Work of Leaders quotes

Brought to you by

www.talentgear.com

The Work of Leaders

The Work of Leaders: How Vision,
Alignment, and Execution Will Change
the Way You Lead
Quotes in these slides are from this book
unless otherwise noted.
Use these quotes to encourage discussion.
Agree, disagree, share examples, discuss your
reactions with them.

"We tend to think that what

matters is having outstanding
leadership at the senior level. But
great leadership at the top doesn't
amount to much if you don't have
exceptional leadership at the unit
level. That's where great things get
done.

The Re-Education of Jim Collins, Inc.

Work of Leaders model

leaders have three
fundamental responsibilities:
They craft a vision, they build
alignment, and they champion
execution.

Work of Leaders model

Everything DiSC Work of Leaders

Work of Leaders

VISION
Imagining an improved future state the group will make a reality

Experienced leaders didn't

say that vision was just
critical to their work... .
They said vision is critical
to every leader's work.

A powerful vision can

help everyone understand
how whatever you do is
differentiated from what
your competitors do.

If you've ever been part of an

energized team, whether around
a conference room table or on a
playing field, you know the
feeling of pulling together to
reach a common goal: suddenly
everyone's work becomes
essential and meaningful.

Organizations intent on building

shared visions continually
encourage members to develop
their personal visions. If people
dont have their own vision, all
they can do is sign up for someone
elses.

-- Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline.

Work of Leaders

VISION
Exploration

Remaining open doesn't mean

you're indecisive. It's about
making a conscious decision to
invest time in exploration. It's
not that you can't make up your
mindit's about not making a
decision too early.

Give yourself permission to

set aside specific time to let
your mind wander, to think
about the possibilities.

Don't reject an idea

just because you
aren't sure how it will
be implemented.

This is the single most

requested behavior
change for leaders be more active about
finding new
opportunities.

Talk to your customers.

Talk to your customer's
customers. Talk to other
teams in other departments.
Talk to vendors.

Work of Leaders

VISION
Boldness

... the effective leader

understands that a
disruption to stability is
sometimes necessary for
growth (or even survival).

If a leader is not able

to muster an inner
spirit of boldness, it
limits his ability to
move forward.

Only a fraction of the leaders

weve studied describe
themselves as highly
adventurous. Meanwhile, Do
more to help us stretch the
boundaries is one of the most
common requests we hear
people give their leaders.

If the idea really is powerful, analysis

and ingenuity can sometimes turn the
impractical into: 'You know, we might
actually be able to do this.' That
realization, however, is never going to
come to light if the leader doesn't have
the strength to introduce it.

Remember that speaking out

with a bold idea doesnt
necessarily have to be done
impulsively or on the spur of the
moment. By pitching it
informally, youll gain a sense of
how people are going to react
and the opportunity to polish
your delivery.

Work of Leaders

VISION
Testing assumptions

By understanding as much as
possible about your vision, youll
be able to anticipate the potential
reactions and challenges. You
cant deal with problems you dont
know about.

Seeking counsel is about inviting

people whose skills and knowledge
you respect into the process. This
is your chance to try out your
vision while the stakes are still
low. It isnt asking someone for
approval.

There's no reason to limit yourself

to consulting with your co-workers.
Consider other people you know
who might have fresh perspectives
that could be useful in refining
your ideas, especially those
closest to your customers.

But in the end, the leader

has to apply judgment, asking
herself how bold to be and
how much to listen to critics
and naysayers.

Work of Leaders

ALIGNMENT
Everyone in the group understands and commits to the direction.

Building alignment is the logical

next stage after crafting a vision.
Building alignment is the act of
gaining buy-in for your vision and
it's absolutely critical in moving
from imagination to reality.

Our research shows that more than

half of leaders report little or no
training or guidance in the practice of
creating alignment. In fact, only 47
percent report having a clear
understanding of what 'building
alignment' even means in the context
of leadership.

Effective leaders also understand

that alignment is not something to
check off a to-do list. Alignment is a
dynamic, ongoing process that
requires continual monitoring and
realigning as conditions and needs
change.

True alignment changes the way

team members view their actions;
they embrace team decisions and
organizational actions as if they were
their own.

The most effective leaders make

sure everyone knows what theyre
supposed to be doing and why.
Unfortunately, one in three
leaders tell us they spend little to
no time planning how they will
achieve alignment.

When both rational and emotional

needs are met, when leaders reach
the head and heart, true alignment
goes beyond enthusiasm, beyond
agreement, beyond understanding
goals.

Work of Leaders

ALIGNMENT
Clarity

Our research suggests that

leaders often overlook
communicating what is obvious
and intuitive to them, but can
seem like a mystery to their
followers.

But if you're able to give a simple

reason for a change or new plan,
people should be able to follow
your logic and reach the same
conclusions. Usually, the more
unpopular or demanding a change
is, the more important it is to give
people a solid reason.

If people aren't given explanations

in a straightforward manner, they'll
often unintentionally make them up.
The solution? Be proactive. Overclarify and over-communicate when
the situation calls for it.

But there is no easy way out if you

want the benefits of clarity working
for you. You have to take time to
structure your message.

Work of Leaders

ALIGNMENT
Dialogue

Encouraging dialogue within

organizations and teams is
essential to gaining and
maintaining buy-in; it is also an
aspect of building alignment that
some leaders fear the most.

