Action Checklist: Leading Leaders

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2 Leading other leaders can be daunting, and it often needs a different style to leading a less experienced team, but those five essential characteristics of leadership, stated above, should remain the same. Leadership at any level can be a lonely activity, and, rather than help them with general aspects of their job, the overall boss should help them to be a more effective leader. This may include: providing alternative perspectives on specific problems or issues; reflecting back key questions to help the colleague think through issues, or simply providing the benefit of previous experience as a leader. Finally, perhaps more than any other aspect of leadership, a strong personal rapport with other leaders is important. The converse is also true: limited rapport will often cause problems for both sides, and the organisation as a whole. This does not necessarily need to be friendship, but there does need to be a strong element of mutual respect. Action Checklist: Leading Leaders The techniques needed for leading people who are themselves leaders are largely the same as for leading anyone else, with several notable additions. Other leaders should be granted as much freedom to lead and manage as possible including, where feasible, the opportunity to decide what is to be implemented as well as how. Other leaders must have the freedom to decide how best to achieve what you (or the organization) requires of them. However, it is often not possible to separate what needs to be achieved from how it will be achieved. The person in charge, therefore, needs to involve others in deciding what is to be achieved. Although ultimate responsibility will still rest with the overall leader, this approach has the potential advantage of gaining commitment and avoiding the not-invented-here syndrome. It is important to remember that the best results are achieved when people are trusted and shown support. This may be easy to say and agree but, in practice, can require superhuman levels of faith, patience and understanding. The extent to which trust and support must be exercised by leaders is possibly the most controversial aspect of the whole topic. In particular, you should ensure that: Trust and support is always given to another leader in public. Massive harm will be done to the person s individual confidence and to their longterm ability to lead if it is not. When disagreeing with someone in private, consider two interrelated questions. First, how will this person respond to being overruled? Second, is the long-term harm that will be caused by this disagreement greater or smaller than the long-term benefit that will result from having my own way? Leading Leaders 2

3 If you disagree with another leader, they must be given the opportunity and support to explain their view and then move on, ideally securing some quick, high profile successes that will reinforce their value and worth both to themselves and everyone else. When you are empowering other leaders to create major change, the following points are especially relevant: Communicate a powerful, compelling vision if employees have a shared sense of purpose, it will be easier to initiate actions to achieve that purpose. Make structures compatible with the vision ensure that the system allows change to be effected and that any obstacles to change are removed. It is also necessary to align information and personnel systems so that they are compatible with the planned outcome. Provide the training that people need without the right skills and attitudes, people feel disempowered. Confront people who undermine needed change nothing disempowers people the way a bad boss can: the solution is to confront them and take action, rather than let the situation continue breeding illfeeling. A common mistake is to assume that as leaders have already achieved a measure of success then they do not need challenging opportunities. Lifelong learning is an essential aspect of successful leadership and leaders should be encouraged to develop their skills. Areas where leaders can benefit include: Risk-taking developing a willingness to push out of comfort zones. The rules for risk-taking need to be clear, and there will need to be a blamefree environment, but encouraging leaders to take risks can unlock a great deal of experience, intuition and success. Self-reflection honestly assessing successes and failures, especially the latter, is not always easy for leaders who may be given to moving on quickly, preferring to bury or leave behind their mistakes. However, analysing them can provide important clues about what to do in the future, as well as highlighting the leader s own strengths and weaknesses. Soliciting opinions 360-degree appraisal is a process whereby the views of one s subordinates, peers and bosses are collected and acted upon. This too can highlight areas to be improved or reinforced. Listening and being open to new ideas occasionally, leaders are not good listeners, preferring instead to lead from the front or to shoulder all of the responsibility themselves. This may appear necessary, particularly if others are inexperienced, but, by genuinely canvassing opinions and listening to others, new ideas and perspectives will often emerge. Leading Leaders 3

