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Leadership is a relationship between those who aspire
to lead and those who chose to follow. Sometimes the relationship is
one-to-one. Sometimes it’s one-to-many. But regardless of whether
the number is one or one thousand, leadership is a relationship. What’s been most striking is that we don’t
get a different answer. People keep sending the same message. They want
leaders who are honest, forward-looking, competent and inspiring. What
this adds up to is personal credibility. Credibility is still the foundation
of leadership. People want to have faith and confidence in their
leaders. They want to believe that a leader’s word can be trusted,
that a leader is personally excited and enthusiastic about the direction
in which we are headed, and that a leader has the knowledge and skill
to lead. If people don’t believe in the messenger, they won’t
believe the message. But somewhere along the way to the New Millennium
notions of ethics, morality, honesty, character and personal discipline
came to be viewed as quaint — at least by those from the me-first,
free agent school of corporate strategy. People got sucked into the idea
that leadership was all about extrinsic rewards, and they started offering
very creative ways to attract talent to the good life. The intrinsic
reasons for doing something important —really caring about the
people and the purpose — too often got lost in the hyperbole. Certainly the context of
leadership has changed, but given what we’ve all experienced, we’ve
come to see how necessary it is to be reminded of some fundamentals that
do not change.
Teaching people to use
the tools of commerce is necessary but insufficient to creating a healthy
and prosperous society. The right tools in the wrong hands invite evil
ends. The more we study leadership, the more we’re persuaded that
leadership development is not simply about “how to’s.” It’s
also about character development.
It’s important to make this distinction, because
ultimately everyone of us must take personal responsibility for what
we do. Actions have consequences, and we all have to account for our
own. What organizations do is
create cultures. Culture is the organizational equivalent of a person’s
character. The behavior that is modeled becomes the behavior that is
followed. This is good news and bad news. Good news because solid cultures
can be built around ethical behavior. The bad news is that cultures can
also be built around the opposite, at least for a while. It really does
matter what you choose to believe in.
Whether you like these changes or not, they just
prove one thing: our entire capitalist system is based on trust. It’s
not based on an investment model that’s taught in business school.
It’s not based on the price earnings ratio. It’s not based
on an income statement or a balance sheet. It’s not based on any
of these rational concepts, and it’s not based on the numbers.
It’s based on whether people believe in the numbers and in the
people who are supplying them. If people don’t trust those who
handle their money, their livelihoods, and their lives they’ll
just refuse to participate. We’re all asking
ourselves, When will this end? We can’t give you a date certain,
but we can tell you that it’ll only come when people feel they
can once again trust the system and the people in it.
Much as compelling words are
essential to uplifting spirits, exemplary leaders know that constituents
are moved by deeds. They expect leaders to show up, to pay attention,
and to participate directly in the process of getting extraordinary things
done. Leaders take every opportunity to show others by their own example
that they are deeply committed to the aspirations they espouse. Leaders are judged by how
they spend their time, how they react to critical incidents, the stories
they tell, the questions they ask, the language and symbols they choose,
and the measures they use. Nothing fuels the fires of cynicism more than
hypocrisy, and leaders will need to be constantly vigilant about aligning
what they practice with what they preach. If you dream of leaving a legacy
then you’d better heed the Golden Rule of Leadership: DWYSYWD:
Do What You Say You Will Do.
Leadership matters. Success in initiating or responding
to change, however, is inextricably linked to the credibility of those
leading the efforts. Constituents will become willingly involved to the
extent that they believe in those sponsoring the change. It is wise,
therefore, for leaders to begin every significant change with a “credit
check.” It’s not just “Do my constituents believe that
the new CRM system will improve our performance?” Or, “Do
they believe that this risky policy is for the greater good?” It’s
also “Do they believe in me and my ability to lead this effort?” Even so, unquestioned integrity is not enough. Leaders
can’t do it alone. Neither can companies, communities, or countries.
Everyone — leaders and constituents alike — shares responsibility
for getting extraordinary things done. Leaders need constituents’ energetic
involvement as much as the constituents need leader’s boldness
of vision and courage of conviction. Leaders also need understanding.
Responding to the demands of highly diverse populations is a social challenge
and a personal struggle. Respect must run both ways. Leadership should be everyone’s business. By making leadership our business and not just their business, we all contribute to the renewal of mutual trust and understanding. By making leadership about us and not about them, we all take responsibility for the doing what we say we will do. In this process we all become more credible.
Portions of this article are adapted from Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It. (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003. Copyright © 2003. James. M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner. All rights reserved. Books by Jim
Kouzes and Barry Posner:
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