1.5 - About University

Challenge and support,but don’t protect orcompete with your ownemployees.Understand your personalneed for control, andthe control needs of others.[☛ 9.4 Leader Impact]Don’t blame others.From others’ perspective,there is always a rationalefor doing what theyare doing.Listen for content andfor process.[☛ 8.7 Active Listening]Surface and deal withconflict and resistance.[☛ 5.9 Resistance]Improve systems andprocesses.[☛ 2.1 Systems Thinking]Build partnerships withyour people. The bestleadership situationshave a 50-50 feel.[☛ 9.10 Networking]Be an expert in leadershipas well as in yourfunctional or technicalfield.Leverage as a leader comes not onlyfrom getting results yourself, but alsofrom helping others to achieve results.[☛ 1.7 Results-Based Leaders]Leaders’ dysfunctional behaviors canusually be traced back to their need forcontrol. Leaders need to let go andeither trust their people or find newpeople. Leadership will be stressfulunless you believe people want to do agreat job.Without this principle, you may tendto attribute negative motivations toothers or push your own agenda onothers. Either way, you become a verypoor listener.Don’t be content-bound. Whentalking about a situation, be asconscious of the process—how thesituation is being worked—as you areabout the content—what is beingworked on.Resistance and conflict don’t go awayif ignored or suppressed. They justsurface in other, more harmful ways.Joseph Juran notes that approximately85% of problems can be corrected onlyby changing systems and processes.Thus, fewer than 15% can be remediedby training or changing people.One-up leadership, whereby the bossdoes the thinking, is at best a shorttermtactic in modern, knowledgebasedorganizations.Without self-knowledge and selfawareness,you are condemned, likehistory, to repeat your past.[☛ 12.4 Feedback]You will be valued as a leader andconsidered easier to work with if yousee your success as the success ofothers. [☛ 13.10 Careers]Believe in people. Get feedback andcoaching. It is extremely difficult toassess the impact of one’s own behavior.Learn about the use and abuse ofpower. Your finest success is when yourpeople have learned how to create theirown success.Refrain from categorizing people orgroups as “They are all ….” If a personis “acting weird,” talk privately withthat person. People’s behavior is alwaysrational—as they see it. “Seek first tounderstand ….”[☛ 1.5 Seven Habits]Be aware of content and process. Manyleaders think mainly in terms of theirfunction and job—the content. Processconcerns how content gets translatedinto results. Effective leaders are alsoaware of the emotions of others in asituation, and can respond withempathy when needed.Be clear about where you stand onissues. This takes self-awareness andcourage. It also involves a level of discomfort,but that’s the price leadersmust pay to ensure an effective workingenvironment.Remove systemic barriers to results. Forexample, if you want your SystemsAnalysts to be more client-focused,consider relocating them into theclient’s workspace.Encourage others to express theirthoughts and feelings. Encourage neitherdependence nor independence,but interdependence.Learn leadership skills. Learn coachingskills. Watch and model leaders whoare strategic and who get both businessand people results.[☛ 13.1 Coaching]12 SECTION 1 FOUNDATIONAL CONCEPTS