Virtually every management book ever written has addressed the inherent connections and distinctions between management and leadership. Management is sometimes described as a multi-step or circular process, such as Planning, Organizing, Leading, and Controlling. These may be convenient models to teach the subject in a business school, but they are much better for explaining how to “do Planning” and “do Organizing” and “do Controlling” than they are for explaining how to “do Leading.”
Many argue that leaders are simply born that way – charismatic or visionary, or “sleepers” who rise to the occasion when confronted with a crisis. But Saint Peter, Peter Drucker (in the 1950s), and Tom Peters (in the 1980s), all demonstrated that effective leadership demands both an aptitude and the right attitude. These traits may come more easily to some folks than to others, but they certainly can be learned and practiced, developed and refined.
Attempting to catalog every role of every person in a leadership position would require us to publish yet another book. Instead, we have settled on 4 Rules as a guide and reminder to leaders of their fundamental duties. These 4 Rules summarize the behaviors and mindset (aptitude and attitude) we believe are essential for any leader to effectively lead.
Rule #1: Authority and accountability go hand-in-hand.
As a leader – whether hired, elected or appointed – you have been entrusted with the authority to act on behalf of your organization, to direct the use of its capital and human resources, and to foster its external relationships. Holding this power makes you responsible for the outcome of decisions made under your direction. Use your authority judiciously, and hold yourself accountable for the results.
Rule #2: Safety and Integrity are non-negotiable.
Regardless of any other measures of success, you have failed as a leader if your direction results in a serious workplace injury. In the same way, your organization – and you as its leader – will have failed if a moral, ethical or legal breach occurs. If you have any doubt, STOP! Seek expert guidance on how best to proceed before allowing any act that might compromise one of these non-negotiable principles.
Rule #3: Communicate! Communicate! Communicate!
A well-informed follower is always more effective than one who is left wondering what’s going on. Confirm your team understands your vision, expectations and constraints. Engage your superiors in providing the resources necessary for your team’s success. Keep those you are serving informed of your team’s progress. Verify all other stakeholders have timely, complete and accurate information for their needs.
Rule #4: Bad news does not get better with age.
Every enterprise will encounter unforeseen complications; the best measure of skillful leadership is how well the organization mitigates or recovers from those difficulties. Perception is reality to those who are impacted by your decisions. Failing to promptly identify and respond to a problem will merely increase the perceived severity of the matter, reflecting poorly on your organization and on you as its leader.
So, how do these 4 Rules relate to the real world? It’s often said that we learn far more from our failures than from our successes. Let’s just say these 4 Rules are thoroughly grounded in more learning experiences than we care to admit. The 4 Rules, individually or in combination, frame many everyday situations we have confronted, from correcting an employee for using a makeshift ladder rather than taking the time to move a scissor lift; congratulating a middle manager for bringing attention to how his own miscalculation jeopardized a project’s budget; to calming a client who hadn’t heard from another project manager in more than a month.
Do these 4 Rules miss an essential aspect of Leadership? Would you be willing to share an enlightening “learning experience” that confirms or challenges one of these 4 Rules?