A Survival Guide for Leaders
by Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky
Reprint r0206c
June 2002
HBR Case Study r0206a
The Skeleton in the Corporate Closet
Julia Kirby
HBR at Large r0206b
My Week as a Room-Service
Waiter at the Ritz
Paul Hemp
Managing Yourself r0206c
A Survival Guide for Leaders
Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky
Charting Your Company s Future r0206d
W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne
The Very Real Dangers r0206e
of Executive Coaching
Steven Berglas
Value Acceleration: Lessons r0206f
from Private-Equity Masters
Paul Rogers, Tom Holland, and Dan Haas
The People Who Make r0206g
Organizations Go  or Stop
Rob Cross and Laurence Prusak
Best Practice r0206h
Spinning Out a Star
Michael D. Lord, Stanley W. Mandel,
and Jeffrey D. Wager
Frontiers r0206j
Have Your Objects Call My Objects
Glover T. Ferguson
Managing Yourself
A Survival Guide
for Leaders
Steering an organization through times of change can
be hazardous, and it has been the ruin of many a leader.
To avoid the perils, let a few basic rules govern your
actions  and your internal compass.
hink of the many top execu- talking here about conventional office
by Ronald A. Heifetz
tives in recent years who, some- politics; we re talking about the high-
and Marty Linsky T times after long periods of con- stake risks you face whenever you try
siderable success, have crashed and to lead an organization through diffi-
burned. Or think of individuals you have cult but necessary change. The risks dur-
known in less prominent positions, per- ing such times are especially high be-
haps people spearheading significant cause change that truly transforms an
change initiatives in their organizations, organization, be it a multibillion-dollar
who have suddenly found themselves company or a ten-person sales team, de-
out of a job. Think about yourself: In ex- mands that people give up things they
ercising leadership, have you ever been hold dear: daily habits, loyalties, ways
removed or pushed aside? of thinking. In return for these sacrifices,
Let s face it, to lead is to live danger- they may be offered nothing more than
ously. While leadership is often depicted the possibility of a better future.
as an exciting and glamorous endeavor, We refer to this kind of wrenching or-
one in which you inspire others to fol- ganizational transformation as  adap-
low you through good times and bad, tive change, something very different
such a portrayal ignores leadership s from the  technical change that occu-
dark side: the inevitable attempts to pies people in positions of authority on
take you out of the game. a regular basis.Technical problems,while
Those attempts are sometimes justi- often challenging, can be solved apply-
fied. People in top positions must often ing existing know-how and the organi-
pay the price for a flawed strategy or a zation s current problem-solving pro-
series of bad decisions. But frequently, cesses. Adaptive problems resist these
something more is at work. We re not kinds of solutions because they require
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Copyright © 2002 by Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.
MANAGING YOURSELF " A Survival Guide for Leaders
individuals throughout the organization fully personal; we as individuals have it as a whole. We call this skill  getting
to alter their ways; as the people them- been knocked off course or out of the off the dance floor and going to the bal-
selves are the problem, the solution lies action more than once in our own lead- cony, an image that captures the men-
with them. (See the sidebar  Adaptive ership efforts. So we are offering what tal activity of stepping back from the
Versus Technical Change: Whose Prob- we hope are some pragmatic answers action and asking,  What s really going
lem Is It? ) Responding to an adaptive that grow out of these observations and on here?
challenge with a technical fix may have experiences. We should note that while Leadership is an improvisational art.
some short-term appeal. But to make our advice clearly applies to senior You may be guided by an overarching
real progress, sooner or later those who executives, it also applies to people try- vision, clear values, and a strategic plan,
lead must ask themselves and the peo- ing to lead change initiatives from posi- but what you actually do from moment
ple in the organization to face a set of tions of little or no formal organiza- to moment cannot be scripted. You
deeper issues  and to accept a solution tional authority. must respond as events unfold. To use
that may require turning part or all of This  survival guide has two main our metaphor, you have to move back
the organization upside down. parts. The first looks outward, offering and forth from the balcony to the dance
It is at this point that danger lurks. tactical advice about relating to your or- floor, over and over again throughout
And most people who lead in such a sit- ganization and the people in it. It is de- the days, weeks, months, and years.
