Throughout the hustle and bustle of leading an organization, oftentimes the fundamentals of leadership can take a back seat or in some cases, become completely forgotten. Today’s guests are saying that it’s perfectly ok to get back to the basics.
Today on the Small Business Show, we’re pleased to welcome the co-authors of “Simple Truths of Leadership: 52 Ways to be a Servant Leader and Build Trust”, Ken Blanchard and Randy Conley. Blanchard is one of the world’s most influential leadership experts, author of over 65 books, and is the co-founder of the Ken Blanchard Companies. Conley is an Inc. Magazine top 100 leadership speaker, author, and the trust practice leader for the Ken Blanchard Companies. Randy’s award-winning blog, Leading with Trust, has influenced over 4 million viewers.
Transcription:
Jim Fitzpatrick :
Gentlemen, this is an absolute pleasure to welcome you into the show today.
Randy Conley :
Thank you, Jim. It’s a real pleasure to be with you.
Ken Blanchard:
It’s good to be with you. That’s for sure.
Jim Fitzpatrick :
Fantastic. Who has not heard of your books, Ken, out there in business. As I said, if you’ve been in business for any longer than 10 days, you’ve come across a Ken Blanchard book, and it’s done so much for so many. So let’s jump right in here. Congratulations on the new book, Simple Truths of Leadership. I know it’ll be another best seller for you. So Ken, let’s start with you. How will your new book, Simple Truths of Leadership, help enhance organizations and help them thrive?
Ken Blanchard:
My mission statement is I want to be a loving teacher and example of simple truths. And so I’ve been trying to write about simple truths for years and been a little frustrating because people say, “God, I love your stuff, Ken.” And then I say, “Well, how have you been using it?” And they go, “Blah, blah, blah, blah.” And so I decided one last shot at a simple way for them to see what we’ve been teaching for over 40 years and being able to use it with their people. And so I’m a big proponent of servant leadership. And if you’re a great servant leader, you build trust, and Randy is an expert on trust. And so we have 26 simple truths on servant leader and 26 on trust. And on one side of the page is a concept like the key to developing people is to catch them doing something right and accent the positive.
Ken Blanchard:
And then on the other page, it sort of talks about why people aren’t using it. You ask them, “How do you know whether you’re doing a good job?” And the number one response we get is, “Nobody’s yelled at me lately.” No news is good news. Segal Management is still a number one leadership style where you’re given an assignment. So something goes wrong, and then your boss flies in, makes a lot of noise, dumps on everybody and flies out. And at the bottom of that facing page, it always says how to put simple truths into practice or how to live according to them. And so this 26 on servant leadership and 26 on trust. And so Randy, what do you think about this? It’s been a lot of fun working on this, hasn’t it?
Randy Conley :
Yeah, it sure has. You know, Jim, one of the few good things to come out of COVID in 2020 was that afforded Ken and I the opportunity to really sit down and finish this book that we had started probably five years ago. We would tin around it off and on it’d go on the back burner. But in 2020, we really had the time to sit down and finish it up. And as Ken said, our approach to leadership is get people focused on the simple truths. Leadership is a very complex field, right? There’s a lot to being a good leader. We tend to over-complicate it. We let our own egos get in the way, and we over-complicate what it means to be a good leader. We’re just trying to focus people back on the simple truths, because those are what ultimately lead to success.
Jim Fitzpatrick :
That’s right. That’s right. Briefly if you would, Ken, share with our viewers your definition of servant leadership. What is it? What do you mean when you say that?
Ken Blanchard:
Well, Jim, a lot of times when I talk about servant leadership with people, they think I’m talking about the inmates running the prison or trying to please everybody or some religious movement. But this two parts of servant leadership. One is vision, direction, values, and goals, and that’s the leadership part. And that’s the responsibility of the hierarchy. Doesn’t mean you don’t involve your people, but if your people aren’t clear what they’re being asked to do and what good behavior looks like and all or what the values that should guide their behavior, shame on you, because your responsibility. Once the leadership part, which is the hierarchy. Now you get to the servant part. You turn the pyramid upside down, and now your job is to work for your people to help them win, help them live according to the vision and values. Help them accomplish their goals, so the two parts of that are leadership and servant and they go together.
