On my wife’s birthday, her sister gifted us a puppy. Bella. A cute Siberian Husky/Australian Shepherd mix. Bella was unexpected. Granted, Bella is cute. However, all puppies are born cute. It’s a survival trait. Bella is also very high-energy. Her mom was bred to pull a sled 100 miles a day. Her father was bred to chase livestock around the Outback.

Bella doesn’t even try to pull me to work. And I can’t get her to herd the kids at all. The energy is there. Without purpose. All thrust. No vector. I’ve started getting up early and taking her on a long walk. It helps. And the walks give me space to think.

Although I grew up with dogs, I haven’t had one as an adult. Apparently, I was less involved with training my childhood dogs than I thought. All of that to say: I’m not sure how this is done. But from what I’m reading – we are supposed to lead her. We are supposed to set the emotional mood. To create structure and clarity. To be predictable and help her understand what we want.

In fact, most of the principles related to successful puppy leadership – are just core leadership principles. And I do know about leadership.

And this reminds me that…

Good leadership, unavoidably, is intentional and takes work.

If we want certain behavior out of a puppy (or anyone else) we, as leaders, need to behave a certain way. The biggest challenge as a dog owner isn’t that the puppy is untrained or undisciplined. It’s that my wife and I (and our kids) are untrained and undisciplined when it comes to getting the best out of our dog.

The biggest challenge for leaders isn’t the poor labor pool, or “kids these days”, or bothersome HR requirements. It’s untrained and undisciplined people in leadership roles. Many leaders don’t know how to get the best behavior (and performance) out of their people. Or don’t want to act in ways consistent with that end. When leaders are struggling, the issue is rarely a skill issue. It’s almost always a personal growth issue.  Usually, one that they aren’t aware of or aren’t interested in.

To lead others – I have to lead myself.

We don’t just have a new puppy – we have a completely new household dynamic. My partnership with my wife has taken on a new dimension. There is a new area of parenting to learn. Plus, I have me to figure out. Which is really at the core.

If I want to raise a good dog, I have to first become a good dog owner. And that’s the problem. Becoming a good dog owner takes work. And requires change. I’m lazy. I don’t want to work or change. But she won’t become who I want her to be – until I become the kind of person who can get her there.

Five Leadership Reminders From Bella

I have found that Bella responds strongly to these five things:

• My energy or emotional state
• My self-discipline (consistency)
• An environment built for her success
• Clear and consistent expectations
• Clear and consistent communication

And it isn’t just Bella that responds. People respond to these as well. How leaders decide to relate in these five areas directly impacts their effectiveness as a leader.

Energy:

If I’m frustrated and impatient – others pick up on it. If I’m calm and maintain serenity –others tend to match me. If I’m excited and enthusiastic, others join me. I have to embody the energy I want from others. There is no point asking everyone else to calm down – so that I can feel calm. Or to be focused when I’m distracted.

As a leader, the most effective way to create the mood or morale I want in the workplace – is to “be” that mood. To project it. Which takes….

Self-Discipline:

Self-control and self-discipline are two different things. Self-control is handling a tough situation well. Self-discipline is about actively choosing the situations we are in and how we face them. It’s a habit. Many leaders struggle with unreliable performance from employees because they don’t model reliability.

Success Environments:

It’s easier to put up streetlights, signs, and traffic lights than to police every single driver on the road. Create an environment that supports success. Success environments shape the physical, social, and emotional dynamics of the workplace in a way that best supports success.

If working from home is effective, go for it. But if it doesn’t produce the results you need – change the environment. If a challenging, high-debate environment produces the results you need – great. But if it doesn’t – change the environment.

Clear & Consistent Expectations:

Many leaders aren’t clear about what they expect. They often don’t know themselves. Or they don’t put the effort into making sure everyone knows. Perhaps they are clear – but don’t create accountability.

All of this undermines a leader’s credibility and influence. Clear and consistent expectations provide reliable direction and boundaries for others to follow. People perform at a higher level when they know what is expected.

Clear & Consistent Communication:

If communication is poor – your team’s performance will be poor. If people don’t know our expectations, or about resources in our organization, or how to ask for help, or what is going on – they can’t work on their best. If they don’t understand goals, or each other’s roles or responsibilities or who they report to and for what – there will be problems.

Confusion and ambiguity are breeding grounds for conflict.

Leading Ourselves

To train Bella – takes intentionality and action. Like 6 am puppy walks in the snow. I have to put the time into learning how to train her. Then I have to follow through.

Leading effective teams takes the same kind of intentionality. Sometimes accepting that I need to do what I might not prefer – so everyone else can succeed. How we lead and who we are when we show up has an outsized effect on others’ ability to perform and succeed.

Take good care,

Christian

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