Chapter
1 - Part of a “Leadertools” series – A tool kit for equipping leaders of
small and medium sized businesses to become more effective at their job of
leading.
After many years of working with leaders of small and medium sized businesses, it has become abundantly clear that “leadership” makes a difference. Good leaders get results that show dramatically on the bottom line. Ineffective leaders create results that are disappointing. So, what is a good leader? That question has challenged many organization behavior experts over the past 50 years. We have learned more about what a good leader isn’t, rather than what a good leader is. Research and observations have shown that leaders who are less than effective are guilty of a number of the following:
· Inability to delegate.
· Inability to act or make decisions.
· Not being totally honest.
· Poor communication and poor listening skills.
· Did not support subordinates.
· Completely inflexible.
· Egotistical, lacking respect for others.
· Over controlling.
· Unwilling or unable to help or guide others.
· Micro-management.
Not surprisingly, a high percentage of business leaders demonstrate at least one of these characteristics. It is interesting to note that every one of these leadership problems deal with people! We have come to learn that leadership is a “people” thing. Indira Ghandi is quoted as saying:
“I suppose that leadership at one time meant muscle but today it means getting along with people”.
Further evidence of this observation in the academic world
is a conclusion by
“There is a substantial and
rapidly expanding body of evidence, some of it quite methodologically
sophisticated, that speaks to the strong connection between how firms manage their
people and the economic results achieved.”¹
Another meaningful quotation is attributed to Ross Perot:
“You can manage things (such as
inventory and machines), but you must lead people!”
So what is leadership? We can say for sure that leadership is not just good management. They are different, but both are important. What is the difference? Management deals with resources, assets, methods, and processes. Leadership deals with the people and their organizational relationships. Good leadership is the perfection of “people skills”. Good leadership creates the environment where employees give forth their best effort. In light of all these observations, a recent text book definition of leadership has surfaced which seems to have universal approval:
“Leadership is influencing
employees to voluntarily pursue organizational goals”²
The key word in this definition is “voluntarily”. Effective leaders need to inspire others, provide emotional support, and get employees to voluntarily rally around a common goal.
You may think that this definition is a piece of cake! Experience has shown that this is a big challenge for most leaders. Leading people today is considerably more demanding and challenging than it was in past generations. Today, there are new attitudes in the work place. Muscle and control no longer work. The “boss” mentality is out! One can no longer get away with the attitude that says “it is my way or the highway”. Today’s employees will not tolerate that kind of abuse. They are more independent, they seek the freedom to learn and grow, they want to work smarter rather than harder, they need reinforcement and recognition, they must have a say in their jobs, they require fair pay, and they require good consistent leadership. If these needs are not met they find work elsewhere.
Management experts say that 85% of business success depends on relationships! That means good relationships with your employees are just as important if not more important than good relations with the customers. How do you create the right relationships? By understanding the needs of your people. Table 1.1 describes 10 beliefs or truths about people that this writer has learned are necessary to retain the best and the brightest.
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TABLE 1.1 FUNDAMENTAL
BELIEFS ABOUT PEOPLE 1. Most people want to do a good job;
and can surprise you, if given the opportunity. 2. Satisfied people are most apt to be
productive people, and most apt to do the highest quality
work. 3. Most
people want recognition, appreciation and creative freedom. 4. People work hardest for people they
like, trust and respect. 5. Most people are adaptable to change,
but react negatively to surprises. 6. People are more highly motivated by
their own needs and wants than they are
by the needs and wants of others. 7. People are more comfortable and self
directed when they know what the boundaries are,
and are allowed to exert a degree of control on the outcomes of their lives. 8. Well informed people are more apt to
lose their inhibitions, to speak up, and to provide
useful ideas and feedback. 9. The more competent people feel . . .
the more they are able to contribute. 10. People will do best what they enjoy! |
We can all relate to these beliefs because most of us can
remember our own feelings as employees.
But, do our workplaces really reflect these beliefs in every day
activities? It takes a deliberate and concerted effort on the part of
leadership to create the right conditions. There are five widely circulated
statements shown in Table 1.2 (
“a system of shared values, actions, and beliefs that develops within an organization and guides the behaviors of the people.”³
The achievement of these conditions IS A CHOICE!! Any leader who chooses to work at, and create, these conditions can do so.
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TABLE 1.2 CONDITIONS THAT MOTIVATE
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So here is the challenge - the leader must provide these
desirable conditions while insuring that the required profitability of the
business is reached. This is no small task.
It requires the creation of a company wide culture that nurtures and
consistently applies these conditions throughout the organization while assuring
that everyone understands and agrees with the bottom line objectives. According to Professor Pfeffer’s
discovery, the culture that creates the conditions in Table 1.2 will actually
increase the likelihood that bottom line performance will increase. Choose to lead - it is worth the effort!
As managers we learn that we can only manage what we
measure. Financial results are easy to measure.
