The following contains excepts from the book, The Secret (Ken Blanchard, Mark Miller).
At our music school in Midland, Texas we believe that music is more than sound, it is relationships. In discussing the role relationships plays in our lives, the subject of Leadership becomes paramount. Great leaders find the secret ingredient of learning to serve others as one of the most profound lessons in life.
This book uses the acronym SECRET, written in a story-like conversation. Debbie Brewster was struggling in her leadership. The CEO of the company, Jeff Brown, started a leadership mentoring program into which Debbie was accepted. Jeff, over the course of time and discussions, taught her the lessons of this acronym. As Debbie began to grow in her leadership, implementing the lessons, (spoiler) she was finally asked by Jeff to head the newly-created company position of Leadership Development.
In their first meeting Jeff discussed with Debbie that Leadership is much like an iceberg, in which less than 20 percent is above the water. “Below the water is the character of a leader. Above the water are the skills of a leader- what actions or activities he or she does. Another way to think about it is that leadership has two components: Being and Doing…Many believe they could become effective leaders if they only had the skills. Others believe they can become great leaders if they could just develop their character. Both are wrong. It takes skills and character.”
Jeff goes on to explain, “A leader’s motivation or intention as a leader is a character issue. That’s below the surface. Leaders- regardless of their skill level- must continuously ask themselves, ‘Why am I leading?’…A key question you must continuously ask yourself is ‘Am I a self-serving leader or a serving leader?”
We hope to inspire students in our music school in Midland, Texas to learn the value of serving others in everything they do.
SERVE
See the Future
“Leadership is about taking people from one place to another. One of a leader’s top priorities must be to assure that the team knows where you are headed. Seeing the future is all about creating a compelling vision and is one of the privileges and most serious demands of leaders…Envisioning and communicating a future-oriented vision is a huge part of leadership.”
Leaders have to think of today as well as tomorrow. “There is a constant tension between those two in the mind of a leader. I often refer to it as the ‘Heads Up versus the Heads Down’ challenge.’”
“Leaders will always need to devote some time to seeing the future because we need to keep communicating to our people the vision of where we’re going. We do that because over time, vision evaporates. Unless you keep replenishing that vision, it will gradually disappear.’”
As teachers at our music school in Midland, Texas, we are continually casting vision for the potential within each child to latch on to, helping them see their unique strengths, helping them fulfill their dreams and ambitions.
Heads Down, “That’s when leaders help people with implementation- making the vision a reality. Leaders must constantly evaluate how they invest their time. Some time must be devoted to Heads Up, and some must be devoted to Heads Down.”
SERVE
Engage and Develop Others
“You must have the right people, in the right roles, fully engaged if you are going to accomplish the things you identified under See the Future. Everything that you will accomplish as a leader ultimately hinges on the people you have around you…Engage has two distinct components. The first has to do with selection. If we do not select the right people for the right job, we have made a serious leadership error…Never underestimate the time and energy necessary to ‘fix it.’ The costs of a poor selection are staggering…requires time, mental energy, and emotional energy. And while we’re fixing it, there are almost always other costs to the organization: the cost of declining performance and missed opportunities, as well as the cost of recruiting, selecting, and training a new person. And don’t forget the cost to morale.”
Peter Drucker was one asked what the most important decision an executive makes. He responded, “Who does what.”
“Another part of Engage has to do with the level of buy-in people have for a cause, their work, and a leader. You want to do more than enlist their hands- you want to engage their heads and hearts also. I often say that with every pair of hands you hire, you get a free brain.”
At our music school in Midland, Texas we value each person’s unique strengths, including our teachers, and we help them serve in areas that are most fulfilling. When this happens, everyone is benefitted: parents, students, teachers and audiences.
“I would rather ‘fit’ people in the right jobs and help them leverage their strengths, rather than ‘fixing’ them later…Many leaders never get that one. They spend their entire career trying to make people do things they are not naturally gifted or inclined to do. That’s why it’s so important to engage the right people. Changing people- or ‘fixing’ them…is very hard to do.”
“People can learn new skills, and people can enhance their existing abilities…But the purpose of training isn’t to try to ‘fix’ people. I heard a great saying years ago: ‘No matter how long the runway, that pig ain’t gonna fly.’ Many leaders invest a tremendous amount of time, energy, and money to give flying lessons to people who will never fly.”
“Once you’re convinced the fit is right for each position, development can smooth rough edges, close any gaps that may be holding the individual back, and even prepare him or her for future opportunities. All of this is possible if the person is in the right job. Helping people leverage their strengths is one of the most rewarding parts of the leader’s role.”
SERVE
Reinvent Continuously
“First, great leaders Reinvent Continuously on a personal level. They are always interested in ways to enhance their own knowledge and skills. The very best leaders are learners. They like to read and are always open to training that will help them perform better. Great leaders find their own approach to learning- some read, some watch videos, some listen to audio books or podcasts, some spend time with mentors- but they all do whatever it takes to keep learning.”
At our music school in Midland, Texas our goal is to help students become autonomous in their ability to learn, becoming life-long learners and developers of their own life’s journey.
“The leader must model the behavior he or she wants people to emulate. If I’m not serious about personal reinvention, you can bet the majority of my people will not be, either.”
“The second part of Reinvent Continuously applies to systems and processes. Great leaders are always seeking answers to questions like these: How can we do the work better? How can we do it with fewer errors? How can we do it faster? How can we do it for less? Leaders must work to instill the desire for improvement into the people doing the day-to-day work.”
SERVE
Value Results and Relationships
Results and Relationships. “Great leaders- those who lead at a higher level- do both. Both are critical to long-term survival. Not either/or but both/and.”
“In reality, there are two tests of a leader. Do they get results? And do they have followers? By the way, if you don’t have followers, it’s very hard to get long-term results. The way to maximize your results as a leader is to have high expectations for both results and relationships.”
“If your heart is right and your motives are valid, most people will meet you halfway when establishing relationships.”
SERVE
Embody the Values
“Do you know what all legitimate leadership is built on? Trust…As a leader, you must gain the trust of your people. If you don’t have their trust, you’ll never be a great leader.
“For a leader to be successful, he or she must embody the values of their organization…If you don’t Embody the Values, you miss an opportunity to shape the culture of the organization, and you do tremendous damage to your own leadership.
The teachers at our music school in Midland, Texas not only teach, but the majority are active performers. This provides real life examples to the students of what a successful musician looks like.
The Final Test of Leadership
The final test of leadership is, “How your group performs when you’re not around. If you can find a successor who can carry on after your season of leadership has ended, that’s always the hallmark of a great leader. Ultimately, if your people can’t do it without you, you haven’t been successful in raising up other leaders.”
“Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve.” (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.)