The Intrinsic Nature of Leadership

There are four fundamental aspects of behaviour patterns: (1) executing (driver), (2) influencing (persuader), (3) strategic thinking (analyzer), and (4) relationship building, (stabilizer). With a fundamental understanding of the four aspects of behaviour patterns and how they affect connection, collaboration, and engagement, we can examine their link to the intrinsic nature of leadership. Understanding this link is critical to understanding our fundamental role as leaders and the purpose to shaping driving performance in organizations.

1. The fundamental purpose of leadership is to produce results that guarantee the long-term sustainability of an enterprise or what we call an organization. Fact — All leaders must get results. If we are failing to achieve results we are not leading anyone.

2. The most critical factor that determines what makes for an enduring organization is the effectiveness of all its leaders – no one person can manage the complexity of change alone. It is the effectiveness of the collective leaders of an organization that truly differentiates high performing organizations from all the others.

3. Leadership effectiveness has three key components – not competencies – but system components – the necessary and sufficient conditions to produce results at a very high level sustainable over time. The three core components of leadership are:
a. Character – who you are on the inside – your Being and authentic Self;
b. Competence- your technical knowledge, skill, talent, and intellect; and
c. Commitment- your willingness to act and to execute faithfully on the strategic objectives of the organization to achieve the results that create long-term sustainability of the organization.

Character is the leverage to competence and commitment to serve the long-term interests of the organization. This is why individual leader behaviour is the singular most important predictor to organizational performance. We all recognize that leadership is not simply a buzzword but an action, being an active participant in the relationships with others in the organization.

Change is rarely welcomed; it makes us uncomfortable because it forces us to make a conscience effort to do something different. Change forces us out of the status quo and long held standard practices and mental models. In effectively leading others we must acknowledge as Jim Collins said that “good is the enemy of great.” We cannot create great organizations and become great leaders if we are unwilling to change those elements of our behaviour that do not propel us to higher levels of performance excellence against the constant threat of increasing complexity and chaos. No organization can become in performance excellence what its leaders and people are not in behaviour and emotional capacity. Introducing the skill of Positive Presence (the ability to adjust and create a positive and energized mindset within your self through conscious thought processes) will escalate you and your team’s behaviour and emotional capacity for influential leadership.

Influential leadership is a full time, daily pursuit. Peak performers are committed not only to their success but to the success of others. They support and encourage others around them and do what they can to help them achieve their goals and succeed in the pursuit of their mission. Self-awareness helps us understand how our behaviour impacts others and identifies our behaviour strengths. In this process we discover why it is we behave the way we do. Knowing all of this we become empowered with a purpose and the motivation to change. Remember the words of Keyes, “that the hardest thing is not to get people to accept new ideas; it is to get them to forget the old ones.”

If you want to become an influential leader, you must commit to continuous personal growth and development. You must commit to personal change in the aspects of your behaviour holding you back from great personal and professional achievement. If as so many believe, culture trumps strategy for performance, then it is also true that the burden of complexity, exceeding current levels of human behaviour, will trump culture.

Unless you have an integrated leadership development system that provides you the highest level of leadership effectiveness to drive results, your competition is going to eat your lunch and most likely your dinner too.