Leadership: Nice Guys Finish First

Bob Iger. Jeff Immelt. Henry Kravis. Dick Parsons. Howard Schultz. Steve Case. Colin Powell. Bill Bradley. Meryl Streep. Terry Bradshaw. Mia Hamm. What characteristics do these renowned individuals share? For one, they're all incredibly good at what they do. They're also passionate about their work. And thirdly, they and many others like them are the kinds of leaders with whom we'll be visiting in this new column, Leadership by Example.

If you aspire to achieve your potential as a leader, then this column is for you. Over the past 12 years, as a partner at the global executive search firm Spencer Stuart, I have worked with, interviewed, and recruited some of the top business leaders in the world. Combined with pursuing research, writing articles, and publishing books on leadership and success, I have built strong, trusted relationships with inspiring leaders from all walks of life.

Through these relationships and my research, I continually explore and share insights about the nature of leadership and success and attempt to apply the lessons learned to my own life. I hope you'll do the same.

Success Defined

Let's start with a question. What is success? Money? Happiness? Status? My definition of success is: To work with people whom you like and respect, in a role that plays to your natural strengths, in an area that you are genuinely interested in.

When you achieve this blissful state, good things happen. You will challenge and push yourself and grow personally and professionally. You will have a positive impact on your organization and those around you. You will reap appropriate financial rewards. And you will be able to live the lifestyle that meets your most important needs.

It sounds fairly simple - people, strengths, passions. Of course, it's rather more difficult to achieve. But it can be accomplished by understanding the patterns of success, following role models, committing yourself to the pursuit, working hard, and having patience and perseverance to take concrete steps every day.

A Surprising Way to Rise

An important point to underscore is that leadership and success go hand in hand. If you want a fail-safe way to be successful, then don't worry about your own success. Dedicate yourself to making those around you successful.

This is what we call Benevolent Leadership. Our research has found that among the most extraordinary executives (the top 10 percent of the top 1 percent of all professionals), 90 percent are described as "caring as much about the success of those who work with and for them as their own success." By contrast, only 4 percent of this extraordinary group are described as putting their own success ahead of their peers and subordinates.

Think about the power of these statistics. Focusing on the success of others will lead directly to your own success. While this may not be the quickest path, it works. It works because you attract the very best people to work with you. All the energy that you dedicate to their success rebounds to you as they, in turn, become committed to your success. In short, you don't claw your way to the top on the backs of others, you are carried to the top on their shoulders.

To the hundreds of CEOs and top executives with whom we work, this may not seem surprising. But to the average career professional within results-obsessed organizations, nothing could be more counterintuitive. Fifteen years of globalization, hyper-competition, reengineering, downsizing, and layoff after painful layoff have produced a workforce that believes only in survival of the fittest - i.e., if you win, I lose.

The notion that climbing the career ladder requires competing against, rather than supporting, colleagues is perhaps the most pervasive misconception in the workplace today. It's also dangerous -- stifling productivity and spawning behavior inconsistent with the core values of ethics and integrity.

A Leader's Perfect Brew

Consider the example of an individual who shaped his own life, his company, and society in the process by living this principle: Starbucks founder and Chairman Howard Schultz.

He wanted to build a company with soul, high on trust and motivation. He was committed to a company that would provide full medical benefits and stock options for all employees. And he genuinely believed that the best way to deliver the greatest customer experience is to deliver the best employee experience. Starbucks is consistently ranked as one of the best places to work.

His benevolent leadership turned out to be a winning financial strategy as well. The benefits and stock-options program has paid for itself in dramatically reduced turnover and high morale.

Howard is also an exemplar of success, not because of his fame or financial riches. Rather, based on the definition I described above, as founder and chairman of Starbucks, he's in a role that plays to his strengths -- conceiving of what the Starbucks brand can represent, serving as international ambassador for the company, and imbuing the organization with its special culture.

