Leadership and Management:Education or Virtue

Well this topic was doing the rounds in my thoughts for quite sometime but I had never put down my thoughts. An article by Larry Bossidy on the latest HBR issue drew my attention and I decided to collate my thoughts. Larry Bossidy was the CEO of AlliedSignal and also the vice Chairman of GE. In the article, where he outlines his expectations of Leader-team relationship echoes his unique leadership strides and also the matured thoughts of a true leader.
A good leader expects that his direct reports get involved with the work they do and generate ideas for every situation even if the idea may appear to be a bit crankyat first thought. He makes a point when he says that the best solutions actually are presentable and tried out crazy ideas; all may not be practically viable or pragmatically fruitful but sharing does bring out the possibility of a better solution. Collaboration amongst responsible professionals is something he gives high impetus. True enough from an example he gives, that an entire industry may suffer because the Marketing and the Production Managers do not collaborate. We may not be friendly but its professionalism to collaborate for a bigger interest otherwise the person does not deserve to be called a professional. A stark characteristic of a true professional is to be able to lead initiatives and to take risks. Life is a risk. One cannot grow without taking risks. I have learnt it the hard way; risk taking capabilities at times may turn one down but are appreciated and rewarded in life.
The capability to keep calm at times of crisis and to take up risky ventures not only makes one visible to top leaders but also makes one learn and grow. In my career I have come across brilliant programmers but they become stagnant in the industry because they would not be ready to walk that extra mile to take up something risky or more responsibility. Even candid feedbacks don’t change them; one even told me during an appraisal session that he looks at work as an assignment; give him a program to write, he will do it to the best of his abilities but nothing more.
“Develop Leaders as you develop"- a statement which truly echoes my thoughts on the industry. I believe a person who cannot motivate and develop people working with him is not fit to be a manager. A mere appraisal feedback at the end of the year just because the system mandates it, is worthless and actually does more harm than good. I believe not everyone can be a manager or a leader. My definition...a manager can motivate and develop people within his boundaries; he fails when the person in his team is equal or more capable than him; a good manager moves him out so that he can can find his way while an incapable, selfish manager feels threatened and suppresses wherever he can. A Leader is above all; he can not only motivate and develop people to his level but once he understands that the person is more capable than him, guides him beyond that. He realizes his dream through grooming a talent; he creates value; he is a visionary. History has many examples; behind every great man we have in history there was and will always be on great MENTOR or a leader. In my life I have seen such people; they have been my managers and I have seen both types.
Staying current or abreast with market news, technology is a must these days; we are advancing faster than we can grasp. Anticipating problems, market, opportunities is a trait that makes one the best suited for future leadership roles but then as Larry says “If it isn’t in your DNA to anticipate, you don’t. You can find ways to compensate but can’t change your nature”. What he essentially means is a metamorphosis in character is not possible but a good professional will find the work around.
As a CEO, Larry puts forward what he feels is expected out of him or any leader. The points, I believe are true expectations of any Leader be it at the top of a company or at the helm of a project. He should be able to give clarity of direction to the entire team and set clear goals and objectives. A rudderless pilot ship drowns the entire fleet. Ability to give frequent, specific and immediate feedback shows that the leader is interested in his team’s growth. I believe this days, most company appraisals are subjective rather than being objective and hence serves little purpose. A comment like “you need to improve your communication skills” in the appraisal meet adds no value; it needs to be specific and nailed with a pin. “You need to adjust to a varying pitch during your presentation to make your communication of an idea more effective.”- I believe that is better. A leader should be accessible not an aloof boss to a team; he should drive the initiative not be a mere spectator and turn p when in crisis and play a blame game; believe me,it motivates the team beyond limits. Honest and candid feedback helps reorient people and furthers their growth but it has to be in the right spirit both from the giver and the taker.Most often than not we fail to do so and fear that it may be destructive.The capabilty to convince people is not essential only to win over customers, its needed to win over people and a leader leads people.
Well, at the end of this discussion and the insights given by a worthy CEO coupled with my experience, I would love to conclude Leadership and management are both outputs of education and also inherent as a virtue. Not everyone can be leaders, visionaries and managers but yes you can groom to close the gaps. Not everyone can be Iococca or NRN but yes one can groom oneself to be at least a better professional.But the debate continues.......