In the Beginning…Ask Questions

A friend and colleague, Mike S, recently wrote to me, “I enjoy reading your thoughts on leadership and know you have dealt in the past with how a leader sets an example, acts and lives, but I was wondering if you have considered the topic I will call ‘how a leader starts’. This topic intrigues me because I am about to start something new and the timing is appropriate.”

I am starting a new role as well so this is a great moment to explore the subject of ‘In the Beginning’. In a series of posts I will outline some of my thoughts as I start this new role. The last blog was about “listen” this one is about “ask questions”.

Before you can listen, you sometimes have to ask questions. There are all sorts of techniques to asking questions:

• Open and closed ended questions
• Using a funnel
• Probing questions
• Leading the witness
• Rhetorical questions

While these are useful, they are merely the manner in which you try to elicit input from an individual or group. No matter what technique you use, your posture becomes the most important attribute when you “ask questions”

I want to be clear about the use of the term posture. I do not mean the position of your limbs or the carriage of your body as a whole. In this context I am talking about the definition whereby posture is a mental or spiritual attitude. Your internal attitude as you ask question, no matter what technique you use, will have profound impact on the way the organization operates.

It is human nature to be fault finders. In our natural state we run around, seek out imperfections and crush them. Think about almost every strategy or planning meeting you have been in. It usually has this question somewhere in it, “All right folks, let’s figure out what is broken and let’s go fix it!” I am at the front of the parade, completely guilty of this approach. Of course, this is sometimes necessary in every business or endeavor, so I am not advocating that we never look at what is going wrong and put plans in place to recover, fix, turn around or eliminate the brokenness of an organization.

That said, we have to be careful that we do not fall in a trap where all of our questioning comes from a posture of, “what’s wrong?” Why not? There is an important principal at work here; human systems grow in the direction of what they persistently ask questions about. If I continue to ask questions from a “what’s wrong” posture, the organization will focus its time, energy and ultimately its attitude around broken things. It will grow towards what is wrong. We need to invert this outcome, instead of negation, criticism, and spiraling diagnosis, we must send our organization in the direction of discovery, dream, and design.

How do we do this? How can we send our organization in the direction of what works? There is a fairly significant body of work around the field of Appreciative Inquiry. Appreciative Inquiry joins two powerful words.

Ap-pre’ci-ate, v. valuing; the act of recognizing the best in people or the world around us; affirming past and present strengths, successes, and potentials; to perceive those things that give life (health, vitality, excellence) to living systems

In-quire’, v., 1. the act of exploration and discovery. 2. To ask questions; to be open to seeing new potentials and possibilities.

How does appreciative inquiry manifest itself as you ‘ask questions’? Think of these two questions; “We are trying to grow this business, what is wrong? What is broken? Why can we not seem to grow the business?” Or; “We are trying to grow this business; can you tell me some examples of where growth has worked? How do we replicate those examples?”

You can picture the difference in my posture as I ask those two questions. You can almost sense the difference in the room during these two very different conversations. This mode of questioning repeated time and again at all levels throughout the organization can have a profound impact on the attitude, energy, initiative and success within a company. In fact, David L. Cooperrider and Diana Whitney assert in some of their writing on Appreciative Inquiry, “The single most prolific thing a group can do if its aims are to liberate the human spirit and consciously construct a better future is to make positive change the common and explicit property of all.”

In the beginning…ask questions. But check your posture. Beyond your questioning techniques, what is the core of what you are trying to find out? Are you trying to discover all that is broken or examples of where success is occurring?

Winston Churchill said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” We have to ‘ask questions’ in such a manner that we give our folks the chance to see the opportunity in the difficulty.

Joshua's lessons on leadership - Joshua's Last Lesson

For those of you that follow this blog, I apologize for the length of time between posts. I generally update this blog every week or so and it has been four weeks since my last update. The last month has been a blur of travel that ended up with me accepting a role at a new company. I now plan to get back on my regular blog schedule. As always, I’d love any input on topics.

