12 SECTION 1 FOUNDATIONALCONCEPTS
Challenge and support,
but don’t protect or
compete with your own
employees.
Understand your person-
al need for control, and
the control needs of oth-
ers.[☛9.4 Leader Impact]
Don’t blame others.
From others’ perspective,
there is always a ratio-
nale for doing what they
are doing.Listen for content and
for process.[☛8.7 Active Listening]
Surface and deal with
conflict and resistance.[☛5.9 Resistance]
Improve systems and
processes.[☛2.1 Systems Thinking]
Build partnerships with
your people. The best
leadership situations
have a 50-50 feel.
[☛9.10 Networking]
Be an expert in leader-
ship as well as in your
functional or technical
field.Leverage as a leader comes not only
from getting results yourself, but also
from helping others to achieve results.
[☛1.7 Results-Based Leaders]
Leaders’ dysfunctional behaviors can
usually be traced back to their need for
control. Leaders need to let go and
either trust their people or find new
people. Leadership will be stressful
unless you believe people want to do a
great job.
Without this principle, you may tend
to attribute negative motivations to
others or push your own agenda on
others. Either way, you become a very
poor listener.Don’t be content-bound. When
talking about a situation, be as
conscious of the process—howthe
situation is being worked—as you are
about the content—whatis being
worked on.Resistance and conflict don’t go away
if ignored or suppressed. They just
surface in other, more harmful ways.Joseph Juran notes that approximately
85% of problems can be corrected only
by changing systems and processes.
Thus, fewer than 15% can be remedied
by training or changing people.
One-up leadership, whereby the boss
does the thinking, is at best a short-
term tactic in modern, knowledge-
based organizations.Without self-knowledge and self-
awareness, you are condemned, like
history, to repeat your past.[☛12.4 Feedback]You will be valued as a leader and
considered easier to work with if you
see your success as the success of
others. [☛13.10 Careers]
Believe in people. Get feedback and
coaching. It is extremely difficult to
assess the impact of one’s own behav-
ior. Learn about the use and abuse of
power. Your finest success is when your
people have learned how to create their
own success.
Refrain from categorizing people or
groups as “They are all ....” If a person
is “acting weird,” talk privately with
that person. People’s behavior is always
rational—as they see it. “Seek first to
understand ....”
[☛1.5 Seven Habits]
Be aware of content andprocess. Many
leaders think mainly in terms of their
function and job—the content. Process
concerns how content gets translated
into results. Effective leaders are also
aware of the emotions of others in a
situation, and can respond with
empathy when needed.
Be clear about where you stand on
issues. This takes self-awareness and
courage. It also involves a level of dis-
comfort, but that’s the price leaders
must pay to ensure an effective work-
ing environment.
Remove systemic barriers to results. For
example, if you want your Systems
Analysts to be more client-focused,
consider relocating them into the
client’s workspace.
Encourage others to express their
thoughts and feelings. Encourage nei-
ther dependence nor independence,
but interdependence.Learn leadership skills. Learn coaching
skills. Watch and model leaders who
are strategic and who get both business
and people results.
[☛13.1 Coaching]