Breakfast with the Parents - a Lesson in Leadership?
By Sharon Hall
Who would imagine that my first lessons of leadership would emerge at the age of 10, while seated at the family table discussing the virtues of extended curfew? It was during our weekly Sunday meetings that my father would lead the discussion between my mother, my siblings and me as we all managed the family "affairs." As my father led the dialogue and invited us to negotiate curfew, allowance, and any number of issues that were important to us, I witnessed an ongoing and living example of leadership. I watched my father develop a point of view, communicate it clearly, and install actions to fulfill his vision. These dynamics taught me that leadership is a relatively fundamental premise based on a paradigm that pervades many frameworks; it's about thought, word and deed.
Along my professional journey, this simple formula has proven to be true. Leaders who missed the mark often missed on one of those three factors - not establishing a vision (thought), or not communicating it with clarity/impact (word), or not offering the appropriate actions/behaviors to lead others effectively (deed). Some "led" by command and control, others begged and pleaded, and still others tried to lead from behind closed doors. Some were caught up in the title and prestige of their roles. Of course, these approaches did not engender happy and motivated teams. Worse, these leadership postures inhibited the teams' abilities to maximize performance.
The leaders that I watched who truly inspired their teams, who led their teams to sustained success, who were carried to higher heights by their teams, employed a different approach. They:
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Created a clear vision;
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Communicated that vision effectively, consistently, and frequently; and,
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Provided constant "visible signals" to bring that vision to life.
Essentially, these successful leaders effectively leveraged thought, word, and deed. Perhaps we do learn all we need to know in kindergarten!
Clarity of Vision
The concept of leading suggests that one is leading people "to something." Those who follow need to understand the end state, the ultimate goal, what the destination looks like, feels like, and why we want to go there. I've learned that one cannot lead people to that which they do not understand, or do not believe in, or cannot visualize themselves. Thus, a leader has to provide clarity of vision and be the primary owner and communicator of it.
Add dimension to it. Develop examples of it conceptually. Point to live examples if any are available. Develop jargon that will be associated with the vision. Simply remember, by definition, a vision must be seen clearly.
Consistent and Frequent Messages
When leaders successfully deliver core messages, they connect all the dots. The messages tend to be simple, pervasive; and most importantly, they are delivered with clarity. My observation is that it is far more effective to have clarity in message than it is to have brilliance. I believe that this dynamic is behind the anomaly that some of our most famous and effective leaders were not always the most intellectual. They kept concepts basic enough so that their vision could be communicated easily and clearly.
Consistency is also essential; the message/vision needs to be the same over time so that the team can add dimension to it, and live it. Thus, great leaders are consistently referencing their vision when they are speaking, presenting, writing, or having casual chats around the water cooler.
At Spencer Stuart, the leadership consistently references Quality. We don't project revenue growth often, we don't ask about the number of searches teams are working on, and we don't launch programs that drive growth. I would characterize 90% of our internal communication as being about Quality:
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What are you doing to improve Quality?
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Here is a new tool/program to maintain Quality.
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Listen to this new compensation element to emphasize Quality.
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Here is what clients are saying about our Quality.
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Team, please note the metric framework for success at Spencer Stuart; it's about Quality.
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Want to be promoted? How is your Quality measuring up?
I would bet money that my own team is pretty tired of hearing about Quality. I do hope so. I take pride in that. That means the message is getting across.
Beyond consistent messaging, message frequency is also important. Annual or quarterly high level references to the vision will not do it. It is most conversations on most days with all people.
Consistency of message plus frequency of message will absolutely build upon the clarity of vision to create a powerful platform for leadership. Now that the thought and the word are in place, the visible signals add the final dimension.
Visible Signals
The adage, "don't just talk the talk; walk the walk," is still the best. Leaders are always most credible when they do what they are asking others to do. Relative to the Quality message I mentioned above, I have to maintain a high quality profile in my own work or the impact of the messages I am sending is lost on others.
One of my favorite visible signals was when Lee Iacocca, the then CEO of Chrysler, launched a series of TV ads communicating that he would reduce his salary to one dollar annually until the company was restored to vibrancy. Now rest assured, I do not have that kind of courage (nor monetary flexibility) but imagine the impact that one visible signal had on each and every employee, and the shareholders. A clear vision communicated frequently and consistently, turns into real life when leaders provide visible signals.
Maintaining a Leadership Posture
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Good leaders must always seek feedback and push hard for it. Once one is in the position of leadership, obtaining good and honest feedback can be extremely difficult given the traditional concern of backlash. Others feel inadequate and they think: if you are the leader, you are all-knowing so what feedback can I provide? (My team has no issues there!!)
The best leaders create an environment that facilitates feedback in a number of ways from several people with different perspectives. These leaders are very careful about welcoming the feedback. And most importantly, they provide visible signals (yes, again) to their constituents that they are indeed taking the feedback to heart. This takes a long time to establish, but the benefits are worth it.
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Leaders must listen actively. Leaders are required to speak so often that they can sometimes miss what others are trying to tell them. "Hear" what your constituents are telling you. Did I mention that listening requires "shutting up"? It does. Take a breath, close the mouth, listen, and hear what you are being told.
Leaders must display a posture of openness to various ideas and ways of thinking. People are far more engaged in that which they feel some ownership of. Thus, effective leaders make certain to consider the perspectives of their constituents and find ways to incorporate at least some of that input into what they say and do. It is an effective way of spreading the ownership of the vision and messages.
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Stay in touch with those who are being led by you and keep a finger on the pulse of their world(s). Leaders have to leave the executive floor and see/feel what the real world is like to those they lead. Eat in the employee cafeteria sometimes, and when you do, sit with people who otherwise have limited access to you. Conduct random calls to those who would never see you at all. I organize all sorts of silly social events for my team to ensure that I know them and that they have access to me in a comfortable setting. Just last week, I took 20 of our support team members to lunch and a movie (yes on company time); we had a blast, they had a break, and it removed the barriers (doors, meetings, travel, their bosses, et al) between them and me for at least that afternoon.
At the end of the day, one can maintain a leadership posture by simply leading through service. Once you surround yourself with highly talented people, your role should be one that removes barriers and ensures that your team has the resources needed to get the job done. As leaders, consider the vision, messaging, visible signals and ensure that the team's path is barrier free and success is likely!
Sharon Hall is a consultant at Spencer Stuart and a member of three of the firm's global practice specialties - Human Resources, Consumer Goods & Services, and the Diversity Practice, which she co-founded in 1999. Hall is also a member of the firm's worldwide Board of Directors.
