It is one of the laws of nature that any life form that wishes to prosper, must continually refine and develop its survival skills. Anything in the natural kingdom that does not continually progress and expand is doomed to be overwhelmed by more energetic competitors.
It is important to be respected but not necessary to be everyone`s best friend.
Doug Leather, MD, Bryan Hattingh Executive Services
This iron law applies to wild animals - and, let`s face it, to humans and their careers as well. If you stay moribund, never developing your skill base, then you (and even more importantly, those around you) will inevitably tire and become worn out - and you will be overwhelmed by the mass of driven personal competitors out there.
But if you continually innovate, press forward, improve, obtain and employ new skills, develop new ideas, strain at the outer boundaries of your abilities and skill levels, then your career horizons can, and will, expand.
Typical managers vs stars
Everyone is sooner or later confronted with obstacles that might at first glance seem to be unbridgeable. But it is precisely at these times when the typical managers are put to the test, and how they react and have prepared themselves for such an eventuality, determines if they are stars or not.
There is nothing wrong in being a typical manager. In fact, all stars had to start out as typical managers. The important thing is to be dynamic and develop. To stand still is, however, to become redundant.
A typical manager
A typical winning manager displays the following set of competencies:
- Intellectual horsepower.
- Functional and technical skills.
- Ethics and values.
- Is action-oriented.
- Has integrity and trust.
- Perseverance.
- Is able to stand alone.
The stars
To be an awe-inspiring leader requires a different set of competencies that are, sadly, not readily exhibited in today`s corporate world. These competencies are essentially what sets real winners apart from the rest:
- Building effective teams.
- Developing direct reports.
- Managing vision and purpose.
- Team selection.
Looked at from a wider perspective, a successful business will also need to live with integrity and lead by example, as nothing inspires success like personal success, and nothing inspires confidence like personal endeavour. A star will be the one to develop a wining strategy or an idea, and then, within the team framework, bring the idea to fulfilment.
The shooting star
A star must not be confused with a shooting star - one who flashes brightly and then burns out just as quickly.
It is sobering to realise that most companies have to replace 50% of their top management every 10 years, and that CEOs appointed after 1985 are three times more likely to be fired than their compatriots of earlier years. Add to this the fact that one-third of Fortune 100 companies have replaced their CEOs since 1995, and you have the potential for a heady corporate brew which each and every star should try and avoid.
The June 1999 edition of Fortune magazine succinctly summed up the reason why CEOs most often fail. It is rarely for the lack of intellectual ability or vision, but because of one fatal shortcoming, namely the failure to put the right people into the right jobs and the related failure of not fixing people problems in time. Failed CEOs are often unable to deal with a few key subordinates whose sustained poor performance deeply harms the company.
So, do you have to be liked to be a star? The short answer is no. This may sound a bit harsh, but being a star is not necessarily about being liked, it is about being able to energise people around you - this is the trademark of an effective manager.
Often a nice person is not always the best manager.
Being liked takes a definite second place to be able to energise a team with an ideal and a dream which thrusts them forward with a collective collaborative intent. It is important to be respected but not necessary to be everyone`s best friend.
At the end of the day, when the business balance sheet is drawn up, it will be the people who have produced the results who will shine, not those who are good teddy bears.
Honing those skills
Not even a star, once they have all these attributes, can afford to sit back. Always the drive must be onwards, upwards, to develop new skills, new abilities, and new applications for these skills. There is always room for improvement.
For example, all managers need to be very good at planning, but few are really good at it. Other skills falling into this category include creativity and innovativeness.
Creativity is the ability to generate and dream up new ideas. Not everyone is creative and right brain dominant. Innovation is best defined as the ability to facilitate creative people, and to be able to make the call as to which of the "creative mind-generated ideas" will be a success.
The ability to hone one`s strategic ability is another area that virtually all managers can work at and improve. How often are opportunities missed because the decision-maker in an organisation failed to recognise the chance when it came by? The goddess of fortune often only passes by once, and rarely twice. Those who fail to see her the first time are unlikely to spot her a second time.
Developing skills
An aspirant business leader reading this might conclude that the CEO job seems to be reserved only for supermen. The truth is that it is, but the trick lies in ensuring that you also become a Clark Kent.
And most people, by building upon a competent base set of skills, can grow into a Clark Kent. It is possible for a talented person to acquire all the necessary attributes that the most senior position in a company demands.
The secret lies in the ability to work and persevere at the job: to be able to clearly identify and plan the path that will equip you with the skills as you progress up the corporate ladder.
Do not wait for the skills to come to you - actively seek them out! They will be there, less commonly in formal teaching methods than in other skilled people. Acquire a mentor - or two if necessary - from whom you can acquire valuable skills. Learn by example, ask advice, observe - and always take notes.
Above all, do not be afraid to test your skills. Only by proving yourself through improvement will you develop and rise above the rest to become a real star. The road to success is paved with many a good failure and those that fail to try, fail to innovate.
A lack of innovation breeds mediocrity and the only good thing about mediocrity is that you`re always at your best.
Doug Leather is MD of Bryan Hattingh Executive Services.
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