uation swept up in the action, champi- signed to protect you from those trying While today s plan may make sense
oning a cause they believe in are caught to push you aside before you complete now, tomorrow you ll discover the unan-
unawares. Over and over again, we have your initiative. The second looks inward, ticipated effects of today s actions and
seen courageous souls blissfully igno- focusing on your own human needs and have to adjust accordingly. Sustaining
rant of an approaching threat until it vulnerabilities. It is designed to keep good leadership, then, requires first and
was too late to respond. you from bringing yourself down. foremost the capacity to see what is hap-
The hazard can take numerous forms. pening to you and your initiative as it
A Hostile Environment
You may be attacked directly in an at- is happening and to understand how
tempt to shift the debate to your char- Leading major organizational change today s turns in the road will affect to-
acter and style and avoid discussion of often involves radically reconfiguring morrow s plans.
your initiative. You may be marginal- a complex network of people, tasks, and But taking a balcony perspective is
ized, forced into the position of becom- institutions that have achieved a kind extremely tough to do when you re
ing so identified with one issue that of modus vivendi, no matter how dys- fiercely engaged down below, being
your broad authority is undermined. functional it appears to you. When the pushed and pulled by the events and
You may be seduced by your supporters status quo is upset, people feel a sense people around you  and doing some
and, fearful of losing their approval and of profound loss and dashed expecta- pushing and pulling of your own. Even
affection, fail to demand they make the tions. They may go through a period of if you are able to break away, the prac-
sacrifices needed for the initiative to suc- feeling incompetent or disloyal. It s no tice of stepping back and seeing the big
ceed. You may be diverted from your wonder they resist the change or try picture is complicated by several factors.
goal by people overwhelming you with to eliminate its visible agent. We offer For example, when you get some dis-
the day-to-day details of carrying it out, here a number of techniques relatively tance, you still must accurately interpret
keeping you busy and preoccupied. straightforward in concept but difficult what you see and hear. This is easier said
Each one of these thwarting tactics  to execute  for minimizing these exter- than done. In an attempt to avoid diffi-
whether done consciously or not grows nal threats. cult change, people will naturally, even
out of people s aversion to the organi- Operate in and above the fray. The unconsciously, defend their habits and
zational disequilibrium created by your ability to maintain perspective in the ways of thinking. As you seek input
initiative. By attempting to undercut midst of action is critical to lowering from a broad range of people, you ll con-
you, people strive to restore order, main- resistance. Any military officer knows stantly need to be aware of these hid-
tain what is familiar to them, and protect the importance of maintaining the ca- den agendas. You ll also need to observe
themselves from the pains of adaptive pacity for reflection, especially in the your own actions; seeing yourself ob-
change. They want to be comfortable  fog of war. Great athletes must simul- jectively as you look down from the bal-
again, and you re in the way. taneously play the game and observe cony is perhaps the hardest task of all.
So how do you protect yourself? Over
a combined 50 years of teaching and Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky teach leadership at the John F. Kennedy School
consulting, we have asked ourselves that of Government at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They are part-
question time and again usually while ners of Cambridge Leadership Associates, a firm that consults to senior executives on
watching top-notch and well-intentioned the practice of leadership (www.cambridge-leadership.com). They are also the coauthors
folks get taken out of the game. On oc- of Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Leading (Harvard
casion, the question has become pain- Business School Press, 2002), from which this article is adapted.
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A Survival Guide for Leaders " MANAGING YOURSELF
Fortunately, you can learn to be both know that your initiative will disrupt car next to him. The police officer called
an observer and a participant at the their lives and make their futures un- to the scene charged Patterson with
same time. When you are sitting in a certain. You want to be sure that this driving under the influence. Patterson
meeting, practice by watching what is general uneasiness doesn t evolve into phoned Bob Haiman, a veteran Times
happening while it is happening  even a move to push you aside. newsman who had just been appointed
as you are part of what is happening. These people will need to see that executive editor, and insisted that a
Observe the relationships and see how your intentions are serious  for exam- story on his arrest be run. As Haiman
people s attention to one another can ple, that you are willing to let go of recalls, he tried to talk Patterson out of
vary: supporting, thwarting, or listening. those who can t make the changes your it, arguing that DUI arrests that didn t
Watch people s body language. When initiative requires. But people must also involve injuries were rarely reported,
you make a point, resist the instinct to see that you understand the loss you even when prominent figures were in-
stay perched on the edge of your seat, are asking them to accept. You need to volved. Patterson was adamant, how-
ready to defend what you said. A tech- name the loss, be it a change in time- ever, and insisted that the story appear
nique as simple as pushing your chair honored work routines or an overhaul on page one.
