Chapter 9
Sign the Leadership Contract
Earlier in the book, I defined a truly accountable leader as one who demonstrates a bias for getting important work done. An accountable leader is fully committed to moving things forward in the organization and takes full and personal ownership for his or her leadership role. When a company's leaders lack this kind of accountability, you end up with lame leadership.
This is why the leadership contract is important. By now you know what it means and what it entails. It all begins with holding yourself accountable as a leader. When you do, you commit to setting the pace for others as you strive to be the best leader you can be.
This means defining who you are as a leader, not solely as a technical expert. It means refusing to settle for mediocrity and no longer tolerating lame leadership in yourself and those around you.
Up to this point, you might have been a leader who just clicked Agree without truly understanding what you'd signed. Maybe you let the lure of a new title, new status, more money, and potential perks cloud your judgment. Maybe you were swept away by the opportunity and ended up underestimating what it takes to be effective. Whatever the situation, if you clicked Agree without truly understanding the four terms of the leadership contract, you can't be as effective as you need to be.
By now, you know that leadership is a decision you have to consciously make. You understand there are times when you have to pause, take a time-out, and make a Big D leadership decision. You recognize that in the daily act of leading, you will also make many small d leadership decisions. Both types of decisions will shape who you are as a leader. You'll notice a visceral difference when you make these decisions more deliberately. You'll feel it, and so will those around you.
Second, you know that leadership is an obligation and you need to step up. You understand that it's not all about you—it's about your customers, your employees, your organization, and the communities in which you do business.
Third, you know that leadership is hard work and you need to get tough. You recognize that there is a lot of hard work that you as a leader must do. It's your work—no one else will do it, and if you don't tackle it, you will make yourself and your organization weaker. The first person you need to get tough with is yourself. You must hold yourself accountable before you have any hope of holding others accountable.
Finally, you know that leadership is a community and you need to connect. No matter where you are in your organization, no matter what level of leadership role you have, you must work to build a strong community of leaders—one in which there is a deep sense of alignment, mutual support, respect, and trust. You know that if you can get this right, the community of leaders will set your organization apart. It will be your ultimate differentiator.
So that's the fine print of what it means to be an accountable leader. All that remains is for you to sign the leadership contract.
It's Time to Sign the Leadership Contract
In the blockbuster movie The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins is enjoying the simple life. Then he's approached by a group of dwarves who inform him that they are on a quest to reclaim their lost kingdom and secure a treasure.
Before they start out, the dwarves present Bilbo with a contract to sign, describing his role and the contribution he'll need to make as a burglar. It looks pretty straightforward at first: out-of-pocket expenses, time required for the task, and remuneration. It explains Bilbo will be given one-fourteenth of any total profit, which sounds reasonable. Then one of the dwarves mentions terms regarding funeral arrangements. And Bilbo reads that they aren't liable for any lacerations, eviscerations, or incinerations sustained during the journey. By now, this contract is making the nature of the upcoming journey seem pretty clear. Thinking about the possible risks, Bilbo actually faints.
Despite his original enthusiasm, Bilbo doesn't sign the contract right away. But if he didn't sign it eventually, there would be no journey. All that talk about reclaiming a lost kingdom and treasure would be moot. It's only after he signs the contract that the journey begins. This journey will involve great challenges and even hardships, but in the end Bilbo and the dwarves succeed in their quest.
Right now, you might be feeling a little like Bilbo, reading over all that fine print about evisceration. Up to this point in the book, we have been reviewing what the leadership contract is, what the four terms mean, and how you must put them into action. You can see how the four terms will make you a better and more accountable leader. You might be inspired and motivated to put them into action. You may have also considered the implications of the four terms for your own leadership role. But the reality is that until you commit and sign the leadership contract, this is all moot.
Remember, the leadership contract isn't a legal document. I once did a one-day leadership forum with the top 150 leaders of an organization, and the agenda went out ahead of time with the title of my presentation (“The Leadership Contract”) and a brief description. The leaders all came to the event anxious, expecting they would actually have to sign a legal contract. Once they understood what the leadership contract is really about, they settled down a bit. But in retrospect, I don't think their self-imposed anxiety was such a bad thing. It made those leaders pause and really think about this thing called leadership and whether in fact they were prepared to sign the leadership contract.
In the end, the leadership contract is an agreement you make with yourself—it's a personal and even moral obligation you alone decide to take on. I will never know whether you've actually signed it. People you work with won't know unless you tell them. But in another sense, we will all know based on how we see you show up each and every day as a leader. If you are only going through the motions as a leader, there's a good chance you haven't signed. If you have signed, everyone will sense your commitment to being the best leader you can be. This won't make you the perfect leader—there is no perfect person—but it will definitely make you one whom others want to emulate.
Once you sign the leadership contract, everything changes. You will find there is no going back. Your organization expects a lot from you, whether you are an emerging leader, a front-line manager, a mid-level manager, or an executive or C-suite leader. Your organization needs you to step up. You need to be as strong a leader as possible so that you can make your organization strong. Your employees, customers, stakeholders, and communities are all counting on you. And when you sign the leadership contract, you make a promise to be accountable to all of them.
