10 Discussions for Effective Leadership

As you read this book, you will discover the inner thoughts of three men who have consolidated their views on leadership actions that greatly influence the destiny of any organization or team. The lead writer is Raymond Perras, a peak performance coach in business and sports. His co-authors will bring two distinct real life perspectives throughout the book: Marcel Bellefeuille is a professional sports coach who will share the view from the sports angle; Bruno Lindia is a businessman who will look at leadership through the business lens. We have different backgrounds but a common bond in wanting to help those who are tasked with the role of “leader” to act responsibly and with accountability. Our aim is not to draft an all encompassing treatise. Instead, we want to share a floor level insight on the subject of leadership, the kind that creates an environment where people want to be, desire to work, and want to share experiences with fellow workers. Even though we had a much longer list to start, we have chosen to focus on ten aspects or elements of leadership action that, in our collective experience, often are forgotten and end up undermining efforts and reducing expected results where teams are involved. We are sharing with you ten ways to become more effective as a leader. You will read about leadership concepts and practical experiences which will help define the context for your daily routine, a context that often seems invisible in your workplace. When you get to About the Authors at the end of the book, you will read about the source of our thinking on leadership; the chapter summarizes each of our individual path to the leadership table. In this book, we have used the word “leader” to signify a person who has responsibility for a group or team in any organization. Remember that anyone can exercise leadership from any position in a hierarchy. The goal of this book is to share insights with would-be or existing leaders who have recognized the fragile equilibrium of their situation and are looking for some reference points from which they can operate with the conviction that their actions have the potential for a high degree of success for themselves and for their teams. Another benefit we offer is to provide enough insight for you to decrease your fear of being seen as weak if you do not have all the answers, or sometimes need help to survive. It is acceptable to feel overwhelmed. Many years ago, Max DePree, former CEO of Herman Miller, authored a book, Leadership Jazz. DePree pointed to a number of qualities to be an effective leader. The one that stuck with me was the ability to be vulnerable. As a leader, you don’t need or want to be a superhero. You want to be perceived as an approachable person, one that leans on his team for sustained support, a person who respects his team members for who they are. The reality is that we are all human beings struggling to create a good life for ourselves. Too often, we forget the little things, which usually turn out to be big things. Too often, we forget that people are the key to any successful endeavour. Too often, we forget that our teams are an ensemble of people, with diverse personalities and backgrounds, who are willing to compromise, collaborate and cooperate to produce synergy. Remembering those facts is the key to exceed expectations and release the human potential that is ready to perform to a high level of excellence. Success in an organization depends almost totally on a coming together of the minds. Sometimes, the leader gets overwhelmed by the context and commits the fatal mistake of perceiving people as machines, of forgetting that respect is a cornerstone enabler of performance. Absence of respect leads to reduced self-esteem, and self-esteem is the internal key to motivation and drive. In such an environment, people soon feel like they don’t count. Their ideas are not well-received or are outright relegated to the shelf for the sake of expediency. With time, a deep down feeling develops. People have a sense that it does not matter how much one tries, management will never be satisfied. This feeling of not being part of the team or group is very real and is one of the most insidious issues of our time. Because everything is happening so fast, and technology has advanced by leaps and bounds, we have somewhat fallen behind in adapting to the speed of change. As long as our organizations treat people as human beings, the gap is bearable. But when overwhelmed by the demands of the organizational structures and policies, leaders will, at times, forget that they are dealing with human beings. Another key concept in this book is the application of peak performance as a routine process to produce results. Peak performance is no mystery. It is the result of attention to the little things that make a big difference. Too often, people take a cursory look at little things and do not pay attention, assuming that we are all adults who can adjust, cope, and make the best of the situation. In fact, when I wrote AïM for Life Mastery, my goal was to provide a simple approach to creating peak performance. I offered the following definition: the right stuff, in the right amount, at the right time(TM). It is not the pedal to the metal. Rather, it is an awareness of what we carry as experience, knowledge and abilities used in the right measure at the most appropriate time. The end result is increased effectiveness with less effort or stress. It is to a great extent the ability to take care of the little things on a routine basis. In the end, we are writing this book in the hope that we will help leaders create a good work environment for their teams. Leaders who read these pages and practice these leadership actions will likely integrate a new understanding. They will become more aware of how they can increase their ability to become truly effective leaders who routinely exceed their expectations. Thank you for picking up the challenge and reading through our work. We hope it becomes a timely tool on your path to productive and effective leadership.