Visibile Leadership - The Principal Lesson

My last post on visible leadership must have hit a cord as I received a number of phone calls and emails on the subject. I always love it when I hit on a subject that my readers feel passionate enough to want to dialogue about. So thank you for those of you who reached out to connect on the subject. We certainly had some great conversations and I hope you will keep em coming.

I wanted to share with you another example of visible leadership that has just stuck with me since yesterday.

I needed to work on a project that needs some severe tweaking and decided to head home for the day to put a little time in on it before both of my boys got home from school and my time would not be my own. My oldest son Zachary's school is in walking distance of our home and one of the main roads that leads into our particular subdivision is usually tended to by one of the mother's who is our dutiful crossing guard. As I reached the intersection I noticed a nicely dressed man standing guard over the crosswalk and I automatically assumed our regular crossing guard mother must be sick or busy and one of the dads was chipping in to help out.

As I crept closer to the crosswalk I slowed down and stopped as I saw out substitute crossing guard was attempting to herd a group of kids safely across. The man smiled big and waved as he entered the crosswalk and as each kid passed by he appeared to say something to each of them and offered a pat or two on the head. As the little guys and gals reached the other side of the crosswalk they all had smiles as big as Texas on their faces; not doubt a result of the positive attention they had just been given.

As the man turned and waved in appreciation again for my stopping, I noticed it wasn't some nicely dressed father being the substitute crossing guard for the day...no it was Mr. Ryan, the principal of my son's school Brushy Creek Elementary. I couldn't help it but my immediate thought was why is our school's principal doing having to do crossing guard duty? A man of his position is far too important and must have other important things to do than to do this.

Then it hit me....visible leadership!

When I reached the house I told my wife Kathy about what I had just seen and experienced. She said, "Oh Mr. Ryan does that from time to time. Our other Principal never did it but Mr. Ryan sure doesn't seem to mind helping out when and where he is needed." How cool is that? More importantly, what another fine example of visible leadership!

Visible leadership as I mentioned in my last post is the willingness to do those things that you ask others to do. I am not quite sure if the kids understand or appreciate the lesson Mr. Ryan is teaching them but Zachary now does. Everyone chips in where they are needed and Mr. Ryan's willingness to come down several blocks from the school to "pitch in" says a lot about him as a leader and steward of our children. I told Zachary he needs to appreciate how amazingly cool it is that his principal is willing to go wherever he is needed to insure that his students are able to get home safe and sound.

Mr. Ryan has shown me yet another fine example of visible leadership and how the little things actually make a big difference when it comes to being the kind of leader people want to follow and emulate. Great job Mr. Ryan!!!

So what crosswalks need tending to at your company today?


Ripple On!!!

Ripple Connection Question of the Week

Ripple Connection Questions are a unique way to engage people in conversation. Whether with a complete stranger or someone you already know, but want to know better, using Ripple Connection Questions (RCQ) accelerate the dialogue and deepen the connection. The questions are by design, fun to ask and fun to answer, and can take your connection to an entirely new level. Come on, break out of that shell of yours and start Rippling.

So with no further adieu....this week's question is:

There's 35 days left to go in 2007....

What do you plan to do with
the time left in this year to
insure that this year is one
of your best so far?

It's a valid and very revealing question don't you think?

So what's your answer?

What are you going to do with the next 35 gifts that you are given in 2007?

Ripple On!!!


Steve

As Seen in Entrepreneur Magazine....Again!

I trust everyone is having a fantastic Thanksgiving Weekend. I have forced myself to stay off the computer to get some much needed downtime and recharge which has been a very surreal yet enlightening experience. I think my little digits don't know what to do with themselves since they aren't having to pound away at a keyboard all day.

Well I didn't want them to get out of practice so I thought I would hammer out a quick post to let you all know that I have been again quoted in Entrepreneur Magazine. That makes three consecutive December's that I have been quoted in their magazine which is uber cool.

Actually this month's inclusion is in a special edition publication called Entrepreneur's StartUps 101 Great Ideas to Get You Started Today!

I have the honor of being idea # 10 of 101! You can check it out by clicking here or picking up your own copy of the magazine which will be on display until the end of January!

I also want to give a special thanks to Nichole L. Torres from Entrepreneur Magazine for continuing to dig the Ripple Guy enough to keep using me as a source. It is both an honor and privilege to know you Nichole and I very much appreciate the Ripples that always seem to occur after appearing in your magazine.

Ripple On My Friends!!!

Steve

Visible Leadership

Austin recently hired a new police chief and his name is Art Acevedo. Chief Acevedo came to Austin from California where he was the assistant chief of the California Highway Patrol. He takes over a police department that in recent years has been mired in controversy and has a significant public perception problem.

From the first day that Chief Acevedo took over he has been visible. A trait apparently that won him much fan fare within the Los Angeles community. Chief Acevedo pledged to earn the trust of the Austin public and so far he appears serious about this commitment. Most recently making public a video where a police officer stepped over the line and used excessive force to show both the police department and the public that this kind of action could and would in the future, be avoided. Furthermore, he took what I perceive to be a publicly embarrassing situation for the department and choose to use it as a training opportunity and a public omission that his officer's don't always get it right.

Visible leadership enables those that you lead to watch and see how you respond publicly. They get to see the rhetoric and motivational mumbo jumbo that is often retorted behind closed doors put out there and tested in the stern eyes of public perception. That takes guts and a real belief in one's own ability that the changes that they as a leader are expecting to make, can and will work.

Listening to the morning drive time news the other day there was a half minute story about Acevedo's desire to show more of a police presence during this upcoming holiday season. Statics have shown that alcohol related incidents increase during the holidays and that an increased police presence makes people think twice before drinking a little too much and jumping behind the wheel.

What impressed me most about this story was the fact that every available police office would be out on patrol throughout the holidays and that included the Chief himself. If I was one of Austin's finest and the boss was asking me to work and be away from my family during the holidays I might tend to be a little less upset when I looked across the parking lot and saw the big cheese himself jumping in a squad car to join the fight. That's truly putting his money where his mouth is if you ask me.

Visible leadership is more than just big words and big promises. It's about moving people enough to want to move the football from point a to point b. And yes as a leader, sometimes it means calling the play and keeping the football yourself just to show the team you can and you will. Real leadership isn't "do as I say or else." Well maybe it is by perceptionary (another Steveism ) and that's why so many organizations are seemingly mired in perpetual failure. But I contend that many a CEO and organizational leader could learn from the good example that Chief Acevedo's visible leadership is offering.

I suspect Chief Acevedo's visible leadership is creating a pretty big Ripple Effect. Not only is he getting the attention of the entire police force but it has to be getting noticed by the criminal element as well. Maybe they will think twice before deciding to pick Austin as a place to do their crime. The police officer that will catch them may very well be the Chief himself.

Welcome to Austin Chief Acevedo. I hope our paths cross one day....in a purely good way!

Ripple On!!!