The Savvy Leader

One does not have to look hard to find articles or books describing attributes of good and bad leaders. More often than not, bad leaders are described as those exhibiting tendencies of narcissism, poor judgement, inflexibility, poor listening skills, and poor communication skills. Bad leaders are thought to be indecisive, undisciplined, unstructured, unpredictable, uninspiring, and overbearing. On the other hand, good leaders are described as those who inspire, motivate, mentor, and develop others. Good leaders set vision, readily make decisions, provide timely feedback, drive high performance, and deliver stellar results. While the latter description describes what we might often observe and experience in good leaders, there is a key quality missing; one that I believe describes a higher order of leadership!

A brief look a few definitions will make it clear what is this often-overlooked attribute of highly effective leaders.

The Savvy Leader is a higher order leader. Savvy leaders are experienced, knowledgeable, and well-informed leaders. They are practical and perceptive leaders who display common sense and exercise good judgement. They have a high ability to comprehend the events and activities around them. Savvy leaders are also shrewd; but do not let that scare you. Modern definitions of shrewd point to someone who is

• astute with sharp judgement in practical matters (Dictionary.com and Oxford English Dictionary), or
• marked by cleaver discerning awareness and [...] acumen (Merriam-Webster).

The four qualities I highlight below are ones I have observed in the best, most savvy leaders. This is not to say that one cannot be a good leader if you ignore these attributes. Of course, you can. However, it is my observation that good leaders who regularly incorporate these actions into their normal behaviors are able to establish maximum leadership influence among a greater following of loyal supporters, and therefore, achieve a higher level of leadership - savvy leadership.

Savvy leaders ask questions to understand when sorting through issues.

Everyone knows good leaders ask great questions - that are timely, that challenge myopic thinking, that encourage big thinking, that push to explore possibilities, that support collaboration, that test the status quo. However, there is an element of questioning that is often overlooked by leaders. Why? Because leaders are in the power position.

When asking questions, many leaders make the mistake in believing their frame of reference is THE frame of reference. They go into a conversation or approach an issue believing their assumptions, opinions, or beliefs are facts when in reality, they are just that, assumptions, opinions, or beliefs. Rather than seeking to understand by asking questions to validate or invalidate their going in position, these leaders start with their reality and formulate questions based on it. From these leaders, you may hear the following,

"This is what I understand. Why is this the case? I think this is what we should do."

This approach falls short of good leadership. It is presumptuous, short-sided, and can be demoralizing if the leader's "facts" are not facts at all. The most savvy leaders make no assumptions and try to understand reality as it truly is through effective questioning. A conversation with a savvy leader might proceed as follows.

"This is what I understand to be true. Do I understand correctly? What is your understanding? What do you think is the best path forward?"

It is this subtle flip of script that makes all the difference. Asking questions to understand the situation is a powerful tool in reinforcing partnership and soliciting followership. It says I, Mr. or Ms. Leader, do not have all the answers. I am genuinely interested in understanding the problem and your point of view. It says I want to help resolve this issue.

Savvy leaders ask for feedback on style, behavior, judgement, decision making, and performance.

When one ascends to a role of significant leadership, you could be lured into believing that much, if not all, that you do is great. After all, incompetent people (usually) do not get to be leaders. This is a common and often grave mistake that I have seen among leaders - failing to step back and check in with those you work most closely with on the impact of your leadership style, actions, and behaviors. On the surface, one might think this kind of leader has low self-awareness. This is not necessarily true. This leader could be very open and welcoming to unsolicited feedback. He or she may be aware that their style can be off-putting. What I am describing here is not necessarily a leader with low self-awareness, but rather a leader with low self-interest to adapt and/or improve his or her leadership.

The savvy leader will regularly seek feedback on the impact they have on the people with whom they most closely work. They will build trusting relationships, create a safe culture, and routinely ask questions such these shown below.

"How am I doing? What should I start, stop, or continue doing? Tell me about your experience in working with me?"

To the leaders reading this article, when was the last time you asked your teammates, colleagues, direct reports, and manager these questions? If you never have or it has been a while, I encourage you to do so. And after you have asked these questions, stop talking and just listen.

Savvy leaders ask for input, alignment, and support when setting direction and making decisions.

Another common error I see leaders make is not soliciting input from others or seeking input and subsequently excluding it when setting direction, charting a course of action or making a decision. A consequence of this behavior could be non-alignment and lack of support from your team. As with the example above of the leader who does not proactively seek feedback, I am not suggesting the leader who does not seek input and alignment is automatically a bad leader. He or she may produce great ideas and deliver outstanding results - both hallmarks of good leaders. I am suggesting this kind of leader may not be the most savvy leader who is practical, perceptive and exercises common sense and the best judgement when leading people.

The savvy leader will recognize, while he or she may be good and knowledgeable, or perhaps even an expert at many things, they may not always have the superior information, the best vantage point, or the most relevant history to make the best decision or determine the best direction. This leader understands that to increase likelihood of gaining alignment and ensuring support, they need input from others who may have better information, different experiences, or more relevant expertise. This leader will proactively seek ideas, thoughts, and comments from others and leave themselves open to adopt a different position.

Savvy leaders ask for help when it is needed.

Unfortunately, many leaders perceive asking for help as a sign of weakness, especially in professional circles. This could not be farthest from the truth. There is no shame in recognizing you need help and asking for it. Leaders who are drowning and do not ask for assistance from their team, peers, support network, or boss are not savvy leaders and most likely are not even good leaders.

Savvy leaders - the perceptive ones who comprehend the situations around them - are the leaders who have no problem drawing others in when things get tough. These are the leaders who focus on results rather than ideas or the origin of those ideas. These are the leaders who recognize the success of a broader team translates into success for the leader of the team. These are the leaders who readily ask for help when they need it.

In closing, I believe it is safe to say that no one sets out to be a bad leader. I think it is equally accurate to say most leaders strive to be good leaders. We all want to inspire and motivate others to achieve successes otherwise not believed achievable. Good leadership, however, is not the same as savvy leadership. One can be a leader who produces great ideas (in isolation), makes good decisions (in isolation), provides timely feedback, mentors and develops others, drives performance, and delivers superb results. By many accounts, such a leader would be considered a good leader. However, if this leader pushes their own narrative and rarely seeks to understand through appropriate questioning, seldom seeks feedback proactively, or relies on unsolicited feedback (that may never come), infrequently seeks input or frequently ignores input that is given, or fails to ask for help when needed, I submit that this "good" leader has blind spots that prevent him or her from achieving pinnacle "savvy" leader status.

Thank you for reading my article.?The Savvy Leader?is the 31st article from Dr. Michael Edwards. If you enjoyed it, please subscribe to my Newsletter,?Leadership Explained,?to get notified when I publish a new article. Please 'share' this article it with your network, click 'like', and/or leave a comment.?Click 'Follow' if you wish to follow me on LinkedIn.