mandela would always listen first, and speak last.” on Nelson Mandela’s tribal decision making technique.


It’s charting towards a destination

•  Leaders see the whole trip in their minds before they leave the dock. It’s not about steering the ship.

•  Draw on past experiences to ensure a safe travel. •  Listen to what others have to say. •  Include faith and fact in the decision.


“ I have no idea how the landscape looks like, but I keep my eye on the horizon. ”, when discussing Tesla Motors, SolarCity and Space-X with Elon Musk.


Be strong, trustworthy and consistent

•  Character communicates consistency. Everything around a good leader may be changing, even his own strategy, but his character remains the same.

•  Assessment: do other people openly share their opinion with you ? If not, you’re not a leader.

•  People are forgiving, if you admit to a mistake.


“… you might think that being consistent with this image will make others respect and trust you, but in fact over time you seem predictable and weak. ”, 50 Cent on consistency

As a weakness (external)


“ He has the power of drawing the hearts of men toward him as a magnet attracts the bit of metal. He merely has to smile at you, and you trust him at once. ”, British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery on Dwigth Eisenhower

As a strength (internal)


Are you a respected leader ?

•  Leadership ability – take things in charge •  Respect for others – leadership is voluntary •  Courage – a leader gives hope •  Success – a leader demonstrate success •  Loyalty – show loyalty towards others •  Value added to others – engender respect


Leaders trust intuition

•  Intuition is a culmination of years of experience. You can’t explain, you just “feel it in your gut”.

•  Leaders read people and can sense what’s happening in a group, room or with people individually.

•  It seems magical, yet is a skill that can be trained.


Peter Crisp invested US$ 300,000 for 10% equity of Apple in 1979. “ We had nothing to go on, other than knowing that they were honest and smart. “


You attract who you are

•  Effective leaders are always on the lookout for good people.

•  Make a mental list of characteristics you look for in a person.

•  Hire fast, fire vast vs. patiently develop potential. •  A positive attitude is a crucial element.


Touch the hearts, not the mind

•  Know who you are and connect with others •  Always be sincere, even if it means admitting a

mistake •  Know your audience and speak to what they care

about. Focus on them, not yourself. •  Offer direction and hope (hope = future).


“You know, here in middle Europe we have over 80 million Germans. These people, too, have a right to life. A piece of life pertains to them. For 300 years they have been cheated of this”, Adolf Hitler at Berlin Sportspalast (Jan, 1940)


Inner circle defines potential

•  Do they have high influence with others ? •  Do they bring a complementary gift to the table ? •  Do they hold a strategic position in the organization ? •  Do they add value to me and to the organization ? •  Do they have a positive impact on other members ?


“ If you can’t feed your team with two large pizza’s, your team is too big “, Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com


Only secure leaders empower others

•  Barriers you might face as a weak leader: •  Desire for job security – won’t I make myself obsolete ? •  Resistance to change – won’t things change too much ? •  Lack of self-worth – won’t others be better than me ?

•  A secure leader is confident and aims to make an organization consisting of your best people that live to their fullest potential


Only secure leaders empower others *

•  Intrapreneurship = empowered employees •  For serial entrepreneurs, this is a detrimental

characteristic and process: •  Found company •  Attract talent •  Cultivate and empower talent •  Step down (and restart)


“ None of the big expensive seat design firms seemed able to solve the design problems posed by our specifications for our Upper Class cabin, but a young designer, Joe Ferry, volunteered (insistently) to give the project a go “, Sir Richard Branson on Virgin inventing the herringbone-configured private sleeper suites


Monkey see, monkey do

•  Remember that people are watching you •  Walk your talk, all the time •  Improve yourself before you improve others :

•  Make a regular character audit. What core values you want to work on ? •  Ask a trusted colleague to observe you and record inconsistencies. •  List five things you want others to do better, then compare to yourself.


Jim Sinegal (Costco) has an office without walls, wears a nametag “Jim” and works together with his workers day-in, day-out. Employee turnover rate is five times less than his competitor Wal-Mart…


Leaders hate losing

•  Leader mindset is as following : •  Leadership is responsible •  Losing is unacceptable, a leader is dedicated to winning •  Creativity is essential •  Quitting is unthinkable •  Commitment is unquestionable •  Victory is inevitable

•  Embrace the failing forward principle


JK Rowling was turned down by more than 10 publishers before securing a book deal, only then to be told to get a part time job as there is no money in childrens’ books


Leaders apply Pareto everywhere

•  Leaders are able to make 30 decisions in 30 minutes •  Leaders don’t do meetings, they talk with people and

work together with them •  Focuses on the 20% in order to achieve 80% •  Decision making must be done on little facts, where

intuition helps to speed things up


Momentum is everything

•  Leaders develop a sense to create momentum, the place where luck meets preparation.

•  Igniting momentum requires shifts in attitudes, behaviors, methods, and results.

•  Some famous moments: •  Landing on the moon = space exploration gives hope •  Release of iPhone = reinvents the way we communicate


Growth or multiplication ?

•  To add growth, lead followers. To multiply, lead leaders: •  If you develop yourself, you can experience personal success •  If you develop a team, your organization can experience growth •  If you develop leaders, your organization can achieve explosive

growth

•  Leading leaders is hard ! Hard to find, hard to gather, hard to keep. Clear away the red tape !


“ Jack Dorsey, the only co-founder who still works for the company, is said to rarely speak to fellow co-founder Evan Williams, who actually replaced Dorsey as CEO early on ” on the Twitter leaders


Seek counsel or advisors

•  Refrain from having shrink sessions. •  Having a beer and speaking your mind, and listening to

others who have gone before you. •  Select strategic and meaningful relationships. •  Keep the relationship mutually rewarding. When no one

gets rewards, stop the relationship.


Succession is one’s greatest reward

•  Define the legacy you want to pass on. This should be already defined in your vision.

•  Become the legacy during your leadership period. •  Choose who will carry on your legacy. Choose someone

that has more potential than you. •  Ensure you pass the baton… Transfer power !


5/ IN A NUTSHELL


Make others feel safe to speak up /1 Make decisions /2

Communicate expectations /3 Challenge people to think /4 Be accountable to others /5

Lead by example /6 Measure and reward performance /7


Provide continuous feedback /8 Properly allocate and deploy talent /9

Ask questions, seek counsel /10 Avoid procrastination /11

Positive energy and attitude /12 Be a great teacher /13

Enjoy your responsibilities /14


Personnel determine the potential of the organization

Relationships determine the morale of the organization

Structure determines the size of the organization

Vision determines the direction of the organization

Leadership determines the success of the organization


6/ THANKS FOR HAVING ME !

On Leadership

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