Leadership isn’t reserved for presidents, generals, and CEOs – the “big shots.” You don’t need a written invitation to be a leader. It is a mindset and way of behavior that begins today. - Robert Steven Kaplan
As a recruiter and coach, I hear a lot of questions about leadership – how to get picked for leadership, how to lead effectively, how to improve leadership qualities. Leadership is a confusing subject for most. Robert Steven Kaplan, a leadership expert and professor and Senior Associate Dean at Harvard Business School, contends that leadership is not a title that is granted or a special quality you are born with, but rather in your mindset and in the actions you do day in and day out. In his latest book, What You Really Need To Lead: The Power of Thinking and Acting Like an Owner, Kaplan shares strategies and actions all of us can take to become leaders. Here are my favorite takeaways:
- With practice, you will learn to understand yourself better and increasingly learn what conviction feels like
Conviction implies assuredness, so I appreciate how Kaplan reminds us that conviction may not be readily apparent. It takes practice. How much do you know about yourself? How much do you know about the subject where you need to make a decision? Don’t assume that if you need to do more thinking or more research that it means you lack conviction. However, are you taking the time to think, research, and practice getting in touch with what your convictions are?
- Aspiring leaders resist the temptation to make excuses, such as I don’t have enough power, or it’s not my job, or nobody in the company cares what I think, or there just isn’t time
Kaplan equates leadership with ownership. If everyone did adopt “the buck stops here” mentality, so much more would get done! Which excuses do you fall back on to avoid owning a problem and stepping into leadership? Is there something you have been avoiding that you know needs to get done? Will you do it?
- Charisma will emerge when you speak up or otherwise take action on those issues about which you feel strongly
The assumption that all leaders must be magnetically charismatic stymies a lot of people who may be interested in leading but don’t think they have that It factor. Kaplan suggests that passion can generate the charisma. I have seen this firsthand in the hiring process when an otherwise average candidate is vaulted to frontrunner status because of a palpable excitement for the role. People are drawn to people with strong desire and passion. How can you better tap into your passions?
- Do you seek advice? Do you interview your people? Do you listen without interrupting?
Kaplan puts a lot of emphasis throughout the book on getting feedback, asking for help and listening. I’ve seen firsthand how successful leaders can be in getting closer to their teams when they open up to ask for feedback and input. Are you helping your team help you?
- Leadership must involve working with others and accepting some degree of dependence on others
Similar to asking for feedback, leaders can be hesitant to ask for help or appear dependent. But the bigger the leadership role, the bigger the project, so you will need to get help and become interdependent with others, sometimes many others. I had one client who didn’t ask her boss for introductions to his contacts in an effort to appear self-sufficient. She was reinventing the wheel unnecessarily by cold calling what should have been warm leads. Once she let herself ask for help (and he was happy to help), it opened up a better, faster way of working for her whole team. Are you helping your boss (and colleagues and other supporters) help you?
- Establishing a clear vision is not enough. A leader has to take this vision and break it down into a manageable number of key priorities, ideally no more than three to five
This is a great reminder that it’s not just about a broad strategy but the actionable smaller steps too. Are you leading in a way that enables your team to act?
- With each action you take, you must explicitly consider whether it helps get you into alignment or risks pushing you out of alignment
Just as the big vision needs to be broken down, so does each individual action need to be vetted against the broader vision. According to Kaplan, a leader is constantly deciding, prioritizing and making choices. How much of your activity is routine versus deliberate?
- The first step is becoming more aware. The analysis comes first; developing a strategy for addressing your skills comes second
It’s not just about overall leadership development. Kaplan emphasizes the importance of awareness first before mapping out what to do. Are you working to develop the skills or qualities or expertise you specifically need? How well do you know what you need?
- The world is changing. Every one of us is changing. Your passions are going to change accordingly. Pay attention. The truth is that you can add value to others throughout your life
The leadership roles that interested you previously may not be of interest now. The needs of your employer or your community may also be different. Kaplan gives examples of people who rose to leadership roles in one sector but then switched careers later in life and found a new calling. Leadership is an ongoing process that requires ongoing introspection and decision-making. Are you still excited to lead? Do you need to pick a new area to serve?
- Leadership is about what you do, rather than who you are. It must be learned and relearned…..It is analogous to losing weight or getting in shape; it is a regimen of work that you never finish
Are you regularly honing your leadership capacity and qualities?
Caroline Ceniza-Levine is co-founder of SixFigureStart® career coaching. She is the co-host of the upcoming FREE webinar series, Confessions of a Former Recruiter, running September thru November. Connect with Caroline on Google+.
