The shield of Authenticity, Execution, Greater Good, Integrity, and Sustainability. 

You might be thinking that with the topic of today’s coaching notes, AEGIS, that there will be references to shields that have some ‘bounce’.  That might not have been a bad idea back when these shields were made and used.  I kinda like the idea of having the ability to repel those things that are harmful; it would also make for a good laugh just to see it in action.

And I can tell you that this week as I cut my finger and had to have stitches at the Holland Emergency room that I would have wished that the knife would have ‘bounced’ off my finger!!@!!  But, I guess I was getting a bit ‘cocky’ about not ever having stitches from an accident.  Hopefully, it will be my last time as I am not so tough when dealing with my own injury!  Anyway…back to Aegis…

      

When the fiends have come there is nowhere to hide

      

I must swing my axe, my brothers at my side

      

Feeding on our own fear, passions running high

      

Fleeing not a choice, better to fight and die

 

      

In the shield-wall we stand to defend our land

      

Holding till the end

 

      

Brace the storm and keep the shining blades at bay

      

Fight to let our kingdom live another day

      

Heed the old one’s cries, we mustn’t let them down

      

We will slaughter them to keep them from the crown

 

      

In the shield-wall we stand to defend our land

      Holding till the end 

                  

–Battle hymn or paen–

 

Ahh…I love the historical movies that depict battle; the struggle, the sacrifice, and the heroism.  So when I watched the movie “300” I was locked-in to the characters and the sacrifices that were made during that final battle. Yet, what caught my passion were the concepts of the shield-wall and the formation of the phalanx.  My thoughts immediately started to blend this concept with the concept of leadership; the faithful leadership that puts others first.  This phalanx wasn’t designed to cover your own person, but to protect the person on your left.  You are only as strong as the person on your right…they are protecting you as you are using your own strength and skill to protect another.  Novel idea, huh?  You don’t find too much of that kind of leadership, especially in corporate business…unless maybe your reality is a battlefield.  (Maybe a battlefield is an accurate depiction of corporate?)

 

Men wear their helmets and their breastplates for their own needs, but they carry shields for the men of the entire line.

—Plutarch, Moralia

Now, if you watched the movie, those guys were built…I mean “well-muscled”…all over!   Yes, I couldn’t help but notice…I’m married but not blind! But in the days of the Greeks, most of these men were approx. 150 lbs…carrying approx. 70 lbs. in armor!  Incredible strength and skill was necessary; and another component…resolve, a ferocious resolve!  And because of the shield-wall…no man was greater than any other…it was the combined strength, skill, and resolve that would define the outcome of the battle; victory or defeat, life or death.

 

Signs of courageous leadership came as the rows upon rows of men were arranged typically about eight ranks deep, and stretching for about a quarter of a mile or more.  The commanding general –the strategos—took position in the front rank, at the extreme right – the most exposed position in the entire army.  Generals typically had short careers (take note)!  As lines neared, both sides would break into a run.  The challenge for the general was to maintain cohesion (and the shield-wall) while still gaining enough momentum for the crash.  It took all the ranks to push and hack and spear and shatter the army in front of them.  Although gruesome to watch sometimes in the movie, the battle was very decisive; short with low casualties in comparison to modern combat.  Battles were kept short –even a single battle – so that people could get back to their lives. 

 

Aegis, in Greek mythology, was the shield made by Zeus from the head of the snake-headed Medusa.  Aegis, now in modern English, is to mean a shield, protection, or sponsorship.  The concept of doing something “under someone’s aegis” means doing something under the protection of a powerful, knowledgeable, or benevolent source.  Bottom line…its protection given by your “community” needed against strong forces.

 

As you all know by now, I love to create acronyms that have meaning toward leadership principles.  This is what I came up for ‘aegis’:

 

      A  -  Authenticity – what’s real and true

      

E  - Execution  -  action with decisive results

      

G  -  Greater Good – faithful leadership impacting others; putting

         aside ego

      

I  -   Integrity -  commitment towards honesty, right choices, and

      

follow-thru

      

S  -  Sustainability  -  strength to stand and run into fears with the

      

          shield-wall of core convictions.

 

You know, we all might be in situations that could be better.  They’re not ideal; they rarely follow the story I told last week.  But we do have choices in what we are going to decide; how we are going to live and lead.  There is meaning in truth and honesty, meaning to building trust in our relationships along with motivation to not just do better but be better, and meaning to foster micro-community relationships and to have a resiliency to get through what life throws at us!  But just think about the power of a group of leaders that can come together, with all of their differences (strengths and weaknesses), despite the silos that they have used to define and protect their boundaries, and become that shield-wall when ‘battle’ is necessary.  Remember, it’s not an everyday occurrence, because work and life need to continue, yet it gives me goose bumps to think of leaders (you) that see the bigger picture…they see it in big screen size…they get ‘it’; true and faithful leadership.  

 

My challenge, and yours, is to put aside the self-destructive habits of denial, arrogance, complacency, defensiveness, entitlement, and poor execution and find ourselves picking up our shields, falling into rank, and covering not just our own self but the ‘other’ on our left.  Build the relationships and develop the communication skills that enact great leadership principles.  Your team, your micro-community, your family…they are the ranks in your personal phalanx.  Learn to carry the shield, strengthen your core convictions, and be the faithful leader that runs forward with tough resolve and resiliency.

 

As you and I all encounter and face the challenges to be more than an effective leader, especially in work environments, let me say how much confidence I have in your ability to lead from within…from the convictions that have been stamped and approved by experience, reflection, accountability, wisdom of age, and the daily choice we all have of ‘right action’.  Don’t just settle…don’t just exist…don’t “fold”…there are others that are depending on the protection of our shields.

 

Relationship management is always a relevant topic, always evolving, and always an area of growth because of its impact. Human relations and communication competency are two primary areas for coaching and leadership development. And the hardest part, the real challenge, is to put other people first. In doing so, you show in your actions loyalty, commitment, and a desire to put people before profit; and that can mean personal profit as well as corporate profit!

I’m tired of reading or hearing about the boss, who looked out only for themselves, covered their own butt, bailed out and headed for early retirement in the Bahamas while leaving the company in a mess. Anyone can go into a company and drive up profits by relentlessly driving down his or her people. Soon though, the people will get tired and the equipment will break because neither has been cared for properly. (This same story can be related in a personal manner too.)

It takes a huge amount of commitment to time and the expenditure of energy when dealing with relationships. You can’t be like the sprinter in a marathon where you go for broke the first mile or two, and in doing so, have nothing left for the rest of the race. It takes conditioning, practice, and grace for the “missed it” times. You have to be disciplined and focused on the method…not just on the goal.

Listening well to spouses, children, extended family, friends and co-workers is one of the first building blocks of a strong relationship. When we talk, when we share, when we extend a part of ourselves in vulnerability, we want the listener to just be quiet, to suspend judgments, and to hold all opinions or words of advice. We just want to be heard, accepted, and unconditionally supported even if we don’t have understanding and support for what we are saying. In going the extra mile and listening well in our relationships, we show that we are giving our best efforts, we are building trust, and we are committing ourselves to the process. If you deeply listen to people, you can capture their hearts…and you can capture their trust. Listening well is the deepest compliment you can give someone, especially if you are listening to understand and not just interject your own ideas, opinions, or bit of wisdom.

What are some relationship, trust, and listening items that need to be on our leadership checklist that sound simple but seem to be so difficult to do?

Listen with your mouth closed until it is appropriate to speak; and don’t “shut down” after hearing the first couple of sentences from the communicator. Show respect for their thoughts and ideas.

Establish and keep eye contact; focus on them individually not generically. It might be a conversation you have heard hundreds of times before, but each person has a different perspective that is unique. Listening to others’ ideas can produce creativity not previously possible but for their shared insights.

Ask open-ended questions to elicit understanding and clarification; not validation for your own viewpoint. You will invoke increased motivation and desire from those you influence and lead if they feel like you care.

Don’t let your mind drift; we have the ability to listen to 500 words a minute, yet we speak at a much lower rate of 100 to 125 words per minute. Allow time for them to think through as they talk out their words. The best communicators are not the ones who speak the most…they speak less and listen more!

Show them you can be trusted and keep promises; don’t just say words. If I tell someone that I am available to meet with them, yet, when someone actually has a problem or something they wish to discuss with me, I avoid it by finding a convenient way to get out of the meeting…well, that’s breaking a promise and undermining my leadership impact. Every promise you break, no matter how small or inconsequential, will steadily chip away at your character. Each time you don’t honor a commitment you erode the bonds between you and the people you lead. Every time you avoid doing what’s right, you fuel the habit of doing wrong.

Summarize, paraphrase, and give examples when explaining ideas and concepts. Fear paralyzes when we aren’t sure of the risk or the level of courage we need to enact what is being asked of us.

Don’t hoard; share ideas, share feelings, and share power. Don’t demand, you may not always be right, and people get tired of dealing with those who can’t “give” back.

When you witness acts of courage, cheer and extend the hand of humanity. It’s better than retrieving the machete from the closet. 

Finally, today I have learned of a leader who is leaving a corporation and moving on to other opportunities; but with integrity, honor, and great execution of leadership. They have led with such character and commitment to what is right that they have the support of those employees that would do almost anything not to let that person down. They have modeled discipline, work ethic, trust, motivation, and loyalty so that it will be an ongoing expectation affecting the culture of that company. Faithful leadership executed relentlessly; in the midst of pain, the allure of pleasure, the encouragement to do acts that would make them belong, balancing the conditions that constitute fairness, and the most courageous execution; that of “doing what’s right”; not just the easy or the popular.