Orrin Woodward on LIFE & Leadership

I read recently of Sturgeon’s Law that states that 90% of anything
is crud. Theodore Sturgeon developed his law in arguing against critics
who didn’t like science fiction books. His answer defended the best of
the science fiction genre. Like anything in life, cream rises to the top
and only a few are willing to do what it takes to climb the mountain.
As I thought on Sturgeon’s Law, I realized that it tied in perfectly
with Chris Brady and my Tri-Lateral Leadership Ledger (TLL) from our #1
Wall Street Journal Best Seller, Launching a Leadership Revolution. The
idea behind the TLL is that leaders must develop their skills in
Character, Task and Relationships in order to influence effectively.
Sturgeon’s Law ties in with the TLL by revealing that only 10% of the
people will excel with character, only 10% will excel in task and only
10% excel in relationships.

The TLL scores you on a scale from 1
to 10 in each of the three areas and then multiplies the scores together
for a total leadership score. 1000 being the highest theoretical score
that you can achieve – 10x10x10 and zero being the lowest score
possible. Sturgeon’s Law reveals that only 10%x10%x10% will excel in all
three areas necessary to effectively lead. This amounts to 1 out of
1000 that lead people with character, task and relationships. This
number matches with what I have learned experimentally through building
communities. You have a performer for every 100 to 150 people and you
have a true leader for every 1000 people associating in your community.
This is just another example of how rare true leadership is. When you
find someone with Character, Task and Relationship, it is important to
serve them and reward them. John Maxwell says, “Everything rises and
falls on leadership” and I concur.

How are you doing in the three
areas? The tendency is to overrate yourself when you think through the
TLL. If you are part of a networking community and have 1000 people
attending your leadership events, then you are scoring around 350
points. A 100 people at leadership events is around 100 points. Every
leader has room to grow because none of us have hit anywhere close to
1000 points. What are your numbers at your training events? The numbers
do not lie even if we may desire to inflate our scores. This leads me to
Woodward’s Law which is a natural Corollary to Sturgeon’s Law
pertaining to leadership. Woodward’s Law – 90% of the leaders are
convinced they are part of the 10% in Sturgeon’s Law. Ok, that may sound
strong, but self-deception has costs more people success than any other
single factor. Is anything good coming from self-deception in your
life? Is ignorance truly bliss?

Why do people desire to live with
comfortable lies when only the uncomfortable truths will set them free?
Every leader should assess their strengths and weaknesses on the TLL
and then change what needs to be changed. In leadership, you cannot
take your old self into your new reality. If you are not happy with the
results you are getting then stop blaming God, society, your parents,
your team, your mentor, your situation, etc. and place the blame
squarely on the one person who can do something about your character,
your task, and your relationships. 2010 is the year to Play to Win! Are
you Playing to Win? God Bless, Orrin Woodward