Breaking Down the Complexity of Leadership

“The older I get, the more wisdom I find in the ancient rule of taking first things first--a process which often reduces the most complex human problems to manageable proportions.”

- Dwight D. Eisenhower

I received an e-mail last week that contained information from two different survey and research reports: one from the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) and another from Aon Consulting. The ASTD report listed “leadership” as the competency most critical to the success of Chief Learning Officers. The Aon report showed that 56 percent of businesses across the country “are experiencing a leadership shortage that is impeding their organization’s performance,” while 31 percent say they’ll have the same problem over the next one to four years.

As I read two different sources citing the importance of “leadership,” I wondered, “What do they mean by ‘leadership?’” It means different things to different people. And I’d argue that it isn’t just one competency, but rather a selection of distinct and complementary competencies.

Perhaps this confusion about the definition of leadership is the source for why people have such a hard time improving it--after all, how can you possibly wrap your arms around such a loaded word?

I’m working with a large organization to do just that: define, measure, and improve leadership. And just like Eisenhower suggests, we’re taking “first things first” to manage this complex issue.

Want to break it down for yourself? Start with a couple of simple exercises that activate both the right and left sides of your brain, respectively:
· Draw “leadership.” If the word “draw” is a little too intimidating, then just make marks on paper that depict “leadership.”
· Define “leadership” as comprehensively as you can and in as few words as possible.

Why don’t I just encourage you to read a book about leadership or give you my answers? Because your drawing and definition will be more specific to you and your situation. And most important, as long as it’s someone else’s answer, you won’t feel as compelled to act on it. When you’re committed to act on it, take the next steps:

1) Answer the question: if someone were to practice your definition well, what would he or she be DOING? Draw or list the specific behaviors of that person.
2) Rate yourself in terms of how well you perform those behaviors and how often you perform them. If you are willing and able, ask the people who work for you and with you to rate you as well. Provide a confidential way for them to do this if you want the most honest results.
3) Prioritize the areas where you want and need the most improvement, and then choose one and develop a plan for how you can and will improve it. Consider taking a course or reading a book or two on the subject, trying new behaviors, and observing your impact on others.

As important as “leadership” is to any organization and the people who work for it, I hope that you’ll take more time to wrap your arms around what it means to be a great leader and then take steps towards uncovering the great leader that lies within you...Cheers!