Lead-Up Principle #3
BE WILLING TO DO WHAT OTHERS WON’T
Successful people do the things that unsuccessful people are unwilling to do.
—JOHN C. MAXWELL
It’s said that an aid group in South Africa once wrote to missionary and explorer David Livingstone asking, “Have you found a good road to where you are? If so, we want to know how to send other men to join you.”
Livingstone replied, “If you have men who will come only if they know there is a good road, I don’t want them. I want men who will come even if there is no road at all.” That’s what top leaders want from the people working for them: they want individuals who are willing to do what others won’t.
Few things gain the appreciation of a top leader more quickly than an employee with a whatever-it-takes attitude.
Few things gain the appreciation of a top leader more quickly than an employee with a whatever-it-takes attitude. That is what 360-Degree Leaders must have. They must be willing and able to think outside of their job description, to be willing to tackle the kinds of jobs that others are too proud or too frightened to take on. These things are what often elevate 360-Degree Leaders above their peers. And remember, being noticed is one of the first steps to influencing the person above you.
WHAT IT MEANS TO DO WHAT OTHERS WON’T
Perhaps you already possess a whatever-it-takes mind-set, and if a task is honest, ethical, and beneficial, you’re willing to take it on. If so, good for you! Now all you need is to know how to direct that attitude into action so that you’re doing the things that will make the greatest impact and create influence with others. Here are the top ten things I recommend you do to be a 360-Degree Leader who leads up:
1. 360-DEGREE LEADERS TAKE THE TOUGH JOBS
The ability to accomplish difficult tasks earns others’ respect very quickly. In Developing the Leader Within You, I point out that one of the quickest ways to gain leadership is problem solving.
Problems continually occur at work, at home, and in life in general. My observation is that people don’t like problems, weary of them quickly, and will do almost anything to get away from them. This climate makes others place the reins of leadership into your hands—if you are willing and able to either tackle their problems or train them to solve them. Your problem-solving skills will always be needed because people always have problems.1
You learn resiliency and tenacity during tough assignments, not easy ones. When tough choices have to be made and results are difficult to achieve, leaders are forged.
Not only does taking on tough jobs earn you respect, but it also helps you become a better leader. You learn resiliency and tenacity during tough assignments, not easy ones. When tough choices have to be made and results are difficult to achieve, leaders are forged.
2. 360-DEGREE LEADERS PAY THEIR DUES
Former U.S. senator Sam Nunn said, “You have to pay the price. You will find that everything in life exacts a price, and you will have to decide whether the price is worth the prize.” To become a 360-Degree Leader, you will have to pay a price. You will have to give up other opportunities in order to lead. You will have to sacrifice some personal goals for the sake of others. You will have to get out of your comfort zone and do things you’ve never done before. You will have to keep learning and growing when you don’t feel like it. You will have to repeatedly put others ahead of yourself. And if you desire to be a really good leader, you will have to do these things without fanfare or complaint. But remember, as NFL legend George Halas said, “Nobody who ever gave their best ever regretted it.”
3. 360-DEGREE LEADERS WORK IN OBSCURITY
I think very highly of the importance of leadership. I guess that’s obvious for a guy whose motto is “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” Occasionally someone will ask me about how ego fits into the leadership equation. They’ll want to know what keeps a leader from having a huge ego. I think the answer lies in each leader’s pathway to leadership. If people paid their dues and gave their best in obscurity, ego is usually not a problem.
One of my favorite examples of this occurred in the life of Moses in the Old Testament. Though born a Hebrew, he lived a life of privilege in the palace of Egypt until he was forty years old. But after killing an Egyptian, he was exiled to the desert for forty years. There God used him as a shepherd and father, and after four decades of faithful service in obscurity, Moses was called to leadership. Scripture says by that time he was the most humble man in the world. Bill Purvis, the senior pastor of a large church in Columbus, Georgia, said, “If you do what you can, with what you have, where you are, then God won’t leave you where you are, and He will increase what you have.”
English novelist and poet Emily Bronte said, “If I could I would always work in silence and obscurity, and let my efforts be known by their results.” Not everyone wants to be out of the spotlight as she did. But it’s important for a leader to learn to work in obscurity because it is a test of personal integrity. The key is being willing to do something because it matters, not because it will get you noticed.
4. 360-DEGREE LEADERS SUCCEED WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE
People working at the bottom of an organization usually have no choice concerning whom they work with. As a result, they often have to work with difficult people. In contrast, people at the top almost never have to work with difficult people because they get to choose who they work with. If someone they work with becomes difficult, they often let that person go or move him or her out.
For leaders in the middle, the road is different. They have some choice in the matter, but not complete control. They may not be able to get rid of difficult people, but they can often avoid working with them. But good leaders—ones who learn to lead up, across, and down—find a way to succeed with people who are hard to work with. Why do they do it? Because it benefits the organization. How do they do it? They work at finding common ground and connect with them. And instead of putting these difficult people in their place, they try to put themselves in their place.
You don’t have the right to put the organization on the line . . . If you are going to take a risk, you need to put yourself on the line.
5. 360-DEGREE LEADERS PUT THEMSELVES ON THE LINE
I mentioned previously that if you want to lead up, you must distinguish yourself from your colleagues. How do you do that, especially while paying your dues or working in obscurity? One way is to take a risk. You cannot play it safe and stand out at the same time.
