The traits of a good leader cannot be imposed by
teaching but they can be developed, as a Best Places to Work award
winner demonstrates in practice
Investing in leadership development has all-round benefits.
Those who undergo it become better leaders, so their staff are
better led and the organisation as a whole reaps the harvest.
Leadership, says Alan Boulton, senior consultant for the Work
Foundation's Campaign for Leadership, "is about getting the
engagement of people, getting individual staff to commit to the
goals of the organisation and to take ownership of them".
When they do, "they want to contribute more. If they engage,
then their performance will improve, and if employees are giving
110% that impacts on the bottom line," says Boulton.
In the best-led organisations, staff "own" the company. Its
profits become "their" profits which they will want to
maximise.
Conversely, when there is poor leadership, internal friction
will result, which slows down the organisation and diverts it from
progress. It also makes for a workplace where job satisfaction is
as poor as motivation - and as destructive of profitability.
"Nine out of ten problems that employees encounter at work are
people-related," warns Boulton.
Where and how should investment in leadership development best
be made?
"Direction needs to come from the top," says Boulton. "Although
there are those to whom leadership comes naturally, we believe
there is an element of leadership in everyone, and it depends on
circumstances and environment."
Moreover, although leadership development is usually targeted at
senior managers, middle managers and below benefit as well. It can
be appropriate, he argues, for everyone in a position of influence.
"For example, first line supervisors have the most influence on the
operations of an organisation."
Good leadership, if it is to be effective, has to permeate all
levels. "There needs to be a culture of good leadership," says
Boulton.
Whatever the level, "the principles of leadership are the same,"
he says. "I don't believe leadership can be taught, but it can be
experienced. We can develop leadership skills by showing what good
leadership feels and sounds like."
Often, he acknowledges, those being developed as leaders know
only too well what it is to be badly led. "They come with a lot of
baggage, both positive and negative, depending on the behaviours
they've seen," says Boulton.
And since, apart from the role of chief executive, every
manager, however senior, will have their own manager to report to,
it's essential, believes Boulton, for leadership development to
include upward leadership.
"Leadership is 360 degrees," he says. "Leading upwards is a big
aspect of good leadership. If you've had bad leadership, you need
to ask yourself what your contribution to it was, what could you
have done differently, how could you have communicated
differently."
All too often, bad leadership comes from a philosophy of command
and control.
"Sometimes that approach is essential, and a committee meeting
is inappropriate," says Boulton. "But it won't work when you're
dealing with very professional people - you need leadership through
coaching and facilitation, through knowledge sharing. You don't
give orders, you give directions."
To be a good leader, believes Boulton, you need to apply three
key principles.
- "Begin to understand yourself, what motivates you, what gets
you out of bed in the morning, what makes you tick," he says. "We
do leadership profiles, and see whether their perception of
themselves matches how their staff see them"
- "Understand the people you are responsible for, and what
motivates them"
- "Have a clear vision of where you want to take them, where you
are going and what you want them to do"
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