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Listen, learn,
lead
 The
following address was given at the inauguration of the Fred J. Springer
Chair in Business Leadership by the chair holder Stephen A. Stumpf, Ph.D.,
professor of management in the College of Commerce & Finance.
Striving for greatness
Business, and much of life, is about improving things – oneself,
the products and services we offer, and the communities in which we live.
We strive for greatness – in consumer markets, financial markets,
and labor markets – thereby gaining more supporters, followers,
and a favorable public opinion. We use lots of measures; we create scorecards
-- balanced and otherwise -- to assess how we are doing. We compare our
performances to the performances of others – we strive to be the
best, to have the most, to hold on to it the longest.
The pursuit of greatness requires on-going adjustments – changes
– to who we are, what we do, how well we do it, with whom, when,
and where. We expect our leaders to guide us in these adjustments, or
we choose to become those leaders ourselves. Without leadership, we fear
we will become or remain mediocre. Leadership is about change –
determining what change is needed, informing people of it, gaining commitment
to it, changing, assessing the impact of it, and planning new changes
in the further pursuit of excellence.
Leading change
One thing in common to all leaders is that they have followers. Some leaders
have positional authority which helps them to secure followers through
their position and the reward, punishment, and coercive power of that
position. Where no positional authority exists, people may choose to follow
or not based on the effect a leader has on them. Leading change in a situation
where one is not in a position of power requires the ability to influence
others to pursue a vision in an ethical and timely manner. Why would people
follow someone who does not have positional authority? What are the talents
necessary for one to lead in such a situation?
Choosing to become a leader
Consider the following: You are a private person, without wealth, without
any official title, position, or office, and without property. You command
no army, rule no lands, and have no authority to address any audience.
You sense a need for change due to perceived injustices – but those
who are imposing these injustices have enormous wealth, many official
titles, positions, and offices, and much property. They do command the
army, rule the land, and have authority to do whatever they decide to
do. What chance do you have of leading change in such a situation?
While your resources are limited, some do exist. You are well educated
and articulate, have some legal training, have lived among the ruling
class, and are a spiritual person. You believe in yourself and that mankind
is inherently good, not evil. Would you step up to the challenge of leading
change?
This scenario describes Mahatma Gandhi’s situation in 1893 at the
age 24 as he experienced race and colour discrimination in South Africa.
After receiving legal training in England, he went on a case assignment
for an Indian company to South Africa – traveling first class as
attorneys are inclined to do. He was told to leave the first class car
and move to third class, or get thrown off the train at the next station.
Showing his first class ticket, explaining that he was an attorney, and
the fact that he was well dressed and presented himself as a professional
made no difference. The officials removed him from the train at the next
station. Things went from bad to worse that night as he continued to be
discriminated against while trying to find lodging and alternative transportation
at Petermaritzburg Station. For Gandhi, the choice was made.
Learning to lead
For two decades following the train incident, Gandhi wrote about the many
injustices he and others experienced in South Africa. He worked within
the British and Indian legal systems to bring about change and amassed
a small group of supporters in the process. He became a spokesperson for
the equal and respectful treatment of all races. South Africa, as part
of the British Empire, had a military leader as ‘governor’
– General Smut. With a desire to maintain order and control laws
were passed in South Africa requiring all Indians to be fingerprinted
and to carry official papers. Policemen had the right to enter an Indian
dwelling to ask for their papers – permission to enter was not necessary.
Gandhi actively addressed the legitimacy and morality of such laws in
his writings, in publications, and in public forums. Hindus, Muslims,
and Christians -- as well as British officials -- attended these forums.
The ideas shared began to affect public opinion. Through referencing one
of Gandhi's addresses that was reenacted in Richard Attenborough's film
Gandhi (1990), we can gain insight into the essence of leadership.
It was 1914. Gandhi began his address to an audience of nearly a thousand
by welcoming all that were present and stated that "we have no secrets"
– he was inclusive of the British officials even thought they were
the sources and enforcers of the injustices being discussed.
Insight 1: Know whom you want to influence, invite them in and make them
part of the process.
He went on to define the current situation – in very certain terms:
"Let us begin by being clear about General Smut’s new law.
All Indians must now be fingerprinted, like criminals, men and women.
