When Janet asked me to write the introduction for this book, I was humbled and nervous. Paraphrasing the immortal words of Wayne and Garth from Wayne's World, "I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!" How could I contribute to this magnificent book in a truly meaningful way?
First, I was very intrigued by the title selected for the book, Gracious Leadership. As I thought about it, I immediately did what I often do when a word causes me to think deeply-I looked up the definition of "gracious" and found the following descriptions: courtesy, kind, pleasant; generosity of spirit; kindness and warm courtesy; compassionate; and showing divine grace. There is indeed something divine about a great leader; each of us recognizes the magical "presence" of gracious leaders and how special they are when we have been blessed to experience them.
This book is an outstanding compendium of leadership revelations that Janet has synthesized over her career. I think that the term "gracious" is not only a reflection of Janet's insights from her leadership journey, but it also describes my experience with Janet as a leader. In the words of Jim Collins' Good to Great themes, Janet is indeed a "Level 5" leader, and it is the reason why it was an easy decision for me to support the decision for her to lead a hospital before having operations experience. I believe that her life transformation, coupled with great mentors and an untraditional career path, have made her a gracious leader who is generously sharing her learnings with us in this book.
I resonate with every concept and insight in this book, especially the "head-heart" connection that Janet discusses in the third chapter. In my early career as a leader, I prided myself on my technical knowledge, but I realized very quickly that leadership is about how we engage with others in a caring and meaningful way. Teddy Roosevelt was quoted as saying "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care!" Gracious leaders understand it is all about cultivating relationships and caring for others. They know their power comes from others, and influence trumps control. They know devoting time for dialogue on the "why and how" is as important as the "what." And gracious leaders know lasting change requires consideration of the four dimensions of people, process, technology, and culture.
Janet recognizes that leadership isn't about "soft stuff." Graceful leaders know that tough love is also important; other critical and compassionate aspects of leadership are developing clear goals and measures and holding people accountable for performance. If a leader is transparent, caring, and engaged, then the leader must expect the same from his or her people if the organization's mission is to be accomplished.
The book covers 13 important attributes of gracious leaders and contains suggestions on how to make Gracious Leadership real. I especially appreciate the fact that each chapter describes an attribute in a clear and practical way, combined with real life experiences. Finally, there are powerful questions for leaders to consider. The book is formatted in an ideal way to use as part of a "journal club" discussion for leaders who wish to learn together through deep discussion of a chapter and the "conversation starter" questions.
In my own life, I have learned from many gracious leaders who had confidence in me and gave me challenging assignments that were well outside of my comfort zone. I made many mistakes and learned from those mistakes with the help of these mentors. They shaped who I am as a person. They have moved me away from "downward spiral thinking" and have helped me see the possibilities. I have done my best to give back by supporting the growth and development of those I serve-so they can follow after I'm gone by leading and serving with soul. While I don't always live by my own words, my motto has been that the most important things in life are faith in God, love of family and friends, good health, happiness, and the ability to serve others.
It is my hope that this book inspires you to think about those who have mentored you and how you can use the meaningful attributes of Gracious Leadership that Janet has outlined to continue to refine and shape your effectiveness to serve others.
Peace to you,
Mike Slubowski
President and Chief Operating Officer, Trinity Health
