Do You Pass the Test on Leadership?

Seems everyone knows about leadership. It's been written about, talked about, trained, demonstrated, analyzed and modeled since the beginning of recorded history. And yet there continues to be so many public examples of failed leadership, which has brought me to a conclusion that it's not the knowing we need, it's the owning that's missing. Most executives who have the responsibility of leadership aren't lacking knowledge of the subject; it's the conscious moment by moment thought, focus and practice that is needed.

 

A professional golfer who plays continuous rounds making the same mistakes and yet never practices, never considers the mistakes, and never goes to his coach, will quickly create a formula for career failure. A golf pro can't perform at the highest level without a conscious, programmed awareness of what they're doing, and neither can leaders.

 

We don't need to find more leaders; we don't need to elect better leaders; we don't need to identify more leaders; and we don't need to define leadership better - we simply need those who find themselves in a position of leadership to understand what's required and do it.

 

Let's take a quick open book pop quiz on leadership.

 

 I am often privileged to sit with an individual who is in a position where they lead others. When the subject of leadership comes up, I inquire about the following:

1.     How do you define leadership?

2.     Can you identify the most important personal traits in order to effectively lead?

Now, in case you are faced with these questions or you've been struggling with them already, let me help guide you to some answers, but first, let me define a few key terms.

 

'Executive,' regardless of title, is defined as anyone who:

• has the responsibility for planning and implementing strategy for an organization.
• has the responsibility for hiring, coaching, developing and training other people, whether it's one person or an entire company.
• has the responsibility for bottom line results.

'Competency' is a complex set of traits clustered together. A trait consists of both skills and strengths. A skill is something you acquire through training. A strength is something that is inherent in you - it's natural.

 

'Leadership' is a competency. The competency of leadership is the ability of an individual to cast a desirable future vision and then inspire other people to follow you through those uncertain, unfamiliar events which block you from reaching that vision, while at the same time resisting the constant gravitational pull toward negativity.

 

So with this understanding, let's look at the most important traits essential to the competency of leadership.

 

Over the past 25 years this information has been studied and validated by two of the most respected and accomplished researchers on the subject. James Kouzes is Chairman Emeritus of the Tom Peters Company and Executive Fellow at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University. His partner, Barry Posner, is the Dean of the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University and Professor of Leadership. Together they have co-authored numerous studies and engaged in extensive, on-going research in this area.

 

Beginning in 1982 their studies reveal the four most necessary traits for leadership are:

1.         Honesty - people want to be led, not misled. People talk about the qualities they admire in leaders. They often used integrity and character as synonymous with honesty. No matter what the setting, everyone wants to be fully confident in their leaders; and to be fully confident, they have to believe that their leaders are people with strong character and solid integrity. 90% of the constituents want their leaders to be honest above all else, and this is a message that all leaders must take to heart.

  2.       Forward-looking - more than 70% of recent studies selected this ability to look ahead as one of the most sought after leadership traits. People expect leaders to have a sense of direction and concern for the future of the organization. This expectation corresponds with the ability to envision the future that leaders describe for their followers. Whether you call this forward-looking trait the ability to have a vision, a dream, a calling, a goal or a personal agenda, the message must be clear. Leaders must know where they are going if they expect others to willingly join them on the journey.

  3.       Competency - the studies reveal that 69% identify competency as an essential leadership trait. This refers to the leader's track record and ability to get things done. It's the kind of competence that inspires confidence the leader will be able to guide the entire organization, whether large or small, in the direction in which it needs to go. It doesn't refer to the leader's specific ability to accomplish some technology or some specific skill, but rather an overall sense that they've been there, done that, and can do it again.

  4.       Inspiration - 65% of respondents listed inspiration as the fourth trait. A leader must be able to communicate the vision in ways that encourage people to sign up for the long term and help them find some greater sense of purpose and worth in their day-to-day working lives. Inspiration by a leader can change the context of the responsibilities of its followers to be more meaningful. When leaders breathe life into an organization's dreams and goals, people will be much more willing to listen and go forward.

 

Consider this for a moment. Leaders don't get results - leaders move people who get results.

 

So, how might you determine if these traits exist in you or other people who have leadership responsibility around you? A favorite way of evaluating this is through the use of a validated tool called a 360 Degree Assessment. This tool allows you to evaluate an executive leadership position by those who follow them, their peers who work beside them, and those who also lead the other executives; it allows them the opportunity to give their views on an executive's overall leadership competency. If you are interested in a 360 that is specific to identifying these traits, the one I recommend is called the Leadership Practice Inventory, and if you would like to learn more about it, how to apply it and how to use it, please contact any of the professionals at the Edmundson Northstar Institute.

 

We are in uncharted economic business territory, but highly conditioned executives don't view these times as problems, challenges or difficulties ... they see them as a test. Do you and those executives around you with the responsibility of leadership have the traits to pass the test? There's a huge difference between knowing and owning.

 

Ken Edmundson
Edmundson Northstar Companies
2650 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Suite 3110
Memphis, TN 38118
ken [at] northstarinstitute [dot] com
www.northstarinstitute.com
v. 901.766.4560
f. 901.766.8135