Rating Qualities
9
Inspiring
Well Structured
Important
Leadershift
11 Essential Changes Every Leader Must Embrace
John C. Maxwell | HarperCollins Leadership © 2019
Change confronts leaders with disorienting situations and baffling challenges. Figuring out
the best route amid change can discomfit even the most level-headed executive. When you
face turbocharged change, turn to leadership expert John C. Maxwell. He explains how to adapt
and change gears by making “leadershifts” to meet the demands of the future. Maxwell’s coaching
will help you direct your firm and your people calmly and capably despite upheaval. His inspiring
advice will help mature leaders, give a lift to overwhelmed junior execs and encourage potential
leaders to embrace their courage.
Take-Aways
• Management theory used to be in vogue; the emphasis has shifted to leadership tactics.
• Everything now moves faster than ever before. Change is the new constant.
• Innovative leadership must show the way.
• Leaders must stay flexible and adapt quickly to change.
• They must become adept amid uncertainty.
• The most critical change-management tactics are “leadershifts”– dynamic directional
changes that have a positive impact on your organization and employees.
• People who can execute a leadershift have open minds; they love change, innovation, new
ideas, options and creativity.
• The 11 leadershifts include moving from “positional authority to moral authority” and focusing
on “ladder-building” instead of “ladder-climbing.”
• Engage in seven leadership practices, including continual learning, dealing courageously with
uncertainty and keeping your eye on the future.
• Leaders should be alert for opportunities to “learn something new, try something different, find
something better” and “see something bigger.”
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Summary
Focus on Leadership, Not on Management
In the 1970s, management, not leadership, was the hot-button business demand, and
management expert Peter Drucker called the shots. However, as the 1990s approached, more and
more books on leadership began to show up in business bookstores. Readers came to understand
that the pace of change was speeding up, and change was becoming increasingly complex.
Instead of waves of change, change had become the new constant. This made planning and
managing more difficult. Organizations needed innovative leaders to show the way.
“You cannot be the same, think the same and act the same if you hope to be successful in a
world that does not remain the same.”
Management theory worked for organizations in times of stability and predictability. But in
today’s uncertain, ever-changing world, leadership counts more than management. Eric J.
McNulty, director of research at the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative, explains that
linear management systems operate according to the premise that “similar inputs will result in
similar outputs.” But what was once linear and straightforward now is becoming “both complex
and adaptive.” In this transformed environment, flexible and responsive leadership is far more
effective than rigid management theory and practice.
Adaptability
The three most desirable attributes for future leaders are “the ability to motivate staff, the ability
to work well across cultures” and “the ability to facilitate change.” These attributes depend on
another vital trait: adaptability, which is “the ability to change (or to be changed) to fit new
circumstances.” For example, water exhibits adaptability when it “molds itself to the pitcher.”
“Good leaders adapt. They shift. They don’t remain static because they know the world
around them does not remain static.”
Adaptable leaders aren’t conformists. They have courage and confidence; they strike out in new
directions and try new approaches. Nimble, agile leaders cope successfully with uncertainty.
Recent research by Right Management found that adaptable, flexible people who can manage
change and uncertainty will dominate 91% of all new hires in the future.
Jack Had Better Be Nimble
Cheetahs are blazingly fast. Able to race at 58 miles an hour, they can catch and
kill the quickest antelopes. But the cheetah’s speed isn’t what makes it such a deadly
predator. The cheetah’s remarkable nimbleness is what enables it to hunt successfully and kill fleet
prey animals. In a single stride, a cheetah can decelerate as much as nine miles an hour and can
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make tight, almost instantaneous turns. It can leap sideways and shift directions with ease and
without losing focus on its target.
“Some wake up to an alarm. Some wake up to a calling.”
Similarly, modern leaders must be nimble and able to shift quickly in order to adapt quickly
to radically changing circumstances. Nimble leaders must shift fast enough to operate
successfully in a turbulent, often unsettling business environment. Adaptable leaders don’t
fear change. They stay current, adopt new strategies and try new approaches. If one tactic
doesn’t work, they move briskly to another.
