THE FOUR ALEXANDERS

BY MATT KUTTAN

During my presentation about creativity at Northwestern University, some MBA students asked me about leadership and which historical persons had influenced my way of management. Off the cuff, I named 3 legendary people whose body of work I could recall and had been embedded in my memory. I came to realize that coincidentally, they were all called Alexander and upon further reflection, I came across one more Alexander I respected a lot and put down my thoughts about the lessons of leadership from these four Alexanders. I hope some of these styles and similarities that I amalgamated from various sources inspire you in finding your own leadership approach.

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Alexander the Great

Macedonian conqueror and student of Aristotle. 356 BC — 323 BC

Believe in yourself and have a compelling vision. Throughout history there have probably been very few leaders with such extraordinary amounts of confidence and self-belief as Alexander the Great. And if they can inspire the same level of pride and self-worth in their teams, a total ethos can be achieved. He also led by example, trailblazing from the front. Unlike most generals, in most battles, he was dramatically the first one over the ramparts and thus spoke to the collective confidence of his troops and won their commitment. When his troops went hungry or thirsty, he did too and if their horses died beneath them and they had to walk, he did the same.

Leverage your team’s strengths and execute well. He was a master tactician in battle, knowing that any disorganized enemy wouldn’t have an answer for his tight phalanx of troops. That military formation was used to their best effect each time, helping break through enemy ranks and forcing retreat. Also, a set up system of constant influx of information, helped interpret his opponent’s tactics amidst the chaos. Previously, no other leader had used the combination of speed, surprise and knowledge with such mastery. He also identified and built a committed team leadership around him and operated in a way that allowed them to build on their individual strengths. His hypothesis was that a good leader makes himself indispensable to the team, but a great leader makes himself thoroughly dispensable, and when they step aside, the team would still perform at full throttle.

Encourage group identification and reward excellence. Unlike previous leaders, he spoke directly to his troops, without airs, in their ‘street’ language, to keep them engaged and involved. He made references to iconic and localized cultural symbols which elicited strong emotions. These ‘fireside chats’, combined with his talent for showing that he was one of them, helped form a strong team mentality, and motivated his men to go beyond the call. Through a pattern of listening to group issues and identifying brave soldiers for specialized attention, he made sure that individual contributions was recognized which encouraged greater excellence.

QUOTE: “I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.”

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Alexander Graham Bell

Scottish-born innovator, scientist and inventor of the telephone. 1847 - 1922

Realize that big ideas are hidden within smaller ones. Alexander Graham Bell took advantage of luck and possessed the skills to pivot from his initial task, when his scientific exploration of telegraphing multiple morse codes made him stumble on continuous undulating current that reproduced speech patterns via sound waves. Identifying the potential of a remarkable invention like a telephone took foresight and today we can learn much from Bell’s great achievement of nurturing ideas, encouraging innovation and pursuing developments, however radical they might seem on the surface.

Mix business and personal agendas. Like many exceptional leaders, Bell was a humanitarian and made himself very accessible to everyone. Both his mother and his wife were deaf which heavily influenced his life’s work. He also encouraged the family of Helen Keller to educate her. He translated his exceptional values into his private life by lobbying for the cause of deaf people and to create education for them throughout the world. He’s a great example for the fostering of social responsibility and improvement of the quality of life in the communities you do business in.

Seize the day. Coming up with great ideas is important, but not as important as selling them. And being the first to market, even more so. A couple of Italians named Manzetti and Meucci separately created versions of working telephones, a full decade before Bell, but it didn’t go anywhere. An inventor called Elisha Gray also invented a communication device, filed a patent for it before Bell and even filed a lawsuit claiming Bell stole his idea, but it is Bell we know as the inventor because he evangelized the idea and reaped the rewards. He got credit by hitting the road with his idea, demonstrating to anyone who would listen, all the way up to the Queen of England. He used talk-value to land investors for his company and creating a market to buy telephones across the globe, by leading a team to showcase an idea exponentially.

QUOTE: “It is the man who carefully advances step by step, with his mind becoming wider and wider, who is bound to succeed in the greatest degree.”

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Alexander Hamilton

Statesman and founding father of the United States. 1757–1804

Take all help you are offered. Alexander Hamilton got lots of help to get him going, especially from the citizens of St. Croix who saw his potential and collectively sponsored his schooling on the mainland. Born to unmarried parents on a small island without the prerequisite name, status or wealth to achieve success in that time period required the procuring and acceptance of the philanthropy and kindness of others. So, when offered an opportunity, it should be graciously accepted and eventually reciprocated. It’s part of human nature to feel the impulse to ease the suffering of other living beings and that should be applied to how you conduct business.

Reinvent and promote yourself. Hamilton then cultivated an image of being a young genius and leveraged that reputation to gain powerful friends and supporters. He had a clear vision for who he wanted to be and what he wanted to accomplish in life and he slowly outlined a plan to surround himself with an inner circle of movers and shakers that demanded excellence, so he’d remain on his quest. From his tutelage, to the roles in the military, to becoming a lawyer and politician, culminating in a marriage to an influential politician’s daughter was all part of a grand strategic plan. And by defining and holding himself to the highest personal principles in every undertaking, he inspired those around him with a legacy of having ultimate standards.

Act fast, but plan for the long term. Besides being one of the founders of the American economy as the first Secretary of the Treasury — culminating in being on the ten-dollar bill, he also wrote the majority of the Federalist Papers that influenced the two-party system of democracy. His entrepreneurship helped found the New York Post, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Mint, and organizations to abolish slavery, but he didn’t see most of the fruits of his ventures because many were long term blueprints that took time to flourish. By not letting personal aspiration and ambition pre-empt authenticity, he created and innovated to pursue his ultimate goal of seeing the long-term success of a new brand called “America”.

QUOTE: “Those who stand for nothing, fall for everything.”

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Alexander Ferguson

Manager of Manchester United Football Club. 1941-

Renew and reinvent, even when successful. We become hostages to successes and thus, stick with investments like star players, or strategies that have worked, like defensive/offensive formations. But, sooner than later it will be eclipsed by competition with newer, innovative ideas. Alex Ferguson was a master at the art of self-renewal by famously selling-off legendary players like David Beckham and Roy Keane who were still at their peak, and experimenting with more enthusiastic and younger, unproven players. He was also a great fan of learning through osmosis and understood that young employees learn best when working next to more experienced employees and made sure his youth academy players trained and sat next to senior players every day, to foster the mission to win attitude and that no one person is bigger than a team.

Recognize that all employees works in sales. Whether you’re the store manager at a fast food restaurant, entrepreneur at a start-up or National Football League manager, understand that every employee works in sales. Some may not be client-facing or up the food chain, but everyone from the ball-boys to the receptionists at some point will represent your brand’s ethos to those outside the company and they need to be ambassadors. Being able to effectively articulate a singular mission and persuade employees of its value is a paramount skill that great leaders impart. Ferguson defined a clear focus on what was truly important for the team and communicated this frequently, that helped set the tone for the entire organization.

One-on-ones are one of the most important things you can do. Whether you’re a 3-person shop or a Fortune 500 company, the importance of constant, personal human connection is paramount. Because of the hundreds of little issues that popped up at any given moment, Ferguson deescalated them in the cafeteria, corridors or training ground on an everyday basis, instead of large, organized team meetings. He realized these small interactions were beneficial for them, and the short conversations kept the introverted as well as the extroverted engaged in the organization.

QUOTE: “We had a virus that infected everyone at United. It was called winning.”