Leadership: What Kind of Leader Do I Need to Be? Want to Be? Andrew Graham School of Policy Studies Queens University

What We’ll Be Doing Together Getting Started: What does leadership mean to you and what is it about your work context that affects how you lead? Some Basics about Leadership: Getting off the white horse and into the real world Yes, the vision thing is important, as a start Context molds how and what you lead You can lead from behind, beside and up front Some Really Good Ways to Fail as a Leader Leading Yourself: You as your organization’s key resource How to treat yourself as a resource Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

What is Leadership where you live? Let’s discuss leadership and what you see it as being Take it to your home and not in some imaginary or ideal world. Let’s go………………….. Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

“You need to work on your leadership style when….” Your staff is openly challenging your open door policy. The Chair of the Board calls yours office to speak to yours assistant, not you. Every time you come out of the your office the conversations stop and everyone is blushing. The social committee keeps asking you what you’d like to do for your retirement party. They keep moving the executive meeting without telling you. Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

“You need to work on your leadership style when….” The motto hanging on your wall is: “If it ain’t broke, I haven’t touched it yet.” You adhere to the KISS principle – Keep It Stupid, Simple. In the latest cost-cutting exercise, people are referring to you as ‘the fat that wields the knife.’ The only way that can get people to come to a meeting in your office is by keeping your fridge stocked with beer. You’re envious of the job security of a contestant on The Apprentice. Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Distinguishing Leadership From Managing Engages in day-to-day caretaker activities: Maintains and allocates resources Exhibits supervisory behaviour: Acts to make others maintain standard job behaviour Administers subsystems within organizations Asks how and when to engage in standard practice Goes for the brain Leadership Formulates long-term objectives for reforming the system: Plans strategy and tactics Exhibits leading behaviour: Acts to bring about change in others congruent with long-term objectives Innovates for the entire organization Asks what and why to change standard practice Goes for the heart Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Distinguishing Leadership From Managing Creates vision and meaning for the organization Uses transformational influence: Induces change in values, attitudes, and behaviour using personal examples and expertise Uses empowering strategies to make followers internalize values Status quo challenger and change creator Managing Uses transactional influence: Induces compliance in manifest behaviour Acts within established culture of the organization using rewards, sanctions, and formal authority Relies on control strategies to get things done by subordinates Status quo supporter and stabilizer Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Leaders Make Pathways Path Directive Directive Supportive behavior Leader identifies employee needs. Leader connects rewards with goal(s) Appropriate goals are established. Supportive behavior Participative behavior Leader provides assistance on employee’s path toward goals. Employees become satisfied and motivated and accept the leader. Motivation Achievement Both employees and organization better reach their goals. Effective performance occurs. Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

The Working Leader So much research and theory focus on the leader bringing his or her organization along, to new levels, out of the depths into a new tomorrow, a better world……. Leadership is also a set of functions that leaders fulfill to make their organization effective within both the larger organization and the overall environment Known as the action/functional concept of leadership We will focus our review of leadership at the coal face not the pulpit Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

