FEELING YOUR WAY TO LEADERSHIP SUCCESS

Several years ago, I was having lunch with the newly appointed CEO of a $2.0 billion organization with more than 2,000 employees conducting business on an international scale. It was a big job and Roger was well qualified, with an MBA from a prestigious university and more than 10 years progressively responsible experience in the industry. He was considered a rising star and achieved this challenging position at a relatively young age. We talked about his career, the challenges ahead and his plans for introducing significant culture and process changes to the organization.

At one point in our conversation, I asked him …. "How does it feel to be so successful, and taking on such an important role, so early in your career?" After a moment of reflection, he replied …. "Sometimes it all feels like a dream and, any moment now, Mom is going to come and wake me up!"

Roger could have responded to my question with the usual platitudes …. "It feels great … I worked hard for this and deserve the recognition … It was the logical next step in my career, etc." However, he not only listened to my question attentively and took a moment to reflect, he gave an answer that revealed a lot about his true feelings and character, without apology or embarrassment.

Roger went on to achieve great success, profitably growing the company both organically and through several acquisitions. He built an effective leadership team and dramatically shifted the culture of the organization. What were some of the reasons for his success? His native intelligence, advanced education and solid industry experience were certainly important foundations for his success. The structural and business process changes he introduced played a role. However, what really differentiated Roger from other equally qualified but less successful executives were his "behavioural competencies" (also known as Emotional Intelligence).

Peter Drucker, in his book titled Management Challenges for the 21^st Century, identifies self-awareness and the capacity to build mutually satisfying relationships as essential skills for a strong management team. Increasingly, we are recognizing that the ability to inspire, motivate and lead people is the key to achieving and surpassing organizational goals. The technical competencies – education, industry experience, product knowledge, financial and business acumen, etc. form the necessary foundation for success, but they are not sufficient.

What is the relationship between personal growth, team building and organizational performance? Each of these factors is interrelated and dependent on the other. Peak organizational performance and exceptional goal achievement depends on the coordinated and enthusiastic contribution of all employees working together. Teams are most effective when the individual members share common values; feel a sense of "connection" with the goals; receive clear direction, strong support and timely feedback; and enjoy appropriate recognition for their contribution.

Building strong and effective teams requires leaders who understand human behaviour and group dynamics; listen attentively; welcome ideas and input; communicate expectations clearly and precisely; demonstrate managerial courage; and are seen to be authentic, trustworthy and approachable. These competencies equip a team leader to recruit and retain the best talent; motivate and inspire their team; leverage the expertise of team members; and hold people accountable for their contribution.

Individuals who aspire to be great team leaders must be emotionally intelligent. There is considerable research to show that emotional intelligence (EQ) is a better predictor of leadership success than cognitive intelligence (IQ). The concept of personal growth is at the core of emotional intelligence. Unlike cognitive intelligence, emotional intelligence can be improved through experiential learning. When you understand your own feelings, and the behaviours that are driven by those feelings, you are better prepared you to understand others and to adapt your behaviour to be more effective in your relationship with others. There are fifteen scales that are used to define and measure emotional intelligence:

You can learn more about emotional intelligence by visiting a web site hosted by one of the experts in the field at http://www.unh.edu/emotional_intelligence

Perhaps Roger's most important behavioural competencies were emotional clarity or self-awareness and his willingness to disclose what he was feeling in an open, honest way without first knowing how I would react. He also revealed trust, another behavioural competency that is an important factor in building strong teams and leadership success. If you are not willing to take the risk of trusting others, you will be reluctant to communicate or delegate effectively. Roger was comfortable in his own skin, did not feel the need to play a role and was willing to accept the risk of sharing his innermost feelings. As a consequence of his frank (and somewhat amusing) disclosure, Roger appeared authentic and approachable. By the end of our lunch, we had established a bond and mutual respect that has endured to this day.

Great leaders become role a models that others within an organization will follow to develop and refine their own leadership style. In my experience, great leaders develop great teams that achieve great results. Here are some of the essential elements of that leadership style and organizational culture: