Jim looked up to see Randy's body almost completely filling his doorway. One hand on each side of the door frame, his entire being was shaking in agitation. "You have got to do something with that dim-witted excuse of a salesman named Anthony! I'm tired of picking up the pieces of a sale in the ditch. When the hell are you going to do something about it, huh?"
Closing his eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath, Jim told Randy, "Come on in and let's talk about it - and shut the door." Jim was one of the corporation's highest achieving salesmen and felt confident making almost any kind of sale. However, dealing with personnel issues after his appointment to district sales manager was something he felt unable and ill-equipped to do.
As a salesman he dealt with people, but in a different way. Jim knew that he must adapt to this new job - or be out of a job.
Change is all around us: the economy, technology, people, competition, global suppliers, and on and on. As leaders, we must adapt our strategy to this fluid sea of turmoil that crashes upon us at an almost daily rate. It is vitally important to foresee the changes, adapt to them, and then steer the individuals in our organization in new directions.
As a leader in your organization, you also must adapt to the particular job you have as it evolves based on external factors and as you take on new roles in your organization.
Many facets of change should be considered: changes at the department or area level are required for a new position, changes at the organization or division level may be required after technology shifts or new competitor offerings. It is vitally important that you as a leader are both aware of the changes that need to be made and that you have the ability to actually make the changes.
In order to build a first-class leadership team, there are three factors to consider:
1) What makes an effective leader?
2) How do you select effective leaders?
3) How do you nurture leaders?
Sadly, despite an enormous number of academicians toiling numerous hours over almost a century of time, we really do not have a good handle on what makes a good leader. Great leaders can be introverts as well as extraverts. Some leaders are good only in times of crises; others fall apart when things hit the fan. The troubadour literature on leadership from Lee Iacocca to Jack Welch gives as many opinions on leadership traits as all the ice cream vendors have flavors.
All is not lost, however. Seminal research from Dr. Fred Luthans examined the behaviors of effective corporate managers and found that the most effective managers spent more of their time and were more adept at keeping their employees informed and taking care of the team's immediate and long-term needs. They spent more time with routine communication and human resource management.
So how do you find these most effective leaders or managers? While this is not an exact science, there are several actions that will increase the probability that you will select good individuals.
Your first angle should be to look for individuals with the most productive teams. A mistake that is often made is to observe leaders with the most visible teams. These might be teams that are in trouble or attacking important, thorny corporate problems. A more discerning view may be required, however. What about the sleepy team in the deep recess or corner of the corporation quietly toiling, churning out new content or processes, lying below the radar of the executive team? This is where the most effective leaders in your organization may lie. It is vitally important for your culture to scour the entire corporation top to bottom, north to south, and east to west to reach down and pluck these highly effective leaders and move them along a trajectory to lead your company forward along strategic paths.
An important element to keep in mind is the fact that the managerial activities and skills required change depending on the level in the organization. Selecting leaders based upon lower level skills does not imply that these individuals will be successful at higher levels in an organization. Conversely, and a very unfortunate reality, an individual who might be wildly successful at a high level in an organization may be dismal operating at low, tactical levels. It is likely that these people never get a chance to reach a level where they are successful unless they strike out on their own.
Research has shown that about half of management selections end in failure, and approximately one third of those identified as high potential employees fail before they reach the level they were expected to attain. Objective measures will certainly enhance, but not guarantee the selection of leaders for hire or promotion. These can include cognitive tests, structured interviews, and measures of personality, such as conscientiousness. For new hires, surprisingly, grade point averages (GPAs) do not reliably correlate well with future success.
So how do you nurture and help your leaders along? A 360-degree survey tool where individuals below and above, as well as peers to the leader, answer questions and provide extemporaneous feedback to a leader can contribute valuable guidance. This feedback, along with performance appraisals often furnish precious input to formal or informal coaching programs.
As we get back to Jim in our opening story, we can ask many questions. Does Jim have what it takes to adapt to his new job? Can he get the help he needs to improve in his present position and hopefully move beyond that to even higher levels in his organization? And, most importantly what is your organization doing to help your leaders adapt to changing roles, market forces, internal structure, and more?
Joel DiGirolamo heads the firm Turbocharged Leadership, has over 30 years of staff and management experience in Fortune 500 companies, and has a BSEE, MBA, and an MS Psychology degree. You can contact Joel at joel@jdigirolamo.com.
A recommended reading list on related issues and references is available at turbochargedleadership.com.