The Three Big Cs of Leadership

There has probably been more material written about leadership in the world of corporate training in the last 20 years than on any other subject, so there are a variety of ways to approach the task of helping people improve their leadership skills. However, no matter which approach you take, if you want to strengthen your effectiveness as a leader, you must concentrate on the three Big Cs of Leadership.
 

Confronting Challenges
Collaborative Commitment
Character Counts

To the degree that you can master the skills that define these areas, you will be well on your way to becoming the leader you need to be in order to support the people and the situations you encounter every day.
 

Confronting Challenges

A leader isn’t satisfied to just get by, to just go along with the status quo, especially when the status quo is keeping the organization from achieving greater levels of success. Also, a leader never assumes that it is someone else’s responsibility to confront problems and create solutions. It is in the nature of a leader to recognize opportunities and initiate change, even before others realize there might be a need to do anything at all.
 

Confronting Challenges can be broken down into four related sub-topics.

1. Visionary – this isn’t as exotic as it sounds. It simply involves spending time thinking about things as they could be, even though there isn’t any plan on the table yet that would bring them into existence.
2. Agent for change – One of the hallmarks of a true leader is that they invest themselves in becoming facilitators for positive change. A genuine leader does not hesitate to advocate for change, not matter where they are in the management chain.
3. Problem solver – All of our lives can be measured in terms of a series of problems, obstacles, issues and challenges that are simply a part of getting through every day. An effective leader will confront the problem, engage with others who are also being impacted by the problem, work with everyone to identify options, and take action.
4. Risk taker – All of the above involve a willingness to assume risk. Let’s be clear; in this case, risk doesn’t mean being a gambler or being reckless. Effective leaders are never careless or foolish. Rather, effective leaders aren’t afraid to fail. Leaders are willing to experiment, innovate, and go beyond the defined protocols, not because they are convinced they have everything figured out already, but because they know that they have to try something different in order to take things to the next level.

Collaborative Commitment

Great leaders know that the best way to succeed at leading is to help everyone on their team to succeed in ways that are meaningful to them. Collaborative Commitment can be broken down into four related sub-topics:
 

Motivator – An effective leader understands one simple truth: the only way to motivate someone is to know them well enough to understand what they already care about, and find ways to help them to pursue and achieve those things.
 

Coach/Mentor – a leader’s effectiveness increases exponentially when he goes beyond understanding what motivates a team member and actually comes alongside that person to provide the regular training, support and encouragement they need to excel.
 

Unifier – Rather than fostering competition, good leaders acknowledge the gifts and skills of everyone around them, and give them permission to express them and exercise them for the benefit of all.
 

Open Communicator –There is a difference between how you communicate (which is where most emphasis is placed in management training classes) versus what, when, and why you communicate. Managers tend to communicate about tasks, performance and policies. Otherwise they withhold a lot of information, keeping team members in the dark about what is going on now, what is coming in the future, why it is happening, and how it will affect them. Some people think that limiting access to information is a perk of having power, when, in fact, it can actually undermine your ability to effectively motivate and lead.
 

Character Counts

Character Counts in at least two ways:
 

Self-control – People who can’t control their emotions (or their attitudes or their addictions) will inevitably end up doing or saying things that create disruptive – sometimes destructive – consequences. One thing is certain, people won’t trust someone who can’t demonstrate self-control, and if you don’t have their trust, you can’t effectively lead.

Integrity – Legal and ethical are not the same thing. Effective leaders are always committed to practicing this new version of the Golden Rule: Do unto others as they would have you do unto them. Leaders aren’t thinking of themselves; they are always thinking of how to serve the needs of those around them. Also, people in positions of responsibility often make promises. Sometimes they do it to pacify people and get them out of the office. At other times, they make promises they intend to keep but then they get busy or “something came up.” Instead of keeping promises, it is easy to get in the habit of making excuses. Once you begin to make a habit of breaking promises, people quit thinking of you as a leader and think of you as something else: a liar. People quickly lose faith in liars, even liars with big visions and great communication skills. When they lose their faith in you, you are not a leader any more.

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