- 1. 21st Century Leadership Skills - DefinedJanuary 14, 2008 by
Jeff BrunsonA 21st Century Leader understands that if you want
engaged employees, you must develop the individual.It is this
understanding that leads the 21st Century Leader to a focus on
self. Not a selfish focus - but a focus on selffor the benefit of
others.The Brunson Level II Coaching Program and the Brunson
Leadership Development Program for Groups focuson the following key
skills for Leadership effectiveness and organizational impact:7
Skills for Leadership ConfidencePersonal/Professional Growth
Management SkillsPersonal study and professional application is a
must for you as a Leader in the 21st Century. How well you
selfassess and act on that assessment determines the quality of the
goals you set and the effectiveness of your actionplans. The impact
you deliver is dependent upon how you integrate Leadership
behaviors and implement on yourstrategies.Communication and
Connection SkillsHow skillful a Leader communicates is a major
factor of credibility. You must consistently communicate well
one-on-one and in group settings. As Leaders, it is imperative that
our communication is consistent and credible. Wemust be able to
consistently create safety for dialogue and confidently confront
issues. You approach performancemanagement and succession
management as key areas for consistent communication.Messaging
SkillsYou are the message. Your Brand is the succinct version of
that message. It takes constant awareness for you tobuild Brand
awareness and representation. Your Desire & Intent as a Leader
is very important to those you lead. It iscritical to your success,
and the success of others, that you are skillful in creating and
articulating a clear vision. The21st Century Leader is also
becoming skilled at using the concepts of Story in communication,
connection, andmessage.Networking SkillsYou must network. Your time
networking should be intentional activities around career
connections and collegialsupport and should be split 50/50 between
the two.Giving SkillsPart of your authentic growth is helping
others grow authentically. Effective giving, to both individuals
and to thecommunity, is most congruent when cross referenced with
your Brand.Collective Facilitation SkillsDesigning and facilitating
effective meetings is one of your best opportunities to communicate
credibly. Learningthe skills of a neutral facilitator is a must for
21st Century Leaders. These skills help lay the foundation for
truealignment and collaboration.Storytelling SkillsStory is a
powerful tool used to engage others in designing a better future
and in creating an understandableconnection with meaningful action
in the present. Storytelling is artful narrative applied to bring
people together as aresult of individualized interpretation of the
story.
2. Three 21st Century Leadership ModelsCopyright 2006-2008 Rick
JohnsonThere isnt much doubt that most effective high impact
leaders are driven by a model. This is true even when thateffective
leader doesnt take the time to define his personal unique model. A
model is a tool that leaders use topredict future outcomes of
current decisions; a tool that not only enhances personal
creativity but encouragescreativity in the minds of their
employees. An executives model is built from the sum of their
experiences,knowledge, deeds and, in fact, many of their mistakes.
Best practice alone will not get the job done. Effectivemodel
driven leadership utilizing best practice is a combination that is
an absolute must. Different leaders createtheir models through
different approaches. Each model is unique to the individual but
the following threeexamples explain the platform that models are
built on.The Competitive Desire ApproachSome leaders strongly shape
their model by working in every aspect of the business and also
from learning thebusiness from the ground up. They always carry a
strong desire to compete and win. The Leaders competitiveinstincts
are generally tempered by personal humility and respect for the
individual managers on his team.Listening skills and genuine
interest in what is right for the business are key tools in
building a consensus. Belief inthe employees is a guiding principle
in leadership style. This same approach is used with both suppliers
andcustomers to find the innovative win-win solution. Make no
mistake; this approach is very different than typicalnegotiation
approaches used in many wholesale-distributors.It becomes a
discipline. This discipline circumvents growth mistakes so common
in the industry. The otherimplication of this model is providing
significant autonomy to the executive team. The leader makes sure
theexecutive team has a detailed and shared vision of the business
objectives and goals. He believes his role as chiefexecutive is to
provide the shared vision and make sure that it is clear and also
current.The Elegant, Powerful Win-Win Innovation and Creativity
ApproachAnother variation of the servant style of leadership is the
elegant, powerful, and simple approach. This approachstarts with an
open and clear balance between the various stakeholders whether
they are customer/owners,employees, or suppliers. It is a true
win-win model without the destructive negotiations experienced by
manyother distributors. Using this foundation and a long
established set of core corporate values and best practice
theleader consistently reminds each stakeholder group of the key
messages while continually focusing theorganization on innovation
and creativity. Innovation becomes a key strategic initiative for
growth. It is exciting tosee the accumulated economic power that
can be developed by a constantly evolving innovative business
modeland effective leadership combined with best practice
utilization. 3. The Strategic Shift ApproachA third example of
leadership modeling is about managing a strategic shift from being
a traditional box-movingwholesaler with limited growth prospects to
a logistics powerhouse that provides significant value in the
supplychain.Strategy is said to be obvious once youve had it
explained. It is also said that customers dont see strategy,
theyonly see execution. This model like the other examples platform
a strong sense of curiosity about other companiesand how to apply
lessons learned in their own organizations. The answers needed for
major change andorganizational renewal lie outside the enterprise
and effective leaders using this model are able to take
prior"lessons learned" and on-going bench marking to generate
success.Over ninety percent of the reasons companies fail can be
traced to ineffective leadership. Its not because of theeconomy and
it is not because of the competition. It is a failure to learn.
