ExcellenceL E A D E R S H I P

THE MAGAZINE OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, MANAGERIAL EFFECTIVENESS, AND ORGANIZATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY

LANCE SECRETANShibboleths ofLeadershipPeople yearn forconnection to spirit . . . . . .3

KEN BLANCHARDTop ChallengesShore up yourleadership talent . . . . . . . .4

ALAN S. GREGERMANUnlocking GeniusCreate a culture of explorationto discover genius . . . . . . 5

LYNDA GRATTONHot Spot GoldDiscover and developsignature processes . . . . . 6

JAMES MAPESTrue Leadership

I’ve identified five key traits. . . . . . . . . . .7

JOHN SWEENEYSupercharged InnovationCreate more andbetter options . . . . . . . . . .8

MARSHALL GOLDSMITHPeople SkillsThese matter mostin all leadershippositions . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

JUDITH BARRLeader PowerHeal and correct theabusive conduct ofpoor leaders. . . . . . . .10

JENNIFER J. DEALGenerational DifferencesWe all want thesame basic things. . . . . . .11

MICHAEL E. ECHOLSDeveloping LeadersHow are you handlingthe challenge? . . . . . . . . .12

TOM CAMPBELLNoble BusinessEnable people to deal with dilemmas. . . . .13

HOWARD M. GUTTMANCoachabilityAsk yourself eight questions. . . . . . . .14

ALEXANDRIA HERRERAAND TRAVIS BRADBERRYEmotional IntelligenceCompare your firmto “The Office”. . . . . . . . .15

BILL JOINER ANDSTEPHEN JOSEPHSLeadership Agility

Adopt threebest practices . . . . . . . . . .16

KIM LAMOUREUXAre You Herding Cats?Target multiple levelsof leadership fordevelopment . . . . . . . . . .17

JIM KOUZES ANDBARRY POSNERShared Vision Get excited aboutfuture possibilities. . . . . .18

ANTHONY F. SMITHCharismaWhat do you lookfor in leaders? . . . . . . . . .19

JOANNE G. SUJANSKYCorporate Politics Recognize ninewarning signs . . . . . . . . .20

V OL. 24 NO. 6 JUNE 2007

™

These blind men embodydifferent ways of dealing withdifficult situations. All fourare lost, but their expressionsreveal their attitudes:unhappiness, contentment,confusion, and tragedy,as one hasfallen into the pit.Moral: give others the benefitof the doubt. Examine yourheart and soul before floggingothers for their flaws.

Blind Leading the Blind

IN OUR 24TH YEAR OF PUBLISH-ing, Leadership Excellence is

finally earning the accoladebestowed upon it at the start by KenBlanchard: “Leadership Excellence is the bestmanagement advisory magazine in theworld—it’s only amatter of timebefore it’s gener-ally acknowl-edged as such.”

Thanks to ourgrowing numberof internationalpartners, we nowreach an estimat-ed 500,000 peoplea month (world-wide paid circula-tion) in ourvarious print, cus-tom print, audio,electronic, andcustom electroniceditions.

Having trav-eled to manynations of theworld, I can attestthat people every-where aspire tohigh ideals.They know thattheir leadershipof teams andorganizationsneeds to improve.They sense thegap betweenwhere they areand where theyneed to be—andthey have a senseof urgency aboutclosing that gap.

They want to know what the best mindsof our day have to say about differentdimensions of leadership—and not justNorth American minds. We require each ofour publishing partners to include at leastone-third local content because our aim isnot simply to export North American ideasbut to feature the top consultants and lead-ers from each area. Our aim is to create a

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For example when I traveled to Istanbul,Turkey, I waspleased to learnthat our partnerGunseli hadarranged severalspeaking andpromotionalactivities, includ-ing a televisedconference.

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Excellence InternationalE . D . I . T . O . R ’ S N . O . T . E

2 L e a d e r s h i p E x c e l l e n c e

Editor since 1984

Ireland/EnglandJohn Butler

Century Management

GermanyFrank M. Scheelen

SCHEELEN Institut

KoreaSeungYong Yoo

Excellence Korea

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ChinaKen Han

Visionary Consulting

ChinaWinnie Han

Visionary Consulting

NigeriaGbubemi Obietan

Objnigent

needs a fundamental redesign. SixSigma ideas are essentially sound—particularly the refinement of process-es, the reduction of errors, theelimination of waste and unnecessarycosts. These are noble aims and benefitcustomers and other stakeholders. Onthe other hand, for many people, SixSigma is a not-so-secret code for lay-offs. The mere mention of Six Sigmastrikes terror in the hearts of employ-ees. Many tasks and processes areredundant, but few people will will-ingly design themselves out of a job.

The new paradigm, renamed SoulfulSix Sigma, incorporates a guaranteethat there will be no job losses as aresult of streamlining work or elimi-nating positions. This changes theentire dynamic of Six Sigma—peoplewill eagerly eliminate redundant jobs

as long as they feel safe about theirown future employment. This adapta-tion of Six Sigma transforms it from athreatening and intimidating activity,complete with warlike language (likeblack belts) into a soulful practiceaimed at improving, refining and mak-ing better every aspect of the activi-ty—an aim from which everyone gainsand no one loses.

2. The Shibboleth of Mission, Vision,and Values. Every organization wouldfeel naked without the emperor’sclothing of mission, vision, and values.Many Fortune 500 leaders would con-sider their annual report to be inade-quate if it lacked a statement ofmission, vision, and values. Closeinspection of mission, vision, and val-ues statements reveals that they are allthe same. Few inspire, and most peo-ple can’t even remember them.

The new thinking is that leadersneed to identify their Destiny (Why are

Shibboleths of Leadership

THE TERM SHIBBOLETHis a Hebrew word

which translates as“torrent of water.” In the Bible, theword was used to distinguish theEphraimites—members of a groupwhose dialect lacked a “sh” sound,who used an “s” in its place—fromthe Gileadites, whose members’dialect included such a sound.

A shibboleth has come to mean theuse of old words or phrases that formpart of the specialized jargon of agroup, and reveal their users as mem-bers of a group. Since many of us con-tinue to cling to old ideas, I coin theterm shibboleths of leadership.

I believe the practice, theory, andteaching of leadership has been in arut for years. I’ve noticed a herd men-tality afoot. Consultants, professors,academic writers, and theorists workhard to deepen the existing paradigm,thus excluding new thinking.

Our attachment to shibboleths andtheories often serve our need to beright more than the need to make theworld better. This frailty of ego resultsin making work experience debilitat-ing for many people whose commonsense tells them that the philosophiesand theories being practiced and pro-moted are inadequate and anachronis-tic. Yet, people are pulled along on thestream of fashionable shibbolethsmasquerading as wisdom, unable tochange it all. The CEOs, leaders andHR practitioners responsible for train-ing and development, often scan theenvironment for the most popular the-ories and books—obsolete paradigmsand shibboleths—and not wanting tobe seen to be out of step, they encour-age the same obsolescence themselves,reinforcing the inadequacy and pro-viding validation for those still stuckin their old paradigms.Nine Shibboleths

A quick review of some of the pre-vailing management paradigms willgive us a sense of some of our mostpopular shibboleths of leadership.

1. The Shibboleth of Six Sigma. Thisshibboleth isn’t wrong, it simply

we here?), follow a Cause (How willwe be and what will we stand for?)and ensure that everyone is alignedwith these—and following theirCalling (How will I use our gifts andtalents to serve?). This new paradigmreplaces the old shibboleth with anentirely new set of ideas and thoughts,adding the fire and passion so manyemployees find missing today.

3. The Shibboleth of Training. Theold-story paradigm urges us to trainpeople—but training is for dogs. Thebest learning is always attached tocoaching, not training. Coaching pro-vides an ongoing partnership thatinspires others toward fulfillment intheir personal and professional lives.Think of great athletes, musicians,actors and actresses, and entertainers—they all have coaches who listen,observe, teach, and advise. Extraordinarymastery doesn’t come from a conven-tional classroom “chalk-and-talk”approach. Coaching is the new para-digm. Training without coaching isentertainment. But training remains afavorite. Meanwhile, when times gettough, the first thing that gets ejectedfrom the budget, along with the bath-water, is the training baby—a clear sig-nal that the real value attached totraining by most leaders is marginal.

4. The Shibboleth of PsychologicalTesting. The old shibboleth focusesgreatly on psychometrics—the scienceof measuring “psychological” aspectsof a person such as knowledge, emo-tions, cognitive skills, propensities,relating abilities—or personality. Thebelief is that if we can better under-stand the personalities of others, wecan manage them better. Typically, thisis about understanding (for one’s owngain) the workings of other people’segos and motives. Such manipulationcan create fear and lead to material-ism, selfishness, and superficiality.

What people yearn for today issomething different—a connection tothe spirit. Focusing on a differentaspect of the human condition—ourspiritual condition—and abandoningour fixation with unraveling the mys-tery of the personality will lead toenhanced human relationships.Organizations grow because of thespiritual relationships among people.Unless we focus on spiritual develop-ment and growth and appreciate thedifference between spiritual develop-ment and personality development,we will be stuck with a primitive for-mat that does not allow for the evolu-tion of the spirit and true greatness.

by Lance Secretan

L e a d e r s h i p E x c e l l e n c e 3

LEADERSHIP PARADIGMS

Go beyond the drive for quick fixes and instant results.

5. The Shibboleth of Metrics. The oldshibboleth develops techniques andprocesses to create metrics for everyaspect of the business. The old adageis “what gets measured gets done” and“if it can’t be measured, it doesn’texist”—a sort of Cartesian view of lead-ership. Of course, instinctively, we allknow this not to be true. There are manythings that we can’t measure, but thatdoesn’t mean they don’t exist. Sunsets,falling in love, or even remarkable cus-tomer service are hard to measure, butthey are very real. Metrics are impor-tant, but our extreme focus on metricsis overdone. If we would ease up onour left-brain preoccupation with met-rics, and practice being ofservice to others, ratherthan theorizing about it, wewould accomplish greatmetrics. Starbucks,Southwest, and W. L. Goreunderstand this and workto serve the inner needs ofcustomers, employees, soci-eties, and communities. Asa result, they achieve remark-able metrics.

6. The Shibboleth of Diversity andEthics Programs. Diversity and ethicstraining are often part of the leader-ship curriculum and HR policy. This ismuch like discovering that you have aheadache and mandating the con-sumption of aspirin. It doesn’t solvethe problem, but it looks like you’redoing something productive. Thecause of the headache—the failure torespect and honor the differences inother people—is at the heart of a lackof diversity appreciation.

The deeper paradigm is about hon-oring the sacredness in everyone. If wedid so, then customer service programs,quality programs, diversity training,health and safety training, and othertraining programs would no longer berequired—we would simply do whathas to be done to honor the sacrednessof others—employees, customers, andsuppliers alike. This paradigm wouldreveal the superficiality of mandatedtraining programs.

7. The Shibboleth of Strategy. Ifstrategy means knowing where youare going and having a plan for gettingthere, it can be useful. On the otherhand, we need to leave room for intu-ition. Some things “feel right.” Nostrategic plan will tell us how thatworks—but it will often tell us to ignoreintuiting in favor of strategy. Often wefollow a strategic plan well past thepoint where our intuition tells us thatit no longer works. Intuition is how most

by Ken Blanchard

FOR THE PAST FIVEyears, we have con-

ducted an annual sur-vey of HR managers and corporateleaders to pinpoint their top concerns.This year, respondents indicate thattheir most pressing issues include:l Increased competition as old com-

petitors evolve and new ones appearl Growth and expansion while facing

a lack of skilled labor and the need toattract and retain good people and todevelop them to their fullest potentiall The need to shore up internal lead-

ership and management bench strengthand retain top leadership talentl Balancing internal concerns with

servicing and satisfying customers.Increased competition affects the

ability of leaders to attract and retaingood people. It also creates a climatewhere customers form a “commodity”mind-set. This drives price sensitivityand the need to differentiate products,services, and offerings to capitalize onthe organization’s value proposition.

