Developing your leadership capability

In my first post, Fiona Elsa Dent, co-author of the ‘The leader’s guide to influence – How to use soft skills to get hard results’, provided some top tips to maintaining and developing effective and influential working relationships. Here I cover some of the other key topics from the book with her...

What’s the most important aspect of leadership in your eyes and what’s the most common mistake leaders make?
FED: For me it’s about understanding the importance of your reputation and how delicate this can be. There are any recent examples of leaders being toppled off their perch by not recognising the importance of this aspect eg MPs in expenses scandals, bankers etc. The issue here is that it is often not only their own reputation that is affected but that of the organisation as well.

Tell us about the specific training needed to understand what it means to be a leader and having the necessary leadership ability (which not all leaders have)…
FED: I see developing your leadership capability as a process. Leadership has many different meanings and it is not always about getting to the top of an organisation. Self-awareness, awareness of others and feedback are three of the key areas any good leadership development programme should cover. Regular top-ups are also necessary via coaching, mentoring and feedback from others. No one course is going to train you as a leader; it will help you get started but nothing is better than structured learning through the job.

How do I go about exerting influence and making an impact within my organisation?
FED: Recognise that influencing is situational - it’s about relationships, it’s a process not an event and it means movement, so requires adaptable behaviour and approaches. Authenticity, integrity and knowing others' perspectives about the issue are also vital.  

You mention the importance of attentive listening in your book. What can I do to become more effective at this?
FED: Ask others for feedback about your listening skills. Do they think you are a good listener and why? It is also good to reflect about the quality of your listening: are you a data focused listener or an emotionally focused listener ie do you listen for facts and figures or are you more likely to pick up on emotions and feelings rather than data?

We often hear about the importance of delegation. What should I do to better empower my team/staff?
FED: The most important skill to enable delegation is to coach your staff. That way you will know what they are capable of and enjoy doing so making it easier to structure who and what you delegate. Delegation is really a development process.

Let’s move on to organisational politics. Must we ‘play the game’ to succeed?  
FED: I believe that politics is an integral part of organisational life. And, it need not be negative. First of all, recognise that politics exists, and what it means in your organisation. It’s not about game playing, it is really about managing yourself and your relationships to the best advantage for you, your role and the organisation.

We also often hear (in recruitment) about finding the right person to fit the organisational mould or culture. Where do you stand on this? 
FED: I absolutely agree with this – knowing what the culture of the organisation is will help you to understand how work is done, how people relate and what the organisation is all about – so, for instance typically it might be very different to work in a very large organisation than it will be in a small start up. Knowing the sort of culture you seek will ensure you are motivated and delivering your best. Working in a culture that doesn’t suit you can lead to motivation and morale issues.

In your book, you also talk about the importance of feedback. What practical steps can we take to improve the ratio of ‘positivity to negativity’ as you call it?
FED: Good quality feedback is one of the important keys to becoming a great leader or influencer. Building a feedback culture takes time and effort and will not happen overnight. As a leader or manager it rests with you to incorporate feedback into your day to day work, so for instance at the next meeting you hold encourage people to say something they appreciated about each other's contribution to the meeting.

What advice would you give to aspiring leaders and those already in leadership positions?
FED: Find a good mentor, coach and sponsor. They are all different roles so not one person.

And what's the best piece of advice that you’ve been given?
FED: Follow your own instincts and take a few (calculated) risks.

Fiona Elsa Dent is a leadership expert and on the Associate Faculty at Ashridge Business School. She has written nine books, including her most recent ‘The Leader’s Guide to Managing People’, which she also co-authored with Mike Brent. You can find out more about Fiona and her work/research at ashridge.org.uk or feddevelopment.co.uk.