Effective leadership will overcome theseobstacles, and theyll be
looking down the road at what needs to be done to grow with the
current model orchange it once the model is no longer grow-able.
Attention is paid to the lessons learned.What is a High Impact
Leader?High impact leaders, regardless of their personal model
demonstrate a curiosity that can not be satisfied withoutpersonal
examination of what exactly were the causes of any failure to meet
expectations. Non-performance is justnot acceptable. Leadership is
a key in every instance to creating an attitude, structuring an
environment anddeveloping employees as the very essence of success.
Although individual leadership 4. models differ in some specific
approaches the common thread that links every model together is
respect for theindividual employee and the willingness and ability
to listen with an understanding that embellishes their
ownleadership contribution to the organization. Best practices are
a part of every successful leadership model but bestpractice alone
will not create the level of success demonstrated by the high
impact upper quartile performers.Effective leaders create a culture
where employees can express themselves and fight for what is right;
employeesbecome responsibly fanatical about aligning their
resources to add value to the customer and the company. Thatswhat
high impact leadership is all about. (e-mail [email protected]
for a fre*e Business Acumen scorecard).Effective Leaders Dont Have
To Know It AllA mistake many leaders make is the self imposed
responsibility to have all the answers. This is just not true. It
isokay to admit to not having all the answers. Good leaders are
willing to show their imperfections. Surroundyourself with a solid
executive team and you dont need all the answers. No one expects
perfection, justleadership. Being President doesnt grant you
supreme knowledge.21st Century Leadership DefinedThe task force
concluded that leadership development for the 21st century is
holistic: it is centered in groups ororganizations, rather than
individuals, and engages the group in heart, mind, spirit, and
energy. The driving forcesof this philosophy, then, are community,
the heart of a groups leadership; vision, which engages the
spirit;learning, which stimulates the mind; and action, which
compels energy. From this point of view, leadershipdevelopment
shifts from individual-centered to collective-centered; from a
packaged curriculum to an evolving,customized educational process
focused on building relationships; and from discrete leadership
developmentprograms to leadership development embedded in concrete
issues identified by the participants in the process.The particular
niche of a community-based, university-sponsored leadership
development effort was labeledcommunity action leadership
development (CALD) and defined as the development of energized
communities ofco-leaders and co-learners committed to concerted
action toward a collective vision (Vandenberg &
Sandmann,1995).The framework can be thought of as the intersection
among the related domains of community development,organizational
development, and leadership development. Community development is
the nurturing of a groupsspirit and the growth of its commitment,
identity, loyalty, and willingness to work for a common
goal.Organizational development is the increase of a groups
capacity to engage in concerted and effective action toachieve
group goals. Leadership development is the growth of individuals
capacities to facilitate communitydevelopment and organizational
development. From this perspective, community action leadership
developmentis leadership development for community organizations.
It aims to develop individuals abilities to build both agroups
community spirit and its capacity to engage in effective action.A
Conceptual Framework for Community Action Leadership Development 5.
