One Perspective: Looking for leaders

Leo MacLeod, The Daily Record Newswire

How do you identify how much someone can be coached to be a leader versus what’s part of their DNA? I’m always looking for early indicators of leadership, and part of the answer came at a crosswalk in my neighborhood.

I was driving in a residential area when a young girl pulled her bike up to a crosswalk — her front tire in clear sight, her gaze steady and alert. She looked to be about 11 years old and riding without a parent in site. Traffic stopped on both sides. She waited and then slowly and confidently rode to the other side. Close behind her was what looked to be her 8-year-old sister, letting the elder lead the way.

As a parent of older kids, I’ve been keen to see how early we develop our adult behaviors. How we manage and assert ourselves in the world is formed in those early years. I could see that 11-year-old as a future manager, unafraid of asserting herself, aware of the risks in life, taking pre-cautions and modeling responsibility for others. Crossing that street, she was being a leader.

But what about the sister following? Will she learn from the elder and be a leader too, or be more comfortable letting someone take the risk and responsibility?

When I coach emerging leaders, anywhere from 25 to 55, I try to imagine them as kids. What is their natural path that has been wired in them through nature or imprinted through experiences like crossing the road, trying out for the soccer team, or working on a team science project? How do you spot leaders? Can you develop them beyond their natural tendencies? Here’s what I learned:

Time is the teacher. Look at a person’s record of how he or she behaves and executes over time. Is the person reliable and trustworthy? Is he or she sometimes brilliant but just as often reckless?
Think about what behavior you want people to model. Confidence is contagious, but integrity is more enduring. Who didn’t want Atticus Finch of “To Kill a Mockingbird” as their father?

Judge them by their choices. There are things I can coach: selling, time management, assertiveness, presenting ideas clearly and taking more initiative. But when people repeatedly make poor decisions, there are often deeper issues that are not coachable.

Leaders need to have a basic understanding of what’s right and wrong and what’s appropriate. Young leaders sometimes need to learn those hard lessons, but it’s a flag for me when I see people make decisions that simply defy common sense. Somewhere along the way, they learned that to fit in or get their needs met, they turned off a part of their brain that factored in what others might think.

I have a rule of three: When I see three bad decisions, I have to tell senior management to look more seriously about the long-term potential of their choices.

Stretch people. The younger sister following the older sister may find that following is more natural than leading, but it may be only because she hasn’t had the opportunity to lead.

I’m working with a young designer who understands that in order to be a leader she is going to have to be more than the best designer. She is going to have to be more consistent in setting expectations with her staff, be tougher in confrontational situations, be more accurate in recording her time and turn in data to the CFO more promptly. I’ve seen people grow beyond their natural tendencies when management put them in that role. Their ultimate success depends on how much they want the responsibility.

Find the fit. The confident sales guy in the rental car agency who tackles customer service like a linebacker naturally rises to the top in our eyes as a leader. But what about the quiet, mild-mannered engineer who doesn’t say much but has clients’ ears when he does?

Leadership doesn’t always look like captain of the football team. The fact is that organizations need a variety of leaders to balance out the team. We need sales people, but we also need strong technical people. We need people who can take charge and command a room and we need people who make sure the IRS doesn’t audit the company.

Learn the unique abilities of people. Understand how they can contribute and how to balance their weaknesses with others’ strengths.

Much is ingrained in us from an early age. Look to the character of your future leaders. Understand their limitations. Coach them to grow in new ways. Recognize that leadership often takes different shapes.

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Leo MacLeod, a partner in the Succession Consulting Group, helps firms plan for transition and develop the next generation of leaders and rainmakers. Contact him at leo@successioncg.com.