a few inches away from the table after of the company s core values, and ex- Patterson, still viewed as somewhat
you speak may provide the literal as well plicitly acknowledge the resulting pain. of an outsider at the paper, knew that if
as metaphorical distance you need to You might do this through a series of he wanted his employees to follow the
become an observer. simple statements, but it often requires highest journalistic standards, he would
Court the uncommitted. It s tempt- something more tangible and public  have to display those standards, even
ing to go it alone when leading a change recall Franklin Roosevelt s radio  fire- when it hurt. Few leaders are called
initiative. There s no one to dilute your side chats during the Great Depres- upon to disgrace themselves on the
ideas or share the glory, and it s often sion  to convince people that you truly front page of a newspaper. But adopting
just plain exciting. It s also foolish. You understand. the behavior you expect from others 
need to recruit partners, people who Beyond a willingness to accept casu- whether it be taking a pay cut in tough
can help protect you from attacks and alties and acknowledge people s losses, times or spending a day working next to
who can point out potentially fatal flaws two very personal types of action can employees on a reconfigured produc-
in your strategy or initiative. Moreover, defuse potential resistance to you and tion line  can be crucial in getting buy-
you are far less vulnerable when you are your initiatives. The first is practicing in from people who might try to under-
out on the point with a bunch of folks what you preach. In 1972, Gene Patter- mine your initiative.
rather than alone. You also need to keep son took over as editor of the St. Peters- The second thing you can do to neu-
the opposition close. Knowing what burg Times. His mandate was to take tralize potential opposition is to ac-
your opponents are thinking can help the respected regional newspaper to a knowledge your own responsibility for
you challenge them more effectively higher level, enhancing its reputation whatever problems the organization
and thwart their attempts to upset your for fine writing while becoming a fear- currently faces. If you have been with
agenda  or allow you to borrow ideas less and hard-hitting news source. This the company for some time, whether
in a position of senior authority or not,
you ve likely contributed in some way
Executives leading difficult change initiatives are
to the current mess. Even if you are new,
you need to identify areas of your own
often blissfully ignorant of an approaching threat
behavior that could stifle the change
until it is too late to respond.
you hope to make.
In our teaching, training, and con-
that will improve your initiative. Have would require major changes not only sulting, we often ask people to write or
coffee once a week with the person in the way the community viewed the talk about a leadership challenge they
most dedicated to seeing you fail. newspaper but also in the way Times currently face. Over the years, we have
But while relationships with allies reporters thought about themselves read and heard literally thousands of
and opponents are essential, the people and their roles. Because prominent or- such challenges. Typically, in the first
who will determine your success are ganizations and individuals would no version of the story, the author is no-
often those in the middle, the uncom- longer be spared warranted criticism, where to be found. The underlying mes-
mitted who nonetheless are wary of reporters would sometimes be angrily sage:  If only other people would shape
your plans. They have no substantive rebuked by the subjects of articles. up, I could make progress here. But by
stake in your initiative, but they do have Several years after Patterson arrived, too readily pointing your finger at oth-
a stake in the comfort, stability, and se- he attended a party at the home of the ers, you risk making yourself a target.
curity of the status quo. They ve seen paper s foreign editor. Driving home, he Remember, you are asking people to
change agents come and go, and they pulled up to a red light and scraped the move to a place where they are fright-
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MANAGING YOURSELF " A Survival Guide for Leaders
ened to go. If at the same time you re
blaming them for having to go there,
Adaptive Versus Technical Change
they will undoubtedly turn against you.
