Key Leadership perspectives/ philosophy
When I reflect on my 40 years of developing others, I have arrived at a set of perspectives which have to be integrated within an executive. Integration is the process of reflecting on, struggling with what you know, how the new information changes your beliefs or not and what will you make your own. Your leadership point of view is an ever-growing set of beliefs that have stood the test of practical application as a leader. Leadership from the Inside Out involves clarifying our internal, purpose, vision, leadership point of view, values, and what we believe about people. Thereafter our lives are dedicated to a more conscious, intentional manner of living and leading. To know ourselves; what makes us tick, our inner mastery directs our attention. Energy flows where attention goes. This inner mastery directs our intentions and aspirations into a purposeful focus where increased effectiveness is a natural result. As we move to a more fulfilled manner of living and leading, a focus on purpose replaces our single-minded focus on external success. All power comes from within. As Steven Covey said first things are completed first within our inner mastery than they are manifest external to ourselves. Therefore, I have concluded that in leadership development is what you think the world is.
I am suggesting you form an opinion about some of the following key perspectives:
First, understand what the difference is between leadership and management. You lead people and manage things. Leadership and management are the front and back wheel of a bicycle. The front wheel is leadership, and the back wheel is management. The front is the direction (strategy, shared meaning, shared valves), the back wheel follows but provides power. A bike can only be a bike with two wheels. (leadership & management) The pedals, and chain provide the personal drive to the cycle. Personal drive competencies are understanding the business, relishes the leadership role, composure, compassion, integrity, ethics, listening, patience, continuous learner, perseverant, resilient. If you are an executive, you need to be a good leader and manager.
Second, what is your definition of leadership. What is leadership? It’s an influence process—any time you are trying to influence the thinking, behavior, or development of another, you are engaging in leadership. Blanchard, Ken. Servant Leader (p. 10). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. Our public leadership behavior and habits as experienced by others will determine how they follow. When the Heart, Head, Hands, and Habits are aligned, extraordinary levels of loyalty, trust, and productivity will result. When they are out of alignment, frustration, mistrust, and diminished long-term productivity are the result.
The Bass Handbook of Leadership, Theory, Research and Managerial Applications Fourth Edition, Bernard Bass and Ruth Bass, To summarize, the search for the one and only proper and true definition of leadership seems to be fruitless. Rather, the choice of an appropriate definition should depend on the methodological and substantive aspects but if an extensive examination of the impact of the authority of leadership is the focus of attention, then it would seem more important to define leadership in terms of perceived influence, control, and power relations. Nonetheless, 84 social scientists from 56 countries meeting in Calgary, Canada, in 1994 for the Globe Project (House, Hanges, Javidan, et al., 2004), despite their linguistic and cultural diversity, could agree on a combination of elements regarded as universal and elements more specific to cultures. They concluded that leadership was the ability to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute to the effectiveness and success of the organizations of which they are members.
Third, leadership is Going Inside. Leadership is first a matter of the heart. Whenever we have an opportunity or responsibility to influence the thinking, behavior, or development of others, the first choice we are called to make is whether to see the moment through the eyes of self-interest or for the benefit of those we are leading. I have used the metaphor of Big K (care). Big K is leading for the benefit of those we are leading. Blanchard, Ken. Servant Leader (p. 15). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
Fourth leadership a simple definition: I have adapted Peter Drucker’s definition - leadership is getting work done through and with other people.
Fifth, you will need to reexamine what is your leadership style. How do you engage others to get work done? Leadership requires you to adapt your style to influence others. You can be autocratic, democratic, transactional, transformational and I don’t care.
Sixth, some key perspectives to research and reflect on:
Tannebaum- Schmidit Leadership Continuum , when do you tell, sell, consult, or join? How much do you tell, sell, consult, or join?
Situational Leadership by Blanchard- Hershey, before you delegate to another what do you assess is their will and skill levels. How would you lead a high will and high skill associate? How would you lead a low skill, low will associate?
