Taking leadership to the 'Samurai Zone' by Guy F. Riekeman, D.C., President, Palmer College of ChiropracticIn a 1990 address to the Joint Session of the U.S. Congress, Vaclav Havel said: "The salvation of this human world lies nowhere else than in the human heart, in the human power to reflect, in human modesty, and in human responsibility."And yet, he said that, "we still don't know how to put morality ahead of politics, science, and economics. We are still incapable of understanding that the only genuine core of all our actions -- if they are to be moral -- is responsibility."In every aspect of society (parenting, education, politics, employment, etc.) we see a dramatic void of vision and values as a result of ineffective or missing leadership.Some of the finest research on leadership is currently available from authors like Warren Bennis. But long before Mr. Bennis and others studied leadership, chiropractic possessed it. And while we may not have been able to define it, we certainly knew when we were in its presence.That holds true today.This article, about taking leadership to a new level, is the first in a series of articles I will be providing in The Chiropractic Journal about Palmer Chiropractic's vision for leadership.The "vision thing"Before you can lead you must have a clear vision of where you want to lead people. This vision must be oriented towards resolving the concerns and problems of others.Resolving our personal issues is not the task of leadership. This is difficult for individual practitioners, when today we have personal concerns like dwindling insurance coverage, new patient needs and financial insecurity. Yet, as soon as you are consumed with these personal issues, you lose focus, vision and leadership.What is your vision?At Palmer College, we are in the business of teaching people to become successful D.C.s and growing leaders for chiropractic. Because of our heritage as The Fountainhead, our rich resources of people and programs and our vision, we also have a responsibility to step up to the plate and provide leadership for the profession.Over the years, we have clarified our vision in the "Palmer Tenets" and in subsequent models of Palmer chiropractic philosophy. Once this vision is clarified and committed to, how do we become leaders?Three leadership levelsLevel One: Dictatorial AutocratThis level of leadership is the lowest form because it requires the hierarchical position of one person over another (who must become submissive in order to be effective). Although it works and can, at times, be appropriate, nevertheless it's ineffective if two people are of equal status. Here are some examples:a) All parents are Autocrats with their children. When children are young, it's important to define societal parameters. As the child grows to teenage and adulthood they will rebel, especially if the authoritarian position has been abused or carried over into their adulthood.b) Dictatorial Autocracy is critical in the military, but does not translate well to the public sector where employment is voluntary and employees can leave at will.c) This type of leadership is appropriate and even welcomed, by a new employee who wants direction and support in a new, unfamiliar position, but extended over the long run can stifle creative contribution.Level Two: Moral LeadershipFor any relationship to progress we must leave our roles as Dictatorial Autocrats and become a symbol of leadership. For us at Palmer, this means students, faculty, staff, alumni and other practitioners (and for field doctors it means people, patients, clients, children, staff) must make a conscious choice to voluntarily follow you and your vision.I only know of one way to create this and it is: They must see that you hold your vision more seriously than anyone else; that you work harder than anyone else; and that your values and standards are higher than theirs.How do you perform this magnificent task of leadership that will inspire and captivate all who touch your life? Here are some ideas:1) Lead by example. Never ask anyone to do anything you are not willing to do yourself, and probably have done many times before you asked them to do it.2) Work harder and longer than they do.3) Believe in and understand the dream or vision you are asking people to participate in deeper and more fully than they could ever imagine themselves doing.4) Never abandon them. At all cost, stand up for your philosophy, your college (or your staff, children, spouse, etc.). They must see your support of their efforts and their support of you. You may disagree, reprimand, or teach behind the scenes; but they must know you will support them and the rest of the team against the world outside.5) Be disciplined in living your values and when breakdowns occur in you, acknowledge them.6) Share the emotions of your dreams, not just the academics. People need to see your heart and soul, laughter and tears.7) Always have time for them. Bennis found that 90% of a leader's public time is spent dealing with other peoples' problems.8) Create a dream, vision, value system and goals that are big enough to dedicate your life spirit to.9) Call on people and hold them accountable to something bigger than they would do on their own, and be willing to be held accountable by them.You can't be supported if you're not willing to provide moral leadership. The problem with commitment, motivation and loyalty is usually not the other person, but rather the degree of moral leadership we have failed to provide.Level Three: The Samurai ZoneWhen the leader of a Samurai sect dies, there is never a vote on who the next head Samurai will be. Everyone just knows and he ascends to a level of leadership. How did he get here and why do others push him to this powerful and at times symbolic position? Simple -- go back and re-read "Level Two."What opportunities for increased leadership exist for the few who make it to the "Samurai Zone?"The Samurai Leader becomes, in essence, the "benevolent Father." People actually feel an unexplainable need to take care of and protect this leader from everything from physical to slanderous abuse.Staff members, for example, rely less on this leader for day-to-day direction and more for his or her creative vision and spiritual values. The impact of the Samurai is thus multiplied and multiplied. Instead of all energy being used to keep just one project growing, now multiple projects can be activated because the many people who will actualize them will be inspired by the spirit and vision of the Samurai Leader.But, this position carries immense responsibility, including the Leader's choice of the right people to replace him or her and creation of a structure that is systems-based rather than personality based. Only a few ascend to Level Three: Walt Disney, Ray Kroc, Ghandi -- people whose image was probably larger than the reality, but whose image inspired thousands, millions, to something bigger in themselves.Chiropractic stands at the threshold of a society that is demanding new leadership in health care. Health care consumers have rebelled against the Dictatorial Authoritarianism of the medical hierarchy of the last 200 years and are now demanding a new philosophy of Wellness. In turn, they are also demanding participation in the process.Thus, chiropractic must decide whether to proceed aligned with a medical philosophy or carry forth with its own. Most important, the profession is called upon to display the moral leadership so absent in our society. It must deal ethically with patients, third-party payers and politicians even when these groups engage in unethical behavior.We must be serious about and believe in our vision. We must work hard to educate others and develop a new science which includes biological consciousness as well as physicality. We must be well disciplined.Palmer Chiropractic is ready to take the challenge of leadership of the profession to the ultimate level. We have a clear vision for chiropractic and are ready to take on the challenge of becoming Samurai Leaders in communicating this vision to a public hungry for a new health care paradigm >