4 This can be accomplished by asking the right questions and creating an atmosphere where people can talk honestly. Also, setting high standards for how people treat each other is important, as is an ability to bring in the right people. Above all, developing your credibility means displaying conviction and passion for your work. Leadership is synonymous with consistency and moral courage. Although this may mean different things to different people at various times, it does imply an ability to do and say what you mean, especially when faced with adversity. Moral courage also requires a capacity to take risks, to be constant and determined, to admit mistakes and to stand alone when necessary. Courage is a quality that is universally respected; even if we do not agree with a particular idea or approach, we admire bravery and associated qualities of integrity, conviction and determination. Moral courage, the courage of our convictions, is present in those we choose to trust. Dependability develops trust because co-operation and collaboration are often integral to trusting relationships. This encourages people to support each other with practical help and through good communication, as well as mentoring or sharing best practice and experience. As with unselfishness, fairness and compassion, dependability often involves giving up things such as, your time, resources and pet projects to help others succeed. People respond positively when they see this level of commitment and unselfishness. There are no easy routes to establishing credibility: much depends on the culture, experiences and circumstances. Leaders are credible when they are: Demanding but reasonable Accessible and friendly but not too familiar Decisive but thoughtful Focused but flexible Dynamic without being distracting Determined but fair and realistic Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to acquire information from your own emotions and the emotions of others and to apply that knowledge, in order to be more successful and fulfilled. Writer and psychologist Daniel Goleman popularised his view of emotional intelligence in his book Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. Building on the work Leading Leaders 4

5 of Howard Gardner and Peter Salovey, Goleman proposed that EI can be observed in five key areas: Knowing your emotions Managing emotions Motivating yourself Recognizing emotions in others Handling relationships Goleman recognised that emotions are critical in determining a leader s success. In times of change, pressure or crisis, the leaders who possess superior emotional intelligence have the edge. This is because success is achieved by being able to recognise, understand and deal appropriately with the emotions that we experience. For example, we may all feel anger but emotional intelligence enables us to know what to do with it to achieve the best possible outcome. EI is valuable because it enables us to sense and use emotions. It helps us to manage ourselves and achieve positive outcomes in our relationships with others, in handling situations and when making decisions. Emotional intelligence can be learnt. There are five key areas, each highlighting aspects of emotional intelligence that are essential to leading people successfully. 1. Self-awareness. Despite our emotions and moods running in parallel to our thoughts, we rarely pay sufficient attention to the way we feel and the impact of those emotions. This is significant because previous emotional experiences provide a context for our decision-making and will, therefore, affect the decisions we make. 2. Managing emotions. All effective leaders learn to manage their emotions, especially the big three : anger, anxiety and sadness. 3. Motivating others. To motivate others, you need: to know how to create a supportive, enthusiastic environment; to be sensitive to the issues which affect the enthusiasm of others, and to provide the right approach to move and guide people in the right direction. 4. Showing empathy. As well as being self-aware, it is important to develop the ability to correctly understand emotions in others and then to act accordingly. 5. Staying connected. Emotions are contagious: there is an unseen emotional transaction that passes between people in every interaction, making us feel either a little better or a little worse. Goleman refers to this as a secret economy and argues that it holds the key to motivating people. These emotional competencies build on each other in a hierarchy. At the bottom of Goleman s hierarchy, competency 1 is the ability to identify one s emotional state. Knowledge of each competency is needed to move to the next one. Being capable of the first three competencies is needed for the 4th competency of empathy, where you can read and positively influence other people s emotions. Likewise, capability of the first four competencies leads to an ability to enter and sustain good relationships (competency 5). Leading Leaders 5

6 The isolation of a leader s role can mean that it is easy to lose objectivity. Decisions may need to be made with insufficient information, and poor decisions are more likely if you lack insight into your own reactions. To guard against this, develop your self-awareness: use structured selfassessment; set time aside to reflect on both what is happening and your reactions, and use a coach to help you analyse the reality of your situation. People respond best when they understand what they are doing and why they are doing it. A decisive leader must create and communicate a convincing and realistic vision that can be sustained through good times and bad. Not only does this inspire, it also provides a clear focus on a desired outcome and it builds confidence, teamwork and consistency. While it is always worth considering contingency measures and fallback positions, it is important to remain committed to a decision or course. Successful leaders provide people with a sense of security and support. If people are to succeed then a certain level of support is essential. Commitment and enthusiasm usually engender support, as people respond well to the infectious nature of enthusiasm. People also like to help, and enthusiasm often provides an opening for them to offer support. People value open and honest discussions based on mutual trust this is especially true during difficult or challenging times. Differences between various parts of the business should not be reasoned away but openly discussed. Honesty and integrity are essential to leadership. Progress cannot be achieved without guidance and control. Once the vision and strategy are clearly defined, and implementation has started, then controls are needed to monitor progress towards achieving the objectives. One of the first leadership challenges is to set priorities and remove distractions so that people can get on with serving customers and increasing both profits and the value of the business. Invariably, tough action is needed to make things happen and this can sometimes interfere with other priorities that the business may have. The only way forward is to be ruthless about setting priorities. To do this, ask yourself: What are the current priorities? What should be the priorities, goals and objectives for: a) the business, b) the team, c) your direct reports, d) yourself? Leading Leaders 6

