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Nightingale-Conant presents Tom Mathews

Unlock the Leadership Code

Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi, in his last speech before he died, was addressing a large corporate audience. He said, "I'm going to share with you the key to success in any business." You could have heard a pin drop as people sat on the edges of their seats waiting for the answer. He said, "The secret, in a word, is ... 'heartpower.' Capture the heart and you've captured the person. ... Get people to fall in love with your company."

This is a very simple, yet powerful concept. But how does a leader do it?

Tom Mathews epitomizes a leader who understands that it starts and ends with caring about your people, not as employees, but as human beings. He has built an amazing team of over 20,000 people through hard work and showing that he cares.

He is a leader who "gets it." He truly understands the power of recognition, kindness, and personal goals. When describing any of the successes he has enjoyed, it is never "me" but always "we."

I once heard a leader defined as "someone who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way"... Tom qualifies in all three! Enjoy his leadership secrets and learn to "aim for the heart."

Mac Anderson Founder, Simple Truths and Successories

When the great industrialist Andrew Carnegie was asked what he would do if he had to start over, he quickly replied, "Take away all my factories and money ... just leave me with my good men and I'll get back in no time." You can always replace material possessions, but a great leader knows the most precious assets are the members of his or her team.

Carnegie also said, "You must capture and keep the heart of the original and supremely able man before his brain can do its best." I could not agree more. In fact, this simple philosophy has been the foundation of everything I have accomplished in life. When I think back on the people who have motivated and inspired me in my career, they were people who cared about me as a human being first and foremost. They cared about my family, my goals, my dreams and, as my leader, helped show me how I could make my dreams come true. They "aimed for my heart," and led me to succeed. I promised myself that if I ever had the opportunity to lead others, the heart would always come first and that good things would follow, and this belief has never proved false.

The leadership principles that I'm about to share with you are the results of observing great leaders in action as well as what I've learned in hiring, training, and inspiring my team during the past 20 years. If you're an entrepreneur, leader, or manager, it is my hope that these insights will become a place you can go when you've had a tough day and need a shot of inspiration and guidance.

LEAD WITH WILD DREAMS

Since the beginning of history, the world's most important achievements have started with a dream. In most instances the naysayers will line up to tell you it can't be done. But dreams fuel passion, and passion plus perseverance equal success. Shortly after Orville Wright flew his historic first flight at Kitty Hawk, a North Carolina reporter asked if everything was the way he thought it would be. He said, "Actually, I preferred the dreaming of flying to doing it. I would lie in my bed at night and imagine the wind passing by, the view from above like a bird, and the exhilaration of it all." As a leader, you must know and teach the power of dreams, for "nothing happens but first a dream," as Carl Sandburg said. Every member of your team must see and truly understand your dream as vividly as you do.

TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK

One person does not an organization make. The power of any organization starts and ends with people. In fact, talented people committed to a common cause are unstoppable, for teamwork is the fuel that allows common people to obtain uncommon results.*

In 1996, runner Michael Johnson set an Olympic record in the 400-meter and beat his own world record in the 200-meter. He became the first man ever to win both events in the same Olympic Games. Our company was a corporate sponsor, and I was in the crowd at the finish line for that race. That same year, the Atlanta Olympic Games also held a 4x100-meter relay. Four individuals cover a single lap around the track, each contributing a quarter of the distance required. The comparison of individual versus team accomplishments has never been more obvious than here. While Michael Johnson was the winner of 55 consecutive 400-meter finals and one of the best ever at this distance, he proved NO MATCH for the collective efforts of four team members. Even though he dominated the individual distance, his times fade when compared with the time possible for four less qualified individuals to cover the same distance as a team. In fact, both the men's and women's teams outperformed the all-time individual champion.

Here is the reality of teamwork:
MICHAEL JOHNSON'S 1996 400- METER OLYMPIC RECORD: 43.49 seconds

WOMEN'S 4x100-METER OLYMPIC RECORD: 41.60 seconds

MEN'S 4x100-METER OLYMPIC RECORD: 37.40 seconds

Individual accomplishment is simply no match for a tightly unified, committed team. Teamwork is about sharing the load and accomplishing what individually is beyond reach.

In 1970, I began playing the trumpet, and have enjoyed music ever since. I learned then that if everyone plays the same note you cannot have harmony or beautiful music. Over the years, in business, that lesson has come in handy many times. No matter what team you are a part of, each person has a unique note to play. This combination, just like a great symphony of many instruments, can make beautiful music.

POWER OF STORIES

Bestselling business author Tom Peters recently said, "I stopped giving presentations years ago. Now I only tell stories." He explains, "As I prepare, I am conscious — 100 percent of time — of the evolving story, of the plot, of the narrative that unfolds. Whoever has the best story wins — so work on your story!"

Peter's advice should be taken to heart by any leader striving to build a great team.

Stories are the ultimate communication tool. In fact, some of our greatest presidents — Abe Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan — used stories to inspire, encourage, and educate us. As a leader, to capture the heart of your team, there is nothing more powerful than the right story at the right time.

Here is a great example. It's a story of a Native American boy talking to his grandfather:

What do you think about the world situation?" the young boy asked.

The grandfather replied, "I feel like wolves are fighting in my heart. One is full of anger and hatred; the other is full of love, forgiveness, and peace."

"Which one will win?" asked the boy. To which the grandfather replied, "The one I feed." (Origin Unknown)

This simple story makes the powerful point that, in life, you become what you think about. However, I could talk for an hour about this life-changing law and still not capture its essence as clearly as by telling this 30-second story. Every organization has core values that its leaders should continually reinforce; not with words, but with stories.

