Page 87 - The extraordinary leader

64 • The Extraordinary Leader

In one study of just over 1,000 managers of a large corporation, we ana-
lyzed the behaviors that separated the top 10 percent of its leaders from the
rest. Here are some of the items:

● This person brings ideas into action.
● This person pushes to “take the next step forward.”
● This person brings energy, enthusiasm, and urgency to his or her work.
● This person looks for ways to improve his or her job and overall function.

Notice the pattern of taking action, causing things to occur, pushing forward,
and continual improvement. The image that comes to mind is leaders with
their foot on the accelerator—most of the time, pressed to the floorboard.

Interpersonal Skills

The companion set of skills to Focus on Results required for effective lead-
ers is “people” skills or Interpersonal Skills (Figure 3-5). These are extremely
important to the success of any leader, especially since the demise of “com-
mand and control” styles of leadership. This tent pole, along with the one
in the center, supports the most canvas. Interpersonal Skills includes
more “differentiating competencies” than does any other cluster, and they
are the most frequently correlated with all of the other “differentiating
competencies.”
What are the specific skills required of a Stage III leader with strong inter-
personal skills? Here are the competencies:

● Communicating powerfully and prolifically
● Inspiring others to high performance
● Building positive relationships with others
● Developing the skills and talents of subordinates
● Working in a collaborative manner with others
● Being an effective team member
● Recognizing and rewarding the contributions of others
● Being open and receptive to new ideas
● Responding positively to feedback
● Effectively resolving conflicts within their own department and with
other groups outside