In the early 1990s, Leslie Wexner, Whose Problem Is It?
founder and CEO of the Limited, real-
ized the need for major changes at the
The importance  and difficulty  of distinguishing between adaptive and
company, including a significant reduc-
technical change can be illustrated with an analogy. When your car has
tion in the workforce. But his consul-
tant told him that something else had
problems, you go to a mechanic. Most of the time, the mechanic can fix the
to change: long-standing habits that
car. But if your car troubles stem from the way a family member drives,
were at the heart of his self-image. In
the problems are likely to recur. Treating the problems as purely technical
particular, he had to stop treating the
ones  taking the car to the mechanic time and again to get it back on the
company as if it were his family. The in-
road  masks the real issues. Maybe you need to get your mother to stop
dulgent father had to become the chief
drinking and driving, get your grandfather to give up his driver s license, or
personnel officer, putting the right peo-
ple in the right jobs and holding them
get your teenager to be more cautious. Whatever the underlying problems,
accountable for their work.  I was an
the mechanic can t solve them. Instead, changes in the family need to occur,
athlete trained to be a baseball player, 
and that won t be easy. People will resist the moves, even denying that such
Wexner recalled during a recent speech
problems exist. That s because even those not directly affected by an adap-
at Harvard s Kennedy School. And one
tive change typically experience discomfort when someone upsets a group s
day, someone tapped me on the shoul-
or an organization s equilibrium.
der and said,  Football. And I said,  No,
I m a baseball player. And he said, Foot-
Such resistance to adaptive change certainly happens in business. Indeed,
ball. And I said,  I don t know how to
it s the classic error: Companies treat adaptive challenges as if they were
play football. I m not 6'4'', and I don t
technical problems. For example, executives attempt to improve the bottom
weigh 300 pounds. But if no one values
line by cutting costs across the board. Not only does this avoid the need to
baseball anymore, the baseball player
make tough choices about which areas should be trimmed, it also masks
will be out of business. So I looked into
the fact that the company s real challenge lies in redesigning its strategy.
the mirror and said,  Schlemiel, nobody
wants to watch baseball. Make the trans-
Treating adaptive challenges as technical ones permits executives to do
formation to football.  His personal
what they have excelled at throughout their careers: solve other people s
makeover  shedding the role of forgiv-
problems. And it allows others in the organization to enjoy the primordial
ing father to those widely viewed as not
peace of mind that comes from knowing that their commanding officer has
holding their own  helped sway other
a plan to maintain order and stability. After all, the executive doesn t have
employees to back a corporate make-
to instigate  and the people don t have to undergo  uncomfortable change.
over. And his willingness to change
helped protect him from attack during
Most people would agree that, despite the selective pain of a cost-cutting
the company s long  and generally suc-
exercise, it is less traumatic than reinventing a company.
cessful turnaround period.
Cook the conflict. Managing conflict
is one of the greatest challenges a leader
of organizational change faces. The con-
flict may involve resistance to change, manage people s passionate differences look and feel quite different in different
or it may involve clashing viewpoints in a way that diminishes their destruc- contexts. It may be a protected physical
about how the change should be car- tive potential and constructively har- space, perhaps an off-site location where
ried out. Often, it will be latent rather nesses their energy. Two techniques can an outside facilitator helps a group work
than palpable. That s because most or- help you achieve this. First, create a se- through its differences. It may be a clear
ganizations are allergic to conflict, see- cure place where the conflicts can freely set of rules and processes that give mi-
ing it primarily as a source of danger, bubble up. Second, control the temper- nority voices confidence that they will
which it certainly can be. But conflict is ature to ensure that the conflict doesn t be heard without having to disrupt the
a necessary part of the change process boil over  and burn you in the process. proceedings to gain attention. It may
and, if handled properly, can serve as The vessel in which a conflict is sim- be the shared language and history of
the engine of progress. mered  in which clashing points of an organization that binds people to-
Thus, a key imperative for a leader view mix, lose some of their sharpness, gether through trying times. Whatever
trying to achieve significant change is to and ideally blend into consensus  will its form, it is a place or a means to con-
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A Survival Guide for Leaders " MANAGING YOURSELF
tain the roiling forces unleashed by the cate that the environment is just right clearly define their roles, he got them
threat of major change. for hard work to get done. to generate new and competing ideas.
