There’s a slightly different format to this module.
We begin with an extended video outlining the major principles associated with leading teams to high performance, including the stages that teams tend to go through and the additional considerations when leading teams with remote members.
Then, in the following topics, there are more detailed articles relating to the principles covered in the video.
Below you will find an Excel Spreadsheet to download.
It is your Leadership Dashboard, a tool to help you to apply the principles that we have covered in the recent leadership modules to your real world situation.
[If you don’t manage other people, you may still find this a useful activity. Consider some of the people that you know and imagine that you are their manager.]
This is a tool that I have used with hundreds of leaders on leadership programs and it works extremely well. You may feel that the idea of making notes in a spreadsheet about how you will interact with other human beings is a little strange. However, if you think back to the earlier modules and Atul Gawande’s Checklists, you will see that this is simply a checklist to help you take into account all relevant information in deciding how to lead.
Our core principle is:
there is no one best leadership style; the leader adapts to the needs of the individual
Before downloading the file, I would recommend watching the video below (it’s less than 2 minutes) and then reading the text immediately below.
https://vimeo.com/289122564
The video above covers the basic information that you enter about each individual you work with.
The next columns are where you will apply the leadership principles that we have considered in the most recent modules to each specific individual.
Therefore you will think about how you will be an ‘Exemplary Leader‘, how you will develop and maintain trust, how you adapt your behaviour with this individual based on their personality, competence, emotional triggers, motivation and whether they are experiencing change.
Next you will consider the Influencing Principles that we covered in earlier modules.
And finally, you will synthesise all this analysis and decide on how you will work with this person.
[Note: You may wish to password protect this file!]
There’s a slightly different format to this module.
We begin with an extended video outlining the major principles associated with leading teams to high performance, including the stages that teams tend to go through and the additional considerations when leading teams with remote members.
Then, in the following topics, there are more detailed articles relating to the principles covered in the video.
Before moving on to the next topic, a quick reminder of the content covered in the first section …
Leadership does not depend on formal authority. Whether you are a solopreneur or corporate employee, there will be opportunities to lead. You have to recognize them. As Laszlo Bock of Google said:
“GPAs are worthless as a criteria for hiring, and test scores are worthless … We found that they don’t predict anything … When faced with a problem and you’re a member of a team, do you, at the appropriate time, step in and lead?”
Leadership is challenging.
Every person is unique
Every situation is different
This means that there are no universal, cookie-cutter, answers. From time to time there may be ‘breakthrough’ books which suggest that they have discovered ‘the secret’ of leadership. But as Phil Rosenweig says:
“In spite of our desire for simple steps, the reality of management is much more uncertain than we would often like to admit.
There’s simply no formula that can guarantee success.”
We exploded, I hope, the myth of charisma. A leader should see themselves as a servant, an enabler not some hypnotic charmer. The key characteristics of an effective leader are being:
“Today authenticity is seen as the gold standard for leadership. No longer is leadership about developing charisma, emulating other leaders, looking good externally and acting in one’s self interest, as was so often the case in the late twentieth century.”
The foundation leadership behaviours, developed by Kouzes and Posner, are:
And the logical conclusion of these principles is that leadership is a partnership. This means regular open conversations about organisational and personal goals, responsibility and performance and development. The partnership agreement is mutually agreed, not imposed.
The leadership foundation is the basis for what happens day-to-day.
