Leadership Today Update

Authentic Leadership Presence - Built on Trust and Integrity

Genuine, reliable, trustworthy, legitimate, dependable ... you can hardly read or hear a news story these days where authenticity doesn't come into play. 

Whether it's about a major auto manufacturer or a financial institution that regularly fills the news; or maybe even the very organization you work for, how often do you ask yourself: what does this organization and its people really stand for? What do their actions say about their beliefs and values? Are they worthy of anyone's trust?

It starts at the top. More than ever, organizations need senior executives who are trustworthy, credible leaders who can inspire others and earn their confidence. As Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist said, "Trust is the new black."

Critical Leadership Skills

The stakes are higher than ever for leaders today. They have more - and often conflicting - priorities, and are under tremendous pressure to produce results.  Every personal interaction, decision, and communication counts. These interactions determine whether they are viewed as credible, trustworthy, and someone people want to follow.

But how does a person go from being a competent mid-level manager to being the one with the critical leadership skills to succeed in a more complex senior role?

I believe that developing authentic leadership presence - built on trust and integrity - is an integral step. It is how a competent executive becomes a leader who sees the big picture, knows how to frame issues and goals, is willing to ask thoughtful, meaningful and provocative questions, and whose actions are a reflection of his or her own true character.  Such a leader can connect with the hearts and minds of others and have an enormous positive impact on an organization.

Self Knowledge Is the Beginning

I have learned in my own leadership journey that self-knowledge is at the core of authentic leadership presence. As Ann Fudge, current board member for GE and former CEO and Chairman of Young & Rubicam, puts it, "All of us have the spark of leadership in us. The challenge is to understand ourselves well enough to discover where we can use our leadership gifts to serve others."

I know that when an individual is confident and centered in his or her beliefs, when their intentions, communication, actions and behaviors are consistent, that's when they gain the credibility that is the essence of leadership presence. They are viewed as genuine and trustworthy - they are authentic. There is no hidden agenda, no game-playing. There is integrity. These are individuals who approach things with their own style that reflects a conscious attitude about who they are.

Balance and Being Present

Two other characteristics are important to authentic leadership presence: balance, and being present in the moment. Balance can be about a lot of things, but in this context it's about knowing when to act, and when not to act; when to let things happen and when to put on the brakes. That's not necessarily easy, especially for executives who are hard driving, "get it done now" types.

The second characteristic - being present - is often referred to as "being in the moment".  I commented before about connecting with the hearts and minds of others. This connection can only happen when a leader engages his or her own heart and emotions and is focused on what is going on in the here and now. That's not easy.  With all the distractions - meetings, email, phone, Blackberry - staying focused in the moment can take an extraordinary effort.
In my next blog post I'll talk about steps an executive can take to develop authentic leadership presence.

Do you know a leader who is genuine and trustworthy? Do you think they have authentic leadership presence? Tell  us about them in the Comments section below.

Leaders and Teams: Who Owns Decision Making?

Leaders, teams, committees, task forces. With so many organizational resources involved, why can't anything get done? Whose decision is it anyway?  

General Motors CEO Edward E. Whitacre Jr. is working hard to transform GM's culture.   He expects executive teams to make decisions without going through the traditional GM process of multiple committee approvals before things get done.  (Wall Street Journal, April 7, 2010, GM's Plodding Culture Vexes Its Impatient CEO, by Sharon Terlep).  Mr. Whitacre has it right - it's the team's responsibility to make the decision, not just look for approval. 

GM hasn't cornered the market on an historically cumbersome decision making process. For many executives owning a decision is not easy - it's safer to get approval.  How effective is that?  Especially when there are fewer people doing more things and individual responsibilities continue to expand.

Establishing expectations - encouraging and requiring a more efficient decision making process - takes getting the right people in the right place where contribution and collaboration are welcomed by the leader. Then it becomes the team, not just the leader, who owns the decision. 

I have heard executives say that "their bosses are command and control people who need to make the final decisions themselves."  Really?  Has anybody talked to the boss and clarified what the expectations are for the team?   I've heard bosses say that "they wish their executive team would make the final decision and move on."  Really?  What's holding them back?  Does the team feel they have the responsibility and the authority to make and implement decisions?  

I recently commented on Dan Rockwell's blog post about "Bottlenecks", that "when people and teams are empowered to move things forward, they need to gather the right intelligence and be willing to make and own decisions. Sometimes the best decision is unpopular but must be made. If the bottleneck is a result of an individual, process or practice holding up the decision, then my suggestion is to identify and address the real issue head-on, in a practical and always respectful way."

In my view, leaders have an obligation to accurately communicate what decisions need to be made and the value that will result from the decision; and sincerely endorse the ownership of others.  When that happens, I believe that people will be inspired to take responsibility, make decisions and act.

How have you seen a decision making process slowed down? Tell us about it in the Comments section below.

Do Leaders Have a Listening Deficiency?

Responsible and effective leadership requires at its very core, an enormous capacity to actively and intently listen with ears, eyes, mind and heart.   In Peggy Noonan's article, "The Heat Is On. We May Get Burned" in the WSJ Weekend Edition (March 27-28, 2010), she quotes a comment to Steny Hoyer's news story in Yahoo, "...people are frustrated over not being heard...."  Although the context of the comment is around finger pointing, reprisals and threats to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, the real issue in my view is that there is a basic and contagious listening deficiency.  And it doesn't just apply to politics.

Leaders must find ways to get a sense of the whole picture and listen for meaning, not just listen to what is said.  It's not about who is right or wrong, rather it is about identifying the real issue, asking the right questions and working with others  to create a common pool of meaning to achieve more complete  understanding, and work toward a solution that has win-win results.  The views and influence of advisors, the media, colleagues and organizations of all types that deliver information through their own filters shape what and how we hear things.  Effective leaders overcome listening deficiencies by balancing information as delivered by others with their own unfiltered due-diligence.

Does it take more work and time to overcome a listening deficiency?  You bet it does - at least initially.  It takes willingness and effort to get closer to the real issue.  A good way to get there is by asking thoughtful questions that pave the way to a better understanding of what is driving the issue.   It requires actively tuning into the content (the information) and the context.  And most importantly, it takes seeing and considering other points of view.

Effective leaders manage the process well.  They understand that there is a lot of noise in the air and that it takes effort to constantly cut through the clutter. They place a great deal of value in other credible views and they listen for the underlying meaning of what is really being said.  

What do you think? What else can leaders do to become more effective listeners? Please comment below.