The Working Week 33 - Jim Kouzes discusses leadership

Why so we let so many managers get away with violating the basics of human decency and still be in their jobs? If doctors, accounts or lawyers displayed the same wilful ignorance of the basics of their professions as many so-called business leaders, we'd be throwing the perpetrators in jail. So why do we let managers off the hook so readily?

These are just some of the questions Wayne chews over with his guest this week, author Jim Kouzes.

Jim is the coauthor with Barry Posner of the landmark book, The Leadership Challenge, now in its fourth edition with over one million copies sold. He's also an executive fellow, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University.

We have known for more than 60 years that more inclusive and empowering types of leadership behaviour produces higher performance, yet as Jim bemoans, we still see bosses ignoring this.

So who is to blame? Certainly the business schools and training organisations need to work harder to bang home the message that certain types of behaviour produces higher performance, particularly since there is nothing complicated about it.

Essentially, Jim argues, there are four critical things to remember about leadership.

1. Honesty and integrity are the most important traits of a good leader.
2. The most effective leaders are forward-looking. They have a vision of the future.
3. The most effective leaders are team players. Tough-guy leaders may be effective in certain situations, but the evidence is that long-term, this is not effective.
4. Enthusiasm is infectious. Leaders who are up-beat, energetic, optimistic and engaging get more out of others.

With a shrinking talent pool from which to pluck the leaders of tomorrow, Jim stresses that developing future leaders is a matter of rigorous training and development, not a question of finding the rare individuals with innate gifts.

And here's a final thought. In order to become an expert at anything, research suggests that you need to practice at least 5,000 hours over the course of 10 years.

That's two hours a day – with time off for weekends – every day, for 10 years.

So If we want managers who are experts at what they do, we need to be developing them and helping them throughout their careers. Not just for an hour or two here and there.

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