The Leadership Alignment Model

Some time ago we had the privilege of working with a major UK government department to help them redefine leadership and to reappraise how they develop and encourage leaders. Faced with considerable challenges by the environment in which they operate and by their political masters, this department has decided that leadership is one of the keys to the achievement of the vision laid down by its chief.

We consulted widely with senior managers, and we shared the output of extensive enquiry amongst the bulk of the population of over 20,000 people. We exposed the senior managers to different models of leadership; we helped them to envisage the type of leadership required in their particular context, and we provoked them to identify the strengths and shortfalls of their current leadership style. In a lengthy series of drafts and re-drafts we worded as precise a description of leadership as we could whilst trying to meet the needs of all interested parties. For all the effort that went into this description it is glaringly obvious that the value of the exercise six months, one year or two years further on has little to do with words.

Exercise ? creating consistency in leadership

This exercise is best suited to a top executive team. It will help them to present a consistent approach to leadership across their respective areas of the business. It is important, at the beginning, to clarify key organisational goals and strategy, and link these to an overarching purpose. For example, 'the goal is to increase market share by 10% whilst remaining competitive on price and availability of product'. The strategy by which we will achieve this will be to develop customer feedback and a quick response to their needs'. The overall purpose is to continually seek to deliver what people want, not what we think they want.'

The exercise consists of answering the following 4 questions:

1. What are you leading people away from and towards?

This question is about goals and the pursuit of a clear purpose.

2. What is going to help you to steer a course consistent with each other?

This question is about staying 'on message' from day to day.

3. Specifically who are you leading?

This question helps identify key people who need to be included in up-front communication and who will be relied upon to provide leadership for others and to design and deliver the strategy.

4. How will you demonstrate leadership to these people?

This question is about the behaviours that will best help people to keep on track with the goals and purpose.

Allow plenty of time for the team to answer the questions, say an hour for each, and challenge any high level generalisations such as, 'we will strive to be excellent role models' by asking, 'how specifically will you do that?'

At the end of the exercise everyone should be 100% clear about their role as a leader, and confident about being consistent with messages referring to goals, strategy and purpose. This exercise may throw up issues of inconsistency that may need to be addressed at a different meeting before doing this exercise again.

Quadrant 1 International help individuals excel at their work and with their personal ambitions.

We are business people with many years experience in senior management and entrepreneurial positions. We have trained, coached and developed hundreds of managers and directors to greater success. We are authors of several international best selling books on personal development, and often present at major events around the world.

Sign-up for our free newsletters at http://www.quadrant1.co.uk/join.php

---

The Leaders Fallacy May Be Howard Deans Undoing

Howard Dean's tenure as chairman of the Democratic National Committee... Read More

Virtual Assistance: A Money Saving Opportunity For Employers

What is a Virtual Assistant? A Virtual Assistant is a... Read More

Whadda Jerk!

If one does not understand a person, one tends to... Read More

Five Tips for Analyzing an Income Statement

In today's article, we'll be looking at the income statement,... Read More

Why Soft Skills?

The industrial age is over. Organizations still stuck in the... Read More

What Consultants Want You to Know (But You Never Ask)

I've been both a CEO and a consultant, so I've... Read More

Can Your Corporate Policy Pass the Monkeys, Bananas, and Water-spray Experiment?

Five monkeys were placed in a cage. A banana was... Read More

Tales From the Corporate Frontlines: Team Dynamics and Communication

This article relates to the Team Dynamics competency, which evaluates... Read More

Test Your Hiring IQ

The purpose of any selection process is to discriminate (albeit... Read More

Use QA As Your First Step To Outsourcing

Quality Assurance, or QA, is often given short shrift in... Read More

To Meet or Not to Meet - What are the Questions?

Meetings can be a total waste of time or a... Read More

Group Decision Making : Are the Decisions Really Made by the Group?

GROUP DECISION-MAKING: Many managers feel they are well-versed in areas... Read More

Before You Head Off, Make Sure You Know Where You Are Going - The Importance of Clear Objectives.

The title of this article sounds like simple advice, but... Read More

Knowledge Management: More Than Just Know-how!

People sometimes interchange the terms "know-how" and "knowledge", but there's... Read More

How To Delegate for Fun and Profit

Ah, the wretched pain of delegation. It comes easy to... Read More

The Boss Didn?t Understand Why His Staff Wasn?t Reading His Mind

Many people believe that everyone sees the world exactly the... Read More

What Your Employees Want You to Know (But You Might Be Afraid to Ask)

This is a challenge for every company owner and manager.... Read More

Communicating Effectively In The Workplace: Four Vital Steps

Ineffective communication is a major, yet avoidable, obstacle to business... Read More

What Every Manager Should Know About How to Reduce the High Cost of Employee Absenteeism

Employers pay a high price for absenteeism, often more than... Read More

Holding Effective Meetings Can Be Easier than You Think!

I'm sure you've experienced those typical "headache" meetings! You know... Read More

Dont Take New Hires for Granted

Hiring good people is only half the battle. The other... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Directors, Consultants and Managers

Creativity and Innovation is essential for competitive advantage, yet the... Read More

The Best Way to Keep Track of Meetings

How should you keep track of meetings?Have you ever wanted... Read More

The Power of the Contract in Performance Management

An essential step in managing the performance of salespeople is... Read More

Knowledge Management - Learning Whilst Doing - Facilitating an After Action Review

Introducing a learning culture into organisations can be difficult at... Read More

Innovation Management ? some ideas are better than others

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Todays Employees and Their New Needs: What You Need to Know

Today's employees are not only interested in security or in... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Employee Ideas Achieve Work Life Balance

This article relates to the Work/Life Balance competency, which investigates... Read More

Recycling, Reverse Logistics and?..Candy

The candy box is a container for all your favourite... Read More

CRM ...The Emperors New Clothes

The story of the emperor's new clothes is a fairy... Read More

Why Management Kills Creativity

Ten or so years ago, an international consultant, specializing in... Read More

Will a Workplace Bully Bankrupt Your Company?

Safeguard Your Company Against Harrassment ClaimsTwenty-five percent of employees suffer... Read More

Pricing Strategy for Retail Flower Shops

When you create your profit and loss statement to assess... Read More