DEVELOPING THE LEADER WITHIN YOU

BY JOHN C. MAXWELL

THE COMPLETE SUMMARY

The first principle: leadership is creating positive influence

Each person has the potential to exert influence in any given situation or with any group. There are five stages of influence that individuals move through alongside five levels of leadership. The key to progression is to understand one’s present source of influence and level of leadership. Further, advancement to the next level can only happen once an individual has excelled in the present level.

The five levels of leadership

Level one: position

At stage one, an authority figure exerts control largely because of position. Often, a leader at this level rules by intimidation. People will follow because they have to. Otherwise, employees will not exert effort beyond their job description or what is required. At this level of leadership, staff lacks commitment leading to high turnover and low morale within the organization. Indicators of excellence:

? Highly skilled.

? Knows job description thoroughly.

? Strong initiative.

? Proactive.

? Highly responsible.

 Level two: permission/relationships

At this level, a permission leader relies on people interrelationships with strong emphasis on bringing people together. Employees begin to follow beyond the leader’s stated authority. Indicators of excellence:

? Genuine care for people.

? Strong people relationship.

? Believes in win-win results.

? Knows how to deal with difficult people.

Level three: production/results

At level three, the leader brings the people together on a journey to accomplish a purpose, allowing them to share in the glory of results. People follow to accomplish an objective. Indicators of excellence: ? Driven by a statement of purpose. ? Accountable for results. ? Knows and does things that give a high return. ? Accepts responsibility.

Level four: people development/reproduction

A leader at this stage empowers followers and helps them grow personally. People follow because of loyalty brought about by how the leader has helped them grow.

Indicators of excellence:

? Recognizes people are valuable assets.

? Role models for others to follow.

? Develops people.

? Shares goals.

? Surrounds oneself with a core group that complements leadership philosophy.

? Leadership is coursed through the core group.

 Level five: personhood

A level five leader has spent years growing people and organizations. People follow because of who and what the leader represents. Indicators of excellence:

? Followers are loyal and sacrificial.

? Leader mentors and molds leaders.

? Leader transcends the organization.

? Leader’s ultimate joy is to watch others grow and develop.

 The second principle: leadership is setting the right priorities

What sets a leader apart is the ability to think ahead and prioritize responsibilities.

 The principles of priority

?       Use the Pareto Principle as your guide. The principle states that 20 percent of priorities will give 80 percent of one’s production. Spend time, energy, money and personnel on twenty percent of the priorities.

?       Organize. Identify three or four high priority projects. One must remember, “A life in which anything goes will ultimately be a life in which nothing goes.”

Label projects as high importance/high urgency; high importance/low urgency; low importance/high urgency and low importance/low urgency. Tackle high importance/high urgency projects first. Set deadlines for completion of high importance/low urgency projects. Delegate low importance/high urgency projects. Postpone indefinitely low importance/low urgency projects. 

?       Keep priorities in place through regular evaluation, elimination and estimation. Evaluate requirements, returns and rewards. Eliminate from your list those that can be done by somebody else. Estimate the top projects that must be done and measure how long it will take.

?       Learn how to overlook the unimportant. Avoid the petty and mundane that takes too much of one’s time.

?       Know what you want. Realize that nobody can have it all. Ninety five percent of achieving anything is by knowing what you want.

The third principle: leadership is modelling integrity

Eighty nine percent of what people learn comes from what they see, ten percent from what they hear, and one percent from other senses. Thus, true leaders need to be consistent in words and in action and behavior.

The principles of integrity

?       Integrity is grounded in trust. In order to successfully lead followers, a leader must gain the trust of followers.

?       Integrity means high standards that leaders must model. An individual who rises to become a leader must assume responsibility and model the high standard expected of a leader.

?       Integrity is what the person is. It must not be a false image or baseless perception.

?       Integrity is role modelling. When leaders do not walk the talk, they lose credibility. Leaders must mean and act what they say.

?      Integrity is earned. Integrity is the result of a leader’s self-discipline and honesty as well as followers’ trust.

The fourth principle: leadership is creating positive change

A leader who is receptive to new ideas and is willing to make personal changes before asking others to follow him has the makings of a successful change agent.

 Why people resist change

?       Lack of involvement and ownership among people.

?       Change disrupts old habits forcing people to revaluate and unlearn routine behaviour.

?       Change creates inconvenience, insecurities, a fear of the unknown and a fear of failure.

?       Absence or lack of information other than that which comes from the grapevine.

?       Lack of trust and respect for the leader.

?       Perceived disadvantages far outweigh perceived advantages in terms of personal gain or loss.

?       Leaders resist change, believing it is a personal attack of previous programs and directions.

?       Change demands added time commitment from followers.

?       Old habits and traditions restrict change.

?       A culture of narrow mindedness and negativity resists change.

 “Eighty nine percent of what people learn comes from what they see, ten percent from what they hear, and one percent from other senses. Thus, true leaders need to be consistent in words and in action and behavior.”

 How to create a climate of change

?       Create a high-trust relationship with people.

?       Make personal changes before asking others to do the same.

?       Exhibit an effort to understand the history of an organization. This assures employees that the leader truly understands what happened in the past before making changes for the future.

?       Tap the support of influencers in the organization before making the change. Also, encourage influencers to influence other staff informally.

?       Share the ownership of change with the people by providing them information, by walking them through the implications of change, by explaining the objectives of the change, by seeking people participation in the change process, by fostering open communication, by stressing belief and commitment to change and by fostering enthusiasm, assistance and recognition of change implementers.

?       Develop a meeting agenda to facilitate and smooth the change process.

?       Stand firm that change will happen and that it is never too late to change.

The fifth principle: leadership is problem solving

The test of a genuine leader is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency. Nonetheless, when problems arise, true leaders are willing and prepared to manage the problems.

 How to recognize problems

?       Intuition. True leaders sense problems before they become evident.

?       Curiosity. One start asking and looking for problems.

?       Processing. Gather information and accurate data.

?       Communication. True leaders share their feelings and findings to trusted colleagues and followers.

?       Documentation. Define and write the problem.

?       Evaluation. Scan and assess available resources.

?      Leading. Leaders make a decision.

Steps to problem solving

?       Identify the problem. Define the problem by asking the right questions, by talking to the right people, by getting the hard facts and by getting involved in the process of solving the problem. Problems must be solved at the lowest level where it first appeared.

?       Prioritize the problem.

?       Select people who can help in the problem-solving process.

?       List problem causes by asking what caused the problem. Find out how it can be avoided in the future.

?       List down as many solutions as possible.

?       Select the best solution by asking which solution has the greatest potential to be right, which solution is in the best interest of the organization, which solution has momentum and training on its side and which solution has the greatest chance for success.

?       Implement the best solution.

?       Evaluate the solution. Identify real operative problems that are observable then make adjustments.

?       Set up principles or policies to keep problems from repeating itself.

 The sixth principle: leadership is having the right positive attitude

Without the right positive attitude, successful leaders would not have reached their full potential.

 Why is the right attitude important?

?       Leadership has a lot to do with disposition and less to do with position. A leader’s disposition is important because it will influence the way the followers think and feel. Setting the right atmosphere will enable the right response from others.

?       No one can succeed with negative thinking. Many destroy themselves because of wrong thinking and loss of self-esteem. True leaders believe in themselves.

?       The right leader’s attitude helps define the attitude of followers.

 How to change to a positive attitude

Assess one’s self

Identify problem feelings, problem behaviour, problem thinking.

 Identify the right thinking

Make a public commitment to right thinking and develop a plan for right thinking. The plan for right thinking must include:

?       Developing a written statement of the desired right thinking.

?       Completing a daily progress report of right thinking.

?       Identifying a person to whom one shall be accountable.

?       Reading a daily diet of self-help materials.

?       Associating with the right-thinking people.

 Resolve to change

 Refine one’s mindset

Think, “I can, I will and I am.”

Re-enter

Begin the change in behaviour. Act the part of the person one would like to become.

 Repeat

Make the changed behaviour a habit. An action constantly repeated becomes an attitude realized.

 Renewal

Over a period of time, positive attitudes are replaced by negative attitudes. Weed out bad habits and negative thoughts.

 The seventh principle: leadership is developing people

Successful leaders understand the importance of developing people who can help realize the leader’s vision and dreams.

 Principles of people development

 Make the right assumptions about people

Positive assumptions about people will make for positive leadership while negative assumptions lead to negative leadership. The right assumptions about people are:

?       Everyone wants to feel worthwhile. Make people feel important.

?       Everyone needs and responds to encouragement. People do better work and exert greater effort under a spirit of approval.

?       People buy into a leader before they buy into his or her leadership. A leader’s stated authority, position or organizational chart does not motivate people. They respond to the person.

?       People think success is luck. Leaders teach followers that success is the result of planning and happens when preparation and opportunity meet.

?       People are naturally motivated. Create a people-friendly environment that does not de-motivate by acknowledging significant contributions, by encouraging goal sharing, by fostering a culture of positive dissatisfaction, by recognizing people and setting clear expectations.

?        Avoid de-motivating people by belittling, publicly criticizing and cutting conversations; manipulating or using people; being insensitive and discouraging personal growth.

 Ask the right questions about people

This means asking the following six questions:

Question one: Am I building people or am I building my dream and using people to do it? This is about the leader’s motive where manipulation or motivation makes the difference. Manipulation is moving together for one’s advantage. Motivation is moving together for mutual advantage.

Question two: Do I care enough to confront people when it will make a difference? When confronting people or clarifying issues, observe the following ten commandments of confrontation:

?       Do the confrontation privately, not publicly.

?       Implement it as soon as possible.

?       Clarify one issue at a time.

?       Stress a point but do not over-repeat.

?       Deal with actions the person can change.

?       Avoid sarcasm.

?       Avoid words like always and never that urge defensive behaviour.

?       Present criticisms as suggestions or questions.

?       Do not apologize for a confrontational meeting.

?        Do not forget the compliment. Use the bookend formula: compliment –confront-compliment.

Question three: Am I listening to people with more than my ears; am I hearing more than words? Assess one’s self based on the following:

?       Do I allow the speaker to finish without interrupting?

?       Do I listen between the lines?

?       When writing a message, do I listen for and write down the key facts and phrases?

?       Do I repeat what the person just said to clarify the meaning?

?       Do I avoid getting hostile and/or agitated when I disagree with the speaker?

?       Do I tune out distractions when listening?

?        Do I make an effort to seem interested in what the other person is saying?

 Question four: What are the major strengths of this individual? Encourage followers to work at areas of personal strength.

 “A vision is a clear picture of what the leader sees his or her group being or doing. Great leaders know where they are going and they are able to persuade others to follow.”

 Question five: Have I placed a high priority on the job? Keep people motivated by letting them see the importance of things they are asked to do. Regularly use the five most encouraging words in an organization, “It will make a difference.” Avoid the five most discouraging words, “It won’t make any difference.”

 Question six: Have I shown the value the person will receive for this relationship?

?       Recognize that people development takes time.

?       Realize that people skills are essential to success. Chief executives of major organizations concede that the single characteristic most needed by those in leadership positions is the ability to work with people. Successful leaders with people skills have the following qualities:

o  They admit their mistakes and accept the consequences rather than blame others.

o  They are able to get along with a wide spectrum of people.

o  They have strong interpersonal skills, sensitivity to others and tact.

o  They are calm and confident rather than moody and volatile.

?       Leadership is role modelled. People do what people see.

?       Lead others by looking through their eyes.

?       Leaders must care for people to develop and grow them successfully. A Wall Street Journal survey revealed that of the 16,000 executives studied, about thirteen percent identified as high achievers cared about people as well as profits. Average achievers concentrated on production while low achievers were preoccupied with their own security.

?       True leaders look for opportunities to build up people.

?       Leaders believe in growing people to grow the company. The largest single cost in most businesses is people. The largest, most valuable asset any company has is its people. Business plans are carried out successfully or fail to be carried out by people.

The eighth principle: leadership is having a vision

A vision is a clear picture of what the leader sees his or her group being or doing. Great leaders know where they are going and they are able to persuade others to follow. But leaders can never take their people farther than they have travelled. Like leader, like people

What hinders vision

?       Being led by limited leaders. Leaders who lack vision or the ability to successfully pass it on are limited leaders.

?       Being led by concrete thinkers who cannot see beyond what is tangible.

?       Being led by dogmatic talkers who only follow convention.

?       Being led by continual losers who are strained by past failures and destroy everyone’s attempt to try again.

?       Being led by satisfied sitters who have become complacent, comfortable, predictable and very secure.

?       Being led by tradition-lovers.

?       Being led by census-takers who embrace a vision only when the majority does.

?       Being led by problem perceivers who see an obstacle in every change or solution.

?       Being led by self-seekers who live for themselves.

?       Being led by failure forecasters who are largely pessimistic

Setting the environment for visioning

Cultivate trust by bridging the organization’s vision and the follower’s personal goals.

?       Explain the vision. Make the people understand, appreciate and see the vision.

?       Share the vision’s endless possibilities and opportunities with the people.

?       Energize. Keep hope and enthusiasm alive.

?       Develop the drive-in people. Challenge followers to overcome the obstacles.

?       Allow people to grow as they pursue the vision.

?       Making the vision real requires time. Take the time to reflect and reenergize while trekking the path of the vision.

?       Provide followers with the needed direction—where to begin and what path to follow.

?       Walk with the people in the pursuit of the vision. This forges the commitment between the leader and the follower.

?       Make the people realize their role and valuable contribution to the vision.

The ninth principle: leadership is self-discipline

Leaders take a grip of their lives and take control of areas that bring them success or failure.

 Developing personal discipline

?       Start with one’s self. Confront personal inner issues.

?       Begin early. Do the thing one must do, when it ought to be done, whether one likes it or not.

?       Start small. Take one step at a time.

?       Begin now. Take action. Translate good thoughts, good ideas and good intentions into action.

?       Organize. Chart what you want to do before you do it so that when it is time for it to be done, it is not mixed up.

 How to organize

?       Clearly set priorities.

?       Calendar priorities.

?       Set a little time for the unexpected.

?       Do one project at a time.

?       Organize one’s workspace.

?       Work according to one’s temperament but do not allow it to serve as an excuse for work you need to do effectively.

?       Use driving time for light work and growth.

?       Develop systems suitable for one’s work temperament.

?       Have a plan for minutes between meetings.

?       Focus on results not the activity.

?        Welcome responsibility by being completely responsible for one’s self and for what one can do, by accepting accountability, by being responsible to those one leads and by being character driven instead of emotion driven. Below is a distinction between character driven and emotion driven people:

The tenth principle: leadership is developing staff

The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.

 Creating the winning team

?       Winning teams have great leaders.

?       Winning teams move in an environment of success.

?       Excellent leaders who know the basic human needs lead winning teams.

?       Excellent leaders who keep control of finance, personnel and planning lead winning teams.

?       Winning teams have excellent leaders who avoid the seven deadly sins that include

o  Trying to be liked rather than respected.

o  Not asking team members for advice and help.

o  Restricting talent by emphasizing rules rather than skills.

o  Not keeping criticism objective and constructive.

o  Not developing accountability and a sense of responsibility among team members.

o  Treating everyone the same way.

o  Failing to keep people informed.

?       Winning teams pick good people.

?       Winning teams make their team members more successful.

?      Winning teams keep improving.