For years, The Ken Blanchard Companies? has defined leadership as an influence process. We believed that anytime you tried to influence the thoughts and actions of others toward goal accomplishment in either your personal or professional life you were engaging in leadership. In recent years, The Ken Blanchard Companies has changed its definition of leadership to “the capacity to influence others by unleashing the potential and power of people and organizations for the greater good.” We made this change for an important reason.
When the definition of leadership focuses only on goal accomplishment, some people think that leadership is only about results. The key phrase in our new definition is “the greater good”—what is best for all involved. We think leadership is a high calling. Leadership should not be purely for personal gain or goal accomplishment; it should have a much higher purpose than that.
Leading at a Higher Level
While leaders can be successful in the short run by emphasizing goal accomplishment, what tends to fall by the wayside is the condition of the human organization. Those leaders don’t always take morale and job satisfaction into consideration—only results. In business, with that kind of leadership, it is a short leap to thinking that the only reason to be in business is to make money. There is an either/or added to people and results. Leaders falsely believe that they can’t focus on both at the same time.
When you are leading at a higher level, you have a both/and philosophy. The development of people is of equal importance to performance. As a result, the focus of leading at a higher level is on long-term results and human satisfaction. Leading at a higher level, therefore, is a process. The Ken Blanchard Companies defines it as the process of achieving worthwhile results while acting with respect, care, and fairness for the well-being of all involved.
Four Key Steps
The Ken Blanchard Companies has found that in organizations where leading at a higher level is the rule rather than the exception, leaders do four things well.
1. They set their sights on the right target and vision.
Great organizations focus on three bottom lines instead of just one. In addition to financial success, leaders at great organizations know that measuring their success with people—both customers and employees—is just as important as measuring the success of their financial bottom line.
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In these organizations, developing loyal customers and engaged employees are considered equal to good financial performance. Leaders at these companies know that in order to succeed they must create a motivating environment for employees, which results in better customer service, which leads to higher profits.
2. They treat their customers right.
To keep your customers today, you can’t be content just to satisfy them. Instead, you have to create raving fans—customers who are so excited about the way you treat them that they want to tell everyone about you. Companies that create raving fans routinely do the unexpected on behalf of their customers, and then enjoy the growth generated by customers bragging about them to prospective clients.
3. They treat their people right.
Without committed and empowered employees, you can never provide good service. You can’t treat your people poorly and expect them to treat your customers well. Treating your people right begins with good performance planning that gets things going in the right direction by letting direct reports know what they will be held accountable for—goals—and what good behavior looks like—performance standards. It continues with managers who provide the right amount of direction and support that each individual employee needs to achieve those goals and performance standards.
4. They have the right kind of leadership.
The most effective leaders realize that leadership is not about them and that they are only as good as the people they lead. These kinds of leaders seek to be serving leaders instead of self-serving leaders. In this model, once a vision has been set, leaders move themselves to the bottom of the hierarchy, acting as a cheerleader, supporter, and encourager to the people who report to them.
Getting Started
Leadership needs to be about more than just self-interest. It’s only when you realize that it’s not about you that you can begin to lead at a higher level. Effective leadership starts with looking at yourself—who you are, what you stand for, and how you take initiative when you don’t have position power. This is leadership not based on false pride or fear, but grounded in humility and focused on the greater good. With the right kind of leadership, leading at a higher level can become a reality.
The result is an organization where people and profits both grow and thrive.
GO TO SITUATIONAL
LEADERSHIP®Ⅱ
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