Speaking of Leadership . . .

What to do about a Toxic Leader?

by Robert B. Denhardt

Director of Leadership Programs, Price School of Public Policy

University of Southern California

Question: I saw this recently and wondered how you would respond. "New York City Council Speaker and mayoral hopeful Christine Quinn has an idiosyncratic leadership style that involves hurling invective at those around her, threatening to mutilate opponents and yelling so loudly that subordinates were forced to soundproof her office to avoid scaring visitors. Quinn says her robust approach is an effective strategy for breaking through red tape and getting things done.”

Bob: This “leadership style” doesn’t even deserve the “leadership” label. Leadership depends on connecting with people emotionally in a way that moves them and causes them to act. Screaming is not the way to make connections with others. At best, you might say that this is a “management style,” but even there it’s not likely to be one that’s effective, especially in the long term. The abusive manager may “break through red tape” occasionally but not for long – because each of their efforts to break through red tape also severely damages relationships. 

One thing to consider is whether the style the leader is exhibiting is just “blustery” or whether it is truly “vindictive.”  We all know people who appear noisy and aggressive, but “have a good heart.” There may be hope for these people to be rescued and to become effective leaders. An “intervention,” hopefully undertaken with several others who feel the way you do, may be effective in turning things around. Leadership educators and personal coaches can also help.

For the truly vindictive person, there is little hope. If you have a manager like this, you might consider talking with her and pointing out the problems she is causing. But, of course, there’s a risk in that.  A vindictive boss might well turn on you and pressure you to leave the organization. Even a modest intervention may result in retaliation.

Some employees will stay because they so believe in the "cause" that they will be willing to take the abuse themselves or stand by as it is directed at others. And others may stay because they are enchanted by power and the thrill of the "kill." (These people may need serioius psychological help themselves.)

But, as this plays out, most employees are likely to react first by quietly undermining the abusive manager, then engaging in sabotage, next posing more direct objections, and finally by mounting a full-scale revolt.  

For the rest, you might try an “intervention,” again with others who feel as you do, but at some point, you may simply have to look for work elsewhere. You don’t need this in your life.

Robert Denhardt is the Director of Leadership Programs in the Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California (USC) and Director of the Executive Master of Leadership program at USC. He is the author of a dozen books on leadership and management, including, The Dance ofLeadership (with Janet Denhardt), Book: Just Plain Good Management, and Book: The Pursuit of Significance.

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Speaking of Leadership . . .

Are Leaders Born or Made? 

by Robert B. Denhardt

Director of Leadership Programs, Price School of Public Policy

University of Southern California

Tanya:  I know this is an old, old question, but I'm interested in how you would approach this.  Do you think leaders are born or made?  I'm 24 years old.  Do you think my leadership approach is already set in stone?

Bob:  I think there are certain skills and certain personal qualities that leaders possess that cause others to follow.  Some people just seem to come by these naturally.  For example, a friend and a vice-president at the Fruit of the Loom company recently told me: "Bob, people keep coming up to me and complimenting me on my leadership   And I don't know what they are talking about.  I'm just being me."

For this person - and for many others - the basic skills of leadership just seem to come naturally.  For many others that's not at all the case.  They (we!) have to work hard to develop those essential skills of leadership. But they (we) can do so.

So if you think of the skills and personal qualities associated with leadership along a continuum from "not many" to a "whole bunch," there are some people that naturally fall closer to the "not many" end and others that fall much more toward the "whole bunch" end.

But wherever you start, you can improve your leadership over time.  Now, it takes a lot of hard work - not just reading about leaders or watching leaders perform - but spending careful and extended time in analyzing your own experiences and reflecting in a very personal way about how those experiences might help you become a more effective leader.  

I say that is hard work because I can't imagine many things more difficult than self-critique and self-reflection. Both challenge our natural tendency to protect our own view of the world; they force us to ask really difficult and personal questions about ourselves; and they can set us on a path to deep personal change - which is, for most, really scary.

Leadership is all about "becoming," becoming all that you can be (to borrow a well-worn phrase).  It's about becoming a more fully integrated person.

So, no, I don't think you are locked into a particular set of leadership skills and qualities when you are 24 or 44 or 64 or 84.  Indeed, if you don't constantly change and evolve in your leadership, it's not going to work anyway.  Leadership is not static; it has to change.  You have to change.

To be a better leader, you have to relate to the particular time and culture in which you live.  That time and that culture are constantly changing.  And your leadership must change as well. In fact, the best leaders are those who can match their personal growth and development with the changing world around them.

Ironically, then, those who start the leadership journey with a "natural" set of skills and qualities - those leaning toward the "whole bunch" end of the continuum - may have more difficulty in further developing their leadership than those that seemingly start out somewhat "behind."  When leadership comes too easy, it can become petrified - it just seems to work, so why change it?

But if you don't constantly develop your leadership - wherever you start - you'll soon become out of touch - and less than effective. Change is all around us - but change has to be inside us as well.  At least when it comes to leadership.

Robert Denhardt is the Director of Leadership Programs in the Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California (USC) and Director of the Executive Master of Leadership program at USC. He is the author of a dozen books on leadership and management, including, The Dance ofLeadership (with Janet Denhardt), Book: Just Plain Good Management, and Book: The Pursuit of Significance.

What I Learned in Graduate School . . .

Bring Encouragement into the Office Every Day

Luis Guzman
USC Executive Masters of Leadership

In his talk with Executive Master of Leadership (EML) students, Mark Kroeker quoted former Dallas Cowboys football coach as saying, "Leadership is getting someone to do what they don't want to do, to achieve what they want to achieve." Imagine the energy that could be released as leaders encourage the development of everyone's potential! 

Kroeker's remarks are similar to what Dwight D. Eisenhower said..."Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it."  It is said that there are only two kinds of people in this world..."those who get it and those who don't." The former, for both leaders and followers, means that they have connected in a way so as to derive meaning, purpose, and congruence in their respective roles (a win-win). The latter, for both leaders and followers, means that they are still fighting the long fight because they are both mostly interested in only one solution, their own.

Additionally, the younger professional and the experienced professional learn differently and are motivated by different things. When a leader can get either one to internally be motivated, to be self-directed, to be goal driven, to bring their respective wealth of life experiences and share them in a practical, and thoughtful manner for the service others or the organization, is when the possibilities will be bountiful.

How can this be done you asked? It can be done through analysis, planning, implementation, testing, mitigation, measuring, reporting, and reassessing. This all takes time; time that now everyone is willing to invest in.

It took me several years and a few manager positions throughout my career to figure out that it was not "them" but "me" who needed to change. I was a great administrator but not a leader. I had no clue that what my team needed the most was for me to bring encouragement into the office each and every single day. Encouragement opens our creative minds, it connects people to people…this leads to understanding of self and others and more importantly it makes you believe that you can.

Photo: Luis Guzman – Executive Master of Leadership (EML) graduate.

To learn how an Executive Master of Leadership (EML) at the University of Southern California (USC) would benefit you in your career or development as a leader, please visit: priceschool.usc.edu/programs/masters/eml/

What I Learned in Graduate School . . .

Performance Management: A Leadership Perspective

by Antony Rivera

USC Executive Master of Leadership

Recently, I have been challenged to understand the relationship between leadership and performance management.  This relationship is important to understand because performance metrics are found everywhere. You can’t escape them. From test scores, to quotas, to yearly reviews, performance indicators are relied upon to assess your contribution to your organization. You are compared, ranked and evaluated against multiple numeric standards. Leaders in the private and public sector use performance information to sharpen (or maybe to justify) their decisions. Budgets, programs and even promotions may be affected by performance outputs. 

    

The goal of performance management is to use metrics to improve efficiency in the use of resources.  Its reliance across sectors is due in part to the belief that numbers can’t lie. Yet, numbers can be highly subjective and even manipulated.  Deciding what to measure is complicated.  Measuring wrong data makes performance indicators unreliable.  The quality of the data is essential in the use of performance management. Without clarity, metrics simply do not work.  Therefore, performance management extends beyond numeric outputs.  Leadership is required to make it work.

There are as many definitions of leadership as there are different performance management models.  Leadership is more than charisma or tactical knowledge.  In essence, leadership is granted, not given by positions of authority.  Consequently, leaders do more than simply encourage people to act.  Leaders energize on a human level and beyond the parameters of a specific task. They unite individuals behind a vision. They empower and develop members of the organization.  They lead authentically and by example. 

Leadership provides perspective in performance management. Executives refer to focus and alignment, non-numeric values, as the main reasons for achieving breakthrough performance in utilizing performance metrics.  Focus and alignment are essential qualities in good leaders. Leaders bring focus by conceptualizing a vision that rings true to the members of the organization. They align a vision by providing clarity and integration.  

Leaders must also understand the impact of metrics across various departments and individuals. They do this by behaving strategically. Strategic leaders are proactive, vision driven and focused. They are able to see the whole by stepping away from the tactical aspects of the organization.

