Leadership - A discussion of traits, characteristics, and current news of leaders.

There are 5 two-footed questions that reflective leaders … who are interested in building goodwill … tend to ask when others are sniping at them…. These questions will also help to guide a business out of the path of sharpshooters and into the vaults of profit. The reason there is still mind-bending profit waiting there is because so few leaders have followed responses to these questions to get there….

1. What have we done in past to anger these people and how can we amend it and build goodwill among even those who disagree?

2. Why did dialogue break down in the first place … and what peaceful tactics would restore mutual communication now?

3. What lessons can we learn from the best practices of this opponent and how will it help to restore mutual respect?

4. What would allies of that sniper say about our tone and collaborative leadership in this situation?

5. How are we being perceived as caring leaders who build with others … by our own people … how do we rate with other world leaders in this situation … and what areas do we show reflection and growth that others might recognize as inspirational?

Can you see how 2-footed questions could change leadership from … arrogance … greed … exclusion … narrow-mindedness … and stubbornness … to positions of mutual trust and respect… ? Only then can a nation move forward with much that any of us want from it!  Questions grow new brain cell connectors for further success that this nation lost in the past decade….

If you could get genuine answers to these 2-footed questions… where would you send them…?

Congrats to the Clinton Foundation and to Bill Clinton for his ability to draw $7.3 billion from private donations at his 2^nd annual Clinton Global Initiatives. The money will be used to take action against world problems such as energy and climate change, global health, poverty alleviation, and the mitigation of religious and ethnic conflict.

Clinton has used effective leadership techniques to succeed in this ambitious endeavor. Clinton successfully galvanized a variety of personalities, cultures, races, and political viewpoints into one cause. His leadership in elevating the importance of the issues above the differences of the participants is clear. The Clinton Global Initiatives describes itself as

“a non-partisan catalyst for action, bringing together a community of global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.”

From the Clinton Global Initiatives conference and website, Clinton’s implementation of effective leadership strategy is apparent as it emphasizes commitment, measuring results and empowering others. From the Clinton Global Initiatives web site:

 

Commitments translate practical ideas into meaningful action. They generally meet the following criteria:

• Original: a new or expanded project that is initiated in anticipation of, or as a result of, the Clinton Global Initiative. President Clinton’s “call to action” highlights the growing opportunities for businesses, governments and the nonprofit sector to affect public problems by moving beyond activities or programs already in place.
• Specific: A project that defines clear and feasible objectives.
• Measurable: an endeavor that within its fixed time frame shows continued progress and produces a quantifiable outcome

Any leader could implement these features to accomplish an organizational goal:

• Define clear and feasible objectives
• Translate practical ideas into meaningful action through commitment
• Establish a fixed time frameIdentify a quantifiable outcome
• Measure and monitor progress

Clinton’s ability to attract and retain global, non-partisan support for this important cause is due in part to his use of these leadership tenets, encompassed by the principle of commitment.

AP Photo - Seth Wenig

I came across an article entitled Six Principles of Leadership Coaching in the July 2006 newsletter for the Center for Creative Leadership.

I found it interesting because I have always thought of leadership coaching as the trade of professional consultants and coaches. However, leadership coaching can and should also occur in an organization where leaders have an opportunity to develop leadership in their direct reports and peers.

Internal organizational coaching requires a different approach and perspective - and also offers different challenges — than external, professional leadership coaches. As the article points out, internal leader coaches should follow the same "rules of engagement" as the pros to create a foundation for effective coaching. The following six principles will “help you establish new coaching relationships, adapt your coaching style to meet different needs and work through challenges and struggles that may arise.”

"When a coaching relationship isn't going well, go back to the basics," says CCL's Douglas Riddle. "Whether the frustration lies on the part of the coach or the coachee, the beginning of a solution can often be found by looking to these six core principles."

Principle 1: Create a safe and challenging environment. It is the coach's responsibility to create a safe environment in which the coachee can take risks and learn. Creating a sense of safety can be a real challenge for leader coaches. Your role as boss or manager may cause the coachee always to wonder if and how information he shares will be used outside the coaching discussion. To counter this, aspire to hold an open and nonjudgmental attitude. Find a balance between challenging and supporting the coachee.

I read an interesting article by Margot Cairnes, a leadership consultant.

Ms. Cairnes suggests that there are at least three measurements that provide assessment for potential leadership. These include Intelligence Quotient (IQ), Emotional Quotient, (EQ) and Spiritual Quotient (SQ).

I was fascinated by this premise as I have found it difficult to identify any particular academic track or particular personality style that translates into effective leadership. There are simply, far too many examples of leaders that broke the mold or that reacted to a crisis and provided critical, yet unpredictable leadership.

The following capture a combination of traits and characteristics that seem germane to leadership.

IQ – Intelligence Quotient measures relative cognitive ability and intelligence. We all know this one.  We tend to associate high IQ with superior intellect and academic performance.

EQ – Emotional Quotient measures self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and social skills. These qualities are often exhibited in a leader’s character and judgment. Leaders that possess high EQ are motivated, self-disciplined and aspire to excellence. These leaders are curious and value learning. They create strong organizational cultures where people enjoy contributing and where collaboration and team work are rewarded.

SQ – Spiritual Quotient is the capacity to question, think creatively, change the rules and work effectively in a dynamic world of change. Leaders that measure a high SQ are not afraid to play with the boundaries, break through obstacles and be innovative.

It is IQ that helps us think while EQ allows us to relate to others. In a static world these may be sufficient. But the world is not static. Change is the one thing all leaders can count on. It is SQ that gives us the strength to be smart and exercise proper judgment during times of rapid change, chaos and crisis. The test of leadership is to calmly find productive solutions in times of crisis and adversity.

These measurements may be helpful for you to evaluate and develop your own leadership or provide tools to help you evaluate and develop leaders in your organization. Your best leadership comes from balance and an ability to relate and adapt to a number of personality traits, styles and situations. Cairnes supports this hypothesis, “Outstanding performers have high IQ, high EQ and high SQ.  This makes them alive, dynamic, sociable and innovative.” She suggests that such leaders are rarely found in large and traditional organizations where conformity, tradition and status quo are rewarded.

I was once given a small yet valuable book on leadership by Max Depree called Leadership is an Art. Depree nicely sums the importance of combining IQ, EQ and SQ.

“Leadership is much more an art, a belief, a condition of the heart, than a set of things to do. The visible signs of artful leadership are expressed, ultimately, in its practice.”

Editors Note: Thank you to Andrew Thorn for contributing this post as a Guest Blogger.  Andrew is the founder of Telios Corporation, a leadership development firm focused on using assessment, training and coaching to accelerate individual, team and organizational growth.

Leaders are in short supply. It is becoming increasingly difficult to identify high potential and emerging leaders. Those that are good, know it, and are demanding high levels of compensation. Leaders are more transient than ever. Not only are they willing to change jobs, but they are also willing to change careers and industries. I am constantly asked to identify the characteristics of a successful leader.

Successful leaders understand how to self-govern. They do not wait for somebody to tell them what to do or to provide training. They constantly seek their own training program and look for ways to develop individually. They understand the importance of leading across the organization. This means that they may at times lead their managers, peers and/or direct reports. They are comfortable in doing this. They understand their role and the power they possess. They do not overstep their boundaries, yet they manage to create success on all levels.

How do they do this? They do it by understanding their own personal strengths and the areas where they need to develop. They are constantly seeking information about their abilities and behaviors. They are not afraid to ask others for help. They are not afraid to share their goals. They clearly define what needs to be done, before they ask how they are going to do it. Once it is defined they will not settle for mediocrity. They are continually stepping up to new levels and leveraging the perceptions of others to reach those great heights. They do not expect to be told what to do, they determine what do and then do it.

Not only do they know what to do, they also understand what not to do. They avoid the traps that can derail their success. They live in the moment and forgive themselves when they make a mistake. They let others make mistakes and treat each mistake as a learning opportunity rather than a setback. They avoid winning at all cost. They do not make destructive comments about co-workers, instead they build others up. They add value, but not too much value. In other words they understand that the contributions of others carry equal weight to their own. They are not self-centered; they can easily subordinate their own agenda to that of the group or team. They do not wait for success to come to them; they go out and get it.

The characteristics of a successful leader are too numerous to discuss and list here. The next time you are wondering what successful leaders do, find someone you think demonstrates these characteristics and pick their brain. You will be surprised to find that they are more than willing to share their secrets. They know how important it is to learn from others and so they are willing to help others learn.

I saw this post from Seth Godin and thought it simple but insightful.


The right leader to take bold steps may not be the right leader to execute the details of a business. We often see great leaders in entrepreneurship fail when execution and optimizing assets becomes more valuable than ideas.  There is often a transition from entrereneurship to managing and it is not for everyone.  Imagine a transtion from kicker to linebacker on a football team.  Or vice versa.

An organization will find itself moving along a risk curve based on a number of factors including competition, market position, industry dynamics, and disruptive technologies. Leaders must be capable of adapting to these risks or face the slow, undistinguishable death mentioned by Seth.

The New Year is upon us. I get a chuckle from all the talk about New Years resolutions. I mostly enjoy the skeptics that “resolve not to make New Years resolutions.”

I always ask myself why it is so important for these people to declare that they have no interest in making a commitment to improve their lives. It doesn’t much matter to me that they don’t want to set goals for the coming year but what continues to amaze me is their interest in announcing it. I think it is that they refuse to be bullied by the tradition. My guess is they will make their goals on their own time.

I have a different view. I love the history of this tradition and the reminder it provides me to be grateful and to evaluate, learn and plan.

From The Age,

While most of our lives don’t revolve around the agrarian cycle, the metaphor is still relevant to today.

The Romans named the first month of the year after Janus, the god of beginnings and the guardian of doors and entrances. He was always depicted with two faces, one on the front of his head and one on the back. Thus he could look backward and forward at the same time. So as midnight approached on December 31, the Romans imagined Janus looking back at the old year and forward to the new.

In Wales, tradition has it that at the first toll of midnight, the back door should be opened and then shut to release the old year and lock out all of its bad luck. Then at the twelfth stroke of the clock, the front door is opened and the New Year is welcomed with all of its good luck.

These traditions are valuable reminders that we must look back to learn and evaluate from the past year and then plan and set new objectives for the new year. It is the combination of looking backward for wisdom and forward with hope that enables us to reach our potential. Not doing both makes a resolution an exercise in futility and likely unattainable.