What People Want What People Want From Their From Their

LeadersLeadersBarry Z. PosnerBarry Z. PosnerDean and Professor of LeadershipDean and Professor of Leadership

Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara University

“Only three things happen naturally in

organizations:friction, confusion, and

underperformance.

     Everything else

requires leadership.”Peter Drucker

“…today’s revolution feels something like this:

Scary ExcitingPainful LiberatingDisorienting ExhilaratingFrustrating EmpoweringConfusing Fulfilling

and Challenging.In other words, it feels very much like

chaos.” John Huey

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives,

nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to

change.”

Charles Darwin

“Every morning in Africa,a gazelle wakes up.

It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.

Every morning a lion wakes up.It knows it must outrun the slowest

gazelle or it will starve to death.It doesn’t matter whether

you are the lion or the gazelle.When the sun comes up, you better start running.”

Thomas Friedman

What is thesimplest definition

of a leader?----

How do you know that someone is a leader?

Leadershipis a

relationship

Idea #1

The most critical success factor for the top

three jobs in organizations?

“Relationships with subordinates”

Center for Creative Leadership

People don’t quittheir companies. They quit their

managers!

Supervisor’s Rating

Supervisor’s Rating

Likeliness to

Leave

Likeliness to

Leave Excellent 11%

Poor

Spherion & Lou Harris Associates

40%

What do you look for and admire in a leader,

someone whose direction you would

willingly follow?

Person willinglyfollowed must be:__Ambitious__Broad-minded__Caring__Competent__Cooperative__Courageous__Dependable__Determined__Fair-minded__Forward-looking

__Honest__Imaginative__Independent__Inspiring__Intelligent__Loyal__Mature__Self-controlled__Straightforward__Supportive

____ Ambitious (aspiring, hard-working, striving)____ Broad-minded (open-minded, flexible, receptive, tolerant)____ Caring (appreciative, compassionate, concerned)____ Competent (capable, proficient, effective)____ Cooperative (collaborative, team player, responsive)____ Courageous (bold, daring, gutsy)____ Dependable (reliable, conscientious, responsible)____ Determined (dedicated, resolute, persistent)____ Fair-minded (just, unprejudiced, objective, forgiving)____ Forward-looking (visionary, foresighted, has direction, future)____ Honest (truthful, has integrity, trustworthy, has character)____ Imaginative (creative, innovative)____ Independent (self-reliant, self-sufficient, self-confident)____ Inspiring (uplifting, enthusiastic, energetic, positive)____ Intelligent (bright, smart, logical, thoughtful)____ Loyal (faithful, dutiful, devoted) ____ Mature (experienced, wise, deep) ____ Self-controlled (restrained, self-disciplined) ____ Straightforward (direct, candid, forthright) ____ Supportive (helpful, offers assistance, comforting)

16% Ambitious35% Broad-minded22% Caring68% Competent25% Cooperative25% Courageous25% Dependable13% Determined 39% Fair-minded 71% Forward-looking

89% Honest17% Imaginative 4% Independent69% Inspiring48% Intelligent18% Loyal15% Mature 10% Self-controlled36% Straightforward35% Supportive

Person willinglyfollowed must be:

People Most Expect Their Leaders To

Be: • Honest• Competent• Inspiring• Forward-Looking

Components of Credibility

•Trustworthiness•Expertise•Dynamism

LEADERS

• Honest• Competent• Inspiring• Forward-Looking

= CREDIBILITY

TrustworthinessExpertiseDynamism

Credibilityis the

foundation of leadership

Idea #2

Benefits of High Credibility: People Feel…

• Loyal and committed• Internally motivated• Proud of organization• Empowered

Costs of Low Credibility: People feel…

• Uncommitted• Financially motivated• Inclined to leave• Afraid and unsupported

What doesleadership look like?

Just what is credibility behaviorally?

We know that someone is credible because they

(“fill in the blank”)

LeadersDWYSYWD

Do What You SayYou Will Do

Idea #3

“I couldn’t ask anyone else to make a

commitment, until I knew in my heart that I was willing to make that

same commitment myself.”

Mary Godwin

Air Force Academy cadets who described their officers as

“role models” had significantly higher levels of academic,

military, and athletic performance.

William Clover

But nobodywants to die first.

Everybody wants to go to heaven……

“Hotels where employees strongly believed their

managers followed through on promises and

demonstrated the valuesthey preached were

substantially more profitable than those whose managers scored average or lower.”

Tony

Simons

1. Create Relationships

2. Build Credibility3. DWYSYWD

Lessons for Leaders

First Law of Leadership

“If we don’t believein the messenger, we won’t believe

the message.”

Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner

However…..We can’t believe in the

messenger if wedon’t knowwhat the

messenger believes.

Therefore…..

YOU can’t be the messenger

until YOU are clear about what

YOU believe.

“Zoe”

What People Want What People Want From Their From Their

LeadersLeadersBarry Z. PosnerBarry Z. PosnerDean and Professor of LeadershipDean and Professor of Leadership

Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara University

What People Want What People Want From Their Leaders… From Their Leaders…

ororWhy Would Anyone Why Would Anyone

Follow You?Follow You?Prepared forPrepared forACCCA Annual ConferenceACCCA Annual Conference

© 2008 Barry Z. Posner. All rights reserved. Please do not reproduce without express

written permission.