Seven Crucial Leadership Skills
Article by Dr. John E. Kello
One of the consulting interventions I am engaged in is so-called executive- or leadership-coaching. In the past, such coaching was commonly used as a last-ditch effort to salvage a leader, usually a highly placed one, who was “de-railing” in his/her career. While leadership coaching is still sometimes used as the last best hope before entering the manager into the “salary discontinuation program”, these days it is also, and more commonly, used in a proactive developmental way.
More and more organizations engage a third-party leadership coach to work with identified high-potential employees who may be poised for higher levels of leadership in the company. Thus, a young supervisor who appears to have “the right stuff” might have access to a leadership coach, to help him or her build critical competencies for the higher levels of responsibility in a targeted, accelerated way. Also, a number of large organizations, seeing the value of 1:1 coaching in general, have declared that all managers about a certain level in the hierarchy will have access to a coach.
What do coaches do?
While there is a fair amount of latitude in approach, it is common for leadership coaches to start by gathering some self-assessment feedback from the individual (often called the “coachee”). In addition to getting the individual’s self assessment of strengths and developmental needs, the coach usually gathers feedback from those who work with the coachee. This can involve a structured 360-degree feedback survey (usually online), or interview-based feedback from the individuals working around the coachee, or both.
From the pool of feedback data, the coach creates a thumbnail sketch of the coachee, as seen by self and others. This sketch is presented to the coachee, and discussed and refined as needed, by mutual agreement.
From this sketch, a “contract” (in the general sense) is crafted, identifying the coachee’s strengths relative to the skills required in their current or future leadership role(s), and the developmental needs which are to be addressed, to round out the coachee’s skill set. Further, the contract specifies developmental activities which the coachee will engage in, and a schedule of follow-up sessions between coach and coachee. It is typical for the coachee to gather feedback during and after the coaching process from boss, peers, employees, and others, to assess the individual’s growth as a result of the coaching process.
Some contracts are open-ended in terms of duration, but most often a time frame (usually around 6 months) is set for the active work between coach and coachee. Thereafter, less frequent contacts (like a monthly phone call) may continue for a longer period of time.
The general reaction to leadership coaching is very positive. Indeed, there is an abundant recent literature on the topic, and a number of individuals have become quite well known for their research and practice with this intervention. If you are not familiar with Marshall Goldsmith, any of his several books and countless articles about coaching will make for enlightening reads!
I have had enough coaching engagements to have seen some common patterns, which are, I think, quite instructive. Simply put, coachees almost never need coaching in the technical aspects of their jobs. They almost always need coaching in the interpersonal skills, and broader leadership skills, required for success in their roles. I have never seen an engineering manager fail because he/she was a bad engineer; I have seen some fail because they were “bad” at dealing with people and inspiring followership.
I don’t believe that everyone everywhere “needs” a leadership expert to shadow them. I do think that much of what coaches do can be done by the individual him/herself.
If we accept what the data clearly say – that the skills needed in a leadership role are some combination of the “soft skills” and the strategic business thinking skills (along with some base level of technical experience and know-how) – the message to those of us in leadership roles or aspiring to be in leadership roles, is pretty clear. I would outline the message as follows:
1) Focus on improving your communication skills, especially your listening skills. Develop your ability to navigate even tough conversations (as in, confronting it when others are not following “best practice”). Pay attention to your nonverbal communication and recognize how strongly “body language” can color the message. Recognize that communication skills are the core enabling skills. In a leadership role, they are simply mission critical. Anything you do to improve your communication is a worthwhile investment that will pay off immeasurably.
2) Focus on coaching and developing those who work with you. Show others that you care about them as people, not just about what they can do for you. The more you engage and deeply involve others in their work, the more valued they feel, and the better job they can do. Additionally, they are positioned to take on higher-level work, which as a leader you can delegate to them, in a developmental way.
3) Be generous in giving and receiving feedback, and don’t focus only on the negative. Feedback is “the breakfast of champions”. It is crucial to learning. The hardest part of giving positive feedback is remembering to do it (as we rush on to the next problem). The most effective leaders create a positive atmosphere in which deserved positive feedback is given, and in which it is easier for folks to accept the negative feedback in the constructive spirit in which it was intended. Remember to do it. As the author of the venerated “One Minute Manager” famously said, “catch them doing something right”.
4) Build a team and lead it well. Be the person others want to follow. Give credit when we are winning and absorb the negative when we are not (oh, and then go out and fix it).
5) Really understand the business you are in at a strategic level, and help others do the same. In any particular functional role, that means not only understanding the big picture from the perspective of that function; it also means understanding the overall business that your work supports. Finance, or HR, or Marketing, or Legal, or Operations… none of those “departments” are siloed, stand-alone functions that can be divorced from what we do as a company.
6) Follow up then follow through. Work at being personally accountable (as well as expecting that from others). Make commitments and honor them. Be the person that others can depend on. When you say you will do it… do it.
7) Focus on your flexibility and adaptability, and help others do the same. As others have noted, the only constant in business is change. The most successful leaders are able to adjust and adapt. From now on, victory goes to the nimble and the swift.
As I reflect on the leadership coaching assignments I have taken on, spanning more than three decades, I would say that the above characteristics are common denominators, whether the coachee was a de-railing bank executive, a high-potential telecommunications executive, or a newly placed middle manager in a manufacturing organization. More than 90% of the developmental work I have done with coachees falls into one or more of these areas. Successful leaders master these skills.
The more we work on those attributes, and the more we seek and learn from others’ feedback about them, the better we will be poised to lead, regardless of our role.
