What Makes a "Real" Leader Today?

There's an entire industry built around Leadership. Graduate programs, consulting businesses, workshops, seminars, books, DVD's...I sometimes wonder if it hasn't become a cult in search of an idealized organizational savior. If that's the case for some, then the search will continue indefinitely but the conversation will be wonderfully angst-filled. 

"Most people who want to get ahead do it backward. They think, 'I'll get a bigger job, then I'll learn how to be a leader.' But showing leadership skill is how you get the bigger job in the first place. Leadership isn't a position, it's a process." --John C. Maxwell

 

Let's Begin Here

For those seeking a realistic and practical approach to building leadership abilities, maybe we need to start by asking:

1. What do we really expect? This is based upon each organization's strategies, value system, and the ability to bring in "the right person at the right time for the right leadership role."

2. Are we willing to invest the time, money, and energy to build mature leadership capability by purposefully putting people in positions of leadership? Are we committed to making an investment in a process?

3. If "yes," how will we do that?

4. If "no," then are we willing to change our expectations and live with the results?

 

If it's about speed, then there may be a new definition of leadership maturity

 The business climate now is about speed, quarterly results, and constant change. 

It is almost impossible to develop people's abilities for the long run in the context of a single organization's culture and needs. When there was commitment to-- and from--employees, you could track, train, develop, and promote with longevity in mind. Companies had a sense of confidence about an individual's real capabilities because people had been tested and observed in different situations over a long period of time. You could assess, first hand, both skill and maturity under pressure.

Perhaps many organizations aren't developing for the "long run" but instead, for a specific shorter-term window.

Leadership and the "Project Culture"

With so much job changing due to corporate change, downsizing, and personal goals, the notion of a traditional "career" is all but dead in most industries. Maybe we should get real and start to look at work life as a series of projects. If so, then perhaps we're looking to develop leaders whose strengths include the ability to move in and out of new relationships and situations as well as adept at gaining trust and unifying people under those conditions.

One thing I am sure of: You can't microwave leaders and expect a 5-Star Experience

Leaders can be developed. It seems to me that if we're genuinely concerned with leader development, it may be time to examine the validity of both our assumptions and expectations. 

 

Comments

[Martin_proulx]

Steve,

Sounds like you are expecting the organization to develop the leadership ability of its people. What if we looked at this situation the other way around and asked ourselves "how do we help people develop their leadership"? Part of the development path would need to include adaptability to various culture.

What do you think?

[Steve Roesler]

Hello, Martin

I always find it fascinating when someone flips a question, causing one to view the issue from a different angle.

That, in fact, is the question I would ask of any client and the one that I believe allows an organization to think more broadly about the possibilities. Certainly cultural adaptability would hopefully emerge in most organizations, as well as the question, "What kind of culture do we want to be intentional about building and reinforcing?"

Thanks for weighing in, Martin.

[Aohanian]

Steve you’re dead right about the death of the career. And the need to develop leaders by projects and fostering their skills and abilities.

[Diana Guess]

What makes a good leader is responsibility, integrity, self-confidence, communication, listening and of course capacity of taking the right decisions.
Also, at a leadership training program held by http://www.robinsonleadership.com, I've found out that leading by example... it's an important skill.

[Kyle Dover]

Steve,

I like your questions a lot, but I would like to add one more to the mix.

Can we stop thinking about leadership in terms of certain positions, and starting talking about how to get leadership from all positions?

For me, leadership isn't linked to "getting (or having) the bigger job." So much important leadership needs to occur when the "leaders" aren't around, and I want to talk more about how to develop people to lead in these situations.

Our group recently started a new blog entitled Anyone Can Lead (http://www.teleosconsulting.com/category/anyone-can-lead/), which is devoted to the idea that sustainable success is more likely when everyone in an organization helps lead.

Our groups defines leadership as influencing others in the service of some shared purpose. For me, most leadership isn't about the BIG decisions that come from the BIG roles. Most leadership is what happens AFTER the big decisions occur - building commitment to action, clarifying expectations, reinforcing effective performance, surfacing and resolving relevant conflicts that block performance, and talking about off-track performance using a style that promotes learning and improved performance.

I have always believed that it's possible to teach these simple skills to virtually everyone in an organization. And, with these skills, you can improve performance and personal satisfaction, increase the speed of work, and be much more flexible to changing conditions and demands - in other words, you can be more valuable to yourself and the organization.

I am visiting many sites, looking for people interested in exploring this topic. I look forward to the chance to read more of your ideas and discuss some different approaches.

Best,
K

[Sarah187]

Thanks for sharing your great Article!