The Leadership Compass

In a previous post I began talking about having values that are based on principles. I used an analogy of a compass always being able to point us north to describe how values that are based on principles are not subjective, but rather no matter which direction you turn, or circumstance you find yourself in, principle based values will always point you in the proper direction, pointing you to true north.

When I think about the role of leaders, I also like the analogy of viewing leadership as a compass. With its 360 degrees, effective leadership touches people in many directions. In this way, we can see that leadership is a North, South, East, and West proposition. However, when looking at this just from a directional point of view, we lose sight of the fact that in every compass there is a distinct center. In fact, the center is the axis for the all important needle of the compass which helps you to define your direction. In my example, leading southwardly would mean leading those that follow you. This could mean leading subordinates, friends, or your children. Northward leadership is leading those above you or those that have authority over you. Normally this means leading your boss. If you don’t have a boss this could mean leading your clients, customers, board members, financiers, or if you are young enough and yet reading this it could mean leading your parents. Leading both East and West means leading your peers. This once again can mean leading those that are equal to you and do not look to you for leadership or direction. This is most often seen in groups where there is no clear leader or when all of the members of the group are led by someone outside of the group.

Classic thinking about leadership in the dynamic of a compass suggest that most of us that lead spend the majority of our time leading those below us (the southward direction). We presume that the very reason we have risen to the level of leader is because those below us need our wisdom and guidance, and they need it most of the time. After all, without us, where would those poor souls be? As for leading those above us, we think mostly that the people above are to be avoided at all costs. We don’t lead those folks we mostly respond to them. If we are lucky, we can just slink by and perhaps they will not notice us. At times we can send C.Y.A. missives, just to let them know that we are doing something, but mostly this is a tactic to further avoid contact. Now, all that is left is our peers. These folks are our buddies aren’t they? We don’t spend anytime actually leading them. In fact with them we can be vocal in our complaints about the folks to the north and south. We can complain about our subordinates or our children, and spend the real meaty discussion time complaining about our boss. Our peers are there to listen and to sympathize with us about just how oppressive our very existence can be.

If I asked you to think about the time you spend in each of the directions on a compass, it is likely that you would project the following: Out of 100 percent of your available time, about sixty percent would be spent leading the people to the south. You might also guess that about ten percent of your time would be spent leading those to the north, and about fifteen percent would be spent leading the east and west. This would leave about fifteen percent of your time to lead yourself. Perhaps you should stop here and think objectively about this for a few moments.

Leading business writer and thinker Dee Hock, the founder of Visa International, suggest that if your numbers are anywhere near what I suggest above, your leadership would be in trouble. In studying this matter, Hock believes that the greatest responsibility of a leader is to lead your self. This means to lead by keeping your integrity, ethics, character, and knowledge in check. Self-leadership would require that you learn to control your temper and the very words you use. Self-leadership requires that you control the way you act and interact. Self-leadership is far more difficult than managing others. Yet, a leader that cannot self-lead is by no means fit for authority over another. Dee Hock believes that fifty percent of our time should be spent leading ourselves. That’s fifty percent focusing on making sure that as a leader you are managing the ethical, moral, spiritual, and physical dimensions of your life. The second greatest responsibility of a leader is to manage those with authority over you. If this is not your boss then it may be a board member, or regulator. We need their support, understanding, and knowledge of what we are doing. Without this support we are unable to establish an environment that is creative and productive for those that we lead. Spending time with the person to your north will enlist their aid when you need it as they will be constantly aware of what you are doing and will become your ally. You need their trust and support and that will come from your demonstration of competence. The third most important area would be the time you spend leading your peers. Twenty percent of your time will be spent leading in this area. These are the people over whom you have no authority, but who also have no authority over you. This group is extensive and includes the majority of the relationships you encounter every day. This group can easily determine whether things will be easy or hard for you. Leading well here yields great dividends.

If you divided your time as outlined above, you would find that you are left with only five percent of your time still available. If you are still thinking with your old leadership mindset, then you must be wondering how you can lead your subordinates with only five percent of your time. This is precisely the point. If you have done a good job of leading yourself, leading those with authority over you, and leading your peers, then all that needs to be left is five percent. This dynamic of leadership requires that those over whom you have authority choose to follow you. It is the dynamic of leader/follower that makes this style of leadership effective. Further, you then teach those that follow you by modeling your leadership style. You introduce them to the concept and encourage that they adopt a similar style.

As a leader you must continually ask yourself whether your leadership is constructive, ethical, open and morally correct. It is easy and sometimes tempting to shift to a style of tyranny and compulsion. To protect against this you must establish a sense of shared principles with everyone in your leadership compass. You should enlist those that follow you in this process by allowing them to help you to know where they choose to be led. Don’t forget your peers. Their assistance is critical to your success. Finally, include those above you as advisors and guides to your leadership. Their support and consent to your leadership not only makes a way for you, but it will ensure the success of those that depend on you for sound leadership.