Leaders - Start To Finish

A Road Map For Developing and Training

Leaders at All Levels

Author: Anne Bruce

Publisher: American Society for
Training & Development
Date of Publication: 2001
ISBN: 1-56286-286-3
Number of Pages: 229 pages

About the Author

Author:

Anne Bruce
Over the years, Anne Bruce has evolved
from the best-selling author of several
books in the field of human behavior,
leadership, and motivation to an
inspirational force and a respected
specialist, speaker, and trainer in the area
of human development and personal
growth.
Anne's books, such as Perfect Phrases
for Documenting Employee
Performance Problems, Building a
High Morale Workplace, How to
Motivate Every Employee, Leaders Start to Finish: A Road Map for
Developing and Training Leaders At All
Levels, and Motivating Employees,
have inspired thousands of people and have
been translated into more than a dozen
languages worldwide.
For more information,
http://www.annebruce.com.

visit

The Big Idea

Nowadays, leadership is not limited to the level of the senior
managers. At every level in the career ladder, employees are
expected to work towards this particular goal - of becoming a leader
in the future.
In order to properly do this, it is important to identify certain things
with regard to the employees and the organization as a whole.
There is no hard and fast training program to create and mold future
leaders. Each organization and each employee has their own
individual requirements. Development programs must be tweaked
to tailor to the differing needs.
Whether an organization has an existing development program or
is planning to develop a new one from scratch, these basic building
blocks will serve as tools in order to come up with an effective
curriculum.

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Leaders - Start to Finish by Anne Bruce

Chapter 1: Authentic Leadership

Without authenticity, a person will simply go through the motions of becoming a good
leader but will lack the substance needed in order to really develop into a significant
leader figure.
Authenticity is that which gives peace of mind, ensuring a person that something is
indeed the real thing. An authentic leader is someone who is genuine and honest not only with his subordinates but also with himself. This type of leader exudes selfrespect and self-esteem, and does not compromise his principles. It must be
understood that authentic leadership is not what the individual does, but what he or
she is made of.
An authentic leader is also one who has and continually develops self-mastery, by
acknowledging his or her emotions and intuition or gut feel, by showing his or her
human side, and by never asking others to do what they themselves would not do.

Chapter 2: Taking Stock in the Human Side of Leadership

Business is not just about making a profit. Taking care of your people is one of the
most important aspects in successfully running any business.
Nowadays, it is important for people to not only love their work but also the people
they work with everyday. Without this kind of passion, they will treat their work as just
a job, something that keeps them going financially.
Leaders must understand that in order to successfully lead people, they must not
only appreciate what their subordinates do; leaders must be able to appreciate
subordinates as people.
Treating people in an organization as persons instead of just seeing them as the
positions they are filling are two entirely different things.
Starbucks, for example, took this a step further, by treating their employees like
family. In the late 1980s, Starbucks became the first company that offered full health
benefits to their part-time employees, taking into account that these people are doing
everything they can to make ends meet.
The Body Shop, on the other hand, focuses on giving back to the community, with
employees that are not only concerned about having a regular job, but finding
meaning and purpose.

Chapter 3: Understanding Leadership Competencies

Just because a person possesses the expertise and technical know-how does not
necessarily make him or her a good leader. What is important is that the person has
the qualities needed for him or her to effectively manage and positively influence the

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people around him.

How can one determine if a certain person is competent enough to become a
good leader? It is important that this person not only possesses the required
skills, but also that he or she is aligned with the company's values and objectives.
It is important to note that regardless of the challenges that people face in their
professional lives, what is important to them is that they know where they fit in
with regard to the bigger picture.
There are two basic categories when talking about competencies: (1) human
capability and soft-skills intelligence; and (2) cognitive ability or technical skills
and expertise. Though these two types of abilities go hand-in-hand, studies
have shown that in order to ensure a person's success, it is important that he or
she hone his or her soft-skills intelligence.
In a study involving 500 organizations, it was concluded that emotional
intelligence is more important than a leader's IQ, in which it distinguishes the
world's best leaders.
There are ten competency areas in which potential and present leaders must
concentrate on:
(1) Integrity
Integrity shows everyone else what a person is really made of and what the
person prioritizes, which are easily analyzed through the ways a person makes
use of his or her time and how he or she spends his or her money.
(2) Trust and Values
Trust is shown when a person does what he or she says that he or she is going to
do, respects others, appreciates people's differences, communicates openly,
and acknowledges that trust is a mutual exchange.
Values keep an organization's integrity in check. A company's values are
essential to its corporate culture. It is important that the leader's values are in line
with the company's, in order to ensure that everyone is working toward the same
goal in the same manner.
(3) Team Building
Team building is essential, as a leader is nothing without his or her team. Teams
give employees a sense of belonging and at the same time, energize and
motivate the individuals to perform well.
(4) Listening
A great leader is also a great listener. They focus on other people, making others
feel important.
(5) Influencing and Persuading
It is important for a leader to know when and how to influence and persuade, by

