My leader's compass

Abstract

A leader's compass is a coherent leadership philosophy that guides actions consistent with a set of values and principles that result in predictable behavior. Followers expect their leaders to be consistent and predictable, thereby creating credibility and trust. This paper describes the importance of not only determining what leadership means as a leader, but also one's values, operating principles, priorities, and expectations. Through introspection of these crucial aspects of leadership, effective leaders understand the importance of publishing a personal leadership philosophy. Based on the widely acclaimed book, The Leader's Compass, this paper focuses on the fundamentals of writing a personal leadership philosophy. This introspection and process facilitate leaders to establish a course and set their internal compass, resulting in greater self-knowledge, greater self-confidence, and improved effectiveness as a leader.

Leadership

Why Study Leadership?

Anyone directly responsible for people or for accomplishing goals through the actions of others is a leader by definition. Those who cause others to act by influencing their thinking, decision-making, or behaviors are leaders. Leadership is not a function of position; it's a function of role and activity. Organizations require confident leaders who have the character and competence to lead.

There are at least two major reasons why studying leadership is important. First, the mission of an organizational leader is to achieve the company's goals. Companies either meet or fail to achieve goals depending upon the effectiveness of its leaders. There is no substitute for effective leadership, nor is there any way to compensate for the absence of effective leadership. The second reason is that each leader must strive to become the best he or she can be because the people he or she leads deserve nothing less. An organization entrusts its leaders with its most precious resource—its people. It is the organization's people who do the work, no matter how difficult, no matter how boring, and no matter how exhausting. They should expect no less than competent leadership in return. Leaders owe it to those they lead to enable them to contribute meaningfully, perform to the best of their ability, and know how they are performing and how to develop to their full potential.

Leaders are entrusted with a great responsibility, which they must be prepared to carry out. They must embrace the organization's values and learn to apply specific leadership skills. Effective leaders understand and embrace the corporate ideology and have developed their own personal leadership philosophy, which is consistent with that of the organization. Just as a corporate ideology is the unchanging foundation for an organization's culture and behavior, a personal leadership philosophy is an unchanging foundation for leadership behavior.

Before developing a leadership philosophy, leadership needs to be understood—its definition, principles, and the various styles and their appropriateness under differing circumstances. Likewise, one needs to understand ones self– one's own values, principles, personality characteristics, and style tendencies.

Leadership Defined

There are many different definitions of leadership in use and if one was to search the Internet he or she would discover well over 100,000 variations. One such version, derived from The Leader's Compass: A Personal Leadership Philosophy is Your Key to Success 2nd Edition (Haley, D., & Ruggero, E., 2005), includes characteristics crucial to effective leadership as highlighted in Exhibit 1.

Exhibit 1: The Academy Leadership Definition of Leadership

Modeling personal values
A leader needs to know his or her core values and then model them by example. A value in action is a virtue and just having an understanding of values is not enough without applying them daily in his or her personal and professional lives.

Modeling personal values
This means getting people to do what you want them to do. There is more to influencing than simply passing along orders. The example you set is just as important as the words you speak. And you set an example—good or bad— with every action you take and every word you utter, on or off the job. You must communicate purpose, direction, and motivation through your words and example.

Energizing people

Energy is the fundamental currency of high performance. Effective leaders know how to manage their energy during the day and although time management is important, energy management is crucial. Full engagement requires drawing on four separate but related dimensions of energy—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.

Providing purpose

Give people a reason to do things. This does not mean that you must explain every decision to the satisfaction of your people. It does mean you must let them know why they are being asked to do something and how they add value to the larger organization.

Providing vision

Effective leaders know that a vision engages people. If articulated, it can reach out and grab them when it is tangible, energizing, and highly focused. People “get it” right away, for it takes little or no explanation. A clear vision inspires enthusiasm and commitment.

Providing direction

Communicate the way you want the task accomplished. Prioritize activities, assign responsibility for completing them, delegating when necessary, and make sure people understand the standards. In short, determine how to get the work done right with the available people, time, and other resources; then, communicate that information to people: “We'll do these things first. You people work here; you people work there.” People want direction, challenging tasks, training, and the resources necessary to perform well; then they want to be left alone to do the job.

