"Management is doing things right: Leadership is doing the right things" (Peter Drucker)
Skill
Establishing a clear vision, sharing it with others so that they will follow willingly, then providing information, knowledge, methods and resources to realise that vision, whilst having the capacity to be aware of, control and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically
Competency
Specialist
Competency Level
82%
Knowledge (Theories, Ideas & Concepts)
Through Professional/Personal Study Gained Through Experience
Leadership means different things to different people, but it essentially involves 5 factors: (1) Creating an inspiring future vision; (2) Motivating and inspiring people to engage with the vision; (3) Managing the delivery of the vision; (4) Coaching and building teams so that they are more effective vision deliverers; (5) Monitoring, reviewing, providing feedback, adjusting approaches and taking necessary disciplinary measures where necessary.
Recognising the different management styles and how to choose and develop each of the different styles with a focus on the matter at hand, resources available, end goals and best tools for the job, in order to elevate and inspire your teams.
Component of leadership also include honesty/integrity/values, outstanding awareness/listening, vision/goal setting/planning, courage/decision making, communication skills, team building/handling/recognition, discipline, support, creativity, insight, initiative, energy and high emotional intelligence.
The 22 qualities that make a great leader include: focus; confidence; transparency; integrity; inspiration; passion, innovation; patience; stoicism; wonkiness; authenticity; open mindedness; decisiveness; personableness; empowerment; positivity; generosity; persistence; insightfulness; communication; accountability; restlessness [The Entrepreneur, 2016].
Skills & Application of Knowledge in Real World Situations
Together with Responsibilities/Accountabilities
Providing people leadership and stakeholder management in bringing together a very large support contract, supporting the bid development whilst in parallel acting as the Technical Programme Manager.
Developing people, teams and management as the Engineering Transition Deployment Manager for a global business transformation programme.
Leading, developing and expediting the technical architecture for a complex deployed enterprise system in a mission critical area
Never underestimate managing internal stakeholders and politics – The management of relationships, politics, image, perspectives, managing up and gaining buy-in should be front and centre to your leadership style. You can only be in one place at one time, but by gaining the right support your influence can extend well beyond especially if you delegate more.
Inspiring other through leadership and developing people teams – Motivating others with a clear vision, ensuring they have the right skills and tools (developing them if they don’t) is key to job satisfaction and working smarter. Then guiding the team through change, overcoming resistance and obstacles, undertaking team development, conducting retrospectives, and dealing with the human elements of change. Proactive mitigations and goal setting are a lot less disruptive than any reactive firefighting.
Developing Managerial Effectiveness – developing and utilising the right skills at the right time in the right cultural environment. Being able to call upon a toolbox of skills (i.e. time management, task prioritisation, strategic thinking and tactical decision making, getting up to speed on the job and determining the critical issues) allows more efficient and effective actions. One solution is not the answer and a combined series of approaches is needed on complex problems. Focus on tasks that maximise your unique value and provide high value outcomes for your organisation.
Selected Achievements & Successes
Together with Any ‘So What’ Statements of Insights
As a consultant you are required to deliver predetermined outcomes, however you may be drawn into the human resource aspect of an organisation during some of the firefighting activities. By gaining some role clarity it is vital that you understand what your work does and doesn’t entail. You may have to say ‘no’ to some ‘nice to have’ activities or only provide a skeleton approach, in order to allow you to focus on the critical elements and deliver on your promises. You can invariably do many things, but you can’t do everything.
An idealistic vision is what motivates and mobilises people, and when this is coupled with pragmatic plans and deterministic resolve they create a powerful tool for engagement and delivery. One failing project I was brought into to bring back on track was repeatedly failing. It took a new team, a new approach, new words based on reality and roll-up your sleeves actions to help move towards the aspiration. Always start with the question – how can I make things better?
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower” (Steve Jobs). Never underestimate the power of a small group committed people to bring fresh demand-led visions to life through creating their works of genius. Beware the expert who makes erroneously wrong predictions based on their view of the world and the flaws of early technologies. Small improvements accumulate, technology improves as problems get fixed and people adapt. I have never had a good idea that went straight to market, reality demands it is incubated and it evolves into the final form through hard work and perspiration