The document discusses the key attributes of leadership character, which are integrity, shared vision, emotional intelligence, positive outlook, authenticity, confidence, forward focus, and listening ability. These attributes converge at the core of leadership as character. Integrity is described as the most important trait, as it establishes trust. Shared vision and emotional intelligence help inspire people and connect with them. Positive outlook, authenticity, and confidence guide a leader during difficult times. Forward focus and listening ability allow a leader to effectively lead teams through communication and collaboration. Developing these attributes of character is important for strong leadership.
1. May 2016 / STRATEGIC FINANCE / 17
So what is leadership
character, and how do we
build it? The dictionary
definition of character is
“the mental and moral
qualities distinctive to an
individual.” Notice that the
definition didn’t talk about
technical skills. It instead
focuses on the ethical
qualities that can provide
guidance and a sense of
direction when things
don’t look so promising.
Whether heading a team, a
department, a company, or,
on a larger scale, a country,
leaders share some key
attributes. The principal
traits of leadership—
integrity, shared vision,
emotional intelligence,
positive outlook, authen-
ticity, confidence, forward
focus, and listening
ability—converge at the
core as character.
Integrity. Integrity is
the single most important
trait for building character.
It’s the tone at the top that
is paramount in an organi-
zation. In the 2016 Edel-
man Trust Barometer
global survey, which
included 33,000 respon-
dents around the world,
only 27% of leaders were
seen as behaving in open
and transparent ways. In
the 2013 report of the same
population, 82% of work-
ers around the world
reported that they didn’t
trust their bosses to tell
the truth. In “An Explor-
atory Study of Employee
Silence: Issues that
Employees Don’t Commu-
nicate Upward and Why,”
a study by the Institute for
Public Relations, 85% of
employees admitted to
withholding from their
bosses concerns about
critical issues. The data is
disturbing. In order to
strengthen trust and
encourage loyalty from
LEADERSHIP
LEADWITHCHARACTER
The qualities of a leader go well beyond technical competence
to eight key tenets of character. BY JYOTI PANDEY
I
N AN ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE, the word
“leadership” is often used very loosely.
A good manager or team lead isn’t
necessarily a born leader, and there is
a fine line between executive presence
and leadership. Executive presence
relates to an individual’s command,
presence, confidence, subject-matter
expertise, and technical competency. An excep-
tional leader, on the other hand, is someone who
inspires others to be their best, has great charac-
ter, and helps build the same in everyone else. A
leader isn’t driven by job title but by company
goals and vision. As Donald H. McGannon, who
was president of both the Westinghouse Broad-
casting Corporation and the National Urban
League, said, “Leadership is action, not position.”
2. their teams, leaders need
to lead with integrity and
work toward an atmos-
phere of transparency.
Shared vision. Manag-
ing people is an art. If
there’s no buy-in to the
vision, the team won’t be
inspired. The vision should
be such that it helps
strengthen the team. While
pleasing everyone isn’t
possible, an objective that
has been considered care-
fully for the benefit of the
majority is easier to
develop.
Emotional intelligence.
Nothing compares to keen
emotional intelligence. Its
importance can’t be
overemphasized in leading
a team. People face many
biases, regardless of their
gender or race. That mostly
happens due to our social
conditioning. Emotional
intelligence helps us
appreciate the unique abil-
ities and differences that
people have and connect
with them more easily.
That ultimately helps make
organizations more inclu-
sive and diverse. Leaders
need to foster an environ-
ment of cultural sensitivity
and global outlook to make
change happen.
In its research with a
random sample of 3,871
executives selected from a
database of more than
20,000 executives world-
wide, consulting firm
Hay/McBer identified six
distinct leadership styles,
each springing from differ-
ent components of emo-
tional intelligence. Their
findings indicated that
each style seems to have a
direct and unique impact
on the overall business
environment, which in
turn can affect the bottom
line in a positive way.
For example, Pepsi
found that executives with
high emotional intelli-
gence, or EQ, generated
10% more productivity,
had 87% less turnover,
brought $3.75 million more
value to the company, and
increased ROI by 1,000%.
L’Oréal found that sales-
people with a high EQ sold
$2.5 million more than
others. And when Sheraton
decided to incorporate an
EQ initiative, its market
share grew by 24%.
Positive outlook. Dur-
ing tough times, a leader’s
positive outlook helps
rebuild dissipating confi-
dence. You may have seen
this in a professional sport-
ing event. When it seems
that a team may lose, the
coach steps in to help boost
players’ confidence and
encourages the team to
keep up the fight. That pos-
itivity is contagious, and
the coach’s role is instru-
mental in keeping the
energy alive. A consistently
positive, optimistic, and
encouraging culture can
teach people that there’s a
better way to be in the
world.
Authenticity. Among
the leadership styles that a
business professional can
choose to employ, an
authentic approach holds
considerable power. As part
of the modern manage-
ment science, authentic
leadership has found high
levels of acceptance since
the publication of Bill
George’s 2003 book,
Authentic Leadership. A key
tenet in George’s model is
that company leaders are
focused on long-term
shareholder value, not just
in beating quarterly esti-
mates. That helps to foster
a nurturing environment
and to build long-lasting
commitment and loyalty.
Confidence. We all have
fears. People often fear
rejection more than they
fear failure. Fear of failure is
in some ways quite a posi-
tive thing. Fear can motivate
people to take strategic steps
to fix what might break. It
helps us look inward. That
said, fear of rejection can
make us lose control of our
vision. Leaders don’t fear
rejection. To become a good
leader, learn to feel confi-
dent in your abilities, and
don’t judge yourself through
someone else’s lens. There
is power in originality and
authenticity.
Forward focus. Influ-
ential leaders are opti-
mistic about the future,
and, though it may sound
counterintuitive to some,
leaders speak in the pres-
ent or future tense. SpaceX
and Tesla founder Elon
Musk is famous for dis-
cussing his company vision
in the future tense. Leaders
rarely wallow in the past.
Language stuck in the past
demonstrates inflexibility
and an inability to refocus
and adjust on a case-by-
case basis.
Listening ability. A
common complaint about
executive leadership is the
failure to listen to others’
voices. Leadership is a
two-way street. In order to
lead effectively, one must
listen, communicate, per-
suade, and collaborate. As
General Motors Chairman
and CEO Mary Barra said,
“Ideas do not have a hier-
archy. Good ideas can come
from anywhere.” We all
have the power to influ-
ence and lead. SF
Jyoti Pandey is the senior
management consultant in global
compliance and strategy solutions
at Integrity Leadership Partners,
LLC, and a member of IMA’s Indi-
anapolis Chapter. You can reach
her at jsaum09@gmail.com.
LEADERSHIP
18 / STRATEGIC FINANCE / May 2016
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