Real Leaders Don't Boss (34 page)

Unlike Tomlinson-Keasey, many of today's CEOs, campus presidents, and corporate leaders shy away from the big issues and challenges. They fail to take on the controversial topics or take a stand on issues outside their organization or business. They fall short on their convictions and, in the process, they fall short as leaders. In many cases, fear of reprisal—either from the boardroom, peers, or their communities—prevents people in authority from acting boldly as real leaders. In other cases, a lack of courage undermines the will of a would-be leader.

Jackie Robinson, my first hero, did not suffer from a lack of courage and conviction. The first African-American to play Major League Baseball in the 20th century, Robinson knew no bounds when it came to leadership. He was one who led by his feats, not his mouth. He did not merely carry the torch against discrimination—he lit it.

Robinson stood tall with poise, courage, and determination while breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball. He was constantly confronted with death threats. Opposing teams also threatened to strike because they did not want to play against his team, the Brooklyn Dodgers, who broke convention by allowing in a member who was African American. Robinson was spit on by players, and endured racial epithets from fans and players alike. His conviction—that of a real leader—was truly remarkable. It didn't take long for him to win the league over: that same year, Robinson was awarded Rookie of the Year, and just two years later he was voted baseball's Most Valuable Player. As Roger Kahn wrote in
The Boys of Summer
, Jackie Robinson “bore the burden of a pioneer and the weight made him stronger.”
⁶

But even Robinson did not do it alone. Harold “Pee Wee” Reese, the Dodgers' shortstop, team captain, and another of my early heroes, stood shoulder to shoulder with Robinson when
the going got tough. Together he and Robinson were a project team with plenty of pennant success to their credit. During one especially raucous game in 1947, Reese (whose southern roots were in Louisville, Kentucky) put his arm around Robinson in front of the crowd to show the world his acceptance and support for his rookie teammate.

Robinson's character was of such impressive quality that he was posthumously awarded both the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal—not too shabby for a guy who played baseball for a living!

Real leaders like Jackie Robinson have a lasting impact inside their organizations and often on the public stage outside their institutions. That is a measure of their success. Those impacts come from the creation of an ongoing culture of real leaders, as a result of their actions, and in changes—large or small—that live well past their tenure with an organization.

Trust is what makes a team work. A combination of integrity and character, trust is essential to organizational success. Without the forward momentum that comes with trust, progress grinds quickly to a halt.

History may judge 2008 and 2009 (2010 and 2011 may qualify, too) as “The Scandal Years”—the period of time that shattered the capitalistic bubble, and left the rest of the leadership world with the daunting challenge of how to rebuild trust in capitalism and business. What could have so thoroughly influenced the American corporation's fall from grace? A series of boss-like actions committed by leaders are in large part to blame. They include:

John Thain, former CEO of Merrill Lynch who resigned in 2009, spent more than $1 million
renovating his personal office while the company hemorrhaged.

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned under threat of impeachment in 2008 after first denying, and then admitting, that he patronized a high-priced prostitution ring.

American International Group (AIG), after receiving an $85 billion bailout from the U.S. government in 2008—only the first installment of a cash infusion of more than $180 billion—sent its top sales performers to a lavish resort weekend. Days later, it came out that the Federal Reserve provided this company with an additional $37 billion. As of the end of May 2011, the company was still struggling.

Presidential hopeful and former U.S. Sen. John Edwards denied, then later admitted to, an extramarital affair while his wife was battling breast cancer. He later blamed his hubris for his indiscretion and described his attitude as a “self-focus, an egotism, a narcissism that leads you to believe that you can do whatever you want...and there will be no consequences.”
⁷
His wife legally separated from him in 2008, and two years later died of cancer.

In 2009, Bernard Madoff, a once-prominent broker, pleaded guilty to masterminding a more-than-$60-billion Ponzi scheme—the largest in history—that defrauded thousands of investors. He is now serving out his 150-year prison sentence.

And, unfortunately, the list goes on and on.

The biggest losers in the wake of all these scandals are the workers and participants, whose trust in the leadership of America has been shattered. The current recession, along with
its accompanying massive unemployment, has exacerbated this loss of trust. In order for an economic recovery to truly take hold, real leaders must restore trust, or at least a portion of it.

When trust pervades a workplace, it fosters higher performance, reduces operational costs, eliminates needless litigation, and retains the most productive workers. A workplace filled with trust also perpetuates the most desirable aspects of a company's culture, nurtures an
esprit de corps,
and sustains financial success, especially in times of unprecedented, complex change. All of these building blocks for a successful organization are sorely lacking in much of today's workforce.

Real leaders must face up to this lack of trust, and make a commitment to rebuilding and reconstruction. A commitment to perhaps try one thing new each week, or even daily, can go a long way toward making a difference. The real leaders' prescription to restore employee trust includes:

Hiring CEOs on the basis of their moral fiber in addition to the regular prerequisites that executive search firms and boards of directors jointly identify. Companies must scrutinize potential candidates with the same conviction and high standards as is required for White House Cabinet officers and justices of the Supreme Court, and ensure that the organization's board of directors more closely monitors and objectively evaluates the CEO's behavior, as well as his or her performance on the job and off.

Practicing President Ronald Reagan's signature phrase from the Russian proverb “trust, but verify.” We have all seen too many examples where boards abdicated their governance roles and, as such, their roles as corporate “watchdogs.” The board practice
of basing CEO compensation on “benchmarking” other CEOs' salaries and benefits rather than on their company's performance is also much too prevalent today.

Realigning compensation programs so that the wide gulf that now exists between executives and rank-and-file workers is narrowed. Companies must insist that CEOs demonstrate transparency and function as authentic leaders who genuinely value their employees as partners. CEOs can accomplish this goal by consistent actions that through time demonstrate their commitment to their employees.