Leadership: Four Critical Success Behaviors

Dr. David Rafeedie

Two people in the same organization were each given the task of developing a new department within the organization. These departments were created around the core mission of the organization to help the organization achieve the desired outcomes they set forth for themselves. The intent was to be focused and successful in what the organization says is its primary reason for existence. In the past, the responsibilities of each of the new departments had been dispersed throughout the existing organizational structure.

They were both parts of the organizational culture. Both men understood the critical importance of their respective departments. Both leaders diligently researched their respective areas to understand current trends and future direction. Both were excited about the possibilities.

One was a smashing success, and the other never got traction and department floundered and almost disappeared. What was the difference? The difference was leadership.

You have hard the saying, “Leadership is Everything!” I use it all the time. While it may be a bit hyperbolic, I would say not much. Any organization or team grows or shrinks, to the capacity of their leadership. An endeavor is successful, or not, based on the performance of the leadership guiding it. 

What is leadership? A friend mine named Guy Saffold, an excellent leader, once said there are over 300 definitions of leadership. That was about 15 years ago. More have been added I am sure. Each of those 300 definitions has salient points to add to the picture of leadership. They describe leadership or at least some important aspects of leadership.

I have added my definition to mix too. Creating room for others to participate while equipping and developing them to do so. The crux of my definition of leadership is intentionally looking for ways to empower people with authority to do the job (Creating room). At the same time, giving them the tools (Equipping) to get the job done, and also providing professional development opportunities so that they do the job with excellence (Developing).

There are myriad of terrific books and articles on leadership. I am not adding to the body of knowledge in this short article. But as a leader and a coach I can help others lead well. If I had to pick my top four leadership behaviors I would pick the following: leaders see, then they focus, then they align, and then they empower.

1.  Leaders “see” the preferred future. The vision is clear, and they know what the organization will be years into the future. Two essential factors with vision are while this vision clear, the leaders are flexible. They understand the environment their organization produces in, and they know that environments can change quickly. Therefore, they know the vision can be fluid, and they flex with the times to give their organizations the best chance for success.

Secondly, they share the vision. If the vision is not a shared vision, it will not motivate the people in the organization. I the leader holds the vision to herself she will not be able to communicate direction clearly and there will be a lack of focused effort. The energy of the team and organization will be diffused and weakened.

James Kouzes and Barry Posner, in their book, The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations, share the following based on their extensive research. “Being forward looking is the second most admired characteristic that people look for in those people they would willingly follow. In fact, it is this quality of focusing on the future that most differentiates people who are seen as leaders from those who are not.”2

2. Leaders are “focused” on the preferred future, and they focus the organization on it too. Beginning with their teams, leaders talk the vision. They live the vision, and they point their team toward the vision. They don’t believe they can over-communicate they continually speak the language of their preferred future. They insist their team pass that vision and language throughout the organization. Everyone in the organization knows where they are going and what part they play in achieving the vision. They too are focused because the leader is focused. They have a strong identity, and they know where they are going. Being focused motivates everyone to do the best they can do to be successful—they know what the win is, and they strive to achieve it.

3. Leaders “align” their organization and teams around the preferred future through strategic objectives and tactical goals. Strategic objectives give direction; they lead to the preferred future. The goals are the how to get there. Think of the preferred future as the destination, the strategic objectives as the highway, and the goals as the vehicles on the highway taking you where you want to go. Planning is the roadmap, the big picture of why, where, and how.

I love the quote by Alan Lakein, the well-known author and time management guru who said, “Planning is bringing the future into the present so you can do something about it now.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Lakein. You will also find titles for two great books of his on the Wikipedia page.

4. Leaders gather the right people around them, they place them in the right role, and they empower them with the responsibility and authority to get the job done.  They understand their team, and they place the team and the team members in a position to succeed. Another simple way of saying this is leaders care about the people around them and show it in concrete ways.

You don’t always see the leader, but you always see leadership. The result of leaders leading, practicing good leadership behaviors, is effectiveness and accomplishment. The cost to organizations and teams of leaders that do not lead is a directionless and sometimes disordered activity which causes apathy and frustration within the organization or team. The bottom line; effectiveness is limited.

Everyone has talents and skills they bring to a situation. In the story above, the failed leader was not a bad person. In fact, he had great strengths. He was just in the wrong role. The organization placed him in a position that ensured he would not be successful, and therefore his new department failed as well. He was set up to fail because he was not capable of practicing the four characteristics of leadership that are critical to success.

The successful leader was placed in a position that was in his wheelhouse. He thrived, and so did his department, and therefore, so did the organization in that part of its structure and mission. Not all of the four success characteristics came naturally to him. A couple of them he had to learn as he went. That is where a coach will help.

What do you think? Start the conversation.

Coaching can help you be the leader you want to be and your organization or team need. Email me at info@davidthecoach.com and let’s have a conversation.

If you are reading this on social media, check out my website at www.davidthecoach.com.  You will also find more blogs on leadership, team development, and other success factors there.