Leadership Development: What Makes a Good Leader

First, there's a debate over what distinguishes the competencies of management vs. leadership. I view management as tactical (e.g., managing staff hours, administrative activities, etc.) where as leadership is more strategic or visionary (e.g., inspiring people to perform to their potential, growing a team, etc.).

I also believe managers are position-based where as anyone can exhibit the qualities of a leader. That said, as you move up in an organization, you need to learn what activities or competencies you need to gain and which ones you need to get your staff to start taking over.

My favorite book on this topic is by Scott Eblin, entitled The Next Level. He also has a 360 Leadership Assessment (in which I'm certified), that aligns to the book. Essentially, his premise is that there are qualities you much "let go" and others you must "pick up" as you move into a managerial / leadership position.

While my list is influenced by Scott Eblin, it's my own version of what I've observed and learned throughout my career to date. Here are my top three:

1. When you're a leader, you need to influence behaviors and have a sense of political savvy. Some would say that you have to know how to "play the game" but I think it's more than that. It's not just about playing the game, because then it seems disingenuous. As a leader, you need to think about how to motivate others to agreement and/or action by understanding how THEY want to be communicated with, not how you want to communicate to them. Just because you have a message to get across, doesn't mean it's phrased in a way that the other folks want to hear. Find out what appeals to them, what's important to them, and work from there.
2. Delegation is key, but not the way you think. As you move up in an organization, you can no longer be the "do-er," but rather you need to learn to manage what needs to be done so that the mission is achieved. As a manager you serve as a task master, but as a leader, you serve the role of guiding the team around you and mentoring them as needed. Teach the team to fish rather than giving them the fish. And don't send them out to learn to fish on their own if you can help lead them down the right path.
3. Start to use powerful questions. Before I get to the "why", first I want to answer "what is a powerful question?" Powerful questions get people to think deeper and expand your final end game for the whole team. They are open ended, and come from a place of curiosity rather than information gathering. Often times managers ask, "When will this be done?" or, "Where are we on this?" A powerful question would be, "What are we not thinking about?" or, "How can we make this product better?" The powerful question takes you out of that task master, manager role, and into a leadership, guiding others role. The basic rule for powerful questions is to avoid a question that has a single, short answer. Also avoid "why" so that you don't subconsiously appear to assign blame for something ("Why did it go wrong?" turns into, "How could we do this better?" or, "What did we miss?").

What are some powerful questions that you think you should be asking?

Recruiting: Why You Don't Get The Job

In a time when there are a lot of folks searching for jobs, and having difficulty landing the offer, I want to take a closer look at why you may not be getting the jobs you are going after. I got the idea based on a Business Insider article on why vets may not get the jobs they go after, and it got me thinking that this was often the reality check I would give MBA students when I worked at Georgetown's McDonough School of Business.

1. You Don't Accept that You're Starting Over. This one is really only relevant to those who are starting over, but it's an important point because some people may be starting over when they don't want to admit it. Let's say you used to be a VP of Marketing at a record label in NYC. You go to B-School with the intention of getting into finance, or more specifically Investment Banking. Guess what...you don't know the industry or the job, so you will be the low man on the totem pole and when you interview, you need to keep that in mind. Moreover, your resume should read like someone who wants an IB job, not like someone who had a Marketing job, otherwise recruiters will be confused as to why you applied.

2. You Believe You're Unique But Don't Communicate Why. Everyone is unique, but your unique value isn't one or two qualities. Rather, your uniqueness is your mix of capabilities and experience that MATCH to what your employer is looking for.

3. Your Resume is Too Long or Too Short. Ideally your resume should be about 1 page for every 10 years. Yes, you heard that right. If you have 10 years of experience and you have more pages than 1 (MAYBE 2), you are not communicating the right information. Your first step, before writing a resume, should be to review job descriptions for the type of job for which you're applying. For example, you want to be an investment banker; read the job descriptions for investment bankers. It sounds logical, but most people write their resume based on what they did, in the past. Instead, you need to write a resume indicating you can do what you want to do, in the future! Instead of saying things in marketing terms, for example, you need to translate what you did into the language that investment bankers use. Doing so will allow you to target specifically what they're looking for and cut out anything that's irrelevant to the recruiter. The added bonus is that large scale recruiting starts with a computer program that screens your resume for specific words. Even smaller scale recruiting may be using resume screeners that don't know what Investment Bankers really do, but they're given a list of words or phrases to look for. If you don't speak their language, you won't get the interview.

4. You Didn't Proofread Your Resume. I've had a lot of MBA's in the past who can't understand why their amazing resume would be trashed if it has a typo. If you have a typo in a resume, at the point when you are trying your absolute hardest to impress the employer, what are you going to do once hired? If your resume isn't air tight, the employer will assume that once on the job, your work will be equally flawed. Ask friends and family to read it. Take their edits with a grain of salt because every person will give you different advice.

5. You Don't Include a Cover Letter (or you include a bad one). For undergrads and MBA students in particular, a cover letter is a must. I've had a few recruiters state outright that they don't read them, but if one is not included, they don't consider the candidate. It sounds harsh, and I may not agree with that practice, but if that's what some recruiters do, you need to know that. Additionally, a cover letter should not restate your resume. It should add additional value above and beyond your resume. One trick I use is to pick 3-4 qualities the company is looking for (maybe a global mindset, or leadership ability, etc.) and make those your bullet points within the cover letter. Each quality should have a couple examples of how you demonstrate them. It helps the recruiter pull out the themes YOU want them to see across your experience.

6. You Don't Have a LinkedIn Profile. Employers are looking on LinkedIn. On the one hand, they may look at your LinkedIn profile after you applied, so you want it to match your resume, and allow greater insight to who you are. On the other hand, employers are proactively searching LinkedIn, and if your profile is not up to date and doesn't catch a recruiter's eye, you're missing out on an opportunity for a conversation about a future job.

7. You Aren't Conscious of What You Put Online. Assume potential employers are checking you out online. If you post daily, mundane updates, or those who post politically charged or angry posts on Facebook, Twitter, etc., be ready to miss out on interviews or offers if a recruiter is turned off by that. You should lock down your privacy settings, and every time you post, make sure you limit who can see the posts. That said, keep in mind that the world is a small place. I've heard of situations where a recruiter is connected to Person A, and their friend - Person B - applies for a job.  The recruiter is now a friend-of-a-friend (Facebook), or a 2nd degree connection (LinkedIn), and suddenly the recruiter can see what you're posting. If you put something online anywhere, make sure you'd be okay with a recruiter seeing it.

8. You Didn't Prepare for the Interview. Read their website; know their stock price; know their leadership; understand their culture; and most importantly, articulate your value that aligns with what they need. If you go into the interview knowing just a bit more about the company than the next candidate, you have a better shot at moving forward in the process.

9. Your Thank You Note was Generic. Thank you notes are a must, but don't be generic. Instead of just "thank you for the opportunity," try adding something extra. If there's a great article that relates to something you spoke about, include a link. Instead of "I look forward to hearing from you," mention you will touch base with them in a week, or two weeks, depending on what you learned in the interview. Be specific. Be enthusiastic. Be memorable. But be professional.