Posted by Lisa Hochgraf
If you're a leader, all the world is always a stage, Michael Useem asserted during his keynote at CUES Symposium: A CEO/Chairman Exchange held last week in Phoenix. Said another way, leaders need to be prepared to stand up and, well, lead at any time. (In the photo below, two CU leaders take advantage of a networking break during Useem's session. Eric Stiegel (left) is president/CEO of $87 million U.S. Employees Credit Union, Chicago, and Ed Gvazdinskas is president/CEO of $180 million Heartland Credit Union, Springfield, Ill.)
For example, leaders need to be able to convicingly talk about the strategy behind a merger, and address staff fears at such a time, said Useem, William and Jacalyn Egan professor of management and director of the Center for Leadership and Change Management at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, home to CUES' CEO Institute I.
This common demand on leaders to be at the top of their game, ready to "perform" at any juncture, begs the question of what qualities all leaders might share. "What characteristics do Jack Welsh (of General Electric) and Mother Theresa have in common?" Useem asked.
Useem presented this checklist of things leaders need to be able to do, either innately or by learning how to do them:
1. Articulate a vision: Formulate a clear and persuasive vision and communicate it to all members of the enterprise.
2. Specify a strategy: Set forth a pragmatic strategy for achieving that vision and ensure that it is widely understood.
3. Honor the room: Frequently express your confidence in and support for those who work with and for you.
4. Identify personal implications: Help everybody appreciate the implications of the vision and strategy for their own work and future with the firm.
5. Convey strategic intent: Make it clear what is expected of those who work with and for you, and then--assuming that they are well trained and prepared to do what is expected--avoid micro-managing.
6. Motivate the troops: Appreciate the distinctive motives that people bring, and then build on those diverse motives to draw the best from each.
7. Convey your character: Through gesture, commentary and accounts, ensure others appreciate that you are a person of integrity.
8. Say it so it sticks: Communicate all the above in ways that people will not forget; simplicity and clarity of expression help, as do elements ranging from personal gestures to grand events.
After laying out this "checklist," which he likened to the checklist pilots follow to ensure a safe flight, Useem asked CUES Symposium attendees to come up with a few additional skills leaders need to have in these times. One of those was "smiling" (see the photo and caption on this page). What would you add?
Lisa Hochgraf is a CUES editor.
