Originally written August 7, 2009
Leadership, like love or
confidence, is one of those intangible ideas or concepts that people can spend
a lifetime trying to quantify and define.
In today’s tumultuous world of economic uncertainty, corporate scandals
and apparent end of “business as usual” we have never had greater need for
poised, decisive, truly effective leadership: in our governments, in our
schools, in our communities and in our organizations. The following is a discussion on what
constitutes effective leadership and steps that can be taken to improve one’s
effectiveness as a leader.
“Leadership is not a position or a
title but a living influence where a person or persons move others into the
unknown.” (Service, 2009, p. 125) From
an organizational perspective, the character and skills - especially
communication skills - leaders bring to the table determine the way problems
are handled and ultimately solved as well as how day to day tasks are
accomplished. Therefore, organizational
leaders determine the ultimate effectiveness and success of the
organization. So what makes a leader
effective? How does a leader provide
proper guidance and ensure the success of his team or organization and how can
he or she continually improve upon their performance?
One can look to other recognized leaders,
try to identify patterns and behaviors that make them effective and attempt to
replicate them. This year's recipient of
the Excellence in Communication Leadership (EXCEL) Award given by the
International Association of Business Communicators is Brian J. Dunn, president
and chief operating officer of Best Buy Co. Inc., the electronics giant. “According to Tim Connelly, director of
internal communications at Best Buy, who nominated Dunn for the award, “one of Brian's
greatest gifts as a communicator is his self-deprecating style. He is willing - and eager - to make light of
himself and his role, is the first to acknowledge that senior executives do not
have all the answers, and is genuinely interested in listening to and learning
from all of the people with whom he interacts. He personally participates in
leading-edge communications activities, and is always accessible and engaged
regarding real-time company announcements and discussions” (Anonymous, 2009, p.
125). This description gives a sense of a
leader who is active in his corporate community and cares about what kind of
experience those in the organization have on a daily basis. This is the kind of leader that is regularly
“tuned-in” to his employees and places great value on honest and open communication. “Nowhere is communication competency more
important than when individuals attempt to lead and establish vision and
direction for organizations”
(Shockley-Zalabak, 2009, p. 235)
Looking to successful leaders such
as Brian Dunn for inspiration on how to increase our own effectiveness as a
leader is extremely important, but there may also be more straight forward
approaches to help us in this quest. In
a landmark research study that later became a book, Robert Service set out to
determine and measure the characteristics, actions and traits that led to
effective leadership. Much like the
measurements IQ and EQ, this is the LQ: Leadership Quotient. “The Leadership Quotient helps one, realize
the traits, abilities, and behaviors that one naturally has and does not have
and how to adapt those to followers and environments.” (Service, 2009, p. 130) Where does the process begin?
As Socrates said, “Know
Thyself.” “Self-awareness is a key to
leadership effectiveness. Understanding
personal preferences, behaviors, and problem situations is fundamental to
discovering why some leadership efforts succeed while others fail.”
(Shockley-Zalabak, 2009, p. 244)
However, it is more than just identifying your own patterns and
frameworks. “… beyond understanding of
self and others there must be the willingness and desire to: a) identify real
issues, not the presenting complaints—which are simply manifestations of real
issues, b) admit the state of reality for the leader and the situation, c)
define and plan an approach, d) take action, e) measure, f) improve, g) and go
back to step a) again.” (Service, 2009, p.131)
In the quest to evaluate and
therefore improve leadership abilities, Service identified 12 primary
characteristics or quotients that can be focused on to increase leadership
effectiveness. It is important to note
first that these quotients are not separate concepts, but that they act
interdependently. The author also attempts
to make distinctions between characteristics that are likely natural or part of
the leader’s “personality” and characteristics that are likely learned over
time, or nurtured. At the same time
keeping in mind that the lines between “nature” and “nurture” are not clearly
defined but variable and sometimes blurred.
For each quotient the author also identified the negative side of those
same characteristics as barriers to leadership effectiveness. For the purposes of this examination I will
focus on the positive manifestation of each for leadership improvement.
“Desire Quotient: Effort, drive
for results, persistence - basically a willingness to do whatever it takes.”
(Service, 2009, p. 144) This relates to
a leader’s ability to demonstrate passion for his purpose and mission. Society tends to reward and respect those who
have been pursuing a specific goal for long periods of time and those who have
not given up despite difficulties and obstacles. A leader with a high desire quotient will
passionately and openly care about their organization and inspire others to do
the same.
“Reality Quotient: Correctly
clarifying inclusiveness, consensus, objectives, forward-sightedness, and
visions.” (p. 144) This relates to a
leader’s ability to display an realistic and accurate view of themselves and their
environments. Leaders with a high
reality quotient will be more likely to communicate freely with followers about
negative or unpleasant issues and less likely to create unreasonable
expectations. In a time where companies
are being forced to make very tough decisions, leaders with an elevated reality
quotient should be highly valued.
“Emotional Quotient:
Self-awareness, social awareness, empathy, exhibited mood, ability to control
first impressions of self, and level of validity of assessment of self and
others.” (p. 145) This relates to a
leader’s ability to sense and control their own emotions and sensing the
emotions of others. Such a leader is
sensitive to intangible qualities of organizational life such as the level of
employee motivation and the importance of recognizing employee success. With companies’ less able to provide monetary
rewards, “emotional motivators” need to be explored even further.
