More WE Less ME: Thoughts from Shanghai

There are thousands of books, hundreds of gurus and countless articles on leadership, so why waste your time here, it’s all been said? Who knows, it could at least be fun!

Full disclosure on why I’m interested once again in Leadership (see previous post here). First, I just finished reading Seth Godin’s “Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us” and two, I was recently part of the Executive Performance Training team leading a course on “Inspirational Leadership” in Shanghai. Third, it’s needed!

Thus, while it’s self-indulgent I admit, I find it intriguing to contemplate what a real inspiring leader is, be it male or female. The usual characteristics pop up when one poses the question to a group:

• Charismatic
• Visionary
• Motivational
• Disciplined
• Energetic

Something I’ve been thinking about lately is the willingness to “get dirty & encourage teamwork!”

What do I mean by that? A leader willing to jump in, do the dirty work and make it happen. Players on their team are independently and collectively committed to the end goal. Besides just getting it done, they aren’t afraid to do whatever it takes to move forward, even it that means something “below” their job description.

Leaders of this type also have inherent skills to build strong teams and do this selfishly. They educate those around them and aren’t afraid to learn something new about themselves along the way.

Or as Seth Godin says: “Leaders make change, managers make widgets.”

It’s one thing to come in with an idea, spout off then disappear. Or send out a memo saying; “We need to transform this or that process” but don’t participate in actualizing the change. It’s a completely different leader who is in fact there onsite for the ups and downs of the work.

And don’t get me wrong not everyone should be greasing the wheels in the Formula 1 pit stop. However, experience in the pit offers a different type of leader both in terms of skills and connectivity to the team. And having seen that person down on their knees doing some hard labor puts a whole new light on commitment.

I also think its time to acknowledge that a leader doesn’t only need to come from the office of a Fortune 500 company or have Ivy League credentials. This is particularly relevant as pertains to female leaders. We have this notion that only Sheryl Sanberg, Marissa Mayer and other corporate women are true leaders. I think not.

So what’s all this have to do with China? This being my second trip to Shanghai and every time I come away impressed and inspired. There is a willingness to learn, to change and to move forward. Many of the individuals I had the pleasure to work with have exactly the two qualities mentioned above, teamwork and get dirty.

Yes, I’m generalizing on a small number of people but we have a lot to learn from the Chinese spirit. Maybe because they’ve grown up in a much more community based and group orientated culture that teamwork and working hard are in their DNA.

It’s funny because we consistently state in the USA that we are the land of a strong work ethic. While I agree to some extent, there is a layer in the USA of me first, team last that in my opinion has prominence in various components of our work lives. Maybe we don’t reward enough leaders who build strong teams?

It’s possible that our incessant drive to find heroes, superstars and dominant figures overshadows the view of leaders as great team builders. I wonder as China becomes stronger and even more dominant in the global business world if they will lose their team spirit? I hope not.

I also think from a wellness perspective we can learn from the east that strong teams and leaders who inspire collective group energy are the future. For example what if we put more effort into the actual work environment, effective communication and job autonomy as opposed to getting individuals to change personal health habits?

Thus, stop worrying about a person’s weight and cholesterol and start changing the day-to-day energy and efficiency in the workspace. Stop in fact blaming the individual and start changing group practices that inhibit positive places to work. In simple words, focus on the team spirit not individual health traits.

This would require getting dirty actually digging in and changing some inherently negative practices in the workplace, like poor communication skills, time management practices, job autonomy, flexibility and discrimination issues. These are major obstacles that from a wellness perspective have been swept under the table to be replaced by the cost cutting belief that a person’s weight is more important. I think not.

Sometimes we can see ourselves easier though the lens of another culture. Thank you Shanghai and maybe its time to think more WE and less ME when it comes to wellness?

Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.

 Chinese Proverb