Boeing VP Discusses ‘Leading Through Uncertainty With Joy’
Photo by Derek Redd
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Mike Manazir's concept of leadership came through a simple question asked by a friend.
Manazir - a retired rear admiral in the U.S. Navy and current vice president of Boeing Global Services - admitted that, a couple of years ago, he was struggling in his job. He was having trouble with the mundane. And that's when his friend asked him, "What brings you joy?"
The idea of leading through uncertainty with joy was Manazir's topic Tuesday at the latest Growing Leaders for Impact gathering, led by Wheeling Country Day School. Growing Leaders for Impact is a collective of nonprofits that meet to identify and cultivate leadership opportunities.
Manazir's leadership concept is something that WCDS Head of School Liz Hofreuter believes that leaders in Wheeling should hear.
"If COVID taught me anything, it's that you can never have enough empathy and you can never have enough joy in your own heart," Hofreuter said, "because if you don't have those two things as a leader, they're not going to exist in your organization or in your culture."
Manazir has led through uncertainty for decades. During his time in the Navy, he commanded groups from 350 to 10,000 people. He completed 15 overseas deployments and five Pentagon tours during his military career.
Uncertainty hasn't disappeared in the private sector, especially recently. The COVID-19 pandemic sent the world reeling, and recent inflation issues have taxed people further. To combat that, Manazir said, leaders should add an extra layer of joy, purpose and gratitude for what life means.
"The first thing is you have to connect with everybody you lead," he said, "and it's done through the heart, not the mind. You have to connect with them individually, you have to learn their names, what they're about, why they're there. You have to learn what it is that makes them get up in the morning and come to work with you."
Part of Tuesday's discussion focused around the teachings of people like Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama. Leaders, Manzanir said, should try to touch peoples hearts and help them figure out why they're there, how they can create joy out of a sense of purpose. They need to figure out what barriers are there and get past them to generate a joyful attitude.
That hasn't been easy over the last few years with the different hurdles businesses and organizations have faced. But Manazir said clearing those hurdles is huge and it's important for leaders to remind those who work with them of that accomplishment.
"We have to acknowledge the environment and say how hard it is, but then say 'we got through it. Look what you've done," Manazir said. "You have to get into the organization's accomplishments over the last couple of years. And if you did survive and everyone's around and back to work, look what we did. The shared experience is, it's not just me. You have to acknowledge the barriers, and then acknowledge how you went through the barriers"