If you have been following the blog you know that I’ve been writing about leadership lessons from Joshua ben Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, which would become known as the most militaristic of the tribes of Israel through Joshua's campaigns. If this is the first post in the series you have read, please do a quick review of the March 30, 2009 blog titled “Joshua's lessons on leadership - Intro”; that post highlights why I am looking into Joshua’s life.

In the last entry, Joshua reminded us that “Leaders Protect the Truth”. In this post, I close out my thoughts on Joshua with “Joshua’s Last Lesson”.

The stage for this last lesson is Joshua’s farewell address. Joshua lead the Jewish people for 28 years and brought an area of land bounded by the Egyptian empire to the south and the Mesopotamia to the north under one rule through 14 years of conquest and settlement. This was no easy task since no one power ruled this section of land; it was inhabited by seven Canaanite tribes in 31 fortified city-states scattered all over the map, each ruled by its own "king." Here is what we know, "when the country was at rest from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then old and well advanced in years, summoned all Israel, their elders, leaders, judges and officials". Joshua summoned them for his farewell speech. I imagine that people sat on the edge of their seat to listen. They were all there to hear the last words of the man who lead them to their permanent home.

Have you ever noticed we pay more attention to someone’s farewell speech than most anything else they say? I had a coach who once told me, “Alex, it is not about how you enter a role that matters; it is about how you leave it”. Think about some of the famous farewell comments through history:

• Napoleon – “Do not regret my fate; if I have consented to survive, it is to serve your glory”
• Edward VIII – “I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility without the help and support of the woman I love”
• Lou Gehrig – “I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth”
• LBJ – “I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as President”
• Douglas MacArthur - “I came through, and I shall return”
• George Washington – “Observe good faith and justice towards all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all”

When it comes time to give a farewell address people become thoughtful and selective with their words. Whether passing on an idea, encouragement, closure, a lesson or a directive, a farewell message speaks loudly about the person’s deepest character and passion.

So what did Joshua tell the people that were gathered to listen to his final lesson? What did they hear as they leaned into his farewell address? "Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written…without turning aside to the right or to the left”

The last lesson of Joshua directs us toward strength, obedience and determination. Strength observed as moral power, firmness, or courage. Obedience defined as subjection to rightful restraint or control. Determination described as the quality of being resolute; firmness of purpose.

At the end of his life, in his farewell address, Joshua gives us one last great lesson. When we lead, it is not our words that matter. It is our actions that should demonstrate strength, obedience and determination.

Joshua's lessons on leadership - Leaders Eat Last

In a series of posts, I want to discuss what we can learn about leadership from Joshua ben Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, which would become known as the most militaristic of the tribes of Israel through Joshua's campaigns.  If this is the first post in the series you have read, please do a quick review of the March 30, 2009 blog titled  “Joshua's lessons on leadership - Intro”; that post highlights why I am looking into Joshua’s life.

In the last entry, I discussed the reality that “Results Matter”.  In this post, Joshua reminds us “Leaders Eat Last”.

The setting for this lesson comes after Joshua has led Israel through many victories.  Tradition has it that he is close to 100 years old when he completes the battles that returned a people group to a land they had left 400 years earlier.  By this time Joshua had rolled up a pretty good record, 31& 0, decent results for a wandering people who had just crossed the Jordan.  Although Joshua did not obtain a total victory over the territory (he did not defeat the Philistines and others inhabiting the seacoast, and he did not capture the northern lands between Mt. Hermon and the Euphrates River, which would not be totally captured for another 300 years) he completed enough to shift from warrior to administrator.

After the victories, Joshua led an effort to divide the land between the various tribes that had wandered with Moses and fought with Joshua.  We read that, “Joshua took the entire land and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war”.  It is in the act of dividing the land that Joshua sets an expectation of leadership.  After all of the land had been divided, we find out that “when they had finished dividing the land into its allotted portions, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance.  They gave him the town he asked for - Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim. And he built up the town and settled there”.

