Real Leaders Don't Boss (2 page)

The first guy through a wall always gets bloody...
—Prophetic words spoken to me by
my company commander,
boot camp, Recruit Training Command,
Naval Training Center,
Great Lakes, Illinois,
a very cold December 1968

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter 1
The Meaning of Real Leadership

Chapter 2
Real Leaders Don't Boss

Chapter 3
Real Leaders Communicate

Chapter 4
Real Leaders Have a Unique Make-Up

Chapter 5
Real Leaders Value and Support Those They Lead

Chapter 6
Real Leaders Know When to Shut Up and Get Out of the Way

Chapter 7
Real Leaders Know the Difference Between Character and Integrity

Chapter 8
Get Ready to Lead

Notes

Bibliography

Helpful Websites and Blogs

Index

About the Author

I've read many leadership books and must say that
Real Leaders Don't Boss
was a refreshing and recommendable read that offers inspiring insights on being a leader at any level.

Ritch Eich draws on his vast and diverse experiences in agriculture, the military, higher education, healthcare, business, and consulting to thoughtfully and skillfully provide readers with no-nonsense, practical “takeaways” that can be applied in any organization (no matter what size) and used by any professional (no matter what role).

This is not just a book for the business or medical student or the corporate leader. There are valuable lessons for anyone in the workplace who wants to better understand what his or her contribution means and how to achieve great results.

Real Leaders Don't Boss
is easy to read, as well as a book you will want to keep handy so you can refer to it time and again.

It has been my good fortune to know Ritch for several years, beginning when we worked together at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis and now as we both have roles with the University of Michigan. I continue to be greatly impressed by him and especially by his extraordinary ability to develop young leaders.

As a board member of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan, Ritch serves more than 525,000 living alumni around the world. He understands that leadership is not some sort of mathematical formula, but rather an art that can be learned experientially.

No matter what stage you are in your career, this book will help you get to the next level. If you want to be a better leader yourself, or if you want to help others develop their leadership skills, read and share this book.

—Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, MD, executive vice president for Medical Affairs University of Michigan, and CEO, University of Michigan Health System

Leadership is not a gimmick. It does not come from weekend seminars or strictly from guidebooks. A “Stalin-esque” approach to bossing employees and peers won't net solid results either, at work or in life. Real and effective leaders today—whether they lead from the C-suite (a term commonly used to refer to a company's senior executives), the assembly line, the PTO, or in personal relationships—quietly and consistently rely instead on the Eight Essentials of Effective Leadership, which will be discussed in this book.

True leaders know how to make ethical judgments in the face of real-world challenges. They recognize what it takes to win loyalty and respect, to motivate through passion, to develop positive relationships, to enhance open communication, and to nurture leadership skills in others. They also understand that the world does not revolve around them. As a result, they experience personal satisfaction in whatever they do. Those who know and understand the top tenets of personal and professional leadership consistently come out ahead, while enhancing productivity, profitability, and the bottom line—no matter the circumstances or economic climate.

Layoffs aside, job satisfaction today is at its lowest level in two decades. CEOs are worried about developing new leaders for the future. Middle managers complain of a lack of leadership
from above. Motivation and direction appear to have become victims of the economic recession. All of these conditions, however, indicate a much greater problem: an overall lack of real leadership in the workplace and beyond.

Real Leaders Don't Boss
is a simple-to-understand, practical resource that helps build leaders in the workplace and in life. This book can help almost anyone grasp what it takes to inspire and lead. With the help of real-life stories and advice from a spectrum of pace-setters, this book will demonstrate how real leaders, with the right direction and guidance, build and empower teams, then quietly stand back and—no matter the economic conditions—observe as others achieve success, which in turn creates the leader's own success.

Put away the textbook definitions with lists of leadership “styles,” be they transactional, trans-motivational, or charismatic.
Real Leaders Don't Boss
will show readers aspiring to leadership greatness how to inspire others, how to teach and mentor them, and how to help them achieve their professional and personal goals—while achieving the organization's goals as well.

As a student of real leadership for the past four decades, I believe I know firsthand what it takes to be a real leader. I have studied the philosophies and fundamentals of true leaders across a wide range of businesses and industries, as well as in the public sector. I have been a C-suite executive, military communications specialist (which included a stint in the Office of the Chairman, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff), university professor, hospital executive, administrator, consultant, writer, columnist, and entrepreneur. Along the way, I have crossed paths with or worked for a “who's who” of world-class leaders in both the public and private sectors, including Howard S. Holmes and his son Howdy (of the Jiffy Mix company), Charles Walgreen Jr. (of Walgreen's drugstores), Tom Monaghan (founder of
Domino's Pizza), Navy RADM William Thompson (founding president of the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C.), U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, and others. My leadership philosophy has grown and developed into a unique mix of personal perception, vision, historical perspective, diverse workplace experience, and military discipline.

