Any HERO out there?

  

Since time immemorial we have witnessed great leaders who undertake mammoth tasks at the helm of their careers. The trend for human evolution to the present era lies closely to leadership sought after for the survival of a group. The best-led group gets the most benefits and prevails whilst the worst-led group is likely to be eliminated.  Thus, the leader plays a vital role in steering the direction for the mass.

In the modern contemporary societies, capable leaders are seen holding corporate and political positions well-motivated with monetary benefits and showered with endless attention because they are so blessed to be the only few gems in a population of millions!

MIDDLE MANAGEMENT

The connecting link in the corporate hierarchy is the middle management comprising 50-60% of managers directly supervising about 80% or more of employees and majority of clients.  Sad to say, majority of them are not acting in their supervisory roles but merely performing as instruction bearers following the top directives.

What top management usually does not realise is that people skills at this level can contribute to 80% of a leader’s career success, whilst technical skills account for about 20%.  Failing to develop the right leadership skills can be disastrous, making strategic change and alignment difficult all through the business, and adversely affects the overall performance.

What can essentially go wrong is that most first-line leaders are promoted based on work performance only.  Hence, they have trouble in changing mindset required to be a leader. As they are technically sound, their work continue to be more of an ‘individual contributor’ nature rather than people-leadership focused.  As a result, most expend too much effort and time on low-value activities. Do not expect any coaching on their staff as they may not know when and how to do it.

The missing links for successful first-line management development:

+  Think like a leader
+  Engage people
+  Coach a team
+  Get results through others


TOP MANAGEMENT

Data shows that the personality of the CEO counts for somewhere between 14-17% of the variance in a firm’s performance.  Again, research shows not all bosses can lead.  The hypothesis that leadership is an ART not a SCIENCE seems to be accurate. Hence, talent for leadership seems an inborn characteristic that is hard to be replicated. Those who are gifted with the essential qualities pick up such skills readily while those who are less inclined have to put in more conscious efforts.

As an extension to how middle managers are elevated, close observation in many organisations showed people are rarely promoted to senior positions based on their talent for leadership.  Rather, the high designations are often based on internal policies which favor promotion by default.

As most people are born followers, having someone in the group to lead the pack is vital for co-existence.  Real leaders are independent people who know who they are, what they believe in and think for themselves. Expectations for him or her revolve around some distinctive traits:

+  INTEGRITY –  Great business leadership is characterized by honesty, truthfulness and straight dealing with every person, under all circumstances. To them, integrity should never be compromised and an utmost willingness to devote resources to the group and not for his own purposes.

+  JUDGEMENT – In an imperfect world, there is no such thing as good judgment.  The basis of good judgment in business is at best 50% or half of all decisions made are wrong.  Most importantly, good judgment is being willing to repair bad judgment.

+  COMPETENCE - Leaders are committed to excellent performance of the business task and to take opportunities present in the environment his organisation is operating in to seek continuous improvement. People at all levels are also engaged to continually innovate, improve and embrace change which may require thinking “out of the box”.

+  VISION – With an intense desire to perform, a true leader is able to explain and justify his actions for any worthwhile goal. To do that, he or she needs the ability to predict and anticipate the future (pro-act). However, in the face of setbacks, disappointments and temporary failures experienced, he acts courageously and radiates the confidence that all difficulties can be overcome and all goals are attainable (re-act).

+  EMOTIONAL MATURITY - Leaders are calm, cool and controlled in the face of problems, difficulties and adversity. At the same time, they are sensitive people with empathy, feelings and motivations towards their people.

Summary

Differentiating leadership and management is necessary. A manager only manages things or project. An effective leader is capable of inspiring people to soaring performances because no one wants to be a disappointment.  Studies have revealed that employees do not leave a job for money alone (pull factor).  More often, people tend to leave when they feel unappreciated or not making an impact (push factor).

The prime responsibility of a top leader is to orchestrate the entire process with sound planning and a lot of hard work, delivered consistently from across the entire organisation. To create this impact everyone must be able to understand, accept and reflect the true values that define the corporate culture and drive people to be committed in going the extra mile to achieve higher individual success so as to help in achieving ultimate corporate success in the fastest way.

Anyone keen to take up the challenge?