What Separates Outstanding Leaders from Merely Good Ones?
by Janice Molloy
What separates outstanding leaders from merely good ones? The Work Foundation, a British think tank, recently released a report on the beliefs and practices of exceptional leaders, Exceeding Expectation: The Principles of Outstanding Leadership. Based on a two-year study, authors Penny Tamkin, Gemma Pearson, Wendy Hirsh, and Susannah Constable concluded that the b
est leaders do three things:
1. They Think and Act Systemically. These leaders see things as a whole rather than compartmentalize. They connect the parts based on a guiding sense of purpose. According to the report, "Outstanding leaders achieve through a combination of systemic thinking and acting for the long-term benefit of their organisation. They recognise the interconnected nature of the organisation and therefore act carefully."
2. They See People as the Route to Performance. They are deeply people- and relationship-centered rather than just people-oriented. They not only like and care about people, but have come to understand that people are the key to exceptional performance.
3. They Are Self-Confident Without Being Arrogant. One of the fundamental attributes of outstanding leaders is self-awareness. They understand they cannot create results themselves, but must do so by influencing others.
In the project, a team of eight researchers conducted 262 in-depth interviews with leaders, their managers, and their direct reports in six of the UK's most well-known and stable organizations: BAE Systems, EDF Energy, Guardian Media Group, Serco, Tesco, and Unilever. The investigators found that outstanding leaders see some of their primary roles as creating purpose, maintaining a sense of how the organization's people and systems fit together, and articulating a vision that "extends from the past, through the present, and into the future." The most successful leaders don't simple fall back on "empowering others" to deliver results; they facilitate and nurture empowerment through a conscious philosophy and practice.
The team concluded "that the emphasis on people-centred leadership is particularly critical while the world is still experiencing tough economic conditions." In difficult times, people tend to turn to controlling, target-driven leaders. Yet the research indicates that the opposite approach can be the most effective route to high performance.
The second phase of the research will focus on questions such as: How do organizations identify people with potential to become outstanding leaders? To what extent can the required behavior be developed? And, assuming it can be, what kind of management development will work best? Many of us will be eagerly waiting the next report-out of this fascinating study.
Janice Molloy is content director of Pegasus Communications, managing editor of The Systems Thinker newsletter, and program director of the annual Systems Thinking in Action conference.
Thanks to Sharon Eakes for contributing this story idea, which she found on LeadershipNow's Leading blog.
Photo of winter forest by Böhringer Friedrich.