Abstract
Leadership training often proposes great leaders from history for our emulation. Historical greatness is a consequence of leader effectiveness and circumstances. Each of us, as a project manager, is called on to lead, and to lead effectively.
Any discussion of leader effectiveness is certain to provoke the age-old question: Are leaders born or are they made? I think the question is much easier to answer when one considers it in the context of leader effectiveness, apart from the circumstances of leader greatness.
Effectiveness as a leader minimally requires certain characteristics or inborn traits. These are possessed by a great many individuals, but not by all. These are necessary, but not sufficient. To achieve real effectiveness, the individual must cultivate and develop these traits, and others as well.
To improve as a leader first requires an understanding of what these characteristics are and which to develop further.
Introduction
I am utterly certain that project management is fundamentally a leadership discipline—that to be effective as a project manager means first being effective as a leader and that the best leaders make the best project managers.
Because of this conviction, my approach to becoming the best project manager I can possibly be is to strive to become the best leader I can possibly be. In any case, I find the subject of leadership a fascinating one, and so, like you, I read about it, I study it, I try to learn more about it, and I try to improve.
Books, articles, presentations, and classes on leadership often focus on the great leaders—men and women from history who have had great and even monumental influence on the course of world events. This is good, and it is inspiring in a sense, but it can also be discouraging. This is not me. I'm an ordinary guy, with an ordinary life. I manage ordinary projects. I have ordinary problems. I don't want to alter the course of history. I just want to deliver my projects on time and within budget. I'm reminded of the old Jiffy Lube advertisement: “We don't want to change the world. We just want to change your oil.”
I don't mean to suggest that I have nothing to learn from the great leaders. I only mean to say that, while their greatness inspires me, it does not help me personally to become a better leader, because their greatness is a consequence of a unique set of circumstances—circumstances that have nothing to do with me, my life, and my projects. To me, it is not their greatness that I must learn from—rather, it is their effectiveness.
Leader Greatness
If, on September 10, 2001, you had asked the residents of New York City what they thought of their mayor, you might have received a very negative response. Rudy Giuliani was widely viewed as a very divisive mayor indeed, and after seven years in office (and about a year before the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center) his approval rating was a mere 36%.
When only 36% of a mayor's constituency approves of his performance, I think it's safe to say that the mayor is more or less ineffective as a leader (or at least very ineffective at managing people's perceptions of his leadership effectiveness). Exhibit 1 shows Giuliani's approval rating over the course of his eight years in office as mayor of New York (Powell, 2007). It had its ups and downs. Just prior to the September 11 attacks, his approval rating was increasing slightly. Immediately after the attacks, it skyrocketed.
Exhibit 1: Rudy Giuliani's approval ratings during his eight years as mayor of New York City
I think leader greatness is a consequence of effective leadership and of circumstances. When faced with a severe crisis, Giuliani seized the moment, rose to the occasion, and was a very effective leader. Every indication is that history will record that he achieved a certain greatness. History would tell a very different story had events not given him the opportunity to be great.
As a project manager, it is unlikely that I will ever have the opportunity for historic greatness. It's hard to imagine a set of circumstances that would metaphorically take me out of my cubicle (or my home office) and thrust me onto the world stage. On the other hand, the only way for me to be effective as a project manager is through effective leadership.
Leader Effectiveness
If its circumstances that make the effective leader great, then what is it that makes the great leader effective? What is it that makes any leader effective? What does it mean to be effective as a leader? Can an ordinary person be an extraordinary leader? Is it possible to be an extraordinary leader apart from the context of historical greatness? Can I become more effective as a leader? If so, how? Is there a practical approach to increasing my own effectiveness as a leader that I can adopt with a high degree of confidence? Can I personally become an extraordinary leader?
This paper is a result of my own desire to answer exactly those questions for myself—to focus on leader effectiveness apart from the circumstances of leader greatness. I think I have found the answers.
What Does It Mean To Be Effective As a Leader?
Are Opera Singers Born or Made?
Are opera singers born or made? To be able to sing at all requires certain inborn abilities. There are some (very few) unfortunate folks who are utterly incapable of singing a recognizable melody, and no amount of training could help them. So at a minimum, a singer must be able to sing. Beyond that, what other characteristics must a singer have?
