Jack Welch was CEO of GE for 20 years. In a changing world, is he still the model for leadership?[/caption]
When discussing the challenges facing business leaders it seems almost de rigeur nowadays to talk about the level of change organisations are facing.
The challenge to equip leaders to build the future in these uncertain times is certainly daunting, with seismic geopolitical shifts (in this context the Trump administration seems to be the gift that keeps on giving), disruptive technological change (how many of us even fully understand the implications of bitcoin, blockchain and whatever new technology will be unleashed on us next) and even severe climate and weather events.
The very ubiquitous nature of these challenges may however inure us to their real potential as both a threat and an opportunity to affect a true paradigm shift in how we view leadership, a classic case of an issue being undervalued through overuse.
Richard Boyatzis studied how leaders influence those around them and how that effected their lives and careers[/caption]
Dr Colm Foster is Director of Executive Education at the Irish Management Institute. He has acted as a leadership development consultant to organisations in the US, Asia and Ireland, particularly specialising in Emotional Intelligence.
The next 
The result: A workforce with the right capabilities, willing to go the extra mile (engaged) and enabled to perform at their best. An organisation where strategic priorities and culture are aligned and working together to deliver an exceptional customer experience and, in turn, impact / profits and shareholder value.
- People are clear on the strategic direction of their organisation and what they are expected to deliver and the way in which to deliver it (Role Clarity)
- People understand how their job contributes to the success of his/her department and organisation (Task Identity)
- People understand the positive impact their work has on others within or outside the organization (Task significance)
- People are trusted, empowered and given the right level of autonomy to perform their role (Autonomy)
- People are given enough on the job learning and growth opportunities to improve themselves and achieve their potential (Mastery)
- People receive on-going constructive feedback on performance from customers, colleagues and the manager for development
Can your organisation’s leadership opt out?
If so, do they run the risk of their organisation becoming less and less attractive to employees and shareholders? Becoming irrelevant?What do you think? Would love to hear your views on this blog as well as your thoughts on things / initiatives that can enable the creation of a high performance culture.
1“Why Good Strategies Fail: Lessons for the C-Suite,” Economist Intelligence Unit, 2013, http://www.pmi.org/~/media/PDF/Publications/WhyGoodStrategiesFail_Report_EIU_PMI.ashx
This can be seen not only in business with enigmatic leaders like Apple's Steve Jobs (described by Bill Gates as "fundamentally odd", but also in some of the more eccentric characters we see in sport - take for example football managers like José Mourinho, Alex Ferguson and Brian Clough.
While there are indeed managers like Manchester United's David Moyes, who are .. average, reasonable, uninspired: just the sort of manager that might make the grade on paper in a recruitment process, the great leadership is seen from managers like Mourinho and Ferguson, neither of whom would have stood much chance of making it through to the interview stage! They weren't even great football players!
Odd, isn’t it?
But is it enough just to be odd? Unlikely... Perhaps there is good odd (Mourinho) and bad odd (take your pick of the world’s despots).
In my experience working with organisations, I have found that the great leaders, despite their seeming oddness, have at least 3 things in common:
1. They are clever – especially with people. They know whose buttons to press – and when! Who to kick and who to hug! They know the game – they know their business inside out.
2. They have more than just one style – they hold their principles constant but adapt their own style to the situation in hand. Mourinho famously let his kit man give the motivational speech to his players last week (in indecipherable “Scottish”, too!). Ferguson could tell his Beckhams from his Ronaldos, his Van Persies from his Rooneys - and found the right words for each.
3. They reach for the stars, and hold themselves – not just their staff – to the highe
st standards. They are unrelenting in their quest for success. Their self-belief is unshakable. Failures are used as opportunities to learn. Success is inevitable – the only question is when.
So perhaps there is something to be learned from seeing past what might seem like strange personalities and assessing our potential leaders instead for intelligence, a flexibility in style and an unshakable self-belief and ambition. It may be that these characteristics are more important to success as a leader that meeting any definition of "normal".
Dermot Duff is Programme Director of the ManagementWorks IMI Diploma in Management and the ManagementWorks IMI Diploma in Strategy & Innovation - programmes specifically aimed at developing management and strategic capability in SMEs. His expertise is in the area of SMEs, project management, manufacturing and supply chain management and he is the author of Managing Professionals and Other Smart People. His work focuses on developing practical implementable solutions founded on sound theory.
