To: My Friends

Issue: Selecting an effective leader

"Select in haste, regret at leisure."

Effective leaders inspire and enable people to perform at their best in their pursuit of common goals. Leadership requires an infectious passion for achieving goals, values consistent with the organization's culture, fairness, caring and support for the people one leads, and above all, credibility.

Whether a leader is effective depends on the alignment between his/her values and leadership style, and the values and needs of the people to be lead. A leader's constituents include not only the people who report to him/her, but also peers and higher-ups. Think of them as "customers for leadership." If a leader's "customers" don't buy into his/her leadership, his/her effectiveness, and that of the team, can be reduced to as low as 5% of their potential.

Fewer than one in five leaders is rated as truly effective. Why? Primarily because leaders typically are chosen with more emphasis on their technical knowledge than on their leadership skills. The assumption is made that they will be supported because of their technical competence and position.

I've found that when a leader's "customers" are involved in the selection process and decision the leader's perceived effectiveness increases. Instead of fewer than one leader in five being rated as effective, better than four in five are rated as effective.

Thus, involve the "customers for leadership" in selecting leaders. They will have to work most closely with the leader. His/her success hinges on them.

1. Before screening begins, create a selection team including the "customers." Have them as a group define their needs and expectations, and the leadership qualities they need to bring out the best in them.
2. Create an applicant evaluation matrix using the above information to profile and compare each applicant.
3. Draft interview questions to elicit the information needed, both for personal and reference checking interviews.
4. Train the selection team in interviewing skills, if they have not had such training. For team interviews, make sure that each member knows what his/her role is.
5. Have the team interview the top candidates and report their findings to the team.
6. In a facilitated meeting of the selection team discuss the evaluation profile of each candidate. What are his/her strengths, and what causes concern? Values and leadership style are difficult to change, and they are critical to leadership credibility.
7. Strive for a consensus decision. Seldom will you find a candidate with whom someone doesn't have a concern. The question is whether they can "live with" and support the candidate. Don't appoint someone who anyone on the team can not "live with."

Yes, this process is time consuming. Is it worth it? Most definitely! Its value is in the support and cooperation a leader has who has been selected this way. It changes the odds of success from >20% to 80+%.

If you'd like to try this approach to leader selection, I am experienced with it and can assist you.

Sincerely,

Ian Jacobsen CMC, FIMC
Coach to Leaders and Teams