7 It may help to ask this question for short-term and longer-term goals. What needs to change? Are these end goals (objectives), or are they performance goals (ongoing aims)? For example: We will sell x units of our new product in the first year is an end goal; We will develop a coaching culture where people routinely receive feedback and support is a performance goal. One of the most challenging tasks is to deal with the tensions that come with handling multiple goals. For example, moving out of a downturn may involve balancing long-term strategy with decisions that need to benefit customers and the business today. Challenges like these are not incompatible but they are demanding, so collaboration especially mutual support, consistency and sharing best practices is a key to success. Working collaboratively means managing the five Ms: Meaning. Make sure there is a shared understanding, passion and sense of purpose, with everyone moving in the same direction. Mindset. Ensure that everyone understands and makes the changes in behaviour that are needed. Mobilising. Find out about, and develop, the resources your business needs to achieve its strategy. Measurement. Use metrics to assess and drive performance at three levels: individual, team and organizational. Metrics should focus on achieving future goals, not simply measuring against past performance. Mechanisms for renewal. Avoid complacency and make sure that performance continually improves and that momentum is maintained. The best way to do this is by consulting and communicating with colleagues. It is important to dismiss the myths of leadership. These include: Leadership is a rare skill. This is untrue, almost everyone has leadership potential. Leadership abilities and opportunities are within the reach of most people. Leaders are charismatic. Some are, some are not. While there may be times when charisma helps, it is not a prerequisite for strong leadership. Leadership only exists at the top of an organization. This is also flawed. Leaders at the top may have a broader span of control and authority but leaders further down the organization also have their teams and goals. Arguably, the leaders with the greatest significance are those in the middle of the organization or those dealing with customers, as their actions and decisions impact significantly on the firm s success. The leader controls and directs. This is a common misconception: the challenge in leadership is not the exercise of power but rather the empowerment of others. Leaders work with and through people, they Leading Leaders 7

8 succeed by engaging and inspiring, not dictating. The best leaders enable people to use their own initiative, experience and individual skills. Leaders have permanent teams. Increasingly, leaders are in charge of a temporary team for a specific project or activity. When this is completed, the leader moves on to another task and role not necessarily that of leader. This makes leading more complex and changeable and it means that possessing effective leadership skills is essential for success. There are three potential pitfalls when assessing your own skills and behaviour. (As well as improving your own self-awareness, this information will allow you to help others overcome these flaws.) Regarding a personal failing as a situational problem. Even experienced leaders can believe that problems are a result of a situation rather than a consequence of their own inaction or failures. Attempting to resolve a situational problem is seen as more acceptable than overcoming a personal shortcoming, so that is where many people focus, projecting blame onto the situation. This is a mistake and will perpetuate the problem. To avoid this pitfall, ask yourself: Do these difficulties result from the situation or from my attitudes and approach? If the answer to this question is to be of any use, you must strive to be ruthlessly honest, methodical, analytical and objective. Avoiding the new and unfamiliar. Leaders, especially when they are new to a role, are often attracted to tasks they feel comfortable with, avoiding those issues where they don t. Activity in areas that are familiar is a common way to avoid action in other, unfamiliar areas. This can mean that opportunities are being missed simply because they lie outside an individual s comfort zone. What matters is tackling the right issues, not simply acting. Suppressing doubts and acting with certainty. A frequent response to the demands of a new or challenging situation is to suppress your uncertainties and doubts by acting with certainty and in a commanding manner. While it is important to project a confident image, the need to be seen to be in control can lead you to suppress opinions and can result in weak or flawed decisions. Set aside 30 minutes at the end or beginning of each week to answer the same set of questions. By keeping a record of your responses, you can reveal patterns in the problems you have faced and your typical reactions. This will help you to assess the way you lead and your own personal effectiveness. Some useful questions to consider include: Do you feel in control of your success? If not, what can you do to gain control? What has bothered you in the last week? Have you failed to establish rapport with anyone? If so, why? Leading Leaders 8