What Then is a Working Leader and what does she do? Focus is on critical performance issues around: Implementation Execution Operating capabilities and competencies Coordination Systems issues Who does what with whom, when and where in order to get the work done effectively and the continuous reworking of these as circumstances change and problems arise. Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Some characteristics of a working leader The working leader is constantly juggling connections to get things done. The working leader understands her operation well enough to understand its dependencies. The working leader is engaged. She must get into the messy fray of who should be doing what: in the process the soft issues of people and relationships become entwined with the hard issues of resources and technology Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Roles of the Working Leader Building Relationships: Networking: Gathering emotional intelligence Supporting Explaining Fixing misunderstandings Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Roles of the Working Leader Managing Conflict Managing conflict and team building (within and outside the organization) Most conflicts occur within work routines, especially where they interface with other work routines (mutual interdependence is a key factor) Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Roles of the Working Leader Influencing People Getting people on board – either internally or externally Matching organizational objectives to other organizations Creating a climate of co-operation and mutual value added in problem solving Taking a stand or defending turf Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Roles of the Working Leader Getting decisions made (not just making decisions) Internal decision-making – making sure there is a link to a specific decision and an actual outcome Influencing necessary decision out of the leader’s control: horizontally and vertically Creating effective reward/payback systems to ensure a flow of positive outcomes (you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours) Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Roles of the Working Leader Moving and Leveraging Information Flow Understanding what is happening within the organization to influence desired outcomes Understanding what is happening elsewhere that has an impact on the organization’s desired outcomes Making sure that the organization understands if performance Selling, explaining, get the organization’s concerns listened to Clarifying roles Reducing inter-organizational friction Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Some Key Tasks of a Working Leader Defining the task Involving the key players in generating creative ideas, seeking consensus on options and providing direction. Clarifying “how we will know when we have achieved the task”. Communicating and explaining this to all involved Identifying contingency arrangements: Constantly building ‘work arounds’ or alternative ways of doing the same thing Briefing, Cajoling, Begging, Beseeching Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Some Key Tasks of a Working Leader Distributing resources, bartering resources across units, fighting for more resources Setting or negotiating standards: limited or defining expectations, prescising delivery of goods and services and time, setting limits on sharing, defining scope of control. Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Some Key Tasks of a Working Leader Controlling: Watching the organization and its dependent organizations at work, checking progress through monitoring systems and intervening when required to ensure the work flow keeps on course. Evaluating: Building formal and informal ways to assess issues as they emerge or as primal indicators emerge that trouble is on the way (it is, by the way) Giving feedback and identifying ways of improving. Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Some Key Tasks of a Working Leader Motivating Understanding the needs of the organization and individuals and using these to build further commitment. Sensing dissatisfaction and removing or reducing these factors. Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Then again, maybe being a leader is just about herding kittens…… Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Bad Leadership and how to get some A good leader can do bad and a bad leader can at a minimum do very little harm So why does having good leadership matter? Why does have a good leader doing good matter even more? The costs – moral, financial and human – of bad leadership in pursuit of good causes is extremely high In addition, we only learn about what good leadership should look like through an understanding what bad leadership – both technical and ethical – looks like. Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Types of Bad Leadership Incompetent leadership – the leader and at least some followers lack the will or skill to sustain effective action Rigid Leadership – the leader and at least some followers are stiff and unyielding. Although they may be competent, they are unable or unwilling to adapt to new ideas, new information or changing times Intemperate Leadership – the leader lacks self-control and is aided and abetted by followers who are unwilling or unable effectively to intervene. Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Types of Bad Leadership Callous Leadership - the leader and at least some followers are uncaring or unkind. Ignored or discounted are the needs, wants and wishes of most members of the group or organization, especially subordinates. Corrupt Leadership - the leader and at least some followers lie, cheat, or steal or facilitate same in others. To a degree that exceeds the norm, they put self-interest ahead of the public interest Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Types of Bad Leadership Insular Leadership - the leader and at least some followers minimize or disregard the health and welfare of the ‘the other’ – i.e. those outside the group or organization for which they are directly responsible. Evil Leadership - the leader and at least some followers commit atrocities. They use pain as an instrument of power. Based on Barbara Kellerman: “Bad Leadership: What It is, How It Happens, Why it Matters” Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

The Leader’s Key Resource Managing You The Leader’s Key Resource

The Leader’s Asset Base PEOPLE TIME INFORMATION MONEY Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

The Leader’s Asset Base- Revisited PEOPLE YOU TIME INFORMATION MONEY Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Why Manage You? Leadership is an active and positive force. It is also a highly personal and personable activity Effective leaders use all of their resources to get things done and done well – huge draw on their creativity The big secret is the degree to which they manage themselves as one of those key resources Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Why Manage You? Leadership itself is a balancing act of art, craft and science Each leader has a different set of talents and abilities that blend to make them unique To meet your needs and that of your organization you need to understand yourself, your impact on the organization and where things work and do not and find compensatory strategies Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Know Your Strengths You can perform only from strength Knowing what that is may often be difficult Leaders get less direct and helpful feedback than they probably need You need to create some form of feedback loop to get information/ preferably off-line or drawing on the experience of others You need to analyze your strengths and weaknesses – by clinical Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Feedback Analysis – Don’t Wait for it. Spend some time when big things happen and note what outcomes you expect Go back 9 months later and note what actually happened You get very busy and forget and only hear when things go wrong Doing this consistently will give you great feedback on what you do well – there will be lots of people to tell you what you do wrong Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Work on Your Strengths Forget the all singing, all dancing uber performers– they are not there and are spread too thin Work on improving your strengths Your weaknesses will either be fixed through feedback or never go away Sort out where your intellectual firewalls are to learning about both your strengths and weaknesses Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Work on Your Manners Civility is the grease that keeps friction down and things moving Managers too often get caught up in the rush of events and ignore the people along the way There is always a tomorrow in management and, surprise, a lot of the same people will be around then too “please” and “thank you” work miracles Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Discover Your Performance Personality Do you read or listen when you learn things and get the facts? Do you read people or read notes? How do you learn best? Academically or experientially? How do you think a problem through? On your own? By writing? By talking it through? Do you act alone or with others? Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Discover Your Performance Personality Are you best leading or best following or best as second-in-command? Are decisions your thing or is advice your thing? How are you in high stress environments? Do you like big organizations or small ones? Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Product Warning: Tamper at Risk Understanding your work personality takes work Do not try to change yourself for its own sake Do try to build your strengths and work on your weaknesses Just being aware is a major plus Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

The Values Test To what degree do you know your values? To what degree are your values and that of your organization compatible? Are your strengths compatible with your values? Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Knowing Where You Belong Successful careers are not planned: they follow opportunities that you create and your strengths permit and your values make work The right fit is a hard thing to find and there is not a priori answer – can be by trial and error Often means knowing what you do not want to do before really knowing what you want to do Choose your boss carefully: they won’t change after you take the job Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Where Can I Do My Bit? Making a contribution is part of the new work paradigm: not just doing as others tell you but where can you make a difference? It means sorting out the key things you can do in your time on the job: you are always passing through, even when you are in the same job a long time. Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Leaders Carry Unique Responsibilities for Relationships You have to know the strengths and weaknesses of those working for you and those for whom you work You have to manage communications, the heart blood of modern organizations and knowledge work Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

So, to things like Vision and Value, add….. Verve – yes, you have to make things exciting from time to time Prescience – get those antennae out Common sense Flexibility and adaptability Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Manage All Your Resources Manage time – yours and others – as one of the most precious resources: plan and reflect on how you are doing this Always find unique skills in your employees to use and celebrate Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Manage All Your Resources Networking and advocating for your workplace sends major signals throughout the organization: bad-mouthing your boss or workplace often makes you look bad Information needs management, not just information technology: computers are still as stupid as they always were: they are just faster at it. Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Avoid Becoming a One Dimensional Person Develop and nurture parallel or separate interests: it broadens your perspective Think about the second half of your life – same old, same old does not work Plan for boredom Avoid bringing home to work or work to home without some guidelines, delineations or rules for doing so Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Avoid Becoming a One Dimensional Person Build in safe houses for yourself (mentors and coaches work for some, exercise or hobbies for others). Never under-estimate the powerful relationship between mind, emotions, capacity and body, fitness and well-being Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Refers to your wedding day as a ‘swearing-in’ ceremony. Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously.. “ Signs for a spouse that your marriage to an executive is in trouble when he/she…. Refers to your wedding day as a ‘swearing-in’ ceremony. Valentine’s Day card has bullet points. Develops an agenda for the long week-end at the cottage. Refers to parental guidance as ‘achieving downstream impact’. Refers to your kids as ‘major files’. Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Refers to those ‘intimate moments’ as ‘win-win situations’. Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously.. “ Signs for a spouse that your marriage to an executive is in trouble when he/she…. Refers to those ‘intimate moments’ as ‘win-win situations’. Refers to the bathroom as a ‘robust system where the situation is fluid’. Prepares ‘key messages’ for dinner conversation. Designates mother-in-law as ‘stakeholder relationship’. Refers to first-born as the ‘template’. Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca

Be Well Do Good Work Keep in Touch http://post.queensu.ca/~grahama/ Andrew.Graham@queensu.ca