Leaders cite the need to grow witha strategic focus along with increasingefficiency, streamlining functions, andproviding quality products and services.

Respondents place leadershipdevelopment, selecting and retainingkey talent, creating an engaged work-force, and managerial skills as criticalareas of focus. They believe that com-petitive advantage hinges on goodleadership, stating that leadership dri-ves improvement in all other areas.

A shrinking labor pool contributesto the high cost of recruiting talentedpeople—in both line and leadershippositions. So the top managementchallenges this year include developingpotential leaders, creating an engagedworkforce, selecting and retaining keytalent, developing managerial skills,customer relationship skills, informa-tion technology, and sales skills.

Looking ahead, respondents see theneed to focus on selection and reten-tion of key talent, succession planning,and increasing innovation. LE

Ken Blanchard is the Chief Spiritual Officer of the Ken BlanchardCompanies. Visit www.kenblanchard.com

ACTION: Identify your top challenges.

buying decisions are made. Obviously,the other side of that equation—howmost selling decisions get made—should be matched to the intuitivenature of the transaction. Most humanactivity is intuitive, and intuition canbe aroused in most of us where it issleeping and taught to the rest of uswhere it is absent. Nourishing and hon-oring our intuition is just as valuablein inspiring high performance as theapplication of strategic management.

8. The Shibboleth of Teambuilding.Often, I observe that leaders are toowary and afraid, or emotionally frailor tender, to address the real issuesneeded to build a great team—issues

such as truthtelling, trust,love, compassion, respect,mutual support, inspira-tion, mastery, and sacred-ness. And so, someoneimplements another flavor-of-the-month program,stuffed with shibboleths.The very notion of team-building is a shibbolethbecause great teams are a

result, not a program. If we are matureenough to learn how to tell the truth toeach other, behave in ways which, overtime, create and build mutual trust,where we genuinely care for eachother and support, inspire, and helpeach other to grow, learn together toachieve collective and individual mas-tery—then, and only then, will we cre-ate the result we are looking for—agreat team.

9. The Shibboleth of Research. Allresearch is flawed. Thirty percent of newproducts fail at launch, and 60 percentare never accepted by consumers andsoon disappear, despite being birthedout of sophisticated research. This isbecause we are tapping into the con-scious mind. But new techniques areemerging that fly below the radar ofthe conscious mind, and our ability tomanipulate data. We need to beinformed, but correctly informed.

Perhaps, our demand for quick fixesand instant results, and the demand togenerate sterling financial results everyquarter has turned us into Pavlovianleaders, looking for the bell that willcause our people to salivate—now.

Leaders need courage to throw outthe shibboleths. Wisdom and greatnesstake patience and time—like fine wine,gardening, great art, and culture. LE

Top ChallengesL e a d e r s c o n f r o n t t r e n d s .

COMPETENCE CHALLENGES

4 L e a d e r s h i p E x c e l l e n c e

ACTION: Facilitate fresh thinking.

Lance Secretan is founder of The Secretan Center, a consultingpractice specializing in cultural and leadership transforma-tion. His new book is One: The Art and Practice of ConsciousLeadership. E-mail: lance@secretan.com

even 10 years ago. In today’s world,inspiration to do remarkable things iseverywhere, and all of us have accessto essentially the same knowledge.Every company has a chance to win,even if it was losing before; all employ-ees can make a difference, even if theyhaven’t before; and only the most curi-ous and creative leaders and organiza-tions will likely survive.

So the leader’s challenge is differentthan you might have imagined. Andthe reason for optimism orconcern should be muchgreater. With the possibleexception of those few fieldsin which specialized techni-cal expertise and the needfor “cutting edge” break-throughs is an essential partof the equation, most lead-ers will sink or swim basedon their ability to inspiretheir people to reinvent theexperience they deliver to customers.The insight and inspiration to do thatare all around us, but are you able tolead on a level playing field where theessential skill is curiosity? What Does This Mean for Leaders?

Let’s explore what these two ideasmean for leaders.

The first idea is that we all have thepotential to be geniuses. Perhaps notgeniuses in the way we think aboutthe greatest minds in history, but“geniuses” in a way that matters farmore to our success. Each of us can bepurposefully brilliant by workingtogether to bring fresh perspectives topressing problems, by discoveringnew and better ways of doing things,and by delivering greater value for thecustomers who count on us every day.And we need leaders who inspire usto believe that anything is possible.

The second idea is that we are sur-rounded by a world filled with geniusand knowledge that we can use totransform our organization. Probablynot in the way that we tend to thinkabout great ideas, the process of com-ing up with them, or the cast of char-acters involved. But “genius” in a waythat also matters far more to our suc-cess. In fact, the most relevant labs formost of our purposes are bustling citystreets, quiet mountain trails, days atthe zoo, nights at the circus, visits tolocal museums, hours spent watchingreruns of award-winning TV sitcoms,silly contests, or an excursion to thebest practices of unrelated organiza-tions and industries. We have to be

Unlocking Genius

LOOKING TO LEAD INmore compelling

ways? If so, thinkabout these two unusual questions:

First: How many times have youarrived at work, exchanged greetingswith your colleagues, had a brief con-versation, attended a meeting, and thensat down at your desk overcome bythe feeling that you are surroundedby geniuses? If you’re like most lead-ers, the answer is “never.” In fact, thisquestion causes most people to laugh.

Second: How many times have youleft work, climbed into your car orboarded a bus or train, then lookedaround and been struck with an awe-some sense that you were surroundedby a world of geniuses and brilliantideas? If you’re like most people, theanswer is again “never.” In fact, as youhead home you’re likely to see a worldfilled with aggressive drivers, total (orpartial) idiots, and mindless advertise-ments than sources of great inspiration.Unlock the Genius

These two questions are at the heartof what it takes to innovate, grow, andsucceed. They are the most essentialquestions that any leader must address.In a world that rewards new and betterideas, we must all find ways to consis-tently deliver different and greater valueto the customers and stakeholders wechoose to serve. We can only do this byunlocking the genius in ourselves, thepeople we lead, and the places we work.

It’s a tall order, but possible. Underthe right circumstances, everyone hasthe ability to make a real difference indelivering values—not by doing busi-ness as usual, copying the latest movesof competitors, or by sitting around aconference table brainstorming, but byworking together to tackle the compe-tition head on and seeing the world asa place already filled with brilliant ideas,unlimited sources of inspiration, andendless possibilities that we can use totransform our organizations, the livesof our customers, and ourselves.

For leaders, the implications arestaggering. The world we share isvery different than the one we shared

open to putting ourselves in placesfilled with possibilities that are unfa-miliar or unexpected. Places that havethe potential to bring out the genius inus. Places that are far different fromthe typical thinking of our business orindustry. And we need leaders whoask us to engage the world with asense of openness and curiosity.

Think about the nature of most bril-liant ideas. Velcro was discovered bybeing curious about burrs on a hike

through the woods. Star-buck’s was inspired by theancient coffeehouses of theMiddle East and 17th cen-tury taverns. Cirque duSoleil, the renowned “cir-cus” from Canada, evolvedas a fusion of the 2,500-year-old history of streetperformance, the circus,and other art forms.Curiosity about birds

inspired human flight. The notion ofauctions, a business model first describedby Herodotus, likely inspired Ebay. Pizzadelivery is an incarnation of the dayswhen horse-drawn carriages broughtmilk and eggs to our doors. And under-standing the special powers of Spidermanis helping companies to anticipate cus-tomer problems before they occur.

So if the ability to look at the worldwith fresh eyes is the behavior we need,leaders must inspire curiosity andopenness to possibilities by painting apicture of new and more compellingcustomer value. Then they must chal-lenge all of us to explore the bounds ofthat world and its most importantdetails. And they must lead us out ofcomfortable confines and known prac-tices, and into different thinking, dif-ferent action, and new possibilities.

Along the way, leaders must takethe time to help each of us find ourplace in the picture of value that weare committed to delivering. Andwhen we are unsure, they help us todiscover the song within us and itsrelationship to the symphony or placeon the canvas we’re trying to create.

Real leadership means creating aculture of exploration where everyoneseeks to discover and unlock value.Real leaders help us to be curious,open, and brilliant together. Leadershold the lamp that lights our way asexplorers on a journey to what we canand must become. LE

by Alan S. Gregerman

L e a d e r s h i p E x c e l l e n c e 5

COMPETENCE GENIUS

L e a d w i t h o p e n n e s s .

ACTION: Employ the talents of your people.

Alan Gregerman is President and Chief Innovation Officer ofVenture Works and author of Surrounded by Geniuses.Email: innovate@venture-works.com.

passions and interests within the com-pany, not from external best practices.So, while one management task is tofind and adapt best practices—to bringthe outside in—a more critical task isto identify and preserve the signatureprocesses to bring the inside out.

The distinction between a signatureprocess and a best practice is notabsolute. When signature processesprove advantageous, they may be imi-tated by other companies so often thatthey become best practices. For exam-ple, Toyota’s lean production processbegan as a signature process. It createdenormous energy and potential HotSpots by espousing the values andaspirations of the firm’s leaders. Overtime, many companies tried to adoptthe process of lean manufacturing.

This difference between best-prac-tice processes and unique signatureprocesses is clear when I look at com-panies in which Hot Spots emerge fre-quently. In such companies, there areintriguing practices and processes.

When we examined the emergenceof Hot Spots at Nokia, we discoveredthat the structural architecture plays acrucial role. Modularity allows fre-quent restructuring. This unique struc-ture impacts the cooperative mindsetand boundary spanning. This modu-larity is a highly idiosyncratic practice.Best practices suggest that restructur-ing should occur infrequently to main-tain stability and minimize confusion.So why restructure frequently? At BP,“peer assist” and peer-based bonusesfacilitate cooperation and the exchangeof knowledge. But, best practices inperformance management require thatmanagers be responsible for what they

Hot Spot Gold

IMAGINE STANDING ONthe peak of a moun-

tain, looking throughthermal-imaging goggles that showthe extent of energy in the landscape.Imagine that the terrain before you isthe organization. As you look throughyour heat-sensitive goggles, the ter-rain appears green. Work is happen-ing in a predictable way—people goabout their business, and little excite-ment or energy is generated. As youwatch, suddenly you see a flare ofbright orange and red erupting in aworkplace, team or department.

This flare-up is a Hot Spot, amoment when people work togetherin exceptionally creative and collabo-rative ways. These Hot Spots are puregold: they represent the spontaneouscombustion of talent that every leaderaspires to ignite. Hot Spots occurwhen the energy within and betweenpeople flare—when the routine ofdaily activities is set aside for engagedwork that is exciting and challenging.At these times, ideas become conta-gious and new possibilities appear.

Hot Spots emerge on their own—they cannot be controlled and direct-ed, although you can encourage, evenactively design, their emergence.

Hot Spots emerge through shifts instructure, practices, and processes andthe way decisions are made, resourcesallocated, tasks designed, feedbackgiven, and support provided. Theskills, role modeling, and competen-cies of leaders play a crucial role, asdo the motivation and capability ofeveryone, and their capacity and atti-tude toward spanning boundaries.

Where Hot Spots flourish, you canuse these leverage points to unleashenergy and innovation. In designingfor Hot Spots, you need to recognizeand implement best practices fromother companies, but even more yourunique signature processes that embodyyour company’s character. Signature Processes

These processes arise from theunique, idiosyncratic, and personal

can personally affect. So why rewardpeople on the performance of theirpeers who are outside of their directline of accountability?

And yet Nokia and BP—companiesabounding with Hot Spots—adopt sig-nature processes that differ from viewsof best practices. These processes are akey to the company’s success.

The reason lies in the idiosyncrasyof these signature processes and intheir potential to create the energy todrive high performance. This idiosyn-crasy is a direct embodiment, a “signa-ture,” of the history and values of thecompany and its top executive team.The combination of values, experience,and passion enables these idiosyncraticprocesses to flourish against all odds.

