Leadership Practices that Enable Employees to Perform at their Best

Survey Results from Highly Successful Work Groups

As surveyors of employee attitudes world wide for over 45 years, we are often asked by top management; what leadership characteristics and behaviors enable employees to do their best? The following three leadership dimensions are derived from collated employee engagement survey responses from high performing, fully engaged work groups describing their leaders. In the final analysis, the best measure of the quality of leadership is probably best determined by the successfully led.

Clear Definition of Leadership

In high performing work groups, the leader is seen by employees as dedicated to the mission of the enterprise at all times. The leader has a clear understanding that the responsibility of leadership is to accomplish goals though people. They distinguish between the leadership of people and the management of things and tasks. Compelling leaders operate thoughtfully in both modes.

Most importantly, well-led employees expect excellence from their leader. These expectations are best summarized by General Colin Powell’s* definition of leadership: “Leadership is the art of routinely accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible”.

The expectations embedded in this definition stimulate employees to perform at their best. When properly “sold” & reinforced, this definition of leadership creates a unified mindset of “can do” among the led, rather than excuses and attitudinal barriers. The Powell definition of leadership, also binds the leader and the led to a high standard of commitment, both to one another and to the successful outcomes of their collective effort. Mediocrity not accepted.

Operational Philosophy

Learning a good definition of leadership alone does not make a great leader. The great leader also has an overarching operational philosophy omnipresent in their mind to guide their thoughts, words and actions. Call it a trust and values behavior template which, over time, will influence followers to want to follow the leader-every day.

According to highly motivated employees, the leadership philosophy that produces extraordinary performance success winds out like this:

The power to lead other people must come from the people you are attempting to lead; otherwise you are a leader in title only-destined to fail. People begin investing power in you when they begin listening to you and following your example. They begin listening to you after you’ve earned it; through truth telling and establishing trust. They observe your behavior to see if your actions reflect your words. So, in a nutshell, the challenge of persuading people to accept you as a leader, invest power in you and follow your lead is the foundation of being an effective leader. It’s up to you to influence, persuade and inspire others to continuously succeed. You begin the process by getting people ready to listen to you through truth telling and building up trust. You succeed in the process by living the model of conduct that reflects your leadership philosophy.

Academics often imply that leadership is inclusive, that everyone can do it. The reality is great leadership is exclusive. Most people exclude themselves from being great leaders when given the opportunity because they are not willing to accept responsibility for the development and actions of others whom they are paid to lead. Others exclude themselves because they lack the desire or discipline to practice what they preach every day. Still others exclude themselves because they do not have the will to take up a life a service to others and master the competencies necessary to become a great leader.

Leadership Competencies to Master

Great leaders have also developed the right set of leadership skills or competencies that enable them to continuously succeed. While there are hundreds of books and lists about leadership competencies, the proven skill set recognized by the successfully led which produce a dedicated fellowship of consistent high achievers are:

* The Powell Way outlines proven leadership principles and practices used successfully by General Colin Powell for many years and incorporated into this white paper.

The Diligent Dozen

1) Achieve competence in everything you do.

2) Show honorable character-do the right thing even when it’s easier to do something else-stand up for the right thing and don’t stand for everything.

3) Instill yourself with personal courage right down to your core-moral, physical, mental and spiritual.

4) Be loyal, up, down, sideways and always.

5) Be confident & enthusiastic-but not boastful or egomaniacal

6) Be selfless by always looking out for what’s best for the other guy and the organization- great leadership is a life of service to others.

7) Sacrifice what you may personally want if the organization or your followers will be diminished by your indulgence or if the act will tarnish your credibility.

Show empathy-really desire to understand the feelings and fears of your followers because you care. If the troops are cold, you’re cold even though you may not be able to do anything about it.

9) Commit yourself to excellence in personal, individual and team performance. Winston Churchill used to say: “I am easily pleased by perfection.”

10) Inspire curiosity in others so they will follow you just to see where you wind up.

11) Grow those around you, through skill training, practice and certification, to become better than you.

12) Actively practice Servant Leadership; “I will do everything I can to support you, train you, make your job better and make you more successful. In return, you must give me, your colleagues and your teammates your best efforts.”

Variations of these twelve leadership competencies are frequently written in our surveys by fully-engaged employees explaining their emotions and dedication to their leader, organization and job. They credit their leader with making them “winners”. One employee from a high performing work group summarizes the long term result of his leader mastering these dozen competencies: “There is not a person in this group that would not do anything for this guy. He has taught us how to succeed in everything we do.”

So there it is, direct from the fully engaged employees’ perspective- three dimensions and twelve competencies. In a nutshell, great leadership is about a way of life, a calling, for those who want to dedicate themselves to the service of growing and unifying others in order to lead them to accomplish great things. Great leaders lead groups that accomplish great things. If one chooses a life of great leadership success, one must consistently apply these three overarching leadership dimensions into everyday work life: definition, operational philosophy and competencies. Once these dimensions are mastered, the employees you lead will routinely accomplish more than the science of management says is possible – and call you a great leader!

“Management is easy. Leadership is engaging and motivating people, turning people on, getting 110% out of a personal relationship.” General Colin Powell