What kind of leader are you? Part IV

By Wisdom Kwame Nuworkpor FCCA, ICA, MBA

Throughout this month, we have been studying leadership and have so far looked at the first three stages of John Maxwell’s leadership hierarchy: Position, Permission and Production.  Today, we will be looking into detail, the 4th stage of the hierarchy which is People Development.  

Level 4 - People Development

Great leaders are those who are able to empower their people.  This is a distinguishing feature at the 4th level of John Maxwell’s leadership hierarchy.  Leaders at this stage use their position, relationships, and productivity to invest in their people until they become leaders in their own right.  

The development of people starts from the recruitment phase.  It is important for the leader to hire the right people at the on-boarding phase but that should not end there.  There is also the need to nurture your people as great leaders personally deal with the issue of nurturing their people.

In nurturing and developing your people, ensure that they are assigned demanding tasks that will help them use their strength to their advantage.  Set a process in place to regularly assess their performance and development. Provide feedback and monitor the outcome of the feedback.  

Level 4 leaders usually end up reproducing themselves.  As a result, people follow these leaders because of what the they have done for them personally and this is usually a lifelong relationship.

According to John Maxwell,1 two things happen at Level 4 of the hierarchy. First of all, teamwork goes to a very high level because people know each other and the more people know each other, the more their loyalty strengthens.   Secondly, because there are more leaders on the team, they help to improve each other's’ performance and as a result, overall performance increases.

The fastest way to grow the performance of an organisation is to invest in its people. There is  positive correlation between number of leaders in an organisation and the organisation’s performance.  John asserts that “Production may win games, but People Development wins championships”.  

In researching into why some companies make the leap and others don’t, Jim Collins2 observed that, great leaders first looked out for “who” and then “what” followed.  According to Collins, during their research, they had expected that good-to-great leaders would begin by setting a new vision and strategy and getting people to pursue the vision.  On the contrary, what they found was that, great leaders first got the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats -  and then they figured out where to drive it. Collins added that, the old adage “people are your most important asset” turns out to be wrong.  This means that the right expression should be “the right people are your most important asset”.  

Next week, we shall conclude the series by looking at the 5th level of the leadership hierarchy (Pinnacle).  

Keep your feedback coming through and remember to share this link and help build great leaders.

References:

1 John C. Maxwell (2011), 5 levels of Leadership

2 Jim Collins (2001), Good to Great: why some companies make the leap....and others don't.

What kind of leader are you? Part III

By Wisdom Kwame Nuworkpor FCCA, ICA, MBA

Over the past two weeks, we have been studying the levels of leadership.  In the previous articles (What kind of leader are you Parts I & II), we learnt that taking a leadership position is the beginning of your leadership journey (thus Position).  We also said that, the position level should not be the desired level of any leader and so the leader at this stage should aspire to build relationships.  The result of this is that, people will follow you because they want to.  This is the Permission stage of leadership.  

At the Permission level, it is exciting to see people follow you because they believe in you and trust you.  The leader at this stage needs to be careful because, there is a high temptation for the leader to stop there.  However, good leaders don’t just create a pleasant environment, they get things done. Getting things done introduces the third level of the leadership journey.

Level 3 - Production

John Maxwell1 in his book 5 levels of leadership refers to the level 3 stage of leadership as Production.  According to him, production level leaders gain influence and credibility and people begin to follow them because of what they have done for the organisation.

In the book of John 2:23, the bible says that, at a Passover feast, many believed in the name Jesus when they saw the signs which he did. There are also several scriptures in the bible which support the fact that, people followed Jesus because of what they had seen him do.  For example, in Luke 5:1-11, we read the account of Jesus preaching to the multitude from Simon’s boats.  After the sermon, He asked Simon to launch out into the deep and let down their nets for a catch.  According to the story, Simon and His partners had toiled all night and caught nothing. But at the instruction of Jesus, they did let down their net and to their astonishment, they caught so much fish that their boats begun to sink.  After this miracle, they did not hesitate any further but to forsake all they were doing and followed Jesus.  

If even Jesus Christ, people followed him because of what they saw, the production level is certainly a prerequisite for every great leader.  

In politics, the Permission leadership (level 2) gets people to follow some political leaders but this is only for a while.  After the followers realise that they are not producing results, they switch camp to other leaders they believe are more productive.  

In the corporate world, subordinates will switch roles or jobs when they realise that their leaders are not producing results.  In order words, you may be the nice guy, likable leader, which is a great thing but if you do not produce results, your people will leave you.  

Many positive things happen at the Production level of the leadership hierarchy: work gets done, morale improves, profits go up, staff turnover declines, goals are achieved, momentum kicks in, leading and influencing others become more exciting, mistakes are overlooked and rather, people are encouraged to be innovative which in itself, tolerates mistakes.  It is fun to both the leader and subordinates at the level 3 stage of leadership hierarchy.

It is not uncommon to see leaders who produce results sit close to the Chief Executive during monthly or annual performance review meetings.  Such leaders easily get their budget approved because they have demonstrated that they are profitable.  The leader who is not productive struggles to get his budget approved.

Every good leader should therefore aspire to build on level 2 of the hierarchy and climb up the next levels.  This is not in anyway suggesting that the level 3 leader forgets about level 2 principles.  As we learnt last week, a good leader builds on the previous level.  

Next week, we will look at the 4th level of the leadership hierarchy (People development). This is a must do for every great leader.

Keep your feedback coming through and remember to share this link and help build great leaders.

References:

1 John C. Maxwell (2011), 5 levels of Leadership

What kind of leader are you Part II

By Wisdom Kwame Nuworkpor FCCA, ICA, MBA

In the previous article we discussed the first stage of the leadership hierarchy - “Position”. We learnt that it is the worst stage of the leadership hierarchy anyone should remain at because anyone can be given a position.  At that stage, the leader does not have influence over his subordinates except that provided by the role he/she occupies.  It is therefore fundamental for anyone desiring to develop his/her leadership capabilities to climb up the ladder in the subsequent stages.  

Today, we shall be looking at the second stage of the leadership hierarchy referred to by John Maxwell1 as “Permission”.

Level 2 – Permission

At the permission stage of the leadership journey, people follow you because they want to.  They follow you because they trust you and also because of the relationship you have built with them.  The leader at this stage knows his followers and the followers know their leader.  Without liking your followers, it is almost impossible to lead them.  

We cannot talk about leadership without picking some great lessons from the greatest leader of all time, Jesus Christ.  In the book of John 10:27, Jesus said “my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me”. In verse 14 of the same chapter, He says, “I am the good shepherd, and I know my sheep and am known by them”

To be a great leader, you must know your sheep.  There is no compromise to this. It takes a conscious effort.  It does not come easy.  John Maxwell says that “when you like people and treat them like individuals who have value, you begin to develop influence over them, you develop trust and the environment becomes much more positive”.  

In their book, “In Search of Excellence”, Tom Peters and Robert Waterman2 identified eight common themes which they argued were responsible for the success of the best run American companies and one of them was “Productivity through People”.  This attribute talks about treating the rank and file of employees as source of quality.

It is very easy for leaders to be preoccupied with other staff and ignore the very fundamentals which is, building relationships with followers.  To maximise the benefits of the Permission stage of leadership, the leader has to develop that skill of building relationships with his followers.

Next week, we shall be looking at the third level of the leadership hierarchy - Production. As we progress these discussions, you will notice that moving up the ladder happens slowly.  It is also important to remember that, as you move up the ladder, you do not leave the previous level behind.  Rather, you build upon it.

Please keep your feedback coming through for they are important to me.

References:

1 John C. Maxwell (2011), 5 levels of Leadership

2 Tom Peters and Robert Waterman (1982), In Search of Excellence: Lessons from   American’s Best-Run Companies.

What kind of leader are you?

By Wisdom Kwame Nuworkpor FCCA, ICA, MBA

A young executive was recently promoted into a supervisory role and he was so excited that he “had been made” a leader.  His exact words were: “thank you for making me a leader”.  What he didn’t know was that, he had in fact gotten himself a position which begins his leadership journey. 

Leadership is a journey and so taking up a supervisory role does not automatically make you a leader.  John Maxwell¹ refers to this kind of leadership as the basic stage of the leadership journey.  This is true because any person can be given a position. Does that make him a leader? Certainly not.  In fact, it is the worst kind of leadership level anyone should remain at.   