Adopting best-practice processesgets a company to a level playing field.Yet the adopters of best practices arealways susceptible to being copied byothers who catch up with them. In con-trast, signature processes are so idio-syncratic and so much a part of theheritage and values that they aredifficult for competitors to replicate.

At BP, the “peer-assist” process orig-inated in the values and beliefs of CEOJohn Browne and his team. Browneexplains the three core premises: 1)people work better in smaller units; 2)any organization can create proprietaryknowledge through learning; and 3)there’s a different interaction amongpeople of equal standing.”

Signature processes often grow asthe company grows and are associatedwith the executive team’s passion andvalues. They are part of the culture, theways of behaving and doing things. Sowhile one task is to find and adaptbest-practices, another critical task is toarticulate the signature processes.

To nurture the development of sig-nature process, you need to rediscoveryour heritage and unlock the treasuresthat have been languishing half-forgot-ten, rather than search externally forbest-practice processes. Become sensi-tive to and elaborate on those process-es about which people are passionate.

To design for the emergence of HotSpots, you’ll need to bring in best prac-tices and discover and shape signatureprocesses that reflect the culture. With-out such processes, all you will seethrough your thermal-imaging gogglesis the cold cloud of business as usual. LE

by Lynda Gratton

6 L e a d e r s h i p E x c e l l e n c e

INNOVATION COLLABORATION

Mine creative moments and signature processes.

ACTION: Design for hot spots.

Lynda Gratton is professor of management practice at LondonBusiness School and author of Hot Spots. Visit www.lynda-gratton.com or email lgratton@london.edu.

you do, then you’re going to be look-ing for everything you can do to getbetter at it.” Where does passion comefrom? It doesn’t come from your head.It comes from your heart. True leadersare passionate; and because they arepassionate, they are consistent, com-mitted, and unwavering in what theybelieve—and they show boundlessenthusiasm. They have to make theirvision happen! If you don’t have pas-sion, you’d better find it because, ifyou don’t, a large portion of your lifewill be empty. The good news is thatyou can find passion if you make ityour mission to do so.

Trait 2: Leaders feel fear and dowhat needs to be done anyway. SirWinston Churchill said, “Success is theability to go from failure to failure

without losing your enthusiasm.”Having interviewed a great manyleaders, I have no doubt that true lead-ers are full of fear. And, true leadersdon’t pretend that fear doesn’t existbut have total awareness of it and act,nonetheless, in the most fearful of situ-ations with clarity. Leaders use thefear, instead of letting the fear use them.They know fear focuses the mind andcan be turned to power. AmbroseRedmoon said, “Courage is not theabsence of fear, but rather the judg-ment that something else is moreimportant than fear.”

Trait 3: Leaders empower people.Empowerment creates co-ownershipby giving those around you the train-ing, space, freedom, authority, sup-port, and resources to do the best jobpossible. The leader creates an envi-

True Leadership

THINK OF THREE PEO-ple from the past or

present whom youconsider to be great leaders. Next,think of three characteristics. Why didyou choose those three characteristics?Because you see them within yourself.

How could I know that? Becauseyou don’t see the world as it is. Yousee the world as you are. Do you seeyourself as a leader? Perhaps you area leader in your church, local govern-ment, your children’s school, or com-munity service. Learning the key traitsof leadership can enhance all aspectsof your life, and your relationships.

I recently looked throughout histo-ry at those I thought were highly suc-cessful leaders and tried to identifytheir common traits. What were thecommon traits? It wasn’t style. Theirstyles were totally different.

Is morality a common trait of aleader? No. Some morally corruptpeople have been strong leaders.

Does being a successful leader evenmean that you have to be a nice per-son? I can think of many corporateCEOs whose leadership excellence isextolled in text books. Yet, many ofthem were, and are, tough, highly crit-ical, aggressive, brutally honest andjust, well, not nice people.

Some other truisms flooded mybrain. Just because you are the boss, itdoesn’t make you the leader. Poweronly makes you the boss. You can’tdemand leadership. People give youleadership, and they can take it away.People really aren’t born leaders.Leadership can be learned. Suddenly,I realized I had to get past my ownvalue judgments and focus on coretraits that don’t change over time.Five Key Traits

I’ve identified five key traits oftrue leaders. As you read them, keepin mind that they are independent ofculture, race, and value systems.

Trait 1: You must passionatelybelieve in what you do—believe withyour total being. Jack Canfield said,“If you’re passionate about what it is

ronment where both the team andleader take responsibility. Leadersknow how to ask the right questionsand allow others to answer thosequestions to discover what they needto learn. Leaders ask for suggestions,listen more than talk, get peopleinvolved, and then let them make ithappen. Leaders watch but nevermicromanage. General George Pattonsaid, “Don’t tell people how to dothings—tell them what to do and letthem surprise you with their results.”

Trait 4: Leaders have a clear visionof where they want to go. Ask yourself,What would move someone to take ajourney that he, or she, doesn’t want totake? A leader takes people to placesthat they, if left on their own, mightnot go. Napoleon Bonaparte said, “Aleader is a dealer in hope.” A vision isabout greatness. It goes beyond theindividual. It focuses our sights andactions on what we want to becometomorrow. A vision is an emotionallycharged, clear and vivid picture ormental movie of the future. EducatorHelen Keller said, “The only thingworse than being blind is having sightbut no vision.” As you know, HelenKeller was both blind and deaf.

Trait 5: Leaders communicate theirvision. This is where most leaders andmost people are found wanting. Theyare unable to paint a vivid picture ofthe future and, therefore, fail at gettingothers to jump on board their journey.As George Bernard Shaw wrote, “Thesingle biggest problem in communica-tion is the illusion that it has takenplace.” Stories are how we remember,how we learn, and how we visualizewhat can be. People have to know,feel, and see the direction you wantthem to go. So, if you feel your com-munication skills need improvement,join an acting or speech class. Whenyou share your vision, you connect—and that’s what leadership is all about.

You can’t fake being a leader.People watch and then act from yourexample. If you have passion, theyhave passion. If you empower, theyempower. What you see in people is areflection of you. As you grow as aleader, those around you grow.

You may not be a leader in the tra-ditional sense. But by learning these fiveleadership traits, you will set a sterlingexample at work and at home. LE

by James Mapes

L e a d e r s h i p E x c e l l e n c e 7

LEADERSHIP TRAITS

Y o u c a n s e t a s t e r l i n g e x a m p l e .

ACTION: Cultivate these five traits.

James Mapes is the president of The Quantum Leap ThinkingOrganization and creator of The Transformational Coach Program.Email Jim@JamesMapes.com or visit www.JamesMapes.com.

ing it from the individual mind to thebrainstorming session and to the facto-ry floor and company conferencerooms. The creative funnel processdemonstrates how and when to imple-ment constraints into idea generationto bring true gems into fruition.Five Ideation Tips

Consider these five ideation tips foryour next brainstorming session:

1. Focus on quantity to ensure thatthe best ideas will rise to the top.When 1,000 ideas are generated upfront, odds are good that at least oneof them is brilliant. If a session endsafter four or five—or even 10 or 20—ideas have been generated, the well-spring of real brilliance probablyhasn’t been tapped. You’re more likely

to end up picking a mediocre idea,investing lots of time and money in it,and bringing it to market—only to seeit fail. Sometimes you have to dig deepto find the perfect idea. Don’t stopbefore discovering the real gems.

2. Schedule innovation and make ita priority. You know how it is. You’dlove to put energy toward developingnew products and services, but evenwhen someone comes up with theoccasional “big idea,” it ends up onthe back burner. You’re too busy meet-ing customer demands, putting outfires, and dealing with people. Whohas time for innovation? You do.Nothing is more important. Treat inno-vation as an event, schedule it, make ita priority, and give it the time andattention it deserves. Companies toooften rush to production. Had theyspent more time in creative brain-storming, many of the problems could

Supercharged Innovation

ARE YOUR EMPLOYEESinnovation super-

stars? If you can’t sayyes, it’s time to rethink your strategy.Why? Because your people are all youhave. In a world where technology issoon obsolete and globalizationensures that someone, somewhere,can make it faster, cheaper, or betterthan you, maximizing your humancapital is not optional.

Equally important is the ability tonurture a self-perpetuating cycle ofnew, creative, and ultimately prof-itable ideas. Innovative ideas are yourholy grail, and you must know wherethose ideas are or how to get to them.

Every one of your people has un-limited creativity locked inside them.The human mind has amazing poten-tial. But unless you draw those ideasout, they’ll stay locked up behind the“that’s not my job” belief and thebacklogged to-do lists or remain sti-fled by shyness or fear of authority.

At Brave New Workshop Theatre,we use improvisational theatre skillsand behaviors to teach leaders andteams how to create brainstormingsessions that yield incredibly innova-tive and profitable ideas.

If you’ve ever participated in apainful, two-or-three-loud-mouths-shout-out-a-bunch-of-half-baked-ideas“brainstorming” meeting, you may becringing. But there are proven ways tohelp you avoid such unproductive(and unpleasant) scenes. Our processis inspiring, fruitful, and fun.

In our ideation workshop, I helppeople generate 1,000 one-sentenceideas, pour these ideas through a seven-step “creative funnel” to separate thewheat from the chaff, set up a struc-ture for collaboration, and bring thebest ideas into execution. In the end,the teams recognize that they have thenext big idea within their grasp; whenthey believe it, they tend to find it.

The best part of the process is thepractical application wherein the ideagets fleshed out and prepared forimplementation. The only way anidea can become profitable is by tak-

have been worked out.3. Release the hidden genius in

everyone. In typical “brainstorming”sessions, the loudest people tend to beheard. Quieter people and analyticaltypes get lost in the melee. Perhapsthey’re viewed as disconnected or non-creative. But being an introvert or ana-lyzer doesn’t equal “no ideas.” Acceptall styles. Some people just work betterwhen they have time to mull thingsover in private. Even some extrovertswork this way. In our workshops,everyone is accountable for contribut-ing ideas, but how they contributethose ideas is a matter of preference.

4. Foster employee buy-in. Whatpeople have a hand in creating, theylove and nurture. So, get everyoneinvolved in creating the idea, fromconception to delivery. All team mem-bers then want it to succeed. Apathy isreplaced by engagement, commitment,and passion. For example, if theideation session results in a new aproduct being brought to market, thenthe team views it as their “child.” Itwasn’t someone else’s idea imposed onthem. Buy-in makes all the difference.

5. Create a culture that attracts goodpeople and keeps them. The ideationprocess is empowering, challenging,stimulating, and fun. It allows every-one to contribute, which gives people asense of purpose. It fosters passion.Indeed, the “innovation” mindsetspills out of the ideation sessions andbecomes an integral part of your cul-ture. People want to work for you.They’re less likely to seek out a biggerpaycheck because they get somethingfrom you that’s more valuable thanmoney. Once you create a companythat attracts the best and the brightest,you set in motion a self-perpetuatingcycle of success.

Of course, all the “feel good” rea-sons aside, the big reason to transformyour people into innovation superstarsis that it’s just good business. Ideas arethe wellspring of profit, and moreideas means better ideas.

In a tough global economy, yourpeople are your edge. You must bringout their brilliance by pushing them todo their best work. Let the spirit ofinnovation be your fuel. Who knowswhere you could end up? This processwill create results. You’ll have moreand better options. LE

by John Sweeney

8 L e a d e r s h i p E x c e l l e n c e

CHANGE IDEATION

You and your t eam can go beyond bra instorming .

ACTION: Go beyond brainstorming.

John Sweeney is owner of the Brave New Workshop Theatre andauthor of Innovation at the Speed of Laughter. Visitwww.bravenewworkshop.com and www.speedoflaughter.com.

utes on our resume recede into thebackground, and more subtle attribut-es come to the fore. Jack Welch has aPh.D. in engineering, but I doubt ifany problems he encountered in hislast 30 years at General Electric wereeven remotely related to these skills.When he was vying for the CEO job,the issues holding him back werestrictly behavioral—his brashness, hisblunt language, his unwillingness tosuffer fools. General Electric’s board ofdirectors didn’t worry about his abilityto generate profits. They wanted toknow if he could behave as a CEO.

