I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers — Ralph Nader

AS indicated in the previous article, MBA programmes typically have a course on Leadership, which provides knowledge about leadership theories, styles, behaviours and characteristics. Given the critical role played by the leadership in any organisation, much attention should also be placed on leadership development. The MBA student should not just be satisfied with ingesting some knowledge about leadership, perform well enough to get an “A”, then forget the course content and move on.

Having said that, I know the constraints, and so when I lecture on Leadership — after covering the theoretical aspects, I try to zoom in on a few key leadership development areas for the students to work on individually after the course, and then – with repeated emphasis — ask them to consistently improve themselves even incrementally, by applying the concepts. Reviewing several case studies also highlights leadership areas that one can target for improvement.

As Marshall Goldsmith indicated in his article “Are Leaders Acting on their Training?” you need to apply the learnings, and seek to measure the changes. For emphasis, Goldsmith quoted Arnold Schwarzeneggar as saying, “Nobody ever got muscles by watching me lift weights!”

Let me therefore touch on a few key leadership development areas for you to focus on — and try to consistently improve on.

Leadership Development — “The Basics”

We cannot be effective leaders if we ignore what I call “the Basics”. I also think that these are the items that determine whether a leader can execute — or get things done. My experience in Jamaica is that we have very bright people, wonderful planners, and fantastic speakers. Yet we find it hard to get things done! We have many meetings simply to have meetings — and the Action Items List remains untouched. So “the basics”: time management, meeting deadlines (read Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People), honouring your word (if I say I will call you back tomorrow, — I call you back tomorrow!), being organised, being able to work efficiently and effectively, conducting effective meetings, etc.

OK — so we live in Jamaica and we use “Jamaica time”. Have you ever considered (and converted to dollars) how much productive time is wasted waiting on people who are late? Similarly, I am constantly amazed at the reaction when I tell a customer with an issue that I will call them back by, say, Wednesday, and when I do call them they always say that they really never expected me to call! I believe “the basics” is the substratum (learnt that from a lawyer recently – means “foundation”), of the skill set of a leader who can execute.

Emotional Intelligence

Jack Welch, the famous CEO of General Electric from 1981 to 2001, wrote in his autobiography Jack Straight from the Gut, that his problem with business schools was that the graduates they sent to him were only trained in the technical skills, but not in the soft skills (which are much more difficult to learn). So, how important are the soft skills for a leader? Critical! The higher up the organisation structure one goes is the more emotional intelligence and other soft skills are required and the less technical skills.

In 1995, Daniel Goleman wrote about emotional intelligence in his book which became an international bestseller. Emotional Intelligence can be simply defined as the ability to manage one’s own emotions as well as the emotions of others — not a simple feat!

There are five emotional intelligence competences: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. I consider the first one — self-awareness — the biggest hurdle of them all. Are you able to recognise your own emotions in a situation, as well as their effect? Many times you will see someone being overly defensive in a meeting, unnecessarily angry, or obviously biased. The sad thing is that often they are oblivious of their actions.

I started becoming aware of my own emotions years ago when I read a booklet entitled, “Be careful, your reactions are showing!” One way I find that is great at becoming more self-aware is to ask for the help of a spouse, a sibling or a trusted friend. These persons will be blatantly honest in providing accurate feedback!

After self-awareness comes another hard one — self-regulation. This involves self-control — being able to keep potentially disruptive emotions in check. You know, that “below the belt” semi-sotto voce remark in the meeting that ends up creating another enemy. Guys, remember, you are on the same team!

Coaching

As an MBA student/graduate, you also need to understand that after going through the leadership training, it is good to submit to coaching, especially in the work environment. Some organisations have official coaching programmes and these can be good. However some are geared narrowly at achieving certain specific goals or targets. The MBA student may then have to seek out a mentor with good leadership qualities, and is willing to assist you to develop your leadership skills. Many executives are really very willing to help — but nobody asked them. Try it — you may be surprised.

Active Observation

Unfortunately, you may not be able to formally enter a coaching programme or be able to find a suitable or willing mentor. In the interim, therefore, I would suggest what I term “active observation”.

This includes studying good leaders, as well as reading leadership books and biographies of good leaders. Having covered the theory in leadership, you may be able to observe a particular style or trait from one leader, another from the next leader etc.

For example, a good leader has to be able to clearly articulate a vision. So it helps for you to improve your public speaking skills.

Start by listening to great speakers. If you are still doing your MBA and will be doing a group presentation, let the group video the practice presentation and then critique it. You will be amazed at the improvement the next time round!

Dr Kenroy Wedderburn, JP, is a part-time lecturer on the MBA programme at the University of Technology, Jamaica. Send your e-mails to drkwedderburn@gmail.com.