Dictatorship is alive and well in the world of global politics, but it’s a not-so-subtle organizational management style as well. So if you want to lead like a dictator, here are some unfortunate suggestions for you, including some from Machiavelli. And if you prefer a more serving style of leadership, note the contrasts.

Capitalize on Crises

Crises can be ripe ground for gaining or expanding control, both in politics and business. All you need to do is find a villain or a condition to blame and pronounce yourself the savior. In fact, when a situation is especially negative (think fallout from a corporate scandal), you don’t necessarily have to have a great plan – you can just capitalize off negative public sentiment.

For servant leaders: Caution against emotional reactions to crises and emphasize the need for qualified leaders with thoughtful solutions.

Keep Others Off Balance

In principled organizations, people always know where they stand because they get clear direction and feedback. Dictators thrive on internal instability. Since knowledge is power, they selectively withhold information so no one has the full picture beside themselves. And instead of creating clear expectations and accountability measures, they play the blame game when things don’t turn out as anticipated.

For servant leaders: Over-communicate what is most important, including goals and plans regarding direction. Be clear about expectations. Give frequent and constructive feedback.

Eliminate Internal Threats

By definition, every leader is a potential threat to a dictator’s power. Therefore, they have no option but to squash leaders who stand out – even (and sometimes especially) the competent ones. In their place, dictators install leaders they can control (e.g. tainted leaders they have dirt on). Additionally, dictators are careful to prevent high levels of trust among their subordinates for fear of future opposition.

For servant leaders: Actively support and celebrate the success of others. Recruit a strong team, including people who are smarter or better than you. Work hard to promote trust and collaboration within the team and organization.

Reward Personal Loyalty

Machiavelli theorized that, “It’s best to be loved as well as feared. But if you can only have one, it is safer to be feared.” Dictators can rarely survive long-term without public support, so there are often distinctions between their public and private dealings. PR is a constant priority. Furthermore, rewards tend to be based on public displays of loyalty and commitment to the cause above other factors, such as competence and courage.

For servant leaders: Reward commitment to the values that guide the organization. Despise favoritism. Build a team with diverse viewpoints.

Prevent Criticism

One reason dictators hate criticism is because much of it is just. And since accountability is in short supply, there is no way to right a misstep – only silence the accusers. Ultimately, criticizing a dictator is dangerous business because it’s received as a threat that must be dealt with – often harshly.

For servant leaders: Know the difference between just and unjust criticism. Seek feedback, take it to heart and then act on it.

By now you may have noticed a trend: dictators thirst for power and can never be fully satisfied. It’s a leadership style that is rooted in fear – and ultimately that fear is passed on to followers. It’s an incredibly damning legacy.

So here’s the question: in which areas do you act more like a dictator than a servant leader?

Incidentally, if you find the philosophies of dictatorship and leadership interesting, pick up a copy of The Prince and give it a read. Or check out one of my favorite leadership books titled The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership, which references several of Machiavelli’s insightful concepts as well.

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his new ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website  or follow him on Twitter.

I’ve become convinced that fear is the single factor most capable of derailing a leader’s effectiveness. Responsibilities, pressure, visibility – all of these factors tend of “pile on” over time. Sooner or later we all need to come to grips with the fears inherent with the position.

Fear is a given. Our response to fear determines the outcome. It takes courage to lead.

Below are a sample of common fears leaders face – along with some common reactions and opportunities for response.

Uncertainty

Reaction: Refusing to acknowledge reality

The unknown can be a crippling fear for many leaders. Think about how much we’re unsure of. We only experience life moment by moment, therefore the future is ultimately unknown – no matter how we plan for it. We’ve never had more information (or more access to information), yet it’s almost impossible to be sure we have all of the right information to guarantee an outcome. Change is a part of life and the speed of change has never been faster.

Instead of avoiding change or stalling important decisions, accept it. We don’t have to embrace change – but unless we embrace the reality of change, we’ll stunt our personal and organizational growth.

Responses: Accept the reality that change and uncertainty are part of life; make decisions

Appearing Naive (or Incompetent)

Reaction: Lack of candor; working in silos

No one wants to look dumb. (I know I don’t!) This puts me at odds in the instances I feel dumb – when encountering a new project or comparing myself to other people in a given situation. It’s often the feeling (rather than the fact) that is the real barrier.

No one has all the answers. Each of us have a different level of experience and development. It’s the candid sharing of our opinions and feedback (in appropriate ways) that provide enough input for the team to make informed decisions. Group think is dangerous, but it’s the status quo when team members are afraid to appear naive. Not only that, it’s a massive impediment to the creative process.