But, the leader must also measure how well the desired culture is being
maintained. Anchor Resources (a company
in Jacksonville Florida founded by the writer) has developed a set of
measurements that have proven to be effective. There are three tools
recommended for use to help improve the visibility of how well leadership is
doing. The first (Form LT-
The second tool involves another survey for determining how well the specific leadership is performing. It is called the “LEADERSHIP ASSESSMENT TOOL” (Form LT-LAT). This tool was designed to more directly evaluate the required leadership characteristics which will create the environment that produces the “culture” specified above. A sample portion of this form is also shown at the end of this chapter. A high score on this assessment will indicate the leader has successfully influenced the work environment. A lower score will reveal the area where improvement may be necessary. One of the advantages of this Leadership Assessment tool is that it can be modified so that the Leader being evaluated can independently score his/her own self assessment of how well he/she thinks they have measured up. This can be quite revealing when the results are compared with the consolidated employee scores. The “truth” becomes a strong motivator!
The third leadership assessment tool is called the
“LEADERSHIP COMPETENCY PROFILE” (Form LT
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All three of these tools are available in this tool box!
It is important how these three “intervention” tools are administered to insure that the results are accurate indicators of performance. Here are a few simple but important rules when using these surveys. First, it is important that the participants are told in advance what the purpose of the survey is. They must be assured that the results are confidential and that each survey is completed anonymously because of the need for complete honesty from all participants. It is usually best to arrange the tabulation with a reliable third party (such as a CPA firm or outside consultant) so that the respondents can send their results in a stamped addressed envelope directly to the third party without fear that they have been compromised in any way. Confidentiality on surveys of this type are very important. The third party must quantify the results and report the consolidated findings back to the leader. The comments added at the last section of the survey are usually very illuminating and should be summarized by the third party in a way to protect identities.
Finally, the most important step is for the leader to provide feedback to all the participants, at a single face-to-face meeting. If at all possible, everyone should hear the results at the same time. At this meeting the leader thanks everyone for their participation and then reports the survey results. A numerical value for each item should be shared. The low scoring items, of course, represent opportunities for change to improve the “culture”. For those action items that involve a change by the leader, it is best that the specific plan and commitment by the leader be made at the meeting. For employee changes that have been identified, it is usually best to involve an employee task team to work out the corrective action, and to facilitate the implementation.
Footnotes:
1,
2, &3 - “Organizational Behavior” by Robert Kreitner & Angelo Kinicki, Irwin
McGraw Hill, 2001, 5th Edition.
cd
All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from Anchor Resources.
DIRECTIONS - Do
the following for each question:
PLACE
A CIRCLE AROUND A NUMBER TO INDICATE YOUR LEVEL OF AGREEMENT WITH THE
ITEM
AS
IT APPLIES TO YOUR ORGANIZATION AT THIS TIME.
SCALE: 1 - VERY
2 - SELDOM 3 - OCCASIONALLY 4 - OFTEN
5 - ALMOST
RARELY ALWAYS
1. Does
your work climate encourage you 1 2 3 4 5
to be fully
productive?
2. Do
you get cooperation from others
1 2 3 4 5
when needed?
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22. Are your inputs and ideas valued and 1 2 3
4
5
encouraged?
23. Is the organization moving in the 1 2 3
4
5
right direction?
24. Do you feel confident that real 1
2 3
4
5
positive changes will be implemented?
25. Would you recommend this Company to 1 2 3
4
5
others as a good place to work?
In
your opinion, what is the single most important thing we should do to improve:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
ANCHOR RESOURCES EMPLOYEE
Form LT-LAT LEADERSHIP ASSESSMENT TOOL
DIRECTIONS - Do
the following for each statement:
PLACE
A CIRCLE AROUND A NUMBER TO INDICATE YOUR ESTIMATION OF YOUR
LEADER'S
PERFORMANCE
LEVEL FOR THAT ITEM.
PLACE
A SQUARE AROUND A NUMBER TO INDICATE HOW IMPORTANT YOU THINK THAT
ITEM IS,
WITH
5 AS MOST IMPORTANT
SCALE: 1
- ALMOST 2 - SELDOM 3 - OCCASIONALLY 4 - OFTEN 5 - ALMOST
NEVER
ALWAYS
LEADER NAME
____________________________
1. Our leader is available when I have a 1 2 3 4
5
problem or need help.
2. I have a good feeling of how well I am
doing. 1 2 3 4 5
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23. Our leader frequently lets us know
how 1 2 3 4 5
well we are doing as a group.
24. Our leader helps me get the training
and 1 2 3 4 5
development I need to reach
my potential.
25. I
would recommend this organization to
1 2 3 4 5
others
as a good place to work.
The
most important thing my leader could do to make my job more satisfying is:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
LEADERTOOLS
– Form LT-
DIRECTIONS:
For each item below, shade in one of the three faces that you feel best
describes the person’s achievement level:
SYMBOL:
L K J
GRADE: FAIL PASS HONORS
POINTS: 0 2 4 Names of
Participants
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. Is 100% committed. LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ
2. Inspires others to do
their best. LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ
3. Is trustworthy and
honest. LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ
4. Makes quality and timely
decisions. LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ
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26. Will readily admit
mistakes. LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ
27. Is a person others will
follow. LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ LKJ