To be a great leader and a lovable boss in Turbulent Times

7 Lessons from (Ret). Gen. Colin Powell

LESSON 1: “Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off.“

Good leadership involves responsibility to the welfare of the group, which means that some people will get angry at your actions and decisions. It’s inevitable, if you’re honorable. Ironically, by procrastinating on the difficult choices, by trying not to get anyone mad, and by treating everyone equally \”nicely\” regardless of their contributions, you’ll simply ensure that the only people you’ll wind up angering are the most creative and productive people in the organization

LESSON 2 : “The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.\”

Real leaders make themselves accessible and available. They show concern for the efforts and challenges faced by underlings, even as they demand high standards. Accordingly, they are more likely to create an environment where problem analysis replaces blame.

LESSON 3: Never neglect details. When everyone’s mind is dulled or distracted the leader must be doubly vigilant.”

Strategy equals execution. All the great ideas and visions in the world are worthless if they can’t be implemented rapidly and efficiently. Good leaders delegate and empower others liberally, but they pay attention to details, every day.

LESSON 4: Keep looking below surface appearances. Don’t shrink from doing so (just) because you might not like what you find.”

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is the slogan of the complacent, the arrogant or the scared. It’s an excuse for inaction, a call to non-arms. It’s a mind-set that assumes (or hopes) that today’s realities will continue tomorrow in a tidy, linear and predictable fashion. Pure fantasy.

LESSON 5: Organization doesn’t really accomplish anything. Plans don’t accomplish anything, either.

Theories of management don’t much matter. Endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds.”

LESSON 6: Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand.“

Effective leaders understand the KISS principle, Keep It Simple, Stupid. They articulate vivid, over-arching goals and values, which they use to drive daily behaviors and choices among competing alternatives. Their visions and priorities are lean and compelling, not cluttered and buzzword-laden. Their decisions are crisp and clear, not tentative and ambiguous.

LESSON 7: “Have fun in your command. Don’t always run at a breakneck pace. Take leave when you’ve earned it:

Spend time with your families. Corollary: surround yourself with people who take their work seriously, but not themselves, those who work hard and play hard. Spare me the grim workaholic or the pompous pretentious “professional” I’ll help them find jobs with my competitor.

Testing The Leaders in Financial Crisis

1. Presiden SBY: “Crisis that happened only concerning financial sector, not economics as a whole; government immediately specify the policy so that crisis do not creep to whole society sector” (protects small people, moving real sector and control the financial sector) à Global/ Populist
2. Wapres JK: “Impact of the global crisis to national economics is very small, only 0.1% national capacities; There is no significant Indonesian governmental institution / private sector investing capital in US; situation crisis oppositely; also make another advantage because decrease of world oil price” à Global/ Pragmatism
3. Menkeu Sri Mulyani : “Adjustment of APBN 2008 and change of assumption to RAPBN 2009; lead technical meeting and controlling financial sector; holding firm of financial regulation (especially in stock market), restoring public confidence” à Focus/ Professional
4. Mendag Marie Pangestu: “Protect the domestic market from import incursion, forming task force, observation for imported goods, diversification in export destination and investment target” à Focus/Creative
5. Gubernur BI Budiono: “Observe the crisis 24/7, alleviating monetary policy to overcome the uncertainty and liquidity crisis, conservative taking care of stability of rate and foreign reserve” à Focus/ Carefulness