#2: Strengths Oriented Leadership

By Steve Hale and Sam Young

One of the most insidious behaviors a leader can impel on their followers is to treat them as a group in the name of fairness.  The notion of group fairness has become associated with a diverse variety of institutions, such as, governments, unions, schools, and large corporations.  One of the core tenants of non-diversity as practiced in the institutions mentioned is that to treat people fairly we must treat everyone the same.

Consider that one who leads in a global setting across several cultures, with few common references, how to begin.  In order to lead effectively in a diverse environment one must know self in terms of strengths and then be able to assess the strengths of followers (Rath, 2007).  Understanding the dynamics of a leadership coupled with follower’s strengths one may formulate an effective strategy, in part, to lead.  As the world shrinks in terms of labor talent necessitating cross-cultural inclusion the development of one’s Global Leadership Quotient becomes significant (Service & Loudon, 2012).

One of the essential skills a leader should master is the ability to assess the strengths of their followers as individuals and communicate in a fashion that resonates with those strengths.  For example, an experience involving a subordinate failing to follow direction was puzzling.  Working as a senior programmer-analyst, the initial phase of the assignment was complete.  The next phase of the project, delayed due to company's reprioritization, gave way to reassigning the senior programmer-analyst to a new project.  The problem was the person kept returning to the old project to make minor changes, the new project languished.

A junior executive frustrated, wrote, an e-mail expressing his displeasure but before sending the message, decided to ask for input seeking an alternate approach.  After consultation, the question arose as to what are the five most dominant strengths of the individual (Rath 2007).  It turned out two of the primary strengths included "responsibility" and "focus."  They concluded the she had a high level of responsibility and wanted to remain focused on developing the old project to the maximum utility possible.  Instead of sending the original email, they rewrote it and indicated their reassignment was critical to the overall success of the department.  The new email stated that her "responsibility" for the old project had ended and she has now been given this new “responsibility” that she needed “focused” on.  The individual later communicated an apology, stating they did not understand exactly what the request was, until faming the direction in specific language that she identified with.

Treat every person as individuals, recognize every person has their own fears, wants, needs, and desires.  To treat everyone the same is to treat everyone as a number measured against a theoretical model.  Literature is replete with accounts of leaders who have improved their own successful intelligence by identifying shortcomings in themselves and those they sought to lead.  George W. Bush, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison, Condoleezza Rice, Mother Teresa, Teddy Roosevelt, and Jesus are historical exemplars of formally educated and uneducated leaders who improved and applied their intelligence in ways that led to successful leadership outcomes.

The leaders identified above, identified each person's or the group need, and addressed them individually.  A strong leader will meet individual needs and desires through a situational style demonstrated in the leader's actions.  The real essence of being a compassionate leader and exercising strong leadership is to permit each individual, within bounds, to help followers to grow and perform their best work by leveraging and building upon natural talent.

References

Rath, T. (2007).  Strengths Finder 2.0.  Gallup Press, New York.

Service, R. W., & Loudon, D.(2012).  A global leadership quotient-GLQ: Measuring, assessing, and developing.   China - USA Business Review, 11(8) Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1466546805