HR Manager,Whirks. Striving to bring the human back to HR.
If you Google the word leadership, you'll probably get billions of results. Leadership has become an overused buzzword that we no longer know the true meaning of, much less how to ensure we have it in our organization. Leadership is such a popular topic that practically every leadership website, podcast and article has created its own set of traits for a great leader.
One website might say that you must possess 10 essential qualities, ranging from integrity to agility to being a decisive leader. Another site might say there are only five must-have leadership characteristics, and if you are a strategic thinker and innovator you will be an effective leader. Yet another source could list a completely different set of traits than all the others.
What are you supposed to do? Who’s right — or mostly right? Or better yet, who is flat-out wrong?
Experts agree that genuine leaders need specific, identifiable attributes for success. In my experience, where they fail is their inability to identify that it’s the leadership mindsetthat is the most fundamental quality of all.
I believe it is this initial step that's missing in today’s leadership development. Every good leader has already decided they want to be a good leader and are willing to do the work to get there. Without that foundation, no amount of training will create a good leader. A good leader is someone who people are not only willing but excited to follow.
While serving in the U.S. Army, I embraced its definition of leadership: "Leadership is the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the mission and improve the organization."
My training and experiences in the Army provided valuable insights into the principles and guidance into the makings of a true leader, none more impressive than the three Cs: competence, commitment and character.
Competence
It may seem self-evident, but leaders must be competent — that's a non-negotiable. In the Army, we learned that leaders are people who were once followers, and there is nothing inherently special about them. We had to decide to be a leader that our soldiers would follow. We also learned that it was not about us but about the people we led. We had to make an active decision to be the leader our team needed. We learned that our greatest achievement would be graded on how well our team performed.
As competent leaders, it was our job to know what had to be done for a successful mission. We also had to realize the things we didn’t know, so we could surround ourselves with technical experts and learn from them.
Competent leaders never stop learning and never stop developing, personally or professionally. Leaders provide purpose, direction and motivation, but continually build and refine their own values, skills and knowledge. True leaders lead from the front and share experiences with their team, building trust and confidence along the way. Leaders strive to leave an organization better than they found it. Leaders need to know everything about their company and should surround themselves with experts to fill in their knowledge gaps.
Character
Leaders must set a positive example for others to follow. Being of admirable character means knowing what is legally, morally and ethically right. Not only that, but you need to have the personal courage to act on it. The ability to do the right thing is good, but doing the right thing for the right reason and with the right goal in mind, is best for the team.
Leaders must have an honorable character. As General Douglas MacArthur is attributed to having said, “He does not set out to be a leader but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent.”
Leaders make decisions based on what they believe and what they’ve experienced. Leaders who focus on character development through continual study, self-reflection, experience and honest feedback will nurture ethical team behavior.
Commitment
In the Army, commitment is a matter of life and death. Commitment is the resolve to contribute honorable service to the nation and accomplish the mission despite adversity, obstacles and challenges. While it’s not quite as stark in the business world, a leader’s commitment to their organization is crucial to the success of the business and its employees. It’s a vow to remain loyal through all seasons. Leaders must be committed to the team’s success.
Commitment is not a foreign word in the business world. We ask people all the time to be committed to a vision, a set of values or a business plan. But when we measure commitment level in the workplace, we often survey the wrong population. We ask our employees when we actually need to determine the commitment level of our leaders.
In the Army, no one would sign up for such a high level of obligation and danger if they were not committed to something larger than themselves. Our businesses and our employees deserve that same level of commitment from their leaders. Do you have that level of commitment? More importantly, do you require that level from your team leaders?
Commitment is the foundation that people in a position of authority must cultivate. Commitment is always there — it’s there when times are great and the company is exceeding its goals. It’s there when times are tough and stressful and we are struggling just to show up. It’s deeper than engagement; it’s stronger, more developed and lasts longer.
Good Leadership Generates Great Retention
Reevaluate your leadership team. We owe our employees great leadership, and it’s time our true leaders stand up and become accountable. As leaders, we should create an atmosphere of consistent excellence.
The next time you are leading your team, focus on your mindset and decide to be a three-C leader: competent, committed and with strong character. When we do that, our employees win, and when they win, we all win.
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