FOUNDING FATHERS

Jul

2023

Founding Fathers Four Pillars of Leadership

Over two hundred years ago a small group of men were credited as the leaders of our nation and created the foundation of freedom we are able to experience today. These men demonstrated four pillars of leadership which I will cover in just a moment and essential for leaders at any level.

In their excellent book CEO Excellence McKinsey & Company senior partners Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra explain six essentials elements for a CEO. I would suggest these six major mindsets can be broken down into four simple pillars that hold the roof of influence: leadership at its core.

6 CEO Mindsets	4 Pillars
Set the Direction	Leadership
Engage the Board, Connect with Stakeholders	Communication
Manage Personal Effectiveness	Self-Leadership
Mobilize through Leaders, Align the Organization	Teamwork

These four pillars and six mindsets can be seen in our founding fathers in the following ways.

Teamwork

We’ve heard of the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773 where people were throwing tea off of ships in opposition to the British taxation without representation. This bold move was what became the beginning of the American Revolution.¹ How does something like this happen? By a group of 30 to 130 men working together to disguise themselves and dumping 342 chests of tea into the water. A small group of people mobilized and aligned for a common purpose created the event that began a revolution.

Within your organization, a small group of people may be willing to be mobilized and aligned to accomplish something that could trigger great momentum. Identify those people and put them together to start something great for everyone.

Communication

April 18, 1775 Dr. Joseph Warren asked Paul Revere to ride into Lexington, Massachusetts to warn key leaders of the American Revolution of the possibility of their arrest by the British.² On a secret mission, Revere rode and eventually arrived at his destination to inform these leaders of what could happen.

Revere modeled the importance of communication as a leader. First, he learned about the situation and then he went into action to spread the message. When working with organizations and teams one of the most significant challenges is effective communication. Revere’s communication led to a chain reaction of communicating to key stakeholders that helped the Sons of Liberty prepare for battle. As leaders, we must communicate in a timely and effective manner to mobilize our team.

Self-Leadership

The most difficult person to lead is us. One of the self-leadership challenges they mention in CEO Excellence is perspective. At the beginning of this war, I imagine many of those enlisted were excited to fight for the cause, but as they saw the cost they had to remain steadfast in their mental fortitude.

As a leader you have a vision of where you want to go, but at times you may wonder if this is the right direction or not. Evaluate, adjust, tweak the plan, but it takes courage and a willingness to get out of our comfort zone to hold the vision. These men believed in their vision for freedom and were willing to continue to fight, are you?

Leadership

George Washington. A quiet farmer with a family joined the military and when the Continental Army was formed to combat the British he became commander. During the following eight years of fighting the British alongside his men, he only spent ten days at his home.³ Washington understood a key principle of effective leadership: example.

By being out with his troops suffering alongside them, he could set the direction and adjust in a timely manner. As leaders, we need to know what the front line is doing. We must sometimes experience it with them so our decisions are more informed. If you think you aren’t getting good information from your team, take time to be among the “troops” and learn for yourself. Not only will it inform your decisions, but it will increase your influence.

As you look at these four pillars, which do you need to develop more? Need help developing in these four pillars? Check out my new online self-guided course you can invest in to grow yourself as a leader. If you want to get multiple for your team, then contact me and put 4 Pillars in the subject line to learn about a group discount. In the meantime, Lead Well!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Tea_Party
https://www.paulreverehouse.org/the-real-story/
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/george-washington

Jul

2018

Three Leadership Lessons from Founding Fathers

My oldest son can make some decent money now that he mows lawns. With that money he has purchased fireworks and is all set to have a “party” with his friends after the fourth of July. I think he is more excited about this than I am only because I don’t want to be the reason for any destruction in my neighborhood.

As I think of fourth of July I went back to a book I read years ago by Donald Phillips called The Founding Fathers on Leadership. Will you reflect with me for a moment on what we can learn about leadership from those who freed America from the tyranny of Great Britain over two hundred years ago? Three themes arose which are simple yet and powerful reminders of how we can lead better at work and home.

Vision. According to Phillips, John Adams in early 1775 created a list of ten things that needed to occur before they could declare war. He had a vision for being freed from Great Britain, but why did he not just give a rousing speech to rally everyone first? Phillips reminds us “Leaders act for certain goals that represent the values – the wants and needs, the aspirations and expectations – of the people they represent.”

As a leader one must see the big picture but have concrete goals that point those led in the direction of accomplishing that vision.

Teamwork. John Adams had a plan, but he and the other founding fathers needed a team to accomplish such a lofty goal. Phillips says, “More people with talent, skill, expertise, and drive were needed . . . who would take risks, act without waiting for direction, and request responsibility . . .”

With any audacious goal a leader sets he or she will need to gather a team to fill in the gaps where he or she does not have the strengths.

As evidenced in the founding fathers, the team should not be simply followers, but other leaders who seek responsibility. This kind of team using their strengths to fulfill a common vision can accomplish great work.

Courage. This small band of men was entering the unknown with a dream of freedom. They were facing the largest Navy and they had to build a Navy. Their military was not nearly as organized as their enemy. Phillips records multiple risks the military leaders took to defeat the British in battle that ended in defeat, but heavy created casualties to the British. As they looked at this lofty goal of freedom these leaders had to boldly take each step not fully confident of the result yet consumed by the vision which encouraged them to continue to fight.

What about you? Do you have a large enough vision for what you lead and your life that you need a team? Is this vision a burning desire that gives you courage to step into uncomfortable and possibly scary areas you have never been? What do you need to do today to move closer to your vision of freedom in your life? Let me know how I can help you in your journey of growing as a great leader at work and home.