We asked more than 16,000 people

to tell us about the leaders they enjoy
working with most. The leaders who
consistently rose to the top were
those who genuinely listen to other
people and take others' input and
ideas seriously.

But results-oriented leaders are

often those who struggle the most
with the receptivity needed to gain
alignment. Its really hard to be
challenging and receptive at the
same time.

When leaders encourage (or even

reward) vulnerability, people can
express their true doubts and
concerns. They don't need to worry
about how they'll be perceived. And
they don't have to worry about
tap dancing around the leader's
ego.

While leadership involves leading

a group or organization, gaining
buy-in is sometimes best done at
the individual level.

Actively consider whether people

are simply telling you what you
want to hear. In such cases, the
result will be compliance but not
commitment.

Work of Leaders

ALIGNMENT
Inspiration

This image of a leader inspiring a

team is almost synonymous with
leadership. And yet, our research
suggests that this is one of the
areas leaders neglect the most.

If you have a handle on why your

work is important, youre halfway
there. The next step is putting it
into words and sharing a sense of
purpose with the group.

Its part of your job as a leader to

express belief in the eventual
outcome, to transmit that sense of
importance.

If you come across as cynical,

unsure, or pessimistic, it will be
mirrored by the group.

Giving positive feedback is

reactive, but giving encouragement
is proactive. And by giving this
sort of support up-front, people will
be more likely to feel like they
matter and align with the vision.

 consider adding a rallying cry,

built on your common aspiration.
You can think of this as a
marketing slogan that you use
internally.

Each driver of alignmentclarity,

dialogue, and inspirationis about
connecting with your team. Clarity
leads to understanding. Dialogue
facilitates involvement and
ownership. Inspiration promotes
emotional commitment.

Work of Leaders

EXECUTION

Conditions are present for the imagined future

to be turned into reality.

Support and advocacy from a

leader confirms the vision is not
just talk, not just aspiration, and is
something that can really be done,
something that is within reach.

When a leader champions

execution, he makes sure that a
priority is placed on developing
strategies and is fully present in
the process.

Without a champion to create an

environment that supports this
sense of achievement, people may
still complete tasks, but they may
become disengaged, resentful, or
lack any fulfillment beyond
collecting a paycheck.

Work of Leaders

EXECUTION
Momentum

With momentum, the focus isnt

on the pain of what people are
doing, but on the satisfaction that
the eventual outcome will bring.

inexperienced leaders may find

it more difficult to drive people to
push themselves harder.
Experienced leaders not only know
this is part of their jobs, but theyve
grown much more comfortable
playing this role in the group.

While practicing what you

preach is always the right thing
to do, its really not optional in
driving momentum. Its
unrealistic to expect that
followers will move faster or push
harder than their leaders do.

Help people see taking on new

initiatives as part of their jobs.
And most important, if someone
has an idea for a change, take it
seriously.

Work of Leaders

EXECUTION
Structure

 details cant be put on hold

forever. By focusing on the
planning process, the leader
assures there is time to bring
them to the forefront and to
give these details deliberate
attention.

Regardless of who takes on the

brunt of the work of creating the
plan or the level of detail that it
contains, whats important is
that the plan provide a sufficient
structure for the work at hand.

Creating a realistic plan can be

complicated and messy, and it
takes time. As a leader, its
important to stay plugged in to
the planning process so you can
provide the resources and time
needed to allow this messiness
to be worked out.

First, create an environment

in which there is consistent
and timely communication
across functions.

Commit your team to deadlines

related to external events, for
example, a major conference or the
end of the fiscal year. An external
commitment is always harder to
break-someone else is waiting,
counting on you.

Work of Leaders

EXECUTION
Feedback

Feedback requires you as a leader

to be involved. You must get your
hands dirty and really understand
whats going on in the trenches.
Leaders, particularly those at the
top, often fail to keep their fingers
on the pulse of their organizations.

Leaders are more than twice as

likely to see themselves as very
good at giving praise as they are
at addressing problems.

As the leader, you dont blame

people or point fingers, but you
also dont sweep problems under
the rug-you surface them so they
can be solved.

You're the role model who

demonstrates there is nobility

to acknowledging my mistakes
and growing from them.

The leaders who are able to use

praise to genuinely transform
their groups actually experience
a deep, heartfelt appreciation
for the people they lead. When
you feel this way, you dont need
reminders to give praise.

Complimenting people is
important, but how it happens
should be personal and fit the
accomplishment. Furthermore, be
sure to go beyond the simple 'good
job.' Be specific and paint a picture
of the difference the person is
making.

Work of Leaders model

Everything DiSC Work of Leaders

Everything DiSC
Work of Leaders Profile
Exam your own preferred
leadership style. Then dig into
behaviors that contribute to
being successful at leading--beginning with crafting a vision
and moving through alignment
and execution. Consider ways to
adapt your natural style to be
more effective.

Additional resources
Everything DiSC Work of Leaders Profile
Work of Leaders: VISION training slides
Work of Leaders: ALIGNMENT training slides

Work of Leaders: EXECUTION training slides

Activities for Work of Leaders trainings
Work of Leaders supplemental readings
The book: The Work of Leaders: How Vision, Alignment,

and Execution Will Change the Way You Lead