Howard is genuinely passionate about what he does -- building a lifestyle brand that serves tens of millions of customers, developing great people, drinking delicious coffee, and having a positive impact on society. And he clearly enjoys and respects the people he works with including, his partner, CEO Jim Donald, the rest of the management team, and baristas around the globe. Now that's what I call success.

Learning Leadership

A common question about leadership is whether leaders are born or bred. My experience leads me to conclude that leadership can, in fact, be learned. Of course, certain people who are born with the natural charisma gene, the one that attracts people starting back in the playground and leading all the way to the board room or the Senate floor. But some of the most charismatic, attractive people go awry and self-destruct, while many of the quieter individuals end up in the most responsible positions.

This is because there are as many different styles of leadership as there are people, and the style is often situational. However, regardless of style, underlying principles of leadership have endured over time. Bill Gates, for example, has a famously intense, analytical style that may not have worked as the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, but it was obviously well suited for building the world's greatest software company in that same city.

What was Bill's leadership? He had a superior vision; he built a superb management team; he and the team adapted to the environment; and they created a culture of excellence, dedication and winning. That's leadership.

I'm a big believer in role models. There's enormous power in learning from everyone with whom you come into contact and adapting the lessons to your own style and situation. Through this column, I hope you will join me on a journey to meet some of the most inspiring role models, explore some important and enlightening issues, and garner the insights that will put you on your own path to success and satisfaction.

AMS Couple Ties The Knot

Picture of Dave and Carol Baez with Dave Jr., Alyssa and Bre

David Baez, Secondary Marketing Specialist, and Carol Baez, Administrative Assistant to the Vice President of Bank Operations (formerly Carol Hill), tied the knot on March 23, 2006. Dave's brother was nice enough to let them use his house for their beautiful outdoor wedding.

Carol has been an AMS employee for a year and 3 months and Dave just short of that. They met at Flicka's Baja Cantina in Scottsdale, 3 ½ years ago and have been inseparable ever since. Carol said, "it was love at first sight."

The happy couple took a few days off to golf and relax at the Phoenician but is saving their honeymoon for the Summer when they can take their kids. They are planning to take a trip to Disneyland with their son David Jr. 2 and Carol's daughters Alyssa 10 and Bre 12.

Eric's Easter Meat Pie

"This meat pie is a winner every Easter. Stuffed full of ham, salami, and prosciutto, as well as ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses, this pie really satisfies!"
Original recipe yield: 2 - 9 inch pies.

Ingredients:
• 4 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

• 2 pounds ricotta cheese

• 6 eggs

• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated

• 1 pound cooked ham, chopped

• 1/2 pound Genoa salami, chopped

• 1/4 pound prosciutto, chopped

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

2. Place ricotta in a large mixing bowl and add eggs one at a time while mixing on low speed. Stir in mozzarella, ham, salami, and prosciutto until all ingredients are well combined. Line two 9 inch pans with pastry. Spoon half of mixture into each pan. Sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese over each pie, then cover with top pastry. Crimp edges and cut steam vents in tops.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, until crust is golden brown. Cool on racks.

Easter Bunny Drink Recipe

1 1/2 oz dark creme de cacao
1/2 oz vodka
1 tsp chocolate syrup
1 tsp cherry brandy

Community Affairs Update

Hello Everybody!

What a fantastic weekend for American Mortgage Specialists and US Preferred Realty! We had great time on Saturday at the Multiple Sclerosis 5-mile run. There were so many people out to support MS, as well as sponsors. BUT- we were the only mortgage and real estate Company there. We handed out jar gripper goodie bags, power bars, and sports bottles. Yvette Sierra also had a drawing for his and her gift baskets filled with sports goodies. The DJ was fantastic! He kept announcing our companies, and for everybody to come to our booth. We had plenty of stuff to give away, while the other sponsors ran out very quickly. So- we were spotlighted a lot throughout the morning. Subway was also there to feed everybody. They had well over 3700 runners/walkers participate in this event. Thank you Magda for staying up late to fill goodie bags, and for coming at 6:30 in the morning to help me! You are awesome!!!!!