When people ask me if the leaders Icoach can change their behavior, myanswer is this: As we advance, behav-ioral changes are often the only signifi-cant changes we can make.

Winning Too Much?One big issue of successful leaders

is winning too much. If it’s important,we want to win. If it’s meaningful, wewant to win. If it’s trivial, we want towin. If it’s not worth it, we still wantto win. Why? We like winning.

There’s a fine line between beingcompetitive and overly competitive,between winning when it counts andwhen no one’s counting—and success-ful people cross that line with alarm-ing frequency. I’m not disparagingcompetitiveness. But it’s a problemwhen we deploy it at the service ofobjectives that are not worth the effort.

Winning too much underlies nearlyevery other behavioral problem. If weargue too much, it’s because we wantour view to prevail (we want to win).If we’re guilty of putting down otherpeople, it’s our stealthy way of posi-tioning them beneath us (again, win-

People Skills

THE REASON I DEVOTEso much energy to

identifying interper-sonal challenges in successful peopleis because the higher you go, the moreyour problems are behavioral.

At the higher levels, all the leadingplayers are technically skilled, smart,and up-to-date on the technicalaspects of their job. You don’t get tobe the CFO without knowing how tocount, how to read a balance sheet,and how to handle money prudently.

Behavioral issues become so impor-tant in upper management. All otherthings being equal, your people skills(or lack of them) become more pro-nounced the higher up you go. In fact,even when all other things are notequal, your people skills often makethe difference in how high you go.

Who would you rather have as aCFO? A moderately good accountantwho is great with people outside thefirm and skilled at managing smartpeople? Or a brilliant accountantwho’s inept with outsiders and alien-ates all the smart people under him?

Not a tough choice. The candidatewith superb people skills will win outevery time, largely because he willhire people smarter than he is aboutmoney and be able to lead them.There’s no guarantee the brilliantaccountant can do that in the future.

Think about how we perceive othersuccessful people. We rarely associatetheir success with technical skill orbrainpower. Maybe we say, “They’resmart,” but that’s not the sole factorwe attribute to their success. Webelieve they’re smart and somethingelse, and we give them the benefit ofthe doubt on skill. We assume, forexample, that our doctor knows medi-cine, so we judge him on “bedsidemanner”—how he tolerates our ques-tions, maybe even how he apologizesfor keeping us waiting too long. Noneof this is taught in medical school.

We apply these behavioral criteriato almost any successful person—whether it’s a CEO or a plumber. Aswe become more successful, the attrib-

ning). If we ignore people, again it’sabout winning—by making them fadeaway. If we withhold information, it’sto give ourselves an edge over others.If we play favorites, it’s to win overallies and give “our side” an advan-tage. So many things we do that annoypeople stem from needlessly trying tobe the alpha male or female in any sit-uation….in other words, the winner.

If you’ve achieved any success,you’re guilty of this every day. Whenyou’re in a meeting at work, you wantyour opinion to prevail. When you’rearguing your point, you pull out allthe stops to come out on top.

Suppose you want to go to dinnerat restaurant X. Your spouse, partner,or friend wants to go to restaurant Y.You have a heated debate. You end upgoing to restaurant Y. The experienceconfirms your misgivings. Your reser-vation is lost, and you have to wait.The service is slow, the drinks weak,and the food bad. You have twooptions: A: critique the restaurant andsmugly point out to your partner thatyou were right. B: Shut up, eat thefood, and enjoy the evening.

When I ask people: “What shouldyou do, and what would you do?” theresults are consistent: 75 percent saythey would critique the restaurant. Yetthey agree they should just shut upand have a good time. If we do a “costbenefit analysis,” we conclude that ourrelationship with our partner or friendis far more important than winning anargument about where to eat. And yet,the urge to win trumps our commonsense. We do the wrong thing, evenwhen we know what we should do.

A few years ago, I offered mycoaching services free to one of theU.S. Army’s top generals. He asked,“Who would be your ideal client?”

I told him, “I’d like to work withsomeone who is smart, dedicated,hard-working, driven to achieve, patri-otic, competitive, arrogant, stubborn,opinionated know-it-all. Do you thinkyou could find me one?”

He replied, “Marshall, we have atarget-rich environment.” I trainedmany generals that year.

If the need to win is the dominantgene in your “success DNA”—themain reason you’re successful—thenwinning too much is a genetic muta-tion that can limit your success. LE

by Marshall Goldsmith

L e a d e r s h i p E x c e l l e n c e 9

PEOPLE WINNING

These matter most at the top levels.

ACTION: Forego winning too much.

Marshall Goldsmith is a world authority in helping successfulleaders achieve positive, measurable change in behavior, andthe author of What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. Visitwww.MarshallGoldsmithLibrary.com

state, are too much to bear. To protectourselves, we create defenses, andsometimes these are visibly abusivedespite our protective intention. Withtime, our defenses harden, eventuallydisconnect from their original inten-tion, and take on a life of their own.Then abuse is more serious, uncon-scious, and destructive. A little boy ishurt by his mother’s cold, controllingnature. He is afraid to strike out, so hecloses his heart to protect himself andcontrol the pain. He has no idea it maytrigger his mother to be more domi-neering; or that it will make him coldand controlling with other people.

In the process of painful experience,children make “early decisions” aboutthemselves, others, and life. Most ofthese decisions are unconscious, mean-

ing they drive our lives without ourawareness. Imagine a leader who as achild decided: “While I’m little, youmake the decision; when I’m big, I’llmake the decisions.” “Now you makethe rules; someday you’ll follow myrules.” “You may have the power now;when I grow up, I’ll have all thepower.” We may have just discoveredearly decisions of a corporate execu-tive, Supreme Court Justice, legislator,president, prime minister, or dictator.

Early decisions are a defenseagainst the pain from long ago. Theycause us to re-create similar experi-ences. We experience pain; we defendagainst the pain; in the experience, wemake decisions; we then act based, noton the truth of what exists in themoment, but on these early decisions.When life threatens to pierce thedefenses, abuse becomes the initial or

Leader Power

POWER IS LIKE FIRE,lightning, wind,

ocean—like life itself—a raw, vibrant force of nature. It hasthe potential for great harm and thepossibility for magnificent good. Eachof us chooses how we will use thepower of our own life energy.

Every form of power can be usedwell or misused. The law has beenused to manipulate as well as to servejustice. Parenthood has been a meansof captivity, and it has nourishedsouls, helping them grow into full-ness. Sexuality has been a weapon torape and dominate, a substitute forunmet childhood bonding and physi-cal touch, and an exquisite sacredexpression of love and union.

Money has been used to feed,clothe, house, nurture, and fulfill posi-tive potential; and it has been used tograb, hoard, trick, steal, sabotage, anddestroy. Work has been used to pro-duce, engage people’s gifts, experi-ence collaboration, create good in ourworld; and it has been used to takeadvantage of people, make slaves ofthem, and suck the life out of them forsomeone’s personal gain.

The misuse and abuse of power isrampant—sometimes under the guiseof goodness, sometimes raw andunmasked. It’s right out in the light ofday. If we are willing to see it, we canutilize it for healing.

Too often we try to change thingsand wonder why it doesn’t last. But torecover, change must occur within us. Itmust take place from the inside out.

In the realm of power, removing anabusive leader is a temporary fix.Soon another officer will need to beremoved because of another abuse ofpower. But if leaders do their owninner work with their relationshipwith power, the culture will be trans-formed from the inside out. Why the Abuse?

How do people get to the point ofmisusing and abusing their power? Aschildren we have painful or traumaticexperiences which, in our vulnerable

backup defense system. Healing the Abuse

When we see a manager abusing anemployee, at the root, we are seeingthe rage and defense of a small child,erupting into the here and now.

All of us adults are using power inthe current day to defend our youngself or child within from feeling rage,hurt, fear, loss; from feeling shame andhumiliation; from feeling rejected, bad,unwanted, unlovable, alone; from feel-ing helpless and powerless. Until we doour own inner work with power, we arecreating chaos in the outer world in anattempt to avoid the chaos inside us.

Healing needs to happen at the root.A person can count to 10, breathe, takea walk, write in a journal, speak withsomeone. But these options only helpmanage the abuse. If you don’t heal theroot, rage will erupt again—perhapseven stronger because it’s been heldback and pushed down for so long.

We cannot heal alone. We can’t seeour own blind spots. Healing to the rootneeds to be done with a qualified coachwho sees clearly, knows the challenges,and does his or her own healing work.

Although your work will be unique,some common threads include:l Find the root of the abuse in your

life. The root is not “here and now.”l Build your capacity to feel the feel-

ings beneath the abuse. This will helpyou dissolve the abuse (not just man-age it). Repressing feelings createsabuse of power. Acting out feelings isdestructive, too.l Be intrigued by your shadow—the

dark, unconscious internal parts thatare home to your wounds, weaknesses,gifts, and strengths. Be compassionateas you meet and face yourself. If youignore your shadow, it will haunt youand drive your life without your evenrealizing it, inevitably creating the mis-use of power in its wake. l Commit to your healing. Other peo-

ple and aspects of your own self maytry to seduce you into stopping, givingup, or undermining the process. Standwatch over your healing.

How will you use your power as aleader? Great leaders know how to usepower wisely. To be a great leader, youmust heal your relationship with powerfrom the inside out and consistentlyobserve how you use your power. LE

by Judith Barr

1 0 L e a d e r s h i p E x c e l l e n c e

LEADERSHIP POWER

Yo u c a n h e a l a n d c o r re c t a b u s e .

ACTION: Use power wisely.

Judith Barr is the author of Power Abused, Power Healed.Email JudithBarr@PowerAbusedPowerHealed.com or visitwww.PowerAbusedPowerHealed.com.

tence, happiness, self-respect, wisdom,balance and responsibility. So why dopeople at work think the values ofgenerations are so different? Becauseeven though the values are the same,the behaviors that go along with thosevalues may be very different.

2. Everyone wants respect. We oftenhear that younger people disrespectolder employees and people in author-ity. We also hear complaints that olderpeople show no respect for youngertalent and ideas. Everyone wantsrespect—they just don’t define it thesame way. Older people primarily talkabout respect in terms of “give myopinions the weight I believe theydeserve” and “do what I tell you todo.” Younger respondents characterize

respect more as “listen to me” and“pay attention to what I say.”

3. Leaders must be trustworthy.People of all generations and all levelstrust the people they work with direct-ly (bosses, peers, and direct reports)more than they trust their organiza-tions. And people trust their organiza-tion more than they trust uppermanagement. All generations expecttheir leaders to be worthy of trust.

4. People want leaders who are cred-ible and trustworthy. Different genera-tions expect the same things of theirleaders. Age does not appear to mattermuch. People want their leaders to becredible and trustworthy, to listenwell, to be farsighted and encouraging.

5. Internal politics is a problem atany age. Everyone who isn’t winningat the political game dislikes it. Peoplefrom all generations are concernedabout organizational politics, on being

Generational Differences

THE CONVENTIONALshorthand for the

four generations thatnow share our nation’s workplacesgoes something like this: the SilentGeneration values hard work, BabyBoomers value loyalty, Gen Xers valuework-life balance, and Generation Y(the generation just entering the work-force) values innovation and change.Or in terms of negative stereotypes,the Silents are fossilized, the Boomersare narcissistic, the Gen Xers are slack-ers, and the Gen Yers are even morenarcissistic.

Not so. The generations now ofworking age value essentially thesame things. When you hold thestereotypes up to the light, they don’tcast much of a shadow: Everyonewants to trust their supervisors, noone really likes change, we all likefeedback, and the number of hoursyou put in at work depends more onyour position than on your age.

Conflict has less to do with age orgenerational differences than it doeswith clout—who has it and whowants it. The so-called generation gapis largely the result of miscommunica-tion and misunderstanding, fueled byinsecurities and desires for clout.