In his book “5 levels of leadership”, John Maxwell describes the 5 stages of leadership.  These are Position, Permission, Production, People Development and Pinnacle. The chart below represents the 5 levels of leadership.

Over the next few weeks, we shall be looking at each of the 5 levels of leadership.  In view of this, for today, let us take a look at the very first and basic level of leadership

Level 1 – Position

Position leadership is the lowest level on the leadership hierarchy.  Here, people follow you because they ought to and not because they want to. It is a right assigned to the role.  This kind of leader does not have a team.  Instead, he has subordinates and the relationship here is thus boss-subordinate. 

Position leaders have no influence (except that provided by the authority that comes with the role).  As such, position leaders use the authority vested in them by the position to get the job done.   This kind of leadership depends on regulations, policies, rules, organisational charts and operates within strict boundaries.  There is therefore no motivation for subordinates to go the extra mile. 

It is very easy to identify a team led by a position leader.  Some common habits usually exhibited are:

1. Subordinates are mostly average performers.  They eagerly check the clock waiting for the hour hand to tick at the top of the hour (say 5:00pm) and voila, they are on their way home.
2. The leader hardly appreciates the feelings of the subordinates and so you hear comments from subordinates such as; “my boss doesn’t care about my feelings”.
3. The number one reason for people leaving such organisations is; the leader.

Clearly the position leadership stage should not be the preferred destination of any leader.  It is therefore very important to aim at moving up the ladder to the next level of the leadership hierarchy.  John Maxwell refers to this stage as Permission.  This is the stage at which people follow you because they really want to do so.  We shall be looking at this stage in my next article. 

Please keep your feedback coming through for they are important to me.

References: 

¹ John C. Maxwell (2011), 5 levels of Leadership

Four attributes you should demonstrate when pursuing your dream job

By Wisdom Kwame Nuworkpor FCCA, ICA, MBA

In my previous article, we looked at Six (6) attributes you should not exhibit when pursuing your dream job.  In this article, I will be highlighting four very vital attributes you need to demonstrate when pursuing your dream job or a career progression.  

In his book "I Got My Dream Job and so you can", Pete Leibman1 maintains that every employer needs four variables from potential employees.  Your task as a job seeker is to prove that you can deliver these four needs better than anyone else. These four needs are discussed below:

1. Belief

Employers want people who believe in themselves and people who believe in the mission of their organization.  It is very surprising to see candidates or prospective employees who have no clue about the mission of organisation they intend to work for.  I am not sure how anyone can support in achieving the mission of an organisation if they do not know what it is.  Knowing the mission is one thing and believing in it is another. Both current and potential employees must know the mission of their organisation and believe in it.

One of the questions you will be asked (directly or indirectly) in any interview is “Why do you want this job?” If you don’t have a great answer to that question, that’s a sign you should be looking elsewhere.

2. Excellence

It doesn’t matter what your GPA is or how talented you are if your integrity is questionable or if you look like a slob.   Excellence is essential for getting hired and for achieving career success.

It is very easy to stand out in an organisation because most employees just do the bare minimum or worse.  A little extra effort multiplies quickly over time, and it is always noticed by the people at the top.

3. People / Communication Skills

Regardless of your employer, you will have a boss, you will have colleagues, and your organization will serve other people, whether they are clients, customers, patients, donors, voters, subscribers, or students. To achieve career success, you must get along well with other people, and you must be able to communicate clearly and effectively with them.  

4. Results

Employers hire people for one reason and that is; to solve problems. When you demonstrate that you deliver top-notch results, you will almost always get hired faster and promoted faster. Simply put, if you aren’t solving problems, you aren’t getting hired or promoted. It is therefore very important to be prepared to embrace opportunities to solve problems whenever they arise (for example, an opportunity to provide cover for a colleague in his/her absence).   

I believe strongly that employees who demonstrate these attributes get hired and/or promoted faster than those who do not.  

As you pursue your career aspirations in 2017, I urge you to take these four variables into consideration.  I wish you a very Prosperous 2017.