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using sound reasoning, writing clearly and convincingly, using body language, and
being tactful, among other things.
(6) Competitive Spirit
This is what drives a leader to be the best in everything that he or she does. With this
kind of disposition comes energy and enthusiasm, eventually influencing those
around him or her.
(7) Passion and Intuition
Passion is what keeps people going. They inspire other people around them. They
do what it takes, even if it means going against all odds. They strive to achieve their
dreams and their goals.
A person who trusts his or her gut feeling will be able to develop his or her sense of
perception and judgment. This type of person will be able to take risks and leaps of
faith, believing in one's self and putting complete trust in that voice from within.
(8) Priority Setting and Decision Making
Just like the relationship between a leader's values and the company's, it is
important that one's priorities are in line with the company's. A leader must know
how to handle his or her employees' personal agendas, which will in turn determine
the success of the company.
(9) A Sense of Humor
A leader with a sense of humor appears more human, in effect becoming more
approachable. A person with enough sense of humor will be able to relieve one's
self of the pressures of work, thereby infecting the people surrounding him or her.
This does not necessarily mean that one is not taking his or her work seriously. It
only shows that he or she knows when to take things lightly.
(10) Vision and adaptability
These two competencies go with each other, enabling a leader to not only initiate
changes but accept them as well. Besides having a vision in their hearts and minds,
these leaders make everyone else a part of it, inspiring others to work toward a
common goal.

Chapter 4: Elements of Leadership Development: Creating a

Leadership Plan
Instead of just setting goals for the organization, a leader must also come up with
new ways in order to advance his competencies in order to become a better leader.
In order to do this, a leader must challenge the status quo, stretch people, model the
example, and take action.
A good leader always pushes the envelope. They do not let failures stop them, nor
are they afraid to take risks. They understand that overcoming such obstacles will
only make them a better leader, and help everyone else around them grow in the
process.

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By stretching people, a leader will help their employees improve, making sure that
they are continually motivated and energized to perform well. However, this entails
giving them more power, so a leader must be able to let go of certain responsibilities
and delegate them to the employees.
A leader must be able to do whatever it is they ask other people to do, making sure
that their actions and their words are consistent. That is why in all things, they go
first. They model by personal example, and not by anything else. This is what
inspires other people to follow their lead.

Chapter 5: Leader's Guide to Developing a Strategic Plan

The approach to strategic planning is not the usual top-down or linear procedure. It
does not only involve the people in the key positions. Nowadays, strategic planning
means setting realistic goals with a purpose.
In order to come up with a successful strategic plan, it is important that the process is
straightforward, with these three components: (1) shift the responsibilities for
strategic planning to the lower levels; (2) put together multilevel planning teams; and
(3) don't just roll out a completed plan.
First, it is important to create strategic partnerships within the organization,
employing the mission and vision statements. Each leader at every level of the
company is considered a partner. With these in line, employees must be able to
grasp clearly and completely what the organization is all about - its mission, vision,
goals, and objectives.
Second, all departments and its people must be in alignment. Even if only a single
department is out of sync, the organization as a whole will not get the support it needs
in order to implement its strategic plan properly.
Third, the plan must be put into writing, not only in the literal sense but, more
importantly, in the figurative sense. Each individual that comprises the organization
will have a part in developing the company's strategic plan, which is important
because these people are the ones that will be implementing it in the future.
Lastly, put the plan into action. Since each individual took part in the planning and
development of the company's strategies, then it should not be as difficult to put
everything into action.

