Suffice it to say that Myers has tackled some high profile, high powered leadership roles. Yet I find her book, Take the Lead, as not so much a leadership book, but rather a set of what she describes as 7 core principles, that she wraps with political anecdotes as an example of those principles in practice.
Myers 7 principles include:
• Connection – Making people feel seen and heard
• Collaboration – Being willing to embrace different points of view
• Authenticity – Knowing who you are
• Respect – Treating each person as important
• Clarity – laser focus and uncompromising consistency
• Learning - always listening and staying open to new ideas
• Courage – The courage to take risks; to apologize; to tell the truth; to grow
This could be the most contradictory list I have ever seen. Taking Ms. Myers at her own words, how can you be willing to embrace different points of view and be open to new ideas, yet remain uncompromisingly consistent? Does this say more about my Myers background in the political realm then about leadership?
Politicians by their very nature are some of the least authentic people I have ever encountered. Realistically speaking, if Barack Obama had been genuinely authentic during his Presidential campaign, does anyone really believe that he would have been elected President?
Boiling it down, Ms. Myers “core principles” aren’t a road map to leadership, but a road map to becoming a Democrat politician. It reads like a playbook for talking a good game, but doesn’t really show how to deliver the goods, which is really what Democrat elective politics have become – make it sound like you care about and issue/person, act like you’re going to do something, but never really deliver on a promise.
It’s interesting that the two powerful leaders that Ms. Myers worked for were so uniquely skilled at connection, yet such utter failures at having the courage to tell the truth. Interesting political insights…maybe. Leadership book…not so much.
1 comment:
I looked at the book cover and note a "bunker" and 5 marbles. Bunkers do NOT unite or lead marbles; they scatter them galore. The book has a lousy cover.
As for content, the terms are fine and do not bother me. But the definitions leave a tad to be desired, at a modicum. I am always leary of lists of numbers, as if that is all you need....no more; no less....to derive the goal being stated.
A friend once told me he would like to see folks STOP reading the New Testament, rip out any 10 pages at random, and LIVE them.
Lists are in the eye of the beholder.
Something is always missing; something is likely added and not really needed.
You ask:
"Taking Ms. Myers at her own words, how can you be willing to embrace different points of view and be open to new ideas, yet remain uncompromisingly consistent? Does this say more about my Myers background in the political realm then about leadership?"
.....and that is a fair assessment.
However, I do not agree with the DEFINITION of the terms. Since you isolated two examples (terms) that are at odds, allow me to re-define the very words.
Dee Dee's sister got her terms awry.
Collaboration – Being willing to embrace different points of view
Embrace is the wrong word here.
How many bosses EMBRACE your view as leadership in their place of employment? Zilch.
I believe the proper word needed here is not "embrace", but "empathize with". I can empathize with a lot of views daily without the need to embrace them as my own.
• Authenticity – Knowing who you are"
Not true.
Authenticity is OTHERS knowing who you truly are. You do not change according to your audience, location, needs, age, or other variables.
Pottery made in ages past had no kiln for temperature control. As pottery was glazed in the hot fire, some turned out fine, the others cracked. It cost too much to start from scratch with the cracked pottery. Many unscrupulous makers would simply fill the cracks with wax, and paint over everything. The word "wax" is from "cera" and the word "without" is "sin" in Latin.
Dealers who tossed out any blemished pottery and only sold the true goods were SINCERE, the pottery had "no wax"....it was Authentic.
This is an Authentic a lot different from knowing who you are, but rather, being TRUE to what you proclaim to be. Hence, honest! It is not necessary for YOU to know who you are (in this case) but for others to automatically know you are genuine, real, honest, and sincere.....no wax can be found to cheapen the goods known as you.
Seeing the stated terms, limits me getting knowledge on Leadership.
Numbering them is even worse.
But the dubious definitions make the book a total waste of time to read and glean leadership.
If you are a marble in life, that bunker on the cover is NOT your friend.
The worst definition?
• Courage – The courage to take risks; to apologize; to tell the truth; to grow".
If you have to define a word, by using the word, you do not KNOW the word, let alone how to use it.
Btw, of Clinton's Press Secretaries, Dee Dee was my favorite. She held her own daily against a pack of wolves. She was also a marble in the White House, not a bunker.
Further, • Clarity – laser focus and uncompromising consistency is loaded with "wax", if you will.
Uncompromising consistency has zip to do with clarity. It is a function of a good golf swing.
Clarity is related to "Vision"....and that, is a true leadership skill.
You are mellowing in posts, so a comment is reasonable now. This is not a conservative/liberal axiom claim, but rather universals for BOTH.
The terms are not the best; the definitions are largly crap. Thanks for reading it for me and saving me the effort. Now, I must go shoot marbles with my Big Bunker!
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