A Leader Without Followers is Just a Person Going For a Walk

By Allan Old, PMP

So how do you get others to walk with you ?

You have to know where you are going and know that you can’t get there by yourself.

You have to convince others that the goal is worthy of obtaining and that you need them.

This has to be done with integrity and be believable.

Share the vision
What and Why. The what can be attractive, but the why is more important.

Get a team together and determine the basic principles that the team will operate under. This aligns the values of the team and the individuals with the why of the undertaking. Get the team to determine the how.

You may think you know the answer but by asking open ended questions team members will be able to provide input and then the resulting plans will a shared outcome. The quality of your questions will determine the quality of the answers. Become a better questioner.

Leaders manage the task and the sequence, provide the support and ask the people for outcomes. When asked to make decision, unless the consequences of a delay are serious, a leader will ask a question to maiximise the learning opportunity.

Think about those who you thought were good leaders. Did they tell you what to do or ask you?

Allan Old is a Project Manager at Alcatel-Lucent with over 20 years experience in change leadership and project management.

Authentic Leadership in Project Management

By Sean Whitaker, PMP

There are many aspects of project management that contribute to project success. There are the technical skills learned and the experience gained in applying them. There are also the soft skills such as communication and influencing that a project manager must possess. Perhaps most important amongst all these skills is the ability to lead and demonstrate leadership, particularly authentic leadership. A good project manager manages a project; a great project manager leads a project.

Leadership is the purposeful, influencing of followers. Without any of the three key elements is simply isn’t leadership. Without purpose, it is someone we may wish to follow who doesn’t want to lead. Influencing acknowledges that the leader has a vision and influences followers to go in a particular direction. Followers are the most important part of the equation though, for without followers there are no leaders. Great leaders respect their followers and great followers respect their leaders – it’s a mutual relationship. Leadership is a conscious deliberate decision. It is an acknowledgment there is a relationship between leader and follower, and each needs the other to exist. It is a commitment by those who choose to lead of continual personal and professional development. It is a commitment by those who choose to follow of support and feedback.

Leadership requires many different competencies to be displayed at different times as it is highly situational. The competencies you must display during times of high stress and challenge will be different from the competencies you must display during settled and stable times. However, the one core constant aspect of leadership is authenticity. Being authentic means having integrity and not pretending to be something you aren’t. People will always know when you are not being authentic. Being authentic means having a set of values and living them. Don’t be the ‘do as I say, not as I do’ type of leader. Being authentic means having a genuine interest in people and especially your followers. Begin authentic means having a balanced assessment of your own strengths and weaknesses.

It has been proven that good leadership enhances the chances of project success and the absence of leadership negatively affects the chances of project success. So if you want to increase the chances of project success practice your leadership skills and recognise that the best sort of leadership is authentic leadership so be true to yourself. Be true timber, not a thin veneer. 

Sean Whitaker is the current President of PMI New Zealand and author of The Practically Perfect Project Manager. Sean is also the co-owner of Falcon Training and spends his days teaching, speaking or writing about project management.

Leadership: Ten Attributes of an Effective Leader

By Gary Nelson, PMP

[Also available as a Podcast]

Effective Leadership

No, it is not a myth. Many of us have actually seen this phenomenon, or even been lucky enough to work with an Effective Leader. If you were really lucky, they were also your manager/ team leader/ project manager etc.

Ok, to be fair, Effective Leadership is not quite that rare - but uncommon enough that people definitely appreciate it when they see it - and they wished they had it too.

My experience with an Effective Leader

1989 - Back at the beginning of my first career, straight out of University, I was quite fortunate to be hired by an Effective Leader. Of course, I did not know that at the time, but as time went on this became more and more apparent as teams came and went - and his stayed together. 

We identified with him, the team was loyal to him, even through a multi-year dissolution of the company into fragmented parts - in part, because he was also loyal to us. In the final stages of the corporate sell-off, while other departments in our part of the business saw an attrition rate of 70-90% over a 6 month period, his department lost only 2 people in the same period of time. And those only did so after long soul searching on career direction.

Over a period of 11 years, his team stayed together, until he recognized a strange truth - in order for his team to grow further on their personal development paths, he had to leave the company.

In our case, we not only had an Effective Leader, but an exceptional one.

So what makes an Effective Leader? And does that person need to be "the boss"?

Ten Attributes of an Effective Leader

1. Ethics

An Effective Leader has a firm ethical compass. They stick to what they know is right, even in the tough times, and do not easily bow to social pressure or fads. They also make sure that their team embodies the same ethics - honesty, looking out for the customer, doing the right things - right, etc. And not a "closet ethic" - it shows in how they conduct themselves every day.