Let me get this straight; Joshua leads an army in a multi-year battle with 31 different kings, gives all the land away and then merely asks for a city to live in?  Was Joshua a Marine?  Forgive a little literary license.  I know Joshua was not a Marine, but I can see the Marine code in the way that Joshua led.  The code includes, in order: 

1. Accomplish the mission
2. Look after the welfare of your people
3. Look after your own needs 

With this code in mind, Marines take care of Marines first. This is where one of the more well known aspects of the Marines gets its’ origin…when Marines eat, the lowest ranking eat first, the highest ranking eat last.  It is an action observable by all, which occurs each day and is a visible sign of the culture of the organization. 

I just finished reading a book I highly recommend called “The Unforgiving Minute” by Craig Mullaney.  Craig grew up in a blue-collar, Irish-Catholic family and went to the U.S. Military Academy.  He graduated West Point in 2000 and was commissioned in the United States Army. After completing Ranger School, Craig continued to the University of Oxford on a Rhodes scholarship. In 2003, Craig led an infantry rifle platoon along the hostile border between Afghanistan and Pakistan with the 10th Mountain Division as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. 

Here is what General David Petraeus said about Craig’s book, “The Unforgiving Minute is a wonderful, beautifully written story of the education and development of a young soldier-scholar, the coming of age of an infantry officer, and the exercise of a small unit leader's responsibilities in a tough, complex, and frustrating situation in Afghanistan. It captures particularly eloquently and movingly the relationships among those who walk point for our nation as part of that most elite of fraternities, the brotherhood of the close fight.” 

What does the Unforgiving Minute have to do with Joshua?  During Ranger training Craig writes, “There is a chain of command, but there also is a chain of influence…I had to lead by example.  If I wanted them to march faster, I had to march twice as fast with a smile on my face.  If I wanted them to extend their threshold of pain, I had to push myself even harder and under no circumstance could I afford to whine.  The only way to gain my squad’s loyalty was to show loyalty to them.  I served them, not the other way around.” 

At one point Craig is standing on Omaha beach in Normandy with a Lieutenant Colonel who is a combat veteran and a Ranger.  Craig asks the Colonel, “How do you know you’ll handle combat?”  The Colonel replies, “You don’t, you’ll never know until you are there.  What you will know for certain is that it will be chaotic and loud, and you’ll be ready to piss in your own boots.  You’ll be more scared of letting your men down than anything the enemy is going to do to you.  And then you’ll lead from instinct and judgment.  That is the price of a salute” 

The price of a salute.  Leaders are human, there is a tendency at least for me to say in my mind, “I have done this for 25 years, I deserve a little (fill in the blank – glory, luxury, rest, stuff, nice hotel room, bigger seat on the airplane).”  Basically saying, “What are the rewards of a salute?”  Joshua divides the land and gives it away first.  He gets his inheritance after the people he has led.  Joshua reminds us to eat last.  To show others through action the level at which you care about their welfare. To serve and not to take.  To wake up in the morning and think,"What will I do for my team today?" not "What will my team do for me today?"

The price of a salute? Eat last.

Joshua's lessons on leadership - Results Matter

In a series of posts, I want to discuss what we can learn about leadership from Joshua ben Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, which would become known as the most militaristic of the tribes of Israel through Joshua's campaigns.  If this is the first post in the series you have read please do a quick review of the 30 March, 2009 blog titled  “Joshua's lessons on leadership - Intro”; that post highlights why I am looking into Joshua’s life.

In the last entry, I discussed the importance of “Inner Strength”.  In this post, Joshua shows us “Results Matter”.

Winston Churchill said, “However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.”  Results matter and for the leader, the ability to demonstrate results is a force multiplier.  People trust a leader that gets it done.  Joshua illuminates this principal during one of the more famous stories in his life - the Battle at Jericho.

Ancient Jericho is located at Tell es-Sultan, next to an abundant spring on the western edge of the Jordan Valley, just north of the Dead Sea. The site’s water supply and climate have made it a desirable place to live from the very beginning of settled habitation. A Neolithic settlement at the site goes back to about 8000 BC, making Jericho the world’s oldest city.

