Advanced Leadership By John Spence
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Leading People - Rosen & Brown - Penguin Books The Eight Principles of Leading People VISION Leaders see the whole picture and articulate that broad perspective with others. By doing so, leaders create a common purpose that mobilizes people and coordinates their efforts into a single, coherent, agile enterprise. TRUST Without trust, vision becomes an empty slogan. Trust binds people together; creating a strong, resilient organization. To build trust, leaders are predictable and they share information and power. Their goal is a culture of candor. PARTICIPATION The energy of an organization is the participation and effort of its people. The leader s challenge is to unleash and focus this energy, inspiring people at every level of the enterprise to pitch in with their minds and hearts. LEARNING Leaders need a deep understanding of themselves. They must know their strengths and shortcomings, which require a lifelong process of discovery and they must be able to adapt to new circumstances. They must promote constant innovation and leaders must encourage their people to refresh their skills and renew their spirits. DIVERSITY Successful leaders know the power of diversity and the poison of prejudice. They understand their own biases and they actively cultivate an appreciation of the positive aspects of people s differences. In their organizations, they insist on a culture of mutual respect. CREATIVITY In a world where smart solutions outpace excessive work, creativity is crucial. Leaders pay close attention to people s talents, leaning on their strengths and managing around their weaknesses. They encourage independent, challenging thinking and they invest in technologies that facilitate the efforts of their people. INTEGRITY A leader must stand for something. As a public citizen and a private person, he/she knows what is important in life and acts by deep-seated principles. Every wise leader has a moral compass, a sense of right and wrong. Good leaders understand that good ethics is good business. COMMUNITY Community is mutual commitment and it inspires the highest performance. It is human nature to go the extra mile for one s neighbors and fellow citizens and a mature leader stresses the organization s responsibility to the surrounding society. A leader also acts as a steward of the natural environment. JOHNSPENCE/RESULTS-CANADA 4
The Leadership Challenge - Kouzes & Posner - Jossey-Bass The Five Fundamental Practices of Exemplary Leadership CHALLENGE THE PROCESS Those who lead others to greatness seek and accept challenge. They are pioneers people willing to step out into the unknown. They are willing to take risks, to innovate and experiment in order to find new ways of doing things. But leaders need not always be the creators or originators of new products, services or processes. In fact, it s just as likely that they re not. Product and service innovations tend to come from customers, clients, vendors, people in the labs and people on the front lines, while process innovations tend to come from the people doing the work. The leader s primary contribution is in the recognition of good ideas, the support of those ideas and the willingness to challenge the system in order to get new products, processes, services and systems adopted. INSPIRE A SHARED VISION Leaders have a desire to make something happen, to change the way things are, to create something that no one else has created before. In some ways, leaders live their lives backward. They see pictures in their mind s eye of what the results will look like even before they have started the project. Their clear image of the future pulls them and their people, forward. People must believe that leaders understand and have their best interests at heart. Only through intimate knowledge of their dreams, their hopes, their aspirations, their visions and their values is the leader able to enlist support. Leadership is a dialogue not a monologue. ENABLE OTHERS TO ACT Leadership is a team effort. After reviewing more than 2,500 personal-best cases, we developed a simple test to detect whether someone is on the road to becoming a leader. That test is the frequency of the use of the word We. Leaders enable others to act. They know that no one does his or her best when feeling weak, incompetent or alienated; they know that those who are expected to produce the results must feel a sense of ownership. Leaders involve, in some way, all those who must live with the results and they make it possible for others to do well. Leadership is a relationship built on trust and confidence. Without trust and confidence, people don t take risks. Without risks, there s no change. Without change, organizations die. JOHNSPENCE/RESULTS-CANADA 5
MODEL THE WAY Leaders go first. They set an example and build commitment through simple, daily acts that create progress and momentum. Leaders model the way through personal example and dedicated execution. Leaders need operational plans. They must steer projects along a predetermined course and take corrective action. Yet the personal-best cases we examined included very little about grand strategic plans and massive organizational changes; they sounded more like action-adventure stories. They were about the power of little things piled one on top of the other until they added up to something really big. Concentrating on small wins, leaders build confidence that even the biggest challenges can be successfully met. ENCOURAGE THE HEART The climb to the top is arduous and long. People become exhausted, frustrated and disenchanted. They are often tempted to give up. Leaders encourage the heart to carry on. It is part of the leader s job to show people that they can win. Encouragement is curiously serious business. It s how leaders visibly and behaviorally link rewards with performance. When striving to raise quality, recover from disaster, start up a new service, or make a dramatic change of any kind, leaders make sure people benefit when behavior is aligned with cherished values. Ten Commitments of Leadership 1. Search out challenging opportunities to change, grow, innovate and improve. 