The Five Keys of Leadership

By Joanne G. Sujansky, Ph.D.

As we lead groups and organizations in the 21st century, it’s not surprising to find that autocratic and hierarchical leadership styles and methods no longer work. The changes in organizational structures, workforce composition, technological systems and customer expectations have created a concomitant need for a different leadership approach.

What does it take to be a leader?

There has been much research on this topic. Personality theorists argued that great leaders are born. The behavioral-based studies observed leaders in terms of task-orientation and relation-orientation. Strong leadership was seen to depend on adjusting one’s style to the situation or to the other person. In the last decade, principles have become the hallmark of sound leadership. We've seen the distinction between leaders (who do the right thing) and managers (who do things right). Leaders as servants “and” developing leaders from the inside also have emerged as significant themes.

While we are informed and enriched over years of exploration into leadership, there are five key components to effective leadership. These form a framework to unlock the leadership within an organization by developing existing and emerging talent.

Key #1: Begin with Yourself

Successful leadership always begins with the individual.

• The best leaders share a high degree of integrity, authenticity, courage and curiosity.
• Effective leaders are congruent. They know what they stand for and they have the courage to convey it and the consistency to live it. Their followers can trust them, as they know who they are and what they stand for.
• Successful leaders are willing to take risks with visibility and vulnerability. They demonstrate and build courage through this willingness.
• Leaders learn to take complete responsibility for their decisions and actions while sharing credit.

This is more than a personality profile; it's a way of being and behaving, based on core principles that truly work. More importantly, they can be developed. Masterful leaders learn, live by and communicate these principles. They create confidence, respect and loyalty by operating with integrity and authenticity.

Key #2: Shape and Share a Vision

Navigating with vision is another basic key to effective leadership—and those at the helm who try to lead without one are seriously crippled.

Organizational members need to know where the organization is going. Without direction, they flounder. To have direction, motivation and congruence, employees must see the big picture. They need a vivid sense of the future that compels them to action. When they are committed to the vision and align it with their personal objectives, a synergy is created that lifts, fuels and propels them forward.

Dynamic leaders consistently develop, articulate and reverberate a clear, concrete, inspiring vision. They draw out natural desire and build unity and momentum through an exciting and colorful picture of possibility.

Key #3: Practice Partnering

Over the past decade, the practice of partnering--actively aligning with others to achieve mutually desired results--has emerged as a key to successful leadership. Successful leaders think and talk in terms of “we,” actively sharing information, power, involvement and responsibility for decisions that affect the business.

Willing leaders select partners with different perspectives, talents and interests. A diversity of talents and perspectives is clearly an advantage when tapped appropriately. If leaders fail to acknowledge and value each person as bringing a unique set of skills and experiences to the workplace, they lose a natural resource and damage the organization.

Partnering involves clarifying expectations and tasks and building relationships. It is a powerful process for gaining commitment, building loyalty, strengthening retention and leading through collaboration. As needs and circumstances change, expectations must be clarified and communicated. This is where an adaptive style furthers the collaboration. Proficient partners are flexible and responsive to situational needs and changes, but still share the commitment to a common goal.

Key #4: Continually Coach

An organization can be viewed as a large, organic team. Its leaders provide the strategic game plan, the encouragement and recognition and the grooming of necessary competencies. A coaching approach balances task and relationship. Effective coaching requires trust and respect between the coach and the team member. Employees benefit from clear directions but only if tempered by acknowledgement of their vital role on and their contributions to it.

This is where the well-known practice of using mistakes as learning opportunities provides a key to unlocking talent. Winning leaders encourage their people to take risks and to use mistakes as learning opportunities. When people know that mistakes are understood as a part of the experience, they’ll be more creative and take more risks. They allow for their own mistakes as well as those within their group, using fumbles to become stronger and more adept.

Winning leaders work at becoming masterful coaches. They consciously develop and improve their coaching skills and also benefit from being coached. They become masterful listeners and keen observers to catch people succeeding and to openly praise them.

Key #5: Build Resilience

The final key to enduring leadership is resilience; that is the ability to bounce back from crises, sudden or continuous changes and the intense demands of today’s organizations. Resilience requires a relaxed and healthy system. There is nothing new about the importance of balancing good nutrition, sufficient rest and playtime. Successful leaders live with great challenges and demands; the ones who manage to ride the crest of the unexpected with composure and confidence are those who have built a buffer. They maintain their reserves, and are able to make energy withdrawals without breaking the bank.

We know that top leaders can be developed. These five key components to leadership provide guidelines for developing an environment that fosters the principles and practices critical to personal and organizational success.

Want to learn more? Click here to access AMA’s seminars on leadership.

Author Bio: Joanne G. Sujansky, Ph.D., CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) is the founder of KEYGroup ® and the author of six books, including The Keys to Mastering Leadership. Contact her at 724-942-7900 or at www.joannesujansky.com.