But a vessel can withstand only so We ve already mentioned a classic ex- Roosevelt displayed both the acuity to
much strain before it blows. A huge chal- ample of managing the distress of fun- recognize when the tension in the na-
lenge you face as a leader is keeping your damental change: Franklin Roosevelt tion had risen too high and the emo-
employees stress at a productive level. during the first few years of his presi- tional strength to take the heat and per-
The success of the change effort as well dency. When he took office in 1933, the mit considerable anxiety to persist.
as your own authority and even sur- chaos, tension, and anxiety brought on Place the work where it belongs.
vival  requires you to monitor your or- by the Depression ran extremely high. Because major change requires people
ganization s tolerance for heat and then Demagogues stoked class, ethnic, and across an entire organization to adapt,
regulate the temperature accordingly. racial conflict that threatened to tear you as a leader need to resist the reflex
You first need to raise the heat enough the nation apart. Individuals feared an reaction of providing people with the
that people sit up, pay attention, and uncertain future. So Roosevelt first did answers. Instead, force yourself to trans-
deal with the real threats and challenges what he could to reduce the sense of fer, as Roosevelt did, much of the work
facing them. After all, without some dis- disorder to a tolerable level. He took and problem solving to others. If you
tress, there s no incentive to change. You decisive and authoritative action  he don t, real and sustainable change won t
can constructively raise the temperature pushed an extraordinary number of bills occur. In addition, it s risky on a per-
by focusing people s attention on the through Congress during his fabled first sonal level to continue to hold on to the
hard issues, by forcing them to take re- 100 days  and thereby gave Americans work that should be done by others.
sponsibility for tackling and solving a sense of direction and safety, reassur- As a successful executive, you have
those issues, and by bringing conflicts ing them that they were in capable gained credibility and authority by
occurring behind closed doors out into hands. In his fireside chats, he spoke to demonstrating your capacity to solve
the open. people s anxiety and anger and laid out other people s problems. This ability can
But you have to lower the tempera- a positive vision for the future that made be a virtue, until you find yourself faced
ture when necessary to reduce what can the stress of the current crisis bearable with a situation in which you cannot
be counterproductive turmoil. You can and seem a worthwhile price to pay for deliver solutions. When this happens,
turn down the heat by slowing the pace progress. all of your habits, pride, and sense of
of change or by tackling some relatively But he knew the problems facing competence get thrown out of kilter
straightforward technical aspect of the the nation couldn t be solved from the because you must mobilize the work of
problem, thereby reducing people s anx- White House. He needed to mobilize others rather than find the way your-
iety levels and allowing them to get citizens and get them to dream up, try self. By trying to solve an adaptive chal-
warmed up for bigger challenges. You lenge for people, at best you will recon-
can provide structure to the problem- figure it as a technical problem and
create some short-term relief. But the
solving process, creating work groups To neutralize potential
with specific assignments, setting time issue will not have gone away.
opposition, you should
parameters, establishing rules for deci- In the 1994 National Basketball Asso-
sion making, and outlining reporting ciation Eastern Conference semifinals,
acknowledge your own
relationships. You can use humor or find the Chicago Bulls lost to the New York
Knicks in the first two games of the best-
an excuse for a break or a party to tem- responsibility for whatever
porarily ease tensions. You can speak of-seven series. Chicago was out to prove
problems the organization
to people s fears and, more critically, to that it was more than just a one-man
their hopes for a more promising future. team, that it could win without Michael
currently faces.
By showing people how the future Jordan, who had retired at the end of
might look, you come to embody hope the previous season.
rather than fear, and you reduce the out, fight over, and ultimately own the In the third game, the score was tied
likelihood of becoming a lightning rod sometimes painful solutions that would at 102 with less than two seconds left.
for the conflict. transform the country and move it for- Chicago had the ball and a time-out to
The aim of both these tactics is to ward. To do that, he needed to maintain plan a final shot. Coach Phil Jackson
keep the heat high enough to motivate a certain level of fermentation and dis- called for Scottie Pippen, the Bulls star
people but low enough to prevent a di- tress. So, for example, he orchestrated since Jordan had retired, to make the
sastrous explosion what we call a  pro- conflicts over public priorities and pro- inbound pass to Toni Kukoc for the final
ductive range of distress. Remember, grams among the large cast of creative shot. As play was about to resume, Jack-
though, that most employees will re- people he brought into the government. son noticed Pippen sitting at the far
flexively want you to turn down the By giving the same assignment to two end of the bench. Jackson asked him
heat; their complaints may in fact indi- different administrators and refusing to whether he was in or out. I m out, said
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MANAGING YOURSELF " A Survival Guide for Leaders
Pippen, miffed that he was not tapped to by the faction that you decide against wisely or purposefully. Whether inher-
take the final shot. With only four play- and held responsible by nearly every- ited or products of our upbringing, some
ers on the floor, Jackson quickly called one for the turmoil your decision gener- of these hungers may be so strong that
another time-out and substituted an ex- ates. In the eyes of many, the only way to they render us constantly vulnerable.