It's a lot like when a couple decides to get married. After all the preparations and plans, it all comes down to the moment when the bride and groom hear these words: “I now pronounce you husband and wife.” As soon as the officiant says those words, they truly become a married couple. Everything changes, but the two individuals don't change. They are the same people. But something fundamental has taken place. What has changed may not be apparent immediately, but over time it becomes obvious as the couple continues to live together and learn what it truly means to be married and fulfill the terms of that relationship.
The same is true with the leadership contract. I won't know whether you actually ever signed it, but I will know as soon as I see you in action as a leader that you have made the personal commitment to be an accountable leader.
So it is up to you now—are you ready to sign the leadership contract?
The One Thing You Cannot Do
Before you answer, I must be clear with you on one important point: You cannot stay in your role without signing the leadership contract. If you do, you'll end up leading in a mediocre way. You will do a disservice to your organization and the people you lead. You will also do a disservice to yourself. So let me repeat: You can't stay unless you sign.
Right now, I'd like you to take a moment and reflect on the four terms of the leadership contract. Consider all the ideas we've explored together in this book so far. Review the questions that I had you reflect on at the end of each chapter. Now read the leadership contract that follows and carefully consider the words and the implications to you.
Signing the Document
By signing the leadership contract, you are making a leadership decision. You are committing to becoming the best leader you can be for your organization and those you lead. You are consciously saying you will step up to your obligations as a leader. You will commit to tackling the hard work of leadership. You will also build a strong community of leaders within your organization. If you can agree with these terms and have the conviction to be the best leader you can be, sign and date the contract.
Really, I mean it. Sign on the dotted line.
So what just happened? Did you sign? Did you do it halfheartedly or with real conviction? Did you put the book down because you thought it was a silly exercise? Remember that, whatever happened, I'll never know. The important thing is that you know, and that's what being a real leader is all about. The commitment you make to yourself is your first obligation as a leader.
There are a few scenarios worth addressing at this point in the process.
You Realize You Don't Want to Lead
Maybe you were about to sign and then you pulled back. Maybe you realized something about yourself: I don't really want to be a leader. Maybe you never have wanted to be one.
Congratulations. This is an important insight. Please note that there is nothing to feel bad about. It's better to be honest with yourself one way or another. As my team and I have shared the idea of the leadership contract with clients, we have encountered people in leadership roles who end up realizing they shouldn't be leading. It's something they never wanted to do, and it's something they shouldn't do. In many cases, they ended up taking on other roles in their organizations where they continued to add value and everything worked out fine. However, some of those reluctant leaders decided to leave their organizations. That's good news, too, because those people are finally pursuing what they truly want to do in their lives. These are definitely not easy decisions. But you do need to be honest with yourself and your organization!
You Want to Sign but You Don't Feel Ready
Maybe you found that you couldn't sign the leadership contract because you don't feel ready to take on a leadership role and fulfill its terms. You may have other priorities in your life that are more important, such as a young family who needs your attention. That is perfectly fine. What's important is that you are making a deliberate decision not to lead—and that is actually an important leadership decision. Keep adding value as an individual contributor or by sharing your specific expertise. When you feel ready, reread this book and then sign up.
You Have Confirmed a Decision You Already Made
Some leaders I work with say that signing the leadership contract is a confirmation of a decision they have already made in the past, just not so explicitly. You might be one of these leaders. You have fully committed to being the best leader you can be, but you've done it unconsciously. In my experience, once you consciously commit to signing and putting the leadership contract into action, it immediately takes you to another level as a leader. Your commitment grows stronger. You feel even more conviction about being a great leader than ever before.
Final Thoughts—Signing the Leadership Contract
This book is based on the idea that many of us have signed up for leadership roles without understanding what it truly means to be a leader. When we take on a leadership role, we know we're signing up for something important, but most of us aren't fully clear what's involved. Like all those online contracts, you've clicked Agree without ever reading the terms and conditions. You show up every day trying your best, but you're never 100 percent sure you are doing what you need to do as a leader.
The leadership contract gives you the clarity you need to do what is expected of you as a leader. As you review it, it creates in you a sense of personal commitment to be the best leader you can possibly be. You will find that this experience will change you as an individual. You will feel it. It's visceral. As I said earlier in this book, not only will you feel it, but so will those around you. You might be approached by a colleague who stops you in the hallway and asks, “Hey, did you lose weight? Did you do something with your hair? There's something about you that's different.” That difference is simply the fact that you have now signed the leadership contract and have made the commitment to be an accountable leader and make your organization as successful as it can be.
With this in place, we now need to look at how to put the leadership contract into action. We will do this by exploring how the leadership contract applies to the four turning points of leadership I described earlier in the book. We will explore how you can put the leadership contract into action at a personal level and at an organizational level.