Leadership is the glue that holds everything else that you do together

Leadership is the glue that holds everything else that you do together, it is the route through which you get the things that you want in life and in business, well conceived leadership designs are an essential ingredient in the makeup of people who achieve. © dkl Accelerating Performance

As true as all this is why does leadership so often fail, and why do organisations who invest heavily in leadership development suffer such catastrophic failure: you can argue that the evidence for this is seen in News International, the Metropolitan Police and UBS. We may soon have to add the minders of the EMU to this list.

Strangely enough the answer is not complex, most people and business have some sense of where they are going to, and how they are going to get there but the failure occurs in the execution of purpose, or of not being very good at what you do.

The leadership world is full of people who will bang on about vision, mission, strategy and goals, but very few practitioners will get their hands dirty in making sure that the leadership messages are communicated throughout the organisation, properly understood, and then ingrained into daily practise.

When behaviour is in sync with the leadership message, things get done the way that they should do, but the responding behavioural practises have to be continually measured. You all know the maxim, "What gets measured gets done", well hey ho! It's true.

A word of caution, the leadership messages will change as circumstances change, and the required responding behaviour will need to change. Make sure that what you are measuring is not old hat.

Leadership does not come with an on/off switch, it always has to be in the on mode; really successful people and businesses get others to live out their leadership designs, generate the electricity, meter its flow, and let the light shine elsewhere.

You might believe that leadership is only a challenge when you are responsible for other people, that's not true! It may be more complex than when you are on your own, but you cannot lead others if you cannot lead your self. Being tuned into your personal leadership needs is the starting point for anyone in business.

Leadership is the glue that holds everything else that you do together

The Communication Gap Kills Companies

The recent furore surrounding News International raises many issues and it highlights the essential connection between Leadership and Communication. This, and the failure of BP to get it’s communications right over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill together with Gerald Ratners throwaway remarks trashing his own products demonstrate how communication and leadership failure can have a catastrophic effect on a company’s fortunes.

Leaders need to be able to effectively communicate what matters when it matters, they also need to heard properly and to generate a climate in which they get to hear from subordinates critical information that comes their way. Companies can only operate in this happy state by analysing their leaders communication style, testing its impact on direct reports and other stakeholders, and then managing The Communication Gap.

The Communication Gap consists of the parts of the leaders message that is not heard or is misheard, plus the critical information held by subordinates that is not passed up the line.

Measure it, train and develop in order to ameliorate it; and then manage it.
The impact of failing to do this can propel companies into disaster management.
Leaders depend on communication.”

The Communication Gap Kills Companies

Is your glass half empty or, half full?

When the sun shines or when the rain pours and you go out to play your game, it is the same for both sides: and more often that not, one side wins and another side looses.

Life is a bit like that,the nation has a millstone of debt round its neck, the banks have not come to the party, and the world is full of naysayers. However, the next few months will see winners and losers so, what are you doing to make sure that you are a winner.

It starts with attitude.

Do you have self-belief?
Are you determined?
Are you resilient?
Do you know what you are doing and what the outcome will be?
Will you keep your focus?

Its a fact that the winners are not always the most talented and they are not always the cleverest, but they are the most focused and determined: they never give up.

Most problems have solutions and if you don't have the answer, get someone to help you.
When you have solutions your glass goes from being half empty to being half full.

Is your glass half empty or, half full?

Organisations without a vision screw things up.

Organisations without directors who have bought into the vision screw up big time.

One of the great routes to disaster is to put the horse before the cart; in business terms this translates into running a business without having crystallised the vision into an inspirational statement that sits in the mind, and is the final arbiter in decisions about what is worthwhile.

Know what is compelling about your organisation and make sure that everyone in your world knows what it as well.

How else would people know if they were acting in the best interests of the organisation?

You may be surrounded by people who know what the vision is, but don’t buy into it. These are the real naysayers; always surround yourself with people who challenge and test every aspect of the decision making process; every aspect that is, except your values and your vision. Real naysayers should be shown the door because they will not only rot your teeth, they will also rot the teeth of those around you.

So if you haven’t got a vision and the commitment of the key people in the organisation to it, deal with it today.

The simplest things can often take a long time to get right, and they often need the help of outsiders to create.

A vision is like a well cut diamond: it takes a long time to cut and polish, and it needs to be in a prominent and enduring setting to show it off to best effect.

Organisations without a vision screw things up.

Inside looking in does not always cut it!

Deciding to get external advice can be an emotional experience.

Most people know if they need an engineer, an accountant or some other professional expertise, but to call someone in to question the fundamentals of the business implies a self-criticism too far for a lot of people. After all, what could someone who is not close to the business bring to the party?

As with many issues this can be more difficult for small and medium sized businesses than it is for large businesses. Large businesses can afford the luxury of non-executive directors who are constantly in place to bring an outside view and fresh thinking, whilst smaller businesses often make do with the advice of their existing professionals, or ad-hoc conversations.

Research consistently shows that companies taking external advice outstrip those who do not. If you have not recently asked yourself the questions:

What am I doing?
Why am I doing it?
Am I doing it effectively?
Is my business sustainable?
What next?

and you do not have the answers etched into your brain,
and if your immediate colleagues don't know what your answers are.
there is room for improvement.

More importantly, the answers will make more sense when they are asked in the context of a strategic review process, rather than as an afterthought when another fire has had to be extinguished.

Sharing this process with an outsider is an act of strength, not weakness.

Inside looking in does not always cut it!

Is something missing from your business?

just managing what you have got is like standing on a small island of sand, ultimately it will ebb away into nothing. Change is the engine of progress and paradoxically, it is needed to maintain market position as well as improve it.

It is easier to identify targets for change that it is to make changes: ask yourself, how are you going to make the changes that you deem important?

Change is a process, and their are clear steps along the way.

1. Develop and share a vision, and be absolutely committed to it.
2. Get all the stakeholders on board, internal and external.
3. Visualise the future and create a route map towards it.
4. Start! Get everyone's goals aligned, and have a system to keep them aligned.
5. Monitor the commitment and activity. Always ask the question: is what we are doing consistent with our commitment to the change that we want?
6. Create urgency and momentum.
7. Realise the benefits and measure their value.
8. Always understand that you may have to adapt and make unforeseen changes along the way.

Uncertain about starting?

Is something missing from your business?

Why do so many Change Management initiatives fail?

In a recent poll of 607 senior executives 58% said that over the past five years, half or fewer of their change initiatives have been successful.

Senior executives say that the most difficult aspect of change is the winning of hearts and minds, and the lack of management buy in.

Some way down on the list of reasons is lack of commitment by senior management, and poor communication.

Neither of these issues can be addressed without the wholehearted commitment of the team at the very top, together with clear ownership and accountability at that level.

There has to be a process of engagement that cascades through the organisation and makes real time performance visible where it matters.

The process has to be flexible enough to cope with the impact that external factors have on the change programme.

Most importantly the change has to be led by people within the organisation and not by outside consultants, otherwise the engagement will be weak.

Listen to "File on 4 - Foundation Hospitals: An Acute Crisis?" at http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/vcpfb for an example a consultancy cure being more expensive than the problem.

Please mail me on dkl@dk-l.com if you want to discuss the value of minimalistic consulting that primes the pump, rather than the overly expensive type that drains the well.

Why do so many Change Management initiatives fail?