Providing motivation.

Set the conditions that give people the will to achieve something, causing them to use initiative when they see something that needs to be done. Give people challenging goals if you want to motivate them. They did not join the organization to be bored. Get to know your people and their capabilities; give them as much responsibility as they can handle, then let them do the work without looking over their shoulders and nagging them. When they succeed, praise them. When they fall short, give them credit for what they have done and coach them on how to do better next time.

Operating

Leaders act to influence others to accomplish short-term goals. Do this through planning and organizing, preparing (laying out the work and making the necessary arrangements), executing (doing the job), assessing (learning how to work smarter next time), and providing feedback on job accomplishments.

Improving

Leaders also focus on the long-term perspective. Although getting the job done is key, organizations expect leaders to do far more than just accomplish the day's work. Strive to improve everything entrusted to you – people, facilities, and equipment. There will be new tasks and goals, of course, but part of finishing the old ones is improving the organization. People respect leaders who assess their own performance, find mistakes and shortcomings, and commit to a better way of doing things in the future.

Leadership Principles

There are fundamental truths about leadership that have stood the test of time. For example, the list below was developed from a U.S. Army Field Manual (1948) and leadership study. They are just as valid today as they were then. Use these principles to assess yourself and develop an action plan to improve your ability to lead:

1.  Know yourself and seek self-improvement—understand who you are, your values, priorities, strengths, and weaknesses. Knowing yourself allows you to discover your strengths and weaknesses. Self-improvement is a process of sustaining strengths and overcoming weaknesses, thus increasing competence and the confidence people have in your leadership ability.

2.  Be technically proficient—before leaders can lead effectively, they must have mastered the tasks required by the people they lead. In addition, leaders train their people to do their own jobs while understudying the leader so that they are prepared to replace the leader if necessary. Likewise, leaders must understudy their leader in the event they must assume those duties.

3.  Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions—leading always involves responsibility. Leaders want people who can handle responsibility and help achieve goals. They expect others to take the initiative within their stated intent. When you see a problem or something that needs to be fixed, do not wait to be told to act.
 
Organizational effectiveness depends on having leaders at all levels who exercise initiative, are resourceful, and take opportunities that will lead to goal accomplishment and business success. When leaders make mistakes, they accept just criticism and take corrective action. They do not avoid responsibility by placing the blame on someone else.

4.   Set the example—people want and need their leaders to be role models. This is a heavy responsibility, but leaders have no choice. No aspect of leadership is more powerful. If leaders expect courage, responsibility, initiative, competence, commitment, and integrity from their direct reports, they must demonstrate them. People will imitate a leader's behavior. Leaders set high but attainable standards for performance and are willing to do what they require of their people. Leaders share hardships with their people and know that their personal example affects behavior more than any amount of instruction or form of discipline.

5.  Know your people and look out for their welfare—it is not enough to know the names and birth dates of your people. You need to understand what motivates them and what is important to them. Commit the time and effort to listen to and learn about them. Showing genuine concern for your people builds trust and respect for you as a leader. Telling your people you care about them has no meaning unless they see you demonstrating it. They assume that if you fail to care for them daily, you will fail them when the going gets tough.

6.  Keep your people informed—people do best when they know why they are doing something. Individuals affect the bottom line results of companies by using initiative in the absence of instructions. Keeping people informed helps them make decisions and execute plans within your intent, encourages initiative, improves teamwork, and enhances morale.

7.  Ensure the task is understood, supervised, and accomplished—your people must understand what you want done, to what standard, and by when. They need to know if you want a task accomplished in a specific way or how much leeway is allowed. Supervising lets you know if people understand your instructions; it shows your interest in them and in goal accomplishment. Over-supervision causes resentment, whereas under-supervision causes frustration. When people are learning new tasks, tell them what you want done and show them how. Let them try. Observe their performance. Reward performance that exceeds expectations; correct performance that does not. Determine the cause of the poor performance and take appropriate action. When you hold people accountable for their performance, they realize they are responsible for accomplishing goals as individuals and as teams.

