A Communication-Based Model of Leadership
2019, Steven B. Zwickel
I have in mind a model of leadership that emphasizes the importance of communications. I define leadership as the ability to get people to participate in a journey from the way things are to the way they could and ought to be[1]. The essential elements of this ability are:
• Profound understanding of how things work
• Clear vision of what is possible
• Capable of devising a plan
• Desire to make transition happen
• Ability to communicate vision to others in such a way that they want to go there.
Let me expand on each of these points to explain my theory.
Profound understanding of how things work
Leadership is impossible when those in charge don’t understand how the system works. Organizations don’t exist in a vacuum, so this understanding must extend beyond the boundaries of the organization: a real leader understands both how the organization works and how it interacts with its environment. This understanding of how things get done, of how decisions are made, and of how people come to accept policies is essential. [Albert Einstein[2]]
Some of it can be learned from reading and study, but a real leader must go beyond book-knowledge to a much deeper, more intuitive understanding of the system. You can read books about how things are done—it’s only smart to understand the “official version” before you can see the unofficial one. A leader must be aware of how both official and unofficial channels work. Being “in the loop” and tuned into the grapevine are as important as reading the memos and reports that constitute the official version of events.
Real leaders learn the rules of the game and they also understand how and when those rules can be broken. [Be Leaderly]
This is where the debate over whether leaders are made or born begins. Some people, it seems, have an innate sense of how systems function. They can look at an organization and intuit how the people and institutions interact. This is part of the gift of “natural-born” leaders and it is the part that most of the rest of us have the most trouble with.
If you don’t have the intuitive gift, this aspect of leadership means doing research, studying organizational behavior, and listening to how people describe what they do and how they do it.
The mentor can guide, lead, make connections, and give advice, which is why mentoring can be crucial in the development of a leader. A good mentor can help a novice see things that are invisible to the outsider. In law enforcement, a senior officer who acts as a mentor or as someone you can go to for reliable and confidential advice is called a “rabbi.” In American English, a mentor might be called a “guru” or a “career coach.”
Two other roles a mentor can play are storehouse and clearinghouse. A mentor who has been part of an organization accumulates knowledge over the years, like a storehouse of information. Organizations that have a high turnover of personnel can lose all this knowledge and expertise, resulting in employees wasting a lot of time and energy trying to solve problems that have already been solved (or which experience has shown can’t be solved).
A clearinghouse is a place that stores and distributes information, like a well-staffed library. The term is often used to describe a person or organization you can contact to find out where you can get more information. A mentor can act like a clearinghouse, directing others to resources that can help them solve problems.
Clear vision of what is possible
From one’s understanding of the way things are, a real leader can postulate a vision of the way things can be. A real leader can extrapolate from what is to see where the organization will be unless something happens to change direction. A leader who does not have a vision—a view of what could be—is probably just greedy for power.
This is where we separate the dreamers from those who merely want power. There is a time to take action and a time to remain passive. Some overpaid corporate executives feel a need to “do something” even when there is no real reason to do anything (as though they need to be seen to act to justify their bloated paychecks!).
It is, however, foolish to re-direct the efforts of a successful organization simply for the sake of change. Evidence of this can be found in the bad decisions made by some companies in recent years to enter unsuitable markets or to introduce products for which there is no market.
Many people in leadership positions choose to “stay the course”—to keep the organization on the same track it has been on. This non-strategy is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can leave an organization far behind if management is not vigilant and attuned to changes in the environment.
Some managers yield to the temptation to let things go on as they have always been because it is easier than making changes and it minimizes the possibility of making mistakes.
Other managers make changes just to see what their subordinates can do. It’s easier for them to take a risk if they don’t have to face the consequences. Recent history is full of examples of CEOs who made illegal, unethical, egregious decisions and were able to avoid the consequences of their decisions.
Making changes is stressful for the people involved and for the organization as a whole. Some argue that change is inevitable and that workers should stop complaining. But it isn’t hard to find many cases where changes were made for no logical reason and the results were bad for business and bad for morale. Of course, organizations need to change and adapt to survive, but change for the sake of change is a sign of a lack of real leadership.
Capable of devising a plan
Having a clear idea of what can be done is worthless if you can’t figure out how to make your dream a reality. A good leader understands how to get from here to there and can plan a course of action.
There are a differences in leader’s planning styles. Some are “Big Picture” people who come up with grand strategies. They focus on long-range goals and deal with obstacles and setbacks as they come along. Other leaders are “Detail-oriented” and try to plot every move in advance and worry over small details. A leader who spends too much time focused on details is headed for trouble. The problem is micro-managing, which wastes time and keeps subordinates from getting their jobs done.
