Some new thoughts here from David Maister on leadership (described in the context of professional service firms).

Not sure I totally agree with these first two statements:

The fatal flaw in discussions of ‘leadership’ is the implicit assumption that we want to be led…We want to be helped, we’ll agree to be coached and (with careful definition of the term) we might consent to be managed. But we’ll rarely agree to be led.

[T]he number of people in human history who have been able to energize large numbers of people through their vision is very small…

I feel that rarely is a strong word to describe the frequency with which most people agree to be led. I do suspect, though, that people agree to be led far less than most leaders would like to think.

I do like David’s concluding statements on management and strategy:

What we need to do is stop pursuing the mirage of leadership, and start learning the model of how to be an effective manager – helping other people, individually and in groups, truly accomplish their potential. This requires putting the people being helped at the center of the discussion, not the leader.

Many firms still misunderstand this meaning of the word strategy. They choose a size to aim at, a set of new locations to be in and a set of new service lines they plan to enter through lateral hiring. None of these choices affect the underlying competitiveness of firms, which is about productivity, passion and purpose, not products and places.

I attended a local business event last week involved presentations by three C-level leaders of small companies. I chose to attend the event because all three have what I consider to be interesting — even “very cool” in one case — product/service offerings. In fact, I believe each company has, to varying degrees, world-changing potential. I wanted to learn more, and was eager to hear their story.

Not a one of them wowed me with their talk. In fact, one of them looked overwhelmed with boredom, showing no desire to be there.

I’ll admit it – one of my pet peeves is sitting through a lousy Powerpoint or public speaking performance by anyone at a VP- or C-level. At such times, I’m tempted to stand up and yell things like, “Stop leaning on the podium! Stop reading your slides! Show some passion! Talk to us!”

Maybe I’m being harsh. After all, public speaking is still one of the biggest fears for even the sharpest tacks. I should know…I was absolutely terrified of public speaking as a youngster, and not much better in my early professional career. To this day, I am an introvert by nature (that may surprise some who know me professionally). That’s not unusual – management guru and speaker extraordinaire Tom Peters recently admitted his own shyness streak here.

I had to work at it to get better at public speaking. Spent time visualizing my presentations and rehearsing my speeches. Tried the “imagine the audience is wearing underwear” trick. Made some mistakes at times, even embarrassed myself more than once.

Today, there’s something about a stage – large or small – that I truly enjoy. I still get mild butterflies before the first slide of a small-group presentation or the first sentence to a larger group, but I consider that “good energy” which originates more from the desire to do well than from fear of failure.

Don’t get me wrong. I certainly haven’t “arrived” yet as a speaker. I don’t make daily speeches, and I’m not currently on any public speaking circuits. When I do periodic presentations, I still have some performances which are better than others. But I think I’ve come a long way, and I’m getter a little better with each at-bat. I only wish more leaders would put the same effort into improving their own performances.

Why do lousy presentations drive me crazy? It’s not I’m-better-than-you ego (although that does cross my mind at times). I truly want to get excited about what other companies are doing. I want to see their leaders attract more investors, the best talent in their field, and more clients. I want to see the proverbial rising tide which lifts all boats, creating more prosperous conditions for all of us. And I want to see others deliver great performances so I can continually learn more about how to improve my own game.

We need more great speakers, great storytellers. Communication guru Bert Decker has started a series of posts on the five biggest mistakes CEOs make in public speaking (the first three are here, here, and here). Seth Godin suggested the best presentation earlier this month. Read those posts. Buy books on the topic. Get professional help. Videotape yourself. Practice, practice, practice.