"I work for a bunch of clowns!"

Harry shook with frustration as we talked over lunch. As he saw it Susan, his boss, ran hours of pointless meetings, rarely contributed, and only seemed to criticize Harry's work.

Harry is just the kind of guy you want working for you. He's talented and tries hard to make a difference. But he saw leaders like Susan all around him. Harry left the company a couple of months later.

"Yeah - but I'm No Clown...Am I?"

I hear a lot of stories like Harry's right now. Susan is probably a good person but she's doing something horribly wrong if a smart guy like Harry calls her a clown.

Do you ever wonder what your people are saying about you?

Take this leadership test...do you:

• Hide from your employees behind your closed office door?
• Spend more time navigating company politics than developing your team?
• Immediately hit your people's ideas with five reasons why they won't work?
• Try to befriend your people by being overly nice?
• Vent your frustration by barking orders at your employees?
• Take over - doing things for your team instead of allowing them to fail?
• Justify your less-than-perfect ethical behavior by telling yourself "Well, other people do it?"

Do you recognize a little of yourself in any of these statements?

Does this worry you?

It's Easy To Act Like A Clown When You Work In A Circus!

OK - it may not be entirely your fault.

It's the whole darn system that you've created!

Have you ever:

• Looked at your senior leaders and asked "Are these people respected and admired?"
• Read your company's performance appraisal form and asked "How do these traits impact our customers and the bottom line?"
• Wondered why your reams of HR policies protect your company from the <1% of employees that abuse the system instead of allowing the other 99% to thrive?

Your entire company culture could be nurturing clown-like leadership behavior.Time for a wake-up call...The New Rules Of Business

Rule #1: Job Security Is Dead!

Your employees no longer expect you to be loyal to them.

They know because you outsourced a bunch of their friends - and then you downsized a bunch more.

Rule #2: Company Loyalty Is Dead!

Your workforce is changing. They've been through the bubbles and the recession. You now have lots of Millenials and "Un-Retirees" working for you.

You can't lead them by fear anymore. You can't keep them at their desks with just a paycheck.

From now on they are going to be loyal to themselves and their personal mission.

And you will find this out the hard way when your best people jump-ship as the economy improves.

Rule #3: Customer Loyalty Is Dead!

Customers have so much choice in the new economy - they will drop you in an instant for someone that offers more value for their money.

With free software (e.g. Google Docs), online marketplaces (e.g. Elance.com) and cheap tele-working technologies - you know that your customers are looking around. Don't you?

Long Live The New Rules!

Some companies get the New Rules. And they know they have to get creative.

These companies know that after they have outsourced the repetitive jobs, they will need a bunch of smart "creative types" working for them. They need people that will do extraordinary things for their customers - solving problems quickly with no direction from the boss.

The challenge is that these creative folks are wired differently. In his excellent book Drive (http://www.danpink.com/drive) Dan Pink calls this "Motivation 3.0." 

These creative types want autonomy and they only get inspired doing cool stuff. They don't keep office hours and they won't follow the unwritten rules of your Old-Boy-Network culture.

And these folks won't put up with crappy leaders. Instead they will "vote with their feet" and leave.

And these passionate creative types are going to kick your butt!

And if you don't get this, I believe that you and your company are doomed. Maybe not now - but soon.

Time For "Leadership 3.0"

Leaders must adapt - embracing the new rules of business and the new breed of creative workers.

It's time for Leadership 3.0!

Leadership 3.0 leaders are:

• Authentic - they understand their own insecurities, they admit their mistakes and they are guided by their values.
• Connected - they care about their people and go out of their way to make them feel appreciated.
• Inspiring - they share their passion about the mission, and they help out "in the trenches."

This Blog is dedicated to growing Leadership 3.0 leaders and, if you are up for the journey, we'll help you get there.

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The rules of business have changed, along with the people that will thrive under those new rules. Embrace Leadership 3.0 and you can thrive too.

After all - if you still run a circus, then your future lies in the clown business. And clowns just aren't that popular these days!

Please share your thoughts in the comments below. 

Thanks for reading, 

Tim