 |
Five critical, simple concepts that apply to leadership in all situations and all industries.
July 2008
Volume VI, Issue 4
YOUR GUIDE TO SECURING THE POWER OF PERSUASION
COACHING SERVICES TO IMPROVE PUBLIC SPEAKING, PRESENTATION & COMMUNICATION SKILLS
 Top
of Page
The centerpiece of
The Latimer Group's
value to clients is
our Move the
World
System,
which
is detailed in
Dean M. Brenner’s
book, available
online and in
stores.
Visit MoveTheWorld.com
to learn
more.
Top of Page
Top of Page
|
|
|
What Great Leaders Do
“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”
- Winston Churchill |
|
|
Airports are one of the great double-edged swords of my professional life. On one hand,
my presence in an airport means I am about to be, or have been, away from home. I hate
that. But on the other hand, a little time in a busy airport provides a clear view of what
today’s business professional is reading and is interested in, and can provide valuable
insights for my work with The Latimer Group.
Airport bookstores are big business and have become the place to showcase book
titles. These stores respond quickly to market demand, and they adjust what is on their
shelves almost daily. If a title is not moving, it is quickly replaced. These stores are
a true indication of business market demand.
I had a long layover in an airport last week, so I sought some insight and inspiration
from the shelves of a bookstore in my terminal. Now, it’s no mystery to anyone reading this that “leadership” is
big business in the United States. It is a billion-dollar industry in our country, and that reality is
illustrated by the proliferation of books on the subject. In little more than one hour, I flipped through
no less than 21 books on leadership, with more still to examine when it came time to board my flight.
There seems to be an endless supply of “experts” on the topic of leadership, all competing
for your attention… all hoping you will read about their 21 rules or 7 laws… all explaining
what happened to your cheese or your carrot or a variety of other metaphorical foodstuff. I won’t
say I was overwhelmed with the amount of information because most of the concepts are relatively
straightforward. But I will submit that this is a crowded space, and a topic in desperate need of clarity
and simplicity.
After I boarded my plane and settled in for a long flight, I asked myself how I would summarize
and simplify the concept of great leadership. I challenged myself to be prepared to give
a speech on great leadership the moment I stepped off the plane and to have something valuable,
clear, powerful and simple to
say on the topic.
I had a long, 15-hour flight ahead of me, and I knew that all of us onboard would be pretty
eager to get moving towards our respective destinations once we landed. In other words,
I didn’t actually
think anyone would be interested in listening to the speech I was writing, but it was a fun and valuable
process nonetheless.
Here’s how The Latimer Group would simplify the crowded leadership space.
There are many characteristics of a great leader, and some depend on the specifics of the
leader’s
organization – where it is in its life cycle, which industry it’s in, and its size. But regardless
of these factors, here are five critical, simple concepts that apply to leadership in all situations
and all industries:
|
1. |
Set a clear direction for the organization. Success is a challenge for every organization
in every industry, and it always starts with clear direction and goals. A lack of direction
has many negative implications. If your organization does not understand where it is
going, it will soon be following multiple (and at times divergent) paths. Efforts and
initiatives will be unknowingly duplicated or, worse, counterproductive. Resources
will be wasted. The list of negatives gets pretty long, pretty quick.
Clear direction is job number one for the aspiring leader. Direction will provide structure
and a raison d’être for the organization. The great leader points the way.
The great leader creates common goals around which the organization can evaluate success.
This requirement applies not just to the small group at the top of the organizational chart. It applies
to everyone who has people answering to them in any form.
|
| |
2. |
Communicate what the direction is. Setting the direction isn’t enough. A clear
direction only matters to the extent that the people in the organization understand
two things: first, what the direction is; and second, how they will contribute to the
overall achievement of getting there. This is where the demands on the leader require
great communication skills.
Once the direction and goals have been set, the great leader then communicates clearly
with everyone else in the organization. The great leader explains where the organization
is going, and then (and perhaps more importantly) explains how people will contribute to
the ultimate success. At our core, human beings want to belong and feel like we are part
of something. This is why we join clubs, teams and yes, even gangs. People want to feel
connected to an outcome. The great leader creates that connection.
|
| |
3. |
Share credit and empower. Too many leaders treat their leadership role as a vanity
exercise and make it all about themselves. But the best leaders understand that sitting
at the top of the organizational chart means that if the job gets done well, credit
will come naturally. In other words, the best leaders don’t pursue credit for
themselves. Instead, the best leaders share credit with others. They make individuals
throughout the organization feel good about themselves and feel a sense of accomplishment.
The best leaders share credit where it is due, and they share it broadly and generously.
Sharing credit empowers. Sharing credit energizes.
|
| |
4. |
Focus attention on what’s necessary, controllable and achievable… and
ignore the rest. Individuals throughout every organization look to the top of the organizational
chart for cues on how to act and conduct themselves. The best leaders understand this
and model certain critically important behaviors. When I list the behaviors that I
believe should be modeled by the business leader, I always come back to the notion
of being “task oriented.”
Task orientation in its simplest form means focusing and expending energy on the things
we can control while ignoring the things that are beyond the scope of our influence.
This is not to say that the ability to think strategically and see the big picture
isn’t important. Rather, it’s about recognizing the simple fact that there
are many things in business that are controllable… and many more things that
are beyond control. When we spend energy on the things that are beyond our control,
we are wasting energy. When we focus our efforts on the things we can control, we are
far more likely to achieve our goals. The best leaders model this critical behavior.
|
| |
5. |
Create ownership and then stay out of the way. There is nothing that destroys organizational
motivation more than micromanagement. Human beings want to have a say in their own
destiny. They want to own their success. The best leaders understand that ownership
makes people care. No one washes a rental car. No one paints a rented house. The best
leaders know this and spend time designing structures so that the people in their organization
own a piece of the overall effort. And when the leader micromanages the people around
him or her, they prevent people from owning the outcome. There is a significant difference
between managing and micromanaging. The best leaders understand this difference clearly. |
These five concepts form the basis of The Latimer Group’s simple definition of great
leadership. In sharing them with you, my point is not to add to the white noise on this
topic. Rather, I hope to reduce the white noise and simplify it. While I have no illusions
that I will ever quench the thirst for so many opinions on the topic of leadership, a little
clarity and simplicity in a crowded space is always valuable.
Dean M. Brenner
President |
Marni H. Lane
Media Specialist |
|
© 2008 The Latimer Group. All Rights Reserved.
Dean M. Brenner -
The Latimer Group: 203.265.4344.
Feedback or comments: dmbrenner@thelatimergroup.com.
Unsubscribe to e-newsletters and correspondence.
|
