Develop High Performance Leadership

Saturday January 12, 2008
Develop high-performance leadership

1.MANY organisations today are undergoing a rapid transition in leadership styles. Coupled with the reality that modern organisational life is about achieving more with less, there is a demand for a new form of managerial leadership -high-performance leadership.

2.High-performance leaders
2.1empower others to venture into unknown territories,
2.2inspire colleagues and staff to make difficult decisions, and
2.3are able to move their organisations forward in new ways to achieve better results.

3.Managerial leadership
The term "managerial leadership" recognises the subtle switch over the past decade from the role of a manager to that of a leader.This is not to decry the traditional management activities such as planning,organising and controlling. Rather, it is to acknowledge the transition from control to empowerment that has taken place.

4.Managerial leadership is a way to encompass both sets of activities. And high-performance leadership is a way of recognising the leadership attributes needed to achieve long-term organisational success. One of the key distinguishing features of this type of leadership is the ability to initiate, drive and constantly encourage change.

5.High-performance leaders are pioneers,
5.1willing to step out into the unknown to achieve innovation.
5.2These leaders search out opportunities, experimentand take risks.
5.3They lead by example and
5.4act as a role model for others to follow, acting inways that are consistent with their beliefs.

6.High-performance leaders acknowledge
6.1the power of working collaborativelyand
6.2concentrate their efforts on building peak-performance teams.
6.3This involves developing vision and values,
6.4establishing direction, and
6.5persuading others to see, understand and believe in their vision through developing shared goals and plans of action.

7. Change to match
As the team develops and matures,
7.1the leader must change his leadership style to suit the stages of development of the team.
7.2 He must also be able todiagnose and troubleshoot at every stage.
7.3This ability to change leadership style - not only during the stages of team development, but also when leading and managing staff at every level - is the hallmark of high-performance leadership.
7.4By analysing the "maturity" of the subordinate and the varying levels of support and direction needed in any given situation, the leadership style can be varied.
7.5Choose the most appropriate style - direction, coaching,support or delegation - to match the circumstances.

8.Desirable qualities
8.1Sharing vision and setting goals lie at the heart of managing performance,which is the natural domain of a high-performance leader.
8.2Involving others in creating smart goals and setting performance standards and expectations lead to a clear understanding of what is needed from the team.
8.3Being able to spot performance problems early and developing the ability to coach and counsel are now an integral part of the leadership role.

9.High-performance leaders develop
9.1the key interpersonal skills to lead others.
9.2They understand their strengths and weaknesses as a leader,
9.3acknowledge their preferred behavioural style when dealing with other people, and
9.4develop the ability to change style if necessary.
9.5They understand the power of effective communication,
9.6encourage others to give constructive feedback and praise when appropriate.
9.7They have learnt to empower and delegate.
9.8Above all, they are honest.
9.9 In the majority of surveys about the most admired qualities of leaders, respondents said they admire leaders who are(in rank order): honest, competent, forward-looking and inspiring.

10.In a nutshell
10.1To summarise, one can refer to Warren Bennis's now-classic book, Leaders.
10.2He describes leadership as "heading into the wind with such knowledge of oneself and such collaborative energy as to move others to follow".
10.3His book offers four major strategies that seem to form the essence of high-performance leadership:
10.3.1Attention through vision:
"I have a dream" (Martin Luther King). Theleader must set a vision for others to follow.
10.3.2Meaning through communication:
"If you can dream it, you can do it"(Walt Disney). The leader's vision must be communicated to the people who can make it happen.
10.3.3Trust through positioning:
The accumulation of trust is a measure of the legitimacy of leadership. Trust is the emotional glue that binds followers and leaders together.
10.3.4 Deployment of self through positive self-regard:
Leaders must have persistence and self-knowledge, be willing to take risks and accept losses, make and honour commitments, and be consistent and willing to learn constantly.

10.4To paraphrase a quote from Colin Powell: "High-performance leadership is about achieving more than the science of management says is possible."-

Source: Straits Times/Asia News NetworkArticle contributed by Chris Fenney, who has more than 30 years' experience in training and management development.