cellent passer, the reserve Pete Myers, neutralize the threat is to get rid of you. More typically, a stressful situation or
for Pippen. Myers tossed a perfect pass Despite that risk, most executives setting can exaggerate a normal level
to Kukoc, who spun around and sank a can t resist the temptation to solve fun- of need, amplifying our desires and
miraculous shot to win the game. damental organizational problems by overwhelming our usual self-discipline.
The Bulls made their way back to the themselves. People expect you to get Two of the most common and danger-
locker room, their euphoria deflated by right in there and fix things, to take a ous hungers are the desire for control
Pippen s extraordinary act of insubor- stand and resolve the problem. After and the desire for importance.
dination. Jackson recalls that as he en- all, that is what top managers are paid Everyone wants to have some mea-
tered a silent room, he was uncertain to do. When you fulfill those expecta- sure of control over his or her life. Yet
about what to do. Should he punish Pip- tions, people will call you admirable and some people s need for control is dis-
pen? Make him apologize? Pretend the courageous  even a  leader  and that proportionately high. They might have
whole thing never happened? All eyes is flattering. But challenging your em- grown up in a household that was either
were on him. The coach looked around, ployees expectations requires greater tightly structured or unusually chaotic;
meeting the gaze of each player, and courage and leadership. in either case, the situation drove them
said, What happened has hurt us. Now to become masters at taming chaos not
The Dangers Within
you have to work this out. only in their own lives but also in their
Jackson knew that if he took action to We have described a handful of leader- organizations.
resolve the immediate crisis, he would ship tactics you can use to interact with That need for control can be a source
have made Pippen s behavior a matter the people around you, particularly of vulnerability. Initially, of course, the
between coach and player. But he un- those who might undermine your ini- ability to turn disorder into order may be
derstood that a deeper issue was at the tiatives. Those tactics can help advance seen as an attribute. In an organization
heart of the incident: Who were the your initiatives and, just as important, facing turmoil, you may seem like a god-
Chicago Bulls without Michael Jordan? ensure that you remain in a position send if you are able (and desperately
It wasn t about who was going to suc- where you can bring them to fruition. want) to step in and take charge. By low-
ceed Jordan, because no one was; it was But from our own observations and ering the distress to a tolerable level,
about whether the players could jell as painful personal experiences, we know you keep the kettle from boiling over.
a team where no one person dominated that one of the surest ways for an orga- But in your desire for order, you can
and every player was willing to do what- nization to bring you down is simply to mistake the means for the end. Rather
ever it took to help. The issue rested let you precipitate your own demise. than ensuring that the distress level in
with the players, not him, and only they In the heat of leadership, with the an organization remains high enough
could resolve it. It did not matter what adrenaline pumping, it is easy to con- to mobilize progress on the issues, you
they decided at that moment; what mat- vince yourself that you are not subject focus on maintaining order as an end
tered was that they, not Jackson, did the to the normal human frailties that can in itself. Forcing people to make the dif-
deciding. What followed was a discus- defeat ordinary mortals. You begin to ficult trade-offs required by fundamen-
sion led by an emotional Bill Cartwright, act as if you are indestructible. But the tal change threatens a return to the dis-
a team veteran. According to Jackson, intellectual, physical, and emotional order you loathe. Your ability to bring
the conversation brought the team challenges of leadership are fierce. So, the situation under control also suits the
closer together. The Bulls took the series in addition to getting on the balcony, people in the organization, who natu-
to a seventh game before succumbing to you need to regularly step into the inner rally prefer calm to chaos. Unfortu-
the Knicks. chamber of your being and assess the nately, this desire for control makes you
Jackson gave the work of addressing tolls those challenges are taking. If you vulnerable to, and an agent of, the or-
both the Pippen and the Jordan issues don t, your seemingly indestructible self ganization s wish to avoid working
back to the team for another reason: If can self-destruct. This, by the way, is an through contentious issues. While this
he had taken ownership of the prob- ideal outcome for your foes  and even may ensure your survival in the short
lem, he would have become the issue, at friends who oppose your initiative  term, ultimately you may find yourself
least for the moment. In his case, his po- because no one has to feel responsible accused, justifiably, of failing to deal
sition as coach probably wouldn t have for your downfall. with the tough challenges when there
been threatened. But in other situations, Manage your hungers. We all have was still time to do so.
taking responsibility for resolving a con- hungers, expressions of our normal Most people also have some need to
flict within the organization poses risks. human needs. But sometimes those feel important and affirmed by others.
