Develop your Leadership Skills Develop your Leadership Skills John Adair Publisher’s note Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book is accurate at the time of going to press, and the publishers and author cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, however caused. No responsibility for loss or damage occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by the editor, the publisher or the author. First published in Great Britain and the United States in 2007 by Kogan Page Limited Reissued 2010 Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms and licences issued by the CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned addresses: 120 Pentonville Road 525 South 4th Street, #241 4737/23 Ansari Road London N1 9jN Philadelphia PA 19147 Daryaganj United Kingdom USA New Delhi 110002 www.koganpage.com India © john Adair, 2007, 2010 The right of john Adair to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. ISBN 978 0 7494 5549 1 E-ISBN 978 0 7494 5889 8 The views expressed in this book are those of the author, and are not necessarily the same as those of Times Newspapers Ltd. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Adair, john Eric, 1934- Develop your leadership skills / john Adair. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-0-7494-5549-1 -- ISBN 978-0-7494-5889-8 (e-bk) 1. Leadership. I. Title. HD57.7.A2746 2010 658.4'092--dc22 2009038618 Typeset by jean Cussons Typesetting, Diss, Norfolk Printed and bound in India by Replika Press Pvt Ltd Contents About the author vii Introduction 1 1 What you have to be 3 Some essential qualities 4; Generic leadership traits 5 2 What you have to know 9 3 What you need to do 15 Task need 16; Team maintenance need 16; Individual needs 17; The three circles interact 18; Towards the functional approach to leadership 18; Your role as leader 19; Leadership: personal reminder 21 vi Contents 4 How to turn the core leadership functions 23 into skills Defining the task 24; Planning 27; Briefing 30; Controlling 32; Evaluating 35; Motivating 37; Organising 40; Providing an example 45 5 How to develop yourself as a leader 51 Be prepared 52; Be proactive 52; Be reflective 53 6 How to lead at the strategic level 55 The functions of a strategic leader 55; The importance of practical wisdom 57; Leadership for desirable change 58 7 How to grow leaders in your organisation 61 Principal one: develop a strategy for leadership development 62; Principle two: selection 62; Principle three: training for leadership 63; Principle four: career development 64; Principle five: line manager as leadership developers 65; Principle six: culture 66; Principle seven: the chief executive 66; Finding greatness in people 67 Appendix: A leadership checklist 69 Further reading 73 Index 75 About the author john Adair is the world’s leading authority on leadership and leadership development. Over a million managers worldwide have taken part in the action-centred leadership programmes he pioneered. john had a colourful early career. He served as a platoon commander in the Scots Guards in Egypt, and then became the only national serviceman to serve in the Arab Legion, where he became adjutant of the Bedouin regiment. He was virtually in command of the garrison of jerusalem in the front line for six weeks. After national service he qualified as a deckhand in Hull and sailed an Arctic steam trawler to Iceland. He then worked as an orderly in the operating theatre of a hospital. After being senior lecturer in military history and adviser in leadership training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and Associate Director of the Industrial Society, in 1979 john became the world’s first Professor of Leadership Studies at the University of Surrey. Between 1981 and 1986 john worked with Sir john Harvey- jones at ICI, introducing a leadership development strategy that viii About the Author helped to change the loss-making, bureaucratic giant into the first British company to make £1 billion profit. john has written over 40 books, translated into many languages. Recent titles include How to Grow Leaders and Effective Leadership Development. Apart from being an author, he is also a teacher and consultant. From St Paul’s School he won a scholarship to Cambridge University. john holds the higher degrees of Master of Letters from Oxford University and Doctor of Philosophy from King’s College London, and he is also a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Recently the People’s Republic of China awarded him the title of Honorary Professor in recognition of his ‘outstanding research and contribution in the field of Leadership’. Introduction Leadership skills have now been universally recognised as a key ingredient – some would say the key ingredient – in management. A good manager is now by definition a leader. Equally, a good leader will also be a manager. But how do you become such a leader? Is it possible to develop your own abilities as a leader? Let me answer that last question with a resounding YES. As for the first question, this whole book is my answer. It is a simple practical guide for anyone who is about to take up a team leadership role in any organisation. But I hope that it will be equally useful for those already in such roles who wish to improve their basic leadership skills. If leadership matters to you, this book will give you a complete framework for becoming an effective leader. One word of caution: nobody can teach you leadership. It is something you have to learn. You learn principally from experience. But experience or practice has to be illuminated by principles or ideas. It is when the sparks jump between the two that learning happens. So you will have to think hard, relating what I say to your experience as you read and reflecting on it. As with everything else in life, the more you put into this joint