The more senior the leader, the more they struggle to define their own work vs. the work of those they lead. This means many leaders are doing a job they held previously, only with more intensity. They are doing someone else’s job, because they’ve done that job before, can do it really well, and have been rewarded for it. Which makes it even more important that they define their work in their current leadership role.
The good news is that I can offer a simple framework for the work of a leader. However, simple does not mean easy. There’s a reason that relatively few leaders rise to executive levels – even if you can define the work, its nature is complex, dynamic, and emergent.
Most of what a leader should be doing falls into three areas:
- Alignment
- Organizational Capability
- Accountability
Alignment
Having understood their industry context (by talking to customers, suppliers, partners, analysts), the leader’s work is to co-create a clear purpose and strategy with those they lead. Co-creating may appear to take longer, but it’s the fastest way to gain real alignment, and more importantly, commitment. Alignment is not a one-and-done accomplishment – continually celebrating stories of people living the organization’s purpose and applying its strategic choices helps people stay aligned. These stories will change as the environment shifts and may even surface the need for refreshing the strategy.
Organizational Capability
Organizational alignment to a clear purpose and strategy is a wonderful thing. It does not mean the organization has the capability to execute. The leader’s role is to identify the critical capabilities, both organizational (e.g., high-quality manufacturing at scale) and individual (e.g., consultative selling), needed to execute the strategy. Once again this requires listening to stakeholders, both inside and outside the organization, and gaining alignment on those key capabilities and the plan to develop them.
Accountability
For many leaders, accountability is the most challenging work they do. Real accountability starts with building alignment and commitment, but that’s not the hardest part. To be effective, accountability focuses on staying on track rather than reward or punishment after the fact. That means jointly defining leading indicators with reports so you both know when to celebrate, and when to course correct. One-on-one meetings should go beyond updates and get intentional about accountability. Powerful questions are “How are you progressing? What’s your plan to get back on track?”
This offers just a quick take on the work of a leader. Which of these areas are you most confident in when it comes to your own leadership? Where are your challenges?
If you want to dig deeper, get in touch.