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BOOK REVIEW: The Extraordinary Leader: Turning Good Managers into Great Leaders (By John H. Zenger & Joseph Folkman, McGraw Hill, 2002 ISBN #0-07-138747-1)
Written by: Ian CookArticle Overview: This is an important contribution to the field of leadership development. It presents pivotal research that shows how investing in just a few current strengths (note, not the so called "weaknesses") of your average managers can rapidly move them toward becoming extraordinary leaders. In addition, the authors make a strong case for how this shift pays off handsomely in terms of business and organizational performance results.
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BOOK REVIEW: The Extraordinary Leader: Turning Good Managers into Great Leaders (By John H. Zenger & Joseph Folkman, McGraw Hill, 2002 ISBN #0-07-138747-1)
“Good leaders...neither they nor their leaders appear to recognize the substantial contribution they could make by moving from being merely good to great”This is just one of the many intriguing new perspectives this book brings to the subject of leadership. Whether you are looking to develop your own leadership capacity or that of your employees, you will find much here to provoke your thinking and guide your actions.
Of course, every author on leadership has a model. Zenger and Folkman present a clean, comprehensive one nested in a terrific metaphor: a tent.
Imagine a standard tent held up by five tent poles (or clusters of leadership competencies and behaviors). The center pole is called Character. It includes integrity, ethics, and humility. The four poles that support the tent sides are Personal Capability (technical/professional expertise and cognitive ability), Focus on Results, Interpersonal Skills (including communicating, inspiring, connecting, developing) and Leading Organizational Change (the highest expression of leadership, contend the authors).
These “poles” are made up of clusters of competencies–sixteen in all–that, according to the authors’ research, differentiate the most effective 20% of leaders from the rest. Extending the metaphor, “leadership effectiveness” equates to the total cubic volume under the tent canvas. So, when you heighten the length of the poles–i.e. enhance competencies–overall effectiveness will increase.
The authors call a competency a “strength” when you are rated at the 90th percentile in it. In other words, when you as a leader are deemed to be stronger in this area than 90% of comparative leaders. Furthermore, an extraordinary leader is one who is deemed to be in the top 20% of leaders (i.e. the 80th percentile)
Their research then shows how:
- Achieving “strength” in only three competencies, if spread around the five “tent pole” clusters, moves you up to 81st percentile in overall effectiveness as a leader and
- Leaders in the top 20%, vs. the middle 60%, in terms of leadership effectiveness, generate significantly greater results in measures such as net profit, customer service and employee commitment.
From the many insights they offer in the book, let me highlight just four, ones that particularly caught my eye:
- No one pattern or configuration of competencies exists that works for all leaders or in all organizations. There is, emphatically, no one way to lead.
- The quality of leadership at lower levels of the organization rarely surpasses the leadership effectiveness demonstrated by the top team. So, sadly, if the senior executives are only mediocre as leaders, extraordinary leadership will not emerge. Senior leaders’ competencies establish the ceiling. Here is a powerful reason to attend to leadership development at the very top.
- Strong leaders aren’t just born; they can be developed. There is a fascinating section on how the US Marine Corps turns many recruits, many who come from dysfunctional homes and a troubled youth, into effective leaders within 2-3 years.
- Focus on strengths, not weaknesses, as you develop leaders. This way you are building on an already solid platform. The chances of improvement are greater. Furthermore, others will be inclined to acknowledge and praise them. And they will build self-confidence as they experience success. This, of course, reinforces further growth. A virtuous circle, no less.
These “Five Fatal Flaws” are readily visible to others, yet the individual is rarely aware that he/she has them. All five stem from deficiencies in emotional intelligence, not from cognitive or technical/professional proficiency. They are:
- Inability to learn from one’s mistakes
- Lack of core interpersonal skills
- Lack of openness to new or different ideas
- Lack of accountability (for performance)
- Lack of initiative
- Adopt one model of leadership and stick with it.
- Set very high expectations for your leaders (e.g. Achieve the 90th percentile in at least one competency from each “tent pole” cluster).
- Continue to develop your leadership capacity at the very senior level.
- Involve executives in leadership development, especially as presenters.
- Include multiple learning vehicles such as 360° feedback, coaches/mentors and “action learning” projects and tasks.
- Focus on enhancing competencies that are already substantial.
Zenger and Folkman also offer advice for individuals who want to move to an extraordinary level of leadership effectiveness. Here is a sampling:
- Develop and demonstrate high personal character (honoring your commitments, owning up to mistakes and infusing your style with an attitude of humility would be great places to start).
- Find and use the support of a coach or mentor.
- Identify 3-5 of your solid leadership competencies, across the five “poles,” and develop them further.
- Identify your weaker competencies and find ways to neutralize them (e.g. delegating or outsourcing related tasks, redesigning your job).
- Connect with and work with/for extraordinary leaders.
- Infuse energy and enthusiasm into all that you do...it ignites others enthusiasm.
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About the Author: Ian Cook RSS for Ian's articles - Visit Ian's website Ian helps managers become the "best bosses" their employees ever had. Through his keynote presentations, highly interactive training workshops, team building facilitation and individual coaching, he helps his clients develop strong leaders at all levels of their organization. Ian works primarily with managers, mid-level to executive. His programs introduce cutting-edge skills and concepts around - transforming managers into leaders - fostering superior team performance. Ian began his training and consulting firm, Fulcrum Associates Inc., in 1988, following seventeen years of corporate experience in both the high-tech manufacturing and transportation industries. He has a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill and a Masters degree in the field of Human Resources Management from Cornell University. Ian holds the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation and is a presenter to Vistage International groups. Click here to visit Ian's website BOOK REVIEW The Practice of Adaptive Leadership By Ronald Heifetz Et Al Harvard Business 2009 What if We Brought in a Facilitator Delegation The Forgotten Management Tool Executive Coaching on the Rise BOOK REVIEW True North Discover your Authentic Leadership By Bill George with Peter Sims John Wiley Sons Inc 2007 ISBN 9780787987510 |
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