You are likely to find yourself resented hungers disrupt our capacity to act The danger here is that you will let this
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A Survival Guide for Leaders " MANAGING YOURSELF
affirmation give you an inflated view of the point; everyone in business makes back to earth when you start taking
yourself and your cause. A grandiose bad decisions. The point is, Olsen had praise too seriously. But don t confuse
sense of self-importance often leads to fostered such an atmosphere of depen- confidants with allies: Instead of sup-
self-deception. In particular, you tend dence that his decisions were rarely porting your current initiative, a confi-
to forget the creative role that doubt  challenged by colleagues  at least not dant simply supports you. A common
which reveals parts of reality that you until it was too late. mistake is to seek a confidant among
wouldn t otherwise see  plays in get- Contrast that decision with Bill trusted allies, whose personal loyalty
ting your organization to improve. The Gates s decision some years later to keep may evaporate when a new issue more
absence of doubt leads you to see only Microsoft out of the Internet business. important to them than you begins to
that which confirms your own compe- It didn t take long for him to reverse his emerge and take center stage.
tence, which will virtually guarantee di- stand and launch a corporate overhaul Perhaps most important, you need to
sastrous missteps. that had Microsoft s delivery of Inter- distinguish between your personal self,
Another harmful side effect of an in- net services as its centerpiece. After which can serve as an anchor in stormy
flated sense of self-importance is that watching the rapidly changing com- weather, and your professional role,
you will encourage people in the or- puter industry and listening carefully which never will. It is easy to mix up the
ganization to become dependent on to colleagues, Gates changed his mind two. And other people only increase
you. The higher the level of distress, the with no permanent damage to his sense the confusion: Colleagues, subordinates,
greater their hopes and expectations of pride and an enhanced reputation and even bosses often act as if the role
that you will provide deliverance. This due to his nimble change of course. you play is the real you. But that is not
relieves them of any responsibility for Anchor yourself. To survive the tur- the case, no matter how much of your-
moving the organization forward. But bulent seas of a change initiative, you self  your passions, your values, your
their dependence can be detrimental need to find ways to steady and stabilize talents  you genuinely and laudably
not only to the group but to you per- yourself. First, you must establish a safe pour into your professional role. Ask
sonally. Dependence can quickly turn harbor where each day you can reflect anyone who has experienced the rude
awakening that comes when they leave
a position of authority and suddenly
To survive, you need a sanctuary where you can reflect
find that their phone calls aren t re-
turned as quickly as they used to be.
on the previous day s journey, renew your emotional
That harsh lesson holds another im-
resources, and recalibrate your moral compass.
portant truth that is easily forgotten:
When people attack someone in a posi-
to contempt as your constituents dis- on the previous day s journey, repair tion of authority, more often than not
cover your human shortcomings. the psychological damage you have in- they are attacking the role, not the per-
Two well-known stories from the curred, renew your stores of emotional son. Even when attacks on you are highly
computer industry illustrate the perils resources, and recalibrate your moral personal, you need to read them pri-
of dependency and how to avoid them. compass. Your haven might be a physi- marily as reactions to how you, in your
Ken Olsen, the founder of Digital Equip- cal place, such as the kitchen table of a role, are affecting people s lives. Under-
ment Corporation, built the company friend s house, or a regular routine, such standing the criticism for what it is pre-
into a 120,000-person operation that, as a daily walk through the neighbor- vents it from undermining your stability
at its peak, was the chief rival of IBM. A hood. Whatever the sanctuary, you need and sense of self-worth. And that s im-
generous man, he treated his employees to use and protect it. Unfortunately, portant because when you feel the sting
extraordinarily well and experimented seeking such respite is often seen as a of an attack, you are likely to become de-
with personnel policies designed to in- luxury, making it one of the first things fensive and lash out at your critics, which
crease the creativity, teamwork, and sat- to go when life gets stressful and you can precipitate your downfall.
