The Six Key Attributes Of Great Leaders

We're all still sort of buzzing from the EMC 2012 Leadership meeting, which I guess is a good thing.

I wanted to circle back and share with you one of the best thoughts from Joe Tucci's presentation to the assembled leadership team. Many of us found very strong resonance with what he had to say.

For the things we were already doing, it was nice to get some confirmation.

And, in a few cases, maybe there are a few things we could be doing better :)

Management Culture Vs. Leadership Culture

So much has been written and discussed about management culture in the business world.

Working as I do for EMC, I've always been struck by the observation that -- well -- we don't spend a lot of time here discussing management culture within our four walls.

We do, however, spend a lot of time and effort around leadership culture, leadership style and leadership development.

We appear to live by the unofficial maxim that not all managers are leaders, and not all leaders are managers. Learning to lead (and being led!) is what 90%+ of the development discussion appears to be centered around.

Joe Tucci's Leadership Style

When books are written about great business leaders -- especially in tech -- there's usually an emphasis on the specific accomplishments.

While there is no shortage of notable achievements as a result of Joe's tenure at EMC and elsewhere, I think the real story here is Joe's personal leadership philosophy and style.

Many of us occasionally struggle to put the essence of Joe Tucci's leadership into words, but we do keep trying.

At a strictly personal level, I think Joe's approach stands in relatively sharp contrast to many of the industry leadership stories we're already familiar with.

So, with that short intro, let me attempt to paraphrase what he shared with all of us at the outset of 2012.

#1 Great Leaders Are Humble -- But Blended With Contagious Passion

There is no shortage of very accomplished people here at EMC, who ostensibly would have much to brag about should that be their inclination. But they don't chest-thump: you have to listen very carefully and do a bit of homework if you're curious as to what they've accomplished in the past.

Our leaders are justifiably proud of what their teams have been able to achieve, but at the same time there's always a strong note of humility. Hubris isn't in style here.

Instead, you'll find "contagious passion". We tend to get really excited about new ideas and new opportunities, and it's -- well -- contagious. We tend to think a lot about the end state first, and later figure out the different ways we could get there. That sort of thinking pattern is not the norm, especially in larger companies.

As a result, good leaders at EMC tend to think in terms of "imagine what we could do together".

If I put myself under the microscope, the "humble" thing wasn't something I figured out until later in my career. Looking back, I tended to be somewhat boastful of my accomplishments. I guess I realized that my accounting of personal accomplishments really didn't matter all that much, and -- besides -- there were people all around me who had accomplished far more than I ever had.

However, I do feel good that I'm able to infect people around the globe with enthusiasm and passion :)

#2 Great Leaders Are Paranoid -- But Never Scared, Never Truly At Rest

I think most of us are familiar with Andy Grove's landmark business tome. "Only The Paranoid Survive".

It's hard to deny that a healthy degree of paranoia is an essential component of any leader's mindset. As EMC is a leader in many market segments, we know we've got many targets painted on our backs by smart, aggressive competitors.

That doesn't mean a good leader should be scared. At EMC, we know what our competitors quite well; we know what they're capable of, we know what we're capable of, andwe're reasonably confident in our approach.

If the approach isn't working, we change it quickly.

Companies (or leaders) that get scared not only make bad decisions, they end up scaring others as well -- including their customers and partners!

That being said, the game never really ends. You always have to be critical of what you've done in the past, and look for areas to improve: some tactical, some strategic.

If I'm being self-critical, I probably err on the side of not being sufficiently paranoid, and perhaps a bit too optimistic. Not something that I can easily fix :)

#3 Great Leaders Have Experienced Failure -- But Have Learned Some Great Lessons

The classic interview question is "talk about a big failure you've had". Some people miss the intent, and create the impression that they've never really had a great failure.

The more progressive view is that -- if you haven't tasted massive defeat -- you're not pushing the envelope enough. Or, worse, you're in denial. Either way, the interview will be short :)

In our tech world, things are moving so ridiculously fast that no one can get everything 100% right. Indeed, attempting to do so leads to a conservative style of play that puts you and your team at a decided disadvantage.

The "learning" part is often underappreciated. At one level, successful organizations are built largely on collective tribal knowledge -- and everyone (especially leaders!) are expected to contribute their fair share.

Me? I'm pretty proud of a handful of spectacular failures I've either initiated, or participated in.

They're freely available to anyone interested in avoiding repeating my boneheaded mistakes :)

#4 Great Leaders Are Highly Disciplined, But Not Regimented -- They Foster Creativity

Joe makes a key distinction between being disciplined (good) and being regimented (not so good).

For me, being disciplined is resisting the continuing temptation for allowing normal human foibles to get in the way of good execution -- almost like overcoming entropy. But being too regimented or overly-disciplined stifles creativity and experimentation.

Good leaders should be prepared to experiment, to innovate, to try new things -- not all of which will pan out. The sin isn't failing; it's failing to try.

You'll see both thoughts across EMC. Like any large and successful company, we define processes, ruthlessly measure their effectiveness and drive continual improvement. But, at the same time, we're always trying new things -- either within existing process frameworks, or completely outside.

During my career, I've been in situations where everyone has been just plain scared -- or maybe just unmotivated -- to try anything new.

I don't blame the people involved, but I do blame their leadership.

#5 Value Bright Individuals -- But Worship Teams and Teamwork

It's hard not to appreciate an extremely bright, passionate and motivated individual. These brilliant sparks collectively form the dynamo that power our organizations forward.

And, of course, just like being too rich or too thin, it's hard to imagine being too bright, too passionate, etc.

But not everyone is good at functioning as part of a team; and -- if they can't -- their value is notably diminished.

Indeed, one of the most difficult situations for leaders to deal with is when extremely bright and passionate people can't "mesh gears" with the rest of the organization.

You do what you can, but -- ultimately -- team output matters far more than individual output.

Working as part of an extended team is an area I've never found easy. I'm getting better at it as I go on, but it's never been a core competency of mine. There are some notable exceptions, but this is definitely an area I am continually working on.

#6 Deflect Praise, Collect Blame -- And Give Back

One of my favorite quotes is "success has many fathers, but failure is a bastard". We've all seen situations where everyone claims a hand in notable successes; but distances themselves from perceived failures.

Joe's perspective is simple: great leaders do just the opposite. When there's success, all the credit goes to others. When there's blame to be had, step up and accept the burden -- even if you don't entirely deserve it.

To my twisted way of thinking, this makes great leaders an amplifier of positive energy (praise) and a ground sink for negative energy (blame).

Now, imagine a company where most every leader is continually amplifying positive energy -- and grounding negative energy. That's a pretty fair description of the leadership culture at EMC.

Giving back, though, can be deeply personal. Comparatively speaking, we're all pretty fortunate in life's great lottery. And we all end up finding our own ways to give back to others. Sometimes, that's part of a corporate-sponsored initiative. But mostly it's something that creates unique meaning and value in our personal lives.

At a personal level, even though I'm no slouch when it comes to giving back, I realize that I've only just begun. And there's so much more I could be doing.

Joe's View Of Being A Great Leader

The interesting part of having watched Joe lead EMC for all these many years is that he does all of this without really even thinking about it -- it's just a natural part of who he is and how he does things.

It's only recently that Joe has started to write down some of his personal thoughts around strategy, leadership and related topic.

Personally, I can't wait for the rest :)