Among people who can sing, some have more pleasant sounding voices than others. Training can make anyone's voice more pleasant sounding, but some people start with more and can go further.
Range is important for a singer, and some people start with broad ranges. Training can broaden anyone's range (even those of people who cannot sing at all), but once again, some people start with more and can go further.
The ability to create vocal resonance is essential for the opera singer. Some people (based literally on the physical shape of their heads) can do this very naturally and effectively. Anyone can be taught, and training can help anyone improve, but once again, some people start with more and can go further.
Very interestingly, among all of these folks, some have a very particular gift, and that is the remarkable ability to train themselves—to have a more pleasant tone, to broaden their range, to resonate better.
Frankly put, good looks also help. Opera-goers want their leading men and leading ladies to look the part, and that usually means looking good—very good. (The days of the fat Diva are over. See Exhibit 2.)
Exhibit 2: Opera singers Vittorio Grigolo (left) and Katherine Jenkins
At the end of it all, you could have a very good singer, but a very good singer is not an opera singer. An opera singer, apart from having musical gifts and extensive training, must also be able to act, must be able to memorize vast amounts of material, and must be willing and able to make the many sacrifices and undergo the many hardships of the life of a performing artist.
We can say, I believe, that to be an opera singer requires a great deal of natural talent and a great deal of training. No one, no matter how gifted, becomes a successful opera singer without developing those gifts.
Are Leaders Born or Made?
When discussing opera singers, we don't cavil to talk about the need for natural gifts as well as considerable training. Yet when speaking of leaders, we seem (to me) to be averse to speaking in terms of gifts or talents. No one would assert that an opera singer is just born an opera singer. Nor would anyone suggest that we can make an opera singer out of just anyone—and certainly not out of someone who does not possess certain gifts. It seems almost silly to ask the question, “Are opera singers born or made?” (In fact, I would say that this is probably one of the few times in history that the question has even been addressed, even if only for rhetorical reasons.)
Are leaders born or made? It seems to me that the answer is obvious and the question need not even be asked, but to be utterly unambiguous, I will assert that effective leaders are neither born nor made. Effective leaders must have certain gifts but those gifts must be cultivated. Leaders must first be born, and then made. The best leaders are those who have the greater gifts and then cultivate them the most. This seems to me to be intuitively obvious, and yet the controversy persists.
There are some people who are utterly bereft of leadership ability, but they are very few. Each of us, as project managers, can be presumed to have been born with some leadership ability. In any event, we have no control over that, and so clearly the question to address is what will we do with the gifts we have been given?
What Is It That Makes a Leader Effective?
Open any book on leadership or attend any seminar on the topic and you are sure to find a list. Depending on the proclivities of the author (their view as to whether leaders are born or made), the list will variously be titled something like traits, characteristics, skills, habits, or some such. The purpose of the list is to identify the things that distinguish the effective leader from the rest of humankind.
Competencies
Of the many books on leadership that I have read, the one that I find the most satisfying is The Extraordinary Leader, by John Zenger and Joseph Folkman (2002). The authors of this book made their list too—a list of 16 of what they refer to as competencies. Their list has the merit of being based on extensive research, in which they have determined that it is these 16 competencies that distinguish effective leaders from ineffective leaders. They group these competencies into 5 components, as follows (p. 103):
Character
1.Displaying high integrity and honesty
Personal Capability
2. Technical and professional expertise
3. Solving problems and analyzing issues
4. Innovation
5. Practicing self-development
Focus on Results
6. Focus on results
7. Establish stretch goals
8. Take responsibility for outcomes/initiative
Interpersonal Skills
9. Communicating powerfully and prolifically
10. Inspiring and motivating others to high performance
11. Building relationships
12. Developing others
13. Collaboration and teamwork
Leading Organizational Change
14. Developing strategic perspectives
15. Championing change
16. Connecting internal groups with the outside world
One of their more interesting findings is that being merely good in these competencies essentially goes unnoticed in the work environment. As they put it: “Being horrible at a competency gets noticed; being extraordinarily good gets noticed; but being average or good at something does not” (Zenger & Folkman, 2002, p. 102).
