Jim Citrin Leadership by Example

Bob Iger. Jeff Immelt. Henry Kravis. Dick Parsons. Howard Schultz. Steve Case. Colin Powell. Bill Bradley. Meryl Streep. Terry Bradshaw. Mia Hamm. What characteristics do these renowned individuals share? For one, they're all incredibly good at what they do. They're also passionate about their work. And thirdly, they and many others like them are the kinds of leaders with whom we'll be visiting in this new column, Leadership by Example.

If you aspire to achieve your potential as a leader, then this column is for you.

Over the past 12 years, as a partner at the global executive search firm Spencer Stuart, I have worked with, interviewed, and recruited some of the top business leaders in the world. Combined with pursuing research, writing articles, and publishing books on leadership and success, I have built strong, trusted relationships with inspiring leaders from all walks of life.

Through these relationships and my research, I continually explore and share insights about the nature of leadership and success and attempt to apply the lessons learned to my own life. I hope you'll do the same.

Success Defined

Let's start with a question. What is success?

Money? Happiness? Status? My definition of success is: To work with people whom you like and respect, in a role that plays to your natural strengths, in an area that you are genuinely interested in.

When you achieve this blissful state, good things happen. You will challenge and push yourself and grow personally and professionally. You will have a positive impact on your organization and those around you. You will reap appropriate financial rewards. And you will be able to live the lifestyle that meets your most important needs.

It sounds fairly simple - people, strengths, passions. Of course, it's rather more difficult to achieve. But it can be accomplished by understanding the patterns of success, following role models, committing yourself to the pursuit, working hard, and having patience and perseverance to take concrete steps every day.

A Surprising Way to Rise

An important point to underscore is that leadership and success go hand in hand. If you want a fail-safe way to be successful, then don't worry about your own success. Dedicate yourself to making those around you successful.

This is what we call Benevolent Leadership. Our research has found that among the most extraordinary executives (the top 10 percent of the top 1 percent of all professionals), 90 percent are described as "caring as much about the success of those who work with and for them as their own success." By contrast, only 4 percent of this extraordinary group are described as putting their own success ahead of their peers and subordinates.

Think about the power of these statistics. Focusing on the success of others will lead directly to your own success. While this may not be the quickest path, it works. It works because you attract the very best people to work with you. All the energy that you dedicate to their success rebounds to you as they, in turn, become committed to your success. In short, you don't claw your way to the top on the backs of others, you are carried to the top on their shoulders.

To the hundreds of CEOs and top executives with whom we work, this may not seem surprising. But to the average career professional within results-obsessed organizations, nothing could be more counterintuitive. Fifteen years of globalization, hyper-competition, reengineering, downsizing, and layoff after painful layoff have produced a workforce that believes only in survival of the fittest - i.e., if you win, I lose.

The notion that climbing the career ladder requires competing against, rather than supporting, colleagues is perhaps the most pervasive misconception in the workplace today. It's also dangerous -- stifling productivity and spawning behavior inconsistent with the core values of ethics and integrity.

A Leader's Perfect Brew

Consider the example of an individual who shaped his own life, his company, and society in the process by living this principle: Starbucks founder and Chairman Howard Schultz.

He wanted to build a company with soul, high on trust and motivation. He was committed to a company that would provide full medical benefits and stock options for all employees. And he genuinely believed that the best way to deliver the greatest customer experience is to deliver the best employee experience. Starbucks is consistently ranked as one of the best places to work.

His benevolent leadership turned out to be a winning financial strategy as well. The benefits and stock-options program has paid for itself in dramatically reduced turnover and high morale.

Howard is also an exemplar of success, not because of his fame or financial riches. Rather, based on the definition I described above, as founder and chairman of Starbucks, he's in a role that plays to his strengths -- conceiving of what the Starbucks brand can represent, serving as international ambassador for the company, and imbuing the organization with its special culture.

Howard is genuinely passionate about what he does -- building a lifestyle brand that serves tens of millions of customers, developing great people, drinking delicious coffee, and having a positive impact on society. And he clearly enjoys and respects the people he works with including, his partner, CEO Jim Donald, the rest of the management team, and baristas around the globe. Now that's what I call success.

Learning Leadership

A common question about leadership is whether leaders are born or bred. My experience leads me to conclude that leadership can, in fact, be learned. Of course, certain people who are born with the natural charisma gene, the one that attracts people starting back in the playground and leading all the way to the board room or the Senate floor. But some of the most charismatic, attractive people go awry and self-destruct, while many of the quieter individuals end up in the most responsible positions.

This is because there are as many different styles of leadership as there are people, and the style is often situational. However, regardless of style, underlying principles of leadership have endured over time. Bill Gates, for example, has a famously intense, analytical style that may not have worked as the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, but it was obviously well suited for building the world's greatest software company in that same city.

What was Bill's leadership? He had a superior vision; he built a superb management team; he and the team adapted to the environment; and they created a culture of excellence, dedication and winning. That's leadership.

I'm a big believer in role models. There's enormous power in learning from everyone with whom you come into contact and adapting the lessons to your own style and situation. Through this column, I hope you will join me on a journey to meet some of the most inspiring role models, explore some important and enlightening issues, and garner the insights that will put you on your own path to success and satisfaction.