2. People Skills

An Effective Leader has good people skills, and can communicate effectively with their peers and their team, as well as up and down the corporate ladder. They don't have to be a gracious public speaker to hundreds or thousands, but they do communicate well within their sphere of influence. And Exceptional Leaders develop a significant sphere of influence.

3. Not the Boss

In those 11 years, except for a few periods while on projects with a different department, I did not have a Boss. I had a Manager, a Coach, and a Leader - not a "Boss". An effective leader works with their team, encourages and supports them. Sure, there are plenty of times the leader needs to have things done a certain way, in a certain time - but the difference lies in how they communicate it. A Boss demands the work be done - a Leader requests it and expects it do be done properly - and those working for them are dedicated to doing just that.

4. Praise in Public - Criticize in Private

We have all heard this mantra - and it certainly makes a difference not being "dressed down" in public. However, an Effective Leader takes this one step further - when discussing issues in private, the Effective Leader rarely brow-beats their team member - even if they want to. They address the issues, the behaviour - whatever was at fault, but in a way that does not rip the team apart. If anything, their expression of caring for the team member while firmly addressing the issues at fault further strengthens the team and engenders loyalty and respect. Yes - you will be held accountable, Yes - you are expected to do things right/on time/etc. No - your Leader is not a push-over, and you cannot "get away" with poor performance or behaviour. But you leave the conversation wanting to improve/fix it - you want to live up to their higher expectations of you.

5. Formal vs Informal Authority

An Effective Leader knows how to get the job done - and how to use their formal authority as well as forms of informal authority (primarily influence). As we know, formal authority is bestowed with a title/job description, and not always respected fully if the person does not behave in accordance to the expectations of the role. You may "have to" do what is asked - that is more "Boss" talking. However, an Influencer gets things done by those around them by earned influence and respect - and people wanting to help. Exceedingly happy to help, even - because they know they can rely on the Effective Leader to help when they need it. A formal title may change - but influence tends not to fade that easily.

6. Loyalty

An Effective Leader both demonstrates and earns loyalty - through consistent interactions with their team members, standing up for them, and expecting the best from them. They are great people to work for (and with), but they are not just an easy-going smile-a-lot, they are firm when needed too. They will stand up for you with the higher-ups and with other departments, but they also expect you to live up to their expectations as well.

7. Consistency

An Effective Leader does not change their stripes according to the day - you can rely on them to be consistent in behaviour. Even when they have a bad day (and we all do), they do not completely change direction, and do not lash out at the team when frustrated. You know what to expect in your dealings with them - on good and bad days too.

8. Encouragement

Effective Leaders help to grow their team - collectively and individually. They support team members trying new things, advancing themselves by learning new skills - and providing opportunites to practice their new skills in the workplace. And it's OK to fail - if you are learning something new, you willl not get it right the first time. An Effective Leader understands this, and helps you to progress to the next level, without knocking you down a peg for failing while trying.

9. Not the Detail Expert

Effective Leaders are not the experts in what you do at the detail level. Maybe they used to know it once, but that is no longer their role - they know their value lies in orchestrating the team of experts to perform at their peak, and deliver the goods - on time, with high quality of results, etc. They become experts in working with people instead.

10. Caring

Finally, an Effective Leader cares. About the team, about the company,  about the customer, about the result - and about You. You can see this whenever you work with a team led by an Effective Leader, there is a whole different nurturing atmosphere. People want to be there, and are happy to do whatever it takes to succeed - because they are making a difference and know they are appreciated.

Summary

Nobody is perfect, even Effective Leaders. However they are consistent in what they do, and they do it well, which you can see by looking at the people that surround them. You might also say there are more attributes of Effective Leaders, and I would agree. If pressed, I could also boil it down to two main words - Caring and Consistency. But in truth, there is really so much more to it as you see above. 

Can we all learn to be Effective Leaders? Certainly! Few are born as Effective Leaders, those who have a high natural aptitude for it. Most Effective Leaders start out as good observers of people, and can learn the extra skills along the way. And having a good role model/mentor and exposure to Effective Leaders certainly helps too.

I have had the good fortune to work with (and for) an Effective Leader for a good portion of my career, and when I am uncertain of what to do in some leadership situations, I think back and ask myself "what would he do?". 

Am I an Effective Leader? Honestly, I can say not yet - though I am on the path and still striving to be closer - still wanting to live up to the expectations planted over two decades ago.

To my Mentor, Coach, Manager and Friend (you know who you are) - thanks for being a great example. Your infuence continues.

Originally posted on Gazza's Corner by Gary Nelson, PMP Wed, 24 March 2012. Reposted with permission. All rights reserved. Click here to see the original post.
Gary Nelson is the current Director of Communications for PMINZ, and is an independent IT consultant who has worked in the Telecom and Student Information System sectors since 1989.