Fatal Flaws
Beyond the 16 competencies exhibited by particularly effective leaders, Zenger and Folkman identified what they refer to as fatal flaws—behaviors that “consistently lead to failure in leadership” (2007, p. 62) These are:
- Inability to learn from mistakes
- Lack of relationship building-skills
- Lack of openness to new ideas
- Lack of accountability
- Lack of initiative
A Critical Insight
I think The Extraordinary Leader is one of the best business books I have ever read. The authors’ experience, insights, research, and conclusions are all very compelling, and I wouldn't presume to be able to add much value to what they have written. I did, however, have one insight that I found hugely valuable in aiding my own understanding, and I would like to share that through use of an analogy.
Competencies of the Soccer (Football) Player
Even without doing a lot of research, we can come up with a list of competencies displayed by capable soccer (football) players.
- Passing
- Ball handling
- Shooting
- Taking a throw-in
- Punting
- Catching the ball
- Heading the ball
- Trapping the ball
- Defending
- Taking penalty kicks
Fatal Flaws of the Soccer (Football) Player
We might also identify fatal flaws—things that consistently lead to failure in soccer (football) players.
- Inability to get along with teammates
- Unwillingness to play one's own position
- A lack of understanding of the laws of the game
Improving As a Soccer (Football) Player
If we wanted to improve as a soccer player, we might take the following approach:
- Have a capable coach assess us against the 10 competencies and 3 fatal flaws
- Find areas where we are weakest and strive to improve in those areas.
But a moment's reflection will tell us three very important things:
- No soccer player, no matter how good he or she is, is good in all of those things. Nor is it even necessary or even desirable to be good in all of those things. One must ask oneself, what kind of soccer player do I want to become? If I want to be an attacker, I need to cultivate a subset of those competencies. If I want to be a midfielder, I need to cultivate a different subset of those competencies. Likewise for the defender or for the goalkeeper.
- The things that I am already good at will be a good indication of the kind of player I already am or should become. (If I tell you that I am good at catching the ball with my hands and punting, you will reasonably conclude that I am a goal keeper, and would surely tell me that this is where I need to focus, rather than, for example, on taking throw-ins.)
- Any soccer player, no matter how good he or she is in any of the competencies, will absolutely fail if they possess any of the fatal flaws.
We'll look at the implications of this insight as it applies to leadership in just a moment.
How Can I Become More Effective As a leader?
Understanding these competencies and fatal flaws as behaviors is useful to us because it abstracts from whether they are more or less inborn or acquired and forces us to focus on what we can do to improve.
Critical Findings
In their research, Zenger and Folkman reached a series of conclusions that are vital to those of us who want to improve our effectiveness as leaders, and thus as project managers:
- Effective leaders make a great difference. Extraordinary leaders consistently achieve results that far exceed those of good leaders (2007, p. 11).
- Effective leaders are not defined by the absence of weakness, but rather by the presence of clear strengths (2007, p. 3).
- The way to improve as a leader is to concentrate on developing three to five strengths, moving from merely good to extraordinary (2007, p. 49).
- It's not enough to magnify strengths, however. Fatal flaws must be eliminated (2007, p. 62).
- Competencies do not stand alone. They form a tightly interwoven network, such that improving in one competency often results in improvement in several others (2002, p. 89).
- Certain pairs of competencies are extremely tightly interlinked and highly correlated (competency companions), such that improvement in either certainly results in improvement in the other (2002, p. 181).
I think we can better understand points 2, 3, and 4 above when we consider them in view of our soccer analogy. Effective soccer players are not defined by the absence of weakness, but rather by the presence of clear strengths in several (but by no means in all) of the competencies. It all depends on what kind of player they are. The way to improve is by focusing on strengths, particularly those that correspond to the type of player I am. Clearly, however, I must also eliminate fatal flaws.
(To take this analogy into the world of baseball, it is well known that, with the one exception of Don Drysdale, pitchers cannot hit. It does not matter that pitchers cannot hit. If you were to tell a pitcher that he needed to work on his hitting skills, he'd likely ask if you were nuts. Similarly, an outfielder needs to be able to hit, field the ball, and throw. He does not need to know how to pitch. If you told him he needed to work on his pitching skills, he'd likely ask if you were nuts.)
