Leadership: do you have Ali Baba's secret code?

Published: 2011-09-19   There are 2 comments ... please add yours below

“Open Sesame!” was the command Ali Baba used to pass the magic entrance to the cave where the 40 thieves stored their treasure. Many of us have similar phrases to activate our leadership. Some say “Define the vision.” Others “Motivate your people.” Like Ali Baba’s words, these may get you in – and let you experience early happiness. But, like Ali’s greedy brother, Cassim, you also need the right command to exit. Lacking this, he was caught and killed by the thieves. Below are six leadership access statements I’ve heard executives use – and for each, a command to complete the task and get you out again. Let us know what you think.

1. KNOW THE MARKET. Without this, you’ll almost certainly fail. If you don’t know where those thieves (your competitors) are and what they’re up to, you may soon be dead. But, just gathering data isn’t enough. The key is your analysis and thinking that comes up with value-adding information, strategies and tactics.
2. SET THE VISION. People may follow if you convince them of a future that promises growth, success and rewards. However, while the vision provides focus, there’s much more needed. Most particularly, you need to remember that the vision is a distant goal and getting there requires lots of stamina and perseverance. Rome isn’t built in a day!
3. MAKE A PLAN. Without a plan, you and your people may stray off course – attracted to the sparkle of other opportunities along the way. If so, you may spread yourself too thin or dissipate your energy up blind alleys. Your team will become confused. Success needs you to monitor and adapt (in how you operate) but also to stay on course.
4. COMMUNICATE KEY MESSAGES. Yes, people will want you to tell them about the vision and the plans that explain the journey and what the endpoint will look and feel like. They’ll want to be kept in the loop. But, communication only sets expectations. Outcomes are the result of your actions and execution.
5. TAKE CHARGE. As the leader, you need to be upfront whether entering a magic cave or launching a new project. You need to model both the hard (technical) and the soft (cultural) aspects of what good leadership looks like. But it doesn’t end there. To leverage your own capabilities you must also support others in becoming leaders too.
6. LEARN FROM EXPERIENCE. That’s valuable. But, it must be 20 years of experience not one year repeated 20 times. To enjoy the treasure of effective leadership, you have to learn and reinvent yourself so you respond effectively in a changing world.

Well, what was the command that the greedy Cassim lacked. It was “Close Simsim!” For us, as leaders, it’s many things. No two leadership situations are the same. And, for every simple code that gets you into the cave, there is one (and often more) you’ll need to exit again … and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine of success.

Dr. Timothy Pascoe AM
PhD (Cambridge), MBA (Harvard), BE & BEc (Adelaide)
Creator, V|E|C|T|O|R Leadership^®