Leadership the Iacocca Way

I just finished reading Where Have All The Leaders Gone? by Lee Iacocca. Now as most of you know I am working on an MBA which has required a tremendous amount of reading on the idea of leadership. Mr Iacocca's book wouldn't make the cut as one of the school's textbooks but it's a rip-roaring read by a man who has spent his life leading and not just "studying" leadership. Now in all honesty, if you are looking for deep analysis or some type of gimmick (the "seven effectual habits of the four circles at the top of the five level pyramid" types of books prevalent today) you can just skip this one. But if you are looking for passionate talk from a "real man" check it out.

Mr. Iacocca's closing chapter is very impassioned plea for people, everyday people, to take on the role of leaders. Though his main thoughts area about the 2008 election, his three points are worth thinking about in our daily lives. In his call to action Mr Iacocca asks every American voter to do three things:

Give something up

Put something back in

Elect a leader

Let's look at these out of the singular context of politics and apply them to everyday life:

Give something up. Let's face it, most people today are not taught to view things in a "give and take" manner but in a "take, and then take some more" way. We want everything given to us without our having to do without. Don't save for that vacation, put it on your credit card. Don't be content with what you have when you can borrow on your house to buy that H2. But if we are honest, there WILL come a day that you (or your children) will have to pay. Perhaps we as a people would be better off if we experienced a little more "delayed gratification" and a little less "instant gratification". Real leaders know that sometimes you give up the "quick buck" to get more in the future.

Put something back in. Let's expand on the first point and not just "save", but "invest". How about instead of a movie every week we give the price of that ticket to a charity? And do we really need to spend an average of 20 hours a week in front of the television? Suppose we spend only 16 hours a week in front of the tube and donated an afternoon or evening teaching people to read or cleaning up the neighborhood park (or one of a number of things to make our neighborhood/society a little "better")? Real leaders know that putting in even a little can yield much whether it is time or money (or better yet, both).

Elect a leader. Expect things from people, especially those who are in power. Don't just put the guy or gal in who seems nice or dresses nice or speaks well, but have a standard (or better yet, SET ONE YOURSELF)... and don't expect anything less. And when they want to do something, ask questions like "Show us where this has worked." and hold them accountable.

Not bad. Imagine where we would be as a people if we adopted Mr. Iacocca's "simple" three points. I think better off than we are now.