9 Of the meetings you have attended, which has been most difficult? Why? Of all that you have seen or heard, what has disturbed you most? What has gone well and what has gone poorly? Of the interactions you ve had, which would you have handled differently? Which interactions exceeded your expectations? Why? What decisions have you made that turned out well or not so well? Why? Of the main missed opportunities, was a better result blocked by you or by something beyond your control? Consider how well you are managing your responses and how effectively you are working. Focus on four specific areas: Learning. What are your priorities for learning? How are you learning? Is the balance between learning technical and leadership skills appropriate? Influence. How well are you influencing key groups, internally and externally? What coalitions do you most need to build? Execution. What progress have you made in assessing priorities, opportunities and challenges and in advancing them? Self-management. Have style issues been a problem? If so, what can you do about it? Are you using advice effectively? Leading Leaders 9

10 Avoiding Problems Leadership can be a lonely activity and shutting out other leaders can make it even lonelier, both for you and them. The extent to which you grant freedom and latitude depends on you, but letting people do some or all of the following will probably help to bring out their best. Consider letting people: Follow up their own initiatives and interesting new ideas, without necessarily consulting you (or setting parameters where they do not have to consult). Decide how they will pursue their professional development. Manage their own resources, particularly staff and money. Challenge you on anything you do that affects their work. Develop their individual leadership style. This will involve them developing their own style of team leadership. Take the lead in monitoring and reviewing their performance. Know that you support them. Dos and Don ts Develop self-awareness understanding why others trust you (the values they relate to) and what you do to reinforce trust. Be clear and honest, without hidden agendas. Show that you have the organisation s and employees best interests at heart by being sensitive and alert to unforeseen changes. Acknowledge and tackle weaknesses yours and theirs. Give constructive feedback by clearly identifying the behaviour (focus on the behaviour, not the person). Also, treat the recipient with respect and offer additional support. Keep team members informed, asking what information would be most helpful, explaining issues carefully, openly sharing available information and providing information before being asked for it. Recognise success and reward good performance. Seek support and avoid confrontation for its own sake. Accept that you do not have all the answers. Think through the various options and take responsibility. Give feedback, celebrate success and build momentum, encouraging the right behaviour. Focus on people: not simply what they say, but how they behave. Are there lingering fears or doubts to address? Leading Leaders 10

11 Evade responsibility or abuse your influence. Behave unfairly or inconsistently. Uphold standards of behaviour and performance, no matter what. Hide your passion; instead, make it obvious what you care about. Fail to lead by example, meet commitments or avoid important issues. Forget to tell team members where they are strong and why they are valued. Omit to give people opportunities to learn, develop and excel. Key Questions Have you discussed other leaders views regarding actions that would improve business performance? Do your direct reports understand what is expected of them the specific priorities for them and their team as well as standards that are important? Have you explained changes that you plan to make, addressed concerns or issues and gathered support? Which aspects of bureaucracy have an adverse effect on the business? Have you discussed with your colleagues where challenges lie and agreed what action needs to be taken? Do you meet regularly with your direct reports, helping them to find solutions and developing their skills and expertise? Are your direct reports regularly and publicly supported and is their success and that of their team members recognised and rewarded? Things You Can Do First, if you have not already done so, get into the habit of being more dependable (for example, meeting deadlines), open and honest. Next, share your objectives, priorities and performance measures with members of your team, and let them understand how your performance is being assessed. Also, ask your team to list the issues that are blocking their progress or causing concern, and then lead the team to solve each issue in turn. Support, compassion and empathy will help inspire trust. Ten qualities of trusted leaders: 1. Fairness 2. Dependability 3. Respect 4. Openness 5. Courage 6. Unselfishness 7. Competence 8. Supportiveness 9. Empathy 10. Compassion Leading Leaders 11

12 Ten qualities that undermine trust: 1. Controlling 2. Confrontational 3. Popular 4. Ambition 5. Spontaneous 6. Powerful 7. Critical 8. Sceptical 9. Gentle 10. Inconsistent Use this to provide feedback, agree individual objectives and focus on personal development. Also, confront consistently poor performing members of your team. This means identifying the problem, exploring how you can improve the situation and agreeing measures to improve performance. It is important to develop leaders that are passive. For example, someone may be capable and effective, but they may not be driven enough to realise their full potential. Understand their motivation and help them find a way to excel and contribute more. Establish a support and challenge group with four or five peers. The group meets informally, with each member spending 10 minutes explaining, uninterrupted, about a problem or challenge they face. Members of the group then ask questions and provide ideas to help progress or solve the issue. Final thoughts Allow time at team meetings for an open exchange of views: look for what people think as well as what they say. Also, establish a project team with complementary skills, drawing on people who do not usually collaborate, and get them to work on a specific issue or challenge. Article edited by Stephanie Edwards Leading Leaders 12

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