Leadership: How to know if you are one, who else is, and how to grow them

What’s so important about Leadership, anyway?

According to a 2008 DDI (Development Dimensions International) study called Growing Global Executive Talent: High Priority, Limited Progress, while executives agree about the importance of leadership to the success of their organization, some of their findings may surprise you.
For instance, “Brings in the numbers” came in at the bottom of the priority list, with only 10% of those polled indicating that it was an important leadership quality; in fact, polling revealed that the 3 most important leadership abilities are:

   • The ability to motivate a team (34.7%)
   • Works well across cultures (33.5%) and
   • Ability to facilitate change (32%)

What did they say was holding their organization back? Not the economy, not their competition and not their customers. No, topping out this list is a factor that these organizations actually have complete power over (which is why it’s surprising to me that it is on the top, and is so high!) Those polled said that the greatest barriers to effective strategy execution in their organization is having the wrong person in the role (36.4%).

This one both bewilders and intrigues me. If you have the wrong person in the role, and this is one of the biggest obstacles in the way of your organization’s success, doesn’t it behoove you to either move the person, or change their role? It seems like such an obvious answer – so obvious a solution that it shouldn’t even be on the list, let alone topping it! Also high up on this list were having too many priorities (32.8%), insufficient resources (30.6%), and having a poor business strategy (30.6%).

So how does the DDI study recommend that you create a leadership culture and develop talent management? (For greater detail on each recommendation, read the study online.)

1. Start with the end in mind, your current and future business needs (implied: You know what they are!)
2. Craft an integrated talent strategy
3. Own talent management at the top, and at all levels; one of the chief responsibilities of the CEO
4. Identify leader potential early on
5. Accurately diagnose leader skills (Do you see how this could help avoid having the wrong leader matched up with a certain role?)
6. Build a strong human resources function (In the survey, only 10% said their HR hiring was effectively aligned in bringing in the right people)
7. Take risks and be innovative about employee development

So how do you continue to develop your own leadership abilities as well as a mind set that will help you to create a culture in your business where other leaders can be identified, empowered and developed?

Some of the traits consistently demonstrated by the best leaders is that they are never satisified; they are continually seeking out ways to increase their own knowledge and abilities when it comes to leadership. They are open and fair minded when it comes to the opinions of others. They are able to recognize and learn from mistakes – their own or those made collectively within an organization – without throwing anyone under the bus. They know their own strengths and their own weaknesses, and they surround themselves with teammates who have complimentary skill sets and passions. They are less concerned with who gets the credit than whether the idea or initiative is successful. They get stuff done.

Additional resources and reads when it comes to leadership:

More from DDI: Finding the First Rung, a study on the challenges facing today’s front line leaders. Why are new frontline leaders struggling in their jobs? They’re learning leadership through trial and error—and are blind to their management shortcomings. Read on to discover what organizations can do about it.

Top 50 Leadership Blogs [click here]

Online Leadership Development Guide/Resources for Individuals [click here]

The 6 Steps of Goal Setting [click here]

And some great leadership books and manuals with the disclaimer that there are a lot of great books out there – these are a few that are specific to some of the discussion above.  

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=wwwbeinpulsec-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0785288570&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr   http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=wwwbeinpulsec-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1599951681&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr   http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=wwwbeinpulsec-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0785260927&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=wwwbeinpulsec-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1422128709&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr   http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=wwwbeinpulsec-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1591391849&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr