Tall Poppy Syndrome 

It is hard for me to fathom how any high achiever, super-duper producer, would not have the support of those around him or her.  Well it does exist and it is called the “tall poppy syndrome.”  The expression is more common in Europe than in the states, and denotes that there are often two groups of people in the world: those who are a riding high on success, the “tall poppies,” and those who wish to bring them down to size and pop the tall poppy’s over-achieving bubble. Taylor Swift might call the last group, “haters,” and remind you that “haters gonna hate, hate, hate” and you must simply “shake it off.” 

In my analytical mind, that is cute, however, I like to go deeper in order to understand why this type of begrudgery exists at all. While not scientific, I would reason that this treatment is somehow warranted in the mind of inferior thinkers. It reminds me of the “don’t hate me because I’m beautiful” commercial in the 90s. Hate is a strong word, yet it could be a valid feeling for someone who already feels ugly inside. At that moment, they might not want to run into Miss America, dressed in all her perfection and positivity. Or the quiet guy might resent working on a team with “the golden boy.” There could be a tall poppy situation about to happen. Do you recall, Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding? 

In closing, if you cannot get excited by someone else’s blessings in life, and destructive actions or thoughts become the modus operandi for dealing with internal pain or competition, please get professional help.

Teams of People

People relationships are the underpinnings of leadership. They are the fastenings, often unseen, that multiply your efforts and create exponential results, far exceeding what you could ever produce alone. These very key relationships create a sophisticated network, interconnecting you to a variety of resources.

So who is in your network?  Your mentor(s), the people you work and do business with, obviously. What about the people who influence them? Hmm...think beyond your circle of friends and influence. Get out of your shell. Join your local chamber. Commit to opportunities to serve in your community. Bottom line: Get to know more people and thereby, build a viable network, your very own bridge to success. Don’t allow your previous success to inhibit you from asking for help.  People want to work on high leverage activities with high producers.

This leads me of a powerful message:  No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you are playing a solo game, you will always lose out to a team.

Goals Lead to Results

Performance is the game changer. People will follow you based on your performance, and most times they will pay you quite well. To achieve this level of leadership, you have to be goal-driven. People need to know your results and what you have accomplished: Did profits rise? Was attrition low? What part did you play in saving or expanding the company? Did you have more wins than losses? 

Evidence of performance and leadership can be found in Coach Billy Donovan. Donovan took a nearly nonexistent Gator basketball team and made them a formidable foe on the courts, winning 2 NCAA national championships and other impressive awards. As a result, the former head coach of the University of Florida's men's basketball team recently accepted a $30 million contract for the same role with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and he is taking his assistant coach, Rashan Burno with him. Coach Burno a proven producer as well, with only three years at Florida, helped lead the Gators to back-to-back SEC Championships and a showing at the 2014 Final Four. 

After 19 years at Florida, it appears that Donovan is planning to lead his new team to a victory, and to produce a new following in the NBA.  Again, people want results.  Be goals-oriented and results driven.

Great Leaders and Big Rocks

Great leaders stay true to themselves. That means they understand their

limitations and they employ others with stronger skills than them to work in

areas where they are the weakest or where they have the least amount of

enjoyment. In the same way that Stephen Covey’s big rock theory, is applied to

productivity, a great leader focuses on his strengths first. When leaders

concentrate on their areas of strength and enjoyment they subsequently spend

little time and energy on the small rocks or the distractions and less enjoyable

tasks. They focus on strengths and therefore they build companies,

departments, and teams that are like them – strong. In return leaders with these

sincere characteristics avoid distractions, aggravating tasks, ego, and

micromanagement.

In order to hone in on the leadership characteristics aforementioned, it is

important to understand that being a leader does not require perfection in every

area. Furthermore, a true leader is not meant to be all things to all people in

every situation and task. The leader may not even be the smartest person on the

team. However, they are always knowledgeable regarding the areas in which

they excel. Practically applied, it is imperative that leaders do a self-assessment:

First, identify what you enjoy about your work, then, dig deep to determine why

that activity or task is enjoyable. Adversely, identify which tasks you least enjoy,

and why this aversion exists. Lastly, seek to understand the reasons behind your

responses, for greater clarity, i.e., if you decide that you hate making speeches,

well that doesn't necessarily mean that you don't like to talk to your team, you

may simply prefer to communicate face-to-face. So be detailed when going

through this exercise. It will serve you greatly as you become a powerhouse

leader.

