Phanish
1

The Five Key Facets of Quality Leadership

by Brian Ward


What are the key facets of quality leadership? Here are the ones that

we have distilled from our research and practice ... we call it the

FACET Leadership Coaching Model™:

Focus - Authenticity - Courage - Empathy - Timing

Focus

Effective leaders stay focused on the outcomes they wish to create, and

don't get too married to the methods used to achieve them. They provide

this 'outcomes focus' for their organization by emphasizing the

mission, vision and strategic goals of their organization and at the same time

building the capacity of their organizations to achieve them. This

capacity building emphasizes the need to be flexible, creative and

innovative and avoid becoming fossilized through the adoption of bureaucratic

structures, policies and processes.

Authenticity

Leaders who are authentic attract followers, even leaders who are

viewed as being highly driven and difficult to work for. Simply put, they

are viewed as always being themselves … and therefore followers know what

to expect from them and can rely on them, come thick or thin.

Authenticity provides the leader with the currency to obtain 'buy-in' from key

stakeholders, because it builds and maintains trust.

Courage

The challenges facing leaders are immense, and require great courage to

overcome. Leaders are constantly being challenged by others, be it

their own team, customers, the public or other stakeholders. Standing firm

in the face of criticism, and having the courage to admit when they are

wrong are hallmarks of courageous leaders. For example, shifting an

organization from being introspective to becoming customer focused

requires courage when people pay lip service to the new direction ... it means

calling people on their bluff.

Empathy

Effective leaders know how to listen empathetically … thus legitimizing

others' input. By doing so, they promote consensus building, and build

strong teams. They coach others to do the same, and so create a culture

of inclusiveness. But they don't get bogged down in overly complicated

dialogue. They know when to 'fish or cut bait', which brings us on to

the final facet ...

Timing

The single most critical facet is in knowing when to make critical

decisions and when not to. All of the other facets must be viewed as

subservient to getting the timing of critical decisions right. There is a

time to be focused, authentic, courageous and empathetic, but get the

timing wrong on critical decisions and everything else is nullified. Great

leaders move with appropriate speed. They don't believe that everything

must be done immediately ... they know how to prioritize, and how to

get their team to prioritize. As well, they engage in timely

follow-through to ensure actions that are committed to happen in a well-coordinated

and timely way.

These facets of quality leadership are not exhaustive. Just as one

would look at the facets of a diamond, upon closer observation other facets

become observable. Any person can aspire to being a great leader by

commencing with these facets. If you are in a leadership role, regardless

of your position in your organization, start by asking yourself the

following key questions:

Key Questions

1. How focused am I?

How much of my time do I spend communicating and inspiring people about

our mission, vision and strategic goals? How much focus do I create in

my organization? How married am I/my organization to methods that have

outlived their usefulness?

2. Am I viewed as authentic?

Do people see and hear the real me? Do I wear a mask at work, and

remove it when I leave each evening?

3. How courageous am I when my values, vision and goals are challenged?

Do I stand firm and only change my position when I know that I am

wrong?

4. How empathetic am I?

Too much/too little? Do I create enough opportunities for open and

candid dialogue? Do I ever find myself getting bogged down in consensus

building, or achieving false consensus? Is there a feeling of

inclusiveness amongst the members of my organization, and with other stakeholders,

including customers?

5. Do I make and execute decisions in a timely fashion?

Do I know when to 'fish or cut bait?' - do I demand well coordinated

and timely execution of strategy from others?

Asking these questions in a candid way will open up many possibilities

for you and your organization ... if you have the courage to do it.

from

Phanish

From India, Hyderabad
ck_vamsi
HI Thanks for this wonderful article and I think everyone needs to be aware of this facets neverthless its difficult to maintain in this competitive world Regards krishna
From India, Bangalore
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