Leadership
Lesson Ten
Leadership
1. You’ve read all of the preceding modules, now it’s time to learn something about what makes a good leader. One definition of a Leader is a person that has commanding authority or influence. Wow! That definition is full of implications and hidden meaning. Think about it. A person who has authority over someone else has a lot of power; the power to mentor, the power to effect change through instruction and guidance. And unfortunately, this same person has the power to create heartache, frustration, and confusion. Don’t forget the last part of that sentence, the part that talks about influence. What type of influence? Think about some of the supervisors you may have had. The ones who had the ability to work with others outside of the company and influence them to act in such a manner that was beneficial to all. That’s a good thing right? Well how about that manager or ‘Leader’ that influences people in such a manner that it lowers morale? How about that person that influences others to act as they do, arrogant, unapproachable, narrow-minded, and a poor example of what a supervisor or boss should be?
2. Hopefully this lesson will give you some idea of what type of leader you want to be. But before we get into the lesson I want you to remember something. As a supervisor you must leave your petty prejudices and feelings at home. Each person you supervise is a new and unique opportunity to learn, to teach, to mentor, and yes sometimes to redirect or discipline. But no two people are exactly alike so you must approach each and every new subordinate as an individual. That means you need to find out what makes them tick and motivate them accordingly (if in fact they need motivation). Money, power, and influence do not make good leaders and never will. However, developing the ability to see people through their own eyes and motivate them to do things they never thought they could do is a step in the right direction. And remember, regardless of where you end up on the company pay scale, always treat subordinates (and others) the way you would expect to be treated in a similar situation.
3. As the ‘Boss’ you are fully responsible for the success of your work center. Among other things, that means that you must be prepared to get the job done with the minimum cost in people, materiel, and money. If you are an effective leader you will ‘lead’ not bully or drive your people and you will make impartial, unbiased, firm, fair, honest, and logical decisions on their behalf. To find out if you have what it takes to accept the challenges of leadership, ask yourself the following questions:
a. Do I have the courage to make tough decisions and stand by them?
b. Am I flexible when dealing with changing situations?
c. Can I, or do I, remain enthusiastic and cheerful when I am confronted with seemingly impossible tasks?
d. Am I willing to do my best with what seems to be inadequate means?
e. Can I, or do I, inspire people to achieve outstanding results?
f. Do I, take reasonable risks to allow my subordinates to grow and become more productive?
g. Am I willing to let my subordinates be creative?
h. Does my manner invite communication?
i. Do I really listen? Can I withhold judgment until the facts are in?
j. Am I willing to accept my subordinate’s failures as my own, yet immediately recognize their successes as theirs?
k. Am I able to do many things at one time? Can I manage a complex job or task?
l. Can I carry out orders or tasks as well as give them?
4. You may not be able to answer yes to all of those questions. However, once you’re completely honest with yourself, only then will you gain real insight into what the future has in store for you. Once you recognize your strengths and weaknesses then you’ll be able to develop your own leadership style, in a word, you’ll learn to ‘be yourself.’ A person for whom I have great respect, Retired Commander in Chief, Pacific Air Forces, General Louis L. Wilson, Jr., wrote the following advice that I now pass on to you:
a. Be tough: Set your standards high and insist your people measure up (that includes you). Have the courage to correct those who fail to do so. In the long run your people will be happier. And most certainly morale will be higher, your outfit better, and your people prouder.
b. Get out from behind your desk: See for yourself what is going on. Your subordinates will see that you’re interested in their problems, work conditions, and welfare. Many of your people problems will go away if you practice this point.
c. Search out the problems: They are there. If you think there are no problems in your organization, you are ignorant. Again, they are there. The trick is to find them. Foster an environment that encourages people to bring problems to you.
d. Find the critical path to success: Get personally involved on a priority basis. Let your influence be felt on make-or-break issues in your organization. Avoid the ‘activity trap,’ in other words don’t waste or spend your valuable time on inconsequential or trivial matters. Weigh-in where it counts.
e. Be sensitve and respectful: Listen to your people. Communicate. Be perceptive. Recognize that communication is shared perceptions. Empathize. Learn to recognize problems. Seek ideas. Be innovative. Listen, listen, and listen.
f. Don’t take things for granted: Don’t assume things have been fixed, look for yourself. Neither assume they will stay fixed. The probability is high that ‘fixed’ problems will recur. Recheck the fix.
