[November 07, 2014] In Part 1 of this post I wrote about the essential aspects of a basic leader; one who has not yet reached senior status of the most upper positions in leading people. Among the most important was to follow the Golden Rule by treating others with respect and through the use of conflict resolution. Senior leaders differ. The defining difference being that the senior leader must know what is important and when to act. This may seem simple and it is – at least conceptually – but we know that it’s easier said than done. Many senior leaders fail at it.
Senior leaders that I speak with are adamant that leaders need to be better at what they do. They also talk with me about their disappointment in so many of their peers that have fallen into ethical traps. This has occurred with unforeseen frequency. One of the biggest issues regarding senior leader development is actually, “how can it be done?” We all agree that any individual senior leader can do better with mentoring, specific training, experience, and technical assistance. Of course the big question is how and that is the ultimate struggle.
The complexity of the human social environment is the background that develops senior leaders. My personal experience with senior leaders1 consistently shows they possess complete confidence in their abilities. Confidence mixed with humility is what appears to work best.
Senior leaders are also interested in those things that are important for the basic leader because the senior leader must also be good at them. Here are some of those aspects that can make senior leaders better:
- Make Decisions Only when Required. Leaders learn quickly that being successful means having a sense of urgency. As a senior leader we find that urgency needs to be mixed with patience. Too often senior leaders make decisions sooner than necessary. New information may force the leader to rethink their decision. Furthermore, we need to stop making decisions that junior leaders can make. Junior leaders need to be given the confidence that senior leaders support them and the room to make those decisions.
- Set Standards and Expectations. It is certainly one of our biggest failures that standards are not set high. For senior leaders to get along and not be pegged as a tyrant, they have been known to allow lower standards through neglect. Standards need to be openly developed, set very high, clearly (and loudly) communicated to everyone, and enforced. By doing so, standards and expectations are instituted in such a way that a great many problems are avoided later.
- Do what is Right – Legally, Morally, and Ethically. Certainly, everyone should be doing the right thing. On the face of it, usually this is not a problem. But in an evolving world of high tech and changing morals, what is “right” is not always clear. The senior leader has the responsibility to work through any issue where this may be a problem, clarify it, and ensure everyone is aware of the right course of action. Doing the right thing however is not all that is required; the senior leader must also be perceived as doing the right thing. This means not doing things that could give the impression that they are not doing what’s right.
- Establish a Clear Vision and Method to Achieve it. One feature of senior leadership, often overlooked, is the ability to take a complex issue and communicate it in easily understood terms. Such a skill makes it far easier to develop a vision that is effortlessly understood. If the vision is created openly with full participation and easily understood, it will be easier to implement. The methods (e.g., processes and tactics) to achieve that vision must meet the same criteria of openness, simplicity, and clarity.
Dwight Eisenhower learned about being a senior leader through experience and education; it required both and neither could have helped without the other. He learned his most valuable lessons on senior leadership in peacetime and learned his most important lessons on humanness during combat. He knew when to make a decision, how to do what was right, and establish a vision that everyone could understand and follow. Senior leaders will continue to be challenged and that is a good thing because only through the struggle of leadership can we grow to be better.
Part 1 of “How Can I Be a Better Leader” can be found here: https://www.theleadermaker.com/can-better-leader-part-1-2/
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[1] My personal interactions with senior leaders has been with senior military officers from about 20 countries, most from the United States and Western nations. I am not limited to military leaders. Over the past 20 years I have developed relationships with many senior politicians and business people. A note on humility … I believe that this is a 21st Century trait rather than a Western trait. Thus, all leaders should have some level of humility; it works best with the better educated. As education levels improve worldwide, I see humility as a required trait for leaders at all levels.