Chapter 6: Succession Planning: The Key to Developing

Tomorrow's Leaders
More than just leading his or her team, a leader must be able to develop and mold the
individuals under his or her wing to become potential leaders in the future while doing
his or her part in the organization.

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This is one of the keys to success of an organization. From the beginning of his or
her "term," a leader must be able to condition him or herself that eventually, the baton
must and will be passed, and he or she must be able to do so without hesitation.
There are three important components of succession planning that must be kept in
mind during the entire process: (1) attracting and retaining the best talent; (2)
building leaders from within the organization; and (3) developing the careers of
potential successors.
A leader must be constantly on the lookout for new and upcoming leaders.
Nowadays, organizations adhere to the belief that it is more beneficial to hire
relatives of current employees. Companies believe that when families are working
together, the organization as a whole receives a more effective retention advantage.
There are certain practices to be observed when creating a successful hiring model.
First, you hire for attitude and train for skill. It is easier to train an individual with the
right mindset and attitude.
Second, you have to believe in the Popeye Principle. Candidates for a position must
not be taken at face value.
Third, you must use behavior to predict behavior. Though this does not mean that a
leader should not give an individual the benefit of the doubt or a second chance, the
best predictor of a person's future behavior is still his or her past behavior.
Fourth, you must implement peer hiring. One of the best ways to assess an
individual's performance is to take into consideration his or her evaluation courtesy
of the people he or she has established professional and personal relationships with
in the organization.
Lastly, you must try simulating the job. The goal of this process is to be able to
identify which ones among the current employees can be leaders in the future. By
developing a system, one will be able to easily replace leaders in key positions with
qualified employees, identifying them even before the need arises.

Chapter 7: Leadership and the Corporate Culture: Strategies for

Managing Human Capital
An organizational culture, much like its mission and vision statements, characterizes
an organization's personality. In this light, a leader's personality will be affected by
the culture of the organization he or she is in. Therefore, it is important that the
company's culture must be molded properly. The culture of the organization
together with its human capital comprises a very powerful tool that can be used to
influence and empower.
There are five leadership strategies for managing human capital and culture: (1) use
the organization's environment to design the perfect workplace around the people

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and talent you want to attract and keep; (2) practice and prominently display the
organization's core values and principles for all the world to see; (3) encourage
heroism and develop situational heroes who personify the culture, its values, and its
principles; (4) pass along the rites and rituals of the organization; and (5) build a
culture network that keeps the organization's spirit alive and honored.

Chapter 8: Leading With Integrity, Values, and Intuition

The notion of integrity nowadays has transformed into the highest form of human
intelligence. More than anything, a leader must possess integrity. Integrity is not
only about an individual's honesty or trustworthiness, but more of a person's
principles and values. When an individual leads by example, his or her integrity
plays a crucial role, and will spell either success or failure.
It is important that an organization and its individuals remember that values and
moralities should not be sacrificed for anything else, most especially material things
like profits. If the entire company shares the same values, then its individuals are
able to represent the organization in such a way, being able to conduct themselves
properly in their professional and personal relationships.
There are four facts of value-led leadership: (1) our values reflect how we see
ourselves; (2) to reach people and touch them, our values must have heart and soul;
(3) our values determine how we make our decisions; and (4) our values determine
how we behave and how we spend our time and money.

Chapter 9: Building and Leading Teams

A person cannot be a leader without his or her team. And even then, he or she is not
supposed to take control of everyone and treat them as robots, existing only to follow
his or her commands. Team members should be able to think for themselves and
are delegated responsibilities.
There are eight highly effective practices for building a team: (1) select and hire
superstar players for your team; (2) communicate openly and honestly with team
members at all times; (3) ask for and expect feedback from team members; (4)
commit yourself to delegating decision making to the team; (5) care about your
people; (6) provide the tools and resources needed for success; (7) coach team
players at their own levels; and (8) promote esprit de corps!

