JOIN USGood leaders should continue learning process
A 100 trillion living cells maintain our body, 300 million cells die and 300 million new cells are replaced every minute based on the building material available in our body. Birth, progression, development and destruction are all part of nature. Organisations emerge, develop, succeed and succumb. We have a new list of Fortune 100 or 500 every year. Leaders are tired, retired, replaced consistently. The principle of bell-curve operates in every aspect, unless a correction takes place to rise again, before it turns down. Nurtured trees grow to their fullest capacity.
Some exceptional people of eminence give out their best for long and remain on the top. Fewer organisations lead more than a century. All these can happen only when they revive, renew, change, learn and unlearn to fully develop and grow to give out their best.
If we have got here, at a position, acquiring certain status, it is because of effort, learning, result of cause and effect of values in life and profession. In that process we might have developed our own competencies which we think has got us here now. Will it help us to move up? Will it get us up there on top of our vision?
Leadership Coaching
Marshal Goldsmith, the author of “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” provides coaching for leaders to overcome some flaws and annoying habits which are career de-railers. Instead of listing and highlighting fallacies, an attempt is made here to define a set of new macro competencies. Leaders must develop themselves in today’s context to move higher on the leadership ladder.
Purpose
We must know the meaning of our existence and work towards our mission by achieving the milestones of professional progress. We need to win but not at all costs and situations. In the process, one may put other people down.
Adding value is good, but is not compulsory everywhere. At times, positive energy and enthusiasm will push us to add value in every matter. While the intention of adding value is good, too much value addition will be a discouragement for others.
Leaders, who tend to add value everywhere, don’t receive the benefit of brainstorming on solutions. Leaders who remember their purpose all the time ensure not to pass the buck and assume responsibility. When we have a group that are all accepting ownership of their decisions, it makes for a wonderful experience when the purpose is achieved.
Person
Behaviour leaves a better impression, that skills and knowledge seldom can. Anger management, self-judgment, moving beyond past glories and accepting mistakes are the needed competencies in the ‘Person’ domain.
Emotional intelligence is proved to be the reason for long term leadership success. Once we speak with emotional volatility, we are branded for life. Successful leaders know that people who fly into a rage always make a bad landing. They remember that ‘Anger’ is one letter short of ‘Danger’ and choose silence when they are angry. They avoid using emotional volatility as a management tool or as power of their position.
Attachment to past glories and problems is another bottleneck to develop the ‘Person’ domain competencies.
Past solutions may not resolve prevailing problems. We will not see a leader blaming his upbringing, how people treated him and how hard it is for him to face present problems realities. Leaders know that past is something that cannot be changed and hence, they focus on the present which makes the future. Leaders continuously learn by accepting mistakes and expressing regret. Many leaders have trouble apologising. They find it humiliating to beg for forgiveness. A simple act of expressing regret can make both the parties feel much better. The word ‘Sorry’ disconnects us from the past and we are free to move ahead.
When we see repeated success we tend to stop listening. Leaders will always remember that listening means respecting others. Listening is a simple activity of paying attention to others by which we will hold a special place in their hearts.
People
Most common competencies in people domain are ‘Managing Relationships’, ‘Coaching and Developing’ and retaining by paying them the best salary. Successful leaders display something more. They practice equanimity, avoid giving excuses, and express gratitude or complement whenever necessary. Equanimity is the capacity to see the big picture with understanding. We see many successful people getting their allies and gain loyalty, playing with favourites who jeopardise business interests. Effective Leaders ensure that their recognition of people is based on how well they perform, not on how much they seem to like them. They use their time to discover solutions assuming responsibility and avoid excuses. Excuses negate responsibility, and it is responsibility that separates one from the others.
They thank the messenger by managing the culture of “intolerance to bad news”. They know that the fear of punishment for breaking the bad news induces the fear of telling the truth. Shooting the messenger will more likely result in hearing what we want and we end up in shocks when we discover the undelivered bad messages.
Process
Leaders with continuous learning, never forget to set a process of Performance Management, Strategic Information Sharing and always commence their communication with a positive note filtering out negative aspects.
They avoid words such as “No”, “But” or “However”, ‘that’ fails, or “Let me explain why that won’t work” etc with next sentences becoming only negative qualifiers and secretly display their ego to everyone that: “I’m right, you’re wrong”.
Star leaders reward and recognise value display, setting a performance culture. People naturally look at what is valued and recognised and set their goals to move clearly forward. People would know what to achieve (goals), how to achieve (values), and why to achieve (Rewards). Moving leaders ensure to share required information for the benefit of individuals, departments and organisation as a whole, barring the confidentiality and organisational sensitive areas. They know that withholding information or refusal to share information will only tamper the image whereby a leader is reduced to a selfish ordinary human being.
Perfection
Star leaders believe in continuous improvement. They know that displaying maturity is better than being smart. They genuinely claim credits and avoid unnecessary comments.
Leaders share and get credit avoiding becoming credit hogs by claiming credit that they don’t deserve. They would talk about their organisation, about the contribution of others and instinctively deflect discussion about their own role. Leaders use their sharpness and witticism constructively in their communications. There is no rule that a leader must comment on everything. They avoid comments which are not called for and resist the temptation of being witty and smart. They change the direction of destructive comments to constructive suggestions. Nature of life and creation is progressive. Any individual can be evolved into a better individual and there are no limits. If we think that ‘This is me’ and limit ourselves with some range of behaviours what we have, we will be exalting our limitations. If we do not consider changing anything and try being more than what were, the leadership journey stops. Following through is how we measure progress and that sends a strong message that we are committed to the task on hand.
(The author is a Competency Architect and HRD Consultant who can be contacted at cmowly@gmail.com)