Most Leaders Merely Taking A Walk
Brad Lindemann
President/CEO
An oft quoted proverb on leadership says, “He who thinks himself leading, but turns around to find no one following, is merely taking a walk”. By that measure, the landscape of corporate America is littered with imaginary leaders out for endless strolls whilst their organizations wander with equal aimlessness. Indianapolis-based leadership development expert, Dr. Dan Snively, says it most succinctly --"there are many people in leadership positions, but very few true leaders.” The rest, apparently…are merely taking a walk.
The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born-that there is a genetic factor to leadership. This myth asserts that people simply either have certain charismatic qualities or not. That's nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born.
Warren G. Bennis
This dearth of true leaders sent Dr. Snively on a global quest in search of three things:
1. The common behavioral characteristics of extraordinary leaders;
2. A reliable means by which such characteristics can be accurately measured;
3. Prescriptive processes for systematically improving leadership behavior.
Snively’s exhaustive research included the evaluation of some thirty-six diagnostic instruments measuring such things as personality traits, competencies, emotional intelligence and critical thinking. The end result was a 4D proprietary leadership assessment instrument called “The Seven Pillars of Leadership Wisdom”. The Pillars instrument goes well beyond the one dimensional personality-centric tools, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Though interesting, the results yielded by such diagnostic tools aren’t very useful in actually modifying behavior.
Excellence is a better teacher than mediocrity. The lessons of the ordinary are everywhere. Truly profound and original insights are to be found only in studying the exemplary.
Warren G. Bennis
Since extraordinary leaders can be found amongst all personality types, Dr. Snively’s work primarily focuses upon leader behaviors. Thus, a Pillars assessment effectively yields a predictive behavior index that is then compared to a global benchmark derived from a data base of extraordinary leaders of all types. This same type of benchmarking can be done on a customized basis for larger clients. For example, when measuring competitiveness (on a 1 to 10 scale), extraordinary leaders fall in the 7 to 9 range. However, a major hospital chain may determine that the optimal range for their leaders is 5 to 7 lest overly competitive doctors become reckless in their treatment plans.
Does the quality of leadership really make a difference where it counts? Big time. According to Zenger and Folkman, co-authors of The Extraordinary Leader: Turning Good Managers Into Great Leaders, extraordinary leaders exponentially outperform poor ones on key metrics, such as:
- Employee turnover: 9% versus 19%
- Satisfied customers: 82% versus 21%
- Profitability: top 10% leaders show 2x profit of middle 80%, while the bottom 10% lose money
Leaders are people who do the right thing; managers are people who do things right.
Warren G. Bennis
Though true, the above quote from the “dean of leadership gurus” (Forbes magazine 1996 on Warren Bennis) falls short of describing the sort of leadership that 21st century America appears to be longing for. Americans want transformational leaders who really “get it”. Leaders who, according to researcher Bernard M. Bass, “garner trust, respect and admiration from their followers” by providing them with:
1. Intellectual Stimulation – by encouraging out-of-the-box thinking;
2. Individualized Consideration – by promoting collaboration and recognizing individual contributions;
3. Inspirational Motivation – by passionately articulating a clear vision
4. Idealized Influence – by serving as a role model (walking the talk)
So then, leaders who consistently behave in the manner
described above should turn around to find many following them. And they will. True leaders never lack followers. Hmmm. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to predict such leadership behaviors BEFORE actually bringing the person into the organization or assigning him/her to a new team? Uh-huh, you bet it would. Yeah, we get it. That’s why we’ve partnered with Dr. Dan Snively to bring transformational leadership to a small number of select clients.
According to leadership consultant, de Winter Stewart, “Companies must retain loyal, top performers to achieve organizational goals in this difficult economy. These high caliber employees will ensure businesses have the requisite intellectual capital to catapult their organizations ahead at the start of the next growth cycle.” For more information on Ambassador’s Organizational Transformation Services, contact Brad Lindemann at brad@ambassadorsolutions.com or 317-275-3110.
Additional Resources:
What's The Cost of Doing Nothing?
The Blanchard Cost-of-Doing Nothing Calculator is designed to help you quantify the costs of neglecting employee turnover, customer satisfaction, and productivity in your organization
Why Organizations Should Invest in Leadership Consulting During This Economic Crisis
de Winter L. Stewart