THE TOOLS LEADERS USE - For Influencing the Choices Others Make
The “Gunny’s” Lesson
In my younger days—much younger—I had the privilege of serving as a Marine officer. The training required to earn a commission in the Marine Corps is rigorous, and the providers of that training are mighty demanding. They are also very good at what they do. You might say that they have a passion for it.
One of my instructors at Officer Candidates’ School (OCS), was a Marine gunnery sergeant, a “gunny” (although officer candidates are well advised not to take the liberty of calling them anything other than “gunnery sergeant”). The “gunny” was absolutely certain that his mission as an instructor at OCS was to ensure that every one of us who earned our commissions (survived his tender mercies) was able and willing to lead Marines just like him.
The “gunny” used every activity as an opportunity to teach us fundamental truths about leadership. Field exercises, long runs, classroom sessions and every imaginable form of physical training became his “pulpit” for instilling in us his passion for leading men in difficult situations. There are probably variations on his central message that are more eloquent or sophisticated, but none will ever have more impact on me than this lesson on leadership we learned from the gunny: “You can’t lead from the rear!” That lesson from a man for whom I had—and still have—so much respect, is the basis for what I see as a key characteristic of effective leaders. They are out front.
Leadership – A Working Definition
Leadership is a multi-faceted discipline that defies attempts to assign a “one size fits all” definition. Having described the context in which I’ll deal with leadership, here is a working definition we’ll use as a frame of reference for this and other posts:
LEADERSHIP
Positively & supportively influencing the choices others make
Our success as leaders is measured by the choices others make, and our success is determined by our ability to influence those choices. Every person who occupies a leadership position influences the choices others make. The things that people in leadership positions say and do are influential, and—not surprisingly—the quality of people’s responses is determined by the quality of the things said and done. The two tools for influencing others’ behavior are words and actions.
Leaders’ Tools for Influencing Choices
“It’s only words, and words are all I have, to take your heart away.” In addition to demonstrating my recall of words from a song that’s 30+ years old (and, thereby, dating myself), I want to use this line from the Bee Gees’ song, “Words”, to make a point about the tools we have for influencing the choices others make. The title of the song accurately depicts one of those tools, our words. And the line I quoted tells us something about two common mistakes made by people in leadership positions.
The first mistake is assuming that words are the only tools necessary for influencing the choices others make. The second mistake is acknowledging the other tool, but assuming that it is less important than their words.
The tool that leaders not only have, but use continuously, is their behavior. Words and actions are the tools that leaders use for influencing the choices others make, and while words are powerful tools, their power pales when compared to the impact of behavior.
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