isfaction of his workforce. This, in tan- become pressed for time. We hasten to add that criticism may
dem with the company s success over Second, you need a confidant, some- contain legitimate points about how
the years, led the company s top man- one you can talk to about what s in your you are performing your role. For ex-
agement to turn to him as the sole de- heart and on your mind without fear of ample, you may have been tactless in
cision maker on all key issues. His deci- being judged or betrayed. Once the raising an issue with your organization,
sion to shun the personal computer undigested mess is on the table, you can or you may have turned the heat up too
market because of his belief that few begin to separate, with your confidant s quickly on a change initiative. But, at
people would ever want to own a PC, honest input, what is worthwhile from its heart, the criticism is usually about
which seemed reasonable at the time, what is simply venting. The confidant, the issue, not you. Through the guise of
is generally viewed as the beginning of typically not a coworker, can also pump attacking you personally, people often
the end for the company. But that isn t you up when you re down and pull you are simply trying to neutralize the threat
11
june 2002
MANAGING YOURSELF " A Survival Guide for Leaders
they perceive in your point of view. aground and give you the stability to have succeeded remarkably, yet some
Does anyone ever attack you when you remain calm, focused, and persistent in people have difficulty making sense of
hand out big checks or deliver good engaging people with the tough issues. their lives in light of what they have
news? People attack your personality, given up. For too many, their accom-
Why Lead?
style, or judgment when they don t like plishments seem empty. They question
the message. We will have failed if this  survival man- whether they should have been more
When you take  personal attacks per- ual for avoiding the perils of leadership aggressive in questioning corporate pur-
sonally, you unwittingly conspire in one causes you to become cynical or callous poses or creating more ambitious vi-
of the common ways you can be taken in your leadership effort or to shun the sions for their companies.
out of action  you make yourself the challenges of leadership altogether. We Our underlying assumption in this
issue. Contrast the manner in which haven t touched on the thrill of inspir- article is that you can lead and stay
presidential candidates Gary Hart and ing people to come up with creative alive  not just register a pulse, but really
Bill Clinton handled charges of philan- solutions that can transform an organi- be alive.But the classic protective devices
dering. Hart angrily counterattacked, zation for the better. We hope we have of a person in authority tend to insulate
criticizing the scruples of the reporters shown that the essence of leadership them from those qualities that foster
who had shadowed him. This defensive lies in the capacity to deliver disturbing an acute experience of living. Cynicism,
personal response kept the focus on his news and raise difficult questions in a often dressed up as realism, undermines
behavior. Clinton, on national television, way that moves people to take up the creativity and daring. Arrogance, often
essentially admitted he had strayed, message rather than kill the messenger. posing as authoritative knowledge,
acknowledging his piece of the mess. But we haven t talked about the rea- snuffs out curiosity and the eagerness
His strategic handling of the situation sons that someone might want to take to question. Callousness, sometimes
allowed him to return the campaign s these risks. portrayed as the thick skin of experi-
focus to policy issues. Though both at- Of course, many people who strive for ence, shuts out compassion for others.
tacks were extremely personal, only high-authority positions are attracted to The hard truth is that it is not possi-
Clinton understood that they were basi- power. But in the end, that isn t enough ble to know the rewards and joys of
cally attacks on positions he represented to make the high stakes of the game leadership without experiencing the
and the role he was seeking to play. worthwhile. We would argue that, when pain as well. But staying in the game
Do not underestimate the difficulty they look deep within themselves, peo- and bearing that pain is worth it, not
of distinguishing self from role and ple grapple with the challenges of lead- only for the positive changes you can
responding coolly to what feels like a ership in order to make a positive dif- make in the lives of others but also for
personal attack  particularly when the ference in the lives of others. the meaning it gives your own.
criticism comes, as it will, from people When corporate presidents and vice
you care about. But disciplining your- presidents reach their late fifties, they Reprint r0206c
self to do so can provide you with an often look back on careers devoted to To place an order, call 1-800-988-0886.
anchor that will keep you from running winning in the marketplace. They may
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harvard business review