Encyclopedia of Leadership

1.4

PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE YOUR USE OF

LEADERSHIP TECHNIQUES

Inspired by Geoffrey Bellman, Peter Block, Stephen Covey, Gene Dalton, Paul Thompson,

Ralph Kilmann, David Ulrich, Jack Zenger, and Norman Smallwood.

While leadership techniques and how-tos are helpful, they fail you in the long run unless they

are based on some firm foundations or principles. This table summarizes important principles

for leaders. Use these as a springboard for developing your beliefs and thinking as a powerful

leader in your organization.

PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING LEADERSHIP TECHNIQUES

SECTION 1 FOUNDATIONALCONCEPTS 11

Model the behavior you

expect from others: Be

recursive.

[☛1.8 Recursive

Leadership]

Think strategically as

well as tactically. See the

big picture and align

your efforts with it, but

also attend to details and

get things done.

[☛3.1 Strategy]

Value accountability.

Think of yourself as

running a business with-

in your organization—

Team, Inc.

Be results-oriented—

build organizational

capital and growth; and

people-oriented—build

human capital and

growth. [☛1.7 Results-

Based Leaders]

Manage complexity and

cope with ambiguity.

[☛6.3 Complex

Situations]

The dangers of ignoring Positive steps to enact

Principle this principle this principle

If what you say is different from what

you do (i.e., the audio doesn’t match

the video), others will quickly sense

this. They will mistrust you, even if

they can’t specifically say why they

have doubts.

Ineffective leaders are often too detail-

oriented. This can lead to losing sight

of the big picture while micro-

managing others. On the other hand,

talking big and not delivering is also

ineffective. A balance of strategic and

tactical thinking is required.

Leaders who have not defined their

accountabilities are often frustrated by

low-value activities. They blame

executives for “not making good use of

my skills.”

Emphasizing results at the expense

of people is a short-term tactic at best.

Emphasizing people at the expense of

business results bodes poorly for

the long-term survival of the

organization.

Lack of tolerance for ambiguity and

complexity pushes you and others to

suboptimal, narrowly drawn problem

definitions, solutions, and roles.

[☛7.1 Problem Framing]

The best way to encourage exemplary

behavior is to model the behavior you

want from others. If you want feed-

back, accept feedback. If you want

openness, be open. If you want results,

produce leadership results.

If you are too detail-oriented, ask

yourself “Why?” Ask big-picture

questions. Alternatively, if you are a

big-picture leader, but have trouble

paying attention to details, work

toward balancing your perspective by

focusing on tactics.

If you were an independent business

delivering your function within your

organization, what would you stop?

Start? Continue doing?

[☛13.3 Accountability]

Typically, operating and financial

measures need and receive a lot of

attention. Expending an equal effort on

assessing and developing people best

ensures long-term organizational

success. [☛13.9 Human Capital]

Take time to explore issues that might

be too narrowly defined. Help

ambiguity-phobic others by

summarizing content and process

frequently.