Jim Fitzpatrick :
Absolutely. Randy, let me ask you. The book offers 52 leadership principles. What are some of your favorite ones?
Randy Conley :
Oh, love that question, Jim. One of my favorite ones is building trust is a skill that can be learned and developed. And most people think trust just happens in a relationship sort of like some kind of relationship osmosis, just sort of magically happens right over time, and that’s not true. Research shows that there are four core elements in trust when you have trust in a relationship, and we’ve captured those in an easy to remember acronym called the ABCD’s. The ABCD’s of trust. You build trust. If you are able as a leader, right? If you demonstrate competence in what you do.
Randy Conley :
You build trust if you’re believable. That’s acting with integrity. You are trustworthy when you are connected. You show care and concern and relationship. And then finally the fourth element is dependable. Do you honor your commitments? So if leaders can just remember the simple ABCD’s of trust and use behaviors that align with those four elements, they’ll build trust. It’s not easy, but it is simple and straightforward if you focus on that.
Jim Fitzpatrick :
Sure. And Ken, let me ask you. What examples of common sense truths that get caught in a leader’s blind spot?
Ken Blanchard:
Well, I think that the big thing is that they think it’s all about them, and that somehow they’re the smartest bulb in town and all that kind of thing, and their ego gets in the way. And so we started a 12 step egos anonymous program, because it’s like alcohol. If you’ll identify, it’ll really make a difference. But there’s just two ego gets in a way. One is false pride, when you have a more than philosophy. You act like you’re better than people. And the other one is fear of self-doubt, when you have a less than philosophy. And we talk about how do you deal with those. You deal with false pride with humility. And people often think that’s a weakness, but I think CS Lewis or Rick Warren or some people credit me with saying people with the ability don’t think less of themselves. They just think about themselves less. And the way you deal with fear and self-doubt is to trust the unconditional love of God that there’s a Pearl of goodness in everybody. Look for it.
Jim Fitzpatrick :
I heard the term, the phrase I should say from one of my guests recently. Said, “Ego is just an acronym for edging God out.” Right?
Randy Conley :
Yeah, yeah.
Ken Blanchard:
That’s right. Yeah.
Randy Conley :
Of our—
Ken Blanchard:
Everything good outside.
Jim Fitzpatrick :
That’s right.
Randy Conley :
Yeah, yeah.
Jim Fitzpatrick :
That’s right. Randy, share with me. Can you share some practical ways to turn the common sense truths outlined in the book into common practice, which that’s the key, right?
Randy Conley :
That is. That’s the key. Common sense does not always mean common practice. And so for example, one common sense approach to building trust is to first extend trust to others. Leaders often think that by virtue of their title or their position, that their team members should just automatically trust them. And that’s not the way it works, because in order for trust to begin to grow in a relationship, someone has to make the first move. Someone has to first extend trust to someone else. And it’s our belief that leaders go first, right? Leaders set the tempo. So they have to first extend trust to their people in order to allow their people to be trustworthy.
Randy Conley :
It was, Ernest Hemingway is famous for saying, “The best way to find out a man is trustworthy is to trust him.” Right? Everybody needs a chance to prove themselves trustworthy. And so leaders, common sense approach is first extend trust. Make sure your people are clear on the goal. Make sure they have the right resources, the skills, the training to do a good job, and then let them do it. Resist that urge to micromanage and hover over them. We don’t need any helicopter leaders in the workplace, right? We need leaders who entrust their people to do what they’re capable of doing.
Jim Fitzpatrick :
You don’t have a week long seminar I could attend on just that one topic. Do you, by any chance?
Randy Conley :
Well, Jim control is such an interesting dynamic in trust. That’s one of our other simple truths, is that distrust is not the opposite of trust. Control is the opposite of trust. And that’s most exhibited in the way leaders tend to treat information, right? We’ve all probably heard that saying, information is power, right? Because if you have information that others don’t, then somehow you’ve got power over others. And when we see leaders engaging in hoarding behavior, controlling behavior, that should be a signal that there’s something off about trust here. And so learning to let, go of control, learning to allow others to demonstrate their own competence and commitment in the work that they’re doing, that’s a big step for leaders, but it’s a step we have to take if we want our teams to innovate, be creative and really thrive.