The site is strategically located. From Jericho you have access to the heartland of Canaan.  Any military force attempting to penetrate the central hill country from the east would first have to capture Jericho.  Therefore, Joshua must conquer and hold Jericho for the tribes of Israel to move into their new home. 

Joshua comes into the battle with a great track record.  Recall from the post on 13 April that he lead an important victory early in his career.  Then he was picked by the legendary leader of the tribes to bring the wandering population into their new homes.  He had also just led important victories against the King of Heshbon and the King of Bashan; these two cities lay just east of the Jordan river and their capture allowed the tribes to have a protected launching point for crossing into their desired homeland. Finally, right before the battle, he led the people to cross the Jordan River during a time of year when it should have been at flood stage, yet all got across safely. 

Joshua would need this track record because he asked his army to do something unexpected.  Joshua had in inspiration of how the Battle of Jericho would be fought.  “We will march around the city once with all the armed men and do this for six days.  Then on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in."

Let me put this in perspective.  The Siege of Antioch took place during the First Crusade from October 21, 1097, to June 2, 1098.  During those eight months battle engines were created, raised up against the walls and destroyed, hundreds of sorties were attempted; the crusaders were under continuous surprise attack.  In the winter months, they ran out of food and ate bark, drank the blood of their animals, suffered disease and famine.  In general, a siege of a walled city was really hard work and it lasted a long time with intense suffering on both the besieged and the attackers.

So I can only imagine the reaction of Joshua’s generals when he laid out his plan, “Guys, you will not have to fight and the siege will only last seven days – seriously”.  The generals look at Joshua and then look up at the walls of Jericho.

An earthen barricade surrounded Jericho with a stone retaining wall at its base. The retaining wall was 12–15 feet high. On top of that was a wall six feet thick and about 20–26 feet high. At the crest of the barricade was a similar wall whose base was roughly 46 feet above the ground level outside the retaining wall. This is what loomed high above the Israelites as they marched around the city each day for seven days. Humanly speaking, it was impossible for the Israelites to penetrate the impregnable stronghold of Jericho.

They looked back at Joshua, “Seriously guys, I am just saying that if we do this and then blow a horn and shout the walls will come down”.  Without a track record of results, I imagine Joshua’s generals looking at each other and raising their eyebrows.  Maybe one or two who are complete sycophants say, “Yes!! That is a great plan”.  Then the rest grumble to each other, “OK, the river is one thing, but shout at the walls and they fall down?  Let’s humor poor Joshua for seven days and then we can build our real siege plan”

Yet, the army followed his command; they were following a man who had delivered increasingly difficult results.  For six days marching and not attacking or even threatening the city probably lulled the defenders.  A change in pattern on the seventh day should have alerted the defenders. The silent marchers appeared as before, but this time marched around the city seven times. This completed, they turned toward the walls and the priests leading the column each blew a ram's horn and the multitude shouted. At this, the walls fell.   This created an easy slope up the earthen embankment between the inner and outer city walls, allowing the army easy access to an impenetrable city.  No description is given of resistance, only of results, “every man charged straight in, and they took the city and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it”

Joshua had an inspiration and asked his army to follow.  Without a track record of results would they have followed the plan he outlined?  Maybe or maybe not.  However it was far easier for them to follow with confidence and energy knowing their leader usually got it done.  Results matter - not just for the mission today, but also for the mission tomorrow.

Joshua's lessons on leadership - Inner Strength

In a series of posts, I want to discuss what we can learn about leadership from Joshua ben Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, which would become known as the most militaristic of the tribes of Israel through Joshua's campaigns.  If this is the first post in the series you have read, please do a quick review of the March 30, 2009 blog titled  “Joshua's lessons on leadership - Intro”; that post highlights why I am looking into Joshua’s life.

In the last entry, I discussed the importance of “See the truth; but not for worse than it is”.  In this post, Joshua shows us “Inner Strength”.

