November 2007

Leadership
Where have all the leaders gone?

Glancing over the headlines of the past decade, it is easy to see ample evidence that a void in leadership exists within all areas of society. Many so-called “leaders” have put on shameless displays of personal excess and disregard for the roles and responsibilities expected of them by taxpayers, stockholders and employees.

In today’s world, the definition of leadership has appeared to lose its intended purpose and meaning. It is most often referred to as “practices of management.” While both leadership and management do have their proper place within organizations, they are not intended to be synonymous with each other. While leaders are often managers, not all managers are leaders. The question that needs to be addressed is: Can individuals be transformed into exceptional leaders, or are these qualities innate?

Undoubtedly, there are individuals with the personalities and charisma to be natural born leaders. However, within most organizations, leaders are created and nurtured through a host of development programs. Yet it is important to keep in mind that there are some inherent leadership traits that cannot be instilled through typical training methods and procedures. Without identifying and tapping into individuals that tend to possess these inherent leadership traits, organizations can expect a failure in leadership.

The most visible failures in leadership have been those that deal with issues of integrity. Insider trading, unethical behavior, raiding corporate profits for personal gain, all point to a lack of personal integrity. The consequences of this go beyond typical individual parameters of responsibility, as in organizations, this failure impacts employees, customers and shareholders to a substantial degree.

Unfortunately it is difficult, if not impossible, to teach individuals to be honest, have personal integrity, and act ethically in their dealings and actions. They either have the desire to be fair and honest or they do not. But, if individuals lack a sense of integrity, they are not leaders.

Many corporate cultures communicate mixed messages regarding ethics and integrity as managers and leaders are pressured to “produce results at any cost.” Shrewd managers who meet or exceed corporate expectations, regardless of how they are achieved, are typically praised and promoted. Those who have reservations about questionable actions and activities are quietly brushed aside or pushed out of the organization.

Leadership must be anchored in integrity if it is to produce effective and consistent results. Without personal integrity, individuals will find it difficult to stand up for their beliefs and weather the many storms that come their way because of them. Without integrity, there is no sense of right or wrong to provide an ethical compass to guide the individuals.

Some managers might question the necessity of integrity in corporate leadership, but it is this attitude that spawned the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 regarding corporate governance. Quite simply, the laxity in corporate leadership and integrity resulted in the necessity to instill government intervention.

There are three elements that constitute personal integrity and all leaders, as well as potential leaders, must work to develop and master each of them:

Self-knowledge
Understanding one’s self is a difficult task to achieve. Leaders never lie to themselves because it destroys their chances and opportunities to lead others successfully. Setting a good example takes courage and confidence. It requires individuals to admit to specific flaws in their personalities, skills and characters. Self-knowledge assists in understanding personal strengths as well as shortcomings. Leaders need to be able to draw upon their personal strengths and skills to the fullest while continually working to minimize weaknesses. They need to have the wisdom to draw competent, trustworthy individuals into their world to fill the gaps and voids their own personal weaknesses tend to create. Without self-knowledge this becomes an impossible task.

Examining thoughts and actions
Integrity is based upon honestly examining and evaluating one’s thoughts and actions. Leaders, by their example, continually display a steadfast devotion to principles and values. They never attempt to trim these in order to please others. Proven leaders believe that the way to become self-defeating is to compromise their conscience to fit another’s expectations and desires. They chose to maintain proper and appropriate actions, thoughts and responses even if it means relinquishing personal gain, praise and acceptance.

Maturity
Leaders understand that setting an untarnished example is not accomplished simply through issuing orders. Their power is derived through past experiences of failure and success and from following examples of great leaders. Because of the wisdom gained, they allow others to make errors in judgment and grow from them. Their own display of maturity forges the way for others to become confident, observant, dedicated and capable of working with and learning from their own experiences as well as from the input other people provide.

Curiosity

Leaders possess an insatiable appetite for finding out what is behind every unopened door, as it holds unknown opportunity. Their desire to learn and experiment continuously sets an example for others they wish to motivate and change in a positive way. For leaders setting an untarnished example for curiosity includes:

Being daring
Leaders openly suggest ways to build a desire for learning and creativity. They find ways to forge ahead into new avenues of thought, actions and possibilities. This takes everyone out of the traditional mindset to observe things from different perspectives and to explore various alternatives to challenging problems. It is a necessary process for replacing old ways of doing things that are ineffective or outmoded by today’s organizational needs and standards. For leaders, the term “daring” implies accepting challenges head-on without holding back or focusing on negative consequences. 

Risk taking
Leaders openly demonstrate the importance of taking risks. Risk taking allows individuals to experiment and try new approaches without any attached limitations. Leaders emphasize that risk taking builds character and instills a desire to persist. It allows them, and everyone under their charge, to overcome obstacles that most others find extremely difficult to surmount. For leaders, mistakes are to be embraced and used as reference points for growth. Limiting one’s risk taking does little else other than to hinder personal achievement.

Embracing failure and the errors that cause it
To set an untarnished example, leaders acknowledge and stress the importance of failure. It is one necessary element in moving forward toward positive achievement. Past experiences of failure and the reasons behind them become the cornerstone of success. Effective leaders embrace failure and do not exhibit procrastination or fear because of its consequences. They understand that persisting in the face of failure reinforces their commitments, confidence and self-trust.

Perspective

Leader’s perspectives tend to be closely aligned with their personal sense of integrity. Together they act as an internal compass that gives them insight into the directions they need to take and the various pitfalls and obstacles they need to avoid.

Many managers are tactically minded and tend to focus on the immediate issues in front of them, but leaders have a strong strategic mindset. They can inherently see the “big picture” and the implications surrounding it.

Bearing

Leaders possess an inherent bearing. This is best described as an attitude of confidence and determination. It tends to be buttressed through their beliefs, integrity and internal perspectives. While self-confidence can be easily instilled in most individuals, leaders possess a bearing of quiet confidence that works to inspire and motivate all those who are around them.

Leaders know who they are, where they want to go, and how they are going to get there. Even if their decisions are not popular, leaders stand up for what they believe in. There is no indecision or waffling surrounding personal courses of action. They possess an inward sense of doing what they feel is “right,” regardless if opposition exists or not.

Leaders possess passion because they fully understand themselves and believe strongly in what they stand for. They know who they are, what they want to do, exactly where they want to go and why. Their passion is structured on three elements:

Direction and purpose
Passion is based upon the understanding of a selected course of direction and purpose. Leaders feel that an example is set by addressing, discussing and emphasizing their visions, goals and selected courses of direction as often as possible. In the process they are able to influence others and keep themselves on target.

Attaining desires, hopes and dreams
Leaders demonstrate their passion through desires, hopes and the ability to dream. They know without hopes and dreams, no future gain is possible. For leaders, a sense of personal passion is useless unless they can pass it along to give hope and inspiration to everyone under their charge.

Embracing a love for their profession
Leaders demonstrate a sense of passion by openly displaying a love for their profession and embracing the promises of what the future holds. They combine the promises of life with a love of work. They consistently send a clear message to others each day of what the world of work offers for those who choose to pursue it. For leaders, work and goals are the way to achieve one’s dreams.