8.  Develop a sense of responsibility among your people—people feel a sense of pride and responsibility when they successfully accomplish a new task. Delegation indicates trust in people and encourages them to seek responsibility. Develop people by giving them challenges and opportunities that stretch them and more responsibility when they demonstrate they are ready. Their initiative will amaze you.

9.  Train your people as a team—teamwork is becoming more and more crucial to achieving goals. Teamwork is possible only when people have trust and respect for their leader and for each other as competent professionals and see the importance of their contributions to the organization. Develop a team spirit among people to motivate them to perform willingly and confidently. Ensure that individuals know their roles and responsibilities within the team framework. Train and cross train people until they are confident in the team's abilities.

10. Make sound and timely decisions—leaders must assess situations rapidly and make sound decisions. They need to know when to make decisions, when to consult with people before deciding and when to delegate the decision. Leaders must know the factors to consider when deciding how, when, and if to make decisions. Good decisions made at the right time are better than the best decisions made too late. Do not delay or try to avoid a decision when one is necessary. Indecisive leaders create hesitancy, loss of confidence, and confusion. Leaders must anticipate and reason under the most trying conditions and quickly decide what actions to take. Gather essential information before making decisions. Announce decisions in time for people to react.

11. Employ your work unit in accordance with its capabilities—leaders must know their work unit's capabilities and limitations. People gain satisfaction from performing tasks that are reasonable and challenging but are frustrated if tasks are too easy, unrealistic, or unattainable. If the task assigned is one that people have not been trained to do, failure is very likely to result.

Role Expectations

Success of the organization depends on individuals fulfilling their roles and responsibilities to achieve goals. Everyone, including leaders, has a role—a socially expected pattern of behavior that is usually determined by their status or position in the organization. The degree to which leaders meet the expectations of others and to which others meet the expectations of leaders affects the organization's effectiveness.

Expectations of Leaders

Research indicates that people have common expectations of their leaders. Ask yourself how others would rate you on the following expectations:

• Honest, just, and fair treatment
• Consideration as a mature, professional worker
• Working within a climate of trust and confidence
• Acceptance of errors and the opportunity to use them as learning experiences
• Personal interest taken in them as individuals
• Loyalty
• Shielding from harassment from higher-ups
• Anticipating and meeting their needs
• Being told the purpose of tasks
• Clear-cut and positive decisions and instructions that are not constantly changing
• Demands commensurate with their capabilities, not too small and not too great
• Public recognition for their good work

Leaders' Expectations

Leaders likewise have expectations of others. Assess how clearly you and other company leaders are communicating the following expectations:

• Fulfilling their organizational roles as expected by their seniors

• Being responsible and using initiative
• Loyalty, as demonstrated by willing and obedient service to instructions, whether in agreement or not
• When a conflict exists, having the moral courage to bring it to the leader's attention at the proper place and time and in an appropriate manner
• Using their abilities for the good of the company
• Taking action even though complete information may not be available

Leadership Styles

People are shaped by what they've seen and learned and by whom they've met. Who you are determines the way you work with other people. Some people are optimistic and smiling all the time; others are pessimistic and sour. Some leaders can walk into a room full of strangers and inside of five minutes have everyone there thinking, “How have I lived so long without meeting this person?” Other very competent leaders are uncomfortable in social situations. Most of us are somewhere in between. Leaders must always be themselves; anything else comes across as fake and insincere.

Effective leaders adjust their leadership styles and techniques to the experience of their people and characteristics of their organization. Treating people fairly doesn't mean treating people as if they were clones of one another. In fact, treating everyone the same way is unfair because different people need different things. Some people respond best to coaxing, suggestions, or gentle prodding, while others need, and even want at times, the verbal equivalent of a kick in the pants. Effective leaders are flexible enough to adjust their leadership style to the people they lead.

