Moxie: The Secret to Bold and Gutsy Leadership

Praise for

Moxie

and John Baldoni

"John Baldoni is a prolific thought leader. With Moxie, he helps leaders recognize the fire that drives them. Touching on leadership, innovation, and engagement, John brings to life the excitement that drives us all to strive for the pinnacle of success which is often quite elusive. Moxie is a must-read for any C-level manager or executive who wants to bring the energy back to their life and their career."

—Marshall Goldsmith, Top 50 Thinker and best-selling author of What Got You Here Won’t Get You There and MOJO

"John Baldoni’s newest offer Moxie, is a valuable book for today’s leaders. Drawing on examples from great trailblazers of the past, Baldoni shows how effective leaders work and behave with passion and purpose. Brilliantly integrating the traditional psychology of self-awareness with the critical need for people skills and resiliency, Moxie proves to be the whole package. Highly readable and inspiring!"

—Stephen M. R. Covey, best-selling author of The Speed of Trust and co-author of Smart Trust

Mindfulness, Opportunity, X Factor, Innovation, Engagement. MOXIE. Just what corporate America is missing today. John Baldoni is known for coaching high-level executives as well as for his columns and books. Whether starting out with an innovative idea that is attracting investors or well established and sitting in the corner office, John’s new book should be on the must-read list for those striving for excellence and success.

—Mike Myatt, best-selling author of Hacking Leadership and Forbes leadership columnist

Finally, the definitive work on leadership! With laser-focus and global, historical perspective, John Baldoni has gifted us with the essence of real-life, authentic qualities that inspire teams, companies, and nations to greatness.

—Denis Waitley, best-selling author of The Psychology of Winning

Don’t let the title fool you! John’s book is not about being a business tough-guy. It is about having the inner resolve to find your special place as a leader and use it to make an impact on others. Once you read the real-life examples of leaders we all admire, you’ll narrow in on your own X-Factor. Go out and buy this book!

—Paul Spiegelman, former CEO of The Beryl Companies and the New York Times best-selling author of Patients Come Second

"John Baldoni hits on the greatest challenge and opportunity facing today’s leaders in his new book Moxie. Those in power who abuse their position lose the faith and trust of followers; those who work hard at their jobs and try to do the right thing gain influence. People want to follow them because they trust them."

—Barbara Kimmel, executive director, Trust Across America

Moxie! Every great leader has it. Every great leader looks for it in the people he or she leads. Look under the hood of the most exciting and successful companies of our time and you’ll find Moxie. Study the people who have changed history. You’ll find Moxie. Read this book and let John Baldoni masterfully unpack for you one of the most sought after character strengths in the world.

—Kevin Freiberg, co-author of the international bestseller NUTS! Southwest Airlines’ Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success and Do Something Now: Be the One Who Makes Something Happen

"With Moxie, John Baldoni explores what it takes to lead from the inside out. By focusing on mindfulness, Baldoni demonstrates how leaders can use their inner resolve to paint a picture of the future and overcome obstacles in order to achieve success for the organization."

—Gary P. Von Kennel, retired global CEO of Rapp Worldwide and former CEO of Tracy Locke Advertising

"Moxie is that rare leadership book that is both fresh and enduring and will make you think about how you lead. A coach at heart, John has written a must-read for aspiring leaders as well as CEOs in a style that resembles a great conversation with a good friend. Bookstores are filled with leadership books that try to capture the next big leadership thing; in Moxie, John offers the big things that endure and help leaders succeed regardless of industry or environment. If you are a leader, this book will serve as a trusted resource for years to come."

—Brian Layer, CEO of N2growth and retired brigadier general in the U.S. Army

First published by Bibliomotion, Inc.

39 Harvard Street

Brookline, MA 02445

Tel: 617-934-2427

www.bibliomotion.com

Copyright © 2014 by John Baldoni

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Baldoni, John.

