Sample White Paper: Leadership Philosophy for a New Era...Building Blocks

Introduction

Before rising to the top spot, any good leader has an overall grasp of what leadership is and is not. He can list general attributes that commonly define the role and distinguish between a good leader and a poor one. But when a new leader moves into the top spot to take over a company that must implement a new & challenging strategy, more is needed. That situation requires new ways of operating that, in turn, demand that people at all levels of the structure acquire new knowledge, gain new skills, and display new behavior...and they must do so in concert, that is, in a coordinated way and at more or less the same pace.

When the new leader asks his people to make such changes, he must ask himself what they need to know regarding how he intends to lead them...not general definitions but a specific set of characteristics which he must convince them are best for the demands of the new era. And, of course, this is particularly important when, as is often the case with new eras, there are new members of senior management.

The proposition here is that during such times it is more important than ever for the key managers to be clear about what the leader expects of himself as well as of them. This calls for the leader to take on three tasks:

• The first task is to concentrate on himself; it begins with a careful look at the way he leads, not just in general but in light of the demands of the era he is starting. In particular, to be clear about the values, core beliefs, and basic assumptions that underpin his approach to leadership, the strengths & shortcomings of his style, and the paths he has taken to become the leader he is. Then he must match that analysis with the needs of the era to identify the particular shortcomings he must shore up.
• The second task is to reshape the executive management team, the leader's direct reports, so that it better matches the needs of the era with the right mix of knowledge, skills, and behavior. Because it takes time for new members to fully assimilate and for everyone to settle into new roles, anything the leader can do to accelerate the process will help the senior group to more quickly perform at a higher level. That's where the next task comes in.
• The third task is for the leader to define how the company should operate given the needs of the era and his particular style...and then communicate it in such a way that all influential people have the same mental image of the organization they are being asked to help create. Why is that important?

You and I have talked about sports quite a bit. Think of a team where the same players & coaches have been together for years...and that regularly beats another team that has frequent turnover. Players on the first team know one another's wants, needs, and moves. They communicate fluently and quickly. A look or slight movement conveys to teammates what a player is about to do. Trust is high.

Players can anticipate what their teammates need in order for the whole team to perform at the highest level. The competitive edge such familiarity provides is speed of execution and lack of wasted effort. Similarly, the leader managing the transition to a new era must strive for as much certainty and familiarity as possible between himself and his key managers. When he doesn't have the benefit of years of working together with his team (as is the case for you), particular care must be taken to communicate expectations & standards clearly and effectively so that they understand what they must do to meet his requirements & preferences. He will know when he has been clear enough when they are able to translate to the people in their own departments as clearly as if the leader had. The overall effect should be understanding of what is expected at all levels under the leader.

Over the last six months, you have made much progress on the first track (values, core beliefs, and self-analysis). You have articulated what you stand for and described the values you want the organization you lead to personify. And what has given that message particular weight and meaning is the effort you have devoted to yourself as you have investigated your leadership style and the personal values that underpin it. Also, you have completed the second task as you have reshaped your senior leader team in your image. You now have an SLT that you believe is the right one to manage the company over at least the next several years. As I said, much progress. But, here's the rub. Without the third task done well, all the positive accomplishments of the first two will not be enough to change the company. What will that take?

It will take a critical mass of the right people leaving their behavioral comfort zones to try new ways of acting. That includes at least three steps: (1) them experimenting with the new systems and techniques that have just been designed for the company; (2) communicating with and supporting one another rather than hoarding information and competing; and (3) dropping the not-invented-here attitude so common among your most experienced people.

When we last met, you said that you wanted to make sure everyone on your new team is "aligned so that we're all going in the same direction." You and I talked for quite a while about what you would see and hear when the team was going in the same direction versus what you see and hear now ... in doing so, we defined in your case what alignment of the top team would mean. We ended that conversation with me saying that I would think about what it would take to get there. Below are some thoughts. Like other white papers, the purpose here is to lay out my take so that you have something to consider and for us to talk more about.

[The remainder of this paper laid out for this particular leader the steps, metrics, and ways to measure progress necessary to ensure a common leadership philosophy for him and his senior managers.]