Leaders must take into account individual personality, self-confidence, and self-esteem—all the elements of the complex mix of personal characteristics that makes dealing with people so difficult and so rewarding. The easiest distinctions to make are those of seniority and experience. Obviously, experienced people should be led in a different manner from novices. One of the many things that makes the leader's job tough is that to get peak performance, leaders must determine what people need and what they're able to do, even when they don't know themselves and it is not obvious.

Leadership style is the perception of the leader's behavior pattern when the leader is attempting to influence, guide or, direct their activities. Therefore, leadership style is not determined by what the leader thinks it is, but by how others perceive the behaviors. A leader must be constantly aware of this perception and know how to best approach people in each given situation.

When discussing leadership styles, many people focus on the extremes of autocratic and democratic. Autocratic leaders tell people what to do without explanation. Their message is, “I'm the boss; you'll do it because I said so.” Democratic leaders use persuasion. Vassals Hershey and Ken Blanchard (1977) wrote of situation theories for leadership behavior as shown in Exhibit 2.

Exhibit 2: Autocratic vs. Democratic Leader

Competent leaders vary their styles based on the situation, task, and people involved. Using different leadership styles in different situations or elements of different styles in the same situation isn't inconsistent. The opposite is true—using only one leadership style indicates inflexibility and portends difficulty operating in situations where that style doesn't fit.

For the sake of discussion, the continuum is divided into four basic styles. There are varying degrees of the basic styles based on the amount of authority the leader desires to use or delegate. A particular style of leadership might not be successful everywhere and might not be used effectively for everyone. What seems to be a telling style to one individual may be interpreted more like a selling style to another. Sometimes people need to be told what to do, because motivation, understanding, or experience is low; at other times, all people need is a task statement to get them going.

Telling

This is characterized by one-way communication in which the leader defines followers' roles by telling them what to do, when to do it, how to do it, and where to do it. It is natural to expect a leader to use this style when dealing with a novice or during an emergency situation. In fact, people expect their leader to react in a forceful and decisive manner during these situations. It might be inappropriate for a leader to assume this style when dealing with an experienced and competent person or when the task is complex and the leader lacks sufficient information. Using a telling style in these cases would show a lack of faith in a person's ability, serving only to demotivate them.

Selling

The leader uses two-way communication to gain follower support by explaining the reasons behind decisions. This style allows the minimal participation by others, but helps them to better understand and buy into the leader's decision. Using this style, leaders explain why they made the decision and then try to sell the decision to the group by using persuasion. By taking them into their confidence relative to the decision, leaders gain their support for the plan and people will be more motivated to go along with it.

Participating

The leader allows direct reports to be involved in the actual decision-making process. It requires good two-way communication and the leader's willingness to be influenced by others' knowledge and opinions. The leader discusses possible alternative solutions with the group prior to making the decision. An example of this would be a foreman discussing team members' estimates of completion times for certain parts of a project prior to selecting a course of action for sequencing the job.

Delegating

The leader provides mission-type instructions and minimal supervision. Essentially, the group is allowed to run its own show within the limits provided by the leader. The leader provides people their limits, guidelines, and necessary authority to complete the task. The leader gives them their mission and allows them to accomplish it as they see fit.

Factors Influencing Leader Style

There are several factors that a leader should consider when deciding upon the style that would be best in a given situation. Some of the factors that affect a leader's style are the individual or group being led, the goal, the situation. and the leader him- or herself.

Individual or Group Being Led

Critical areas to consider include individual and group abilities, experience, training, willingness, interest, motivation, group size, composition, and expectations. The greater the ability to accomplish the task, the less direct supervision and guidance are required from the leader. The greater the willingness to accomplish the task, the less forceful the leader needs to be. Motivation level will determine how much to push and how closely the leader needs to supervise to get the job done. The less the motivation, the more push needed. Leaders need to know what their people expect. This can be important during transitional periods between leaders. If the previous leader was primarily a participator and the new leader's tendency is to be a teller, the new leader may observe confusion and have difficulty with communications because of the differences in styles the people are used to and expect.