The framework is composed of four parts. The first part, described
earlier, is driven by a holistic philosophy ofcommunity, vision,
learning, and action. These forces form the outline of the task
force view of leadership. Thesecond part of the framework relates
these elements to seven action-based values. The third examines the
roles ofdesignated leaders in promoting community action
leadership. The fourth part applies methodological principlesto
these values and processes in terms of both method and
content.Action ValuesEmbedded in the CALD definition are seven
action values.1. Visioning Together. Developing a shared vision
that is future-focused and built on a groups strengths is an
essential starting point. Visioning engages the spirit, gives
meaning and purpose to group efforts, and allows members to rise
above self-interest and maintain motivation. A shared vision
provides a boundary for action.2. Leading Together. In "leaderful"
organizations, leadership roles are shared and everyone takes
responsibility for group process and action. Trust, developed in
part through honest and open communication, is the foremost
requirement. Designated leaders promote the development of each
person by modeling, inspiring, teaching, delegating, and serving.3.
Learning Together. Effective CALD is based on knowledge, which
provides substance to a vision and informs action. Group members
bring knowledge but also build knowledge through learning cycles.
Learning cycles involve planning, acting, and reflecting
together.4. Building Community. At the heart of CALD is a caring
community with strong, trusting intragroup relationships forged by
visioning, leading, learning, and acting together. A sense of
community is reflected in feelings of identity and commitment, in
acceptance and appreciation of diversity, and in constructive
processes for examining and mediating conflict.5. Developing
Energy. Collective energy is a groups ability to develop or obtain
the resources necessary to achieve its goals. To nurture it, a
group must focus on organizational development or capacity
building. Collective energy requires promoting collective ownership
in visioning, learning, planning, decision making, and action.6.
Acting Together. Acting together focuses collective energy and
gives life to a vision. The action process requires teamwork,
political analysis and strategizing, and the astute organizing of a
communitys assets and resources. Facilitators--designated leaders
or consultants--must be committed to the process, dedicated to the
welfare of the group, and detached from a need to hold power and
control.7. Communicating. A group engaging in CALD must have strong
interpersonal communication. Improving communication requires the
practice of dialogue--listening to understand, reflecting on one
anothers opinions, keeping open-minded attitudes, and ultimately,
discovering common ground amidst diversity. Collecting and
exchanging valid and reliable information builds trust, contributes
to effective co-learning, and helps ensure relevant and
well-targeted actions. Networking is an effective means of forging
wide- ranging linkages that can lead to collaboration and community
building with others in partnerships and coalitions.The Role of
LeadersCommunities committed to being leaderful are not leaderless.
Designated leaders under this conception, however,do not fit the
common notion of leader as hero. Rather they are designers,
teachers and stewards who practice thefollowing six principles of
community action leadership development. The first four are
methodological, involvinglearners in processes that they will use,
in turn, as leadership facilitators. The other two are content
principles.1. Facilitation. Leadership development efforts should
be based on informal or non-formal teaching, better described as
facilitation. CALD involves facilitating the development of a
cohesive learning group which 6. values diversity and explores
conflict constructively. This process is based on respect,
encouragement, and community building.2. Learner Focus. To
customize leadership development, learning facilitators need to
understand the context in which their leadership is situated; the
learners needs, desires, and strengths; and the issues being
addressed. The most effective method of ensuring relevant,
tailor-made CALD is to give participants control of the learning
process by engaging them in an on-going process of visioning,
planning, decision making, and reflecting about their learning
experiences.3. Leadership Focus. Learner-focused leadership
development does not mean leader-focused. Leadership exists as a
set of relationships among group or organization members; and
everyone in the group has leadership potential and can play
leadership roles at various times. This view implies a
group-centered approach to leadership development, one centered on
organizational development and capacity building.4. Issue/Action
Focus. Out-of-context leadership development programs have limited
impact because the transfer of learning to real-life situations
rarely happens. Therefore, CALD efforts that aim for long-term
impact must incorporate learning centered around real issues that
groups are facing, learning in action, and on-going reflection or
collective self-examination.5. Non-Prescriptive. The content of
CALD efforts cannot be prescribed. It must be determined with and
by participants. The first meeting could consist of an overview of
community action leadership, an outline of possible content areas,
and an organizational diagnosis exercise. The outline could be
organized around the seven action values, subdivided into many more
specific topics to choose from.Process as Content. In many ways,
the process or methodology of CALD efforts is the content. By being
part of aCALD learning group based on the methodological principles
described above, participants can learn facilitation,community
building, teamwork, group planning and decision making,
organizational development, conflictmanagement, and group
reflection
