Probably the most important key to effective leadership (in my somewhat ridiculous world of entertainment and publishing) is looking up from the daily mess of creation to see the big picture and recognize the need for renovation–for a new solution to a problem that is lingering and not getting solved.  In our world right now at Writers of the Round Table, we have been struggling with the distribution of our books.  As I have mentioned in other postings, we have spent years (a decade myself) learning to develop exceptional products.  I am not an expert in the distribution of those products.  My team is amazing, mind you, and we have unbelievable expertise in creating the brand and all of the support for the distribution machine.  What we do not have is the distribution network in place.  It just has not been a priority until now. So instead of continuing to function from the standpoint that our branding will be enough, I have finally started to wake up to the reality that is in front of my eyes.  I need a powerhouse distributor.  Whether that be a hungry individual who will spearhead researching and building this aspect of our business, or a partnership with an already effective company such as Consortium Book Sales and Distribution (who we are seriously looking into), is yet to be determined.  What is most important is that we have recognized the need for change and are in the process of immersing ourselves in information so that we can make an educated decision and then proceed aggressively (something we LOVE to do). This is my job as the head of the company.  While my staff is building their own divisions and working to make those aspects of our business as effective as possible, I have the responsibility to look at the whole and point us in that new direction.
Leader to Leader, I encourage you to look up from the work as often as possible and listen to the conversation that is being had beneath the surface, so you can find solutions to problems you are yet aware of. For me the problem makes itself apparent in my emotional landscape (I get crabby!–ask my wife!).  Think of how ineffective systems within your company or organization effect you, and then maintain a sense of awareness, so that you can see those reactions rising in you–effectively warning you of the need for contemplation and eventual change and growth.  Don’t avoid the work in these times.  Instead–read other books, have conversations with those around you. Take a walk and ruminate. Clarity will come from the silence and space you give yourself to find it.

As of this morning, I have to eat my words regarding morning news. Great interview this morning with Scott McClellan. Fascinating dialogue on controlling the narrative of a situation. McClellan points out that in Washington, everyone is fighting to spin the narrative in a way that brings them the most attention and the most support. That it is not about content, it’s about spin. This is something I have been immersed in myself and a deep question that I have been digging towards the answer for. We are a content company. We focus not on how to sell it, but how to create something truly worth embracing. Our competition is out there mastering the art of the spin and selling empty experiences, decent experiences and occasionally exceptional experiences. What is more important? If you over focus on content, you create masterpiece work that no one cares about. If you over focus on delivery and spin, you get a brilliant response and the public buys into the idea, regardless of the quality of the content. It reminds me of a great line from Michael J. Fox in The American President: “People want leadership, Mr. President, and in the absence of genuine leadership, they’ll listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone. They want leadership. They’re so thirsty for it they’ll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when they discover there’s no water, they’ll drink the sand.” So here we stand with delicious life giving water, but the guy next door is selling buckets full of sand by the dozens. Where is the balance? We need to find the balance. In life, in politics, in entertainment. McClellan’s point is that the American people need to learn balance before the next election. Not a bad idea.

Is it me, or are all the morning news shows completely devoid of any leadership whatsoever?  Ever since Katie Couric left the Today Show, morning news has fallen to pieces. If there is no political candidate to gossip about, or school shooting to investigate, the morning news is being relegated to cats playing with yo-yos.  With the internet being so prevalent, segment producers appear to just be sitting in their offices just waiting for the latest news to appear in their in-boxes, as opposed to getting out into their communities and finding what is worthy of investigating. When did news become a reporting of the latest and most interesting piece of crap (like this R. Kelly case that has been in the news for NINE YEARS. He had sex with a 14 year old people. Convict him and move on.)? There are real people making a difference in the world everyday. People creating solutions to problems and pain that could nurture and heal the world. Why is the media not paying attention?  And what is the result?  Millions of people suffering because they are not aware of the solutions to their problem, or that anyone is even having the conversation about their needs.  I’m just disgusted this morning.  If I liked plain toast for breakfast every day of my life, the morning news programs would be a wonderful side dish.  Wake up morning producers and go out into the world and find the stories worth reporting on. Stop waiting for people to tell you what to report on and go out into the world and find the news. Being a Leader means taking risks and doing what is right for the benefit of the world.  Oh wait.  the Today Show just started.  There’s a plumbing problem on the space station.  I simply must run off to hear all about it. And even better, a new book is out by Scott McClellan telling us that the Bush White House and Washington are broken.  BECAUSE WE DIDN’T KNOW.  Nothing like reporting the obvious.

Ask for what you want.

My favorite lessons are always the ones I learn from my wife. And this one is one of the most important lessons I have learned in relation to my marriage and Writers of the Round Table (yes — the parallels are many ). 

When it comes to communication, he who opens his mouth about his needs gets them fulfilled.  Similarly in business, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

For some reason, as a leader, I have always felt that I needed to earn things the hard way.  That I needed to do things in such a large way that the world would take notice and then rain its riches upon me.  I tend to be stubborn in this regard often. But that approach is not working for my company, nor is it working for my clients (and it certainly doesn’t work in my marriage!).

When we have a need, the greatest thing we can do is to put it out there.  Asking for help is often not something a leader likes to do, but who can come to your aid if you’re unwilling to let them know of your desires?

