The Hindu Business Line : Begin with a compelling destination

The key driver of the long-term health of organisations is the strength of leadership, says Jack Stahl in Lessons on Leadership from Kaplan Publishing. "You are a leader. Lead by creating an exciting picture of a successful future for your organisation and your people," he begins, with a forceful exhortation.

But why is it important to set a compelling destination? Because "people without a clear sense of where they are supposed to go will be unproductive or under-productive, wasting the organisation's time and money."

To FedEx, for example, the destination was evident from a goal-defining slogan: `absolutely, positively has to be there overnight'. Vision is fine, but results come from the overall capabilities of your organisation, or framework two, as Stahl puts it. The most critical step to creating organisational capability is "attracting and retaining people who have the skills and commitment to ensure the organisation's success."

Framework three, in the list of seven essential skills, is on `developing people'. Effective leaders focus tremendous energy on hiring and supporting strong performers, says Stahl. "Hold your organisation's management accountable for helping to develop your people's skills. Don't let them off the hook! Your success, and your organisation's bottom line, depends on it."

The author returns to `people' in the final framework, after discussing brand positioning with consumers, customer relationship management, and financial strategy and management. Framework seven is on `influencing people'; the `linchpin' for the whole set.

Stahl's book does not aim to change your personality or style as a leader. He believes that you can maximise your success by being yourself, while at the same time practising the seven skills.

Practical lessons.

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D. Murali