Excellence

LEADERSHIP ™

THE MAGAZINE OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, MANAGERIAL EFFECTIVENESS, AND ORGANIZATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY

VOL. 22 NO. 9 AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2005

Feeding Frenzy
This scene of gulls and a grizzly
feeding on Pacific salmon
provides food for serious thought.
Without this seasonally abundant
food source, the entire ecosystem
would be either endangered or
lack nutritional enrichment.

STEPHEN R. COVEY MALCOLM GLADWELL MARSHALL GOLDSMITH TOM PETERS

Mission and Margin Personality Plus Leaders Make The Action Faction
Develop disciplines How well can we Values Visible Cultivate in your
to lead and execute . . . . .3 predict behavior? . . . . . . .9 Correlate mission and people a proactive
behavior of leaders . . . .13 bias for action . . . . . . . . .17
JACK WELCH PATRICK LENCIONI
The Vitality Curve Choose Teamwork MARK MURPHY DENNIS NALLY
Dare to differentiate Start by building Why CEOs Get Fired How Much Is Enough?
the performance trust and then Leaders get fired when Balance regulation
of your people . . . . . . . . . .4 opting in . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 confidence is lost . . . . . .14 with strong
internal control . . . . . . . .18
ROBERT REICH MICHAEL PORTER TONY SCHWARTZ
The Art of Narrative CEO as Strategist Fire on All Cylinders DESMOND GUILFOYLE
You need to tell Great strategies are Look through Influence People
the right stories . . . . . . . . .6 leader-driven causes . . .11 the energy lens . . . . . . . .15 Motivate
others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
JUDITH E. GLASER RICHARD C. HUSEMAN JIM TRINKA
Making Changes AND PAMELA A. BILBREY What’s a AVRIL HENRY
Transformation can Break Out Manager to Do? Leadership Revealed
be exhilarating in Great leaders achieve Which activities Your style may limit
the give and take . . . . . . .7 ‘impossible’ goals . . . . . .12 boost performance? . . . .16 your effectiveness . . . . . .20
leadershipstyle
what their leader or manager is willing
to do to help them improve.
Australian Leadership Revealed The Hewitt Associates surveys on
Yo u r s t y l e m a y l i m i t y o u r e f f e c t i v e n e s s . Best Australian Employers found that
leaders in those organizations are good
listeners and are open and honest in
by Avril Henry Currently, 80 percent of board, senior their communication style.
and executive positions in Australia are Another quality of highly effective
occupied by Veterans (born prior to leaders is that they don’t believe that

P ETER D RUCKER , IN 1946) and Baby Boomers (born between they have all the answers themselves;
his book The Leader 1946 and1964), who have a different
of the Future (1996),
they recognize that the answers to many
understanding of the key motivators of workplace issues can be found within
observed that, ‘There may be born the two younger generations. the organization and often at levels
leaders, but there surely are too few to In broad terms, Australian leaders below management. They ask questions
depend on them. Leadership must be fail because they: of employees at all levels and then will-
learned and can be learned’. My belief • are poor managers of performance; ingly listen to their contributions. This
is that leadership is a set of learnable • withhold constructive feedback; earns respect for the leader and simulta-
behaviours which can be adopted and • are poor listeners; and neously demonstrates the leader’s
modelled by observing leaders who • exhibit command and control styles. respect for the employees. In order to
exhibit ethical behaviours and strong Australian managers and leaders do engage the employees, the leader must
values—qualities that ‘followers’ not like giving feedback, but are even help them understand ‘why’ they must
admire and respect. more uncomfortable receiving feedback follow, rather than assume that they will
Unfortunately, for decades in many on their own performance from their follow. They also need to be more open
Australian organizations, we have not subordinates. They do not like giving to challenges and questions.
invested in developing management In order to move towards a more col-
and leadership capabilities, believing laborative and inclusive leadership
that these ‘soft skills’ are not as impor- style, leaders need to focus on:
tant as technical skills and work experi- • learning how to give and receive
ence. Soft skills have long been seen as constructive feedback about both good
an unnecessary overhead. Managers and poor performance;
often cut their training and develop- • building learning cultures within the
ment budgets when cost reductions are organization—enabling the develop-
needed; ironically, strong leadership is ment of management and leadership
the number one motivator for the two skills of all employees responsible for
youngest generations in the workforce, leading others;
namely Generation X (born between • creating positive work environments
1965 and 1979) and Generation Y (born where employees are encouraged to be
from 1980), who comprise 59 percent of the best they can be;
Australian workplaces. Their principal feedback on poor performance because • adopting more inclusive approaches
loyalty is not to the organization, but to it ‘upsets people’. Studies by Human to problem solving by seeking input
their careers and a good manager. The Synergistics International have found from employees, where possible; and
absence of strong leadership and a Australian leaders to have the highest • moving from command and control
good manager is the main reason many level of ‘avoidance leadership’ globally. leadership to more collaborative, inclu-
of them leave their organizations. This is characterised by a fear of engage- sive leadership.
When challenged on what good leader- ment, withdrawal from taking responsi- Finally, in order for a leader to be
ship means, Generation Xers say it’s bility and a preference to defer decision truly credible, he or she needs to lead by
‘Leaders who do what they say they making. We also find Australian leaders example, exhibiting the above behav-
will do’; while Generation Y, impatient promoting the ‘tall poppy syndrome’; iours in their own lives. In the words of
by nature, extend this to include ‘… that is, ‘we can’t tell people when they Father Chris Riley, CEO of Youth Off
when they say they will do it!’. are doing a good job because they might The Streets: “Leading by example is
This desire for good leadership is “get up themselves”’. So, Australian how leaders make vision and values
further supported by the Best Aus- employees are left with no feedback at tangible. It is how they provide evidence
tralian Employers surveys conducted all! This is unacceptable to Generations that they’re personally committed. And
by Hewitt Associates over the last five X and Y, who not only expect feedback that evidence is what people look for
years, which have identified strong but will demand it. They want to know and admire in leaders—people whose
leadership and a commitment to the when they are doing well so they can direction they willingly follow.” LE
people inside the organization as the continue to do it. They also want to Avril Henry is an executive coach, public speaker, author and
Executive Director of AH Revelations, a leadership and HR con-
number one factor setting such organi- know when they are not doing well, sulting business. 61 2 414 862 527, avril@ahrevelations.com.
zations apart from all others. what they need to do to improve and ACTION: Lead by example.

20 w w w. L e a d e r E x c e l . c o m L e a d e r s h i p E x c e l l e n c e