The Leadership Coaching Blog

Following on from my blog post last week discussing the article by Rob Goffe (Professor of Organisational Behaviour @ London Business school) and Gareth Jones (visiting professor @ INSEAD) I wanted to explore where they think they’re at odds with much of today’s leadership thinking.

They say that the majority think that effective leadership rests on full  self knowledge, but that their observations of leaders suggest that few develop full self knowledge.  That effective leaders have an overarching sense of purpose and sufficient self knowlwdge of their potential leadership assets.  ‘They don’t know it all, but they know enough!’

That being the case they believe that leaders need to recognise some fundamental truths in order to become more effective.  These are:

• That leadership is situational - what is required of leaders will always be influenced by their  situation. However, they do acknowledge that the situation the leader inherits is simply a starting point - that the actions of leaders help to alter their situation and that effective leaders go further, by using their personal leadership assets to reframe situations to the benefit of those they lead.
• That leadership is non hierarchical - just because you have reached the top of your organisation, or have an organisational ‘title’, this doesn’t automatuically make you a leader.  Great organisations have leaders at all levels.

That you cannot be a leader without followers - leadership is a relationship built actively by both parties.  ’Good leaders manage relationships by knowing when to be close to people and when to be distant - to keep people focused on goals and address poor performance.  Crucially, they are able to create this distance without pulling rank.’

According to Goffe and Jones, this management of social distance means that leaders are not easily stereotyped, because they both show emotions and withhold them; get close and stay apart; are like us but different.  This means that they’re often seen as enigmatic or ‘authentic chameleons.’

These leaders need to be skilled communicators who pay careful attention to how they are seen and heard, who build compelling stories about themselves and their contexts, and identify communication channels that work for them - whether that be platform presentations or intimate face to face meetings.

So, there are some fundamental principles of leadership that do apply across the board e.g leaders need to motivate followers to feel that their work is significant and part of something bigger.  But above all followers look for leaders who are authentic, and this authenticity froms the foundation of the relationship; without it there can’t be much trust on either side.

I’ve been re-reading an article from People Management magazine which was basically posing the question - “Given the general hunger for good Leadership, why are leaders in such short supply?” The writers (Rob Goffe and Gareth Jones) put forward 2 main reasons:

1. Organisations desire leaders but structure themselves in ways that kill leadership - they encourage conformists or role players with little sense of who they are and what they stand for.
2. People’s understanding of leadership is blinkered - they focus on the characteristics of leaders and what they do to others, rather than seeing it as something they do ‘with others.’

What I believe they are saying here is that leadership should always be viewed as a relationship between the leader and the led. That there is no set recipe to follow, and that attempting to imitate other successful leaders is doomed to fail - this is because what will work for one leader will not necessarily work for another.

In many ways I agree with this - as aspiring leaders need to discover what it is about themselves that they can mobilise in a leadership context, and not purely rely on trying to ‘do’ what others do.

On the other hand, I do think that this can be a useful way of testing your effectiveness as a leader and coming to terms with your true self - in terms of what feels comfortable and natural, and what feels forced.

Anyway, there was more to this article than I have time to get down here, so will try to come back to it shortly

Whilst scanning an article on this legendary industrialist and business leader I noted the leadership principles on which he based his success.  These were:

1. Lead by example - never ask people to do something you wouldn’t do yourself
2. Trust and stand up for your people
3. Always admit when you make a mistake
4. Push credit down the line and blame up the line to lift self belief in the organisation
5. Integrity is more important than popularity
6. Be consistent and you will gain popularity
7. Manage change and keep people’s hearts and minds involved
8. Never fail to make a decision
9. Keep changing - change is risk, but the biggest risk is not to change at all

Not a bad list for all leaders to keep in mind!

I had a major cull of magazines waiting to be read yesterday, and tore part of a page from a CIPD magazine - a box detailing what it means to be an authentic leader - which struck a chord.

Unfortunately, I didn’t keep a record of the article it belonged to, so can’t attribute it to anyone!

