Written and Published by Orlando J. Olmo Leadership Basics “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out” … Robert Collier Learn to navigate leadership’s challenges and prosper!
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Written and Published by Orlando J. Olmo
Leadership Basics
“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out” … Robert Collier
Learn to navigate leadership’s challenges and prosper!
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Copyright © 2015 by Peach Juice Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, taping, scanning, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher and/or author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. This is a work of non-fiction. This publication is designed to provide accurate information on the subject matter covered. The information is not intended to replace any legal counsel or other professional directives. If professional services or advice or other assistance is required, the services of a professional should be sought. Every effort has been made to validate the quotes contained herein. Any misquote or misattribution is unintentional. Cover design: O. J. Olmo
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Dedication
First I want to thank and acknowledge The Lord for every talent He bestowed upon me as well as for the leadership experiences in my life, which facilitated my personal and professional growth. Thank you, Lord, I trust in You.
To my beloved wife Beth K. Olmo, whose encouragement and unwavering support fueled and focused my energy to take this leap. You are an amazing wife, friend, counsel, teammate, and marketer; I love you, Princess!
To my Mom, Miriam, and Grandparents, Jose & Provi Mendez: they set the foundation for and nourished leadership traits within me, even before I knew what leadership meant. I hope that when my journey is done, my achievements fill you with pride.
To my Dad, Orlando, who suggested I write about my experiences in the Navy to show how history is made by a brave few.
To my children, Orlando, Maria, Laura, & Veronica: my greatest leadership challenge and also my greatest pleasure have been to be a good role model for you. Being your father helped me become a better man and leader.
To U.S. Service members and Veterans who gallantly serve our country with honor, courage and commitment, you exemplify the leadership others hope to acquire from books. It was my privilege to serve with and learn from you on my journey to become a leader of Sailors, Marines and Soldiers.
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Table of Contents
Foreword 5
Leadership vs. Management 6
Know Yourself 10
Know Your Art 12
Take Care of Your People 14
Encouragement 17
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Foreword
I was simultaneously honored and worried when Orlando asked me to write the foreword for this book. I wondered, “Who am I, to contribute anything on this topic or his leadership abilities?” But then I realized: I may not be a leadership expert, but I certainly know a good leader when I see one. And, like most people in the workforce, I know a poor leader when I see one.
Regardless of where you are in any organizational structure, this book will be beneficial to you. Leaders, managers, and supervisors: this is a great refresher on what’s important and why. Subordinates and everyone aspiring to leadership positions: here’s your foundation. Take the information and encouragement in this book, really take it in, and begin your growth into an effective, successful leader.
Beth Olmo, M.S.
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Leadership vs. Management
Libraries and the Internet are filled volumes upon volumes of written
material about leadership and management. Numerous apologists have
drawn comparisons and distilled distinctions to catalog styles, traits, skills
and methods. Although well intentioned and highly educated, some authors
seem so preoccupied with creating well-‐defined categories or describe a
breakthrough methodology that they miss that our dynamic and innovative
world does not always fit neatly on a box. This is especially the case for a
discipline that is as much an Art as it is a Science.
“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more,
do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader”… Dolly Parton
My intention in writing this eBook is to enhance your understanding of
leadership, as well as the stark difference between a leader and a manager, by
sharing my personal and professional experiences with you. Additionally, let
me make two very important points up front: First, this eBook is meant to be a
basic course to get you started on the path to become the best leader you can
be. Second, although the focus is placed on leadership lessons and wisdom, the
idea is not to dismiss the importance of developing your managerial skills.
One cannot become a great leader without also being a good manager.
“Management is about arranging and telling. Leadership is about nurturing
and enhancing” … Tom Peters
Many people use the terms “leadership” and “management” as if they
had the same meaning. Yet, they are very different in focus and methodology.
You may hear people that disagree with this notion and eloquently present a
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good example to support their position. Therefore, I will make my point as
clearly and impartially as I can. Whenever we study events in human history,
whether we look at government, the military, industry, science, or technology,
the people who gain our admiration are those we identify as great leaders.
Chances are they managed some aspects of whatever mitigating
circumstances they were facing; however, it is for their leadership abilities
that they are remembered.
To further your understanding of the differences between leadership and
management, I have included a comparison of some of those differences.
Leader (Art) Manager (Science) No Position of Authority Necessary Holds Assigned Position of Authority Communicates a Vision Assigns Tasks Influences Behavior Direct & Controls Behavior Inspires & Motivates Demands Results Gives Credit Seeks Credit Develops People Uses People to Accomplish Tasks Relies on Goodwill Relies on Authority Corrects Mistakes Assigns Blame Creates more Leaders Creates Followers
The point of this comparison is not to diminish the importance of managerial
proficiency but rather to highlight that developing your leadership aptitude
will enable you build trust relationships with your team. This proved crucial
to my success because once perceived as a trusted leader, my teams
understood why I needed them performing at high levels of efficiency and
productivity day after day. The true value of that synergy is that projects are
completed on time and on budget, and key stakeholders are delighted with the
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results of your effort. It fosters the win-‐win scenario that many speak of but
too few actually deliver.
