Encyclopedia of Leadership

RECURSIVEMAXIM #1

The best way to elicit model behavior is to model the behavior you want from others.

People are quick to sense disconnects between what is said versus what is actually being done.

Many leadership gurus talk about authenticity as a basis for effective leadership. At the root

of authenticity is a set of espoused leadership processes enacted in a recursively consistent way.

Recursive thinking continually challenges a leader to ask, “Are what I say and what I do con-

gruent with what I say I’m about?” Acting recursively minimizes disconnects. Recursion is at

the heart of integrity. [☛1.11 Integrity]

RECURSIVEMAXIM #2

One reason a leadership tool fails is because the process isn’t recursive with the content.

Many of the tools in this book have had a roller-coaster ride. One example is management

by objectives (MBO), with its slow ride up to acceptance, its giddy ride down, then up again,

while gurus and leaders debated how to use the tool effectively. Finally, in frustration, MBO

ground to a halt as leaders got off and ran to find another leadership tool. Recursively, it could

be asked, “Do we truly understand the goalof a goal-setting program like MBO?”

If a leadership tool is to succeed, it should be turned back on itself to ensure that the pro-

cess mirrors itself. You may find as you read through this table that it reads like a series of mir-

rors reflecting one another.

26 SECTION 1 FOUNDATIONALCONCEPTS

Others will find it hard to:

• Listen to a leader who is not listening to them.


• Accept feedback from a leader who does not accept
  feedback.


• Give recognition to a leader who does not give
  them recognition.


• Share confidences with a leader who cannot keep
  confidences.


• Think highly of a leader who does not think highly
  of them.


• Be innovative and creative with a leader who is not
  creative about creativity.

If you want others:

✔to accept change—be open to change yourself.

✔to consider you a leader—assume leadership roles.

✔to be strategic with your time—be strategic with

theirs.

✔to open up—ask open-ended questions and be

open to their answers.

✔not to have hidden agendas with you—don’t have

hidden agendas with them.

✔to be reasonable with you—be reasonable with

them.

✔to accept your inadequacies—admit to your own

and accept their inadequacies.

✔to exhibit model behavior—model model behavior.

Nonrecursive Recursive

✔Have a clear strategy for the strategy clarification.

✔Be strategic about clarifying and introducing a strategy.

✔Be strategic about revising the strategy.

✔Have a clear goal for setting goals.

✔The point of goal setting is to have the end—the goal—drive the means. Don’t let the process

of producing goal statements overwhelm the end—results.

✔Mirror the values while clarifying and communicating the values. For example, if a value is

teamwork, use teamwork to clarify and introduce the values.

Strategy

clarification

Goal setting

Value

clarification

Some

leadership tools If you want the tool to succeed: