Management Summiting: A Model on Leadership For The Young Professional #1
Having just revisited my leadership implementation guide, I thought you might be interested to read a few extracts.
The purpose of this implementation guide is threefold:
1. To help guide young professionals to improve their leadership while, at the same time, indicating to them the leadership potential they possess.
2. To act as a guide when recruiting candidates for senior leadership positions in large enterprises.
3. To help CEOs select their successor.
The Eight Intrinsic Behavioural Traits
My interest in leadership stemmed from a chance encounter with the book “Shackleton Way” by Margot Morell and Stephanie Capparell . I created a model that described Shackleton’s successful leadership. I then studied other leaders of the past and noted that the model predicted their success or failure.
Subsequently, this model was amended as a result of a leadership think tank, exposure to Clifton StrengthsFinder and some training I attended, such as a ‘Non-violent’ communication course.
From the leadership think tank, it emerged that it is imperative to separate those leadership behaviour traits that need to be intrinsic from those skills that can be taught. We came up with 8 traits and 22 skills.
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To excel as a leader of a large team or organisation you need these eight intrinsic behavioural traits in place. In Jack Welch’s terminology, these traits are “tickets to the game”, a given, a must-have. Some very famous leaders, such as Sir Winston Churchill, were flawed because some of these traits were absent or compromised. In Winston Churchill’s case, he was flawed in “Caring for the welfare of others” and in “Self-awareness and self-regulation”, whilst the other six traits were clearly in his DNA.
Some positive behaviour change can occur in these traits if the leader is aware of the damage they are creating and is committed to changing. A change in behaviour is complex and involves attending training sessions every week until the “penny drops”, and it becomes an automatic response.
Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck’s View On Your Intrinsic / Inherited Traits
It was argued by the evolutionist, Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck, in 1809, that skills, knowledge and traits are passed down generation by generation through the DNA that we share (nature).
We are then influenced, in our formative years, by our family, peers and teachers (nurture) arriving at a place where our collection of traits determines our potential to be leadership material.
Biologists then have spent the subsequent two centuries debating which of these (nature or nurture) is the dominant force. However, for this guide, it is not important, as when a person comes into management, certain behavioural characteristics are largely set in stone, which determine whether or not they are leadership material.
To the manager, confronted by a shortfall of these traits, there is some good news. Stick to leading smaller teams.
The implementation guide has over 20 E-templates to get you on your journey, including: