So, You Want to Be a Leader

What makes an effective and inspirational leader? Ask 10 different people and you’ll likely get 10 different answers, although there always seem to be a few concurrent themes in any of these conversations. I work with new CEOs and organizational leaders and advise those pursuing careers as leaders. Here are my suggestions for those aspiring to inspire.

1.    Explore, Understand and Articulate Your “Why”

“You have to know WHY you do WHAT you do. People don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it, so it follows that if you don’t know WHY you do WHAT you do, how will anyone else?" – Simon Sinek

Because leadership usually involves some level of sacrifice and thanklessness, I am always very inquisitive about young or nascent manager-level individuals who aspire to become high level leaders. Anyone who has been effective in a leadership position over time understands the pressures, expectations and pitfalls being a leader presents. The buck generally stops with them and they hold accountability for their teams, themselves and often, their entire organizations. Who would want that kind of pressure?

As with any endeavor in life, exploring and understanding your “Why” is paramount, not only in the context of this discussion, but in all things.

What is it that drives you – motivates you – makes you wake up every day and be excited about the world and your place in it? One of my very favorite speakers and experts on this subject is Simon Sinek – and in particular, his “Start With Why” book and TEDx video.

The motivations for becoming a leader can be incredibly varied and almost limitless, but, the central theme in most great and famous leaders is the desire to effect change or to help others - or both.

Your “Why” should be simple to understand and completely natural to articulate. It should come from an authentic and genuine place within you that requires no other rationale or explanation.

2.    Be Passionate

“Passion is one great force that unleashes creativity, because if you're passionate about something, then you're more willing to take risks.” – Yo-Yo Ma

Some people accept and relish responsibility, while others avoid it, either consciously or subliminally. The willingness and capacity to assume and accept responsibility is one of the key indicators of true leadership. Often, this requires some level of development. To become a competent and expert leader, you must have the passion and drive to develop. I use the term “Developmental Alacrity” to describe that quality. Essentially, this invokes the questions: 1) Are you ready to discover and strengthen your leadership competencies? 2) Are you able to take and apply constructive feedback in an effort to improve? 3) Are you willing to abandon unproductive and ineffective strategies and try new ones? If you answered “yes” to these questions, you have the foundation to develop your leadership competencies.

3. Assess Your Strengths and Be Honest with Yourself About Weaknesses and Blind Spots

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Chinese proverb

Everything, including developmental programs, needs a starting point. I always begin with a multi-point evaluation of your strengths and, naturally, areas that need reinforcement or improvement. Be self-reflective and introspective. What are you really good at? What needs work? What characteristics would you like to acquire or adopt? It’s also very valuable to seek feedback about your leadership strengths and developmental needs by asking coworkers—the people you supervise, your peers, your superiors. In many organizations, getting feedback from all directions is referred to as “360-degree feedback”, and is an important part of most leadership development programs. The benefit is that you can gain insights from those around you who see you in different roles and from different perspectives. While it can sometimes be difficult to listen to feedback in this manner, if you’ve been genuinely honest with yourself, much of it shouldn’t be surprising. If it is, it may be a good time to step back again and reflect.

The Core Competencies of Great Leaders

“Leadership failures are rarely technical failures – they’re almost always character failures.” – General Norman Schwarzkopf

Leadership has been analyzed and studied for a very long time. The qualities leaders need to be effective are, for the most part, well known and widely accepted. Clearly, you need to be smart, emotionally sophisticated and have strong character to lead effectively. While some of these qualities may already be part of your behavioral DNA, some may require development. To master them will take work. While stories and documentaries on leadership successes are inspiring, we also know a lot about the consequences if just one area of the core leadership competencies is missing or lacking. Often leaders simply make poor decisions. 

For example, former J.C. Penney CEO Ron Johnson impetuously implemented a fateful decision to stop periodic sales and discounts at the retail locations – without doing any marketing research. He disregarded the fact that their brand-loyal repeat shoppers loved the sales and drove much of the store traffic. That decision put JC Penney into a negative cycle that they never recovered from.

Still other leaders fail because they lack empathy and, subsequently, lose the belief and support of their teams and organization. Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer famously and controversially terminated telecommuting arrangements for all employees, after only being at the company for 7 months. Controversial, because she, herself, worked from home late in her pregnancy prior to her son’s birth. Consequently, all employees were required to work in the corporate office, without exception. She either failed to recognize or simply ignored employee circumstances such as childcare issues and the trend toward telecommuting for those already established in that policy. The discord and distrust that resulted from that decision, made national news and damaged her ongoing ability to be effective within the Yahoo organization and was widely criticized by insiders, investors and analysts, exacerbating the negative disposition.

Leadership failure stories are well documented and easy to find. Leadership successes are also well documented, but, being less sensationalistic, get less press. Some of the most inspiring and influential stories come from those who had no formal authority whatsoever, but who, through their passion to make a difference, were most powerful of all. Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa are three examples of those, who, at the time, had no formal authority, but who quite literally, changed the world. For them, it was simply about doing what was right. (Integrity, Character)

I am not suggesting that we all need to replicate their paths, but within our own circles of influence, we can make a significant difference in the lives and organizations that we touch by sharpening our edges.

 4. Improve Your Cognitive and Social Skills

"Empathy and social skills are social intelligence, the interpersonal part of emotional intelligence. That's why they look alike."― Daniel Goleman

Effective leaders are smart. That doesn’t mean you must have an Einstein IQ, but it does mean that you need to be confident in what you are doing, assess situations and events judiciously and make sound decisions. Learn more about the business and about your team. Learn how to collect and analyze data to inform and support your decisions. Be “socially intelligent,” by learning to be tactful and measured in communications and seeing things from others’ perspectives. Solicit information from your team, your peers and your superiors. Most highly effective leaders work with a coach or mentor to help them reveal blind spots and reinforce their strengths and talents.

5. Improve Your Emotional Skills

“Emotional self-control-- delaying gratification and stifling impulsiveness- underlies accomplishment of every sort” ― Daniel Goleman

While being smart is a major asset, it isn’t everything. An effective leader also needs to be emotionally intelligent. Emotional intelligence is the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships thoughtfully and empathetically. The ability to read and sense others’ emotions—to know when they are happy or resentful with what you are saying or doing is vital. Learning to meter your own expressions – stress, anger, frustration – is also critical. Your team, your stakeholders and your organization will look to you for their cues. I like to call this how you “Show Up”.

6. Strengthen Character

"Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character."― Albert Einstein

Character and Integrity are inexorably linked. Leaders can be smart and technically competent, but can and will fail spectacularly if the they lack the ability (Character, Integrity) to do the right thing. World history, and the business lexicon, are replete with intelligent and shrewd leaders who inspired and motivated masses, but for absence of character and integrity, became infamous villains. Character is critically important for keeping a leader on the right path. A well-proven model for leader character development is to focus on four principal virtues:

• Justice          Being fair in your treatment of others
• Temperance Being mindful of and in control of your emotions and passion
• Prudence    The wisdom to consider other points of view and perspectives
• Integrity      Having the courage to do the right thing and be willing to risk your career rather than doing something unethical

 7. Set Solid Goals

"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals. "

―Zig Ziglar

 Whatever qualities you are trying to develop or strengthen, it is important to set meaningful developmental goals. The acronym SMART is the guideline for goal setting. Goals need to be:

·    Specific – Specificity is key here. “Improve”, “Enhance”, “Learn” are not specific. Make this as specific as humanly possible so it can be;

• Measurable      If it can’t be measured, it isn’t a goal. Period.
• Attainable        Set goals that can be hit, otherwise they will be a source of angst and frustration
• Realistic            Some goals may be attainable, but aren’t realistic for you
• Tangible            Goals must be meaningful and tangible. Don’t make them ridiculously simple or easy to achieve – make them significant

 8. Get Feedback

"Critique, feedback, reaction to one's work or the way they have presented it, regardless of intention, is a gift. "

―Mark Brand

 It is vital to receive feedback throughout the competency development process. Having an experienced mentor or coach who provides honest and constructive feedback on a regular basis is invaluable. In lieu of that, collaborating with a partner-peer who is also working on leadership development will allow you to give each other feedback. Another strategy is to ask your direct reports or employees how they perceive you and if they have noticed improvement. Don’t be discouraged by slow progress or the occasional mistake - use mistakes as learning tools to further develop your leadership competencies.

9. Reward Your Progress

The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more.

―Jonas Salk

 Leadership development is hard work. You will be pushing your boundaries, stepping out of your comfort zone and exploring new territory. When you find yourself breaking through a barrier, it is important to recognize it and take time out to reward yourself for the improvement. Celebrate even the small triumphs.

10. Continuous Improvement

Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.

―Benjamin Franklin

Developing leadership competencies is an evolution, not a revolution. It is a continuous path to becoming the best version of you – to leave a legacy of inspiration and admiration.

Now, let’s get to work!

~Michael

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