    Moxie : the secret to bold and gutsy leadership / John Baldoni.

        pages cm

    Summary: In Moxie: The Secret to Bold and Gutsy Leadership, author John Baldoni uses concrete, tried-and-true steps to bring out the inner leader in everyone. For management and employees alike, Moxie provides a roadmap to inspire innovation and effective leadership— Provided by publisher.

    ISBN 978-1-62956-021-2 (hardback) — ISBN 978-1-62956-022-9 (ebook) — ISBN 978-1-62956-023-6 (enhanced ebook)

    1. Leadership.    2. Courage.    I. Title.

      HD57.7.B34897 2014

      658.4'092—dc23

2014017406

For my daughter Ann Baldoni

who knows what moxie is because she lives it

ALSO BY JOHN BALDONI

The Leader’s Guide to Speaking with Presence: How to Project Confidence, Conviction and Authority (2013)

The Leader’s Pocket Guide: Indispensable Tools, Tips and Techniques for Any Situation (2012)

Lead with Purpose: Giving Your Organization a Reason to Believe in Itself (2011)

AMA Handbook of Leadership, edited by Marshall Goldsmith, John Baldoni, and Sarah McArthur (2010)

12 Steps to Power Presence: How to Exert Your Authority to Lead (2010)

Lead Your Boss: The Subtle Art of Managing Up (2009)

Lead by Example: 50 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Results (2008)

How Great Leaders Get Great Results (2006)

Great Motivation Secrets of Great Leaders (2005)

Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders (2003)

180 Ways to Walk the Motivation Talk, coauthored with Eric Harvey (2002)

Personal Leadership: Taking Control of Your Work Life (2001)

180 Ways to Walk the Leadership Talk (2000)

Contents

Acknowledgments

List of Experts

Prologue

1 Mindfulness

Hero: Nelson Mandela

2 Opportunity

Hero: Ben Hogan

3 X-Factor: The Right Stuff of Leadership

Hero: Margaret Thatcher

4 Innovation

Hero: Sergio Marchionne

5 Engagement

Hero: Dolly Parton

Appendix: Putting Moxie to Work

Notes

References

Index

About the Author

Acknowledgments

Moxie represents many of the ideals I have observed in men and women in leadership positions. The influence of these remarkable people has enabled me to develop a book that will help others achieve their own leadership potential.

I owe special thanks to the leaders who shared their time with me during interviews and research sessions. They are Fernando Aguire, General John Allen, Donald Altman, Doug Conant, Chester Elton, Mark Goulston, Adam Grant, Jim Haudan, Jim Kouzes, Ryan Lance, and Richard Sheridan. Their insights have made for a better book, and I am grateful to each of them.

I want to single out Rich Wellins, PhD, of DDI for allowing me to cite DDI’s excellent research. The same applies to the Hay Group for allowing me to cite their global studies on leadership.

I want to thank my agent, Eric Nelson of Susan Rabiner Literary Agency, for believing in this book, as well as in me. Eric provided me with insights that helped me sharpen the focus of the book. Sarah McArthur was my personal copyeditor, and to her I am grateful. Jill Schoenhaut masterminded production, and Susan Lauzau worked her magic with the copy.

Mike Myatt, my colleague at N2growth, has been supportive in this project, and I want to say a special thank you. Tyler Walker, the Creative Director at N2growth, designed the infographics for which I am very appreciative. (Ty’s giving up his art for medical school. A loss for me but a boon to mankind.) And lastly, I want to thank my wife, Gail Campanella, for her faith in me and my work. Thanks again, sweetheart.

List of Experts

The following people were interviewed for their insights into how leaders apply the principles of Moxie to bring people together for common purpose.

Fernando Aguirre, former CEO of Chiquita Brands

General John Allen, U.S. Marines (retired), commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan (2009–2011) and special deputy for the Middle East for Secretary of State John Kerry

Donald Altman, MA, LPC, psychotherapist and author of One-Minute Mindfulness and The Mindfulness Code

Doug Conant, former CEO of Campbell Soup Company and coauthor of TouchPoints

Chester Elton, The Apostle of Appreciation, coauthor of The Carrot Principle, The Orange Revolution, and coauthor with Adrian Gostick of All In: How the Best Managers Create a Culture of Belief and Drive Big Results

Mark Goulston, MD, executive coach, founder of Heartfelt Leadership, and author of Just Listen and Get Out of Your Own Way at Work

Adam Grant, PhD, professor of management at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, and author of Give and Take

Jim Haudan, CEO of Root, Inc., and author of The Art of Engagement

Jim Kouzes, Dean’s Executive Fellow of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, at Santa Clara University and coauthor with Barry Posner of more than thirty leadership books and workbooks, including The Leadership Challenge

Ryan Lance, CEO of ConocoPhillips

Richard Sheridan, cofounder and CEO of Menlo Innovations and author of Joy, Inc.: How We Built a Workplace People Love

Prologue

Give me a place to stand, and a lever long enough, and I will move the world.

ARCHIMEDES

Moxie!

The very word conjures up images of tough-talking guys with bent noses and fedoras pulled down low over their eyes. It is a word that was common in the 1930s and typically associated with people born on the wrong side of the tracks. Common people to whom circumstances had not been kind. They had to make do with what they had, even if it meant using their fists. Prizefighters were said to have moxie, an inner sense of toughness. They knew how to fight as well as how to take a punch. They were tough guys, and the hard knocks they had endured showed on their faces.

Three-quarters of a century later, moxie is not a commonly used word, but it is one that is a favorite of mine. I like to apply it to leaders who have an inner sense of toughness. Most do not come from a hardscrabble or mean-streets background, but all have endured a number of fights, not in the ring nor in places they had to use their fists, but they were punchers all the same. They’re guys and gals who had what it takes to lead others in tough circumstances.

Moxie is the essence of what makes a leader tough on the inside and soft on the outside. These people know what it means to get knocked down, but better still, they know how to get back up. They also stick up for others, especially when the chips are down, and you want them on your side. And lucky for you, they most often are.

By definition, moxie is gumption (get up and go), guts (courage), and determination (perseverance) all rolled into one. These are traits any leader needs, but to me there is another aspect: Moxie was the name of a soda pop, a carbonated soft drink. And so, without stretching too much, you can put a little sugar on the concept, because tough leaders have appeal, a little honey that draws people to them. They are likable.

Why Moxie?

After the financial crash of 2008, we often heard senior executives declare that they’d never seen things so bad. Trust in management plummeted. A survey of senior leaders conducted by Booz Allen in early 2009 showed that 46 percent of those surveyed doubted their CEOs had a credible plan to deal with the crisis, and 50 percent doubted that their company had the leadership necessary to execute such a plan. This lack of confidence did not come from rank-and-file employees, but rather from the senior-most leaders of organizations. That’s pretty damning.

As with most crises, it passed, but its wake left devastation in terms of loss of wealth, jobs, and, frankly, confidence in leaders. Slowly but surely wealth and jobs have been restored—not as much as we’ve hoped—but the trends are positive. Except for those regarding leadership. According to the National Leadership Index for 2012, compiled by the Center for Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School, 69 percent of Americans surveyed viewed leadership in crisis mode. Not unexpectedly, faith in government and corporate officials has eroded over time. But there is hope, because when respondents were asked how America could solve its problems, 81 percent said, effective leadership.

Leadership post-crash is not really any different from leadership pre-crash, except for one thing: resilience. Those who have steered their companies back to prosperity did it by making tougher, wiser choices and moving forward in hard times. In short, these leaders have moxie.

Flash-forward to the present. In my coaching, I have the privilege of working with men and women at every level in organizations, but as my practice has evolved I’ve begun to focus on those at the top of their game, those who are leading their organizations. They have guts, gumption, and they know how to get glory—for their teams, their companies, and, yes, themselves.

These folks have moxie, and it’s something that every leader would do well to put into practice. I define it as one part courage, one part can-do spirit, and one part recognition. In Moxie, I explore how the concept focuses