Good leaders can do both—come up with a grand vision while keeping a not-too-intrusive eye on day-to-day progress. They are focused on their goals and avoid getting sidetracked or distracted. And, they are flexible, not so tied to their original strategy that they are unwilling to adjust their course if necessary. Flexibility is not the same as selling out or giving up on one’s principles. Being able to change course gives a leader far more options and opportunities.[3]
Desire to make transition happen
Self-motivation is what propels a good leader. It can be based on personal ambition or a quest for power, but to make a dream a reality, a leader has to believe in the goal and have a burning desire to make the plan a reality. That motivation has to be strong enough to overcome any reservations the leader may have. If it is not, the leader will give up at the first sign of difficulty.
Taking on any new challenge is risky, so a good leader has to have dedication—a commitment to follow through with tenacity, even if the odds of success are not good.
This dedication, plus a belief in the plan and the goal, will generate the energy necessary to make change happen.
Which doesn’t mean leaders can’t have doubts; they can and should. But once they persuade themselves of the value of what they are doing, good leaders try not to get discouraged. They keep going in spite of adversity.
The old saying goes “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” There are times, however, when a good leader knows that any further effort is futile and that quitting makes sense. It’s a shame when a leader can’t give up on a losing plan, so they continue to pour time, money, and energy into a losing cause to no purpose.
Ability to communicate vision to others
The heart of good leadership is being able to get others to go along with your plan. A good leader can explain, in language people can understand, what he or she is trying to do and why. With carefully chosen words, a good leader can motivate people and persuade them to go along with the plan.[4]
This kind of persuasive speaking and writing is essential to being a good leader. It helps people see benefits of following the leader, it uses both Intrinsic and Extrinsic motivators. It appeals to logic and emotion.
It can’t happen if the leader isn’t seen as credible.
The leader doesn’t need to know all the answers, but he or she should be able to recognize and respond to people’s needs, fears, and values. It doesn’t pander We use the term demagogue to describe a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument.
And that’s how you get people to go along with you from Where we are now to Where we could be!
[1] Successful leaders know how to define their mission, convey it to their subordinates and ensure they have the right tools and training needed to get the job done, according to Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State, speaking at Stanford University, November 1, 2005.
[2] “You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else”. Not said by Albert Einstein
[3] Effective leaders are made, not born, Powell said. They learn from trial and error, and from experience. When something fails, a true leader learns from the experience and puts it behind him. “You don't get reruns in life,” he said. "Don't worry about what happened in the past." Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State, speaking at Stanford University, November 1, 2005
[4] Good leaders also must know how to reward those who succeed and know when to retrain, move, or fire ineffective staff. "When you get all these together the place starts to hum," he said. "You know you're a good leader when people follow you out of curiosity." Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State, speaking at Stanford University, November 1, 2005
A Communication-Based Model of Leadership
2019, Steven B. Zwickel
I have in mind a model of leadership that emphasizes the importance of communications. I define leadership as the ability to get people to participate in a journey from the way things are to the way they could and ought to be[1]. The essential elements of this ability are:
• Profound understanding of how things work
• Clear vision of what is possible
• Capable of devising a plan
• Desire to make transition happen
• Ability to communicate vision to others in such a way that they want to go there.
Let me expand on each of these points to explain my theory.
Profound understanding of how things work
Leadership is impossible when those in charge don’t understand how the system works. Organizations don’t exist in a vacuum, so this understanding must extend beyond the boundaries of the organization: a real leader understands both how the organization works and how it interacts with its environment. This understanding of how things get done, of how decisions are made, and of how people come to accept policies is essential. [Albert Einstein[2]]
Some of it can be learned from reading and study, but a real leader must go beyond book-knowledge to a much deeper, more intuitive understanding of the system. You can read books about how things are done—it’s only smart to understand the “official version” before you can see the unofficial one. A leader must be aware of how both official and unofficial channels work. Being “in the loop” and tuned into the grapevine are as important as reading the memos and reports that constitute the official version of events.
Real leaders learn the rules of the game and they also understand how and when those rules can be broken. [Be Leaderly]
This is where the debate over whether leaders are made or born begins. Some people, it seems, have an innate sense of how systems function. They can look at an organization and intuit how the people and institutions interact. This is part of the gift of “natural-born” leaders and it is the part that most of the rest of us have the most trouble with.
If you don’t have the intuitive gift, this aspect of leadership means doing research, studying organizational behavior, and listening to how people describe what they do and how they do it.
The mentor can guide, lead, make connections, and give advice, which is why mentoring can be crucial in the development of a leader. A good mentor can help a novice see things that are invisible to the outsider. In law enforcement, a senior officer who acts as a mentor or as someone you can go to for reliable and confidential advice is called a “rabbi.” In American English, a mentor might be called a “guru” or a “career coach.”
Two other roles a mentor can play are storehouse and clearinghouse. A mentor who has been part of an organization accumulates knowledge over the years, like a storehouse of information. Organizations that have a high turnover of personnel can lose all this knowledge and expertise, resulting in employees wasting a lot of time and energy trying to solve problems that have already been solved (or which experience has shown can’t be solved).
A clearinghouse is a place that stores and distributes information, like a well-staffed library. The term is often used to describe a person or organization you can contact to find out where you can get more information. A mentor can act like a clearinghouse, directing others to resources that can help them solve problems.