References:

1. Pete Leibman (2012), I Got My Dream Job and So Can You: 7 Steps to Creating Your Ideal Career After College.

Six things you should not exhibit when pursuing your dream job

By Wisdom Kwame Nuworkpor FCCA, ICA, MBA

Having been in industry for over 17 years and sat in several job interviews, one thing most job seekers are not aware of is the answer to the question “what exactly do employers look out for”.  In this article, I will attempt to highlight some things you should not exhibit when pursuing your dream job.

Pete Leibman1 in his book, "I Got My Dream Job" defines a dream job as one that combines your talents and passions in a way that is meaningful to you.  This definition is quite different from a career in that, a career describes an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person’s life, usually with opportunities for progress2.  

Whether you are pursuing your dream job or your career, it is important to remember that you are not the only one nervous, the employer is nervous too.  As a matter of fact, a bad hire can cost employers thousands of dollars.  As such, employers want to be sure they are hiring the right person.  For this reason, ensure that you don’t give employers the reason to believe that you have any of these six attributes identified by Liebman:

1. Dishonest – If an employer doesn’t think you can be trusted, you aren’t getting hired.  It is very easy to pick up hints of dishonesty from the candidate at the interview.  Usually, the follow-up questions asked at the interview will bring this out clearly.  My advice to you, the prospective candidate is that, make integrity one of your personal values (that is if you have not done so already).  
2. Lazy – No employer wants to recruit a lazy person.  If an employer thinks you will not work hard or you will give excuses for every assignment given to you, you aren’t getting hired.  
3. Difficult – If an employer thinks you are going to antagonise any strategic initiatives or that you are going to be difficult to manage, you aren’t getting hired.
4. Uncommitted – If an employer senses disloyalty and thinks that you might bolt for another job one month into your employment, you aren’t getting hired.  
5. Unprofessional – A good hiring manager will review your profile not only as stated on your CV but also online.  If an employer thinks you might be a source of embarrassment (in person or online), you aren’t getting hired.  With the explosion of social media, this is becoming more of a concern.  It is therefore critical for prospective employees to be very mindful on posts they publish on social media.
6. Unqualified – If an employer doesn’t think you can get the job done better than anyone else, you aren’t getting hired.  According to Leibman, if you satisfy the first five fears, this last concern can often be eliminated.  This is because employers hire for attitude and train for skill3.

My next article will address what employers look out for.  Keep your dial on this page and please remember to send me your feedback.  They are very important to me. 

Remember to share this link so we can equip the corporate world with people with the right attitude and skill.

I wish you a prosperous 2017.

References:

1. Pete Leibman, I Got My Dream Job and So Can You: 7 Steps to Creating Your Ideal Career After College, 2012.

2. Concise English dictionary
3. Tom Peters, AZQuoates, http://www.azquotes.com/author/11575-Tom_Peters

Staying Out of Personal Debt

By Wisdom Kwame Nuworkpor FCCA, ICA, MBA

It is that time of the year again when personal expenditure for most people exceeds income for the period.  Whilst this is understandable giving that we are in the festive period, it is important to remember that irrespective of the amount of money you earn, if your expenditure exceeds your income, you will end up in debt.  

My advice to you during this period is to have a scale of preference (a list of items you intend to buy and a list of people you intend to buy these items for).  Below are simple decisions you can make to ensure that you stay within your budget:

1. Avoid uncontrolled spending - Operate within your list.  Be mindful of the numerous Christmas offers and stay clear. Only take advantage of offers if the items being offered are within your list.

2. You may also want to avoid using your credit card and rather spend on your debit card.  If you have to use your credit card, remember to set spending thresholds on the card.  This will allow your bank or card company to send you alerts either by email or SMS once the thresholds have been breached.

3. Do not allow your peers to influence your spending.  Don't just buy items because your peers are buying same.  Buy things because you really need them and indeed, they appear on your list.

4. Do not attend events simply because they have been heavily advertised or because all your friends are attending.  Attend only events you have planned for which you have indeed budgeted for.

5. Cut down on drinking alcohol.  Remember alcohol ceases to be a beverage once your intention is to get high.  It becomes a drug thereon.  Be guided.

6. If you are a man of faith, this is the time to spend more time with your creator or maker for direction into the new year.  Pray more and study your bible more.

Friends, I felt I should share these few lines with you so you don't enter the new year with unnecessary debt.

May I use this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Prosperous new year.