Here’s the tricky thing about taking risks in the middle of the organization. You should never be casual about risking what’s not yours. I call that “betting with other people’s money.” You don’t have the right to put the organization on the line. Nor would it be right for you to create high risk for others in the organization. If you are going to take a risk, you need to put yourself on the line. Play it smart, but don’t play it safe.
6. 360-DEGREE LEADERS ADMIT FAULTS BUT NEVER MAKE EXCUSES
It’s easier to move from failure to success than from excuses to success. And you will have greater credibility with your leader if you admit your shortcomings and refrain from making excuses. I guarantee that. Of course, that doesn’t mean you don’t need to produce results. Baseball coach and tutor McDonald Valentine said, “The higher the level you play, the less they accept excuses.”
It’s easier to move from failure to success than from excuses to success.
The middle of the organization is a good place to discover your identity and work things out. You can discover your leadership strengths there. If you fall short in an area, you can work to overcome your mistakes. If you keep falling short in the same way, you may learn how to overcome an obstacle, or you may discover an area of weakness where you will need to collaborate with others. But no matter what, don’t make excuses. Steven Brown, president of the Fortune Group, summed up this issue: “Essentially there are two actions in life: Performance and excuses. Make a decision as to which you will accept from yourself.”
7. 360-DEGREE LEADERS DO MORE THAN EXPECTED
Expectations are high for people at the top. And, unfortunately, in many organizations the expectations for people at the bottom are low. But expectations are mixed in the middle. So if you do more than is expected of you, you stand out, and often there can be wonderful, serendipitous results.
When Chris Hodges, a senior pastor who is a donor and volunteer trainer with EQUIP, was working as a staff member at a large church in Baton Rouge, his boss, Larry Stockstill, had the opportunity to become the host of a live television show. Chris had no responsibilities related to the show, and was, in fact, rather low in the organization’s hierarchy. But he knew that the show was important to Larry, so Chris took it upon himself to go down to the studio to see the first taping. As it turned out, he was the only staff member to do so.
There was great excitement in the studio as the hour of the first broadcast approached. That excitement quickly turned to panic when the guest who was scheduled to appear on the show called in to say he was having a problem getting there. The guest wasn’t worried, because he thought they could just start the taping later. What he didn’t realize was that the show was scheduled to go on the air live!
In that moment, Larry looked around, saw Chris, and said, “You’re going to be my guest today.” The crew scrambled, put a microphone on Chris, slapped some makeup on his face, and sat him down in the chair next to Larry. Then to Chris’s great shock, when the lights turned on and the cameras started rolling, Larry introduced Chris as his cohost.
Chris ended up being on that show with Larry every week for two and a half years. The experience changed him forever. Not only did it build his relationship with his leader, but it also made him well-known in the community. More importantly, he learned to think on his feet and become a better communicator, skills that serve him well every day of his life. And it all happened because he decided to do more than was expected of him.
8. 360-DEGREE LEADERS ARE THE FIRST TO STEP UP AND HELP
In 25 Ways to Win with People, I point out that being the first to help others is a great way to make them feel like a million bucks. It lets them know you care. The kind of influence you gain from helping a peer is also gained with your leader when you step up and help others. Haven’t you found the following to be true?
• The first person to volunteer is a hero and is given the “10” treatment.
• The second person is considered a helper and viewed as only slightly above average.
• The third person, along with everyone after, is seen as a follower and is ignored.
It doesn’t matter whom you’re helping, whether it’s your boss, a peer, or someone working for you. When you help someone on the team, you help the whole team. And when you help the team, you’re helping your leaders. And that gives them reasons to notice and appreciate you.
9. 360-DEGREE LEADERS PERFORM TASKS THAT ARE “NOT THEIR JOB”
Few things are more frustrating for a leader than having someone refuse to do a task because it is “not his job.” (In moments like those, most of the top leaders I know are tempted to invite such people to be without a job altogether!) Good leaders don’t think in those terms. They understand the Law of the Big Picture from The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: “The goal is more important than the role.”
A 360-Degree Leader’s goal is to get the job done, to fulfill the vision of the organization and its leader. That often means doing whatever it takes. As a leader “moves up,” that more often takes the form of hiring someone to get it done, but leaders in the middle often don’t have that option. So instead, they jump in and get it done themselves.
10. 360-DEGREE LEADERS TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES
I recently saw a cartoon where a dad is reading a book to his little boy at bedtime. The title on the cover of the book says, The Story of Job, and the boy has only one question for his father: “Why didn’t he sue someone?”
Isn’t that the way a lot of people think these days? Their knee-jerk reaction to adversity is to blame someone else. That’s not the case with 360-Degree Leaders. They take hold of their responsibilities and follow through with them 100 percent.
Lack of responsibility can be a deal breaker when it comes to the people who work for me. When my employees don’t get the job done, certainly I become disappointed. But I’m willing to work with them to help them improve—if they are taking responsibility for themselves. I know they will work at getting better if they take ownership and have teachable spirits. We have no starting point for improvement, however, if they don’t get the job done and they fail to take responsibility. In such cases, it’s time to move on and find someone else to take their place.
J. C. Penney said, “Unless you are willing to drench yourself in your work beyond the capacity of the average man, you are just not cut out for positions at the top.” I’d say that you’re not cut out for leadership in the middle either! People who want to be effective are willing to do what others won’t. And because of that, their leaders are willing to resource them, promote them, and be influenced by them.
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