Could there be a style of leadership that is most conducive to the success of performance management? In their book, Primal Leadership, Goldman, Boyatzis and Mckee, define six styles of leadership. These are visionary, coaching, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting and commanding.  Interestingly, the research on performance management points out that no specific style of leadership is attributed to its success. Instead, leaders are called to adapt their style at different stages of the performance management implementation. For instance, leaders must be visionaries, articulating the purpose of the initiative in ways that ring true to those they lead. Leaders must have the ability to coach individuals through the learning and implementation of the new system. Leaders must be affiliative, focusing on the individual more than the task, in order to assess the engagement of employees and users during the performance system.  Leaders must be democratic, receiving feedback to gain broader perspective and clarity on what to measure.  At times, leaders are called to be pacesetters and must command accountability.  Conversely, the necessity to adapt is not exclusive to leadership.  Performance management systems are also expected to be flexible. One-size-fits-all approaches to performance management are not recommended.    

Because performance management extends beyond the simple measurement and monitoring of organizational data, it must be examined from various viewpoints. The most significant determinant for its success is the role of leadership. Leaders must provide a clear vision and strategically align the organization to its overall purpose.  Furthermore, leaders are needed to give data meaning.  In turn, members of the organization will be engaged and empowered to support and maintain integrity in the measures.  The dynamic relationship between performance management and leadership suggests that each has the ability to influence and be influenced.  To be effective, leaders must not only adapt themselves, but also adapt the performance measures to meet the organizational needs and purpose. 

Photo: Antony Rivera – Executive Master of Leadership (EML) graduate.

To learn how an Executive Master of Leadership (EML) at the University of Southern California (USC) would benefit you in your career or development as a leader, please visit: priceschool.usc.edu/programs/masters/eml/

What I Learned in Graduate School . . .

From being “Right”  to being “Effective”

by Michael J. Humara

USC Executive Master of Leadership

I am not sure from where my innate need to be right originated, but I assume that I am not the only one in the workplace that has this compulsion. Often individual action or inaction gives preference to dooming the program for failure rather than risk not being right. Surely successful leaders do not pursue careers in organizations where failure is an acceptable outcome so long as they were right? So how does this idea of being “right” fit in?

 It may be self-evident that a heterogeneous organization where everybody is set on always being “right” is culturally doomed for failure. For high reliability organizations “being right” could be the critical trait for success.  An incorrect technical decision could result in catastrophe and therefore may require heated debate and even refusal to comply with a direction. But as we move through a spectrum from technical specification/practices, to management processes, and leading change the issue becomes messier.

Consider a manager’s statement, “That person will be a good/bad fit in leading that team.” It is highly probable that somebody would disagree with the manager, and both will come up with objective data that supports what ultimately is a subjective decision often ending in contempt. Of course data can be collected after the fact to allow for vindication. There lies the rub.

I propose another angle to view “being right” as a value. A variation of Jim Collin’s Good to Great concept, “Would you continue to be right if it was no longer valuable to do so?” Personal ego may allow some of us to answer yes, but I in the context of an organization it would be impossible to align with the organization if this were that case all the time. How many mission statements include something akin to the following?

To make sure that our employees and management are proven to be right, in all decisions with which they disagree, regardless of the success of the organization.

In fact most, if not all, modern organizations see the value of “being wrong” long before “being right,” and would place integrity and loyalty far above “being right” in any list of organizational values. The desire to be right is a selfish condition where we give priority to our ego above that of the team and the organization.  

In Leading Change: an Argument for Values Based Leadership, James O’Toole argues that effective leadership stems from integrity, trust, and listening.  While this is a very elevated look at effective leadership, our ego could clash with any one of these principles and undercut any foundation we could hope to establish as a leader. So what do we do about it?

Humility jumps out to me as the obvious trait, but easier said than attained. At USC in the EML program, we start with understand the “self” and what our values are. For instance, I categorize myself as one of those who want to be right all the time, yes, the very type of person I am condemning for placing ego above the organization. Digging deeper to what I truly value is not being right, but knowledge and it did not take much analysis to understand the difference between the two. 

The next practice of the USC EML program is essential: Reflection. Reflection is painful and it requires us to take the uncomfortable look at ourselves and challenge our ego with our values. These two practices are at the core of the transition of the individual that desires to “be right” to a leader that strives to “be effective.”

Photo: Michael J. Humara – Executive Master of Leadership (EML) graduate.

To learn how an Executive Master of Leadership (EML) at the University of Southern California (USC) would benefit you in your career or development as a leader, please visit: priceschool.usc.edu/programs/masters/eml/