g. Don’t alibi: Just fix it. Remember, you and your outfit can never be perfect. People will make mistakes. Don’t be defensive about things that are wrong. Nothing is more disgusting than the individual who can do no wrong and has an alibi for anything and everything that goes awry.
h. Don’t procrastinate: Don’t put off those hard decisions because you’re not willing to make them today. It won’t be easier tomorrow. This doesn’t mean that you should make precipitous or unreasoned decisions just to be prompt. But once you’ve arrived at what you believe is correct, get on with it. Don’t hold up progress!
i. Don’t tolerate incompetence: Once people have demonstrated laziness, disinterest, or inability to get the job done, you must have the courage to terminate their employment. You cannot afford to do less. On the other hand, when your people are doing good work, recognize it and encourage them. Certainly they will do even better.
j. Be honest: Don’t quibble and blur the facts. Tell it like it is. Insist that those who work for you do likewise. Your folks adjust their patterns and behavior to the examples you do (or don’t) provide. Nothing can be more dangerous than garbled information, half-truths, and falsifications. Make sure your people know where you stand on this matter. Encourage them to come to you if they have doubts about an organizations veracity. You must create an atmosphere of trust and confidence. And be honest with yourself; don’t gimmick reports and figures or use cunning ways to make things look good. If you do, you are a loser before you even start.
5. Leadership versus management. What’s the difference? Managerial behavior is based on building organizational relations that blend together like parts of a fine watch. On the other hand, leadership behavior concentrates on making the hands of that fine timepiece move so the watch displays everything correctly. So, a good leader is ultimately tasked with getting the job done. We’ve already discussed some good attitudes to have, now let’s examine the values of a good leader.
a. Trust: Leadership is the capacity to generate and sustain trust, the main determinant of which is reliability. Seemingly insignificant indicators of reliability such as punctual attendance at all meetings and prompt attention to correspondence will translate into trust in other matters, including life-threatening situations! Unfortunately, trust must be balanced with a willingness to remove people who cannot be trusted and to make tough decisions when necessary.
b. Loyalty: With few exceptions, people who work for you will reward trust in leadership with their own trustworthiness and loyalty. Like trust, loyalty is a two-way street. The leader cannot demand unwavering loyalty of his or her followers without being willing to return it.
c. Integrity: Integrity is the leader’s most valuable asset. It is a consistent and honest demonstration of personal commitment to the organization and its vision. Leaders should look for ways to demonstrate their integrity.
d. Character: Leadership is a combination of competence and character. If you look at failed leaders, bosses, whatever, you will find a failure of character, not competence.
e. Charisma: Charisma is a biblical term meaning “gift of grace,” which was a special endowment of the Holy Spirit to certain individuals to be leaders. These charismatic leaders were raised up to save the people of Israel in times of peril. Charisma or charm can be effective, but in and of itself, does not make a good leader. Once it becomes old, it has a tendency to turn off subordinates and the attraction and power wanes.
f. Compassion and understanding: Compassion and understanding are important. The human psyche bruises easily, and most subordinates will withhold their feelings, often to the point of distress. Your subordinates want to be treated like people with feelings not as malefactors with something to hide…they deserve no less.
g. Courage: Courage can take many forms. There is the type of courge needed to tell the truth about your organization, the money it needs or expends. There is also the courage to welcome new ideas and challenge the old. Remember, your courage gives courage to your subordinates and helps them maintain their composure in stressful situations and to endure hardships.
h. Credibility: To be credible, leaders must have humility, commitment, and the ability to enhance the organization by drawing out the unique strengths of each member. This means that from time to time, you will have to get your hands dirty in order to gauge the progress and pace of things.
i. Leading by example: A leader leads by example, and being a role model means paying attention to what you believe is important. It means showing others through your behavior that you live up to your values. This reinforces your credibility and fosters trust. The ability to maintain perspective under difficult circumstances sets a good example for subordinates and fosters a sense of discipline and normality.
j. Taking responsibility: A very important element of credibility is accountability, or taking responsibility for your actions as well as that of the people who work for you. Remember credibility is very fragile and takes some time to earn through persistent, consistent, and patient leadership. Yet it can all be lost with one thoughtless remark, act, or broken agreement. Remember that!