Many years ago I acquired an inspirational poster with this quote:
“Leadership: some assume a leadership role, while others have leadership
thrust upon them”. This statement makes three points of significant
importance for every student of leadership:
1) Holding a leadership position does not make you a leader; it simply gives
you authority over human resources and responsibility to complete a job.
2) Some in leadership positions are not ready to be leaders; they are likely
promoted to these positions due to their business acumen, technical skills or
managerial skills.
3) You must be as ready to lead whether you are in charge or in a support
role; therefore, you must learn to manage resources, master your chosen
trade, and more importantly, be groomed to lead.
“You don’t have to hold a position in order to be a leader” … Henry Ford
One definite advantage of my assuming leadership roles while in high
school, where I served as class VP for grades 10-‐12 and as youth group leader,
was that these experiences afforded me access to great mentors at home, in
school, the community and in church. It is very likely that these opportunities
are now behind you, but do not be discouraged. There is a great need for
volunteers in every community, church, college, civic, and social organization.
If you are employed, you can find opportunities to contribute beyond your
assigned duties and develop your leadership abilities right where you are.
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“The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak;
be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be
proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly” … Jim Rohn
Mentors are immensely important for grooming a leader because they
can offer their insights adapted to your specific needs, whereas a book may
not afford you such flexibility or timeliness. A mentor is someone who is
recognized as a good role model (as a leader) and is not your direct supervisor
or manager. This will allow him/her to facilitate your growth as a leader
without appearing to favor you over others in your peer group. Additionally, a
mentor should have a vested interest in your success, which means they are
committed to your development as a leader.
Finding a leadership mentor can be as challenging as learning to lead.
There are several reason for this: 1) the mentor may not have time for one
more protégé; 2) the mentor and the protégé may not relate with one another;
3) the protégé may lack commitment or attitude; and 4) their schedules may
not allow sufficient contact to provide nurturing, grooming and counseling.
For your part, you must be committed to study, ask questions and
practice what you learn whenever possible. You may have heard it said:
“Practice makes perfect.” I did too, but then one of my mentors told me the
following: “Only perfect practice makes perfect!
“Great leaders don’t just tell you what to do, they also guide you through”…
Kaity Gardner
I am convinced one can become a great leader by doing well in these
three basic areas, which I call the three pillars of leadership: 1) Know yourself;
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2) Know your art; and 3) Take care of your people. Although some people may
categorize this list as very short, it has proven to be a very successful tool for
me. I know this can serve as a great foundation for you as you embark in your
personal quest to become a great leader.
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Know Yourself
Whether you are beginning to learn about leadership or you are well
read on the subject, knowing yourself is a powerful equalizer and will
determine how soon you reach your full potential. I truly believe everyone has
been given something special and unique to share with the rest of us. The
challenge is that, until we know ourselves, it can be difficult to know what that
‘something’ is, much less share it with everyone. We have to know where we
are starting from; therefore self-‐awareness is the first pillar in the quest to
become a leader.
“Make it thy business to know thyself, which is the most difficult lesson in the
world” … Miguel de Cervantes
Truly and fully knowing yourself is a lifelong process. Many well read
and educated individuals will prescribe a foolproof formula to achieve this,
but the truth is that the process of discovering who you truly are does not
happen overnight or over a holiday break. There are some business tools
available that may serve as a good starting point to assist you in your journey
of self-‐discovery: Myers-‐Briggs and Kolbe. These tools will help you learn
about yourself – your strengths and preferences – but remember: you are a
unique individual, so they cannot tell you who you really are or what is
possible for you to achieve.
“If we all did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves” …
Thomas Edison
There is a widely accepted belief that our human condition is composed
of three distinct but interconnected dimensions: body, mind and soul. If you
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also share this belief, then it would be logical for you to accept that in order to
discover who you are you must grow, nourish and develop in every one of
these dimensions. It takes discernment and introspection to accomplish this
task, therefore having a good mentor guiding you through the process is very
valuable.
“Don’t lose your passion or the fighter that’s inside of you” … P!nk
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Know Your Art
By Art, I mean whatever it is you chose to do for a living. This is the
second pillar, which requires that we become consummate professionals and
masters of our trade. Although it is true that one does not need to know
everything, having master-‐level knowledge will help you identify strengths
and weakness in yourself and your staff, and opportunities and threats in your
industry, your organization and your competitors.
“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other” …President John F.
Kennedy (from the speech he intended to make in Dallas, TX on Nov. 22, 1963)
If you desire to be a great leader you must understand that learning is a
life long process. Serving in the military gives you a clear sense of this
dynamism, in particular the Navy’s training process. We summarized it by
saying, “See one – Do one – Teach one”. This simple process proved invaluable
to mastery of the many challenging tasks involved in military operational
specialties. I also recently discovered a study published in the Journal of
Memory & Cognition, titled: “How to Learn Anything Better by Tweaking Your
Mindset.” The study concluded that when learners are told they are expected
to teach the subject matter to others, they retain the material better and have
greater recall accuracy. I do not mean to suggest this is the only way to master
a subject, but rather I want to share a method that has worked for me and
countless others who became great leaders.
“A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position” …
John Maxwell
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It is important to note that many great leaders did not finish a formal
education, so when I emphasize learning I am not necessarily talking about
formal education. Many of the greatest and wealthiest leaders dropped out of
high school. However, they understood the inherent value of developing their
intellect and found alternative ways to learn a trade or skills, which allowed
them to master their “art”. This is a very important concept to understand as
you develop your leadership abilities; rather than just collecting certifications,
your focus should also be on acquiring the valuable knowledge that directly
relates to your professional career. More specifically, credibility and
reputation are the two things that allow you to become a positive influence in
the lives of others. The challenge for aspiring leaders is that neither credibility
nor a professional reputation is built overnight. Consider any discipline that
interests you and research what is required to be a master craftsman in that
discipline. You will likely find that to gain mastery, you will require
experiential knowledge, education and training, or both. The salient point
being that to be able to lead and influence others you must earn credibility
and build your professional reputation, and both require you to take action.
“Not the cry, but the flight of a wild duck, leads the flock to fly and follow” …
Chinese Proverb
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Take Care of Your People
There are four things you must do as a leader to fulfill the third pillar of
leadership. Ensure a healthy and safe work environment, treat everyone with
respect, ensure employees have the training and tools they need to do their
jobs and develop others to become leaders.
Perhaps you are wondering how can you ensure a healthy and safe
work environment if you are only an employee. This is not the daunting task it
appears to be, because every employer in the U.S. is required to provide this.
Therefore, ensuring that you and your colleagues work in a safe and healthy
environment may be as simple as identifying hazards, dangers, sexual
harassment, bullying or anything that will be disruptive to the team, and then
communicating the situation to your supervisor, union representative, safety
officer, or H.R. If you hesitate to report such situations for fear that you may
stand alone, then I have two comments for you: 1) Get used to it, because
leaders often stand alone; 2) If you are not part of the solution, then you are
part of the problem.
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his
aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves” … Lao Tzu
Everyone in the organization has an important role and contributes in a
particular way to create value. From the CEO to the employee building
widgets, every person is needed to reach the organization’s goals. A leader
must show respect for each and every person and treat him or her like equals
rather than servants or subjects, especially if one is in a management position.
Treating people with respect is the first step in earning their trust and that is a
key element in getting them to follow you in the most challenging of times. To
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a leader, people truly are the most valuable asset because it is through them
that he/she accomplishes the tasks he/she is unable to do by him/herself.
Ensuring people are properly trained and equipped to do the tasks you
require of them should make sense by this point. Nevertheless, just in case it is
not that obvious, I will elaborate. Organizations usually have a preferred way
to go about completing tasks. For instance the U.S. Army is known for
introducing new Soldiers to their methods by saying: “There are three ways to
do things, the wrong way, the right way and the Army way. We are going to do
things the Army way!” In the U.S. Navy, we have a more succinct message:
“There are two ways of doing things: the right way, and again!” Teach your
people to do things correctly the first time, and make sure they have all the
tools they require to perform their duties safely and efficiently.
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest
things; he is the one who gets the people to do the greatest things” …
President Ronald Reagan
One of the most gratifying experiences I have had is developing and
grooming new leaders. Fortunately, my experiences in the Navy gave me
plenty of practice, because our philosophy of learning (See one, Do one, Teach
one) fits in perfectly with the idea of grooming the next generation of leaders.
I have also enjoyed developing and grooming business and civic leaders. In
every instance, it feels as though I learned as much from them as they learned
from me. I believe this stems from two factors. First, as I share my personal
experiences and insights, questions often arise that serve to nurture them and
refresh me. Second, since every person and individual scenario is different, in
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the process of guiding them I get to broaden my knowledge base and update
myself.
“The growth and development of people is the highest calling of a leader” … John
Maxwell
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Encouragement
Developing your leadership ability is more of a journey than a
destination. It is a journey where every challenge should be seen as an
opportunity to learn new ideas, expand your knowledge base, and earn
greater trust from your superiors, colleagues and subordinates. Likewise,
every person in a leadership position over you represents an opportunity for
you to learn something: from good leaders you can learn what to do and how,
and from bad leaders you can learn what not to do and why.
Finally, you will surely experience failures along the way during your
life and career. And it can actually be beneficial for you to experience failure
from time to time, because how you respond to failure will help you discover
who you are. Further, what better to prove whether you can be a great leader,
than by overcoming great odds or challenges? One of my best mentors, V. W.
Musashe, told me, “Never be afraid of failing. Be afraid of repeating mistakes,
because that shows you did not learn from the previous experience.” So
whenever you find yourself in one of those situations, remember this quote:
“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out” … Robert
Collier