Leadership @ All Levels – Everyone Can Become a Leader

Posted on January 10, 2016 by Peter Capezio, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.

Introduction

There has been a tremendous amount written about leadership in books and articles. If you conduct a Google search on Leadership, you will get millions of responses on the subject. Let me offer a way to frame Leadership and put it a context that everyone can understand and potentially apply.

Let’s start with a definition of Leadership…

Leadership is the ability to influence individuals and groups to think, feel and take action toward achieving their goals.

There is quite a bit of turmoil in companies today, as they respond to the global economy and dynamic market conditions. The stock market has already dropped 1000 points in 2016!

This rapid change has led to continuous restructuring and job changes. People are expected to know more and do more in their day to day work. There has never been a greater demand for a leadership response.

Three Levels of Leadership – Everyone can become a leader

Looking at today’s business structures (for profit or non-profit), it becomes evident that leadership is not designated to one person or one level in a company. Everyone can play a part in demonstrating effective leadership. Here is a way to think about it.

 Formal Leaders (Executives, Managers and Supervisors) – They are responsible for “defining the playing field.” As part of the management team, Formal Leaders have the authority and responsibility to make decisions about the business and the people working for them.

 Informal Leaders (Team Leads and Project Managers) – They are responsible for “coaching and guiding the players.” Informal Leaders are not part of the management team, but have the ability to influence and motivate the team members that work with them.

 Individual Leaders (Individual Contributors) – They are responsible for “making the plays.” Individual Contributors often work on the front lines of the business and have the ability to deliver the day to day results. They also can demonstrate leadership skills by the way they interact with others and serve as role models in their respective departments.

All leaders share 3 Core Competencies. Each type of leader must be able to apply influence, motivation and be action oriented in their approach to the work. Here are the competency descriptions, with a few suggestions on how to strengthen them. A helpful hint is to complete a self-assessment (DiSC is recommended) to identify style strengths and potential gaps. This can help to guide your development.

Influence is the capacity or power to be a compelling force on the behaviors and actions of others.

Here are some building blocks to increase your influence skills…

Rapport Building is the ability to connect on a personal level with another person. It requires you to show a genuine interest in the other person. This means excelling in such areas as “breaking the ice, and making small talk.”

Active Listening is the ability to actually show the other person that you are both interested and engaged in what is being said. This is demonstrated by non-verbal cues such as nodding, smiling and maintaining eye contact. Also, asking confirming questions and restating what you heard are good active listening techniques.

Assertiveness is ability to be proactive, state your point of view so that you are present in every situation. Ensure that your opinions are being heard. Don’t avoid conflict – find ways to confront conflict in a positive way. Consider completing the Thomas- Kilmann Conflict Assessment (TKI) to identify your primary and least used styles. Learn how to use a variety of conflict styles based on the situations, not your comfort zones.

Motivation is having the will (strong reason) to act to accomplish something important. Motivation is two sided: Motivating yourself and motivating others. Strive to experience them.

Here are some important motivators for yourself and others…

Recognition for doing a good job or something unique is a motivator for most people. It may be preferred publicly or privately, but in either method reinforcement is one key to achieving your personal best.

Achievement and advancement are strong measures of performance. They build self-confidence, self-esteem and respect of others.

Challenge is driving force for many people. Motivation occurs when a goal, task or assignment is difficult but not impossible. Try to build stretch goals into your planning so you are able to grow and develop into taking more responsibility.

Action is the ability to take initiative, to be proactive (versus reactive) to accomplish something important.

Here are some ideas on how to be more action oriented…
• Create an attitude of getting things done. Plan and execute with the end in mind (Stephen Covey – 7 Habits of Successful People).
• Excel at time management. Focus on the most important and urgent priorities – asking “What’s the best use of my time right now.” This is especially important when you faced with multiple tasks.

Becoming a leader is something that everyone one can achieve. Conduct an honest self-assessment and build on these competencies in your day to day work. You and others will definitely notice a difference!