What makes a leader?

Leadership cannot be faked, say Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones. All the self-help books in the world wont make you a leader but there are four characteristics you must have.
Each leader is unique and it is that difference that others follow. There is no golden rule for top managers but the best have some traits in common. There is one question guaranteed to bring a stunned silence to the boardroom or business school lecture theatre: Why should anyone be led by you? In this age of empowerment, it is difficult to do anything in organisations without followers and they are becoming harder to find. Increasingly, executives need to know more that just how to manage; they need to understand what it takes to lead effectively to inspire and win commitment. Most executives admit they need help with this issue. If anything, though, there is too much advice. Bookshops are full of self-help manuals, autobiographical accounts and recipes for success, leading many to believe that replicating someone elses style will make leadership easy. Nothing could be further from the truth; leadership has much more to do with personal authenticity than an easily learned formula. The real challenge for aspiring leaders is to be true to themselves, not to emulate the habits of some other leader. For some, of course, this means recognising that they have certain fundamental flaws that will always limit their leadership capability. Without doubt the final
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truth about leadership will never be written. However, there seems to be agreement that leaders need energy, a strong sense of direction and a clear vision. Our work suggests that the most effective leaders also share four rather unexpected characteristics.

Strength in weakness
The first of these is that leaders reveal their weakness. But let us be clear what this means. We are not encouraging new finance directors to admit that they have problems with discounted cash-flow analysis; or operations directors to confess a limited understanding of supply chain management. Weaknesses like these are so central that they would constitute a fatal flaw.

The real challenge for aspiring leaders is to be true to themselves, not to emulate the habits of some other leader
What makes a leader?

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Rather, what we mean is that leaders should reveal their human foibles perhaps they are irritable on Monday mornings, rather shy with new people or a little disorganised. Such admissions reveal their humanity and send out an implicit message: I am like you imperfect. In effect, this confirms that the leader is a person not merely a role-holder. But there are other benefits. In revealing weakness, leaders show how others can help them and this builds good teamwork. It is also undeniable that followers can feel better if they are offered something to complain about. In effect it can become the psychological equivalent of the Wailing Wall. Finally, by sharing at least some of their weaknesses leaders can protect themselves against others inventing potentially more damaging problems. In many workplaces, of course, the reality is that a managers weaknesses are often exposed by others. This is rarely a positive experience and can cause feelings of inadequacy and defensiveness. Further, large organisations can be regarded, rather bleakly, as machines for the production of conformity. The pressure to bureaucratise to standardise, to make more predictable, to surround with rules is enormous. In this environment it becomes harder to reveal ones weaknesses. Ironically, the current fashion for strong culture in large companies may reinforce this pressure to conform. Rigid performance targets also encourage rule following rather than a willingness to think creatively. Those at the top might have the confidence to challenge orthodox practices but for those on the way up it may seem a risky strategy. Finally, the management development industry tends to distract from the development of leaders in its pursuit of technical perfection. The endless polishing of competencies may produce managerial ability but has little to do with leadership qualities. Leadership rests on more than mature appreciation of strengths. Great leaders acknowledge their incompetencies they may even make them work for them. Heineken: always there without being there

First, consider individuals. Effective leaders are continually learning about the motives, attributes and skills of their important subordinates. They also know the best place to pick up such knowledge. For example, many executives say that they learn most about people when travelling with them. Second, leaders read teams. They analyse the balance between members, the tension between the tasks and processes, and how the team builds its capabilities.

The endless polishing of competencies may produce managerial ability but has little to do with leadership qualities

Sensing the situation

Good leaders rely extensively on their ability to read situations. They sense an environment, picking up and interpreting soft data without having it spelled out for them. They know when team morale is shaky or when complacency needs challenging. Often they seem to collect this information almost through osmosis. There are three levels of situation sensing, each of which has its own distinctive skills.
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Heineken

Effective leaders dont need a training programme to convince their employees that they really care

of a gifted sales person who can judge a sales prospect on nothing more than a handshake and eye contact. On the other hand, many executives have clearly improved their situation sensing through systematic training in interpersonal skills. But this skill can be learned through experience as well as training. Franz Humer, chairman of Roche, for example, attributes his situationsensing abilities to early student experience as a tour guide. Relying on tips, he soon became skilled at identifying where he would earn his money among large groups. Situation sensing is a critical leadership attribute but it carries certain dangers, too. Imagine a radio that picks up a range of signals, many of which are weak and distorted. Situation sensing can be similar messages can be obscured by static. Leaders must continually test their instincts against reality. The skilful leader may have sensed from other colleagues that morale is low in the finance team but he or she must always check if that perception is accurate before acting.

Concern is paramount
Sadly, it has become almost platitudinous to say that leaders care for their people. And there is nothing more likely to prompt cynicism in the workforce than seeing a manager return from the latest people-skills training course with apparent concern for others. Effective leaders dont need a training programme to convince their employees that they really care. They empathise with the people they lead and they care intensely about their work. Executives often see care as a synonym for softness or weakness. But genuine care is, of course, very difficult because it always involves personal risk showing some part of yourself and your most strongly held values about work and how it should be carried out. For example, Alain Levy, chief executive of EMI Music, passionately communicates his views on album track selections to his colleagues and subordinates, often in colourful language. In many businesses this might be considered obtrusive and unwarranted, yet Levys passion for the music business echoes the obsessive concerns of his younger executives. The general point is that when people care strongly about something they are more likely to reveal their true selves. In doing so they communicate authenticity they show others that they are doing more than simply playing a role. Genuine care typically balances respect for individuals against the requirements of the task
What makes a leader?