“Intelligence Quotient: Best known
of the quotients. LQ©’s IQ replaces the
IQ of academic fame with successful intelligence.” (p. 146) In organizational life this translated to a
leader’s perceived competence with not only his own tasks and responsibilities
but also his understanding of the roles and responsibilities of employees in
other levels of the organization.
“Communications Quotient: Verbal,
written, and body language, tone, dialect, clarity, conviction, command, use of
silence, volume, vocabulary, presentation skills, and listening effectiveness.”
(p. 147) As the main focus of this course
and my chosen field of study, this relates to a leader’s ability to effectively
convey thoughts, ideas, intention in a compelling and persuasive way that will
inspire others to work toward organizational goals. One of the most important pieces of the communication
puzzle, which is often ignored, and related directly to the ability to develop
skills in most of the 12 quotients, is effective listening. When all members of the organization feel
they are properly listened to by their leaders they are much more likely to
feel committed to their jobs and their organizations in general.
“People Quotient: Ability to
relate with people; includes relationships, social skills, poise and demeanor,
teaming, networking, etc.” (p. 148) This
can also be seen as the “popularity quotient.”
However, it is more than just being charismatic and engaging. A leader with a high people quotient will
also be the one with the ability to inspire trust and make other feel connected
to organizational purpose.
“Behavioral Quotient: Exhibited
external focus, ethics, values, credibility, direction, flexibility, savvy,
social graces, timing, inspiration, and dependability.” (p. 148) A leader with a high behavioral quotient will
lead by example. They will command
respect for their display of courage and self-discipline. They will be seen as fair-minded and
consistent. Consistency is a key
ingredient for a sense of organizational stability.
“Appearance Quotient:
Manifestation of the correct level of confidence; goes on to include voice,
appropriate dress, vitality, alertness, mannerisms, physical appearance,
posture, poise, demeanor and fit with the environment from the perspectives of
the followers.” (p. 149) This relates to
a piece of popular wisdom I have heard many times – “dress for the job you
want, not the job you have.” Although
appearance here does not refer solely to one’s apparel, the perceived effort
one puts into their own presentation and grooming at work directly relates to
their level of commitment to their positions and their organization.
“eXperience Quotient:
Accomplishments, mistakes, seizing the moment, discernment, maturity, insights,
intuition, judgment, decisiveness, learning by example, understandability,
adaptability, and people and organizational savvy.” (p. 150) This is usually the quotient which most
recent graduates are said to be lacking in.
Unfortunately this quotient can only grow through practice, trial and
error, and with age. However, young
professionals can leverage their experience outside the organizational
environment in ways that indicate they would translate to organizational
life. For example, many concepts of team
sports and student government can be used in corporate settings as well.
“Knowledge Quotient: Leader’s
ability to learn, pay attention, recognize, imagine, and keep up to date on
technologies. It also includes adaptability, innovativeness, and the ability to
evolve.” (p. 150) A leader with a high
knowledge quotient thinks outside the box and comes up with creative solutions
for problems. They are constantly on the
lookout for new and better ways to conduct business and is fully aware at all
times of the general state of their organization.
“Situational Quotient: Ability to
interpret cues and develop appropriate strategies for addressing.” (p.
151) The leader with a high situational
quotient thinks well on the fly, does not get paralyzed by unexpected events or
surprises, is always prepared for the inevitable and constant change that is
organizational life and maintains composure under any type of crisis. This is another quotient which is
particularly valuable in today’s society where the next crisis is just around
the corner.
“Management Quotient: General
admin(istrative) skills for systems and procedures, planning, organizing,
controlling, staffing; teaming, process, ability to motivate, evaluate and
manage, information and knowledge management.” (p. 151) This is the quotient which reflects
attributes most often associated with organizational leaders. Leaders with highly developed managerial
skills will be a valuable resource to employees in helping them get their day
to day tasks completed. These leaders
provide employees with essential tools that they need to be successful in their
positions.
As seen herein, effective
leadership is a complex framework of many attributes, skills and situations
working independently to create positive or negative results. The 12 quotients mentioned do not represent a
complete and absolute formula for determining leadership effectiveness, but
rather a guide or map with practical, real-world application that can be used
by anyone in a variety of situations to help boost the probability that their
leadership attempt may be successful. By
simply attempting to evaluate oneself in each of the categories we are already
gaining valuable knowledge about ourselves that even without further effort
will yield results in providing more insight into our communications with
others in organizational life.
In turn, as another important
characteristic of leadership we can use this knowledge and insight to evaluate
the patterns and characteristics of others and be more able to adapt to
different styles of communication as well as assist them in developing their
own leadership abilities. Regardless of
what style or approach to leadership you prefer, this guide contains useful
information for a variety of purposes – from those attempting to take a more
active role in their organization and beginning to take part in leadership
activities to those with larger plans like opening their own business. I firmly believe that everyone is a leader in
at least one area of their lives and the practical lessons that can be learned
from the twelve quotients can be useful to anyone including parents, working
professionals and even as a tool to lead oneself to reach personal goals. After all, we must first lead ourselves
before we can lead others.
References
Anonymous, (July 2009).
Best Buy leader knows how to communicate. Communication World, 26(4),
6-7. Retrieved August 1, 2009, from
ABI/INFORM Global
Service, R. (2009).
The Leadership Quotient: Measuring toward Improve. Business Renaissance
Quarterly, 4(1), 125-157. Retrieved
August 1, 2009, from ABI/INFORM Global.
Shockley-Zalabak, P. (2009). Fundamentals of Organizational
Communication: Knowledge, Sensitivity, Skills, Values. Boston : Pearson.
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