Becoming an

Extraordinary
Leader:
A 12 Step Roadmap for
Improving Leadership Skills

Jack Zenger

© 2005 Zenger | Folkman Company. All rights reserved. Marriott.Slides.APM.EL4.2 Rev 03.07.06
March 13, 2006
Creating your roadmap:

• This presentation is not about leadership theory or practice

• This presentation is about the process by which you can

become a more effective leader.

2
1. Understand what extraordinary leaders do

• Behaviorist view
• Understand the research about leadership

At a later time you should:

• Analyze what’s unique about your organization’s
leadership “brand”
• Pay attention to what the most effective leaders in
your organization do
• Make notes from your reading about leadership
behavior that resonates with you

3
The Research

• Two years researching the impact of

leadership performance and the key
behaviors that great leaders
demonstrate
• Data set of 200,000 evaluations on
20,000 people
• Contrasted the highest-performing 10%
to the lowest-performing 10%
• The approach: Lead with the data!
• The result: New insights that
fundamentally change the way we think
about leadership development

4
For a Full Report of the Research . . .

5
The Leadership Tent

6
Differentiating Competencies
Leading Change
• Develops Strategic Perspectives Interpersonal
• Champions Change Skills
Focus on • Connects the Group to the • Communicates
Results Outside World Powerfully and
Prolifically
• Drives for
Results Character • Inspires and
Motivates Others
• Establishes • Displays High
to High
Stretch Goals Integrity and
Performance
• Takes Initiative Honesty
• Builds
Relationships
Personal Capability • Develops Others
• Technical/Professional Expertise • Collaboration
• Solves Problems and Analyzes Issues and Teamwork
• Innovates
• Practices Self-Development
7
2. Aim high

Ordinary does
not equal
extraordinary—and
your organization
needs you to be
extraordinary.

8
Leadership vs. Turnover

20
Average Percent Turnover

18 19
16
14
12 14
10
8 9
6 Extraordinary
4 leaders are
2 much better at
0
holding on to
their people.
Bottom 30% Middle 60% Top 10%
Poor Leaders Good Leaders Great Leaders

9
Leadership vs. Customer Satisfaction

80
68 The most effective
70
leaders create
Perceptions of Customer
Satisfaction (percentile)

60 satisfied
49
50
customers.
39
40

30

20

10

Bottom 20% Middle 60% Top 20%

Poor Leaders Good Leaders Great Leaders

10
Leadership vs. Net Income

5000000
$4.5MM Great leaders
4000000 generate much
higher income.
3000000
Net Income

$2.4MM

2000000

1000000

($1.2MM)
0

-1000000

-2000000
Bottom 10% Middle 80% Top 10%
Poor Leaders Good Leaders Great Leaders

11
Leadership vs. Employee Commitment

Percentile

90 Great Leaders
Employee Engagement/Commitment

80
Make a Great
Difference
70

60
Good Leaders
50 Have an
40 Adequate Impact

30

20 Poor Leaders
10
Create
Dissatisfaction
50th - 59th
40th - 49th
1st - 9th

90th - 100th
60th - 69th

70th - 79th

80th -89th
10th - 19th

20th - 29th

30th - 39th

Results from a large

High-tech company
Leadership Effectiveness Percentile

12
Leadership Effectiveness vs.
Satisfaction with Pay and Job Security
Satisfaction with Company Pay & Job Security

70

65

60

55

50

45

40

35

30
1st - 10th - 20th - 30th - 40th - 50th - 60th - 70th - 80th - 90th -
9th 19th 29th 39th 49th 59th 69th 79th 89th 100th

Leadership Effectiveness Percentile

13
 Di
s pl
ay
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gh
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ch te
So ni gr
lve ca it y
s l/P an
Pr rof d
H

0
0.5
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3.5
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4.5
5

ob es on
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Se no
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ive p m
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ire m
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es
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M es
G
ot Po oa
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at e k e
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O l ly In
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Hi ol
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al
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Global Norm

Pe
Bu r fo
i ld rm
s an
Re ce
la
Co tio
De ns
lla ve hi
bo lo ps
Richard

De ra p
ve tio s
lo n O
ps an th
d er
Co St Te s
ra
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ec t eg a m
ts ic wo
What’s the Message From This Assessment?

th P e rk
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G am pe
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up pi iv
to o ns e
th
e C
O ha
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W
or
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14
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How’s Richard Doing Now?

ica tc
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M s G
ot Po Ta oa
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at
es e rfu s
O lly In
th an
itia
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s d e
to Pr
Hi ol
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Best Leaders

Bu r fo
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Richard

De
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ve
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15
Exercise: Making a Difference

• In your experience, which goal do most leaders

work toward: to be “good enough” to get the job
done, or to be extraordinary? Which of the two has
been your goal?

