Be The Full Jigsaw! How to Solve the Leadership Jigsaw

BE THE FULL JIGSAW! How To Solve the Leadership Puzzle

By Alan Cutler, Leadership Writer, Speaker and Mentor

“There is no such thing as a perfect leader, either in the past
or present, in China or elsewhere. If there is one, he is only
pretending, like a pig inverting spring onions into his nose in
an effort to look like an elephant”. Liu Shao-Chi

It may be true that there is no such thing as the perfect
leader – leaders are human, after all. However, that is not to
say that people who hold leadership positions should not
continually seek to improve their leadership skills.

Some managers hardly set an example for others to follow. They
may have a badge on their office door or overall that pronounces
them ‘Head of Service’; ‘Area Manager’; or ‘Unit Supervisor’ but
do these ‘badge holders’ display all the necessary qualities to
inspire others to follow them? It is unlikely that people are
promoted to senior positions without any leadership skills, but
they may lack one or more essential ones.

In order to measure managers’ leadership capabilities we need to
identify what are the essential qualities of an effective
leader. In my view they are six in number:

 A Leader is a visionary  A Leader sets an
example  A Leader understands what motivates each team
member  A Leader builds supportive relationships
 A Leader empowers others to reach their potential
 A Leader understands the power of communications

These are the six components that each leader must work hard at
continually and consistently applying and, most importantly,
demonstrating in all he or she does. Think of it as a jigsaw -
The Leadership Jigsaw®

Unless all six pieces are in place, the leader will not achieve
his or her potential, nor will those looking to following their
leader. No one aspiring to lead a high-performing team can do so
if they are ‘one piece short of a jigsaw’! Let’s consider each
piece in a little more detail.

VISION. Leadership involves taking people on a journey, but if
people are to follow it must not be a journey into the unknown.
Such destinations may work for Captain Kirk of the Starship
Enterprise but they will not work for modern-day leaders with
their feet placed firmly on terra-firma! A person holding a
leadership position without a clear vision, or the ability to
communicate one effectively, will be heading into darkness
(probably alone!).

Creating a vision must, by its very nature, be one of the
foremost roles of a leader – as it sets a positive theme for the
future. A leader’s vision – which he or she personally
associates themselves with – should appeal to people at an
emotional level, as well as a practical one. It should be
meaningful, relevant and inspirational: encouraging people to
buy into it willingly. When leaders express their vision in a
way that touches their followers, they invite strong commitment:
a common purpose that focuses people on a shared, mutually
beneficial objective.

“A leader shapes and shares a vision which gives point to the
work of others” Charles Handy

EXAMPLE. One of the most important and effective qualities
leaders can display is consistently and visibly to link the
values they stand for with their everyday actions. Indeed,
consistency and visibility are the keys. People respect and
follow leaders whose behaviour mirrors their words; they have no
respect for leaders who say one thing and do another. “Do as I
say, not as I do” is simply not good enough.

Leaders should, therefore, look hard into the mirror and
consider what they see. They should ask themselves: “Do I lead
in such a way that I would willingly follow myself? Do I
consistently demonstrate leadership qualities that I would
recognise in leaders that I, myself, respect?” You can be sure
of one thing: you may not be continually assessing your
performance as a leader, but your followers will be! They will
be watching your every move and taking a lead from you.

The leaders acts as though everyone is watching, even when
no-one is watching” Brian Tracy

MOTIVATION. Having a vision is one thing: selling it in a way
that others want to realise it is quite another. The leader’s
role is to focus the energies of followers on shared goals and
to encourage them to achieve those goals. Yet everybody is
different and responds to different stimuli. Truly great leaders
understand their followers: they understand their needs, their
dreams, their fears, their emotions – what ‘makes them tick’. It
is an understanding of the impact of differing needs on
different people that is vital for effective leadership.

One of the greatest motivators is to believe that you are
contributing to your team’s success and, hence, to the success
of the overall vision. People need to believe that they are
playing their part and successful leaders ensure that they
receive the recognition their efforts deserve. In my experience
of working with junior managers across the country, a belief
that they are not valued for their efforts is one of the most
commonly found demotivators.

“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something
you want done because he wants to do it” Dwight D
Eisenhower

RELATIONSHIP. It is axiomatic that a leader needs followers – a
team of people working together towards a common aim. To be
effective, a team working across an organisation requires
supportive relationships not only between leader and followers,
but between followers themselves. A culture of trust must exist
between all members, at all levels, with the leader providing
the shining example for all to follow.

Notwithstanding the fundamental changes forced upon
organisations in recent years (down-sizing and delegated budgets
for example) some departments are still led by ‘badge-holders’
who busy themselves interfering in the work of their
subordinates; are unwilling to share information; and insist on
sanctioning every decision. Yet if the modern leader’s challenge
is to make optimum use of fewer resources (and it is!) this will
only happen if people are encouraged to participate in an open,
positive environment based upon mutually-supportive
relationships. ‘Mushroom management’ must be replaced by a
culture where everyone is prepared to give and receive trust.

“All your strength is in your union. All your danger is in
discord” Henry Longfellow The Song of Hiawatha

EMPOWERMENT. Enlightened leaders understand that most people
naturally want to better themselves and, given the appropriate
support and encouragement, will grasp the opportunity to acquire
new skills and knowledge. They also realise that the key to
getting the best out of people is to give them responsibility
for their own actions, rather than creating an environment of
control and mistrust.

Such leaders are willing to delegate aspects of their role to
their subordinates when the situation allows and, moreover, are
prepared to empower them to take decisions themselves, within
parameters, without recourse to higher authority.

Empowerment is based upon the belief that, given the
opportunity, people are preordained to think for themselves and
will generate ideas that benefit their workplace, their
organisation and, hence, by extension – themselves. Following
orders robotically produces robots; allowing invention and
inspiration produces ideas and a pride in individual and team
achievements.

“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you
will help them to become what they are capable of being”
Goethe

COMMUNICATION. Whilst all those holding the badge of
leadership, without exception, would preach the importance of
effective communications, not all practice what they preach.
But, yet again, it is the leader who should lead the way by his
or her example.

Productive communications are built upon understanding between
all parties. A leader who is prepared to get out and ‘walk the
talk’ will be in a far better position to both reinforce the
vision, and hear how it is being received, than one who remains
desk-bound. There are few more potent motivating actions a
leader can take than to make the effort to speak to front-line
workers and to ask “how are things going?”, and mean it!

We live in the ‘communication age’. Yet with the previously
unimaginable powers now at our fingertips come inherent dangers.
Communications is not only about the ‘what’ – just as important
is the ‘how’. Wise leaders balance the efficiency of technology
with the impact of the human touch. They are well aware that
they cannot shake a hand, pat a back, or even smile via email!

“A leader is someone who knows what she wants to achieve and how
to communicate it” Margaret Thatcher

THE MESSAGE? The message is that true leaders need to be
proficient in a wide range of essential skills that can be
represented by The Leadership Jigsaw. Those holding leadership
positions should measure themselves against this model of
excellence to ensure that they are not ‘one piece short of a
jigsaw’.

The Leadership Jigsaw is a model of leadership best practice
created by Alan Cutler, a leadership writer, motivational
speaker and mentor. For more details of how Alan can develop the
leadership skills of your managers see www.leadershiptalks.com,
or contact him on alan@leadershiptalks.com. Full details of The
Leadership Jigsaw are contained in his book, ‘One Piece Short of
a Jigsaw’, obtainable from www.leadershiptalks.com

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