September 2007 Leader Letter
by Linda Hatcher
In our “winner takes all” culture of smiling photo opportunities of the victors, it is rarely part of the corporate learning organization to have workshops on Failure 101. Yet, it is in considering the worst failures that we are able to turn things around for the greatest success. Only by learning from the inevitable things that go wrong can we learn what is needed so things can go right. “The fact is, successful careers are not successful continuously,” states the writer in one of our three new articles this month. In “Leadership Failure Can Lead to Greater Success,” we review the work of two scholars, Ward and Sonnefeld, who studied numerous failures to see what practical lessons, can be learned from them. CLICK HERE to link to LEADER GUIDE MAGAZINE. In parts I and II of a related theme, we review the book Top10 Mistakes Leaders Make by Hans Finzel. He writes, “Top flight leaders are not born; they learn by trial and error.” CLICK HERE to link to LEADERSHIP GUIDE MAGAZINE
LEADERSHIP ETC:
Defining Leadership: “I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.” John D. Rockefeller
Inspiring Leadership Quote: “Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.” William Feather
LEADER OF THE MONTH, SEPTEMBER 2007: Herb Kelleher, Chairman Southwest Airlines
Recently, USA Today identified and ranked the 25 most influential business leaders of the past 25 years. Herb Kelleher, founder and chairman of Southwest Airlines, is recognized as #5 on that list. The degree of respect for his leadership becomes clear when considering the names of other icons that appear after his name on the list: Jack Welch, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffet, Michael Dell, and Howard Schultz.
Herb Kelleher is a model of stellar leadership, with one foundation: he is an ethical man who walks the walk he talks. He puts others above himself, and that is why he is held in such awe. However, despite his stellar success, he remains humble. “I think it is very important to choose people who have a predisposition to serve others, and it is hard to be successful if you hire people that are totally self-centered and bent only on serving themselves,” he said (1).
In the final analysis, Her Kelleher is a star on the leader walk of fame because he is a servant leader. “If you really feel that your job in life is to serve other people, then you tend to love what you are doing. “That is because you want the outcome to be good for them, whether it is drawing a deed in a law office, trying a case, making soup on the floor of the Campbell Soup Company, or whatever it might be. It is easy to love it if you keep your eye on the end objective, which is making it come out well for your clients, or those who are dependent upon you. You want to do it well for somebody else out of an inner sense of excellence and a desire to serve.”
REFERENCES:
1) wwwdernetwork.org
FEATURED LEADERSHOP ITEMS OF THE MONTH:
SUBLIMATED PLAQUE WITH CLOCK; a lovely way to remind any leader the most critical component of reaching goals: time properly used.
OUR CLASSIC LEADERSHIP DUO: Secrets of Effective Leadership and Spirit of Leadership, books that will help you stay focused on the proper ethical principles to achieve your goals.
Copyright 2007 © Leadership Education and Development, Inc