• Authentic Leaders do what they say - and practise what they preach.  Nothing betrays aspiring leaders as much as trying to persuade others to do things that they would never do themselves.  But an ability to do what you say is not enough on its own.
• Authentic Leadership also involves an element of coherence.   In other words, despite the need to play different roles at different times for different audiences, authentic leaders display a ‘real self’ that holds these separate performances together.
• Authentic leadership involves a kind of comfort with self, which is often hard to attain.  To be a more effective leader, you must be skilled at ‘being yourself.’

I couldn’t have said it better myself!

I found this piece on a site while surfing - I think it’s from a Success magazine interview with Colin Powell at the end of 2005.  Powell’s 12 Leadership tips are taken from the article “Leadership – From the battlefields to the boardroom: Colin powell explains how to be a leader worth following.”  It makes interesting reading.

1. Never be afraid to make people mad -  Good leadership involves responsibility to the welfare of the group.  Some decisions you make may upset certain individuals; this is inevitable. Trying to be nice to everybody will only invite mediocrity and compromise your goals as leader.
2. The day the soldiers stop bringing their problems is the day you have stopped leading them - Make yourself accessible and available.  Too often, asking for help is seen as a sign of weakness, which leads to cover-ups and poor performance.  Show your concern for the people below you.
3. Don’t be buffaloed by experts and elites - Always question what the experts say if you don’t understand.  Don’t assume that they know more than you, and certainly don’t be cowed into accepting something that you don’t fully understand.
4. Don’t be afraid to challenge the pros, even in their own backyard - Learn from the pros; seek them out as mentors and partners.   But if you don’t agree with what they’re saying, let them know.  Reputations shouldn’t be a hindrance to progress.
5. Never neglect the details. When everyone’s mind is distracted, the leader must be doubly vigilant.   All the ideas and visions in the world are worthless if they can’t be implemented rapidly and efficiently.  Good leaders delegate and empower others liberally, but they pay attention to
   the details every day.
6. You don’t know what you can get away with until you try - Don’t wait for permission—just get things done.  If you ask too many people, one of them will say no. So don’t ask.
7. Keep looking below surface appearances - Don’t assume that today’s realities will continue tomorrow in a tidy, linear, and predictable fashion.  Take steps to solve problems as—or, if possible, before—they emerge.
8. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds - Surround yourself with the brightest and the best. It will make the difference between organization and  achievement.
9. Never let your ego get so close to your position that when your position goes, your ego goes with it - Change is stifled by people who cling to their turf.  Effective leaders create a climate where people’s worth is determined by their willingness to learn new skills and new  responsibilities.
10. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier - Leaders who cast blame or whine engender those same behaviours among their staff.  Have an attitude that says, ‘We can change things here, we can achieve our goals, we can be the best.’
11. Have fun in your command. Take leave when you’ve earned it.  Spend time with your family - Finding the right balance is essential; a happy home life means greater productivity in the workplace.
12. Command is lonely - The buck stops here.  The essence of leadership is the willingness to make the tough decisions.  Prepare to be lonely.

Nobody’s perfect, not even management, as the Ken Blanchard Companies found out when they asked 1,400 executives what they think are the biggest mistakes or failings leaders make or have. They include some old favourites:

• Failing to provide appropriate feedback, especially praise and redirection.
• Failing to involve others in processes.
• Failing to use a leadership style that is appropriate to the personnel, task or situation.
• Failing to set clear and understood goals and objectives.
• Failing to train and develop their staff.
• Inappropriate use of communication, especially listening, and a tendency to ignore alternative viewpoints.
• A tendency to give too much or too little supervision, direction or delegation.
• A general lack of management skills, such as problem solving, decision making and consensus building.
• A tendency to provide too little or inappropriate support.
• A lack of accountability, especially in holding staff accountable for agreed goals and behaviour.

How well are you doing in these areas?

On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being poor) where do you rate yourself in each of these areas?

I know that these mistakes and failings are common; in fact, my coaching programmes are often set up to tackle these - so that Leaders and Managers can raise their awareness of themselves, and their own styles and drivers, in order to get clear on what they need to do for themselves first i.e. I take the holistic approach to leadership.

Once they’ve done this they can then concentrate on doing the same for their followers - provide clarity, focus and direction; engage with and empower their staff; and hold them to account for agreed standards and targets.

In this way they develop and improve their own behaviours and skills, and encourage the same in others.

