Page 134 - The extraordinary leader

Leaders Must Fit Their Organization • 111

or she works. They are alike in that, to be highly effective, they need to have at
least one strength in the different sections of the tent. The net effect is that lead-
ers do not appear to be alike, much like different versions of cars all built on
the same chassis appear to be different. But the basic components are similar
(same drive train, suspension, electrical systems, engine), despite the fact that
they look very different from the outside. In the end, leaders are extremely dif-
ferent on the outside, with several fundamental similarities under the surface.

Discovering Your Genius

A psychologist once observed that the secret to life is discovering what
“instrument” you are, and then learning how to play it. Woodwinds are no bet-
ter than brass, nor are cellos superior to kettle-drums. Each does something
extremely well, and the musical score will call for that unique contribution.
Some people seem to spend their entire lives searching for what that instrument
is for them. Others, fortunately, discover their instrument quite early in life.
As individuals, we all have competencies and abilities that come to us more
easily than do others. We are drawn to some tasks and resist others. It is diffi-
cult to know if our being drawn to some activities results from possessing a
unique, inherent skill, or if being good at something causes us to try harder
at some skills versus others. Whatever the reason, it is not difficult to observe
any group of leaders in any organization and notice marked individual dif-
ferences. All seem to have both a combination of unique competencies and
also other skills where they fare well, but are not necessarily great. A handful
have pronounced weaknesses in a few areas.
In an effort to help people discover their genius, a former colleague, Kurt
Sandholtz, now at Stanford University, has conducted research with thousands
of people. His quest was to determine the method whereby individuals have a
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“career best” experience, or that constitutes the high point in a person’s career.
It represents a time when people felt they were making a significant contribu-
tion and they were very successful. Understanding these “career best” experi-
ences helps people understand their genius. Gene Dalton and Paul Thompson
first developed the core of this idea when they wrote, “If individuals don’t under-
stand their unique strengths or interests, they don’t have any basis for deciding
whether a job or an assignment make sense for them. They are vulnerable
to attractive external rewards or organizational pressures. They have little basis
on which to form enough conviction to say no to an apparently attractive oppor-
tunity. Answers to career questions come from within one’s self.” 4