“Leadershifts”
People who are capable of executing a leadershift have open minds. They embrace change,
innovation, new ideas and creativity. They treasure options. They prefer questions to
answers. They learn from the universe.
“You don’t lead by hitting people over the head; that’s assault, not
leadership.” (former US president Dwight D. Eisenhower)
In older management systems, leaders would make a 10-year long-range plan, a five-year
medium-range plan and a two-year short-range plan. In today’s world, a long-range plan might
look ahead no more than two years. Such rapidly moving times call for a new form of leadership
and a new generation of leaders who follow seven fundamental leadershift practices:
1. “Continually learn, unlearn and relearn” – Knowledge changes rapidly and
requires constant updating. As the Harvard Business Review reported, “The lessons learned
in school can become outdated before student loans are paid off.” Leaders must replace what
they learned yesterday with what they will learn tomorrow.
2. “Value yesterday but live in today” – Baseball star Babe Ruth said, “Yesterday’s homerun
doesn’t win today’s game.” Focus on current challenges, not past glories.
3. “Rely on speed but thrive on timing”– According to folk wisdom, there’s only one good
day to eat a pear. Have it a day early or a day late, and you will miss the best taste. Eat your
pear on the correct day, and it will be delicious. Timing is everything.
4. “See the big picture as the picture keeps getting bigger” – The more you know
about a subject, the more you understand how much you still have to learn. Think of
this as “layered learning.” As your knowledge about a subject increases, you gain a more
comprehensive understanding of the subject’s context and big picture.
5. “Live in today, but think about tomorrow” – You aren’t a leader only for today. You
will be a leader tomorrow, and the day after, and then more days, more weeks, more months,
and more years or maybe even decades. Plan accordingly.
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6. “Move forward courageously in the midst of uncertainty” – Leaders get paid to deal
with uncertainty. They must relish it because it comes with the territory. Betty Bender, former
president of the Library Administration and Management Association, explains, “Anything I’ve
ever done that ultimately was worthwhile initially scared me to death.”
7. “Realize today’s best will not meet tomorrow’s challenges” – To lead successfully, you
must constantly upgrade your skills. In today’s world of radical change, what worked for you in
the past might not work for you tomorrow. Spend time planning how to get better.
Look Inside Yourself
Look inward for insights on how to improve your perspective and become a better leader:
• “Learn something new” – Ask yourself, “When’s the last time I learned something for the
first time?”
• “Try something different” – Ask yourself, “When’s the last time I did something for the
first time?”
• “Find something better” – Ask yourself, “When’s the last time I found something better for
the first time?”
• “See something bigger” – Ask yourself, “When’s the last time I saw something bigger for
the first time?”
Eleven “Leadershifts”
To be an effective leader, you must deliberately undergo leadershifts in a number of ways.
Any progress you make as a leader means changing how you “think, act and lead.” Pursue 11
fundamental leadershift transitions:
1. “Soloist to conductor”: the “focus shift” – Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar said, “You
can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they
want.” He is pointing to a central truth: Significant organizational accomplishments depend
on the actions of many people, not only on the actions of single leaders. As a leader, you
must move from being an accomplished solo operator to someone who plans and directs the
activities of others. Your job is to make sure everyone on your team operates at peak efficiency
and productivity. Do all that you can to make sure they all grow professionally.
2. “Goals to growth”: the “personal development shift” – Goals are great, but
the personal growth you experience as you work toward your goals usually will be more
meaningful. Personal growth means that you “become better,” which carries even more weight
than doing better. Strive for personal development for yourself, your company and the people
you lead.
3. “Perks to price”: the “cost shift” – Many people want to become leaders, but often for
the wrong reasons. They want power and authority. They want a corner office and more
money. They want to be leaders to get the perks that will come their way, not because they
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can provide others with enlightened guidance. Leader wannabees have everything backward.
Instead of potential perks, leaders should focus on the contributions they can make. True
leaders find their motivation in what they give to other people.
4. “Pleasing people to challenging people”: the “relational shift” – Do you worry
about whether the people you lead like you? If some don’t, do you try to bend yourself into a
pretzel to please them? That’s not the way to lead. As a leader, you need to be in the “leadership
business,” not the “friendship business.” You can’t please everyone, so don’t try. Challenge the
people you lead to be the best they can be.
5. “Maintaining to creating”: the “abundance shift” – Tradition is compelling and has
tremendous power. The natural tendency of leaders is to maintain tradition – to conform to the
past. However, now everything focuses on innovation, not maintenance. Modern leaders need
to wonder, “Why not do it another way – a better way?” This embodies the creative impulse,
not the maintenance impulse, and is an example of the attitude open-minded leaders need.
They should move from the “comfort zone” of “I do what I have always done” to the “creative
zone” of “I attempt to think what I have never thought before.”
6. “Ladder-climbing to ladder-building”: the “reproduction shift: – Everyone climbing
the corporate ladder wants to know, “How high can I go?” Wise leaders understand that a well-
lived life involves more than getting to the top. Instead, they help other people get to the top.
Ladder-climbing leaders must change radically into ladder builders. They must evolve from
holding the ladder, to helping others climb their ladders, and ultimately to extending the ladder
to help others grow into ladder builders who help still others construct their own ladders.
7. “Directing to connecting”: the “communication shift” – Throughout history,
leadership has largely been top-down, command-and-control, I’m-in-charge-and-you’re-not. In
the past, typical leaders might not have been Moses, but they acted like “Moses Jr.” Leadership
was an authoritative, assumptive exercise based on directing others. Today’s leadership focuses
on connecting, not directing. It’s collaborative and empowering. Connected leaders listen to the
people they lead. You will always be a more effective, productive leader when you ask people
questions instead of giving them answers.
8. “Team uniformity to team diversity”: the “improvement shift” – The Harvard
Business Review defines a team as “people with complementary skills who are committed to
a common purpose.” That suggests diversity – a hallmark of a world-class team. Great leaders
understand its value. During the American Civil War, US president Abraham Lincoln selected
a diverse cabinet of “fierce rivals” so he would get the best advice. Similarly, during World War
II, British prime minister Winston Churchill relied on the wise counsel of “political adversaries”
like Clement Attlee. Organize your teams for intelligent dissent and adversarial advice.
9. “Positional authority to moral authority”: the “influence shift” – An unassailable
principle applies to you and your current status: Just because your organization designated
you as a leader doesn’t mean that you have leadership authority. Instead, you have positional
authority, the arbitrary, least influential form of leadership. Your status as leader
doesn’t automatically bestow you with influence. Rather than positional authority, strive for
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moral authority, “the recognition of a person’s leadership influence based on who they are
more than the position they hold.”
10. “Trained leaders to transformational leaders”: the “impact shift” – The
move from trained leader to transformational leader could be “the greatest change to your
life.” Transformational leaders inspire the people they lead to be big dreamers, to educate
themselves, to discover new information and to be the best they can be. Transformational
leaders encourage the people they lead to become positive influences in other people’s
lives. Transformational leaders are visionaries. They strive to secure a better future for their
people; they inspire others with “bold words” and they are confident they can improve the
world. They are passionate and believe “in a cause that is much bigger than themselves.” They
focus on what James Collins and Jerry Porras call, “big hairy audacious goals.”
11. “Career to calling”: the “passion shift” – Research indicates that people fall into three
categories no matter where they work, or at what level: 1) those who just do a job, 2) those with
careers and 3) those with callings. You want to be in the latter category, but finding your calling
requires having a long-term perspective. You need to move in a positive direction with other
people at your side; they will be your legacy. Great leaders understand that their influence
depends on the people who follow them.
About the Author
John C. Maxwell is a coach, speaker and New York Times best-selling author who has sold
more than 30 million books in 50 languages. He founded the John Maxwell Company, the John
Maxwell Team, EQUIP and the John Maxwell Leadership Foundation.
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