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Leadership

Bob & Lyn Turknett

August 14, 2008

Question from Tom H.:  I got high marks on my 360 degree for communication, but apparently I am not seen by my reports or peers as courageous. I read Marcus Buckingham and others who say that we should concentrate on our strengths.  Does that mean I should use my communication skills more? I'm considering a blog or regular employee roundtable. Or to be a better leader do I need to work on being more assertive?     

Bob's Answer:  I give high marks to any leader who acknowledges they are not good at everything. You are posing a great question: Is it better to leverage the things you are good at, or work to get better in the areas where you are weak? Good communication skills are vital. As an executive, the well-being of your organization depends on you communicating your vision for the company as a whole, keeping others on your team in the loop and communicating your expectations to those you supervise. 

But if you aren't able to voice disagreement, stand up for something vital to your team's success, or say no to the office bully, your communications lose power. This is not an either or, Tom. While a leader definitely needs to focus on leveraging strengths, there are certain must have skills – and a certain underlying character – that studies show are critical for leadership. You need to use your communication skills and develop your assertiveness.

Lyn's Answer: All this talk about focusing on your strengths sounds too much like relying on your personality to get you through. Leadership is a career choice – like dentistry or technology or landscaping. Would you say to a CFO, "If you're not good at reading a balance sheet, don't worry about it, you can leverage your strengths?"

Heraclites said 3,000 years ago, "Character is destiny." Personality, however, is NOT destiny. For leaders that's true in spades! We sometimes see clients in their 40s and 50s who say, "I'm cooked, 'I'm not changing." We answer, "Your personality may be formed by your early 20s, but if you're a leader you need to work on developing your character every day of your life." 

Of course, leveraging your strengths is important when you are talking about the how.  If you're extraverted, for example, you may focus on building a wide network of people in the company, or speak in a roundtable or town hall meeting to communicate to the folks you manage; if you're introverted, you might focus on communicating through your good writing skills. 

There are certain skills and attributes of character that are musts for all leaders, and courage is one of those. Since it sounds like you are committed to being effective, Tom, you must look for ways to develop it.

Bob:  We once worked with an executive in a technology company – she was very respected and well-liked, but tended to avoid conflict. Good people left because she refused to fire someone who had been with the company awhile, even though he was creating dissension and low morale. When she learned she could assert herself without being intimidating, and found good ways to deliver feedback so people could listen, she started holding her people more accountable, and business got better. She motivated her long-time executive to move on from a job he had tired of, used assessments to hire a leader that could balance the team.

Lyn:  ... and productivity "magically" improved. You have a baseline from your 360 degree assessment  – now identify a few specific opportunities when you can be more assertive, devise a strategy, follow through, and see what feedback you receive on the next round of the assessment. 

Turknett Leadership Group has guided executives from Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurial firms to successful answers for over two decades. If you have a question about the best way to lead your organization or develop your own skills as a leader, send a confidential e-mail to:  Answers@turknett.com.

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