No marriage other than a Christian marriage is valid. Under this act our
wives and mothers are whores and every man here is a bastard."
Insight 2: Identify a burning platform, a call to action.
If leadership is about change, people need to have a compelling reason
to change. Gandhi’s inflammatory description of General Smut’s
new laws created an outcry of rage from the audience. People spoke up
about the injustice. They were willing to fight, to defy the authorities.
One suggested that he "would be willing to kill an official that
offered such an insult to his wife – and let them hang me."
People were willing to die for a cause rather than accept an insult to
themselves and their families. Another suggested that that it would be
better to strike first – "Talk means nothing, kill a few officials
before they disgrace one Indian woman, then they might think twice about
such laws." Resistance was associated with being beaten, sent to
jail and tortured.
Insight 3: Be willing and able to share control with your prospective
followers; let others have a voice.
Having deferred to members of the audience, Gandhi reestablished himself
as someone worthy of being followed. He responded that he praised their
courage. That he too needed such courage.
Insight 4: Be able to actively listen, hear what your prospective followers
are saying, what they are willing to do, and not do.
Gandhi retook control: "For this cause, I too would be willing to
die. But my friend, there is no cause for which I am prepared to kill.
Whatever they do to us, we will attack no one, kill no one; but, we will
not give our fingerprints, not one of us. They will imprison us; they
will seize our possessions. But, they cannot take away our self respect
if we do not give it to them."
Insight 5: Share your values and your vision -- define the limits of what
you will do and what you will not do to move towards that vision.
Some in the audience pushed back. "Have you been to prison? They
beat us, and torture us." Gandhi interrupted and went on to say:
"I am asking you to fight, to fight against their anger, not to provoke
it. We will not strike a blow, but we will receive them. Through our pain
we will make them see their injustice and it will hurt, as all fighting
hurts. But we cannot lose. We cannot. They may torture my body, break
my bones, even kill me. Then they will have my dead body, not my obedience."
Insight 6: Provide clear direction and a strategy for accomplishing your
mission, drawing out the consequences of that strategy – good and
bad.
The audience was now fully engaged, listening, thinking, and feeling.
Gandhi had successfully connected to more completely to each person –
head and heart. People were willing to follow Gandhi’s passive resistance
strategy for getting the British and General Smut to change these laws.
For many leaders, a “thank you” to the audience would have
ended the meeting. Gandhi didn’t thank them. He needed a theme to
unite them: "We are Hindu and Muslim, children of God, each one of
us. Let us take a solemn oath in His name, that come what may, we will
not submit to this law."
Insight 7: When trying to lead diverse constituencies, it is essential
to find unifying themes to permit people to share a common bond in pursuit
of the vision.
The request for a solemn oath was a sign of unity as much as it was a
unifying act. Following their oath, people stood, to publicly show their
commitment to this vision, their values, and the proposed strategy.
Insight 8: Followers need visible symbols that effectively capture the
vision, values, and strategy. Leaders must provide these symbols.
As the Indians stood to show respect and their commitment, the British
officials remained sitting. In observing this, Gandhi began singing, "God
save our gracious king." Others joined in. The British stood with
the rest of the audience. Gandhi never lost sight of his goal –
to have unjust laws rescinded through peaceful means. This required the
support of the British. He was not challenging the right of the British
to govern South Africa, rather he was challenging how they were doing
it.
Insight 9: Keep your vision and values omnipresent – don't get distracted
by small gains.
In studying a master, it is easy to believe that the master is naturally
talented. Those that followed Gandhi’s life, or have studied his
leadership practices and spiritual being, have found that Gandhi was a
life-long learner, a person who reflected much more often than he acted,
and one who prepared, in great detail, for each action.
Insight 10: Leadership demands planfulness – determining who are
the key stakeholders, learning what it is that different stakeholders
want, and creating possibilities of what you can do to give stakeholders
some of what they want.
A burning platform – speed or relationships?
The desired changes Gandhi fought for in South Africa took 20 years to
materialize. Do we have years to drive change in organizations and society
today? Many people say no. Having months, not years, is their generous
assessment. A few might suggest that if a leader's primary role is to
share a vision and values with employees, customers, and communities,
then establishing these relationships is more important than speed.
Do we have the patience, planfulness, and perseverance to support, or
be, such leaders?
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