Many of us have gone through some process of having our leadership abilities assessed by some combination of peers, subordinates, supervisors, mentors, or even ourselves. The result of such feedback is usually a list (once again, a list of—call them what you will—traits, characteristics, skills, habits, behaviors, competencies). Each item on the list is then scored according to the perceptions of the people who assessed us. What do we do with this list? In my own case, I have done exactly what Zenger and Folkman tell us not to do (2002, p. 139):
- I felt very self-satisfied in areas where I was found to be merely good.
- Wanting to be well-rounded, I focused on areas where I was weakest and resolved to improve in those.
- I paid scant attention to where I was strongest.
- I never gave the first thought to trying to move from good to extraordinary.
Practical Considerations
What does all of this mean in practical terms? The very good news is that, assuming that each of us possesses adequate leadership gifts (I think this is a fairly safe assumption), then we can improve, and that it's not unreasonable to imagine that we can improve to the point of becoming extraordinary leaders. How should we go about it?
Deciding To Undertake the Journey
Any journey starts with the decision to undertake it. Will we be satisfied to be merely good leaders, or will we appreciate the fact that as extraordinary leaders, we can achieve results that far exceed the results we can achieve as merely good leaders? Will we resolve to begin the journey to extraordinary effectiveness? If so, what is our first step on the journey?
Understanding Where We Are
Each of us finds ourselves at a particular place in our development as a leader that can be understood in terms of:
- The 16 competencies
- The 5 fatal flaws
At this point, it matters little whether our standing is a consequence of inborn characteristics or a consequence of our development or lack of development. The essential point is that we need to understand exactly where it is that we find ourselves.
Self assessments are always fraught with peril. Ideally, we would want to be assessed by our peers, superiors, subordinates, and mentors, and assessed according to the 16 competencies and 5 fatal flaws. In my own case, I don't see that happening. If you don't have that possibility either, I would recommend that you do what I did.
Starting on page 103 of The Extraordinary Leader, Zenger and Folkman gave a very good description of the behaviors of both high performers and low performers for each of the 16 competencies. Starting on page 161, they give very good descriptions of each of the 5 fatal flaws. I went through all of this material and assessed myself, trying to think in terms of what others (peers, superiors, subordinates, and mentors) would say about me. (I didn't dare ask my wife or children, as I do not think they could or would be objective.)
Eliminating Fatal Flaws
Fatal flaws being, as they are, fatal, this is a good place to start. You have to be brutally honest with yourself here, because if you don't recognize a fatal flaw in yourself then you cannot work to eliminate it, and if you don't eliminate it, it won't matter what you do to magnify your strengths. You will fail as a leader.
Focusing On Strengths
The 16 differentiating competencies that Zenger and Folkman identified are competencies possessed by the set of folks called capable leaders. It is not correct to imagine that capable leaders each possess all of these competencies. In fact, I would assert that anyone who possessed all of them as strengths was either a freak or a demigod.
I think that in analyzing and understanding our strengths, we can gain some insights into the type of leader we are. This will help us focus on the strengths that are most useful to us. Besides, it's more fun (in my opinion) to focus on things we are good at. (Going back to our soccer analogy, if I am an attacker, I will be much happier practicing my ball handling and shooting than I will be practicing punting, which is the goal keeper's business.)
Often, we can improve in an area of weakness by working on a companion competency that happens to be a strength.
The Need for a Coach
If I were an opera singer, or if I were a soccer player, I would surely have a coach. I've been in the business world for 35 years and it is only recently that I concluded that I need help in developing my abilities. Don't make the same mistake I did. Get a coach. Every serious professional should have one.
Conclusion
Our success as project managers depends entirely on our ability to lead our project teams. Perhaps we are not called to historical greatness as leaders, but we are certainly called to be extraordinary leaders. I have found The Extraordinary Leader, by Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman, to be extremely insightful and practical, and an approach to developing leadership capabilities that I can trust because it is based on solid research.
If I might summarize:
- Make the decision to become an extraordinary leader
- Read The Extraordinary Leader
- Assess yourself against the 16 competencies and the 5 fatal flaws
- Eliminate fatal flaws
- Focus on strengths
- Get a coach
And who knows—circumstances might just conspire to catapult you onto the public stage, into the limelight, and into the pages of history as a truly great project manager and leader—but first, you must be extraordinary.