2016-03-17 15:28:43
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Sunnie Giles
March 15, 2016
What makes an effective leader? This question is a focus of my research as an
organizational scientist, executive coach, and leadership development
consultant. Looking for answers, I recently completed the first round of a
study of 195 leaders in 15 countries over 30 global organizations. Participants
were asked to choose the 15 most important leadership competencies from a list
of 74. I ve grouped the top ones into five major themes that suggest a set of
priorities for leaders and leadership development programs. While some may not
surprise you, they re all difficult to master, in part because improving them
requires acting against our nature.
Demonstrates strong ethics and provides a sense of safety.
This theme combines two of the three most highly rated attributes: high
ethical and moral standards (67% selected it as one of the most important) and
communicating clear expectations (56%).
Taken together, these attributes are all about creating a safe and trusting
environment. A leader with high ethical standards conveys a commitment to
fairness, instilling confidence that both they and their employees will honor
the rules of the game. Similarly, when leaders clearly communicate their
expectations, they avoid blindsiding people and ensure that everyone is on the
same page. In a safe environment employees can relax, invoking the brain s
higher capacity for social engagement, innovation, creativity, and ambition.
Neuroscience corroborates this point. When the amygdala registers a threat to
our safety, arteries harden and thicken to handle an increased blood flow to
our limbs in preparation for a fight-or-flight response. In this state, we lose
access to the social engagement system of the limbic brain and the executive
function of the prefrontal cortex, inhibiting creativity and the drive for
excellence. From a neuroscience perspective, making sure that people feel safe
on a deep level should be job #1 for leaders.
But how? This competency is all about behaving in a way that is consistent with
your values. If you find yourself making decisions that feel at odds with your
principles or justifying actions in spite of a nagging sense of discomfort, you
probably need to reconnect with your core values. I facilitate a simple
exercise with my clients called Deep Fast Forwarding to help with this.
Envision your funeral and what people say about you in a eulogy. Is it what you
want to hear? This exercise will give you a clearer sense of what s important
to you, which will then help guide daily decision making.
To increase feelings of safety, work on communicating with the specific intent
of making people feel safe. One way to accomplish this is to acknowledge and
neutralize feared results or consequences from the outset. I call this
clearing the air. For example, you might approach a conversation about a
project gone wrong by saying, I m not trying to blame you. I just want to
understand what happened.
Empowers others to self-organize.
Providing clear direction while allowing employees to organize their own time
and work was identified as the next most important leadership competency.
No leader can do everything themselves. Therefore, it s critical to distribute
power throughout the organization and to rely on decision making from those who
are closest to the action.
Research has repeatedly shown that empowered teams are more productive and
proactive, provide better customer service, and show higher levels of job
satisfaction and commitment to their team and organization. And yet many
leaders struggle to let people self-organize. They resist because they believe
that power is a zero-sum game, they are reluctant to allow others to make
mistakes, and they fear facing negative consequences from subordinates
decisions.
To overcome the fear of relinquishing power, start by increasing awareness of
physical tension that arises when you feel your position is being challenged.
As discussed above, perceived threats activate a fight, flight, or freeze
response in the amygdala. The good news is that we can train our bodies to
experience relaxation instead of defensiveness when stress runs high. Try to
separate the current situation from the past, share the outcome you fear most
with others instead of trying to hold on to control, and remember that giving
power up is a great way to increase influence which builds power over time.
Fosters a sense of connection and belonging.
Leaders who communicate often and openly (competency #6) and create a
feeling of succeeding and failing together as a pack (#8) build a strong
foundation for connection.
We are a social species we want to connect and feel a sense of belonging.
From an evolutionary perspective, attachment is important because it improves
our chances of survival in a world full of predators. Research suggests that a
sense of connection could also impact productivity and emotional well-being.
For example, scientists have found that emotions are contagious in the
workplace: Employees feel emotionally depleted just by watching unpleasant
interactions between coworkers.
From a neuroscience perspective, creating connection is a leader s second most
important job. Once we feel safe (a sensation that is registered in the
reptilian brain), we also have to feel cared for (which activates the limbic
brain) in order to unleash the full potential of our higher functioning
prefrontal cortex.
There are some simple ways to promote belonging among employees: Smile at
people, call them by name, and remember their interests and family members
names. Pay focused attention when speaking to them, and clearly set the tone of
the members of your team having each other s backs. Using a song, motto,
symbol, chant, or ritual that uniquely identifies your team can also strengthen
this sense of connection.
Shows openness to new ideas and fosters organizational learning.
What do flexibility to change opinions (competency #4), being open to new
ideas and approaches (#7), and provides safety for trial and error (#10)
have in common? If a leader has these strengths, they encourage learning; if
they don t, they risk stifling it.
Admitting we re wrong isn t easy. Once again, the negative effects of stress on
brain function are partly to blame in this case they impede learning.
Researchers have found that reduced blood flow to our brains under threat
reduces peripheral vision, ostensibly so we can deal with the immediate danger.
For instance, they have observed a significant reduction in athletes
peripheral vision before competition. While tunnel vision helps athletes focus,
it closes the rest of us off to new ideas and approaches. Our opinions are more
inflexible even when we re presented with contradicting evidence, which makes
learning almost impossible.
To encourage learning among employees, leaders must first ensure that they are
open to learning (and changing course) themselves. Try to approach
problem-solving discussions without a specific agenda or outcome. Withhold
judgment until everyone has spoken, and let people know that all ideas will be
considered. A greater diversity of ideas will emerge.
Failure is required for learning, but our relentless pursuit of results can
also discourage employees from taking chances. To resolve this conflict,
leaders must create a culture that supports risk-taking. One way of doing this
is to use controlled experiments think A/B testing that allow for small
failures and require rapid feedback and correction. This provides a platform
for building collective intelligence so that employees learn from each other s
mistakes, too.
Nurtures growth.
Being committed to my ongoing training (competency #5) and helping me grow
into a next-generation leader (#9) make up the final category.
All living organisms have an innate need to leave copies of their genes. They
maximize their offspring s chances of success by nurturing and teaching them.
In turn, those on the receiving end feel a sense of gratitude and loyalty.
Think of the people to whom you re most grateful parents, teachers, friends,
mentors. Chances are, they ve cared for you or taught you something important.
When leaders show a commitment to our growth, the same primal emotions are
tapped. Employees are motivated to reciprocate, expressing their gratitude or
loyalty by going the extra mile. While managing through fear generates stress,
which impairs higher brain function, the quality of work is vastly different
when we are compelled by appreciation. If you want to inspire the best from
your team, advocate for them, support their training and promotion, and go to
bat to sponsor their important projects.
These five areas present significant challenges to leaders due to the natural
responses that are hardwired into us. But with deep self-reflection and a shift
in perspective (perhaps aided by a coach), there are also enormous
opportunities for improving everyone s performance by focusing on our own.
Dr. Sunnie Giles is a professionally certified executive coach, leadership
development consultant and organizational scientist. She is President of
Quantum Leadership Group. She has an MBA from the University of Chicago and PhD
from Brigham Young University.