May 6, 2008 Vol. 1, Issue 4
What is the secret to a successful organization? Noel Tichy, an expert in leadership development, says it’s simple: leaders teaching leaders.
Whether they are government agencies or blue-chip commercial institutions, winning organizations share common traits. Perhaps the greatest commonality is an understanding that success isn’t just about today or tomorrow, but about where the company will stand a decade or more from now. To achieve this level of success, today’s leader must invest in the future leaders of the organization.
So how do proven leaders cultivate the next generation of leaders? According to Tichy, not simply by investing in the “leadership training” programs now popular in many organizations. Leadership taught by coaching professionals lacks the power, immediacy, and ongoing relationship necessary to produce meaningful results.
“Leading and teaching are inextricable,” says Tichy. He points out three qualities or abilities a leader must possess in order to develop leadership in others:
- A leader must exhibit what Tichy calls “e-cubed: emotional energy and edge.” Successful leaders must possess the ability to inspire positive emotional energy in others: the capacity to motivate people to challenge themselves. Additionally, they must have the resolve (edge) to face facts and make tough decisions when needed: to assess situations objectively and initiate an appropriate response — even when the response is unpopular.
- A leader must be able to convey his or her values and perspectives in “living stories.” Why stories? Because people organize their own thoughts in narrative stories that help make sense of each life situation. Therefore, hearing a leader’s story helps people assimilate the learnings in a meaningful way.
- Finally, a great teacher must also be a great learner. Leaders must have a conscious process for interacting with others so that they create opportunities to teach and lead — and to remain open to expanding their own leadership skills as they do so.
Who is the right candidate for this kind of leadership training? Everyone, says Tichy. The successful leader invests in every person in the organization, not just the apparent superstars. One obvious reason is to avoid overlooking a potentially strong leader who “blooms” later than others. More importantly, a leader makes the institution stronger overall by helping everyone enhance their abilities, whether or not they ultimately end up leading the organization.
Read Noel Tichy’s complete article The Mark of a Winner.