Chapter 10: Coaching at All Levels

In order to achieve coaching success, keep in mind these commandments:
(1) Freely and frequently share knowledge and expertise with others and then
ask for the same in return
(2) Respect and appreciate the differences in others and coach them
accordingly

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Leaders - Start to Finish by Anne Bruce

(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)

Encourage employee suggestions whenever change is being implemented

Make sure employees understand what is expected of them
Be up-front and honest with people at all times
Communicate openly and honestly
Keep employees focused on the team's effectiveness and goals, and value
personal contributions as well
(8) Give genuine praise and recognition for a job well done
(9) Look for new ways to help others develop their full potential
(10) Encourage team members to understand, respect, and support one another
(11) Walk the talk and model the standard of performance that is expected in
others

With these in mind, a leader can adopt one of the eight primary coaching styles, and
modify to suit his or her requirements: (1) key influencer, (2) formal and structured,
(3) relaxed and informal, (4) hands-on, (5) hands-off, (6) visionary, (7) group or team,
and (8) coaches in disguise.
A key influencer is a dominant figure in the organization, one who leads by example,
and someone the others look up to. Formal and structured is an approach wherein
employees go through an established system, with an option of one-on-one support.
The relaxed and informal approach may simple mean having guidance made
available when it is needed. A hands-on approach teaches certain things that
cannot be easily learned from a book. Conversely, the hands-off approach is when
a leader lets an individual try something by themselves first, and then teaches him or
her how to do it right. The visionary approach, which is probably the most
frustrating of all, employs a coach that sees the big picture and merely focuses on his
or her vision. With the group or team approach, one has at his or her side a group
of people that support each other and, at the same time, set certain goals for the
betterment of the team, the company, and each individual. Lastly, the coaches in
disguise approach, which is the most influential, happens when an individual is
influenced by someone he or she least expects.
While there is no correct way to coach, there are certain guidelines for coaching
that must be followed in order to ensure success: (1) prepare to meet the
expectations of the people you are coaching; (2) respect and value your time; (3) get
employees to take action; (4) pass the baton; (5) decide ahead of time how you will
measure your coaching effectiveness; (6) look beyond the walls to find a great
coach; (7) encourage peer coaching and teach-backs; and (8) encourage virtual
coaching.

Chapter 11: Performance Management Through

Communications Excellence
Every single day, a leader will face different challenges in the workplace. In order for
them to be prepared for such, it is important that they know how to think on their feet
and, at the same time, learn how to use their communication skills. Timing is of the
essence, as things will be much more complicated once irreversible damages take
place.

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There are two main objectives when it comes to performance management,

especially when overcoming relationship barriers - whether professional or personal:
(1) quickly identify and uncover obstacles to an employee's performance; and (2)
quickly give both parties what they need to eliminate the obstacles that stand in the
way of an employee's improved performance and success.
With the different types of performance scenarios (dealing with peer-to-boss
resentment, managing conflict and resistance to change, productivity affected by
personal problems, raising the bar on complacency, dealing with the rumor mill, and
handling defensive attitudes), a leader must know what he or she is "confronting" in
order to know how to properly, effectively, and successfully deal with the matter at
hand.

Chapter 12: Becoming an Influential Leader

Just because a person is not in a position of power does not mean that he or she is
not capable of influencing the people around him or her. Being influential is not a
particular facet of any specific occupation or position; rather, it is dependent on the
individual him or herself. As long as a person has touched another person's life in
ANY way, then the former is considered as a person of influence, because he or she
has affected the life of another.
A leader can follow a four-step path in order to develop influence: (1) model the
behavior, in order to set the stage for your followers; (2) communicate on an
emotional level, in order to motivate your members; (3) offer continuous coaching, in
order to establish a long-lasting and profound effect; and (4) produce more
influencers, which is the most important step, in order to positively affect more lives.
As soon as a leader has learned to expand his or her sphere of influence, he or she
will be able to get the support that he or she will need in order to successfully do
anything.

Chapter 13: Building Hope and Trust - The Path to

Empowerment
Empowerment is one of the more important characteristics of a leader. Without it, he
or she risks losing his or her credibility and trustworthiness. This is what binds the
individuals in an organization together. Once a leader is able to delegate real
responsibilities to his or her team, then he or she can expect exceptional results.
One of the requirements of successful empowerment techniques is making each
individual feel like they are not just part of the team, but partners in the organization.
But in order to do so, a leader must possess hope and trust.
It is the responsibility of any leader to have high hopes for the organization as a whole
and the individuals comprising the company.