The following leadership quotes are by Peter Drucker:

“Leadership is not magnetic personality — that can just as well be a glib tongue.  It is not “making friends and influencing people” — that is flattery. Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to higher sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal  limitations.”

“The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say “I.”   And that’s not because they have trained themselves not to say “I.”    They don’t think “I”.  They think “we”; they think “team.”  They understand their job to be to make the team function.   They accept responsibility and don’t sidestep it, but “we” gets the credit….  This is what creates trust, what enables you to get the task done. ”

“No institution can possibly survive if it needs geniuses or supermen to manage it.   It must be organized in such a way as to be able to get along under a leadership composed of average human beings.”

“Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.”

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”

I agree that leaders need to take time out to shape their own and their team or company vision; that they need to inspire others with their own vision and show how it fits with the company vision.  They need to develop trusting relationships in order to get others to perform to their potential and achieve the company vision and goals.  In addition, they need to know what to focus their attention on, and be able to get the best from themselves.

Being a “people” person is a prerequisite to being an exceptional leader.

Leaders who “like” people, are genuinely interested in individuals and teams, and find it easy to build relationships with people at all levels and in all situations, will always shine.

They are the ones people are drawn to, that they will talk to; the ones they will follow because they feel
respected as individuals and enthusiastic about where you’re leading them.

How you feel about and around people shows, in your conversations and in your actions; people pick up on this and respond accordingly.

If your belief and self esteem are high, then you’re likely to have a greater belief in the potential of everyone, which can be a great motivator for teams and individuals.

I found this article when going through some leadership information on my laptop recently.  Its a few years old but still pertinent.   (Check at end for author links)

What is the last leadership opportunity that you passed up?

When I posed this question to a group of employees who had been singled out for their leadership potential:

• 50% named the title/position they failed to apply for or had not been offered.
• 10% said they hadn’t been offered an internal position but had passed up a leadership position in an outside organization or a chance to lead their extracurricular sports.
• 40% said that they hadn’t been offered any leadership position and therefore had passed up no opportunities.

I was certain that every one of them had missed a prime leadership opportunity that they were not even aware of.

• Ask yourself if your department, team or organization is the best that it can possibly be
• Are you giving your best to make the situation better?
• If there is one project in your department that is delayed, if your group is challenged to do more work with less budget, or if you have yet to exhaust all of your talent to move the group forward—you have passed up a powerful opportunity to step out in front and establish yourself as a leader. Leadership is not about the title you have but the decisions you make and the actions you take.

Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities, seize common occasions and make them great. Orison Swett Marden

Becoming a leader is about developing a reputation for producing value-added results. It’s taking a position when a project is off track. Leaders don’t wait for permission of position.  They look for the possibilities and suggest what can be done rather than why something can’t be done. Look for what you can do to impact a situation versus why you can’t be the one to do it. When you have ability to influence your environment and the people around you toward positive result you have the leadership factor.

The leadership factor is a measured combination of vision, determination, skills, actions and results. It is a conscious decision to step up to the plate and do what needs to be done in a time of uncertainty or chaos. Here are ten steps to help you plot your course, engage others along the way and keep focused on the end result.

