orglearn.org

I recently read four unrelated articles that stressed what was both needed and proving hard to find for businesses now and into the future. The excerpts offered here are intended to give some insights into what young employees can develop in regard to personal attitudes and attributes to take advantage of this obvious opportunity for creating a substantial and successful career. They all in the end came back to the point that there is a shortage of leaders across both industry and society. The articles cover everything from detailed personal attributes required to methodology and even a little – big picture philosophy.

Some pertinent quotes from article one:

“We are really focusing on leadership attributes and finding the people with these qualities [talent] and then training them [in the technical aspects of our operation] as required. We look for people who connect well with others and are able to build relationships and effectively communicate.”

“People who are involved in their communities often have the opportunity to demonstrate leadership skills.”

‘We need people who have strong interpersonal skills and who work well in a team environment, because we want people who can build trusting relationships which are critical to gain customer loyalty, [hence] strong interpersonal skills are an absolute must.’

The article goes on to state a 2005 study for Leadership IQ found that it’s not a lack of technical skills, rather poor interpersonal skills that are the primary reason some new hires fail in all industries. It found that about one-quarter fail because they can’t accept feedback, about one-quarter fail because they’re unable to manage and understand emotions and about one in five fail because they lack the necessary motivation to excel.

The edited quotes above come from Maureen Galway, vice-president of human resources at ATB Financial. The article is: Financial sector focused on leadership skills by Shannon Sutherland, The Calgary Herald and it can be found : http://bit.ly/feJGSi

Another article from Australia states:  “The Australian finance and accounting skills shortage isn’t going away and actually appears to be worsening” and they aren’t talking about technical skills.

Quote… “As well as overseeing and delegating work, managers have a significant effect on job satisfaction and employee morale. Robert Half’s survey of 345 Australian finance, accounting and human resources professionals found that 52 per cent of employees would leave if they had a conflict with their manager, and 42 per cent would leave if they thought another company had a better management structure.

The survey survey found that “many employees feel their managers’ skills are not up to scratch, with 40 per cent describing the management skills of the person they report to as average or below” and that “a perception gap between how managers rate their own skills and how their employees rate them, with most employees disagreeing with the results of their manager’s self-evaluation”. It goes on  to discuss various attributes mangers think they display and how that employees disagree with the mangers self perception:

38 per cent of managers say they consistently lead by example, only 20 per cent of employees agree.

41 per cent of managers believe they consistently show interest in staff’s problems, only 23 per cent of employees agree

33 per cent of managers believe they set realistic goals, only 17 per cent of employees agree

22 per cent of managers think they inspire their team, however 82 per cent of employees think otherwise

‘To become a better leader, managers should think of the traits they want to see in their employees and demonstrate such traits themselves’. “Managers should also work to build strong, personal relationships with their staff”. Successful managers need to engage in “open communication [as it is an] “imperative to boost staff morale” and can I suggest to know what is really going on in their area of responsibility.

“Good managers are those who involve employees in the goal-setting process and discuss whether the goals are realistic and achievable.”

‘Good managers are those that encourage their employees to provide ideas and offer input. Managers should also take the time to learn what employees’ interests and skills are, and how they can best be used in the company. They should also take the time to recognise an employee’s contribution to the team.

‘Strong and effective management skills are therefore key to employee satisfaction and retention, as well as the continued success of an organisation.’

Quotes from Andrew Brushfield is director of Robert Half International at http://bit.ly/fTfWPK

Article three is titled – On Leadership, Teams, Success & Happiness

The telling quote for me in this article is: “I want somebody who can inspire you to produce great products but not know your trade better than you do.  I’m looking for somebody who can sell, but not better than our head of sales.  I’m looking for somebody who is good at planning but doesn’t try to do the work of the VP Finance. I want somebody that sets a stretch plan we can achieve, gets consensus amongst the team to shoot for certain goals and the path to achieve success.  I want somebody that can deal with partners, interest future investors and keep everybody calm in moments of set-backs.  If they’re from the industry – that’s a nice to have. But I want to be sure they’re not stuck with legacy thinking.”

Read more: http://read.bi/e6jxjh

The final article is: Edge Of Now, Leadership In The New Paradigm (see ref. below)

Here are some starting principles that leaders need to adopt now:

1. ‘Deeper recognition leaders in thought, word and deed of the changed nature of authority in all its forms’

2. “More humility and caution” when dealing with their constituents or for that matter staff

3. “More focus on the real and underlying engines of prosperity and social harmony and on the conditions” that exist in the current reality

4. “Wholesale revision of views about the processes of economic (read business) and social development (read corporate culture)”

5. ‘Less faith in [inflexible, slow to adapt] big is good culture and more understanding of the need for smaller more flexible and innovative’ organizations and structures

6. “Above all, stronger moral leadership” is being sought by all levels of business and society. The authors conclusion is that: Leaders in the new paradigm will be expected to illuminate, to see a little further beyond the edge of now, to have confidence in their own assessments and to be bold enough to respect the virtues, qualities, truths and values which it is their duty to maintain.

Can I add that they need to develop a more spherical view of reality rather than just sticking to their own narrow ‘truths’ based on past traditions is a must.

Reference & Read more at: http://read.bi/i31bmP

Although the topic of leadership is long and complicated I believe these four articles give some sound insights into what is required for modern business leadership. In fact these principles and stated personal or individual characteristics are just as valid for national or international leadership. For young people looking to establish themselves in a management leadership role much can be cleaned from reading these articles in there entirety.

No chance to lead where you currently work, here’s a resume example that may come in handy if you a looking to move on.