Leadership the ability of an individual to lead or guide other individuals, teams or an entire organization.
Dissecting the definition of leadership, starting with the Senior Leadership team. Senior leadership leads an entire organization by establishing the desired results, consistent performance measures and the imperatives of the organization. Along with setting the imperatives the senior leadership needs to select a leader for each imperative.
Imperative leaders then need to formulate a team, often cross functional, to create a series of initiatives that will accomplish the imperative. These imperative leaders lead or guide the team section of the definition of leadership.
Team members on the imperative teams must then work with the individuals they encounter daily to lead them and guide them in implementing the initiatives. The team members become the leaders of individuals.
Implementing this trickle down of the imperatives, acting on the initiatives, and utilizing the consistent performance measures sets expectations and accountabilities. This further provides a means of charting progress on the journey toward accomplishing desired results.
An important element in this process is modeling behavior. Senior Leadership must hold regular scheduled working sessions with the imperative leaders present. These sessions must consist of work completed and results, planned activity for the next month, three months, six months and what initiatives will be launched. Using the consistent performance measures to chart the organization as it moves forward to accomplish the desired results. Unforeseen occurrences and circumstances will occur. Initiatives may need to be altered to deal with the unforeseen. What should not happen is a change to the imperatives or measures since these imperatives and measures have been thoughtfully developed to attain desired results.
Imperative leaders need to also hold regularly scheduled working sessions using the same format as the Senior Leadership team. Modeling behavior builds confidence regardless of unforeseen circumstances arising that the organization is not abandoning the imperatives and measures. Expectations and accountabilities are set.
As unforeseen circumstances happen the discipline of the process working sessions, imperatives and consistent performance measures remain the same. Adaptability becomes changing Initiatives to deal with the unforeseen circumstances. Much like a quarterback calling an audible at the line of scrimmage because the defense lined up unexpectedly.
When employees have confidence in the process they will learn how to adapt. It is simpler to explain what is causing an audible when employees understand the desired results of the organization and their role.
Senior Leadership also must provide empowerment. Empowerment is providing your leaders at all levels of the organization and all employees, with the necessary resources, authority, opportunity and motivation to perform their work while holding them accountable. The process above does just that. It provides the necessary resources for your team leaders and members to accomplish the desired results. When imperative leaders come to senior leadership needing funds to accomplish an initiative that supports an imperative with well documented returns, those funds need to be made available providing necessary resources. The team leaders need the authority to select employees they deem necessary cross functionally with the support of functional leaders and senior leadership. Team members are provided the opportunity to make a difference. Motivation is the recognition for a job well done and the potential for advancement. What must be included is holding people accountable for what the desired results are and the expectations set. None of this is easy. When done right the benefits are rewarding.
Senior Leadership must know their leaders in all functions and levels. Recognize those leaders. Hold them accountable and reward them for a job well done. Senior Leadership must impress upon all employees the customer and consumer Satisfaction Index is at the center of all that is done. Meeting the needs of the customer and consumer today and predicting trends of the future while delivering superior customer and consumer experience allows your organization to win.
Not all organizations have the ability to have a full-time champion and mentor to implement this process. Look for Interim and Fractional resources that provide Executive Support to assist your organization in putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Somers Bay Consulting provides such resources.