Peter Fuda and Richard Badham wrote a fabulous little piece that we’d like to expand upon called How Leaders Spark and Sustain Change (Harvard Business Review, Nov. 2011). We find this particularly helpful for CEO’s and emerging leaders to not only consider but also ideally internalize to assist them in being successful leaders. And Fuda and Badhan go so far as to say that in studying ineffective CEO’s, they find that these ineffective leaders can in fact transform themselves into successful leaders through actionalizing four common metaphors.

The first metaphor is “fire” and it represents a burning ambition. Far too many people lack or have lost the fire for what they do. This is noticeable and uninspiring to others and becomes apparent in their (under) performance. This means that leaders need to identify and align their efforts with what they do best and what they have passion for. No passion, no fire, results in a low burn in value and impact.

Second, is “a snowball”, and it represents a cycle of momentum. Jim Collins, in Good to Great, references momentum as a fly-wheel. Leaders need to demonstrate and create “mutual accountability that creates momentum for change”. We find that low accountability in organizations results in inconsistency and poor output. And worse, a culture emerges that results in a destructive environment of infighting and competition.

Third, is “the mask” and it represents the false persona that people adopt to protect themselves from vulnerability. Fuda and Badham state that leaders must reveal their persona that they believe conceals their flaws – thereby allowing authenticity and genuineness with others to emerge. We find this is a tremendous enabler for developing real relationships. And it’s real relationships that promote trust.

Fourth, and lastly, is “the movie”. This is an area that we preach and strongly believe in; it has to do with a process (not an event) of truthful self-assessment: reflection, evaluation, and course correction.

It’s a wonderful thing to know that strengthening your performance and being your best is really, fully in your control. And we believe that being a successful leader is congruent with being a “happily successful leader.”  Left unattended, you are likely to find yourself in the “unhappily successful” category, or worse, the unsuccessful/ineffective category. It’s your choice.

For additional information on key issues and topics on Leadership and Business Growth see our blogs, free articles, white papers and videos at: www.kubicalaforestconsulting.com

Copyright 2012 Kubica LaForest Consulting

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