Jim Fitzpatrick :
That’s right. Ken, in many meeting in conference rooms when the word trust comes up, everybody gets a little squirmish in their chair. Talk to us that. Just the word alone will sometimes make leaders uneasy.
Ken Blanchard:
Well, I think because when people hear it, they think that their leader’s not trusting them. And as Randy really feels, it’s a two way process, that the leader needs to first extend trust because as you develop somebody over time from using a directing to a coaching, to a supporting, to a delegating leadership style, you’re turning over more responsibility and trusting them more. And the more you trust them, the more they feel, wow, this leader really sees me as part of the team. And it really is a we, not a me organization, and I’m all in. And people don’t want your job. They just want to be involved. And so we think people today don’t want top down on leadership. They want what we call, Jim, side by side leadership. They want to be there with you side by side.
Jim Fitzpatrick :
That’s right. That’s right. And there’s no question about it. That’s what today’s workforce is looking for, especially as we talk about millennials often on the show here and, but that’s what they want. They want that authenticity. They want the transparency, which is hand in hand with trust. Right?
Randy Conley :
Yeah. And one of the things we’ve found, Jim, is that in order to have conversations about trust in the workplace, we need a common language, a common definition. And that harkens back to the ABCD’s of trust that I mentioned a few minutes ago. If we all have a common definition of what trust is, then we can objectively look at it, and we can talk about it in behavioral terms. Right? You can have discussions about trust without bringing up the word trust, right? If you and I are having a conversation about, let’s say my lack of dependability in meeting deadlines, we can talk about that. You could say, “Hey Randy, I’m struggling with your inconsistency in meeting deadlines here. What’s going on? Can we talk about that?” Right? Versus saying, “Randy, I don’t trust you to get your reports in on time. What’s the deal?” Right?
Jim Fitzpatrick :
That’s very different.
Randy Conley :
Totally different conversation.
Jim Fitzpatrick :
That’s right.
Randy Conley :
Totally different conversation.
Jim Fitzpatrick :
Boy, there’s no question about it. So Randy, let me ask you this. How can leaders create a servant leadership culture in their organization? I know that Ken touched on a few things just earlier and through the definition, but what are some of the key points that you could point out?
Randy Conley :
Key points that I would add is it’s really a focus on others. Servant leaders understand that it’s not about them. Once again, one of our simple truths. We borrowed it from our friend, Rick Warren, the famous opening line in his book, Purpose Driven Life, is it’s not about you. Right? And that’s true for a servant leader. It’s not about you. It’s about what can you do to bring out the best in your people. And so servant leaders understand that success is driven by the team, right? It’s not the leader. The team, those are the people that are out on the playing field. They’re the ones scoring the points. The leader is setting up the game plan, putting the systems, the structures in place, and then really allowing their team members to go and be brilliant.
Randy Conley :
I think it starts there on the inside. Ken and I for believe leadership is an inside out proposition. It starts in the heart. Are you here to serve or be served?
Jim Fitzpatrick :
That’s correct.
Randy Conley :
And if you can answer that question and understand that your role is to serve others and help them be their best, then you’re on the path to being a servant leader.
Ken Blanchard:
It’s important, Jim, for people to understand that it’s not a weakness, you know?
Jim Fitzpatrick :
Right.
Ken Blanchard:
I’ll never forget. I won the president of the seventh grade in New Rochelle, New York. And my father was later retired as an Admiral in the Navy. So I came home and I’m all pumped up. I’m the president of seventh grade. And my dad says, “Ken, your leadership training begins now. Now that you’re president, don’t ever use your position because great leaders are great because people trust and respect them, not because they have power.” He said, “It’s a myth in the military it’s my way or the highway. Sure, in battle, somebody’s got to call the shots. But if you act like you’re a big deal over your men, they’ll shoot you before the enemy.”
Jim Fitzpatrick :
That’s exactly right. So let me ask you, Ken. What are the essential elements of effective leadership?
Ken Blanchard:
Well, I think the effective elements of effective leadership is that first of all, you ask more than tell. You question more than state. You listen more than speak. You’re really there for people. As we say, it’s a we thing, not a you thing. And you’re there not to command that people obey you. What you’re doing is asking them to be a part of the team so that you can accomplish the goals that you both have set.
Jim Fitzpatrick :
Sure, sure.
Randy Conley :
One of the simple truths we shared, Jim, in the book is leadership is an invitation to follow, not a command.
Jim Fitzpatrick :
I like that.
Randy Conley :
And Ken has said many times in the past that, “If you’re leading and no one’s following, then you’re really just out for a walk.” Right? So leadership, we really believe, I think leadership starts with followership. You as an individual.
Jim Fitzpatrick :
That’s right.
Randy Conley :
How have you been a follower of other leaders? Do you understand what it means to be a follower and supporting a leader. And then when you eventually get into a leadership role, you have much more empathy for those that you’re leading. You understand both sides of the equation. So I think really if you understand that leadership is inviting people to grasp the vision that you’ve set and follow along, you’re starting in a much better place than sort of that command and control of you got to follow me or else. That doesn’t work in today’s workplace.
Jim Fitzpatrick :
That’s right. That’s right. You mentioned on the opening of the show that because of COVID, it gave you guys the opportunity to get together and drill down and really focus on producing another great book, which is what you did. Having said that and bringing up the COVID word, what have we seen out there with regard to leadership? And I know that might be a whole nother show. But are there some top things that you could point to say, because we went through COVID this has changed in leadership?
Ken Blanchard:
Well, I think one of the great advantages of COVID is the introduction of Zoom. Now, Zoom has been around, I guess for a long time. I never had used it, but now you could be in touch with your people so much more frequently than you could in the old days when you always were worrying about face to face. And so we think you just need to zoom in and say, “How’s it going?” And if you set clear goals, then you and your people both know what you’re working on and can observe it. Then you can call them and say, “Gee, I noticed that you’re doing pretty well in this goal. And I just wanted to give you an attaboy or an attagirl.”
Ken Blanchard:
As Randy was saying, if one’s not going well, rather than beating him up, you sort of say, “Gee, I notice this isn’t going in the direction we want. How could I help?” And so I just think you can communicate with people just amazingly. Our son has taken over the presidency of our company. We have about 250 people. He had an all company meeting recently and over 200 people from around the world were on that zoom call and he could share stuff with him, answer questions. That stuff just never could have happened, and it cost you fortune to bring them all together.
Jim Fitzpatrick :
That’s right. That’s right.
Randy Conley :
Yeah. I’ve thought of the pandemic as the great trust experiment, Jim.
Jim Fitzpatrick
It’s true. Sure.
Randy Conley :
Right?
Jim Fitzpatrick :
It’s — people working from home.
Randy Conley :
Literally overnight. That’s right. Literally overnight so many organizations had to shift to remote work just to stay alive, right? Just to survive.
Jim Fitzpatrick :
That’s right.
Randy Conley :
And it was this great trust experiment of leaders extending so much trust to their people. And by and large, all the reports, all the studies you see, it’s been hugely successful. Right?
Jim Fitzpatrick :
That’s right.
Randy Conley :
And it’s so much so that it has somewhat shifted the balance of power between the employer/employee relationship. And we’re seeing that now with the great resignation or the great reshuffle, however you want to refer to it. People are wanting much more from their leaders. They’re wanting leaders who are authentic, who empathize with them, who relate to them as human beings and not just automatons showing up to do a job. Right?
Jim Fitzpatrick :
That’s right.
Randy Conley :
And so all these principles that Ken has been talking about for 40-plus years and that we include in our new book. They’re those common sense principles that people are really desiring in leadership today, you know? Have a heart for your people.
Jim Fitzpatrick :
That’s right.
Randy Conley :
Treat them right.
Jim Fitzpatrick :
That’s right.
Randy Conley :
Provide them the tools and the resources they need to succeed, and then trust them to do their job. That’s what we’re trying to get across to leaders in our new book.
Jim Fitzpatrick :
Well, the new book is Simple Truths of Leadership. I highly recommend you go out and get it. In fact, we’re going to make it so easy for you. Right below this video, you can just one click and you can have it sent right to your home. So gentlemen, I want to thank you so much. Mr. Ken Blanchard and Randy Conley, thank you so much for joining us on the show today. I know that our subscribers and viewers will get so much out of your visit with us here today. So thank you.
Randy Conley :
Thank you, Jim.
Ken Blanchard:
We’re good, Jim. Thank you.
