Leadership – Page 15 – New Horizon Partners

The Structure of Leadership

Effective leadership is built upon strong character, emotional intelligence, cognitive intelligence, and subject-matter expertise. In my workshops and talks on leadership I often use the analogy of the structure of a house where character is the foundation, emotional intelligence (EQ) is the framework, IQ gives leadership its function, and expertise provides leadership with curb appeal.

3D rendering of a house project on top of blueprints, showing different design stages

Character is foundational because people will follow only when they see positive character traits such as integrity, transparency, and vulnerability. EQ is the strength or framework because leadership requires relationships and relationships are the result of EQ behaviors and skills. IQ gives leadership its function, much like a plumbing system or electrical system makes a house work, because IQ lets the leader use character and EQ effectively. Expertise gives leadership its appeal because it lets the leader relate effectively with those that are carrying out the tasks.

In the leadership articles that I write for PolymerOhio Manufacturing Services’ blog, I have a series that describes this “structure” of leadership. The series then describes further each of the four elements – character, emotional intelligence, cognitive intelligence, and subject-matter expertise – and how they build into effective leadership.

Values and Principles

leadership-and-employee-engagement-hero

Values and principles set the boundaries for how an organizations operates and deals with its various stakeholders. In a previous article, we used the analogy of a funnel to describe the management system of an organization as it moved from broad concepts of operation to the definition of discrete actions. The foundation of such a management system are the values and principles held by the organization and its leaders.

All organizations have values and principles. Sometimes referred to as core values or company ethics, these values and principles guide the way that the organization operates and interacts with its various constituencies. Values and principles might be explicitly stated, such as a statement in a policy manual, annual report, or signage within the building. These explicit statements are an expression of the character traits that are expected in the business and its dealings with people.

For some organizations these values and principles are implicit, and employees and others are left to infer them from the actions and attitudes of the organization’s leadership. For some organizations, the core values are carved in stone while for other organizations they might seem like shifting sands. If we expect employees to behave in certain ways, of course, it is best to clearly communicate what the organization’s values and principles are and stand by them.

Values and principles are foundational for two different descriptive systems for an organization – the management system and the culture. The values and principles set the boundaries for the organization’s mission and vision and for the business strategy and specific actions. In terms of culture, the values and principles set the tone for the behaviors, attitudes, and relationships that the organization hopes to see within the organization and then reflected to customers.

Since values and principles are for an organization very much like character is for an individual, authenticity is important. The behavior of the organization (or of the people that make up the organization) must be congruent with the statement of core values. Otherwise, the constituents will see the statement of values and principles as a farce and have even less respect for and trust in the organization. The walk and talk of leadership must be meticulously consistent with the proclaimed values and principles and part of leadership’s role must be to reward behavior demonstrating values and correcting behavior that violates the organization’s values and principles.

As mentioned, values and principles set the foundation for an organization’s management system. The next article in this series will discuss mission and vision, where we begin to describe the specifics of what the organization is and aspires to be.

Leadership and Humility

While effective leaders are often intelligent and high-functioning, humility is a key character trait of the best leaders. Humility draws in people while arrogance drives them away.

No doubt we have all seen people in leadership positions who had either high IQ or great expertise, but they struggled as leaders because of a weakness in character or emotional intelligence. They struggled to build relationships or gain influence because of their arrogance and pride.

On the other hand, effective leaders demonstrate humility and it shows up in the way that they lead. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines humility as “the quality or state of not thinking you are better than other people.” Tim Keller’s definition is more descriptive when he says that humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less. So effective leaders think of themselves less and think of others more.

Effective leaders are committed to their people, helping them learn and grow, looking for ways to help them develop on the job and as people. And speaking of growth, effective leaders are committed to their own growth, recognizing that they never know it all. Humble leaders readily admit mistakes. In fact, they are quick to distribute credit for positive things and accept blame for negative things. Because they value their people, they are not seeking the limelight but shine it on others.

In his book, “Good Boss, Bad Boss”, Robert Sutton explains, “Wise bosses have the confidence to act on what they know and the humility to doubt their knowledge.” They are ready to admit mistakes and accept input from others. In accepting input, they are quick to demonstrate that they value others and their knowledge and gifts. Humble leaders seek feedback to assure that they are on track.

Humble leaders are able to admit mistakes, accept and admit limitations, and demonstrate vulnerability. They are ready to embrace and promote a spirit of service. People quickly see through and move away from a self-promoting leader.

Effective leaders show their humility by remaining thankful. They are also quick to forgive, a result of thinking of others before themselves.

The effect of a humble leader is a workforce that feels they are valued and empowered. This leads to a more productive, more innovative, and more collaborative team.

If you think that you have this humility thing down pat, you probably don’t. On the other hand, if you are a leader who thinks of others first, acknowledges their wisdom and contributions, are aware of your strengths and weaknesses, can readily admit your failures, and seeks to continually grow, then you might be well along in developing humility.