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1-Page Summary of Leadership Challenge
Overview
At some point or another in our lives, most of us have had a superior who was a terrible leader. They would yell at people when they didn’t win and pass off the work of others as their own. What was it that made these people such bad leaders? It wasn’t that they were inherently mean; rather, it’s because they didn’t follow important rules for good leadership behaviors.
The Leadership Challenge tackles the problem of how to be a good leader. The book asks what leaders have to do in order to be successful, and it provides examples that can help team members improve their performance. Teamwork is very important, so we learn from watching those who are better than us at leading teams.
In this article, you’ll learn about the importance of leading by example; throwing your team a party to improve morale; asking them what their favorite dish is and how that can help with performance; as well as an example of one company’s garbage pail changing their entire culture.
Big Idea #1: Everybody’s watching you: leaders should be conscious of the influence their behavior has on others.
When we think about the most influential people in our lives, different people come to mind. For example, your grandfather or a professor could be one of those role models. When it comes to leadership, leaders are not always businessmen in suits and ties; anyone could be a leader. It turns out that family members have more influence than strangers on teenagers’ views of leadership. Teachers and coaches also rank high as role models for leadership skills.
Since we’re all going to be leaders at some point, it’s important to learn how to become good leaders. The authors argue that leadership is something that can be learned by anyone who wants to become a leader and has the patience for continuous practice. Researchers from Florida State University found that in general, great performance isn’t due solely to talent or intelligence but rather effort and continuous practice. This also holds true for leadership.
Big Idea #2: Avoid flip-flopping: leaders should be clear about their own and the team’s shared values.
People who change their opinions based on the people around them aren’t trustworthy.
As a leader, it’s important to be clear about your opinions. Doing so inspires trust and increases good work performance in teams. However, before openly defining the team’s values and their own personal values, leaders need to know exactly what those personal and professional values are. Our own values affect everything we do. For example, if a leader values obedience over initiative on his staffs’ part without asking for permission first from him or her first, then that will cause problems for the staff members who might not want to be obedient all of the time when they could just take action themselves without having to ask their superiors beforehand first.
Studies show that leaders are more successful when they define their own personal values. To do so, you should examine your past and figure out which values have influenced your decision-making processes.
At this point, leaders should be clear about their own and the team’s values. They should make sure that everyone is on board with those values.
Research shows that if team members’ values match the firm’s, they’ll be more committed to it. One GE employee proved this by increasing his commitment to the company after he discovered its value system matched his own.
Hilary Hall, a team member at GE, was part of an international team. Her manager asked her to fill out forms with personal questions about hobbies and favorite dishes. The group then discussed their answers and learned more about each other. This led them to trust one another and work together toward shared goals. As a result, they improved their overall performance as a team.