Goal

The more complex the requirement, the greater the need for specific direction from the leader as to who does what, to whom, when, why, and how. If a task requires coordination and attention to detail, leaders do not have much choice in style—they must tell how, who, what, and when it will be done.

Situation

The shorter the time available to accomplish a task, the more directive a leader should be. In crisis situations leaders are expected to take charge and make decisions. There is little time for discussions in emergency situations; people look to their leaders for direction and expect concise orders, not questions.

Leader

Leaders' personal values affect their natural tendencies. The leader's confidence in others and self will also be a key factor. The more confidence a leader has in people, the less will be the tendency to direct how to accomplish a task. The less confident leaders feel about themselves, the more likely they will be directive in nature. Less confident leaders will usually go step-by-step until they feel they know everything is going along properly.

A Leader's Compass

Personal Leadership Philosophy

What is a leader's compass? It is finding one's true north, understanding what makes him or her thrive and aspire to lead others, and articulating the characteristics of leadership by writing and publishing a leadership philosophy. A leadership philosophy, therefore, is essentially a description of a system of beliefs. To an individual, a philosophy (compass) is the collection of thoughts and attitudes about a particular subject that guide the actions of the individual. Thus, a leadership philosophy called a leader's compass is the collection of principles, causes, and reasons that cause one to act in a certain way as a leader. (Haley & Ruggero, 2005)

A leadership philosophy should remain fairly constant over time, regardless of the organization or the level at which the leader operates. A coherent leadership philosophy guides actions that are consistent with a set of principles and predictable—two characteristics that followers expect from their leaders. Consistency and predictability create two important by-products: credibility and trust. These, in turn, give leaders leeway in their behavior and enable followers to act on their own initiative by asking, “What would my leader likely do or want in this situation?” This creates an even higher level of trust and a greater sense of autonomy among followers.

Inconsistent or unpredictable behavior has the opposite effect in sending mixed signals to followers. This increases anxiety, produces uncertainty, raises concerns about fairness, confuses goal clarity and priorities, and increases the possibility that the leader will be seen as deceptive and manipulative. If followers cannot predict leader behavior, they are slow to take initiative or act on behalf of the leader for fear that their actions will be criticized or have negative consequences. This can lead to a vicious cycle, whereby followers feel micro-managed while leaders feel that followers lack commitment or initiative. The bottom line is that people adapt to different leader styles as long as the leader is consistent with principles and predictable.

Effective leaders act consistently because they have a firm and abiding commitment to certain personal values. They have thought about what they believe in and why and do their best to live up to their own standards. At the conclusion of My Father's Compass, the author describes the top four leadership lessons passed on to him through the example of his father: (1) Serve others above self, (2) Lead by example, (3) Live your values through your actions, and (4) Know you compass and follow it. (Martini, 2006) Do you know what you truly believe in? What are those issues that you consider part of your core values? What are the concepts that are iron clad for you and the people who work for you?

Writing a Personal Leadership Philosophy

Writing a leadership philosophy requires that you wrestle with these questions. The process of thinking through and articulating the answers enables you to better understand what you value as a leader. The end result is not just a document—it is greater self-knowledge, self-confidence, and improved effectiveness as a leader. The document itself is a frame of reference that you should share with others and operate within.

In summary, a leadership philosophy serves at least four important purposes:

• Provides insight on the leader—for the leader and the followers
• Identifies critical values and beliefs
• Helps establish a positive organizational climate
• Provides a framework to ensure leader consistency

What Should Be Included in a Personal Philosophy?

There is no checklist or approved solution for the content of a leadership philosophy. Each leadership philosophy is unique because it is a personal document. However, research and a literature review indicate that the following elements should be explicitly stated in a leadership philosophy:

• Values-what you hold important (e.g., honesty, fairness)
• Leadership principles—based on the above, what sort of behaviors you would like to engage in and see in others (e.g., set the example, take responsibility, take care of your people)
• Expectations—what you expect of others and what they should expect from you
• Non-negotiable(s)—what you will demand and what you will not tolerate
• Priorities—what's important, and in what order
• Personal idiosyncrasies—your particular likes and dislikes or hot buttons (e.g., tardiness, sloppy desks).
• Commitment—your willingness for feedback

A leadership philosophy is the written summary of what one believes in and stands for, what they will tolerate and will not. It serves the same purpose for team members.