1. Look for leadership opportunities.  Leadership opportunities are present whenever there are unresolved business problems or issues.  Within your organization, department, workgroup, or team identify an opportunity or issue that needs to be solved.  Think about the questions that continue to come up but no one has found an answer for. Consider the feedback that you get from internal or external customers about what they need or would like more of. If your organization is like most you shouldn’t have to look far—more unresolved problems equals more chances for you to step forward as a leader.
2. Find the GAP and build a bridge.  There is an old proverb that says a leader must be a bridge. The person who emerges as the leader of the group is the one who is adapt at seeing the option between the two seemingly opposite positions. To raise your visibility and develop a reputation of leadership look for the two unconnected shores that you can bridge. A bridge might be between the old way and the new way, the past and the future, the majority group and the minority group, between company policy and customer needs, between what is available and what is needed. Lead by finding the critical link between today’s challenge and tomorrow’s opportunity
3. Do your homework.  Examine the problem from all sides. Ask a series of “why” questions. Why is this happening?  Why have we not been able to solve this before now?  Why is it important to solve this issue?  Why have previous attempts failed?  Why are other departments resisting the changes?  Asking “why” without judging the answers helps you develop a deeper understanding of the situation.  When you can see the problem from many angles and as viewed through different eyes you gain the wisdom of multiple perspectives.
4. Clarify the GOAL - It’s the goal. It’s the goal. It’s the goal. Determine what your group needs more of. Communicate clearly how tackling this issue will help the group recoup lost time, maximize limited resources, reduce costs, speed up processes and/or improve return on investment. You will gain the attention of those around you when you can effectively tell them what they will gain for their efforts. You will benefit by tying your work directly to the improved results
5. Develop a list of viable options.  Excellence is said to come from having many options. Once you have others focused on the goal, ask for their input on how it might be achieved. As a leader you don’t need to have all of the answers. You do have to set the direction, suggest paths for getting there and stimulate the thinking of others in development of creative solutions. It is important that you continually test any proposed suggestions against the desired result. Ask yourself and others, “Will this help us reach the goal?”
6. Select the best option(s).  Given enough money, people, time and resources almost any problem can be resolved. Leadership is about determining how the goals will be reached within the time allowed, the budget given and the available physical and human resources. As a leader look for ways to leverage what you have readily available. The best option is the one that gets you to the goal with the least overall costs.
7. Identify roles and tasks.  As a leader of the effort you may not have the authority to assign specific people but you will have to clearly define roles required. Too often we assign tasks simply out of habit and not because they are necessary for goal achievement. Constantly check the progress and don’t be afraid to throw out any unnecessary tasks. There should be NO tasks on your project list that you can not show are absolutely required to reach the end goal.
8. Track and report your success.  Report what you and/or your team accomplished. Quantify the results as much as you can. If your goal was to increase productivity by 25% and you only gained a 15% increase, report it! Make sure to link your results to the organizational goals. While you may not have hit your 25% target 15% may still represent a considerable savings or gain to the company.
9. Report your learnings.   As important as it is to report your success you must also report what you learned from the process. Focus on what you learned personally. Consider what you learned about the business, your customers, teaming, and your own decision making ability. Ask for feedback. Include group learnings. Leave a record of the pro’s and con’s for others who may face the same challenges.
10. Look for the next opportunity.  Don’t take too long celebrating your last win. For as good as things seem success is a moving target. Keep your eyes and ears open, your next opportunity may be right around the corner.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Valarie_Washington

Contact Valarie at washington@think6results.com or by calling 630-705-1189. Visit us at http://www.Think6Results.com.

Another interesting article I discovered whilst browsing…..

If you can say “yes” to all of the following nineteen statements, you are a leader of others in the ways they want and need for you to be. However, you would only be a second tier leader. If you can say that you are helping others to be able to say “yes” to all of these statements, then you are the best possible leader of others that there can be.

A Leadership Manifesto…….

1. I am striving to think better thoughts about myself, my work and other people.
2. I am looking for ways to exceed my previous “best” at work and at home.
3. I am searching for ways to make my work and home environments supportive and encouraging.
4. I am expressing appreciation to my co-workers, employees and family every day.
5. I am seeking ways to think more efficiently and accurately.
6. I am looking to identify beliefs I have that sap my energy and desire to move forward.
7. I am focusing on what’s going right with me and with others at home and at work.
8. I am celebrating my successes and the successes of others on a regular basis.
9. I am learning the causes for our successes.
10. I am keeping my objectives and my organization’s objectives clearly in view at all times.
11. I am helping clarify for myself and others the benefits of achieving our objectives.
12. I am searching for creative ways to move closer to our common objectives.
13. I am looking for reasons to say “Yes”rather than “No”.
14. I am asking specific questions of myself and others to help us gauge how effectively we are moving forward toward our objectives.
15. I am asking specific questions of myself and others to help us focus on the positive.
16. I am allowing structured time for myself and others to think and to record our thoughts and ideas.
17. I am willingly sharing what I know with others.
18. I believe that I am at my best (and can move beyond my best) when I help others do — and exceed — their best.
19. I am asking my co-workers on a daily basis, “How can I help you do your best work today?”

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kenneth_Wallace