Finally, they are concerned with decoding the cultural characteristics of organisations and are aware of subtle shifts in organisational climate. Even those who are not great at situation sensing will at least realise the importance of gathering this kind of information and will find trusted colleagues to do it for them. For example, Ray van Schaik, former CEO of Heineken, was always able to read the unspoken signals of Freddie Heineken the person who was always there without being there and translate them into clear messages for his colleagues on the executive committee. His ability was based upon many years experience of working with Heineken and a finely tuned ability to read people. Is situation sensing a natural instinct, or can it be learned? We suspect it is both. Some individuals seem to have a natural ability think
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the organisation is addressing. Maintaining this balance is not always easy. It should not be assumed, for example, that caring always translates into standing shoulder-to-shoulder with your staff. It may take some detachment the ability to stand back, see the whole picture and sometimes take tough decisions. Leadership is not a popularity contest.

Stress the difference

Early social science theories of leadership attempted to measure universal traits that uniquely characterise good leadership. Various leaders were weighed, measured and subjected to a battery of psychological tests. But the attempt to identify common characteristics ended in failure. Trait theory, as it was called, found only a set of weak links where causal relationships were difficult to determine. Was personal confidence, for example, a cause or consequence of gradual exposure to leadership experiences? Effective leaders use their differences whatever they might be. In one way, leaders might express their differences in dress style or physical appearance. More importantly, though, they move on to distinguish themselves through personal qualities such as sincerity, creativity, expertise, resilience or loyalty. How do leaders know which differences to use? Typically this is a learning process. For example, Jan Timmer, former president of Philips, learned to use his physical presence as a leadership asset. His broad shoulders and bull neck topped by his bald dome dominated situations.

Roddicks passion: a different kind of world

Leaders can also use their powerful and distinctive motives as leadership assets. Examples include a desire for power you know me, I like to run things or wanting to develop a satisfying relationship I like to build strong teams around me. The particular skills they have acquired over the years are also useful. These could be technical skills superior marketing knowledge or mathematical wizardry or social skills such as listening or coaching. Finally, passions overriding goals, compelling missions and deeply held beliefs can differentiate leaders. Think of Anita Roddicks passion for a different kind of world, which proved a great asset to her leadership at the Body Shop. Leaders get to know which of their attributes are most powerful mainly through experience and interaction with others. In the world of leadership development courses, conventional wisdom holds that leaders should interact with as many different types of leaders as possible; hence the current drive to encourage executives to seek new experiences in prisons, charities or even zoos. Yet learning through experience and interaction can only really work when leaders have time to reflect. In fact, many report that they are too busy to adequately exploit their experiences for insight. In some cases, women and members of minority groups may feel that stereotypical differences are attributed to them, which are not necessarily the ones that they would choose. They then use a number of strategies to cope with this not always successfully.
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Learning through experience and interaction can only really work when leaders have time to reflect
What makes a leader?

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Some women, for example, dress conservatively to keep a low profile and avoid stereotyping; others attempt to turn stereotypes such as helper, nurturer or seductress to personal advantage. There are costs in both strategies. The former prevents women from revealing their true differences and the latter results in the persistence of potentially harmful stereotypes. Using ones differences is a critical leadership skill. But, as always, there is a danger leaders can over-differentiate. The determination to express separateness leads some to lose contact with their followers and they find themselves moving phantom armies around the

board. Too much distance makes it impossible to sense situations properly or to communicate effectively.

Be yourself with skill

All of these qualities are necessary for effective leadership but they cannot be used formulaically. This is why leadership recipe books often fail. The challenge facing all those who aspire to be leaders is to be themselves but with more skill. Awareness of these qualities can help individuals develop a unique style that works for them. If you want to be a leader, you have to discover and express your authenticity. This is easier said than done. s

Leadership myths
In teaching and writing about leadership, we have often seen executives profoundly misunderstand what makes an inspirational leader. Here are four of the most common myths.

Rob Goffee is Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Deputy Dean (Executive Education) at London Business School. Gareth Jones is the BT Professor of Organisational Development at Henley Management College and visiting Professor of Organisational Behaviour at Insead. He is the co-author (with Rob Goffee) of The Character of a Corporation.

Everyone can be a leader Not true. Many executives dont have the selfknowledge or the authenticity for leadership. At the same time, self-knowledge and authenticity are necessary but not sufficient conditions for leadership. Individuals must also want to be leaders and many talented employees are not interested in shouldering that responsibility. Others prefer to devote more time to their private lives than to their work. After all, there is more to life than work and more to work than being the leader. Leaders deliver business results Not always. Some well-led businesses do not necessarily produce short-term results, while some businesses with successful results are not necessarily well led. If results were always a matter of good leadership, picking leaders would be easy. In every case, the best strategy would be to go after people in companies with the best business results.

People who get to the top are leaders Not necessarily. One of the most persistent misperceptions is that people in leadership positions are leaders. But people who make it to the top may have done so because of political acumen, not necessarily true leadership quality. Whats more, real leaders are found all over the organisation, from the executive suite to the shop floor. By definition, leaders are simply people who have followers and rank doesnt have much to do with that. Effective military organisations have long realised the importance of developing leaders at many levels. Leaders are great coaches Rarely. A whole cottage industry has grown up around the idea that good leaders ought to be good coaches. But this belief rests on the assumption that a single person can both inspire the troops and impart technical skills. Of course, it is possible that great leaders may also be great coaches, but we see that only very occasionally.

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What makes a leader?