Shaharuddin Mohamad

Ruth Spellman suggests that with the right training opportunities the skills that make a great leader can be learnt.

Asked who they think is a good leader, most people tend to cite Richard Branson. Some also focus on sporting icons, with Andrew Strauss’ name coming to the fore since the England cricket team’s reversal of fortunes.

But bring the question closer to home and individuals tend to hold back. Very few people are willing to step forward and claim that they are the type of leader respected by others. It may be due to modesty. It may also be down to a fear that by claiming strong leadership skills, they may be setting themselves up for a fall.

Yet research suggests that there is a much deeper reason. A study conducted by Chartered Management Institute (CMI) reveals a startling lack of confidence amongst the UK’s management community. Just 7% think they are born to lead.

It’s an understandable perception given that business leaders have taken some huge knocks over the past two years, but it is worth remembering that Britain still has some good leaders at the helm of many organisations. They may not share the charisma of Branson or the natural aptitude associated with Andrew Strauss – but the best managers and leaders are those who work hard to acquire new skills and adapt to new situations throughout their careers.

It’s a message that the HR community has understood for a long time and now is the right time to ensure the business community accepts this message too.

Of course we need strong leaders to drive the UK’s economic recovery forward, but employers also have to realise that leadership is about taking a long-term view. If just 7% think that they are born to lead, the next logical step must be to appreciate that good leadership cannot be developed overnight.

The right training opportunities

The characteristics of a good leader, such as decision making and the ability to communicate an organisation’s vision, certainly take time to acquire but, with the right training opportunities, the skills that make a great leader can absolutely be learnt. At present, however, it would seem that too many UK managers are falling below par, suggesting the management community isn’t taking the time to continually develop skills in what is a constantly evolving business environment.

Recent CMI research found that more than half of the UK workforce thinks the dominant management style within their organisation is negative; the three most common management traits are authoritarian, bureaucratic and secretive. In light of this, managers need to carefully consider their leadership style and its impact on others. From an HR perspective, this means ensuring that the leaders at the top of your business must take a step back and develop their own skills.

It can seem a daunting prospect to ask an individual to analyse their own weaknesses as well as strengths, but a manager’s management style can make or break both their own career and their company’s prospects. There is no excuse for managers who fail to take personal development seriously. Just as importantly, there is no excuse for the HR community to fail to address this issue with their business leaders. Considering the current economic climate, a manager committed to improving their skills base is not only critical to success but a prerequisite for survival. Good leaders are passionate about learning new skills and will focus on their personal development in order to improve business performance and engagement. Good HR practitioners will be the ones who ensure business leaders take note.

Imagine you’ve recently started a new job as a team leader. At first, you’re completely overwhelmed with all there is to do. You’ve got to get to grips with the group’s objectives, assign tasks, keep everyone motivated, and adhere to a strict schedule. And that feels like just the tip of the iceberg!

You also know that, under your predecessor, several of the team members were struggling a little, so you devote a lot of your time to coaching these individuals. This seems to be working well, with the team members concerned growing in confidence as a result of your hard work. But after a few weeks, you start to realize that things are going badly wrong in other areas.

The group isn’t working cohesively as a whole, and an unpleasant blame culture has sprung up amongst several team members. And an important deadline is missed. You’ve been so busy coaching people that you didn’t see these things till it was too late.

Managing a team is very much like juggling several balls at once. Drop one ball, and it spoils the whole pattern.

Unfortunately, this is an easy mistake for managers to make, as they spend too much time on one responsibility at the expense of others that are just as important. This is where a management model like Action Centered Leadership helps you monitor the balance between the key areas for which you’re responsible, helping you avoid dropping any balls along the way.

In this article we’ll detail what Action Centered Leadership is, and how to use it with your team.

Action Centered Leadership

Action Centered Leadership (sometimes known as ACL) is a model that was first published in 1973 by leadership expert, John Adair.

It’s so-called because it highlights the key actions that leaders have to take when managing their teams. And it’s particularly helpful because it groups these responsibilities together under three key areas:

• Task: Achieving the team’s goal.
• Team: Developing and building your team, so that it’s ever more effective.
• Individual: Helping individuals develop their full potential in the workplace.

These areas are represented by the three interlocking circles, as shown in Figure 1 below.

The model states that leaders must balance the actions they take across all three key areas if they want their group to succeed. The areas are interdependent; if a leader focuses too much on one area and neglects the other two, then the group will experience problems.

The shaded areas in Figure 1 show where one element relies on one or both of the others for success.

Here is an example that illustrates this interdependency:

Imagine your team is working well together, and everyone has the skills to accomplish the final goal. However, there’s one team member who isn’t carrying his share of the load. He’s lacking motivation, and missing deadlines. The entire group’s morale starts to suffer because this one member is dragging down their productivity, and the team misses its deadline because he hasn’t finished his work.

Here, issues with the individual are negatively affecting the task as well as the team.

Alternatively, imagine what would happen if you didn’t articulate your team’s goal properly. Everyone may have great individual skills, and people may work really well together, but because no one is sure what they should be trying to achieve, progress isn’t being made towards your goal.

In this example, both the individual and the team needs are being met, but task needs are being ignored. Because the group isn’t sure how to accomplish their task, they’re headed towards failure.

How to Use the Tool:

Review the activities you’re carrying out for each of the three key leadership areas, and make sure that you’re dividing your time amongst all three appropriately.

Here’s a list of common tasks for each of the three management responsibilities. You can use these as a guideline; and tasks can be added or eliminated based on your specific situation.

Task

• Identify the purpose of the group, and communicate that purpose to all team members.
• Clearly state the final goal of the group.
• Make sure everyone understands the resources, people, and processes that they should be using.
• Establish deadlines for project tasks, and explain the quality standards you’re expecting.
• Create a detailed plan for how the group is going to reach their final goal.

Group

• Identify the style the group will be working in (very formal, relaxed, etc.)
• Make sure that everyone in the group has the skills and training to accomplish the final goal.
• If your team will be working in smaller groups, appoint a leader for each group, and make sure that he or she is effective and properly trained.
• Monitor group relationships, and resolve conflicts where necessary.
• Work on keeping the group motivated, and morale high.
• Give regular feedback on the group’s performance.

Individual

• Make sure that you spend some one on one time with each member of your group for assessment: identify their strengths and weaknesses, their needs, and any special skills they can bring to the group.
• Make sure each group member has the skills to perform his or her role successfully.
• Appropriately praise and reward individual team members for their contribution to the group.
• Help define each individual’s role within the group, and agree the tasks they’re responsible for.
• If any team members seem to be lagging behind, coach them until they’re back on track.

Key Points

Leaders have many responsibilities when it comes to managing their teams. And, it’s easy to get so focused on one area that the others slip by the wayside, leading to an unbalanced, poorly-functioning group.

Using a tool like Action Centered Leadership can help any leader stay on top of the most important responsibilities, and keep the group working efficiently, happily, and productively.

(ACL model from John Adair – Mind Tools)