The story of Joshua’s “Inner Strength” occurs at the end of his mentor’s life.  Joshua had been #2 to Moses for almost 40 years.  Together they had led the tribes on a nomadic journey that lasted an entire generation.  At the end of the journey, when they are just about to cross the Jordan River and change from being nomads into their permanent residence, Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of everyone else, "Be strong and courageous, for you must lead these people to their future home, the home we have discussed this entire journey and you must divide it among them as their inheritance”.

There is no great time to take over for a legend.  There is no perfect moment to step into a giant’s shoes.  However there are some moments more difficult than others.  Imagine Joshua, “What Moses?  Where are you going?  Just wait a few more miles, get the tribe to their new home and then I can take it from there.  And can you go ahead and divide the land before you leave?  You have a lot more credibility than me.  What if they do not listen to me?”

I had a similar (albeit substantially less dramatic and important) moment in my work life.  I was at a company and had just been asked to take over the leadership of a large organization.  My task was to take over from someone who had been at the company for a long time, was well liked, fire about 20% of the organization and then restore morale.

Gulp.

The day after we let a several hundred people go we had an all-hands meeting.  The meeting was in a large building with bleachers along one wall.  I came in the back of the building and had to walk down the bleachers to the floor and turn around and address the team.  As I walked down the bleachers, I could feel the fear, distrust, frustration, anticipation and worry emitting like raw electricity from the hundreds of people in the room.  Alone, walking down the stairs, all I could see was a solitary microphone like a lost child in the middle of the room.  I realized at that moment, the people in the room did not really care about me personally; they cared about themselves, their future and what was going to happen next.  They really just wanted and needed to know that whoever walked up to that microphone and opened their mouth had their hands on the wheel and was willing to drive.  I was alone.  Fortunately I had a mentor just moments before tell me, “Alex – be strong and courageous, you can do this”

Moses tells Joshua he believes in him, he tells him to be strong and courageous in front of the entire gathering of people.  We learn from the story that Joshua was filled with wisdom when Moses transferred power to him.  Then Moses climbed the 3,300 foot Mount Nebo on the northwest edge of the Dead Sea just across the Jordan River from Jericho, looked into the future home of the tribe, and died.

At that moment Joshua is by himself.  He is the picture of leadership and loneliness.  Joshua is isolated and the only thing he can rely upon is “Inner Strength”.  He looks to that which gives him inner strength.  For Joshua it was his creator and he heard, “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people, be strong and very courageous.  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged”.  Three times he heard these words, the same words he heard from Moses and this provided him “Inner Strength”

In our journey there will be moments when we are alone.  The great philosopher Dr. Seuss tells us this in his seminal work, Oh The Places You’ll Go!

All Alone!  Whether you like it or not, alone will be something you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.  There are some, down the road between hither and yon that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

In those moments, you will need to determine what gives you “Inner Strength”.  For me in my lonely moment, it was having the one person I needed to believe in me, believe in me.  A person who knew well the words of Thomas Carlyle, “Tell a person they are brave and you help them become so”.  For Joshua it was the belief that his creator was supporting his next steps. 

What is it for you?   Whatever it is, you must find it and have it, because you will need it.  In those moments, if you do not have “Inner Strength” you will not be prepared to lead.  You will be defined by these crucible events where the only thing that gets you and the team to move forward is your “Inner Strength”

David's lessons on leadership - Jonathan Moments

In a series of posts, I am going to reflect upon what we can learn about leadership from David, King of Israel.  If this is the first post in the series you have read, please do a quick review of the January 2, 2009 blog titled  “David’s lessons on leadership – Intro”; that post outlines why I am looking into David’s life.

The previous blog dealt with going astray and why we should “Stay on Mission”.  This post is a commentary on impact of the support of one person, the change that occurs in our lives and leadership journey when we have a “Jonathan Moment”.

Early in David’s journey to leadership he went through a very difficult moment.  In that moment one friend, Jonathan stood with him and Jonathan’s allegiance led David to the next stage of his life.

