I typically work with huge datasets and draw conclusions based on thousands of leaders. Recently, however, I was working with a small dataset of just 30 leaders. These leaders work for a high tech company with more than 60,000 total employees. This group of 30 were considered to be some of the highest potential leaders in the company. The average age of these leaders was 43. Twenty two were male; eight were female. In the time I spent with these individuals, it was clear they were a select and impressive group.
We measured their effectiveness as leaders and found that although all were considered high potential, not all were extraordinary leaders. Sometimes potential ratings come from experience, knowledge and expertise as opposed to leadership skills. We assessed their leadership effectiveness using our Extraordinary Leader 360 assessment. On average, 15 assessors rated each person, using assessments from managers, peers, direct reports and others. Overall leadership effectiveness ranged from the 7th to the 96th percentile.
In addition to the 360 assessment we gathered data from each person on 25 attitude questions. We found that five of the attitude questions correlated strongly with overall leadership effectiveness. Leaders who strongly agreed with these particular attitudes also had higher overall leadership effectiveness scores. As I looked through the items, I came to the conclusion it was possible their attitudes on these items may have influenced their effectiveness as leaders. Let me describe these five attitudes and see if you agree. (I have listed them in order of the strength of the correlation, but all were statistically significant.)
Attitude 1 - If I disagree, I usually let others know.
Twenty years ago organizations wanted to hire “yes” men and women. They wanted people who didn’t ask questions, did what they were told and kept their opinions to themselves. Over time, most organizations and leaders have discovered the opinions of others are a valuable asset. They’ve discovered that 90% of the time, the wisdom of groups is better than the wisdom of any one individual. It takes courage to disagree with others. It takes even more courage when the person you are disagreeing with is your boss. Personally, I appreciate people who speak up (respectfully, of course) when they disagree.
Attitude 2 - I am willing to take more risks than most of my peers.
Most of the clients I have worked with are risk takers. However, there are others who are risk avoiders. My clients have a very strong desire to make a difference and to create value. However, there are many people who avoid risks at all costs. For me, the risk avoiders approach work much like people who go to the water park and ride around the lazy river all day. They go with the flow and never make the effort to walk upstream. Making a difference in an organization means taking some risks.
Attitude 3 - It’s easy for me to make friends.
Leaders are people who have the ability to influence others. It’s very difficult to influence others who don’t know who you are. Having the ability to make friends and build relationships is a critical skill for all leaders. Most people have worked for another person they had a very positive relationship with and had that person ask them to do a very difficult task. The positive relationship is often the key factor in their ability and willingness to accomplishing a difficult goal. Often people will say something like, “I did not want to let him (or her) down.” This kind of dedication only occurs when people have positive relationships.
Attitude 4 - I take the time to look at all the facts before making decisions.
Because I travel frequently I find myself in a lot of lines or waiting with nothing to do. Over the last few years I’ve found a few mind-numbingly simple games on my smart phone to entertain myself. Several of the games I play show the next object coming up in the game. Noticing the next object is incredibly beneficial in getting a good score. I have noticed, however, a tendency I have when I see an opportunity to make a good move to focus all my attention on the move instead of looking at the next object coming, which causes the good move to quickly turn to disaster. This much-repeated experience has gotten me thinking about all the poor decisions I’ve made by failing to look at all of the facts before pursuing an opportunity that appears to be great. I admire people who can pull back, examine all the facts, and weigh the consequences before making a choice.
Attitude 5 - I am strategic and future-focused.
Have you ever spent most of a day just responding to emails and attending meetings? It’s so easy to get caught up in the grind of your job that you never take the time to ask, “Why am I doing this? What’s really important?” This is a critical skill. In many companies, everyone is so focused on their product that no one is looking at the competition and discovering the cases where the competitor’s product is much better and costs less.
I don’t have sufficient research to guarantee these attitudes will improve an individual’s leadership effectiveness, but in my experience, each of these correlations makes sense. In fact, I see a few areas where I could improve. What about you?
