The Three Elements of a Great Leader

The article below was written by Hiroshi Mikitani who is known as a thought leader in today's world.  I felt it went well with my series of leadership articles I have posted over the last year or so.  Once again, a key focus is self assessment and belief, keeping an eye on the detail while having a greater vision.  Too often we get caught up in the day to day operations and lose focus.  The ability to re-focus periodically, take a step back an view the organisation from different perspectives (both internal and external), is another key element in my perspective.

Roland Weber

Hiroshi Mikitani

CEO, Rakuten Inc.

October 18, 2012

What is a leader? In my experience, a successful leader is made up of three critical elements. A leader is a general, a teacher and an optimist. You can be all three if you understand what skills and behaviors make up each of these traits.

A General. Many young people assume a general is simple the leader at the front of the pack shouting orders. But this is not the behavior of a great general. If you all you are doing – as a team leader, a division leader or a CEO – is giving orders, you are not displaying the necessary “general” behavior. A great general is a strategist. Strategists work out problems not just in the near term but also considering the overarching strategy for the full group in the future. Think of it as if you were skiing. You don’t just look right in front of you. You also must look into the distance and prepare for that terrain ahead. The ability to engage in strategic thought is critical to great leadership.

A Teacher. Those who rise to leadership positions often have tremendous confidence in their own actions and judgments. But can they teach others to follow in their footsteps? It’s the difference between being a great athlete and a great coach. You may be a first rate baseball player, but can you teach another to do what comes to you as second nature? It’s not that easy. In order to really teach something properly, you must transform the knowledge of a genius into something average person can understand. You must be able to translate your intuition into ordinary, understandable words. It is a huge challenge, but a critical one. You can’t create and sustain a great company without a strong teaching element running through it. You may hire the most talented people in the world, but it is a reality that some of them will eventually leave your firm. You need the construct to transfer abilities from person to person. That activity begins with you.

An Optimist. To climb the tallest mountain, you must believe you can set an outrageous goal and achieve it. To lead others to this remarkable feat, you must be able to convey your enthusiasm for the challenge to them. The leader who says, “Well, just climb up as far as you can go” will not get the same response as “We can make it to the top! I am confident. Follow me!”

Wherever you are on the leadership hierarchy today – whether you currently lead a team or a division or a company – these three elements are the key ingredients to your success and to the success of those who follow you.

Original post: Mikitani, H (2012), LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20121018130617-52782505-the-three-elements-of-a-great-leader

Lean Leadership

The following information is from a presentation out of the lean leadership series by Factory Strategies Group LLC. (2009).  I have previously discussed the differences between management and leadership, as well as traditional and modern variations.  The following further highlights the importance of leadership, and the direct distinction from management.  Changing from wearing one hat to the other, and combing both takes practice, but will allow for a better organisational culture and increased efficiencies.  Although the following doesn't discuss energising and motivating employees, it is an area that will stem from good leadership.

Leadership Influences Change

ENGAGEMENT

“People don’t resist change.  They resist being changed.” - Peter Senge

REALISM

“Culture does not change because we desire to change it.  Culture changes when the organisation is transformed; the culture reflects the realities of people working together every day.” - Frances Hesselbein

DETERMINATION

“Faced with the choice between changing one’s mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone getsbusy on the proof.” - John Kenneth Galbraith

Leadership versus Management

Leadership is not management

3 Tenets of management

Planning and budgeting
Involves creating timetables to meet commitments and developing specific action steps.

Organising and staffing
Requires that managers put some structure to the plan which includes staffing requirements, communications and delegation of responsibility.

Controlling and problem-solving
Entails the monitoring of activities, spotting deviations from the plan and organising solutions.

These management processes create and maintain order and predictability within the organisation. - John P. Kotter

Lean Leadership Characteristics

A leader needs to be visible as a role model in order to demonstrate his/her breadth of knowledge and understanding of the business environment and the organisational challenges.

A leader should display an aptitude for logic and a desire to challenge the status quo or “alleged wisdom” in order to facilitate free flowing decision making.

A leader must posses the ability to be a linking agent (facilitator) with a wide array of knowledge and information coupled with an unquestionable trust, professionalism and an open invitation for dissent.

Traditional versus Lean



Lean Leadership:

Good leaders motivate people in a variety of ways, three of which are the basis to the “lean” approach.


1.  Leaders must define the organisation’s vision in a way
     that highlights the values of their group
2.  Leaders must support people’s efforts to achieve the
     shared vision through coaching, feedback, and role modelling
3.  A leader should recognise and reward success


There are five leadership moves, or actions, a leader can perform to provide leadership on the Lean journey.


1.  Leaders Must Be Teachers
2.  Build Tension, Not Stress
3.  Eliminate Fear and Comfort
4.  Lead Through Visible Participation, Not Proclamation
5.  Build Lean Into Personal Practice