I.C.E.D.A.R.T.S Session 1: ‘I’ and Clarity
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‘I’ - how fit am I to lead others?
We probably all know a leader who looks in the mirror when his team has performed well and looks out the window when it has not. We reflect on our amazing leadership ability when a plan works and look for somebody or something to blame for our misfortune when things do not!
Understanding your own state of wellbeing, your strengths, weaknesses, motivation, and areas for development are critical to being a successful leader. This is ideally done BEFORE we attempt to lead others.
Know where you are at and take responsibility for outcomes you lead.
Whilst working with the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) some years ago, I trained a young Constable, Luke, to be a facilitator. By chance, the executive team was holding their annual strategic planning session and asked for Luke to facilitate the session. It was an opportunity but a daunting one for a young constable.
Luke facilitated the first day and listened whilst the executive blamed everyone else for their lack of performance. He then did something very brave. He stopped the discussion, held out his hand with the index finger pointed outward and the other three fingers curled into a ball and said in a slow and deliberate voice, “Just remember, every time you point the finger at somebody else, there are three fingers pointing back at you.”
After a long pause, the Executive resumed their discussion. This time however, the focus of the discussion was on what they had done to contribute to organisational successes and failures. After a none-too-subtle prompt, they were forced to look in the mirror and… they took responsibility!
Ask yourself the following questions.
· To what degree am I taking responsibility for my leadership actions and outcomes?
· Why would anyone want to be led by me?
· How would I rate my level of positive influence on others with whom I interact?
· What can I do to improve the above responses to be a better leader for others and myself?
There are many tools you can access to build your understanding of your strengths (which you can leverage) and the areas where you could improve your leadership skills. These include:
· Assessing your physical, psychological and spiritual fitness[1]
· Engaging a coach or mentor
· Conducting 360-degree feedback
· Undertaking psychological profiling
· Attending specific development courses
· Reading and viewing leadership material
· Practicing reflection
· Journaling
Clarity - do people following me know what is expected of them (within ethical boundaries)?
Have you ever been given a task at work where you struggled to understand what was required? When you ask for clarity you get excuses such as: “I don’t have time to explain; I have enough on my own plate; you’ll figure it out; just do something! or; that’s what I employ you for!”
How did you proceed? How did you feel? What was the outcome?
On reflection, have you ever been the leader who failed to give others sufficient clarity of purpose? Did you get the outcome you were after? How did you feel? Were there any additional costs as a result of the lack of clarity (people, materials, financial, contractual)? What could you have done differently?
As effective leaders, we need to provide the team with clear expectations so they can achieve at or above the level we expect. Practice giving better instructions to set your team up for success.
A simple yet effective model for giving instructions is the CPQQRT model. Explain to the receiver the following:
Context: Why this task/project/campaign is being given to the person/s. What is the background? Who is involved etc.?
Purpose: The reason this task/project/campaign is being carried out. What is the desired outcome? What are we seeking to achieve?
Quality: The quality standard expected. What is the benchmark?
Quantity: The expected relevant numerical outcomes required.
Resources: The resources required to SUCCESSFULLY complete the task. These include physical, financial, and personnel/intellectual. Where are they to be sourced from? Who is responsible for this? Who will fund the purchase etc.
Time: When the task is expected to be completed. What are the key milestone dates? Etc.
The model can be used to delegate a task. It can also be used by the person to whom the task is delegated, to obtain the necessary information to successfully complete the task (via a feedback loop). Try using this tool.
Another critical (and often overlooked) aspect of achieving clarity, is gaining a shared understanding of the ethical boundaries that team members cannot cross, in the course of business. The boundaries that, if they were crossed, would cause your leadership/organisational reputation immeasurable damage.
There is one short but incredibly powerful question that initiates this team discussion:
What is it that we will NEVER do in our business?
Consider this discussion next time you meet with your team. The daily news is littered with stories of leaders and organisations that never asked this question and suffered the dire consequences.
For further assistance to explore any of these concepts, please contact Leadership Matters.
[1] This is the first element (Fitness) of the 7 Elements model and can be explored in follow up discussions.