• If you could increase your leadership effectiveness

from ordinary to extraordinary, what difference
would it make to you personally, in terms of your
career opportunities and job satisfaction?

16
Your organization needs you to excel:

• It enhances your career

• The organization benefits

• You develop others

• Work is infinitely more enjoyable

17
3. Get accurate feedback

• If possible, use a 360 degree (multi-rater) feedback process

• Solicit information from subordinates, peers and boss
• Pay close attention to performance review discussions
• Initiate more frequent conversations about how others
perceive your contribution to the organization

18
The importance of accurate feedback:

To get where you

want to go, you
need to know
where you are.

19
Key Points About Feedback

• It’s a gift

• Without it, you’re flying blind

20
Self-perceptions are not correlated with other’s
perceptions

100
90
Effectiveness Percentile

80
Overall Leadership

70
60 50 53 51 52 51
48
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 1 2 3 4 5
Number of Strengths Based on Self Rating

21
Key Points About Feedback

• It’s a gift

• Without it, you’re flying blind

• Look for your strengths!

• Honor the confidentiality

22
SARA: Common Reactions to Feedback

S Surprise, Shock

A Anger, Anxiety

R Rejection, Rationalization

A Acceptance

23
More Common Reactions to Feedback ☺

My raters don’t really know me that well.

My job makes me act this way; I’m really not like this.
Some of my raters have it in for me.
My raters don’t understand the situation I’m in.
I used to be this way, but I’ve since changed.
This must be someone else’s report.
My raters didn’t understand the questions.
I wasn’t like this in my last job.
My raters are just jealous of my success.
I purposely picked people who didn’t like me.

24
Comparison of Rater Groups

25
16 Differentiating Competencies

26
Written Comments

27
4. Use your current position for your development

• Leadership occurs at every level

• Leadership is developed casually and informally in great
measure
• Today’s organization requires more people to lead
• Strive to expand your scope of responsibility
– Add duties
– Expand your decision scope
– Volunteer
• Build learning and development into your daily work
– After action reviews
– Keep a journal
– Show intellectual curiosity about how the organization functions

28
5.Create your personal development plan:

Every leader
benefits from
having a
personal, clear
plan for
development.

29
Why? How?

• Second most important thing you can do

– Research from Corporate Leadership Council
• Do not automatically gravitate toward your weaknesses
– Unless they are so serious that they erase your strengths
– Unless they are so trivial that they can be quickly fixed
• Focus on developing your strengths

30
What Does Performance Improvement Mean to Most
People?

Fixing Weaknesses!

31
32
Impact of Leadership Effectiveness Without Any Perceived
Strengths

100

80

Average 60
Percentile
Score 40 34

20

0
0 1 2 3 4 5
Number of Strengths

33
Impact of One Strength on Overall Perception of
Leadership Effectiveness

100

80
64
Average 60
Percentile
Score 40 34

20

0
0 1 2 3 4 5

Number of Strengths

34
Three Strengths Raises Leadership Effectiveness to the
81st Percentile

100 89 91
81
80 72
64
Average 60
Percentile
Score 40 34

20

0
0 1 2 3 4 5

Number of Strengths

35
 Impact of Strengths

Leadership Effectiveness Rating of Managerial Effectiveness

Employee Satisfaction

90 87
83 81
80 77 75
72 70 71 71 74
68
70
60 60 58 62
Percentile Scores

60

50
39
40 37
34
30

20

10

0
0 1 2 3 4 5
Number of Strengths

36
A few strengths make all the difference

You don’t have

to be a
superhero
to be
extraordinary

37
Mechanics for creating your own personal development plan:

• Choose one thing you want to work on

• Make that selection based on:
– Its importance to your job
– Your passion
• Write it down in a SMART format
– Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound
• Make sure you see it often
• Tell others what you are working on
• Enlist their help

38
6. Participate in formal development programs

• Don’t underestimate value of formal development programs

• Participate at least annually
• If your organization does not offer them, seek them out
• Invest in yourself if necessary
• Offer to return back and pass on the information to others
• Seek the advice of your boss and HR regarding good
developmental experiences with the highest pay-off
• Read good books and articles and strive to apply one new
behavior or insight from each one