So today, I want to put it out there that I am looking for assistance in getting our books into bookstores.  In the past it has not been a priority, because we were focusing so heavily on development, but we have a couple of books, Edge and China Girl, and From the Barrio to the Board Room, that I believe would sell incredibly well off the shelf.  So if anyone out there reading this has relationships with bookstore managers, owners, or corporate offices, we are looking for champions to introduce our books to the public.  That being said, if anyone out there lives near a bookstore and is willing to walk our books into the store and convince them to carry them, we could launch a grass roots campaign that way as well.  Outside the box thinking is welcome, and I thank you in advance for considering this request.

My own needs aside, if you are a leader of your own business or other organization, I challenge you to ask yourself if there might be an area in your world that could be made a bit brighter with the posing of a simple request for help. A little asking can go a long way.

Fascinating things happen when you step away from the business.  I was recently forced to step away from The Table this week to care for an ill parent, and in doing so, I learned three important lessons as a leader:

1. The company functions quite well without me. Nice job team!

2. Removing me from the picture gave some division directors freedom to step up in greater ways, and also forced clients to get their answers from other team members, which strengthens their relationships with those team members.

3. Being away helped the business to highlight aspects that were not functioning smoothly and needed attention.

Number 3 is what I am going to discuss here. As the leader, one thing I often do is work magic to cover up a mess.  Meaning that I step in and solve immediate problems, as opposed to the system creating new solutions that will work with or without me in the picture.  This week the issue has been our online store.  We are new in the shopping cart arena.   Our clients spend a good amount of money with us and at the end of the day, we need to be able to sell their books.  Our online store has a 95% positive user experience rating.  But 5% of the time, people are having problems processing their orders, either due to a compatibility issue with our cart, or them entering incorrect information.  Either way, we need to address errors on our part and also help to educate our book buyers on how to best input their information to arrive at the desired outcome.

You would think this would be a rather easy solution, but carts can be incredibly complex in how they interact with customers. Seeing this issue come to a head while I was gone is forcing us to make some decisions. What we are going to be doing is hiring a consultant (if anyone knows a good shopping cart consultant, please have them contact me asap at corey@writersoftheroundtable.com), and we will also be cross testing the applications on multiple browsers and versions whenever we make changes.  Is this costly?  Absolutely.  We’ll probably invest a small fortune.  Will it be worth it?  Absolutely.  As we add titles to our list, that 5%, over time, will be incredibly valuable revenue.

More importantly, our clients will see from our actions that we respect that they are working hard for every sale opportunity.  There is nothing like busting your butt to make the sale only to find that the system cannot process it.  We often only have one chance to make the sale. Some might say that 95% is good enough.  I say, anything less than 98% is unacceptable.

There will always be issues that make a system imperfect, but it is that attention to detail that makes all the difference.  Sometimes, only in stepping away can you come back to a clearer picture.

In just a few short weeks, since putting the challenge to my team to begin taking over their divisions more aggressively, I am seeing dramatic changes among our group. The joy is more intense.  The growth is more expedient.  The results are more frequent.  And all that came from me trusting them more and managing them less.  We still brainstorm together and I still push them in certain areas, but they are enjoying being free to build their own teams around our clients and their brands and the power of that is intense.  They are creating more, bringing more fresh ideas to the table and ultimately, finding their true place within this company we are growing.  Turns out that the best thing I have done in a long time is to actually do less.

So, I’m doing the obligatory morning drive today, taking my son to school and whatnot. Naturally, I have the iPod going. On comes a song that I haven’t intentionally listened to in years. It’s from a Carly Simon best-of collection. It’s a fun, funky, silly song, as some of hers were. Now, this might seem like a strange beginning to a post about work and leadership, but bear with me… Anyway, some of you may know this song. Some may have danced to it in some club while wearing bell-bottoms. The song is called “Attitude Dancing,” and today it took on a whole new meaning for me, much different than the one it held thirty five years ago when my sister and I were dancing to it on the high-low pile, multi-earth tone shag carpeting in the living room. Hey, I was a child of the 70’s!

I’ll share bits of the lyrics with you….

“…cop a different pose, from the pose your in…shine a different attitude from underneath your skin…” Carly goes into the chorus repeating over and over again, “Attitude dancin…” while the background singers say, “…don’t be afraid to change your attitude…don’t be afraid of a new attitude…free up your spirit with a new attitude…” It picks up again with “It don’t really matter what steps you choose to do. There’s only one thing matters, and that’s your attitude, your attitude, your attitude…attitude dancin’…” The last verse says, “If you’re at a loss, just observe some natural dude…and turn into a mirror of his attitude…”

A song about dancing, you say. Au contraire! There’s a message here about authenticity. About taking responsibility for what you project. About realizing that who and what you are on the inside dictates the “steps you choose to do.” It’s not the steps themselves that you need to think about. It’s being intentional about your “attitude,” about the things that matter to you that you need to consider. Those things determine the steps you take and the moves you make from the inside out. And if you’re “at a loss,” find something or someone you admire to emulate until the steps become second nature to you…until they take on your own signature style. That’s when your work doesn’t feel like work. It’s simply part of your life, part of the mission you are on, another segment of the bigger picture of you as a whole and what you can bring to the world. Dance like that and you’ll never dance alone…