2. Experiment, take risks and learn from the accompanying mistakes. 3. Envision an uplifting and ennobling future. 4. Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to their values, interests, hopes and dreams. 5. Foster collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust. 6. Strengthen people by giving power away, providing choice, developing competence, assigning critical tasks and offering visible support. 7. Set the example by behaving in ways that are consistent with shared values. 8. Achieve small wins that promote consistent progress and build commitment. 9. Recognize individual contributions to the success of every project. 10. Celebrate team accomplishments regularly. JOHNSPENCE/RESULTS-CANADA 6
A Briefing for Business Dilenschneider Harper Business How a Leader Sets Direction? Create a strong vision Articulate a clear course Bias the organization toward action Lift up the organization Practice excellent personal communications Earn conviction Sustain the vision Create unity of purpose Leverage the strength of the culture Support positive rituals Harmonize vision and culture Train people to focus The Seven Lessons 1. Leaders Don t Wait They are proactive they want to produce victories. Waiting for permission to begin is not characteristic of leaders. A sense of urgency combined with disciplined execution is. 2. Character Counts We call it the first law of leadership: if you don t believe the messenger you will not believe the message! People expect leaders to stand for something and to have the courage of their convictions. Therefore, the first milestone on the journey to leadership is clarity of personal values. 3. Leaders Have Their Head in the Clouds and Their Feet on the Ground Not only do we demand that leaders be credible; we also demand that they have a clear and compelling vision of the future. 4. Shared Values Make a Difference As important as it is for leaders to have a clear vision and values, what they say must be consistent with the aspirations of their followers. Followers have needs and interests, dreams and beliefs of their own. Leaders must be able to gain consensus on a common cause and a common set of principles. They must be able to build a community of shared values. 5. You Can t Do it Alone Leadership is not a solo act. Winning strategies are always based on a we, not an I, philosophy. Great leaders constantly search out, hire, grow and support top talent. They look to bring people on their team that are better than they are, because at the end of the day if they have a team of supertalented people, everybody wins. They empower these people, get out of their way and let them deliver stellar results. JOHNSPENCE/RESULTS-CANADA 7
6. The Legacy You Leave is the Life You Lead Followers are moved by deeds. They expect leaders to show up, to pay attention and to participate directly in the process of getting extraordinary things done. Leaders take every opportunity to show others by their own example that they are deeply committed to the aspirations that they espouse. Leading by example is how leaders make vision and values tangible. It is how they provide evidence that they are personally committed. 7. Leadership is Everyone s Business There is a myth that assumes that when you are on top you are automatically a leader this simply is not true. Leadership is earned not bestowed. It is not a title it is a responsibility. In great organizations everyone is a leader and everyone also strives to be a superb follower. Insights on Leadership Spears - John Wiley & Sons From a global study of leading CEOs, these were identified as the key characteristics for organizational success: Service to the customer is the keystone of the company s mission. Core values shape the culture and provide liberating support to associates. Value is placed on community service in the communities in which the corporation operates. The enterprise is viewed as a learning organization. Everyone is challenged to stretch toward his or her individual potential. Value is placed on the initiatives of associates to continuously improve the system. Emphasis is placed on teamwork and alignment. From the CEO and throughout the organization, extreme importance is placed on walking the talk. The leadership growth model that emerged from this study includes the following stages: 1. First, the leader must achieve a high level of self-mastery. This stage also requires a self-assessment of one s own personal system including the values that shape the individual s unique approach to leadership. 2. The second stage includes attention to a deeper level of communications. This means a serious commitment to cooperation and behaviors congruent with core values. 3. At the next level, the leader must practice transformational leadership. This dimension of leadership includes attention to releasing human potential and high levels of interaction and alignment. JOHNSPENCE/RESULTS-CANADA 8
The Understanding and Practice of Servant Leadership Servant Leadership Research Roundtable August 2005 Larry C. Spears, President & CEO The Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership 1. Listening: Leaders have traditionally been valued for their communication and decisionmaking skills. While these are also important skills for the servant-leader, they need to be reinforced by a deep commitment to listening intently to others. The servant-leader seeks to identify the will of a group and helps clarify that will. He or she seeks to listen receptively to what is being said (and not said!). 2. Empathy: The servant-leader strives to understand and empathize with others. People need to be accepted and recognized for their special and unique gifts. One assumes the good intentions of co-workers and does not reject them as people, even while refusing to accept their behavior or performance. The most successful servant-leaders are those who have become skilled empathetic listeners. 3. Healing: Learning to heal is a powerful force for transformation and integration. One of the great strengths of servant-leadership is the potential for healing one s self and others. Many people have broken spirits and have suffered from a variety of emotional hurts. Although this is a part of being human, servant leaders recognize that they have an opportunity to help make whole those with whom they come in contact. 4. Awareness: General awareness, and especially self-awareness, strengthens the servantleader. Making a commitment to foster awareness can be scary you never know what you may discover. Awareness also aids one in understanding issues involving ethics and values. It lends itself to being able to view most situations from a more integrated, holistic position. 5. Persuasion: Another characteristic of servant-leaders is a primary reliance on persuasion, rather than using one s positional authority, in making decisions within an organization. The servant-leader seeks to convince others, rather than coerce compliance. This particular element offers one of the clearest distinctions between the traditional authoritarian model and that of servant-leadership. The servant-leader is effective at building consensus within groups. 6. Conceptualization: Servant-leaders seek to nurture their abilities to dream great dreams. The ability to look at a problem (or an organization) from a conceptualizing perspective means that one must think beyond day-to-day realities. For many managers this is a characteristic that requires discipline and practice. The traditional manager is focused on the need to achieve short-term operational goals. The manager who wishes to also be a servant-leader must stretch his or her thinking to encompass broader based conceptual thinking. JOHNSPENCE/RESULTS-CANADA 9
7. Foresight: Closely related to conceptualization, the ability to foresee the likely outcome of a situation is hard to define, but easy to identify. One knows it when one sees it. Foresight is a characteristic that enables the servant-leader to understand the lessons from the past, the realities of the present, and the likely consequence of a decision for the future. 8. Stewardship: Peter Block (author of Stewardship and The Empowered Manager) has defined stewardship as holding something in trust for another. Robert Greenleaf s view of all institutions was one in which CEOs, staffs, and trustees all played significant roles in holding their institutions in trust for the greater good of society. Servant-leadership, like stewardship, assumes first and foremost a commitment to serving the needs of others. It also emphasizes the use of openness and persuasion rather than control. 9. Commitment to the growth of people: Servant-leaders believe that people have an intrinsic value beyond their tangible contributions as workers. As such, the servant-leader is deeply committed to the growth of each and every individual within his or her institution. The servantleader recognizes the tremendous responsibility to do everything within his or her power to nurture the personal and professional growth of employees. In practice, this can include (but is not limited to) concrete actions such as making available funds for personal and professional development, taking a personal interest in the ideas and suggestions from everyone, encouraging worker involvement in decision making, and actively assisting laid-off workers to find other employment. 10. Building community: The servant-leader senses that much has been lost in recent human history as a result of the shift from local communities to large institutions as the primary shaper of human lives. This awareness causes the servant-leader to seek to identify some means for building community among those who work within a given institution. Servant-leadership suggests that true community can be created among those who work in businesses and other institutions. JOHNSPENCE/RESULTS-CANADA 10
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Personal Leadership Competency Model Based on the presentation, all of the materials you have read, and your personal experience, please create a detailed outline of your own personal leadership competency model. What are the specific skills, abilities and attitudes you feel you must have in order to become the sort of leader you aspire to be? Please be as precise as possible, listing measurable and observable behaviors whenever possible. I am not looking for just a few bullet points here, I want you to give this some serious thought and describe in clear detail what your personal leadership philosophy is built upon. What are the most essential things you need to do every day to be a living example of an excellent leader, especially as your organization moves through change? JOHNSPENCE/RESULTS-CANADA 12
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Ideal Leader Competency Model In your work groups, let everyone share their Personal Leadership Competency Model that you each just created. Ask them to explain why they have listed certain characteristics, challenge them and yourself to explore these ideas more deeply. Then, as a group, create a list of what you believe are the FIVE most important characteristics of a highly effective leader. Push yourself hard to develop a list that you feel very confident about. Please have someone in your group serve as a scribe and make sure that you also have someone who is willing to present your list. Each group will have approximately three minutes to present their findings. JOHNSPENCE/RESULTS-CANADA 14
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