The Three Faces of Leadership | Alan Cedrick

How does one become the owner of a small business, head of a department, or even CEO of a large corporation? An effective director has three personas: a visionary, a manager, and a mentor/coach. To be a successful leader, one must be capable of performing all three roles. He must understand their relative importance in his position, at this point in his career. A tall order is complicated further by those roles never being static, shifting with circumstance, the business climate, organizational needs, and the individual's preferences and abilities.

The Leader as Visionary

According to Alan Cedrick, The visionary is the one who handles the creation or inspiration of goal-directed action. This leader is the man, or woman, with the plan.

Developing a vision is fundamentally the responsibility of a senior manager, CEO, president, general manager, or owner. The illusory definition of who, as a company, we are, what we do and why, where we are, where we're going, and how we get there from here. Once that vision is defined -- and that's no easy task -- the leader must articulate it in terms that will enable, even compel, others to buy in and dedicate themselves to it.

The visionary, however, is not just a dreamer. The plan must translate into action. The leader must present a clear, specific, and effective strategy for implementing the vision. The ability of a leader to communicate a vision and motivate employees to work toward that vision directly impacts a company's bottom line.

As the vision is disseminated deeper into the organization, internal leaders -- for example, It is much like the view from the top when middle management, and department heads, are presented with a clearly defined goal, but the process of articulating that vision and of directing the rest of the process is much the same as that of the top management.

The Leader as Manager

A manager, by definition, manages. The manager must plan the processes, create the rules, assign responsibilities, direct activity, provide training, focus efforts, control costs, measure progress, and report on results. The "manager as a leader" has the "hard skills"—planning and organizing, number crunching, industry, equipment, and process knowledge. Soft skills are the foundation of leadership, on which true leaders develop their abilities.

Troubleshooting is the key to success as a manager-leader. To solve problems and make effective decisions that will prevent them from recurring. Managers shouldn't just put out fires; they should prevent them.

Growing up, a leader must not just delegate his managerial tasks but also become less "hands-on" and more "hands-off". People don't like to be micromanaged, especially those higher up the corporate food chain. As a leader, the main skill leap between being a manager and being a coach or mentor is being able to evaluate the level of involvement and tracking required in delegations.

The Leader as Mentor/Coach

Some 80 percent of people say they are not "engaged" at work. The company they work for, their managers, their fellow employees, or even their customers do not interest, respect, or care about them. Most of these employees have no plans to change jobs shortly, which makes this scenario even scarier. They believe that things are not better elsewhere. Is there a measure of personal responsibility for this situation? Definitely. But whose job is it, ultimately, to help change the situation? The leader is a mentor/coach.

An executive's role in this area is the one that most impacts the organization's and people's growth. In addition, it requires the highest level of soft skills. A mentor/coach must be confident enough not to see others' potential as a threat to their own. As a mentor, you focus outward on results, not inward on actions; on what you can do, not on what you can't.

The mentor-leader grows individuals, departments, and the entire organization by helping to set SMART -- specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and timely -- goals. SMART goals at each level must reflect and support the corporate vision.

Conclusion

The Executive Vice President of Ergo Partners, Alan Cedrick, believes that leaders must be able to wear all three "faces" comfortably and effectively. A leader's potential can be developed by defining the fundamental skills required. As a leader, it is imperative that he or she recognizes his or her limitations and weaknesses and is committed to continual learning and development. To reach the top, it is essential, to be honest about one's strengths and shortcomings. The journey may span a career, but the reward is a prosperous, growing company with you in charge.