Think of a strong, positive, influential leader you know. What makes them so effective?
Now think of an incompetent leader you know. What makes them so ineffective?
My guess is, at least some of your answers to both questions focus more on character than skills. Words like honesty, integrity, empathy often show up on answers to the first question while words like dishonesty, bias, inconsistency are frequently listed in answers to the second.
I do this exercise a lot, and irrespective of the person or field they are in, answers to these questions are remarkably consistent. Which, I suppose should not be altogether surprising. After all, it is not controversial to or even contested really that leaders should have strong character traits like honesty and empathy to be effective. What is surprising is how little we focus on this when choosing and developing our leaders.
When we choose our organizational leaders, we do not tend to choose them based on character. Most often, we look at how people perform technically as individuals and promote them to leadership positions without much question or concern about their character. Further, we tend to overlook, if we consider at all, that person’s interest in taking on a leadership role. It seems to be all about skill.
Similarly, leadership development programs place a strong emphasis on skill development, focusing on things like communication, problem-solving, time management, relationship-building, and decision-making. These are important skills to be sure, and it is important that every leader has the opportunity to strengthen them before and during their time as leaders. But many of the skills we think of as leadership skills and focus on in leadership development programs are skills that are important for everyone to learn. Think of one position in your organization that does not require strong communication or time management to be successful.
These skills can and should be developed in all staff and not limited to those we deem as having leadership potential. Too many are missing out on strengthening their skills because we have decided they are leadership skills and leadership skills only. Further, we pass up too many staff who have a desire to lead and lead well because they do not yet have the skills that they have every capability of developing.
In addition to these skills that all professionals can benefit from developing, there are other skills that are more unique to leaders and should be included in those programs that are designed specifically for leadership development. When it comes to leading through management, for example, it is important that leaders know how to: facilitate meetings, give feedback, coach, conduct performance reviews, hire, let someone go, and delegate to name a few. These skills should be taught, and new managers should receive ongoing training and coaching to continue developing them throughout their time as managers.
For leaders who are not managers, additional skill development should include things like vision-setting, group management, and advocacy. Depending on where you work, this might also include things like working with a board or investors.
This is the easy part. Teaching skills that can be taught can turn most anyone into a leader. If it were only all about skill. But as you have undoubtedly experienced, being an effective leader is about far more than skill. Being an effective leader requires those traits or qualities that can be difficult if not impossible to teach. Have you ever tried teaching someone to be honest? Or to have integrity? It just doesn’t work, does it?
Further, a major factor in whether someone will be an effective leader is if they in fact want to be an effective leader. Not everyone strives for leadership and very few strive for leadership through management, yet we often promote people without ever inquiring if they do in fact want to be promoted.
Before promoting anyone into a leadership role, it is important to understand who wants to be in a leadership role and what type of leadership role. Management is a common path, but it should not be the only one. There are people who sincerely want to be managers, but most people do not. When that is the only way they can move up, they will take it as a better option, but it will be hard for them to excel if they do not really want to be there in the first place. For these people, having alternative paths to leadership will be essential to keeping them motivated and engaged. What other positions and opportunities can you offer for your leaders who do not want to manage others?
With as much money and time as we spend on leadership development, we should make sure we do it right. That means really focusing on developing leadership skills that will contribute to effective leadership. Many of these skills will benefit all staff, leaders or otherwise, so consider opening up these opportunities to everyone. For those skills that are unique to particular leadership positions, do not make the mistake of assuming competent people will just figure it out. Take the time to provide the necessary training and support your leaders need to do their jobs effectively. And make sure you are developing leaders who want to be leaders. Not everyone wants to be a leader, but they should still receive development opportunities including those which have traditionally been unavailable to them.
In short, focus on character and desire. The skill part can be taught but the other two cannot.