39
7. Fill out your leadership tent:

• It is not sufficient to do just one thing well

• Balance is required
• There are powerful combinations of leadership competencies

40
Research Studied the Relationship Between Two
Competencies

(A) (B)
Interpersonal Drive for
Skills Results

41
First They Looked at “A without B”

(A) (B)
Interpersonal Drive for
Skills Results

If this is a strength . . . but this isn’t . . .

the probability of being an extraordinary leader: 9%

42
Then They Looked at “B without A”

(A) (B)
Interpersonal Drive for
Skills Results

If this is NOT a strength . . . but this IS . . .

the probability of being an extraordinary leader: 13%

43
The Power of “A + B” Led to the Notion of “Powerful
Combinations”

(A) (B)
Interpersonal Drive for
Skills Results

If these are BOTH strengths . . .

the probability of being an extraordinary leader: 13%

+ 9%
%!
22% 66

Page 3-3 44
Other powerful combinations are:

• Innovation and driving for results

• Leading change and providing inspiration and

motivation to subordinates

45
Totally New View of Competencies

• NOT like a coil spring mattress

• Highly interdependent—each statistically linked
to a number of others
• A high score on one lifts many others with it, like
a giant tent pole
• This explains the need to have strengths in
different areas

46
8. Cross training can develop strengths

When building on
your strengths,
often the best
approach is to
build around
them.

47
Research Showed Many “Powerful Combinations”
for Each Competency

? ?

Displays
? High Integrity ?
& Honesty

? ?

48
In Many Cases, the Powerful Combinations
Aren’t Ones You Would Think Of

?
Assertiveness
?

Displays
? High Integrity ?
& Honesty

? ?
?

49
Develops Strategic Perspective

Customer
Focus

Business
Innovates
Acumen

Develops
Strategic
Perspective

Analytical
Establishes
and Problem-
Stretch
Solving
Goals
Skills

Commun-
ication

50
9. Assist others in their development

• Building on last point, here are the companion

behaviors to “Self Development”:
– Listening
– Being open to the ideas of others
– Respecting others
– Not taking credit for accomplishments of others
– Desiring to develop others
– Providing feedback to others

51
9. Assist others in their development: (cont.)

• The best way to learn something is to teach it

• Working to develop others will accelerate your own
development faster than any other step
• Helping others increases their willingness to help
you
• Learning to coach others is a powerful self-
development tool:
– It will help you learn how to have difficult
conversations
• Leadership is a team sport

52
10. Initiate more frequent interactions:

• With your boss

• With your peers
• With you subordinates
• Research shows that it isn’t how nice you are when
someone comes to your office that defines a good
leader
• Leadership is all about initiating interactions with
others
• Then it is about asking good questions and making
those interactions have a positive impact
• Is this a “talent” or a “competency”
53
11. Push yourself outside your comfort zone

• Deliberately put yourself in situations that stretch you

• Do not believe that all that is required for success is doing a
good job
• Making presentations before large groups is an important
leadership skill
• Take on more responsibility, but not for glory or power

54
12. Use a disciplined system for follow-up.

• Biggest issue for development is follow-through

55
Why has it not happened?

• We equate “development” with “education”

• We accept their “end point”

• Not set new skills or business outcomes as

our objective

• Lacked good measurements

• No practical tools to make it happen

56
What happens when there is no observable follow-up?

Exhibit 1: “My Co-Worker Did No Follow-Up”

60
Percent

40

20

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

Perceived Change
Company A Company B Company C Company D Company E Mean Leader

No follow-up Some perceived change in behavior

From Leadership is a Contact Sport, Marshall Goldsmith, Business + Strategy magazine

57
What happens when there is consistent follow-up?

Exhibit 1: “My Co-Worker Did Consistent or Periodic Follow-Up”

60
Percent

40

20

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

Perceived Change
Company A Company B Company C Company D Company E Mean Leader

Consistent follow-up Significant perceived change in behavior

58
Leadership really matters:

• “I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the

decisive element.
• It is my personal approach that creates the climate.
• It is my daily mood that makes the weather.
• I possess tremendous power to make a life miserable or
joyous.
• I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration.
• I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.
• It is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated
or de-escalated.”

• Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

59
You can become a better leader:

The most dangerous leadership myth is that

leaders are born—that there is a genetic
factor to leadership. Myth asserts that
people simply either have certain charismatic
qualities or not. That’s nonsense; in fact,
the opposite is true. Leaders are made
rather than born.
—Warren Bennis

60