ATTENTION!! NEW EVENT!! ATTENTION!! NEW EVENT!!

We have a fundraiser for the Arizona Nitro Girls 14u Fast Pitch Softball team. They have qualified for the TCS Fast Pitch World Series in Park City Utah the last week of July. The money will go to help the girls with the expenses for the week that they are there. They will be holding a car wash Saturday April 15 from 10:00 to 2:00 at circle K at the corner of Priest and Elliot in Tempe, 7530 S. Priest Dr. The car washes are $5.00. The girls from the team will be there to wash the cars. American Mortgage Specialists and U. S. Preferred Realty sponsor the team. Schellenne Konicke (Payroll Manager) is also selling tickets. Please come out to support our company's team. We will have our tent and banners there, and we will be handing out our sports bottles as well as washing cars. Please come out and support our softball team.

MADD-Phoenix Zoo - April 22

Care for Life-Kiwanis Park - April 29

There is always room for anybody who wants to come and spend a Saturday morning with us; our 5k runs are usually over by noon. We have a blast, as well as the satisfaction of knowing that we are helping show our support for the community. Please contact me if you would like to go to any of our events. We would love to have you!!

PARTNERING FOR SUCCESS

Sheila Pearson
sheilapearson@usprefrealty.com

Excel Guru:
(2 Full Time Positions)
Seeking excel guru to help develop and maintain banking products. If you also have 1 – 2 years experience in web development(HTML,ASP,.NET) and relational databases(SQL Server), that would be great. Knowledge of mortgage industry a plus but not required. Email resumes to stevebradshaw@amsaz.com.

We’ve received the majority of our licenses from state banking and if you haven’t received your license yet, it should be coming shortly.

Mortgage Rates and Applications Tick Up From Last Week

Mortgage rates for the weeks ended March 30 and March 31 were up slightly for fixed rate mortgages, with adjustable rates increasing a bit more aggressively.

According to Freddie Mac's Primary Weekly Mortgage survey for the week ended March 30, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage reached 6.35 percent compared to 6.32 percent for the week ended March 23. Fees and points dropped from 0.6 to 0.5. The 15-year fixed rate mortgaged increased 3 basis points to 6.00 with fees and points also dropping 0.1 to 0.5.

The two types of adjustable rate mortgages tracked by Freddie Mac showed slightly greater increases. The 5/1-year ARM grew from 5.96 to 6.02 with fees dropping from 0.7 to 0.6 and the 1-year ARM was up ten basis points to 5.51 percent with fees and points also up 0.1 to 0.8.

Since the first of the year the 30 year fixed has increased 14 basis points and the 1-year ARM is up 35 basis points.

On Wednesday the Mortgage Bankers Association released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ended March 31. This survey, of 80 percent loan-to-value loans, found that the 30 year fixed rate mortgage carried a contract interest rate of 6.49 percent, an increase of 13 basis points from the previous week and the highest rate reported by the Association since June 14, 2002 when the average 30-year was 6.53 percent. Points, including the origination fee increased from 1.02 to 1.13 during the week.

The 15-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 6.15 percent, 15 basis points higher than last week but points were unchanged at 1.12.

One-year ARMs were up 13 basis points to 5.96 percent while points decreased to 0.84 from 0.88.

Mortgage application activity increased 7.2 percent on both a seasonally adjusted and unadjusted basis from the week of March 24. Applications, however, were down 4.6 percent compared with the same week in 2005.

The market share of refinancing dropped again, representing 36.6 percent of applications this week as compared to 37.3 percent the previous week. According to MBA this is the lowest share for refinancing since July 30, 2004 when 35.8 percent of loan applications were intended for that purpose.

Adjustable rate mortgage activity declined slightly, now representing 28.5 percent of mortgage applications as compared to 28.7 the previous week. This, however, is not far from the where the ARM share was in early September despite the shrinking differential between fixed and ARM rates.