Leadership or Something Like It: by Judy Boggess

Leadershipor Something Like It
by Judy Boggess
Leadership. It's a word you see everywhere and a behavior you wish you saw
more of. I recently spoke with a retired school official about leadership, and he
offered this: "Leadership fails when people don't do what they are told."
He was confused. Failures of command are a symptom of poor leadership and
offer little in the way of improvement. By the time a "leader" shouts, "I don't
want the little people to make any decisions!" leadership has been lost, with little
hope of return. We all have such anecdotes. At the same time, we're familiar with
the sense of accomplishment that accompanies having someone we respect in
charge. What do we know about how that works? Or how we can be a part of the
covenant that cre ates both leaders and results?
Understanding
Let's begin with the covenant. A leader understands goals and has the capacity to
plan the steps needed to accomplish them. Others' efforts are necessary to
complete the individual steps; the terms of engagement begin there. Success
requires identifying the correct goal, knowing the steps including which ones to
skip and having a clear understanding of the human dimension that will
ultimately carry out those steps.
Let's consider that human aspect of the covenant more carefully. Compliance isn't
necessarily indicative of success in this realm, although it may represent
movement in the right direction. Eliciting the best performances from those who
are needed to accomplish the goal is the real reason for the co venant.
When workers put forth their best efforts, what can leaders offer in return? Good
faith, respect, commensurate rewards and a chance to do it again are the best
compensation a leader can offer and represent the backbone of success.
Image and Inspiration
Leadership also involves image and the ability to inspire. In another day's
informal survey about leadership, my 16-year-old son offered me a gem. I asked
him to give me an example of a leader. His response was quick: "MacGyver." I
was mystified. He rolled his eyes and explained that MacGyver was a TV detective
who could escape from seemingly impossible situations with boundless ingenuity
and resourcefulness. I was still mystified. Then he added, "He got the crooks and
made a mullet look good." So, by my son's definition, a leader succeeds by
getting the job done despite unpleasant circumstances and looking good
regardless of hairstyle.
Remember the Obvious
Know your customer. This pointer may seem obvious, but think back. Were there
times when you ignored or took for granted a person or organization, and it came
back to haunt you later? Leaders know and care for their core customers,
because they recognize that the impression they make on a customer today will
dictate the tone of their relationship with that customer in the future. Leaders
also know to be mindful of both paying and non-paying customers, as both are
critical to the success of plans and aspirations. In many settings, the non-paying
customer is a boss, a senior leader or an adviser. Remember that their faith in
leadership efforts and their investment in reputation value cannot be
underestimated.
What Makes a Leader? What Breaks One?
Does expertise make a leader? To answer this, let me share one of the best of the
worst examples of leadership that played out during my career of watching newly
designated executives: the "manager" who shamelessly listed her 15-year-old,
irrelevant research papers to some 300 perplexed line managers and workers
from another field of endeavor altogether. To say the least, most present were
less than impressed.
We shouldn't assume that an executive title and expertise however related or
unrelated will inspire support and best efforts. The expertise that counts most
is the ability to bring out the best in others. My favorite leader never asked for
details, never scolded and never behaved in an offhand or high-handed way. In
meetings, we reported that we were doing our best and then left with the
internal conviction that we would up the ante before the next meeting.
Free Advice Can Be Costly
Bad advice is a leadership killer. Promoting the resident empath may seem like a
good idea, but rewarding those who trade in the weaknesses of others will
ultimately cause more harm than good. Be wary, too, of those who offe r advice
out of context. Even if they offer keen insights gleaned from prior experience,
your lack of confidence will be apparent and it's likely that the advice won't be
applicable in the new context.
Here are four sure paths to being a poor leader even if "expert" or "executive"
is in your title. To stay on course, avoid:
Diverging from the mission
Persecuting the "little" people
Gouging your core customers
Resting on the laurels of non-relevance
Listen to the siren song.

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Leadershipor Something Like It

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