My leadership has been recognized by the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Navy and Army, and many nonprofit and business groups. I have served on five Congressional leadership committees for U.S. Senators and members of the House of Representatives. I have also been privileged to serve on several founding boards of directors and trustees, as well as a number of longstanding boards. Board service enables you to help an organization by utilizing your leadership skills.

Today, I am the California-based founder and president of Eich Associated, a strategic leadership, branding, marketing, communications, and management coaching firm, as well as an adjunct professor at California Lutheran University, a frequent speaker and blogger on leadership and marketing, and a contributor to various business and professional publications.

My academic background includes a doctoral degree in organizational behavior and communication from the University of Michigan, a master's degree in personnel administration from Michigan State University, and a baccalaureate degree in communication from Sacramento State College. I'm also a graduate of Leadership San Francisco and the Stanley K. Lacy's Opportunity Indianapolis leadership program.

In the following pages, I will share the thoughts, observations, and experiences that have helped me recognize what makes a great leader. It's a mold that's built partly on history, partly on experience, and with a big dose of reality. Thus,
Real Leaders Don't Boss
is not another book of quick tips and quips to get employees to do what they are told, a rehash of overused
corporate-speak, or essays of worn-out textbook thoughts and ideas from leadership teachers or coaches with little in-the-trenches experience. Instead, this is designed to be an insightful book that delves into the usually overlooked philosophy and fundamentals behind true leadership and how to apply them in life.

In the following pages, I will examine what it takes and how to achieve real leadership. I will draw on my experiences with organizations including the Harter Packing Company, the California Department of Agriculture, the Boy Scouts, Steelcase, Inc., the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, the University of Michigan, Indiana University Medical Center, Blue Shield of California, and Stanford University Medical Center. I will also help answer the central question, which is not “Where will we find the world's future leaders?” but “How can we develop many more leaders who can chart a long-term course, tackle urgent problems, and teach as they go?”

Joining the U.S. military before I graduated from college was pivotal in helping me learn about the right and wrong ways of leadership. Each of my experiences in the Navy—especially those that involved working with U.S. Marines every day for nearly two years—was a growth opportunity that allowed me to sharpen my leadership skills by observing and interacting with superb leaders. I learned to differentiate between what makes an effective, admirable leader and what does not. Real leadership is definitely not just talking the talk.

In the corporate sector, I have been fortunate to cross paths with many of the best leaders in the world and to observe them in action, especially how they inspire others to greatness—and how the pseudo-leaders don't. My experiences in academia have hopefully helped me hone my mentoring skills so that I can contribute to the discussion about creating a new culture of leaders.

So get ready to improve your work, your life, and the lives of those around you as you learn to understand and embrace the concepts that foster real and true leadership. I welcome your comments at
www.eichassociated.com/contactus.aspx?page=5
.

 Chapter 1 
The Meaning of Real Leadership

I used to think that running an organization was equivalent to conducting a symphony orchestra. But I don't think that's quite it; it's more like jazz. There's more improvisation.

—Warren Bennis, author of
On Becoming a Leader

Real leaders are rare in today's fast-moving, financially driven world. In their place are fast-track wannabes and imposters, intent on instant gratification in the form of quick (and unsustainable) bottom-line results. These pseudo-leaders flaunt rigid controls instead of passionate leadership. They seek to drive employees through dominance rather than devotion, and opt for personal glory over the success and interests of others. In part, today's struggling corporate performance, as well as the trend toward dissatisfaction in the workplace, reflect these shortcomings in leadership.

Today's realities, especially with the rocky economic environment and the growing numbers of Millennials (also known as Generation Y, those workers born somewhere between 1980 and 2000) joining the workforce, calls for leadership done right. It demands real leaders who can, and do, make profound
differences in the lives of those with whom they interact, who help others achieve greatness in the workplace and in life, and who boost professional and personal bottom lines in the process.

Even strong companies must learn to become more adept at handling marketplace turbulence faster and more skillfully, or their leaders will risk losing their edge, and the company its strength, over the competition. Real leaders recognize that they must maintain the success that has already been accomplished, and the culture, integrity, and brand that defines it. Only then can they continue to institute change successfully and propel a company forward.

The leadership gap today is painfully evident. Workers are dissatisfied with their jobs. Middle managers complain of a lack of top-level leadership—one that provides motivation, fosters dedication, promotes recognition, and offers long-term direction. Even corporate leaders recognize the disconnect and its threat to future economic recovery and growth. After all, leaders are needed not only to weather an economic storm, but afterward, to grow and improve battered companies for the future.