If you are interested in honing your skills as a leader in your organisation speak to us about the IMI Diploma in Leadership starting this Spring. The programme is aimed at dramatically enhancing leadership skills, awareness, impact and judgement. To know more check out the brochure or watch this clip.
[post_title] => Are You Odd Enough to Lead? What do Steve Jobs, José Mourinho and Alex Ferguson have in common?
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William Corless
William Corless is an IMI associate on the High Impact Leadership Programme.
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The Art and Practice of Adaptive Leadership
Leadership can’t be a one-size-fits-all because, put simply, leaders ultimately rely on their followers and no two followers are the same.
The art of leadership is not the heroic image many of us have in our minds. It can’t be a one-size-fits-all because, put simply, leaders ultimately rely on their followers and no two followers are the same.
Leadership can be described and applied in different ways, especially to dilemmas in the workplace. However, often when we are in difficult situations we tend to trust what we know from our experience or behaviours that have provided us with results in the past. In other words, we fall back on what works for us, not what will work for the person we are trying to persuade.
Leadership Styles
Leadership can sometimes be about leading in unknown territory and, due to the pace of change in today’s world, the context in which we lead continues to evolve. Daniel Goleman – considered in some quarters the grandfather of emotional intelligence – speaks about the following leadership styles: Coercive, Authoritative, Affiliative, Democratic, Coaching, Pacesetting.
Each style is more effective than another depending on the circumstances, so it’s crucial for a leader to recognise and utilise the different styles. As leaders, we may have some blind spots into the style of leadership that we have and exhibit behaviours that are unconscious habits. With this is mind, we may not fully utilise the tools in our toolkit that we acquired through our management education and experience.
A great lesson my father told me was that there is always the right tool for the right job. If I ever wanted to be a success in life I should not choose the easy path. If I were to approach a difficult and complex situation with just what was in my immediate tool-kit, I would limit my capacity and more often than not, look foolish with poor consequences.
These are the dangers of habits and, most importantly, not learning from others. Be open to other people’s skillsets and approaches to enhance your toolkit. By approaching a problem by utilising all the available tools around you, rather than play to your own ego, you will ultimately be perceived as a consummate professional. Many leaders now utilise their skillset by adding coaching, communication, team development and conflict resolution skills to their toolkit – in other words, people skills.
Newly Promoted Leaders
When people are promoted to a new leadership position, they regularly have doubts about what is the best way to behave or act in certain situations. The expectations of leaders in the current climate are to be agile and to be adaptive to the context that the leadership situation presents but many people doubt their leadership styles, especially when they have navigated into unchartered territory.
They will often have a habit for using one tool or leadership styles and apply to all situations. Therefore, there is a great degree of personal responsibility and level of emotional intelligence when it comes to practising leadership consciously. Expanding your toolkit and knowing how to apply the techniques learned is essential in leadership. Leadership can be learned and it takes courage to practice leadership.
Courage and Reflection
I often think of this quote by Anaïs Nin when it comes to personal leadership: “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage”. Being a courageous leader can be achieved, however it does take focus on the discipline of reflective practice.
Reflective practice is a key enabler for leadership to be demonstrated. We are all now bombarded with communication whether that medium is via computer, smartphone, newspapers, conversations or even the radio on the commute home. Many successful leaders use reflective practice to develop and enhance their leadership presence.
If you were to develop any skill, just like leadership, you would not improve unless you gave due consideration to your approach. A simple approach to this would be to reflect on what went well each day so you can repeat that success and what you could have done differently to develop a better result. This basic premise increases emotional intelligence for greater successful outcomes in our careers and workplace.
Leadership courage can also be enhanced by peer support. Being able to speak about issues or fears that may be holding us back. The IMI is the ideal environment where these conversations can be facilitated. Gaining feedback, expertise, know-how and practical knowledge into applying the practice of leadership are key elements of the IMI’s approach to leadership. Are you equipped with the right tools for your leadership challenge?
William Corless is an IMI associate on the High Impact Leadership Programme. William is an executive coach, certified mediator and corporate trainer who works with C-suite leaders across a wide range of industries both nationally and internationally. William has continued his education studying leadership in Harvard, High-performance teams in the University of Chicago, Organisational Behaviour in the London School of Economics, Intercultural Management with Notre Dame and Negotiation in NUI Galway.