SELL YOUR VISION

"Leadership is the capacity to turn vision into reality," says author Warren Bennis. However, having the vision is not enough ... it must be sold. This is an area where many leaders fall short. The mission and the vision may be crystal clear in their minds, but they forget that the team needs continuous reinforcement to keep it in focus.

Jack Welch, the great CEO for General Electric, "got it." Whenever and wherever he had the opportunity to sell his vision, he did it. In fact, compare the various speeches he gave throughout his 21-year career and notice the common themes:

In 1983: "Our objective, without question, is to become the most competitive enterprise on this earth. We can't be fat. We can't be bureaucratic. We can't be slow moving. We must change. We can stand for nothing less than the best. You have great responsibilities, but you also have tremendous opportunities."

In 1985: "As we look to the next five years, our combination of different business cultures and shared values gives GE the ability — the flexibility — to win in world markets. It provides the bond that stimulates our people, the most important asset of an organization, to pursue a common goal — achieving excellence in everything we do."

In 1992: "Our unending drive to build a boundary-less, high-spirited company is moving faster every day in the direction of what we want passionately to become — the world's most competitive company."

In 2000, as he said goodbye: "The GE of the future will be based on the cherished values that drive us today: mutual trust and the unending, insatiable, boundary-less thirst for the world's best ideas and best people. But the GE, of the future will be a faster, bolder GE whose actions will make the company of today appear slow and tentative by comparison, a GE whose every employee will understand that success can only come from an inextricable link to the success of our customers."

As a leader, here are the questions you must ask yourself: Do I continually sell, and reinforce, our vision for the future? Is my vision simple and consistent, or is it confusing and unsure?

ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP

According to Dun & Bradstreet, there are over 10 million businesses in the United States and they all have one thing in common — they were started by entrepreneurs; people willing to bet on themselves to follow their dreams.

Starting a business or a major undertaking can be compared to going through a maze. You start with a dream and the courage to begin. You then journey through the maze, more commonly known in business circles as the "learning curve." You go ... you hit a wall, you go left, you hit another wall, you go back, you hit another and another, until eventually a small light appears. It continues to get brighter as you move forward toward your goal. And with this light is a wonderful feeling. To look in the mirror and be able to say, "I took my dream to reality" ... well, as the MasterCard commercials would say, is priceless.

I can also guarantee you'll need at least two partners on your journey through the maze. Their names are Courage and Perseverance. In fact, if someone were to ask me to pick one word to describe any success I've had in business, I wouldn't hesitate; the word would be perseverance. There will be many potholes, roadblocks, and detours along the way toward your vision. As Peter Drucker once said, "Whenever you see a successful business, someone has made courageous decisions."

"You are out of your mind." "This is insane." "You should just get a real job." "Americans will never spend a dollar and a half for a cup of coffee." Howard Schultz heard all of the above in 1986 when he was trying to raise the money to launch Starbucks. He said, "In the course of a year, I talked to 242 investors and 217 said, 'No!'

Many of them would listen to my onehour presentation and never call me back. I'd phone, but most would not even take my call. It was a very humbling experience, but my passion and unrelenting persistence eventually made it happen." One of Schultz's favorite quotes is:

"Care more than others think is wise; Risk more than others think is safe; Dream more than others think is practical; Expect more than others think is possible."

My favorite definition of entrepreneurs is by George Gilder: "They cast aside their assurance for a 40-hour week; they leave the safe cover of tenure and security ... and charge across the perilous fields of change and opportunity. If they succeed, their profits will come not from what they take from their fellow citizens, but from the value they freely place on the gift of their imagination."

CONQUER THE PROCRASTINATION GAP

The greatest gap in life, according to Richard Biggs, is the one between "I should" and "I did"... more commonly known as the procrastination gap. How many potentially life-changing decisions are delayed endlessly because we fear failure, we're too tired, the timing isn't right, or we want it to be perfect? The list goes on and on.

As leaders, we're all guilty at times. However, to be truly great leaders, we must develop the habit of action. Successful leaders are those who look for their opportunities, and when they find them ... act on them! Leadership that aims at the heart is one such opportunity that will tear open a world of possibility and success in whatever your endeavor.

William James, one of the founders of modern psychology, said, "The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated." In fact, a study by Robert Half International found that lack of appreciation was in the top three reasons people leave companies, ahead of money and promotions. Author Michael LeBoeuf says this, "The greatest management principle in the world is ... 'The things that get rewarded and appreciated get done.' "

Here are some creative ways to recognize your people and show appreciation:

1. KNOW THEM AS PEOPLE. Find out what's important to the people you work with. Ask about hobbies, favorite sports, ideal vacations, and family, to name a few. This shows that you're interested in who they are in life rather than just what they are at work.
2. WRITE THE WORD RECOGNITION in your calendar/day planning system at some regular interval (like every Friday for the entire year). Make this word your trigger to quickly think of people who deserve praise. Then, immediately go thank them for their positive performance.
3. NOTIFY THE FAMILY. Send a letter or card to the person's spouse describing her or his performance and the positive impact it has on the organization.
4. COMMEMORATE the day a co-worker joined your group. Think how you'd feel receiving a handwritten note that said something like: "Hey Bob, in case you forgot, you came on board three years ago today. It's a date I won't forget because of your contributions in these three years. Thanks for being such an important member of the team."
5. ESTABLISH A "WALL OF FAME." Post all kinds of stuff: pictures of team members, copies of certificates of completion for training, thank-you notes from customers, newspaper clippings about the organization's success, and everything else you want to celebrate with your team. Let your creativity flow ... and be sure to solicit ideas from your teammates. And lastly, for appreciation to be effective, remember these three things: 1. It must be genuine, from the heart. 2. It should be specific. 3. It should be regular — not just on special occasions. Celebrate with your people whenever and wherever you can. It's good for the soul ... yours and theirs.

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