Clear vision of what is possible
From one’s understanding of the way things are, a real leader can postulate a vision of the way things can be. A real leader can extrapolate from what is to see where the organization will be unless something happens to change direction. A leader who does not have a vision—a view of what could be—is probably just greedy for power.
This is where we separate the dreamers from those who merely want power. There is a time to take action and a time to remain passive. Some overpaid corporate executives feel a need to “do something” even when there is no real reason to do anything (as though they need to be seen to act to justify their bloated paychecks!).
It is, however, foolish to re-direct the efforts of a successful organization simply for the sake of change. Evidence of this can be found in the bad decisions made by some companies in recent years to enter unsuitable markets or to introduce products for which there is no market.
Many people in leadership positions choose to “stay the course”—to keep the organization on the same track it has been on. This non-strategy is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can leave an organization far behind if management is not vigilant and attuned to changes in the environment.
Some managers yield to the temptation to let things go on as they have always been because it is easier than making changes and it minimizes the possibility of making mistakes.
Other managers make changes just to see what their subordinates can do. It’s easier for them to take a risk if they don’t have to face the consequences. Recent history is full of examples of CEOs who made illegal, unethical, egregious decisions and were able to avoid the consequences of their decisions.
Making changes is stressful for the people involved and for the organization as a whole. Some argue that change is inevitable and that workers should stop complaining. But it isn’t hard to find many cases where changes were made for no logical reason and the results were bad for business and bad for morale. Of course, organizations need to change and adapt to survive, but change for the sake of change is a sign of a lack of real leadership.
Capable of devising a plan
Having a clear idea of what can be done is worthless if you can’t figure out how to make your dream a reality. A good leader understands how to get from here to there and can plan a course of action.
There are a differences in leader’s planning styles. Some are “Big Picture” people who come up with grand strategies. They focus on long-range goals and deal with obstacles and setbacks as they come along. Other leaders are “Detail-oriented” and try to plot every move in advance and worry over small details. A leader who spends too much time focused on details is headed for trouble. The problem is micro-managing, which wastes time and keeps subordinates from getting their jobs done.
Good leaders can do both—come up with a grand vision while keeping a not-too-intrusive eye on day-to-day progress. They are focused on their goals and avoid getting sidetracked or distracted. And, they are flexible, not so tied to their original strategy that they are unwilling to adjust their course if necessary. Flexibility is not the same as selling out or giving up on one’s principles. Being able to change course gives a leader far more options and opportunities.[3]
Desire to make transition happen
Self-motivation is what propels a good leader. It can be based on personal ambition or a quest for power, but to make a dream a reality, a leader has to believe in the goal and have a burning desire to make the plan a reality. That motivation has to be strong enough to overcome any reservations the leader may have. If it is not, the leader will give up at the first sign of difficulty.
Taking on any new challenge is risky, so a good leader has to have dedication—a commitment to follow through with tenacity, even if the odds of success are not good.
This dedication, plus a belief in the plan and the goal, will generate the energy necessary to make change happen.
Which doesn’t mean leaders can’t have doubts; they can and should. But once they persuade themselves of the value of what they are doing, good leaders try not to get discouraged. They keep going in spite of adversity.
The old saying goes “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” There are times, however, when a good leader knows that any further effort is futile and that quitting makes sense. It’s a shame when a leader can’t give up on a losing plan, so they continue to pour time, money, and energy into a losing cause to no purpose.
Ability to communicate vision to others
The heart of good leadership is being able to get others to go along with your plan. A good leader can explain, in language people can understand, what he or she is trying to do and why. With carefully chosen words, a good leader can motivate people and persuade them to go along with the plan.[4]
This kind of persuasive speaking and writing is essential to being a good leader. It helps people see benefits of following the leader, it uses both Intrinsic and Extrinsic motivators. It appeals to logic and emotion.
It can’t happen if the leader isn’t seen as credible.
The leader doesn’t need to know all the answers, but he or she should be able to recognize and respond to people’s needs, fears, and values. It doesn’t pander We use the term demagogue to describe a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument.
And that’s how you get people to go along with you from Where we are now to Where we could be!
[1] Successful leaders know how to define their mission, convey it to their subordinates and ensure they have the right tools and training needed to get the job done, according to Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State, speaking at Stanford University, November 1, 2005.
[2] “You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else”. Not said by Albert Einstein
[3] Effective leaders are made, not born, Powell said. They learn from trial and error, and from experience. When something fails, a true leader learns from the experience and puts it behind him. “You don't get reruns in life,” he said. "Don't worry about what happened in the past." Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State, speaking at Stanford University, November 1, 2005
[4] Good leaders also must know how to reward those who succeed and know when to retrain, move, or fire ineffective staff. "When you get all these together the place starts to hum," he said. "You know you're a good leader when people follow you out of curiosity." Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State, speaking at Stanford University, November 1, 2005
No comments:
Post a Comment