In the wake of September 11, the leadership of U.S. President George W. Bush has been spotlighted and tested, and both American citizens and world leaders have found some reassurance. In my opinion, this is due at least in part to a practical demonstration of the effectiveness of Side by Side Leadership in an epochal social and military crisis.

Side by Side Leadership®, my model for how organizations can improve productivity by drawing out and harnessing the creativity, knowledge, and energy of followers, is based on hard research into the effects of two-way communication, participative decision making, and breakthrough teamwork in achieving shared visionary goals. Consistent use of Side by Side Leadership practices by organizational and team leaders have been shown to produce performance improvements of 25 percent or more.

Here are some of the ways President Bush has applied Side by Side Leadership:

Relying on team members. Before September 11, the president was often criticized for relying too heavily on Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and other appointees. On the day of Osama bin Laden's attack, the close-knit teamwork among these senior advisors paid off. For instance, the secretary of defense, who was present when his building was hit, immediately began mobilizing rescue and recovery efforts on his own authority. Appearing on network news from inside the Pentagon at 6:00 pm, he reassured Americans that the nation's defense establishment was on full alert and that its headquarters would be open for business by 8:00 the next morning.

Americans knew that even as he was being flown to secure locations until the full extent of the threat was known, the president stayed in contact with key government leaders, including New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. When interviewed, each leader began by saying, "When I was talking with President Bush. . . ." This helped calm the fears of many Americans whose sense of security had been shattered by the day's events.

Listening to other points of view. One of Bush's political strengths is his ability to engage and work with people who disagree with him. Many Democrats supported him when he ran for president. When he was the Republican governor of Texas, Democratic state senators and representatives liked him, including the most powerful Democrat of all, Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock. As governor, Bush personally conferred with Democrats and asked their opinion more than the previous governor, their own party's Ann Richards. Democrats in Washington, D.C., have been learning that President Bush's efforts to learn and understand differing points of view is genuine.

Sharing leadership. In industry, as in government, too many leaders seem intent on drawing all attention to themselves. But in the early days of the 9-11 crisis, the president freely yielded the spotlight to his own cabinet members, members of Congress, and leaders in national and local government. On the evening newscasts of September 11, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Attorney General John Ashcroft calmly stated what was known and what was being done to protect the public. House and Senate leaders of both parties stated that they had been fully informed of the crisis and publicly expressed bipartisan support for the president's actions. The mayor of New York stayed visible at Ground Zero to coordinate rescue efforts and reassure New Yorkers that the city still functioned. The visibility of authoritative knowledge and action at all levels reassured Americans of the nation's resiliency and its ability to deal with this unprecedented crisis. It demonstrated a unified team approach at a time when the nation and the world community badly needed reassurance.

Coordinating with other leaders. All organizational leaders must at times coordinate and cooperate with their counterparts in other organizations. Unless this is done using principles of Side by Side Leadership, cross-organizational leadership becomes a continual tug-of-war: which leader is the "dominant alpha" of the pack? The threats and opportunities of today's world do not allow such power games. Leaders who cannot work as coequals with other leaders are gradually frozen out of influence.

President Bush's Side by Side leadership came through strongly in the way he coordinated with other world leaders. He quickly established communication with America's strongest traditional allies, as well as with potential new allies near Afghanistan. Along with his secretaries of state and defense, the president immediately began a dialogue with leaders of other nations on formulating and carrying out an appropriate response to the attacks.

Communicating with the public. One area in which all government leaders could improve is in being more side by side with the public. Since September 11, American citizens eager to help victims of the attacks have donated hundreds of millions of dollars and more blood than the blood banks could handle. But national leaders have asked eager citizens to do little more than "shop till you drop." Our leaders need to provide more meaningful options for action that fits people's family and work goals, their professional and personal values. How can we protect ourselves against the possibility of more attacks? What can we do to restore security and confidence in our transportation and postal systems? By discussing a range of options and actions, leaders could help people feel less vulnerable, more individually powerful, and more confident. Osama's organization is being systematically dismantled by our military, but the psychological battle against terror at home is yet to be fully joined. Osama bin Laden's terrorists are, of course, directly responsible for the loss and suffering of September 11. On the other hand, every American city has long suffered the detrimental effects of prejudice, illiteracy, and poverty. The battle against terrorism and its causes must include a national campaign to diminish or eliminate these pervasive plagues. Side by Side Leadership can help us win that victory as well.

_____________________________
Dennis Romig, Ph.D. Author of the New York Times Best Selling Book, Side by Side Leadership: Achieving Outstanding Results Together. President of Performance Resources, Inc., Austin, Texas