Maslow Hierarchy of needs, Abraham Maslow (1908–70) is one of the most well-known psychologists of the 20th century, and his theory of human motivation, first published in a paper towards the end of the Second World War (Maslow, 1943), remains one of the most popular theories explaining human behavior. In a nutshell, Maslow argued that people have a variety of needs and that their behavior at work, or elsewhere, is directed towards getting these needs met. His initial model set out five classes of human need: Physiological: to have the food, drink, and sex you require. He described these as the most basic and biological needs. 2 Safety: to be in an environment that is safe physically and psychologically. 3 Social: to have a sense of relationship with people as individuals and groups. 4 Esteem: to believe yourself to be successful and worthwhile in your own eyes and the eyes of others. 5 Self-actualization: to desire to become all that you are capable of becoming. Maslow (1954) proposed that the needs are activated in a hierarchical manner. So once basic physiological needs are satisfied, people will aim to meet their safety needs and so on up the list. He defined the first three needs on the list as ‘deficiency needs’ which, if not met, will prevent the person from becoming a healthy person. The top two, esteem and self-actualization (a term he coined, and which has now become part of everyday language), are ‘growth needs’ which help people develop their full potential as humans. Maslow suggested that the hierarchy is open-ended, so once we reach the top, we become aware of even more potential in us to grow than we at first appreciated. This spurs us on to seek more opportunities to develop. In later work Maslow (Maslow, Frager and Fadiman, 1970) expanded the notion of self-actualization to include personal growth needs, the appreciation of beauty, and self-transcendence (to find something beyond oneself and to commit to helping others grow).
Motivation: Once an executive your prime function is how do you motivate others? The idea here is how do you capture discretionary behavior of others? Discretionary effort is defined as that level of effort people could give if they wanted to but is beyond what is required. In other words, because discretionary effort is above and beyond what is expected, demanded, paid for, and planned for, there would be no punishment to the performers if they didn’t do it. Discretionary effort is what is possible. “ Note: capturing discretionary behavior on behalf of the company is a true competitive advantage.
Why Motivating People does not Work or And What Does, Susan Fowler. People are always motivated. The question is not if a person is motivated but why. The motivation dilemma is that leaders are being held accountable to do something they cannot do—motivate others. The workplace either facilitates, fosters, and enables our flourishing or it disrupts, thwarts, and impedes it. Motivation is internally generated from the inside out when an employee feels they have choices, the source of actions proceeds from ( inside out), people care, and people are contributing to something greater than themselves. A noble mission. Peak performers are goal driven. Peak performers are values based and inspired by a noble purpose.
Seventh, Character- we have seen a broad shift from a culture of humility to the culture of what you might call the Big Me, from a culture that encouraged people to think humbly of themselves to a culture that encouraged people to see themselves as the center of the universe.
Eighth, Values: Values is where I start with Leadership Development. : In coaching, values help determine the “rightness” of choices. They also illuminate unfortunate choices. A values conversation can be very useful at any decision point. As clients choose various action steps, their values become a litmus test for action: Will this action move you closer to living your values or further away? If you make this decision, what values will be present? When the client is considering an important life decision, ask how this course of action will honor the top ten values and to what extent. A decision based on the client’s top values will always be a more fulfilling decision. It may not be the easiest or the most enjoyable. It may require sacrifice and even have uncomfortable consequences. But on balance, over time, it will be the most fulfilling. Kimsey-House, Henry; Kimsey-House, Karen; Sandahl, Phillip; Whitworth, Laura. Co-Active Coaching: Changing Business, Transforming Lives . Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Kindle Edition.
I call them your governing values. Valves are not principles or moral codes. Values identified is a start but more importantly it is about the quality of life created by living the values that are so important to the client. Values are what is essential to you. Values help you take stands, to make choices based on what you define as fulfilling- living fully alive. Once values are identified by knowing what you honor, dishonor and what values are in competition with each other you make better decision you value. Some good questions to answer: what brings your life your greatest joy and deepest satisfaction? Where are your values showing up? What values are you neglecting? Which values do you not compromise? Once values have been identified ask them to prioritize the values. If you could take only 10 values with you to a strange and dangerous place which one, would they be? Which values must you absolutely have with you? The nest step asks them to rank them 1-10 with 10 being- living the value fully in my life and 1 not living the value in life. When you review your values, and scores are in the 4-5-6 areas answer what that’s score about? What would it take to live that value? “What would it take to live that value in those circumstances?” “What is the price you pay for not honoring that value?” “What’s stopping you?”