Responses: Demonstrate vulnerability; go first; ask for help; acknowledge weaknesses

Criticism

Reaction: Playing it safe, abdicating responsibility

I’ve noticed that the fear of criticism often exceeds the fear of failure. Whether it’s a critical moment in a sports game, boardroom or political office, leaders opt to play it safe instead of doing what creates the greatest chance to be successful. When the plan fails, the blame is easier to handle (or at least deflect).

This simply isn’t leadership.

Response: Take counsel from trusted sources; refuse to entertain the naysayers

Being Wrong

Reaction: Refusing to make decisions

Our reaction to decisions is an interesting phenomenon. We’re often tempted to determine their correctness immediately the fact. The outcome determines whether the decision was “correct” or not. But the result of a decision usually isn’t binary (e.g. simply “right” or “wrong”) – and there are so often additional factors at play, including random chance. That being said, so many times the consequences of our decisions are short-term in nature. It takes courage to make a decision that could result in a bad outcome. But refusing to make decisions (and therefore pushing them up to the next level) creates a bottleneck at the top of the chain of command and limits the effectiveness of the individual leader.

Responses: Have a decision-making process; have the courage to make the decisions that are appropriate at your leadership level

Limited Opportunities

Reaction: Excuses; comparing with others; victim mentality

Each person has a unique background. We have differing levels of intellect, strengths and skills. Some have had every resource at their disposal. Others had to learn the hard way. We all have different ceilings as well.

The problem with focusing on our limitations is that it’s counterproductive. It takes the focus off what we can do and puts it on factors outside our control. Get more information, create an Individual Development Plan and keep working hard.

Responses: Create goals; focus on continuous growth

Failure

Reaction: Refusing to try; excuses; self-sabotage

Ultimately, the fear of failure prevents far too leaders from even leaving the starting gate. Unfortunately, failure is pervasive. Playing it safe won’t inoculate us from the reality of potential failure. As Jim Carrey famously said, “You can fail at something you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance doing something you love.” Leadership may not be “what you love” when the going gets tough, but your love of the people you lead – and responsibility to see the job to its conclusion – should be enough to move you to act.

Responses: Act

Colin Powell famously advised, “Never take counsel from your fears.” He knew firsthand the difficulties of leading when the stakes were high – in a high pressure and visible role. If you are a leader, you will experience fear. How you respond will determine your effectiveness.

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website or   follow him on Twitter.

Set Your Destination

When something is new, the possibilities can seem endless. New job? New project? You can take it anywhere you want, right? The problem is that endless possibilities significantly impede progress. That’s why Stephen Covey dedicated one of his 7 Habits to “Start with the end in mind.” It’s also why new organizational leaders often have an onboarding structure in place for them for the first 100 days (or so).

The start of your next big thing is a critical period. So set a SMART goal. Set a next step. Begin to set your destination – if not your final destination, then at least your next one. Until you do, progress will be difficult.

Get a Quick Win

In today’s ever-changing organizational environment, unfortunately there isn’t much patient for long-term initiatives. Because of this, even the best strategies can fall by the wayside unless they demonstrate a quick win.

A quick win is a tangible and visible evidence of progress. It gives your new project a concrete story to tell (after all, it’s hard to argue with results). It enhances visibility. And for professional as well as personal projects, it helps provide motivation to keep going. Remember: people don’t want to wait to win.

With People, Slow is Fast

Most projects can’t happen without the support of others. The bigger the project, the more support it takes. You may be able to pull off most of the nuts and bolts of the work, but if you try to go it alone, you’ll be doomed before you start. Try this:

• Build relationships with others before you need them to help you.
• Ask for and value input from others even when you don’t necessarily need it. (This will make it much easier to get when you do need it!)
• Value results AND relationships.
• Get buy-in from key decision-makers each step of the way. If you don’t, you risk having your project shut down because someone with authority wasn’t prepared for it.
• Bide your time. Credibility comes with a tenure of relational and performance capital.
• Say thank you.

Put Fear in Its Place

If there’s one topic that doesn’t get nearly enough attention, it’s fear. Fear is real and it has the power to stop anyone in his tracks and abort any otherwise worthwhile endeavor. Unfortunately, many times the greater the undertaking, the stronger the fear. In his book Start, Jon Acuff says that, “Fear tends to argue both sides of the coin, leaving you absolutely no room to stand. Here are two of the complete opposite things it will tell you: Don’t chase your dream at all, and: If you chase your dream, you have to do it all at once.”

Dale Carnegie dedicated an entire book to disrobing the anatomy of fear and putting it in its rightful place. For that reason, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living is a must-read. Some fears are worth considering, but most play on our insecurities. The longer we pretend fear isn’t real – or that it doesn’t affect us – the longer we’ll limit our progress.