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Trust is the most important factor of any relationship, both professional and personal
ones. This is one of the building blocks of an organization's integrity and ensures the
high performance of the company. If the employees do not trust and believe in their
leader, it will be much more difficult for these employees to follow them.
On the other hand, when a leader puts his or her trust in the people around him or her,
then he or she is practically saying to them, "I believe in you. I believe you are
trustworthy. I respect you."

Chapter 14: Managing Knowledge While Learning Faster Than

the Competition
A leader is ultimately in charge of educating his or her subordinates. Managing
knowledge is the first step toward becoming a successful leader. In order to do this,
any development material must be modified in order to adapt and work with an
organization's objectives and strategies. First, one must take into consideration the
skill levels and competencies of the company's leaders. Second, an assessment of
one's real-world experience must come into play. And third, one must fire up and
continually challenge those leaders who have experienced more than most people.
There is no real substitute for the 'learning by doing' strategy. The more
opportunities given to a potential leader, the higher the chance of him or her
developing the skills and competencies he or she will need in order to lead
successfully.
Training programs should be regarded as perishable. Therefore, it is important that
information be up-to-date and, whenever possible, ahead of the rest. A successful
leadership program does not just happen. It is the result of planning and innovation.
If one is in the process of planning for the ongoing education and development of an
organization's leaders, here are a few significant suggestions: (1) align all your
organization's training and employee development programs to its most critical
business goals and competencies; (2) implement teach-back methods of training by
using your organization's existing leadership facility; (3) use your organization's
corporate university and training programs to gain increased competitive advantage
in the marketplace; (4) build strategic partnerships with higher-learning institutions
worldwide; and (5) combine technology with traditional training for increased
learning solutions.

Chapter 15: Leading With Vision

Everything begins with a vision, which perfectly describes the capacity of a leader to
look forward. To be able to inspire others to have their own visions, a leader must
have in him or herself a strong desire to always make something happen, to become
an advocate of change.
Vision should be coupled with a great deal of creativity and imagination. Not only

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that, but a leader must also bring others to "see" his or her vision. People will not
follow a person whose dreams aren't their own. Each member of the team must have
the same vision, the same goal in mind. Once they know that their leader has their
best interests and understands their needs, and then they will follow.
This is what a leader should instill in each of his or her employees: everything begins
with a vision.

Chapter 16: New Ways to Measure Performance and Continuous

Improvement
Usually, performance reviews are done at around the same time every year, the goal
of which is to encourage individuals to push themselves further, to work harder.
Leadership is not about telling people what to do. It's about selecting the right people
for the right job, and continually helping them to grow and training them to advance
their skills and competencies. One must devise a means to measure performance,
in order to find out what is being done and what else can be done.
There are ten characteristics of effective performance measurement: (1) relates to
and supports the client's goals and objectives; (2) blends balance among
employees, customers, and the bottom line; (3) focuses on just a few important areas
at one time; (4) indicates where performance can be improved; (5) indicates if
training is needed; (6) is flexible and easy to revise when necessary; (7) aligns
measurement with the organization's systems; (8) was established by the people
who are performing the jobs; (9) ensures the well-being of everyone in the
organization; and (10) has tools and techniques that translate strategy into action.
The process for measuring performance includes the following "steps": (1) define
what performance means to you as a leader; (2) with your employees, establish clear
and specific performance expectations; (3) stretch your employees and help them
buy into improving performance; (4) be clear about the scope of responsibility you
are giving: (5) document what's been agreed on; (6) follow up; (7) offer "speedback"
and rewards, and keep your promises; (8) provide your employees with the
necessary training and resources to be successful; (9) help employees calculate
return-on-investment; and (10) expect the best from your employees and don't be
surprised if that's what you get.

Conclusion
Leaders are not born, but made. They are constantly trained and developed. An
individual in a key position that creates future leaders is in an influential state.
Whatever he or she does will affect the organization and its individuals in the long
run. Developing leaders is never a walk in the park. One trait that individuals should
possess in order to develop leaders and successful leadership programs is passion for his or her own job, for the vision, for the organization as a whole, and for its people.

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