A Leader's Inner CircleBy Dr. John C.

Maxwell
Months before President Obama took the oath of office he began assembling an inner circle of advisors. He and his
transition team painstakingly pored over the qualifications of candidates to identify the strongest leaders for cabinet posts.
In methodically vetting future leaders of his administration, President Obama demonstrated that he understands the law of
the inner circle: A leader's potential is determined by those closest to him or her.
Past presidents have learned the hard way that failures of a leader's trusted advisors can bring disaster. During the
Clinton administration, investigations into the conduct of five cabinet members eroded public perception of the President's
judgment. The indictments and allegations gave ammunition to Clinton's foes and cast doubts on his character, especially
after the Monica Lewinsky scandal came to light.
Likewise, President George W. Bush faced embarrassment when the man he appointed as head of FEMA, Michael D.
Brown, failed to provide strong federal leadership in the aftermath Hurricane Katrina. Inexperienced in emergency
management, Brown was overwhelmed by the crisis. During the height of the disaster, he fretted about finding a dogsitter
and fussed about his attire. His unpreparedness and inaction left the Bush Administration vulnerable to scathing
accusations of neglect and indifference.

Five questions to ask when forming your inner circle:

Do they display exemplary character in everything they do?

Deception eats away at a leadership team like cancer. Dishonesty on the part of one member of an inner circle can bring
shame and disaster to all. Entire organizations have toppled from the misbehavior of one bad apple.
Do they bring complementary gifts to the table?
Imbalance within an inner circle can attune a leader's ear to only one side of an argument. When putting together an inner
circle, prioritize diversity of personality and perspective. By doing so, you widen the range of your vision and the breadth
of your influence.
Do they hold a strategic position and have influence within the organization?
Members of the inner circle must have the platform and influence to implement a leader's decisions. If they cannot be
relied upon to execute a chosen strategy, then they shouldn't be entrusted with a spot on the leadership team. In addition,
inviting uninfluential advisors into the inner circle disrupts the political balance of an organization. High performers suffer a
motivational blow when they see a less deserving colleague granted special access to top leadership.
Do they add value to the organization and to the leader?
When considering someone for the inner circle, you should be able to articulate clearly the value they will bring. Ask
yourself the following questions: What will they infuse into discussion? Where do they have expertise? What unique skills
can they be counted on to bring to the table?
Do they positively impact other members of the inner circle?
If you've ever inhabited a house with a feuding husband and wife, then you can understand the need for leaders in close
proximity to get along. Infighting saps energy and focus from a senior leader, forcing him or her to mediate conflicts with
time that could be better spent elsewhere. Differences of opinion signal healthy debate, but personal animosities destroy a
leadership team. Make sure members of your inner circle have the emotional intelligence to keep arguments from
becoming too personal.
We've looked at the questions to consider when gathering a team of trusted advisors, I'd also like to offer thoughts on the
two traps you can fall into when forming their inner circle.

Two common errors in constructing the inner circle:

Soliciting praise instead of candor.

Stacking an inner circle with flatters and "yes" men ranks among the lousiest decisions you can make as a leader. Doing
so restricts your perspective, exposes you to blind spots, and leaves you on an island when do-or-die decisions must be
made. When picking members of your inner circle, be sure they have the gumption to voice dissent. You'll rely on them to
question your assumptions, to focus you on the mission, and to measure the integrity and worthiness of your ideas.
Driving away talent so that your power isn't threatened.
The wisdom of accumulating a talented inner circle may seem intuitive, but a rising star may threaten insecure leaders.
Leaders should not be, and cannot be, the utmost authorities on all matters germane to the organization. Invariably,
people have weaknesses. Wise leaders staff around their weaknesses, and welcome talent in areas where they lack
strength.
Summary

Questions to Ask of Candidates for Your Inner Circle:

1. Do they display exemplary character in everything they do?

2. Do they bring complementary gifts to the table?
3. Do they hold a strategic position and have influence within the organization?
4. Do they add value to the organization and to the leader?
5. Do they positively impact other members of the inner circle?

Traps to Avoid when Staffing Your Inner Circle:

1. Soliciting praise instead of candor.

2. Driving away talent so that your power isn't threatened.
Law of Inner Circle
Written by John C Maxwell, the guru in Leadership Skills, The Law of Inner Circle teaches us that the
leader's potential is determined by those closest to him, or her. I have always find this to be very true.
Why? Simply because we can't be doing everything ourselves! Truly, no man is an island and we need to
depend on others. No doubt many of us know this very fact. But what is strange and surprising to this
day is that we still fail to develop people!
Not too long ago in Malaysia, there was a huge unemployment crisis. Fresh graduates from universities
were unable to find jobs. Many reasons were sighted for this but that is not the point of this mini
article. There was one Human Resource Manager of some bigshot company who publicly stated that the
Company is looking for someone who can do the work, not someone who needs to be trained to do the
work. What a wrong mentality!!! And to think it came from a Human Resource Manager!!! Absurdity to
the fullest extent.
Emotionally, I remembered when I first started working. I couldn't tell which button to operate the high
tech photocopier machine. I have no idea how to do my job. And there was no one to guide me until my
first "sifu" (or mentor) came to my rescue. He built my foundation of knowledge. Had he not taught me,
I would have stuck in the rot for years. His condition for mentoring me at that time was only one - to
mentor others when my time to mentor arise. I am proud to say that today I am following his footsteps
to mentor others while still in my apprenticeship.
Many who were forced to learn by themselves, not unlike the organisation which I am in now - a
Multinational Company (MNC), have the mentality that if they needed to learn by themselves, so others
need to do the same. They are not about to "spoonfeed" nor teach anyone. The selfish world has taught
them to be selfish as well. They have forgotten how good it would have been if there was someone who
are willing to train them.
Impact? These selfish people will go nowhere, or at least I believe so. There will be no more further
promotion as the management would be able to see (hopefully) their selfish nature of not developing
people. Furthermore, if these people are promoted, what example would it serve?
There are many other famous people who advocates the same notion - W Steven Brown, the author of
13 Fatal Errors Managers Make & How You Can Avoid Them, also the President of The Fortune Group
talks about Failure to Develop People. Robert Kiyosaki or Rich Dad Poor Dad fame, never fails to ask
participants of his seminar to list 6 people that are closest to them - these 6 people are the future of
the person. Steven R Covey, author of the renowned classic, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
came with his sequel - The 8th Habit which is essentially talking about bringing the best in people.

I grew up watching Chinese Kung Fu movies. And in the movies, the master never, never ever teaches
his apprentice all his techniques for fear the apprentice would betray him. And it is a true happening in
China. What happened? Generation by generation, due to the selfishness of the masters, knowledge and
skills dwindles. Forget about progress. Think going backwards.
Are you guilty of failing to develop your people?
Will you start developing them?
I certainly hope so...