There is plenty of common groundamong the generations. Leaders needto learn how to use that commonground to effectively work with, workfor, attract, manage, retain, and devel-op employees of all generations.10 Intergenerational Truths

You can manage or work with peo-ple from all generations effectivelywithout selling your soul on eBay orpulling out your hair daily. Look pastthe stereotypes and learn 10 truthsabout generational conflicts at work:

1. All generations have similar val-ues. Many people talk about big dif-ferences in values between older andyounger people, and yet the genera-tions are similar in their value priori-ties. Family is the value chosen mostfrequently by people of all genera-tions. Other common values includeintegrity, achievement, love, compe-

recognized for the work they do, andfor getting the resources they need todo their job. Even if they don’t likepolitics, employees know that politicalskills are vital to moving up and beingeffective in higher management.

6. No one really likes change. Thestereotype is that older people dislikeanything about their workplace beingchanged and that younger people lovechange. Yet all generations are uncom-fortable with change. Few people saythey actually like change! Resistance tochange has nothing to do with age; itis all about how much you have togain or lose as a result of the change.

7. Loyalty depends on the context,not on the generation. People of allgenerations don’t think that beingloyal in the old sense is good for theircareers. People who are closer toretirement are more likely to want tostay with the same organization, andmanagers work more hours than mostemployees. The time a worker puts ineach day has more to do with positionthan with age. People at the higherlevels work longer hours.

8. It’s as easy to retain a young per-son as it is to retain an older one—ifyou do the right things. Just abouteveryone feels overworked and under-paid. People of all generations havethe same ideas about what their orga-nization can do to retain them. Theywant: Opportunities to advance, learn-ing and development, respect andrecognition, better quality of life, andbetter compensation.

9. Everyone wants to learn—morethan just about anything else. Every-one wants to learn and to have thetraining they need to do their job well.They are also interested in what theyneed to be learning to get to the nextlevel. Five developmental areas areimportant: leadership, skills training intheir field of expertise, problem-solv-ing and decision-making, team-build-ing, and communication skills.

10. Almost everyone wants a coach.We hear that younger people are con-stantly asking for feedback and can’t getenough of it, and that older people don’twant any feedback at all. But everyonewants to know how he or she is doingand wants to learn how to do better.Feedback can come in many forms, andpeople of all generations would love toreceive it from a coach. LE

by Jennifer J. Deal

L e a d e r s h i p E x c e l l e n c e 1 1

PEOPLE SIMILARITIES

W e a l l w a n t t h e s a m e b a s i c t h i n g s a t a n y a g e .

ACTION: Manage all generations.

Jennifer Deal is a research scientist with the Center for CreativeLeadership and author of Retiring the Generation Gap. EmailCathy Lloyd at cathy@rma-pr.com or visit www.ccl.org.

needed. The leadership requirementsstart at ground zero, where the cus-tomers interface with the organization.The leadership challenges are also atthe levels where critical informationroutinely flows. Today, that is at virtu-ally every level. This tidal wave ofinformation is accelerating the needfor change—a leadership challenge ofthe first order faced by every leader.

How are organizations handling theleadership development challenge? In anutshell, not well. The challenges areimmense—and will only get worse.Teams are being configured and recon-figured constantly to address specificbusiness needs as they are identifiedand become critical to current opera-tions. Budgets and resource availabili-ty are dynamic. Reprioritization is

routine, and redirection can occur onany given day. What emerges as amajor leadership development chal-lenge is to find out where the keymembers of the team capabilities are atany given moment—and then figureout what direction the project, team, orentire organization needs to be goingat the moment. And the next challengeis to communicate the direction.

My friend and colleague, General(ret.) Frank Anderson, President of theDefense Acquisition University, statesthis leadership challenge as “headedwest on I-40: It doesn’t matter how fastyou are going west on I-40 if the mis-sion requires that you get north on I-95.” The point is that it accomplishesnothing for the organization to be effi-cient, productive, and fast at any spe-cific tasks if the actions take the endresult in the wrong direction.

The building blocks for the leader

Developing Leaders

WE CREATE CUSTOMdegree programs

to assist organizationsdevelop their scarcest resource—lead-ership. When organizations describewhat leaders they need, they do notsay “help us find the next CEO.” Theyneed leadership at all levels. The lead-ership function—once the exclusivedomain of the corner office—hasmigrated down into the operations. Inthe world of blogs and wikis, the cor-ner office is often the last place to getthe information needed to make lead-ership decisions.

This phenomenon shows up inunconventional places. One mile fromBellevue University is Offutt Air Forcebase, home of U.S. Strategic Command(Stratcom) and U.S. Space Command.Based there are the men and womenresponsible for command and controlof powerful weapon systems. Theseorganizations have defined command-and-control structures—out of necessi-ty. A mistake in operations could wipeout our civilization.

Few organizations have as well-defined command-and-control her-itage as the Marine corp. Yet someinteresting leadership activities aregoing on at Offutt. The current topleader is Marine General JamesCartwright. He has commanded histroops to blog. He worked hard toexplain why it is important for thepeople under him to blog, and yetsenior leaders and managers haveresisted. Discontent about the filteringof blogs and the mixed messages mid-dle management was transmittingabout blogging initially chocked offthe desired flow of critical informa-tion. It took several leadership meet-ings before the commander could gethis message fully translated intoaction. Now the word is that bloggingis going on fast and furious atStratcom and various field operations.

The leadership development lessontaught by General Cartwright is uni-versal. In organizations seeking todevelop leaders, we see a fairly con-sistent set of specifications for what is

are the culture, vision, and mission.These elements need to be somethingmore than fancy framed statements.They need to be practical global posi-tioning systems that guide individualsat all levels to make sure their portionof the team is hauling up I-95 and notheaded toward the sunset on I-40.

The retail industry has been rippedapart and reconfigured into a differentstructure. The local department storebusiness model has been renderedimpotent, replaced by hungry globalsuper stores with thousands of similar-ly configured operations. These standalone super stores consists of 200 to300 managers and workers. Thedepartment store business model hadboth long employment tenure and theresources to develop the managementexperience required to lead in a rela-tively stable environment. The thirdfloor had always been bedding andhousehold soft goods and would be soas long as the store was in existence,which most of them no longer are.Now in late fall every Wal-Mart recon-figures the seasonal section from flow-ers, plants and pots to Christmas treesand trimmings, only to yet againreconfigure between Christmas dayand the new year. And this takes placein an employee environment where thefirst line floor personnel are turningover at double digit rates. Talk aboutrunning a “west coast offense” with allof its complexities! The quarterback ofthese teams has a new team every year,and there is no wrist band to look atwhen these store managers calls theplays for the day. Talk about leadershipchallenges. And Wal-Mart is not alone.It is true as a result of the new struc-ture of the retail industry. What Can Be Done?

To improve leadership develop-ment, take three actions:

1. Stop the hemorrhaging! Leadersare hard enough to find and develop.It takes time to determine if any givenindividual promoted up from within isworthy of the investment required todevelop their formal management andleadership skills. Each day of experi-ence accumulated, each training semi-nar attended, each meeting attended,every tuition reimbursement dollarexpended represents a cumulativeinvestment in that individual. Whenthese individuals resign, they take allthose assets with them. It represents atotal loss of investment to the parentorganization. And the competitor’sgain of the emerging leader represents

by Michael E. Echols

1 2 L e a d e r s h i p E x c e l l e n c e

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

In a world of Blogs and Wikis, what works best?

by Tom Campbell

THE PURSUIT OF BUSI-ness is noble since it

leads to people beingemployed, from which so much othergood flows. But the perception, cer-tainly in the wake of so many scandals,is that the business-school studentmantra is “show me the money.”

I view employment as opportunity.Opportunity comes from creating anew position for somebody, a newcompany, a new service, and a new lineof work. Social pathology is correlatedwith unemployment. Spousal abuse,child abuse, drug addiction,and alcoholism rates risewith unemployment. So ifyou increase the opportuni-ties and quality of employ-ment, you do a lot of good.

We continue to requireethics as a course. I broughtin U.S. attorney and Cali-fornia attorney general’soffice personnel to talk to ourstudents about what they seeas temptations. We’ve had some Enronpeople and WorldCom folks who wentto prison tell our students what couldhappen if they do not observe ethicalobligations.

An ethics course can’t preventunethical behavior, but it can offerexamples that enable students to dealwith challenges. I’ve asked our profes-sors to include examples of personalethical dilemmas to point their studentsto where the problems might be. I don’tpurport to make bad people good. Ipurport to teach people who want tobe good where danger lies.

Backdating options is a good exam-ple. I’ve never been involved in doingit, but from what I read, the rationaleappears to be, “Shareholders don’tcare. The price of the stock didn’t gethit. We’re compensating them anyway.What’s the difference if we give theman in-the-money option as opposed toa totally upside option?”

The answer is: fraud. You were sup-posed to be telling the investors thetruth, and you didn’t. So the rationalewould be less appealing if you say,

Noble BusinessB e y o n d t h e r u l e s .

ETHICS DILEMMAS

L e a d e r s h i p E x c e l l e n c e 1 3

“Yeah, we studied that.” If we don’tanticipate the ethical challenges 20years from now, we will at least haveanticipated the principle—fraud.

We find a business code of ethics inlaw: First, do no harm. Tell the truth.Do no evil. So, once we reach a con-sensus, we make it law. And then reg-ulatory agencies adopt changes whenconditions change.

Business schools have their ownethical issues and conflicts to dealwith. Professors have second careers asentrepreneurs. We live in a world ofbig donors who might try to influencean admission decision. Every dean hashis or her moral challenges. We have astrict rule about the number of dayseach year our professors can consult.Several professors take leaves andcome back to the classroom a lot wiser.

We’ve added an essay question forapplicants, asking them how they havebeen innovative, entrepreneurial, andimaginative. We want our graduates to be

known for these attributes. Our graduate students

have over five years ofexperience for the full-timeMBA, seven years for theweekend MBA , and 11 yearsfor the executive MBA.They are consultants, entre-preneurs, engineers, andfinance majors. Some are intheir fourth startup. Nowit’s time to go back and get

skills that take them to a higher level. We maintain close ties with many

high tech companies in Silicon Valley.Intel and Sun give us classroom spacefor our weekend programs. Those rela-tionships are valuable as we recruit.

When I became dean, I talked abouthostility to business in California. Gov.Schwarzenegger is sending a messageof welcome to business: no new taxes.We were one of only six states wherethe growth of business tax out-stripped the growth of general tax.

California is the sixth-largest econo-my in the world, and has an unem-ployment rate below the national rate.Those who criticize California’s busi-ness climate are quick to criticize publicpolicy. But the single biggest expenseis wages. Some employers are movingto states where wages are lower. Thesales tax, the income tax, and propertytax mean that we must pay a higherwage to win and keep top talent. LE

a double lose to the investing organi-zation. It both weakens the organiza-tion, and strengthens the competition.Moreover, given the retirements loom-ing on the horizon, recruiting (raiding)will become more difficult and moreexpensive. Retention has to be a strate-gic goal and an operational perfor-mance measurement.

2. Invest in new know-how. About70 percent of the learning required toperform a task comes from experiencegained on the job. Some organizationsdelude themselves into believing thatthe number for “on-the-job training” is100 percent. This is an attractive optionbecause it appears to avoid the directinvestment in human capital. Suchexclusive dependence on the job train-ing flies in the face of developmentneeds. Even being a store manager at alarge retail location involves budgets,personnel development, communica-tions, problem-solving, logistics, andmore. How a senior leadership unfa-miliar with the dynamic world of theInternet is to transport new knowledgethrough working experience is beyondcomprehension, yet many organiza-tions are doing it or at least trying todo it, in the name of cost efficiency.

3. Increase the effectiveness of thetraining and education activity. Manyorganizations spend money to trainand educate their future leaders—inthe U.S. alone, about $100 billion wasspent in 2006. For the most part, thoseexpenditures at the firm level are man-aged without much integration ofeffort. The total training expenditure israrely known at the senior leadershiplevel. Where the money is being spent(vendors, skills developed, retentionimpact, promotion outcomes, businessoutcomes, sales, productivity) is notrecorded and reviewed. The totalexpenditure—the sum of all trainingand tuition reimbursement and whatbusiness outcomes resulted—are notmeasured or managed.

We see a tremendous demand forleaders—and an even greater demandon the horizon. We see few integrated,strategic approaches; however, moreattention is being paid to the learningand education to develop leaders. In afew places, we see the linking of lead-ership learning and developmentinvestments to measurable businessoutcomes. It’s a start. Now’s the timeto accelerate the deployment of thedevelopment efforts. LE

ACTION: Link learning to outcomes.

Michael E. Echols is the vice president of strategic initiatives atBellevue University. He is the author of ROI on Human CapitalInvestment. Visit www.bellevue.edu

ACTION: Discuss ethical dilemmas.

Tom Campbell is Dean of the Haas School of Business at UCBerkeley. Visit www.haas.berkeley.edu

break away from the grip of unpro-ductive stories. On such teams, thequestion becomes: Who is best quali-fied to provide coaching?

The top team of a consumer goodsmanufacturer was having trouble withone of its members, a newly appointedmarketing executive with a retail back-ground and a chronic need to be thecenter of attention. He felt the transi-tion to consumer goods would be acakewalk, so he didn’t bother to mas-ter the basics. For him, team meetingswere opportunities to strut his stuff,challenge the leader, and dominatediscussion. His cockiness led to poorperformance, but he refused toacknowledge his shortcomings.

The team leader confronted the sit-uation, but to no avail. He next asked

several colleagues to provide coachingsupport to their faltering marketingcolleague. They couldn’t penetrate theexecutive’s defensive armor either. Inthe end, the executive was terminated.The group president and team leaderconcluded, “Sometimes, even on ahigh-performing team, you can onlywork at it for so long before you con-clude that the person opts not to let goof an unproductive story and change.” From Team to Me

The mind is a powerful ally—orfoe—in one’s coachability, as the con-trasting examples of the receptive CFOand irremediable marketing executiveattest. And, while leaders are ultimate-ly responsible for making the call onthe coachability of their players, everyteam member has an obligation to turnthe tables on himself or herself by ask-ing: “Am I up to the task of continual-

Coachability

LOOK CLOSELY AT THEnext candidate for a

slot on your seniormanagement team: How coachable ishe or she? It’s not likely that this willbe among the top 10 interview ques-tions you’d ask. Yet, an executive’scoachability—the willingness to enterone’s discomfort zone to change behav-ior—is a key marker of success.

Members of top teams serve as ulti-mate role models. To the extent thatthey demonstrate a capacity to breakaway from the tried-and-true to taketheir performance to new levels ofplay, the more likely others will fol-low. A high-performance team’sunique strength is its ability to contin-ually ratchet up performance andchange behavior accordingly.

Intention here is paramount. Is anexecutive’s intention to changestronger than the lure of remainingcomfortable with past ways of operat-ing? We worked with a CFO whosenew job required him to speak confi-dently before investor groups. He wasintroverted and feared public speak-ing. But rather than get stuck in the“That’s who I am; I’ve never done thatbefore” story, he focused on “How doI do that?” and “What would it looklike for me to succeed?” The CFO’sintention was to show up as a confi-dent public presenter. And, his inten-tion, combined with skills training,propelled him forward well beyondprevious limitations.

Coachability is too important to bedelegated exclusively to professionalcoaches. The leader is vital to trigger-ing team members’ motivation forself-discovery. The leader can jump-start the change process by holding amirror to a change-resistant teammember: “Here’s what I’m gettingfrom you. I’ve given you feedback,but haven’t seen much change inbehavior. Here’s the gap; how do youplan on closing it?”

On high-performing teams, wherepeer accountability is standard, col-leagues on the team often assume theresponsibility for helping a colleague

ly reinventing myself to meet ever-more-demanding performance standards?”

Self-diagnosis is tricky, but we’veseen executives engage in it with greatcandor and effectiveness. They beginby checking out the stories rattling intheir head, asking themselves: “Whatare the conversations I’m having withmyself?” and “Are any of them core-limiting beliefs—stories that get in theway of what I profess to want?”

For example, had the aforemen-tioned CFO hung onto the story, “I’minherently shy and can’t speak beforegroups,” he would have fallen victimto a core-limiting belief. Yet he becamea dispassionate observer of his story, athird-party observer who realized thathis stories didn’t run him; he couldchange his stories in order to progressto the next level of performance.

Executives resist change for manyreasons. Some don’t see the “What’s init for me;” others disagree on the needfor change; others are distrustful andask, “What’s the real agenda here?”Still others are unclear about what theend state of change would look like forthem. And then some shy away fromtheir discomfort zone.

The challenge is to part the curtainto see what’s behind the resistance.Testing Coachability

How coachable are the members ofyour top team? Ask eight questions:l Are team members focused on the

future, or are they stuck in the past? l Do they listen to the rationale for

change or defend the status quo?l Do their discussions revolve around

their intent to change and how tomake it happen, or do they continue todebate the need to do so? l Can they take a depersonalized look

at themselves and their situation?l Do they let go of core-limiting

beliefs and stories about themselves?l Do they see the positive reasons and

higher payoffs for change and the costsof being stuck in past “stories”?l Do they partner with a coach on the

journey forward? l Is their intention to change convert-

ed into an action plan—and do resultsmirror that intention?

Team leaders also need coaching; soask yourself the same questions andanswer them honestly to determinejust how coachable you are to achievehigh performance. LE

by Howard M. Guttman

1 4 L e a d e r s h i p E x c e l l e n c e

COMPETENCE COACHING

I t d r ives f i e ld per formance .

ACTION: Assess your coachability.

Howard M. Guttman is the author of When Goliaths Clash:Managing Executive Conflict to Build a More DynamicOrganization. Email hmguttman@guttmandev.com.

when he’s trying to do right by hisemployees, his actions are muddied byhis own self-interest. Couple this withhis inability to self-manage, and youhave a Scranton manager that doesn’trecognize when his own behavior isproblematic and can’t stop himselfeven when he knows better.

Dwight Schrute: “How would Idescribe myself? Three words: hard-working, alpha male, jackhammer,merciless, insatiable. I am ready to faceany challenges that might be foolishenough to face me.”

Where do we begin with Dwight?The first thing people notice in thisAssistant to the Branch Manager ishe’s a kiss-up. He fawns over Michael,seemingly indifferent to his coworkers’(and even Michael’s) irritation. Dwight

is quite good at sticking to his guns,but his lack of social awareness meanshe doesn’t comprehend the signifi-cance of his coworkers’ ire. The result?Dwight is a top-notch employee whenworking alone and an utter failure inany task that requires cooperation. Asthe office nerd, his coworkers couldreject him over his love of Lazer Tagand Battle Star Galactica, but they don’thave to. He earns no respect from hiscolleagues because he doesn’t expendeffort in understanding them. Dwightis so lacking in social awareness thatthe rare attempt to connect with hiscoworkers is doomed to failure.

Jim Halpert: “Right now this is justa job. If I advance any higher in thiscompany, then this would be mycareer. And, well, if this were mycareer, I’d have to throw myself infront of a train.”

Emotional Intelligence

HAVE YOU EVER WORKED FOR SOME-one who made you scratch your

head and wonder, “How did he get tobe the boss?” Does the guy in the nextcubicle proclaim his greatness daily?Are you just thankful you made itthrough the day without telling thatrigid controller how you really feelabout her? If so, you aren’t alone.

If you have yet to see an episode ofThe Office, it’s a mockumentary of thedaily events at a fictional paper com-pany, Dunder-Mifflin. The boss,Michael Scott, is a delusional managerwho leads a team of average Joes thatmost professionals can relate to. Theshow depicts a working environmentthat, like many offices, holds peoplewho are offbeat, often politicallyincorrect, and at times incrediblyinsensitive. While some might dismissThe Office as sarcastic and crude, itmirrors the workplace enough that wecan learn some lessons from it, so longas we can stop laughing long enoughto pay attention. Like most offices,there is a single element of the humanpsyche that goes missing long enoughto create chaos. The culprit?Emotional intelligence. Four Players

Let’s look at the emotional intelli-gence profiles of four key players ofThe Office to see how they contribute.

Michael Scott: “There’s always adistance between a boss and theemployees. It’s just nature’s rule. It’sintimidation, mostly; it’s the aware-ness that they are not me.”

Watch any episode of The Office andMichael’s deficiencies in emotionalintelligence are in plain view. As themanager of the Scranton branch,Michael’s boss is hundreds of milesaway, and he takes advantage of thefreedom by doing whatever he wants.His biggest problem? Michael suffersfrom a lack of self-awareness, so even

Jim is the guy that everyone in theoffice naturally gravitates to; he’s easy-going, affable, and good at readingpeople. While Jim’s EQ is well aboveaverage, he is far from perfect. Self-awareness poses the biggest challenge.Jim often does things he later regretsbecause he’s swept up by a wave ofemotion (think of the “booze cruise”when he let Michael in on his feelingsfor Pam). Jim even struggles with guiltover his favorite office pastime—pulling pranks on Dwight. Whywould Jim feel remorse about foolingDwight? Perhaps Jim doesn’t realizehow messing with Dwight is his solesource of sanity beyond Pam, and hecan’t come to terms with the fact thathe’s in a thankless job he should havequit long ago.

Pam Beesly: “You know what theysay about a car wreck where it’s soawful you can’t look away? TheDundees are like a car wreck that youhave to stare at because your boss ismaking you.”

Pam holds the other high EQ in theoffice. She is kind, considerate, andsocially adept. Her only weakness isthat she lacks assertiveness. While thispassivity helps to smooth things overbetween her abrasive office mates, itholds her back personally and profes-sionally. Pam has languished in adead-end office romance with Roy—aguy who has made it clear duringtheir three-year engagement that hedoesn’t respect her. Their relationshipcontinues so long as Pam is uncom-fortable speaking her mind to makesure her needs get met. In recentepisodes, Pam has started taking moreassertive steps with Roy and the oth-ers in the office. If she continues pur-suing what’s right for her—and cantolerate the inevitable backlash fromcoworkers accustomed to bowling herover—she’ll fully harness the power ofemotional intelligence to realize herdreams. What’s Your EQ?

When you throw a group of peoplein close quarters, often only dividedby cubical walls, conflict is bound tofollow. Emotional intelligence candrastically improve both individualand group job performance. Take someadvice from The Office crew and don’tallow emotional intelligence to beignored in your workplace. LE

L e a d e r s h i p E x c e l l e n c e 1 5

COMPETENCE INTELLIGENCE

C o m p a r e y o u r w o r k p l a c e w i t h T h e O f f i c e .

by Alexandria Herrera and Travis Bradberry

ACTION: Cultivate emotional intelligence.

Alexandria Herrera is a Project Manager at TalentSmart and TravisBradberry is president of TalentSmart. They are coauthors ofEmotional Intelligence in the Office. Visit www.talentsmart.com

who develop beyond the Achieverlevel retain ultimate accountability andauthority, but they also create highlyparticipative teams characterized byshared commitment. l Catalysts are visionary, open to

change, willing to rethink assumptions.l Co-Creators have a principled com-

mitment to the common good. Theydevelop genuinely collaborative teamsrooted in a sense of shared purpose. l Synergists access “synergistic intu-

itions” that transform seeminglyintractable conflicts into solutions thatare beneficial for all parties involved.

Even though each level has its ownorientation and skill set, everything iscumulative. Each time you move to anew level of agility, you retain the abil-

ity to use the capacities and skills youdeveloped at previous levels. Three Practices

Here are three things you can donow to become a more agile leader.

