1.5 - About University

9.10S UPPORT N ETWORKS: THE S ECRETOF A LL S UCCESSFUL L EADERSInspired by many, including Stephen Covey, Peter Drucker, Jeffrey Pfeiffer, and the Novations Group.No one accomplishes anything of significance without the help of others. Leaders, in particular,need the support of many people to achieve their business, professional, and personalgoals. A wide and well-developed support network:✔✔✔✔✔✔Provides guidance and assistance when needed. (Your support system needs to be inplace before you need it.)Provides a sounding board and a place to test your thoughts. (A reality check can bevery helpful in the complex world of modern organizations.)Provides emotional support. (Support networks are part of your stress-reduction system.)Helps you avoid pitfalls and minefields. (Relationships make organizations work, andthus politics within organizations is just a fact of life.)Provides much-needed feedback. (Leaders can be notoriously poor judges of their ownbehavior.)Challenges you to reach your potential. (We all need a nudge now and then to achieveour goals.)Type of SupportMentors/sponsorsAssistants, staff (those whoreport to you in theorganization)Professional serviceproviders,expert advisorsFormal coach(es)Informal coach(es), supporters,colleaguesSupport Provided➠ People at senior management levels in organizations who take a personal interestin your success and are willing to invest their time and energy to advise andcoach you. They can also provide you with a range of opportunities, connect youwith other influential leaders, and help you secure the resources you need tosucceed.➠ These are the people to whom you can delegate tasks. They provide tangibleservices (e.g., policy development, project leadership). You want two kinds ofloyalty from them. First, you want them to produce what you ask them to do.Second, you want them to help you avoid mistakes.➠ Leaders are increasingly dependent on professional advice in specialized areassuch as information technology, human resource management, law, finance,environment, safety, and health. The era of the General Manager—the leader whogenerally knew everything about the job—is over. In today’s complex world,leaders need to orchestrate up-to-date professional advice from many sources.➠ Leaders are increasingly engaging personal coaches, skilled in providing expertadvice on business and leadership issues. In addition to providing confidentialdevelopmental feedback, coaches also help leaders develop meaningfuldevelopment and business goals, and strategies for achieving those goals. Theythen challenge and support you to achieve these goals.➠ These supporters can be anywhere, at any level, inside or outside yourorganization. For example, the administrative assistant to a senior executive canbe an effective informal coach to other leaders. Treating this person with dignitycan make a difference in your access to the senior executive.294 SECTION 9 TOOLS FOR LEADING AND INFLUENCING OTHERS