Effective Leadership

Social Influence and Genius - A Leadership Journey

A Better Future for your Business and the World

written by C. Dan McArthur & Vincent Higgins

Published October 2011 - Tanglewood Publishing

About the Book

The changing face of leadership is increasingly concerned with “social influence” - drawing people and disparate parts of an organization together in ways that make individuals and organizations more effective. The old way of directing people to do things has given way to guiding them to want to do things. The leadership journey outlined in this book gets to the heart of leading organizations. As you continue on your journey with us you will learn a new model of leadership and organization structure that will create a better future for everyone. You will discover a most vital lesson of success, Leadership Genius.

About the Authors

Dan McArthur is an independent board director and a member of the Institute for Effective Leadership advisory board. He has been a top-tier management consulting firm leadership principal, senior manager in several major corporations, managing director of a private equity firm and an entrepreneur. He is author of Outcome Management and many other books and articles on business vitality.

Vincent Higgins is a board director, strategist and President and CEO of the Institute for Effective Leadership. With advanced degrees in physics, philosophy, and theology, he uses his “theo-physicist” background in leadership and enterprise development. He has lived in a number of countries working with corporate leaders and organizations and speaks several languages.

The Institute for Effective Leadership, a leadership development and advisory firm which sees "effectiveness" as achieving --and constantly surpassing-- an organization`s stated objectives, for greater impact, profitability and sustainability. Its proven track record has enabled executives and decision-makers to reach their full potential, for the good of their organizations and society as a whole.

Acknowledgments

“Einstein said that everything should be made as simple as possible … but no simpler. McArthur and Higgins have managed to accomplish that delicate balance in the field of leadership … they have simplified the academic research so that it has practical utility while avoiding the oversimplification trap into which other practical leadership books fall”
Bruce Hamilton
CEO, Energy Company &
U.S. Navy Captain (retired)

“Social Influence and Genius provides the big picture and detailed character traits to be an effective leader and is full of examples, questions and other tools to help raise the leadership and cultural corpus of an individual or organization. The chapters on Culture, Alignment and Imperative's are a must for the Chief Operating and Corporate Compliance Officers. The book is an eclectic tome on leadership for the novice or most experienced professional”
Daniel Torpey, CPA, CFF, CITP
Partner, Ernst & Young, LLP

"If I had read Social Influence and Genius 20 years ago, I would have been and the businesses I managed would have been much more successful. The book will rapidly become a best seller. I truly could not put it down!"
Joseph Nassif, Area Manager, Nustar Energy Corporation
Fortune Magazine’s top 100 best companies to work for in 2011.

"Higgins and McArthur have unveiled the essence of true leadership with their introduction of the "Leadership Trilogy" and the unlocking of an organization's "Genius Network"!  The pyramid symbolism throughout their writings provide a level of simplicity that is easily understood by both junior and senior leadership today. It provides an in depth comprehension of skills and attributes needed to lead in the 21st century.  A fresh and sophisticated new look at Leadership.  I will recommend and provide this masterpiece to all my corporate clients."
Jim Bethmann, Managing Partner
Caldwell Partners (Executive Search)

“Social Influence and Genius clearly brings to light the elements of a true leader, showing how personal and financial success are built. The authors deftly expose the true meaning of leadership, a life-long journey that provides tangible results, both in profits and in deeper meaning.”
Carlos E. Gonzalez, Managing Director
Northgulf Partners Inc (Financial Services)

Foreword to the Book

by Sheila McNulty, The Financial Times

My career in journalism has been punctuated by stories of the failings of leaders.

This issue has been at the center of the downfall of governments and the Asian financial crisis that dominated my years with The Associated Press and Dow Jones. It has also been key, more recently, in my coverage of the collapse of Enron and BP's safety gap for the Financial Times. For this I was named Reporter of the Year in the 2007 British Press Awards.

While these stories underline leadership failure in its extreme, the fact is that most of the news coverage in the world today is negative. There is always some business or another in trouble, whether because it failed to follow best practices, lost touch with its clients or got left behind by technology. The reality is, that to stay off the front page for all the wrong reasons, the world - and business in particular - must focus on ”next practices.'' This is the theme of Social Influence and Genius, which I believe any business - including the energy business I cover - should read to stay relevant in this changing world.

I came across this book through my youngest son, Gabriel, who is a friend of one of the author's children. When Gregory came to play, I met his parents, and a copy of the book was passed along. It is worth noting how often professional relationships begin in such a personal way.

But unless you are the type of leader who is open to listening, learning and new approaches, such an opportunity might be missed. The authors cite a number of case studies throughout the book that illustrate the importance of being open to new opportunities. Perhaps the best of these is about how IBM has consistently reinvented itself to stay relevant.

Instead of suggesting a cookie-cutter approach, McArthur and Higgins encourage corporations to create their own unique plan to build or continue success into the future. “Go beyond current formulas and establish new practices rather than relying on best practices,” is a major lesson.

The authors guide readers in how to develop their own formula for success, with a “go deeper'” section on how to put the ideas into practice. This sets it apart from the typical how-to leadership books, which only tell you how to lead by copying what others have done.

What impressed me more than anything in reading this book was the overriding lesson for leaders to build a “leadership culture'” that involves opening lines of communication from the mail room to the boardroom and really listening and learning from people at all levels. This not only generates new ideas and keeps the leadership up-to-date on changes in the marketplace, it also gives workers a sense of really being part of a company and having a stake in its success. What better motivation to do a good job could there be?

Ideas for improvement can come from anywhere, and yet they are so often kept in a cubicle by a disgruntled employee who feels nobody would care what he or she could offer. Creating a business where people at all levels feel valued is key. The authors make a point of noting that leadership exists in everyone. They show how businesses can develop a leadership culture and an organizational structure in which everyone is not only encouraged - but expected - to be a leader.

Of course, this cannot be accomplished overnight. It is a path that a business can only follow when it is ready to let go of what worked yesterday, or the business strategy they first had, and be open to the realities of a changing world. That is the key to ending up an IBM instead of a General Motors, which was once the largest corporation in the US and the largest employer in the world and yet in 2009 found itself filing for bankruptcy protection from creditors.