Leadership from the Other End

Most action learning leadership development programs emphasize how important it is for great leaders to communicate clearly and persuasively.

But leaders should also know how to listen well and to be open to the opinions, advice, ideas and values of others. In other words, great leaders should be adept at not only giving but also receiving messages.

Here are the qualities needed for leading from the other end:

• Courage. Be willing to hear what others think—positive or negative. There is much to be learned outside of your circle of supporters. But you need the courage to ask for their thoughts and then to listen thoughtfully.
• Objectivity. Don’t kill the messenger. Once you ask for advice, you will likely get it. Receive it without judgment until you have had a chance to reflect upon the advice and evaluate its value without getting defensive.
• Openness. Keep an open mind. Your solution may not be the best way to handle a problem. This is your opportunity to learn from others and avoid mistakes.

Lead from the other end with courage and with an open attitude and mind…this could be your path to great leadership.   

5 Core Action Learning Principles

With all the current enthusiasm in learning and development circles around action learning leadership development, let’s take a look at the principles that support the effectiveness of this approach.

1. Learning is absorbed and “sticks” better when people do real work…when learners are able to apply new thinking to current, real-life work problems and challenges.
2. Learning is accelerated when people have an immediate and unbiased mirror…when they discuss opinions, thoughts and insights of others.
3. Learning is not just about the mind…the heart is also involved. Action learning takes into account the whole person and the feelings one has about the goal ahead within actual contexts.
4. Action learning draws learners out. They expose their perceptions to others from varied backgrounds and thus are better able to understand how their own points of view help and hinder performance.
5. Questioning by colleagues leads learners to more accurately define the real root cause…often different from the problem as they first understood it. The better they understand the problem, the more they own a viable solution.

Action learning—doing and learning at the same time—is based on solid principles that have been proven most effective in adult learning research.

It Can Be Lonely at the Top…Build in Executive Feedback Loops

Many senior executives find themselves isolated.

Because of their superior position, they miss out on opportunities for the feedback that once helped guide their behavior. Unless they are part of a well designed Action Learning Leadership Development Program, they are unlikely to receive the constructive criticism that would help them continually improve.

Why?

Either their subordinates are reluctant to offend or may not trust that feedback is welcome or even wanted. Additionally, once you reach the upper echelons of business, egos and a fear of losing turf minimize a leader’s ability to receive helpful performance feedback.

And yet, senior executives, like all their employees, would benefit from an ongoing feedback system. Here’s how to begin:

• Simply ask for it. Your direct reports and peers observe you every day. Once you earn their trust, wouldn’t they be in a position to give you some valuable advice on how you could improve?
• Create a task force to take a fresh look at the business. Assign a group of top managers to “begin from scratch” to create the ideal markets, product mix, talent, systems and strategy. What changes would they make to the organization?

Make these two moves and you will have developed an early-warning system for your own performance and generated some bold new ideas for the future health of the organization.