THE ULTIMATE STRATEGY: LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT by Sam Boyer The term “strategy” usually means, “top management’s plan to attain the organization’s goals”. With this definition in mind, we tend to think of strategy as growing sales and profits, obtaining new brands or territory, or some other measurable achievement. However, isn’t the long-term viability of an organization really the ultimate goal? If it is, then the ultimate strategy has to be leadership development. Without leadership, the organization will move into the future with lack of direction and purpose. This will eventually result in a drifting organization that is vulnerable to competitive attacks on its products and personnel. When leadership is present, organizations thrive. If leadership is a necessity for the future, how do organizations obtain it? Does a leader have to be born with this ability? Organizations do not have to go out and “hire” leaders. Nor do family owned organizations have to be “lucky” enough to have a “natural” leader born to them. Leadership can be developed and it is the strategy organizations implement to thrive. In their book, The Leadership Challenge the authors Kouzes and Posner describe the results of 20 years of research on leaders in today’s business environment. They describe in detail how ordinary people develop and further their abilities to lead others to get extraordinary things done. They have developed a field guide for those among us who wish to further develop leadership skills in others and ourselves. They fully understand; leadership development is the ultimate strategy. Kouzes and Posner have developed the “Five Practices of Leadership Development”. Through their studies of the best leadership experiences they discovered that ordinary people who guide others through difficult undertakings follow similar paths. They concluded leadership is not about personality; its about practice and learning. They discovered the following five practices are common among the best leaders:   Model the Way Inspire a Shared Vision Challenge the Process Enable Others to Act Encourage the Heart These practices are available to anyone in any organization or situation that accepts a leadership role and knows the skills to be successful can be developed through learning and practice. These practices are not the accident of a special moment in history. They have stood the test of time. MODEL THE WAY Effective leaders must model the behavior they expect from others. Leaders must find their own voice, and then they must clearly and distinctively give notice to their values. A leader’s deeds are far more important than their words when determining how serious they really are about what they say. Leaders go first; they set the example, and believe every task in the organization is important. Modeling the way is about earning the right and respect to lead through skill development, involvement, and action. INSPIRE A SHARED VISION Leaders have visions and dreams of what can be, and they are confident of their abilities to make extraordinary things happen. Leaders inspire a shared vision and have the desire to make something happen, to change the way things are, to create something new, and to bring along those that share their vision. However, leaders have to inspire a shared vision and they do it by utilizing all five leadership practices. CHALLENGE THE PROCESS No leader has ever claimed to achieve a personal best by maintaining the status quo. Successful leaders challenge the established process. The leader’s primary contribution is in the recognition and implementation of new products, ideas, and systems. Leaders know well that innovation and change all involve risk and failure….but they proceed anyway. Leaders are learners…they learn from their mistakes and failures as well as their successes. Leaders celebrate even small victories. ENABLE OTHERS TO ACT Leadership is a team effort. The Kouzes and Posner research revealed successful leaders used the word “we” three times more often than the word “I”. Leaders foster collaboration and instill trust….and make it possible for others to do good work. They know those who are expected to produce the results must feel a sense of personal power and ownership. When people are trusted and have more discretion, more authority, and more information, they are likely to use their energies to produce extraordinary results. Leaders celebrate small victories as well as extraordinary results. ENCOURAGE THE HEART Leaders encourage the heart of their constituents to carry on. Genuine acts of caring uplift the spirits and moves people forward. It is part of a leader’s job to show appreciation for people’s contributions and create a culture of celebration. Encouragement is curiously serious business. It’s how leaders visibly link rewards with performance. Leaders recognize and celebrate even small victories. So, is leadership development possible? Yes it is. Is it the ultimate strategy? Yes it is. Through a combination of assessment of a leader’s strengths and weaknesses, identification of blind spots, and implementing a plan to address them, and practice, practice, practice….leadership development can be achieved. Leadership development is the ultimate strategy and it must be undertaken by those organizations that want to thrive. Only then can an organization really celebrate victories.   return to Article Page