Acknowledge fear, but put it in its rightful place. Follow George Patton’s advice: “Don’t take counsel of your fears.”

One final thought: none of us can do everything but all of us can do something. Let’s make that thing count!

What’s your next big thing?

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website or   follow him on Twitter.

In other words, there is a great reluctance to take a stand in ambiguous or unpopular situations and declare, “If this doesn’t work, I’ll be the one who goes down with the ship.”

The great tragedy is that the opportunity for true leadership, the kind that welcomes responsibility and takes courageous and necessary risks in spite of the unknown – that kind of leadership, has never been in higher demand. Worse still, the kind of leadership that takes a stand is exactly the prerequisite to rallying others to unite and follow.

Is it so bad to be wrong, after all? The lengths “leaders” go to avoid blame many times far exceeds the amount of damage actually caused by a mistake. A business executive continues with a risky plan in spite of damning information in hopes it will work out because to turn back would be to appear to admit defeat. An education official gives in to a new testing standard, confident that it will fail but unwilling to propose an alternative. A politician refuses to support a bill drafted by an opponent because to do so would be to appear weak.

In the meantime, there is a long wake of losers. Shareholders lose. Customers lose. Employees lose. Students lose. Constituents all lose. And leaders lose their credibility in the process. The only people who win are the critics who say, “I told you so.” But is it really a win?

Additionally, many times the “fault” is actually no fault at all except a change in the external environment. Sometimes it can be anticipated, but many times not. The market changes, a new technology comes along, the weather fails to cooperate. (What do you think happens to the construction industry when winters run long?)

No matter how sure you are of success, something could come along and derail it. But that shouldn’t stop us from making the decisions that need to be made today. That’s what sets those of us who would be leaders apart. After all, it takes an exceeding amount of courage to lead.

So what can we do about it? Here are some thoughts:

• Do a risk assessment.
• Have a plan and a contingency plan.
• In Colin Powell’s words, “Don’t take counsel of your fears.”
• Set a good leadership example; when you make a mistake, admit it publicly.
• Create environments where others feel secure in admitting their own mistakes. In Dale Carnegie’s words, “Make the fault seem easy to correct.”
• Focus on lessons learned from both successes and failures. Then share them so they aren’t repeated.
• Win and lose as teams, not as individuals. (The problem with “pin the tail on the donkey” is that no one wants to be the target).
• Applaud people for adjusting course when they recognize that a situation has changed. Go a step further by lending your support when it’s needed.
• Practice answering difficult questions with conviction and transparency. (You can’t appeal to noble motives unless you have them to begin with).
• Explain what happened, but don’t make excuses. Take responsibility instead.
• Offer hope.

If you’ve never had the finger pointed at you before, you’re a risky person for others to follow. Don’t be afraid. You will fall down and you will collect scars along the way. Will always be worth it? Unfortunately, there are no guarantees. But there’s no other way to lead than by example.

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his new ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website  or follow him on Twitter.

Who is Dick Burton?

You probably don’t know Dick Burton. The highest level of competition he ever faced as a football player was NCAA D-II at William Jewell College in Liberty, MO. To my knowledge, he’s never been featured on any televised games either as a player or coach. Instead of sticking with one school for life, he’s coached several different programs over his 40 year football career. In fact, Coach has never been on a full-time coaching staff. He’s worked as a full-time businessman to support his family of a wife and ten children (including eight football playing sons) and squeezed in his head coaching duties on the side.

What Can We Learn From Dick Burton

It’s been well over a decade since I played my last football game. But the lessons I learned from Coach continue to this day. Here is a small sample that I’d like to share with you.

There is a Right Way to Do Business. One of the first things all my teammates learned from Coach is there is a right way to do things and a wrong way. There was a right way to play the game, face an opponent, run on and off the football field, and even put your uniform on. I still remember the day Coach sent a car full of our best players home from practice because they didn’t show up on Lombardi time (15 minutes early) as a way to instill discipline for the rest of us. Ultimately, our actions either honor or dishonor ourselves, teammates, families, God, profession, sport, and even the field itself.

Life is a Collision Sport. Finally getting to play tackle football for the first time in high school was a pretty jarring experience to say the least. But Coach reminded us early on that our greatest competition wasn’t the fellow on the other side of the ball. It was our own mothers, who didn’t want their sons engaged in such a rough activity. “Dancing is a contact sport,” Coach used to say. “Football is a collision sport.” Because of that, Coach knew making things easy on the practice field would leave us unprepared, both for Friday nights and for real life.