1. Learn the power of reflectiveaction. The process of reflective action isthe essence of leadership agility andthe best way to develop it. Reflectiveaction is a cyclical four-step processthat allows you to make wiser deci-sions, then engage in what needs to bedone next. You first scan your environ-ment and focus on the issues (prob-lems or opportunities) that most needyour attention. You then diagnose thesituation: before you take action, youtry to understand what’s causing theproblem or preventing the opportunityfrom being realized. Next, you set yourintention: Clarify the results you wantto achieve and determine how you canachieve them. And then you take action

Leadership Agility

EXECUTIVES WHO FOCUS ON DEVELOP-ing leadership agility not only have

the best chance of survival, but alsothe highest potential to thrive intoday’s competitive environment.Today’s leaders must contend withaccelerating change, growing com-plexity, and interdependence (all dri-ven by a global economy).

To develop and lead highly adap-tive companies, executives and seniormanagers will need to have the abilityto move in and out of situations andmake decisions with the grace of adancer. In other words, this new breedof leader will need to be agile.

Only about 10 percent of today’smanagers have developed the levelsof “leadership agility” needed. Five Stages

Leadership agility is the ability totake wise and effective action amidcomplex, changing conditions. Thereare five distinct stages in the masteryof leadership agility: Expert, Achiever,Catalyst, Co-Creator, and Synergist. l Experts have a tactical, problem-

solving orientation. They assume thata leader’s power comes from expertiseand positional authority. l Achievers are strategic thinkers,

highly motivated to accomplish val-ued outcomes. They realize that aleader’s power comes not only fromauthority and expertise, but also frommotivating others by making it chal-lenging and satisfying to contribute toimportant outcomes.

Most managers operate from the“heroic leadership” mindset. Theyassume sole responsibility for settingobjectives, coordinating the activitiesof subordinates, and managing theirperformance. This style can be effec-tive in certain situations; however,heroic leadership usually over-con-trols and underutilizes talent. Leaders

by carrying out the steps you’ve decid-ed to take. To keep the cycle going, youassess the results of your actions. Weall move through the reflective actioncycle many times a day, often uncon-sciously, and so we miss much of thepower it has to offer.

To be more proactive in your use ofreflective action, pick one issue eachday that you want to address in a moreintentional manner. Before you jump toa solution, make sure you understandthe issue. Clarify your desired out-comes and what you’ll do to achievethem. After taking action, reflect andlearn from what happened.

2. Develop a resilient attitude.Reflective action involves experiment-ing with new behaviors and lookinghonestly at yourself. This takes curiosi-ty, courage, self-confidence, and con-viction that you’re responsible for yourdevelopment and for your response towhatever life brings your way. Themotivating force of the resilient attitudegives reflective action its juice.

To maintain a resilient attitude, youmight try these daily practices: aerobicexercise, a centering practice (using arelaxation or meditation technique),and a simple “creative practice” thatyou find satisfying and invigorating.Doing these practices for 15 minutes aday builds a palpable feeling of well-being and a reservoir of resilience.

3. Adopt an “attentional practice.”Attention (presence and mindfulness)is the direct, non-conceptual awarenessof physical, mental, and emotionalexperience in the present moment. Togrow into the more advanced levels ofagility, you need to develop more sus-tained attention to thoughts, feelings,and behaviors. One way to do this ismeditation. Other ways to developyour “attentional” abilities include:psychotherapy, drumming circles, andyoga. Find a practice that works foryou and carve out a brief period of“alone time” to do it each day.

The development of these threeskills can help you develop the leader-ship capabilities necessary to thriveamid mounting complexity and accel-erating change. The ability to be con-sistently in the present moment,attentive and aware, may make the dif-ference between being ground downby your work—or being polished likethe jewel that you truly are. LE

1 6 L e a d e r s h i p E x c e l l e n c e

COMPETENCE AGILITY

I t ’ s n o w t h e n e w m u s t - h a v e c a p a b i l i t y .

ACTION: Develop your agility.

Bill Joiner and Stephen Josephs are principals of Changewise, a lead-ership and organization development firm, and authors ofLeadership Agility: Five Levels of Mastery for Anticipatingand Initiating Change. Visit www.leadershipagility.com

by Bill Joiner and Stephen Josephs

The performance expectations formanagement levels differ as well. Forexample, mid-level managers mustlearn to balance the needs andresources of teams within their depart-ments or functions. In comparison,business unit managers must learn tomanage and integrate entire functionsto achieve business strategic goals.

Differences exist in the work valuesand time applications of leaders at dif-ferent levels: Time applications andwork values are normally linked.People decide how to fill their workhours based on their own value sys-tems as well as the company’s values.Contrary to popular belief, time isn’tallocated based on a boss’s directivesbut on what the individual views asvaluable work. Different leadershiplevels require different competencies,

work values and time applications. In leadership programs designed

for multiple levels, discussion topicswill increasingly become more strate-gic and business-focused at each suc-cessive level of management.

All of these factors make it difficultto conduct a leadership developmentprogram in which managers at multi-ple levels receive the same instructionand participate in the same activities.Leadership Curriculum Model

Leadership development curriculafocus on developing skills and compe-tencies in three areas: management,leadership, and business strategy. Theemphasis on each area changes withinthe curriculum designed for each levelof management.

1. First-level managers. Programstargeting first-level managers empha-size tactical management activities.Most emphasized skill sets are opera-

Are You Herding Cats?

ONE OF THE BESTpractices for

achieving high-impactleadership development is targetingmultiple levels of leadership, sincedifferent competencies are associatedwith each level.

Effective leadership developmentisn’t about training individuals. Itsprimary objective should be the devel-opment of a team capable of moving acompany forward and meeting keystrategic objectives. Every layer ofmanagement must be well prepared.

As leadership talent becomesscarcer, many companies are lookingfurther down the line to identifypotential executives. Leadershipdevelopment supports successionplanning by providing opportunitiesfor managers at all levels to developthe skills necessary for future, succes-sive roles. Many companies are dis-covering that identifying andcultivating high-potential employeesfor more senior roles is far less expen-sive than recruiting outside talent.

Often a company’s success is con-tingent upon change management.Leadership development teachesmanagers how to improve decision-making and planning, react quickly,and anticipate issues—all requiredelements for successful change.The Leadership Pipeline

Leadership strategies shouldinclude specific developmental activi-ties geared toward different levels ofleadership. The skill sets, competen-cies, and knowledge required to leadchange with each successive level ofmanagement. Different combinationsare required to manage individualcontributors, other managers, adepartment, and a business unit.

A first-line supervisor is learninghow to delegate and develop relation-ships with his or her staff. A mid-levelmanager is becoming more involvedin budgeting and strategic planning.Senior managers have to work onmanaging other managers and multi-ple functions, implementing businesschanges, and long-term planning.

tional in nature and encompass dele-gating, budgeting, and staffing.

2. Mid-level managers. Programs formid-level managers generally focusequally on all three categories. In addi-tion to honing management and oper-ational skills, programs cover topicssuch as communications, team build-ing, coaching, and motivating.

3. Senior-level managers. At thislevel, programs have much higheremphasis on leadership and businessstrategy. Much less attention is givento operational skills.

4. Executives. At the senior levels,the focus is on running the businessand includes such topics as strategicplanning, business acumen, financials,and value-creation.Effectiveness of Leadership Development

Since the bulk of training budgetsare spent on leadership development,metrics to measure impact are impor-tant. Common measurements include:increased internal staffing or promo-tions; percentage of critical roles filledby identified successors; percentage ofcritical roles with “ready” successors;employee and leader retention; andemployee engagement.

Companies with leadership pro-grams targeting all levels of manage-ment see increased business results.But perhaps even more importantly,these companies also see greaterengagement and retention of leadersand higher retention of employees.

Companies with leadership pro-grams targeting multiple levels of man-agement are more effective: leaderswork together, communicate with oneanother, and execute key initiatives. Byproviding a common language andcompatible and complementary skillsto leaders at all levels, companies canmore easily create and execute ashared vision.Getting Started

Once you decide to expand yourleadership strategies, you need toknow where to start, what to focus on,and how to implement. Here are shortanswers to five common questions:

At what level do I start? Do youstart at the top and focus on develop-ing an in-depth curriculum for seniormanagers? Or should you direct re-sources to developing line managers?

How do I define the content for eachmanagement level? Leadership compe-tencies should be the guiding factorfor program content. Competencies arethose behaviors that become associat-

by Kim Lamoureux

L e a d e r s h i p E x c e l l e n c e 1 7

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Start improving your leadership development program.

ed with effective leaders; leadershipprograms should drive the develop-ment of these competencies.

Some companies have one set ofleadership competencies for all leadersat all levels. In such cases, differentiat-ing performance expectations for eachcompetency at different levels of man-agement is critical. Or, as with Aetna,some companies have a set of compe-tencies for each level of management.

Do I need to create a different cur-riculum for each level? The curriculumfor each management level shouldincorporate key processes, tools,philosophies, and practices. Doing sowill create a common understandingand language for leadership and strat-egy. However, each curriculum willaddress the specific capabilities thatare necessary at each level, based onthe roles and expected contributions ofeach level of management.

Should different levels of managersparticipate in the same program? Evenif the same program is offered to mul-tiple levels of management, programparticipants should be at the same orsimilar levels within the company. Thispractice is very important. Each man-agement level has very different inter-ests, needs, experiences, expectations,and objectives. Mixing the audiencesusually means losing at least part ofthe audience. Some will be too juniorfor the discussion and will not feelcomfortable in participating. Otherswill find the activities too elementaryand feel the time is wasted.

Who should deliver the programs?Proper facilitation, relevant content,and appropriate audiences are keysuccess factors in any leadership pro-gram. Program leaders must haveexcellent facilitation skills, the abilityto share relevant stories and examples,and tailor the program to meet theinterests and needs of the audience.

Most companies bring in experi-enced external facilitators for seniorleadership development. Such facilita-tors bring an outside perspective, adifferent mindset, and objectivity thatwill challenge senior-level managers.

Unfortunately, companies often takea one-size-fits-all approach. This prac-tice invites disappointing results andthe perception that leadership devel-opment is “not for us.” Without seeingany impact on the business, seniormanagers will be less supportive ofleadership development initiatives. LE

by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner

leaders struggle with communicatingan image of the future that draws oth-ers in. It’s not that leaders don’t have apersonal conviction about the future;it’s just that they don’t effectively speakto what others see and feel about it.

To describe a compelling image ofthe future, you must grasp what otherswant and need. To appeal to othersand to show them how their interestswill be served, you have to know theirhopes, dreams, motives, and interests.You have to know your constituents,and speak to them in language theywill find engaging. If you’re trying tomobilize people to move in a particu-lar direction, then you’ve got to talkabout that future destination in waysthat others find appealing. It’s got tobe something that they care about.

Getting others excited about futurepossibilities is not about being morecharming or charismatic or creatingbetter presentations or making betterspeeches, although that might help. It’sabout intimacy, familiarity, and empa-thy. The communication needed toenlist others in a common vision requiresunderstanding constituents’ strongest

yearnings and deepestfears, being aware of theirjoys and sorrows, and expe-riencing life as they experi-ence it, at least listening towhat other people want.

Now you might wonder,“What about breakthroughinnovations? Aren’t leaderssupposed to focus on thenext new thing? Nobody

ever said they wanted an airplane,telephone, or personal computer!”True, but people did say they wantedto travel faster to more distant places,connect more easily with their friendsand family, and work more produc-tively. These innovations are not theresult of hermits. They’re the result ofattentive listening—being more attuned,listening to what is said and unspoken,reading between the lines, and appre-ciating people’s aspirations. Exemplaryleaders and innovators know that allof us want a better tomorrow. The crit-ical skill is in discovering just what“new and improved” means to others.So, to stir the souls of your constituentsand lift them to higher performance,you need to know that it’s not yourvision, but the people’s vision, thatmatters most. LE

MANY LEADERS ASSUME THAT THEYmust be future-oriented, for-

ward-looking visionaries who seekand gain some great insight and thenannounce it to the world. They wrong-ly assume that it’s their vision thatmatters, and that they have to create it.

Yes, leaders are expected to be for-ward-looking, but not prescient orclairvoyant. Exemplary leadership isnot about divinely inspired revela-tions. What people want to hear is notthe leader’s vision—they want to hearhow their dreams and aspirations willcome true, how their hopes for thefuture will unfold.

