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by Phil Eastman
Most leaders are “made” not “born.” Many labor under the misconception that leadership is an innate ability resident only in a few. We look at the great leaders of the past and tend to think that they possess some genetic or socialized code that we cannot possess. The truth is that some people are “born leaders” but they are small minority of the people actually called upon to lead. In fact leadership is something that I believe
each individual in any organization should
understand and be able to practice when called
upon. Historically organizations only required the
people at the top of the organization to lead but
in today’s complex organizations where all the
energies of the organization are centered on the
customer, it is necessary for people at all levels
to be competent as leaders. At any given point
in time anyone can be called on to take a
leadership role in a mission critical project.
With that said then, the first step in developing
leadership is to identify a set of competencies
that you and your organization agree exemplify
leadership. There are some classic sets of
leadership competencies that include such topics
as vision, motivation, teamwork, communication,
ability to influence, relating to people, etc.
Some organizations prefer a customized set of
leadership qualities they require while others
use prescribed lists. Regardless of the
requirements it only makes good sense to begin
with the development process once the desired
competencies have been identified.
So with that said let’s look at the first and most
important element in developing leadership
skills. Once competencies have been chosen
then it is important to measure the individual’s
proficiency on the chosen aspects of leadership.
This can be done through observation, interviews
or an third party assessment. My preference is to
assess leadership competency using a multi-
rater tool that allows a leader to rate their own
ability along with ratings from the direct
supervisor, peers and employees. This 360-
degree view of proficiency is a most humbling
experience but for anyone serious about
developing leadership ability, it is crucial.
Once the assessment is complete then the
development plan is built. This plan should take
into account the existing proficiency of the
individual on the leadership aspects that are
critical to performance. Many times organizations
try to build the perfect leader who is strong in
the all the identified competencies. However the
reality is most of us have some areas of
leadership that we can excel at and other areas
that will constantly be a struggle. Emphasize
development of the competencies critical to the
job and don’t focus on those that are not critical.
The next step is to execute the leadership
development plan. Development of leadership
competencies can be done through formalized
education, seminars and workshops, individual
study, on the job coaching by co-workers or
other means suitable to the organization and
the individual.
Finally, once the development activities have
been completed (usually after one year) it is
important to the reassess the individual’s skill
level to determine improvement. This should be
done using the same method as the initial
assessment so a true measurement of
improvement can be tracked.
This cycle of development is simple and yet
many organizations fail to account for the need
and ability to develop leadership skills in their
people. The organizations that struggle the most
are the entrepreneurial enterprises. Many
entrepreneurs fail to see the need for leadership
in anyone but themselves and as a result often
build organizations that are overly dependent
one person for all of the leadership and
direction. This style may work when the
organization is formed, but company growth
strains human capital and unless leadership is
cultivated and developed ahead of the needs of
the company the organization can stall out.
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By Dennis E. Coates,
Ph.D.
The technology for collecting and reporting multi-source feedback was developed in the 1980s. Its original purpose was to diagnose leadership performance. By assessing a comprehensive set of skill areas, leaders obtained quantitative and qualitative information about strengths and areas that need improvement. Other innovative uses for multi-source feedback
have evolved over the decades. However, when
most people hear about 360-degree feedback,
they still think of its traditional use: a global
diagnostic of competence and skill.
A much more powerful application of 360-degree
feedback goes beyond the diagnosis to support
changes in behavior. A doctor’s diagnosis can
reveal the disease, but this information can’t
cure it. Likewise, 360-degree feedback can
identify priority areas for improvement, but this
information isn’t enough to improve work habits.
Changing a behavior pattern may require
instruction, followed by months of reinforcement.
Try changing the way you eat or the way you
swing a golf club. Tiger Woods made changes in
his swing early in 2004, and he didn’t start to
win again until almost a year later, after
persisting through hours of practice every day.