A Method for Writing a Leadership Philosophy

Once again, there is no cookie cutter solution. This is a personal exercise, and it must begin by answering some serious questions about who you are, what you believe in, what you value, your priorities and your expectations of yourself and others. One method that works is:

Start by describing what an effective leader looks like. One way of doing this is to take a sheet of paper and divide it down the middle with a line. At the top of one half, write Best. At the top of the other half, write Worst. Now, think of the best leader you have ever worked for and write a bulleted list of characteristics about that person under Best. What were their actions? Their values? Their skills and abilities—both technical and interpersonal? Do the same on the other side for the Worst leader. Try to not just list opposites of the best leader descriptions, but describe each leader individually.

Now, at this point, you might ask, “What do you mean by best?” That is precisely the purpose of the exercise—for you to describe good leadership by reflecting on your personal experiences. What is best to others may not be to you. Leadership is highly personal.

• Now, look at your list of best and worst. What are the differences? Are there similarities and, if so, why? Write a short paragraph describing what you think a good leader is and what a bad leader is. This will be the basis for your own analysis.

• Using your descriptions, examine your own leadership style and personality. Which characteristics describe you? How important are they to you? To others? Pick the top three or four stated or implicit values. Articulate them in writing as if you were explaining them to someone else. From these values, what ethical rules can you infer? State them also.

• Now that you have the values, translate these into leadership principles that you want to model and want to see in others. Your stated values are crucial to who you are as a leader. No matter how important an event or circumstance may be to our lives, most will fade from memory. Our values only will endure. (Haley, 2010)

• Again, clearly articulate your values and beliefs and then walk the talk.

• Articulate your expectations and priorities and spell out the non-negotiable(s)

• Finally, add in your particular likes and dislikes and your hot buttons or pet peeves and a commitment for feedback.

Throughout, follow the advice of General Ulysses S. Grant, who said “Write as if sending a telegram to a fool that will be prepaid by a miser.” In other words, be complete but not verbose.

Finally, writing a personal leadership philosophy requires a few instructions. Primarily, it should be no longer than two to three typewritten pages or about 500 words or less, using the Times New Roman (12 pt) font. Remember: you are going to distribute it and ask others to read it and then provide you with candid and constructive feedback.

Read it over to make sure you think it has everything in it that you want, then:

• Set it aside for at least a week, then read it
• If not satisfied, make corrections and set it aside again for one-week periods, repeating this until you are satisfied
• Once satisfied, publish it and live it—to the letter

Concluding Thoughts

Effective leaders are grounded in values they have developed through experience and that are consistent with the organization's values. They are committed to accomplishing organizational goals and demonstrating the ability to lead, train, and develop others. They do these things while taking care of people and adapting to changing conditions.

Effective leaders can trace the formulation of their values to religion, family, culture, and personal experiences, through either conscious or subconscious rejection or acceptance of values that have been learned. These values are a part of a leader's everyday action and behavior. They are manifested when they say what they believe and then do it. (Fisher & Martini, 2004)

Effective leaders lead, train, and develop people. Part of this responsibility is maintaining and enforcing performance standards. Followers expect leaders to show them the standard and train them to reach it. They expect leaders to lead by example. Additionally, they expect leaders to keep them informed and to care for them. Leaders may have to ask others to make extraordinary sacrifices to achieve goals. Leaders may have to call on them to do things that seem impossible. If leaders have trained their people to their standards, inspired their willingness, and consistently looked after their interests, they will be prepared to accomplish any goal, anytime, anywhere.

Publishing a leadership philosophy helps create an environment for these things to happen. It enables leaders to discover what they stand for, what's important to them, and articulate this to followers. Followers know the leader's expectations and how the leader is most likely to act. This process leads to mutual trust and confidence and builds a stable foundation upon which long-term relations can be built and organizational effectiveness achieved.