The best leaders inspire ashared vision, as opposedto selling their own idiosyn-cratic view of the world.Few of us like to be told:“Here is where we’re going,so get on board with it.” Wedon’t like being told whereto go and what to do. Wewant to feel part of theprocess. We want to walk with ourleaders, dream with them, invent withthem, engage in dialogue, and createour own futures.

With our leadership practices inven-tory, we assess leaders according tohow often they engage in five behav-iors of exemplary leadership, with sixstatements measuring each practice.We discovered that “inspire a sharedvision” is the weakest leadership com-petency. Of the six statements thatmeasure this ability, three are amongthe four lowest scoring items: 1) Idescribe a compelling image of whatour future could be; 2) I appeal to oth-ers to share an exciting dream of thefuture; 3) I show others how theirlong-term interests can be realized byenlisting in a common vision.

These statements are about howwell a leader engages others in thevision—about us and not me, we andnot I. The reason for such poor ratingson “inspiring a shared vision” is that

Shared VisionGet excited about the future.

LEADERSHIP VISION

1 8 L e a d e r s h i p E x c e l l e n c e

ACTION: Improve your leader development.

Kim Lamoureux is a senior analyst for Bersin & Associates. Tosecure the research referenced in this article, visit: www.bersin.com.

ACTION: Develop a shared vision.

Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner are co-authors of The LeadershipChallenge. This article is adapted from A Leader’s Legacy.

deeper than physical attributes. If youhave strong religious convictions, youfeel more comfortable being led bysomeone who is also religious.

Perceived similarity is one aspect toleadership identification, but so is per-ceived difference. We are not lookingfor our leaders to be absolutely like us;we also hope that they have positivedifferences for optimal heterophylly. Wehope that our leaders are smarter,more competent, visionary, and articu-late. We want them to be like us, butbetter than us, too. We are drawn toleaders we can look up to and idealize. The Mystique Factor

There’s a third aspect of charisma—mystique. Charismatic leaders are peo-ple who are both like us and betterthan us—but they are also a bit myste-rious. There’s something about themwe can’t fully grasp.

The first three stages—facilitator,teacher, and pragmatist—are technicaland can be taught. To be effective as aleader, however, you must demon-strate some capabilities as a motivator

or visionary. A motivator is driven forresults, and brings out that drive inothers. Motivation is a transactionalactivity. A leader tries to improve per-formance in peers and reports by offer-ing carrots—raises, promotions, otherrewards—or sticks—punishment, fearof failure, fear of disapproval.

A charismatic leader adds the elu-sive quality of magnetism or intrigueto the mix. When leaders have mys-tique, they have personal presence.They command attention throughexceptional communication styles.Their way of looking at the world isunique, and they create an environ-ment that is exciting, fun, or inspira-tional to be around. They seem largerthan life, and we are always curious andinterested in learning more about them.

Not all leaders have mystique as anatural quality. Mystique is a transfor-mational quality, not a transactionalone. It affects our internal state. A fol-

Charisma

CHARISMA IS AT A LOWpoint in current

views on leadership.We’re somewhat distrustful of charis-matic authority figures today, perhapsequating a leader’s charm and over-sized personality with the snake-oilsalesmanship that typified the worstof the late 1990s stock bubble.

There’s always been a sense thatcharisma can be dangerous. Sure, wefind charismatic leaders appealing,but can our base instincts to followsomeone blindly be trusted? Therehave been plenty of charismatic lead-ers in history whose desires have beendestructive. There’s a dark side tocharisma worth being wary about.

Charisma plays a critical role inwho we come to see as leaders. Peoplewho are impressive have special qual-ities. Some impressiveness has to dowith technical competence, but alsowith good looks, height, communica-tion skills, or aura. About 85 percentof Fortune 500 CEOs are male, aboveaverage height, and perceived as goodlooking. Societal norms as to what is“leaderly” play a part in who we chooseas leaders. Those norms can shift dra-matically with time and circumstance.What was appealing in one era maybe less appealing today. The urge toelevate somebody into a leadershiprole, however, is instinctive—we lookfor direction, guidance, security, andemotional identification. That urge is apowerful force. What We Look For in Leaders

The rationale of charisma explainswhy we choose the leaders we do.

The first part of that explanationhas to do with our desire to identifywith our leaders. We tend to follow orbe influenced by those with perceivedsimilarities. This homopholy can referto an identification with physical char-acteristics. If you are tall, male andwhite, you tend to identify with lead-ers who are like you. If you are female,African American and over 50, youtend to identify with leaders who arealso. Of course, identification can go

lower of a mystic leader is impactedinside, at the level of values and beliefs,because of their contact with the leader.Manufacturing Mystique

Can mystique be cultivated? It canbe amplified, but it must also be gen-uine. A leader can’t simply begin todress, talk, or act differently. Thatwould be cause for mockery. Instead,he or she develops a sense of mystiquenaturally, in tune with a greater under-standing of life’s mysteries.

Leaders with mystique have oftenbeen shaped and inspired by traumat-ic events, such as an accident, the lossof a loved one, or a trying period. Theimpact seems to raise self-awareness,cause questioning or reflection, deepena sense of meaningfulness or under-standing, and create a drive forurgency and action. Of course, theability to influence others in a transfor-mational way accompanies manyother factors—competence, responsi-bility, vision, and circumstance.

It’s difficult to build mystique whena leader is surrounded by the same peo-ple for many hours every day. Indeed,at most ranks, competence, clarity, cer-tainty, pragmatism, and teaching aremore valuable and productive skills.

Mystique is the essence of charisma.We identify with leaders who are likeus, who exemplify qualities that weadmire and desire but do not have,and who engage us with a sense ofmystery or intrigue. But is there a netbenefit to charisma? There can be. Ifthe charisma is used well by theleader, it can influence people to takedesired action. If the charisma is usedfor negative or poorly consideredends, then it wastes energy on a point-less cause. Like any tool, its value aris-es from its utility. Not all leaders havecharisma, but some do. Not all leaderswith charisma are effective and good,but some are very effective and good.

Does this mean that organizationsshould look for leaders who havecharisma, or actively aim to developcharisma in emerging leaders? I don’tthink that charisma is always theanswer. Like credibility, mystique iseasily lost and difficult to regain. Todeny that charisma exists or has power,however, is to deny reality. We seekcharisma in those we wish to follow. LE

by Anthony F. Smith

L e a d e r s h i p E x c e l l e n c e 1 9

LEADERSHIP CHARISMA

I t m a k e s a d i ff e re n c e .

ACTION: What do you look for in a leader?

Anthony F. Smith is Co-Founder of Leadership Research Institute(www.lri.com) and author of The Taboos of Leadership: The 10Secrets No One Will Tell You About Leaders and What TheyReally Think. Visit www.taboosofleadership.com

without considering the option ofchanging a process or procedure.

3. Grandstanding (Brown-nosing).People pay lip service to leaders’ ideasto flatter and curry favor, but have noreal commitment to implementingthem. Remedy: Hold people account-able for following through on assignedactions. Insist on a detailed action planwith hard due dates and specific peo-ple charged with getting specificthings done following each planningand update meeting. Actionplans help to capture com-mitments and serve as anaccountability record formeetings . When people areheld accountable for gettingthings done—and reportingon progress—they are morecommitted to follow through.

4. The two-faced two-step. People talk out of bothsides of their mouths, saying whatthey think the people they’re talking toat the moment want to hear. Remedy:Leaders set the stage for employees tobe upfront and honest. Encourageemployees to share bad news as wellas good news. If they give you a com-pliment, ask them what you can dodifferently. If they describe the goodpoints of a plan, ask them what couldgo wrong. And don’t kill the messen-ger—make sure you aren’t punishingpeople for bringing up bad news oroffering constructive criticism.Encourage open, honest feedback andthank people for their opinions.

5. Passing the buck. No one takesresponsibility for anything; people arealways shifting blame to someone else.Remedy: Realize that chronic blame-shifting is often a signal that employ-ees operate in silos. Consider job-shadowing or an orientation to exposepeople to other parts of the business.For example, marketing reps can ridewith salespeople on their calls. Makeevery manager answer customer ser-vice calls at least once a month. Helppeople connect the dots—to under-stand how their job affects others. Askpeople in different departments toshare their goals and what they needfrom each other.

6. Laziness, clockwatching, and low

Corporate Politics

THE POLITICAL PROCESSis antithetical to

real, beneficial progress,and yet the same issues that causeproblems in government—selfishness,greed, bickering, lust for power—cancreep into your culture and interferewith productivity. You must keep asharp eye out for such political prob-lems in your people and in yourself.

What’s the cure for the politicallydriven—or politically hampered—orga-nization? No fail-safe cure exists,because human beings will always be,well, human. But your best bet is tobecome a Vibrant EntrepreneurialOrganization—a culture in which poli-tics can’t take hold and thrive. VEOsare comprised of people who feel thatelusive sense of ownership that drivesthem to innovate constantly, executerelentlessly, and work with passion tostay ahead of the competition.

Before you can become a VEO, youneed to recognize the warning signsof an overly political organization. Nine Symptoms

Here are nine symptoms to lookfor, along with some remedies:

1. Gridlock. Your company is at astandstill because no one can agree onwhat to do. Remedy: Get the top lead-ers to agree on the common goals andhold people accountable to followingguidelines during discussion anddecision-making. This include: pro-viding each person a chance to con-tribute and to describe why they feelstrongly about an idea, listening toothers’ opinions before responding,and trying to find common elementsamong the ideas. Leaders can also tryand test some ideas for long-term use.

2. Bureaucracy. People are boggeddown in paperwork, red tape, and sti-fling rules that hinder their progress.Remedy: Clarify those decisions thatindividuals can make on their own,those that they need to get input on,and those that they need to defer toothers. You might also formulate taskteams to streamline processes. Oftenpeople just go through the motions

work ethic. People have a sense of enti-tlement; they’re just “putting in facetime” until they can go home. Remedy:Find out about employees’ likes, dis-likes, interests, talents, hopes, anddreams. Take a personal interest inthem as people and share your enthu-siasm and vision with them. Set realis-tic but challenging goals related totheir areas of interest and skills. Andcoach them—provide ongoing feed-back on what they do well and ask themfor ideas on how things could be donebetter. Build in small rewards for goalattainment, change, and innovation.

7. Indirect communication. Insteadof talking to coworkers directly whenthey have a problem, employees com-plain to supervisors and talk aboutpeople behind their backs. Remedy:

Become transparent. En-courage individuals to askquestions and challenge thestatus quo. Gossip, rumors,and backbiting thrive in aclosed-door environment.When there are no secretsor off-limit conversations,the rumor mill dissipates.Communicate your intoler-ance for gossip and rumors.

Participate in open forums, and empha-size that you’re always accessible.

8. Pork-barreling. Influential employ-ees push through expensive projectsthat serve only one small part of thecompany. Remedy: Leaders must com-municate the vision and goals, andprovide criteria for budget allotmentsand selection of projects: for example,contribution to goals, support for thevision and values, and estimated ROI.When everyone is clear on what thecompany is working toward, pork-bar-reling is curtailed.

9. Corruption. People are embez-zling, fudging reports, and engaging inother unethical or illegal behavior.Remedy: Upholding ethical standardsis a “must-do.” Leaders state the ethi-cal code and hold people accountableto it. Leaders also model behaviors thatthey want to see in others. Provide aforum for “whistle-blowers” to reportunethical behavior without repercus-sions. Punish ethics violations and pro-mote a zero-tolerance culture.

When you address these problems,your culture begins to shift because thesteps you take to defuse the politicalenvironment are the same ones that makeyour company more successful. LE

by Joanne G. Sujansky

2 0 L e a d e r s h i p E x c e l l e n c e

PEOPLE POLITICS

Ferret out political problems on your team.

ACTION: Become a VEO.

Joanne G. Sujansky is CEO of KEYGroup. Visit keygroupconsult-ing.com or joannesujansky.com. Dottie DeHart, PR (828) 325-4966.

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