leadership february 2010

Leadership

by Fluid

February 2010

Contents

3-4 Introduction to Fluid5-7 Disabled leaders8-9 Becoming a better leader10-11 Authentic leadership12-13 Exercise A14-15 Balancing act16-17 Upward leadership18-22 Implementing a leadership

development programme23-24 Seven failings of really useless

leaders25-26 Attributes of a top CEO27-28 Leading by example29-30 Six styles of leadership31-32 Collaborative leaders33-34 Engaging leadership35-36 Unlocking leadership potential37-39 Hiring leaders40-41 Building a leadership pipeline42-44 Looking after your leaders45-47 Good practice for leaders48-49 Exercise B50-51 Case studies52-53 Conclusion and questions

Introduction

Introduction to Fluid• Fluid Consulting Limited (Fluid) is a specialist

human resources consultancy headed by Tim Holden MCIPD

• 10 years in banking• 10 years in Human Resources consultancy• Fluid trading since 2006• The core services provided by Fluid are:

- Retention- Selection- Attraction- Remuneration & Reward - Outplacement- Training & HR consultancy

Disabled leaders

Disabled leaders 1 of 2

• Visible leadership showing that the organisation values difference and openness about hidden experiences of disability and health conditions

• Ensuring occupational health checks are not used to screen people unfairly out of jobs-never permit health checks before a provisional job offer, that way there can be no covert discrimination

• Supporting managers by giving them the full bank of reasonable adjustments and good management practices

Disabled leaders 2 of 2

• Sharing with employees examples of adjustments others have found helpful

• Identifying and supporting talented disabled people, and ensuring their career development is tailored to their needs

Becoming a better leader

Becoming a better leader

• Know you team• Change your thinking• Reward appropriately• Manage performance• Employee behaviour• Manager’s observation• Behaviour reinforcement

Authentic leadership

Authentic leadership

• Do what they say, and practice what they preach

• Element of coherence• Comfort with self

Exercise A

Balancing act

Balancing act

• Knowing and showing yourself-enough• Taking personal risks• Reading and rewriting the context• Remaining authentic-but conforming

enough• Managing social distance• Communicating with care

Upward leadership

Upward leadership

• Understand the organisation and its constraints• Understand your boss• Build a real rapport• Link your ideas to business benefits• Deal with facts• Deliver solutions, not problems• Aim to work as a partnership• Listen• Stick to your guns

Implementing a leadership

development programme

Implementing a leadership development programme 1 of 4

• Define what you mean by leadership and what sort of leadership your organisation requires

• Look at the current behaviours of your management team and gauge where there are gaps or mismatches

• Aim to provide a safe yet challenging learning environment

• Recognise that leadership is about behaviours rather than tools and techniques

• If your programme is about development, make it clear there is not an assessment element to it as well


• Know what you want to achieve, have a clear vision of the sort of leaders you want, and accept that leadership is not about one size fitting all

• Try to encourage people to invest fully-get them to turn off mobiles and log-off from emails

• Encourage an atmosphere of self-managed leaning, with participants making decisions about what will be the most useful thing for them to learn

• Use coaching, role-plays and scenarios to drive the message home, and don’t be afraid to experiment

• Look at how you are going to evaluate the programme’s success, perhaps combining anecdotal with statistical evidence


• Begin with board, for top-level buy-in and participation is absolutely essential for the credibility and success of the programme

• Get help, because often you and your colleagues will be too close to the issues to recognise the solution, so it can be very useful to have an independent third party to facilitate your discussions

• Articulate your goals, values and behaviours in clear language that means something to the leaders in your organisation-avoid the temptation to speak in corporate jargon

• Ensure you have a mechanism to measure success• Provide post-event follow up

EFFECTIVE METHODSAction learning360 degree feedbackCoachingMentoringClassroom-style learningFormal, external, accredited coursesPlacements/secondmentsBlended learningPsychometricsDevelopment reviews and appraisals


Seven failings of really useless leaders

Seven failings of really useless leaders

• Kill enthuisiasm• Kill emotion• Kill explanation• Kill engagement• Kill reward• Kill culture• Kill trust

Attributes of a top CEO

Attributes of a top CEO

• A track record or experience• Consistent growth of turnover or

shareholder value• Innovation and the ability to respond to

changing market conditions• A clear vision and the ability to carry

management with them• The ability to recognise and manage risk

Leading by example

Leading by example

• You don’t have a choice• Be strategic• Walk the talk• Be aware of symbolism• Show your tough side• Be visible• Validate• Broaden your audience

Six styles of leadership

Six styles of leadership

• Authoritative• Coaching• Democratic• Affiliative• Pacesetting• Coercive

Collaborative leaders

Collaborative leaders

• Have courage and act long term• Prepare for conflict• Invest in personal relationships• Continually develop interpersonal

leadership skills• Find the personal motivation

Engaging leadership

Engaging leadership

• Engaging stakeholders from the outset to shape the nature of the service

• Collective vision of good-quality service• Non-hierarchical teams• Supportive culture• Successful change management

Unlocking leadership potential

Unlocking leadership potential

• Allow it to roam• Don’t prevent people from doing things beyond

their brief• Ensure job descriptions don’t limit people• Encourage people to take on responsibilities

outside their normal remit• Encourage the building of broad and diverse

networks• Look for leaders who know how to develop the

leadership potential of others

Hiring leaders

Hiring leaders 1 of 2

• Customer service-focused companies should look for leaders who will empower their employees, actively demonstrate that they support the organisation’s values and act with integrity

• Organisations that focus on efficiency need leaders who will encourage employees to think for themselves and get involved in decision making

• Where organisations are based more on image, leaders should have the ability to build credibility both internally and externally

Hiring leaders 2 of 2

• Leaders in innovative organisations should allow employees to take risks

• In organisations centred on quality, leaders should be concerned for the wellbeing of employees and encourage free exchange of information between different departments

Building a leadership pipeline

Building a leadership pipeline

• Define your leadership strategy and align it with business requirements

• Define your unique leadership success profile

• Assess the current and future pipeline of leadership talent

• Build and implement a systematic development process

• Measure progress along the way

Looking after your leaders

Looking after your leaders 1 of 2

• Encourage leaders to tackle issues of stress and low morale in your organisation

• Inspire leaders to create a culture of dignity and respect in the workplace, by actively defining and promoting positive working relationships

• Help the top team to lead by example and to follow the espoused values of the organisation by providing training

• Present networking opportunities where leaders can meet peers who can give them a different perspective about their role and the organisation

Looking after your leaders 2 of 2

• Support leaders by providing an executive coach or mentor who can help them to build their self awareness, set better goals, identify their developmental needs, overcome their personal challenges and improve their effectiveness, decision-making, work relationships and creativity

• Help leaders unlock the talent within the organisation

Good practice for leaders

Good practice for leaders 1 of 2

• Show a clear understanding of the business drivers in the organisation

• Help the organisation add value and move up the value chain

• Establish a clear vision and strategy for people development

• Involve others and engage stakeholders in a transparent and open way

Good practice for leaders 2 of 2

• Have a good overview of what is needed to advance in the long-term and also of the short-term priorities

• Use processes and techniques appropriately

• Apply metrics to demonstrate value• Understand the legacy that learners bring

with them and adjust their interventions accordingly

Exercise B

Case studies

Conclusion & Questions

Conclusion

• Summary• Questions

leadership february 2010

Business

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