Fear is Your Greatest Enemy. If there was one thing my teammates and I heard more than anything else, it was that “God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” For Coach, football was the perfect venue to learn to overcome fear. On the occasional Friday nights we let intimidation get the better of us (even when playing an over-matched opponent), Coach wouldn’t be able to sleep over the weekend. At Monday’s practice, he’d voice his disappointment not at our lack of victory but for not giving it our best like we’d been taught. Coach knew that fear wouldn’t disappear after high school so the training we received on the field was crucial to leading successful adult lives where many of my teammates now work as military officers, businessmen, musicians, teachers, and coaches themselves.

The Little Things Matter. I’ll never forget one practice my senior year. I was absentmindedly running through a routine drill, somehow oblivious to the fact that Coach had been harping on discipline all practice. Apparently my lack of effort was the straw that broke Coach’s back and he let me know it immediately. The public dressing down was even worse considering my status as a senior team captain. For Coach, it didn’t matter who you were or what your record said, you never became too big for the little things.

Coaching Never Ends. I don’t keep in touch with all of my coaches from my younger years. But I do keep in touch with a few. Just recently Coach Burton let me know he was coming to town so we got together for dinner. We talked about business, family, plans, etc. Not only had coach been further down the road in football when I was a player, he was still further along in life and provided some timely pointers and encouragement. I realized then that even though players eventually graduate from the team, true coaching never ends.

I know not everyone had the benefits of a great coach like I did. But most people can point to a single coach, teacher, or mentor who made a significant difference in their life.

Who inspired you?

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his new ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website  or follow him on Twitter.

“Yes, this is Bill. I’m a Vice President at First Big Bank. I need to know where our $77 million is.”

“Uh, yes,” I gulped. “Well… do you have an account number?” I was working in the investor reporting department of a major financial institution at my first job out of college. A large commercial property had paid off that week and the payment was split between two separate beneficiaries. As I had entered the $77 million wire into the electronic payment system, I was already preparing my braggadocio about the large amounts of cash I routinely handled in my job (even though this was a special circumstance and was only “electronic” money). But now it looked as though my day was about to be ruined. As I checked the account, my fears were confirmed.

“Um, I think I’m going to have to call you back…” I mustered. Epic. Fail.

What is it about mistakes? We go to great lengths to avoid even the appearance of them and then go to even greater lengths to hide them once they’ve happened. But what if we’re actually missing out on some of the best development there is? Let’s explore some of the benefits of making mistakes and see if we can come up with some alternatives.

Some of the Greatest Discoveries Were Born Out of Mistakes

The number of mistakes that led to eventual breakthroughs for inventors, engineers, researchers, and all kinds of people is nearly limitless. Thomas Edison conducted 9,000 failed experiments before inventing the light bulb. Eager to make an impression as a new publicly traded company, Ford Motor company lost a horrific amount of money on their Edsel automobile in the late 1950s. But from the mistake they were able to produce the Mustang, and later the Taurus. Walt Disney had to start his own business after his first cartoon series went bankrupt. He soon became a household name on his own. Whenever you try something new, there is always a chance of a breakthrough, even if it is not the breakthrough you intended to find.

Mistakes Are Some of the Best Learning Opportunities

Sometimes what we learn from failure actually benefits us more than the failure itself cost. We always ought to be able to learn something. Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A, said that, “Anything worth doing is worth doing wrong… until we can learn to do it right.” As an aside, I like to add that if you can’t laugh at yourself, you’re missing out on some of the best stuff out there! (Tweet) It’s great when we can learn from the mistakes of others, but when it’s your own snafu, the lesson can last a lifetime. This doesn’t just include a great invention like the Chick-fil-A sandwich. It can include any business, communication, leadership – virtually any kind of lesson.

You Can Never Know It All Before You Start

Sometimes the fear of making a mistake is greater than the actual mistake itself. Some leaders are more apt to be risk-minded than opportunity-minded. There’s nothing wrong with that at all. There are times when waiting for more information can help you avoid devastating losses. The flip side is also true. Sometimes waiting just makes dealing with a problem even more costly. Whatever your partiality toward mistakes, there will be times that require you move past your comfort zone (either toward or away).

So how did I cash in on my $77 million mistake? Well, as it turned out, I did in fact wire the $77 million to the wrong bank and earned myself a couple awkward conversations. But it turned out to not be that big of a deal. I simply emailed a new set of wiring instructions to bank #2 and they solved the problem. And no money was actually in danger since both accounting departments would’ve stayed open until all the accounts balanced. Sure, it was a bit embarrassing, but also a turning point for me in my young career. I discovered that working with numbers didn’t really interest me (doesn’t take a genius to figure that!). Instead I needed to be working with people and creating change. That day marked a turning point in my career pursuits. And the added benefit is that now this whole illustration works much better for me in presentations than if I had never goofed up in the first place!

What’s the biggest, worst, most embarrassing professional mistake you’ve ever made?

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website or   follow him on Twitter.