Encyclopedia of Leadership

HOW TO USE THIS LEADERSHIP TOOL

“You do not merely want to be considered just the best of the best. You want to be considered the only ones who

do what you do.”

—Jerry Garcia

Besides having an effective expertise delivery model, powerful professionals need to begin by

stepping back and looking at their roles strategically. They need to ask—and answer—lots of

searching questions about how they deliver expertise inside their organizations:

✔ What are the external pressures on, and strategic direction of, our organization?

✔ What can we offer that is more strategic to the organization?

✔ Where do we currently spend our time? With which internal clients? External cus-

tomers?

✔ How do we help our clients with strategic changes in our domain of expertise?

✔ Who areour major clients? Who shouldbe our clients? What services do we offer them?

✔ How do we market value-added services inside our organization to our clients?

✔ To which requests should we say “No,” because they are low in value; which do we out-

source?

Note that all of these questions are asked in the plural. Although individual professionals

need to think through their individual strategies, it is much more powerful for an entire pro-

fessional group, rather than just its individuals, to clarify these strategic issues. The benefits of

SECTION 13 TOOLS FORLEADINGPERFORMANCE 425

Getting at cause

Getting at the underlying need

Distinguishing what is wanted

from what is needed

Scoping the problem

Clarifying outcomes

Clarifying roles

Clarifying process and next

steps

Data gathering and diagnosis

Mapping the system

Understanding that making

recommendations means

change

Selling the change

Wrapping up the consultation

Improvement planning

Establishing rapport

Establishing trust

Assessing readiness for change

Clarifying roles

Clarifying stakeholders

Clarifying commitments

Building ownership

Mapping the stakeholder system

Dealing with natural

reservations and resistance

Transfer of ownership

Determining roles in change

Jumping to cause or action

Accepting presented cause at

face value

Unclear problem leading to ill-

defined projects

Not thinking ahead to key

issues of client change

Unclear expectations leading to

conflict

One-way expectations

Scope creep

Unclear/inappropriate roles

Dealing with ambiguity

Dealing with complexity

Overlooking important

stakeholders

Presenting features but not

benefits

Suppressing reservations and

resistance

Not explaining why

No follow-through

No closure

Exploring the

Need

Clarifying

Expectations/

Commitments

Gathering

Information

Recommending

Change

Taking Stock

or Closing

Expertise Key relationship Typical problems

delivery stage Key logical issues issues at this stage