Our next Moment with Manal will delve further into how to operate with sincerity

as you focus on being true to yourself.

Mentoring revealed

Leaders should have at least two mentors. The obvious mentor is a

person or a group of people you want to emulate. They come in a variety

of forms: a teacher, the Chairman of the Board, a think-tank, or brain trust,

however, they all have the same mission, “to advise or train or encourage”

based on their experiences. This is usually a person you admire.

Most successful people have mentors. For instance, Warren Buffett is a

mentor to musical phenom Jay Z and other business leaders world-wide.

Motivational speaker, Anthony Robbins’ mentor is a fellow motivational

speaker and author, Jim Rohn. Michael Jordan and Oprah have both

confessed to mentoring Tiger Woods. Ben Carson, MD, and author, gives

credit to his mother for mentoring him, and according to The Hall of

Mentors, Pope Benedict XVI considers Pope John Paul his mentor.

The other type of mentor is equally as important, yet you may not choose

to sit down and talk to them. Instead, this mentor is strictly someone you

pay very close attention to, because they will teach you exactly what NOT

to do. This is the person you want to avoid becoming.

Ineffective mentors may have been masterful guides at teaching others

the pitfalls to avoid, connecting them to other leaders and resources,

helping them to chart their course to higher heights and so on, but those

days are gone. They may even have an undeniable prowess in an area of

interest to you, as well as significant financial means. However, they are

jaded and lack enthusiasm for the success of others. Their good points

are overshadowed by these less attractive characteristics. Poor examples

of mentor-ship are: self-centeredness, greed, superiority, and petulance.

No one wants to follow this type of person, or at least they shouldn't. But

don’t disregard them totally; there is much to learn from them - just at a

distance.

Examine Your Motives

Motives matter. I have heard this story several times about a woman who writes this endearing love letter to a former beau. The words are flowery and seem to be heartfelt as the woman confesses her guilt for breaking off their relationship. On the surface the letter denotes a sincere woman who desires to rekindle a relationship with the man of her dreams. However hidden deeply in the recesses of the writer’s opportunistic heart is the true story, the backstory. The former beau has recently won millions in the lottery. Hmmm... Not so honest is she?

The motivation behind our leadership matters as well. Why do we want that particular role? Why do we yearn for success? Are our motives good or selfish? Ask the tough questions because it does matter whether we lead like Batman, and we want to make the world a better place or whether we lead like the Joker, motivated only by greed, power, and revenge. Why? Because, followers duplicate our good or bad efforts, and because wrongly motivated leadership will eventually lead to horrible outcomes, or worst, jail time. As the stories go, and it is always true, good always wins in the end.

Once a Leader

A common misconception in leadership is that if you have lead others before then you will always be viewed as a leader. This is not necessarily the truth. To use a cliché, “the proof is in the pudding.” Take this young lady I know. She was from a small town and had done well, been active in the community, serving in several leadership roles and operating her own small business. One day she decided to explore other options, which lead her out of state, amongst people she did not know, placing her in a competitive corporate culture with highly intelligent co-workers. She had a business background but had never worked for anyone much, and especially not on this level. It was truly like starting over. However she was quickly identified as someone with the initiative to solve problems and before long she was promoted and working full-time with C-suite executives. 

The fast pace of her career was exciting and lucrative yet after some time, she longed for home. When she returned to her small town roots, she noticed all the new faces of people who did not know her and about her accomplishments. This became clearly apparent when she returned to volunteer with an organization close to her heart. All of the seasoned members welcomed her back. She was immediately chosen to chair a standing committee of people she had never worked with before, people watching to see if all they had heard about her rang true. To their surprise, this young lady knew what true leadership meant. She did not rest on her laurels and past reputation, instead she stared the scrutinizers in the face, worked alongside them, and earned the right to be a leader in that organization, once again.