Before I describe the moment, I need to give you the back-story.  After David kills Goliath at the tender age of 17, Saul the king promoted him to a high rank in the army.  David continued to serve Saul and lead troops into battle on Saul’s behalf.  The people of Israel and Judah loved what David was doing and the rest of the army commanders also became impressed with his victories.  In addition, David began a deep friendship with Jonathan, the son of Saul.  Saul goes through a strange metamorphosis whereby all the admiration that lands on David starts to make Saul jealous.  Saul started as a mentor to David and then makes several attempts to assassinate him.

The pivotal, difficult moment comes during the New Moon Festival or Rosh Chodesh, which was an important and visible ceremony for Saul.  David is convinced Saul is trying to kill him and Jonathan is equally convinced that his father, Saul, would never kill David.   

They devise a way to test Saul’s intent.  David is to stay away from the feast and when Saul asks Jonathan about David, Jonathan is to say that David wanted to go to Bethlehem and be with his family.  Jonathan would watch his father’s reaction and then come to a place where David is hiding and provide a secret signal.  He told David, “I will shoot three arrows to the side of where you are hiding, as though I were shooting at a target. Then I will send a boy and say, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I say to him, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,' then come, because, you are safe; there is no danger. But if I say to the boy, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' then you must go”

Well, Saul gets angry that David is not there and tells Jonathan that David must die.  Jonathan heads out to where David is hiding and implements the plan.  Jonathan sends the signal that lets David know that Saul means to kill him.  As David gets up to leave all he has ever known, his friend Jonathan says to him, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other…between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.”

This is a moment of deep despair for David.  When he heard the words, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?” he knew that his life was changed in a profound way.  Everything he knew would be different.  Where he lived, how he lived, what he did and who he walked with - all different and all a mystery at this moment in time.  However, knowing Jonathan believed in him, David was able to move forward.

Each of us has moments in our lives when something happens and we know everything next will be different.  Leading up to that moment, we may think about the change, we may plan for the change, but until it is there we are not really “all in”.  Then it happens and the bridges burn behind us.  It is that moment when it is so critical to have at least one person who believes in you.  With just one person, you can move through life’s stages with confidence.

An example for me was a demanding moment at work on March 30^th, 2003.  It was the end of our fiscal year and everything crashed around my shoulders; I knew the next step would be difficult and different.  At that moment I had one man, an ex-boss and mentor, write me a short note.  I have kept it to this day.  Here is what he wrote:

I stopped by this morning, but you were in the gym. Since you looked like you had just watched your puppy get run over last night, I wanted to check in on you this morning.

However, knowing you as well as I do, I know you have moved on to the New Year, and are walking with confidence and enthusiasm this morning. Your team will expect you to be mad and lack some confidence and conviction after a rough close to the year, and as usual I know you will surprise them, and they will draw strength from your example.

Watching you attack your job, and emerge as one of the true top sales leaders in our company this year, all while "Doing it Right", has inspired me. It hasn't surprised me, though. Nor is it the first time you have inspired me.  Just wanted to drop you a note and make sure you weren't going to let two or three accounts, a war and an I/T slump have any impact on your confidence or your ability to lead. I'm not sure why I bothered.....I know you won't let that happen. You never have in the past.

Five years later this note still inspires me, it tells me at least one person believed in me in a really rough moment.  I am not sure this person knows just how much they lifted me up at this moment.  My ‘Jonathan’ arrived at the exact moment I needed him.

When Jonathan tells David, “Go in peace we have sworn friendship with each other”, he is giving David the incredible power of belief; the power one person receives when he or she knows there is at least one person who believes in them.  Each of us needs to commit to being a Jonathan.  Commit to taking a moment and letting the David’s in your life know you believe in them and are faithful to them.  When you say these four words, “I believe in you”; you can change a person’s life and shepherd them through the most difficult moments they face.

Go - hand someone a “Jonathan Moment”.