6. Not only must you exercise all of the things we’ve talked about, but you must also have a ‘Vison’ to follow, in order to stay relevant and guide your people. But what is a vison? Is this something that comes to you in your sleep? No, that’s not what we’re talking about. For our purposes a vision is defined as helping people believe they can accomplish their goals and therefore move toward a better future through their own efforts. This vision must empower, inspire, challenge, and motivate followers to exemplary commitment and performance. To be effective your vision must also mesh with the goals of the company and its overall concept of operations. Once you understand how everything fits together you must communicate your vison to the people that work for you. That means it’s your responsibility to gather your courage and understanding and forge ahead. Getting your vision launched is not a one man, or one woman task, remember your subordinates may have excellent ideas for implementation. By listening to their suggestions and promoting wide participation, you are preparing the business for potential changes and disarming those who would resist change.
7. There is a downside to all of this and that is a vision should never become an obsession and if not clearly articulated and carefully thought out and implemented, then it runs the risk of failure. But once it is implemented ensure you maintain it by revisiting the process and keeping it relevant. Now let’s discuss some of your leadership responsibilities:
a. Encourage learning: Yours as well as that of your people.
b. Train replacements (the next generation).
c. Develop an understanding of roles and responsibilities.
d. Be an advisor and mentor.
e. Clarify expectations.
f. Provide an opportunity for growth and promotion.
g. Empower your subordinates.
i. Allow subordinates to make decisions and experience leadership (see ‘g’ above).
j. Encourage and facilitate all types of education, especially company specific.
k. Deal with (do not avoid) setbacks.
8. Before we conclude with this lesson, we also need to discuss something else; followership. You cannot be a good leader unless you’ve been or are a good follower. Let’s look at the qualities of a good follower:
a. Organizational understanding: You must know what the company does and how you fit into the overall plan of the entire business structure.
b. Decision making: Followers must be able to make sound decisions, often through teamwork.
c. Communication skills: Followership requires good communication skills, they are crucial for teamwork and providing feedback and advice to others.
d. Commitment: Relevant contributions require strong levels of follower commitment, both to the organization and to your work.
e. Problem solving: Greater responsibility and better feedback increases the challenges to the follower’s intellect and will produce a stronger employee.
f. Honesty: Leaders are increasingly dependent on their people for feedback and information. Empowerment demands a follower with a willingness to tell the truth.
g. Thoughtful dissent: A leader should encourage speaking out, even in disagreement. Organizations that encourage thoughtful (and respectful) dissent make better decisions. The follower who is willing to respectfully and intelligently speak out demostrates the initiative that leadership ultimately requires.
i. Integrity: Followers should have the loyalty and willingness to act according to beliefs. Integrity means identifying your core values and being true to them.
j. Adaptability: Followers (as well as leaders) must have the flexibility to adapt to a changing environment.
k. Self-employment: Leaders have a duty to their subordinates; however, followers must take responsibility for their own careers, their own actions, and their own development.
l. Pride: Followers should know their abilities and take pride in their expertise. Remember P.O.W.E.R.?
m. Versatility: Be able to adjust to changing roles, missions, and organizational structures without being paralyzed by the stress of not knowing the answers.
n. Participation: Followers and subordinates should be enthusiastic, intelligent, and self-reliant. These qualities allow intelligent and informed participation in the pursuit of the organizations goals.
o. Courage: Followers must have the courage to do and say the right things at the right times.
p. Credibility: Followers (and everyone else for that matter) should demonstrate competence in word and deed.
9. Remember, a good leader (Boss) ensures his or her people are treated with importance in order to maintain and enhance their self-esteem. You do this by listening carefully and responding with empathy, and encouraging their involvement. A few moments of sincerity and thoughtfulness will go a long way in satisfying your employee’s basic needs. Subordinates or workers, respond best when they want to be in a business, not when they are trapped or pressured into being there…and in this economy everyone deserves to be treated with respect.
Conclusion: Well you’ve made it through all ten lessons. I really hope that you were able to get something out of these basic lesson plans. There is a twenty-five question test that concludes the Professional Development Module (Module One), give it a try and see how it works for you. I invite you to come back and take a look at Module Two; it will cover everything from physical fitness and relationships to inspirational stories and some other stuff. See you there! Please let me know if this lesson helped by telling us what you think. Feel free to leave a comment or complaint. Note: This briefing guide was adapted from AFP 36-2241, Vol – 1, 1 July 1999, pages 79 – 88.
Very Respectfully
Ronald Peeler
October 25th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Outstanding these are rules for work as well as life