Nine qualities of character: Jeff Iorg. The Character of Leadership: Nine Qualities that Define Great Leaders (p. 24). Kindle Edition. 1. Practice integrity, the word integrity comes from the Latin word integritas-the root word for integer. The root word means "whole, complete, or undivided." A person of integrity is a whole, complete, undivided person-not segmented or fractionalized. No double-dealing, no double standards, and no double meanings! A person is whole, complete, undivided in words and actions and standards. This changes the focus from simply behaving properly in any single area to behaving consistently in all areas all the time. That is a tougher challenge! You have integrity when you are the same in every place, in every circumstance, with every group of people. Dictionary definitions of integrity, like Webster's for example, support this same idea. Integrity is the "quality or state of being complete or undivided. 2. Know yourself, who are you and why are you becoming a leader! 3. Seek a pure heart. In our upbringings we suffer wounding / hurts. Our development requires us to come to terms with hurts by learning forgiveness and unconditionally love towards ourselves. Seek not nor live with wounding that do not make us in the image of Gods son. 4. Learn humility; being humble by standing in this perspective always expands your world. Your circumstances expanded allow you to become the leader you are asked to become.
Ninth, values followers admire and follow: Followership is personal. If you ask, please go this direction and the answer is it depends. It depends on whether they trust the leader asking. How do people trust another person? First, they believe the leader cares about them. They believe the leader has their best interest in their heart. They have experience that the leader will do what he says. The leader practices the core 6 values. They are honest, inspiring, competent, supportive, dependable, forward thinking. People do not follow willingly a position. In fact, the biggest surprise of executives is always overestimating their truth/ trust they have with the workforce. Followership is simply- is this worth it and will it be good for me? If not, why bother?
Core values of admired leaders- Truth about Leadership, Kouzes ,Posner, when followers admire their leaders the leaders’ values as described by followers as honest, forward looking, inspiring, competent, supportive, dependable, fair minded, and straightforward.
These values are universal in any country of work. The core four values which are part of my coaching others: honesty, demonstrating integrity, forward thinking ( strategic thinking- driving visioning-mission), inspiring.
Tenth, The inner game: The Inner Game Galloway: Neale, Stephen; Spencer-Arnell, Lisa; Wilson, Liz. Emotional Intelligence Coaching: Improving Performance for Leaders, Coaches, and the Individual. Kogan Page. Kindle Edition.
A person who is willing to be themselves while staying within the limits of the coaching conversation – who can make the coached feel safe (free of fear of judgement) while at the same time challenged to rise to the occasion. A person who can listen to the different levels of communication, who can stay clear about the goal, who can trust the inherent competencies in the person being coached. Integrity. Care. Passion for excellence. A willingness to not look for credit from solutions or progress.
In his series of ‘Inner Game’ books, Timothy Gallwey explains performance in a simple equation: P = p – I (Performance = potential – interferences) What Gallwey is saying is that each of us has the potential to improve our performance, but what stops us are individual interferences. In Emotional Intelligence terms, the interferences we all possess are essentially negative attitudes, beliefs and habits that prevent us from performing as well as we could.
Exercise: Take a moment to think about and make a list of your negative attitudes (interferences) in relation to various work tasks. For example, do you have any negative attitudes connected to the following? Giving a presentation. Attending a team meeting. Writing a report. Your annual performance reviews. A change effort at work. Conflict with another individual, Goal setting. Time Management. The ‘difficult’ colleague you must work with.
How could these attitudes be impacting on your behavior? How would your performance improve if you had the opposite, positive attitude?
To be continued…….