The problem is that even with the best of
intentions, when people try to do things
differently, initial attempts tend to feel
awkward. When these efforts don’t achieve the
desired result, frustration and discouragement
follow. Without a formal program of follow-
through reinforcement and without support from
the direct manager and others in the workplace,
people tend to fall back on what feels familiar
and comfortable. They eventually return to their
old way of doing things.
To achieve the desired changes in behavior, 360-
degree feedback needs to be followed by several
months of reinforcement, involving ongoing
learning, ongoing feedback, coaching and
accountability. It takes that long for the brain
cells to grow and reconnect into new pathways
that are the physical basis for new behavior
patterns.
After people are assessed in underdeveloped
skill areas, they may need training. Either or
both of these interventions must be followed by
an extended period of reinforcement. This
commonsense developmental sequence is the
foundation of what is perhaps the most powerful
360-degree application ever devised: validating
individual performance improvement. Used in
this way, 360-degree feedback works both as a
diagnostic assessment and as a means to check
whether weak areas have improved.
The concept is simple. First, integrate behavior-
based assessment with behavior-based training.
Then several months after training, follow
through with a more focused behavior-based
assessment related to the priority areas for
improvement. Compare the pre-course scores
with the post-course scores. Improved scores
will indicate how much skills have improved.
This approach has significant benefits. First, the results of the pre-course diagnostic allow participants to set quantified, behavior-based performance improvement goals. Also, knowing that follow-up assessments will be administered causes learners to be more focused and motivated as they work with trainers—the ideal mindset for learning. In addition, the post-course assessments give learners quantified and qualitative feedback about how they’re doing as they try to improve their skills. Finally, following through with post-course
assessments creates accountability. The
assessment results will document whether the
individual has improved on-the-job performance.
Repeat post-course assessments can be
administered as desired to produce ongoing
measures of performance improvement.
The data created by performance improvement
assessment can also be used as a practical
return-on-investment (ROI) calculation. For
example, assume that leadership skills account
for half of a supervisor’s effectiveness.
Assessment scores showing an average
improvement from 6.4 (before assessment and
training) to 7.7 (several months after) would
indicate a 20% percent improvement. Since half
of a salary of $60,000 is $30,000, the
organization would be getting 20% more
effectiveness for this cost, worth roughly
$7,500—a result many times greater (in dollars)
than the cost of the individual’s training.
Simple ROI calculations like this can be
performed locally. They are made possible by pre-
course/post-course performance improvement
measurements powered by customizable 360-
degree feedback.
The bottom line: global diagnostic assessments
serve an excellent purpose if you follow through
with learning and reinforcement. Combine an
affordable, customizable 360-degree feedback
technology with a behavior-based leadership
development curriculum, and you get a fully
integrated assessment, training and
reinforcement system:
More important, supervisory leaders are
empowered to reinforce and ingrain their new
skills over time to create permanent, measurable
changes in behavior—the Holy Grail of leadership
development.
Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., is CEO of
Performance Support Systems, author of 20/20
Insight GOLD, a customizable individual
development feedback system and co-founder of
the Train-to-Ingrain alliance. Dr. Coates has over
40 years experience as a leader, manager and
HR professional.
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Authentic Leadership
What makes the world's most influential leaders who they are? They are value driven and they walk the talk. Their peers don't sway them and they are dedicated to the truth. Most importantly, their people know it. Followers admire authentic leaders for their honesty and respect them for their courage to adhere to beliefs. People trust them because their actions speak louder than their words. Authentic leaders hold themselves accountable. Leaders New Clothes Workshop
A half-day workshop for leaders that takes a hard look at the practices in place in your organization. Take a fun, positive, and realistic approach to finding the answers to these questions:
Coming in March 2006 |
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Let us assist you in making your organization the BEST that it can be in 2006.
Helping You Lead the Way,
Phil Eastman & Lorene Rasmussen
Leadership Advisors Group
email:
phil@leadershipadvisors.com
phone:
(208) 344-0471
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