I recently consulted with a San Franccisco Bat Area large financial institution who wanted to create a succession plan for their retiring CEO. We created a Competency Model for the CEO position, and I presented it to the company’s Board of Directors. One of the competencies was servant leadership which reflected the core values of the company. I was the executive coach for two of the vice presidents and potential successors focusing on servant leadership development and developing trust with followers.
The end of the 20th century marked the demise of command-and-control leadership, although some bosses stubbornly insist on trying to make it work. In its place, leaders are advised to become more participatory—to lead by cooperation and collaboration.
Leadership success is judged on three criteria:
- Is the leader ethical?
- Is he/she effective?
- Does the business make money and provide jobs?
In the workplace, however, followers judge their leaders and ask:
- Does my boss have my best interests in mind (and does he/she even know what they are)?
- Is my boss looking out for the company’s best interests?
- Why should I believe, follow and trust this person?
What Leaders Can Do
Leaders can become more effective and ethical by following these steps:
- Limit tenure in positions of power; share power.
- Don’t believe your own hype; get and stay real.
- Compensate for your weaknesses by hiring and delegating well.
- Stay balanced and healthy.
- Remember the mission.
- Develop a personal support system (mentor, advisor, coach, best friend).
- Establish a culture of openness in which diversity and dissent are encouraged.
- Be creative, reflective and flexible.
- Avoid groupthink; ask the right kinds of questions.
- Question assumptions; get reliable and complete information.
- Establish checks and balances.
Are you working in a company where executive coaches provide leadership development to help leaders become more effective? Does your organization provide executive coaching for leaders who need to inspire followers? Enlightened leaders tap into their emotional intelligence and social intelligence skills to create a more fulfilling future.
One of the most powerful questions you can is “Does our company have collaborative leaders worth following?” Emotionally intelligent and socially intelligent organizations provide executive coaching as part of their peak performance leadership development program.
Working with a seasoned executive coach and leadership consultant trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-I, CPI 260 and Denison Culture Survey can help you become a leader worth following. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become fully engaged with the vision, mission and strategy of your company.
About Dr. Maynard Brusman
Dr. Maynard Brusman is a consulting psychologist, executive coach and trusted advisor to senior leadership teams. He is the president of Working Resources, a leadership consulting and executive coaching firm. We specialize in helping San Francisco Bay Area companies and law firms assess, select, coach, and retain emotionally intelligent leaders. Maynard is a highly sought-after speaker and workshop leader. He facilitates leadership retreats in Northern California and Costa Rica. The Society for Advancement of Consulting (SAC) awarded Dr. Maynard Brusman "Board Approved" designations in the specialties of Executive Coaching and Leadership Development.
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