Page 101 - The extraordinary leader

78 • The Extraordinary Leader

David McClelland, a Harvard psychologist, did extensive research
on the need for achievement and its role in people’s behavior and
effectiveness. His research showed that the success of nations depends
on the presence or absence of this need for achievement. He
developed ways to measure this quality, but many assumed that it was
something with which people were born. McClelland decided to
experiment with ways to increase people’s need for achievement.
One test he used was the game of quoits. Quoits is a children’s game
involving a wooden peg on a base, and several 8-inch hoops of rope
called quoits. The game consists of attempting to toss the quoits over
the peg from a distance of several feet. Participants were asked to
place the peg anywhere they chose in a large room and then get the
quoits onto the peg. People with low levels of need for achievement
would either put the peg near their feet and drop the quoits onto it, or
they would put the peg at a huge distance and fling the quoits toward
the peg with little hope of success. People with high need for
achievement would put the peg a reasonable distance away, so that a
careful toss of the quoits would have a reasonable chance of success.
McClelland took the people who had displayed little or no need for
achievement and had them perform this exercise the “right” way.
Over time, these people from Third World countries developed
stronger motivations to achieve. By giving them an experience in
feeling the success of attaining a positive result, their attitudes and
character began to change. 6
3. Personal Capability links to Interpersonal Skills. The respect and
esteem with which anyone in the organization is viewed begins with
his or her Personal Capability. We noted earlier that it is at Stage II
(“contributing independently”) that people develop a wide range of
personal relationships. The time when people are developing their
professional and technical skills is the time when they should also be
developing skills that will enable them to work effectively with others.
Technical and professional expertise is tightly linked to developing
others and building relationships.
4. Personal Capability links to Focus on Results. One of the key roles any
leader plays is that of role model. When the leader is personally
effective and highly productive, that example is viewed by everyone
involved. Leaders cannot ask others to do what they are not doing.