Do You Have A Future In Leadership?
By Rob Wright, Chief Editor, Life Science Leader
Follow Me On Twitter @RfwrightLSL
While preparing for a recent trip to the west coast, I packed a copy of Leaders in Transition by Steve Broe. Author of a leadership lessons article in Life Science Leader magazine’s December 2014 issue, Broe was kind enough to send me a signed copy of his book. Although it is written from the perspective of a leader transitioning from one organization to another, even if leaving your current employer is not in your plans, don’t let this fact prevent you from taking the time to review this book. I’m not planning on jumping ship, yet still found myself scribbling notes in the margins, highlighting key points, and putting numbers, stars, and arrows next to concepts I hope to incorporate into my own leadership development — beginning with taking an inventory of my leadership qualities.
What Are The Qualities Of Leadership
According to management consultant Peter Drucker, “The only definition of a leader is someone who has followers.” To add to Drucker’s thoughts, followers have perceptions as to the qualities a leader possesses. Broe’s list of a leader’s attributes includes: influential, emotionally connected, a positive view of the future, challenge other people to grow, ambition, competence, and integrity. From my perspective, a positive view of the future and challenging people to grow are two of the most important. Here’s why.
Sometimes it is hard to have a positive future view. I don’t believe Broe means that great leaders are always “super psyched” with a half-full glass mentality. My interpretation is that great leaders are willing contributors to creating a better world. According to Broe, “You talk and write about this positive view and others begin to share your ideas.” However, this positive view has to be deeply held and based on life-changing reflection and work if you want other people to feel their work is important as well. In other words — great leaders are authentic.
Regarding challenging other people to grow, Broe notes when leaders work with other people they need to help them add new skills and try fresh behaviors for followers to expand their potential. I would advise not to continually raise the bar without recognizing a job well done. Recognition can come in many different forms. Some folks like to be recognized in front of a group while others prefer a more personal and private approach. The key to a great leader challenging others to continually challenge themselves is not to give recognition in the method preferred by followers, and most importantly, to do so in an authentic fashion.
While Broe admits that every leader is uniquely different, he also doubts that studying a list of leadership traits will build you as a leader. Broe ascribes to the notion that, “People who believe in their purpose act like leaders.” That said, here are three leadership skills every leader should aspire to have in their tool bag.
Three Skills Of Transformational Leaders
The first skill of a transformational leader is the ability to inspire others. “Inspiration connects the heart and mind toward a big purpose,” he writes. “Followers find inspiration to start working after sharing ideas with a leader who lifts others through ideas.” To do this, Broe says you must have a willingness to communicate inspirational ideas. Sounds simple. But don’t make the mistake of starting to make a list of all the inspirational ideas you have. Instead, take the time to identify your core leadership values. For those who have been through a formal leadership mentoring process, you may already have these traits listed. But leaders and leadership styles evolve. Thus, now would be as good a time as any to revisit your leadership values. If you want a useful tool to help you in this process, Google “Developing a philosophy of leadership” and you will find a free downloadable document from Leadership Paradigms. By identifying your core leadership values, you will be better equipped to show others how ordinary work serves a larger purpose.
Transformational leadership skill number two is to provide intellectual stimulation. “Transformational leaders don’t just deliver orders; they provide details about the work, providing a look into “the guts of the machine,” writes Broe. The best way to achieve this is by asking questions that challenge others to think and discuss work. Intellectual stimulation can be achieved through discussion, training, and personal attention. In addition, Broe suggests helping workers talk to master practitioners, show them available help files, software tools, and printed documents. Transformational leaders ensure followers have a quantity and diverse range of written support materials to challenge different kinds of learners.
The third transformational leadership skill is to treat everyone as individuals. According to Broe, “When a great leader offers authentic individual consideration, people feel they are understood and appreciated.” Leadership expert John Maxwell explains why this is important: “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” If you want to get started on your transformational leadership journey, Broe advises taking the time to read Stephen Covey’s book, Principle Centered Leadership. My advice would be to find a leader to serve as your mentor to guide you through the process of developing and refining your own philosophy of leadership. Take the time to choose your mentor wisely so both will benefit. To help you get started, here are a couple of resource on choosing and approaching a mentor.