The Hindu Business Line : Seven competency clusters of highly effective leaders

These are: goal orientation, integrity, close engagement with others, `helicopter' perception, resilient resourcefulness, personal `horsepower' and resonant communications. Thus writes Williams in Leadership for Leaders, from Viva (www.vivagroupindia.net).

Leadership is very much about doing what is right for the situation and the people involved in it, explains the author. "Underlying such flexibility and differentiation of response, however, must be a consistency of values and ground rules, if the leader's professional credibility is to remain the crucial source of influence."

Goal orientation is about "focus on critical goals and the effective mobilisation and direction of team members in pursuing those goals". Integrity has to be transparent, and values clear; plus leaders have to stick to these principles "in day-to-day activity — especially when under pressure to deliver results."

Close engagement implies "sound relationships, while retaining professional individuality"; and this requires skills such as "active listening, influencing, giving feedback, coaching and mentoring." What is `helicopter' perception? "The ability to see higher and wider than the immediate problem or situation and be able to put issues quickly into perspective and context."

To be resiliently resourceful, the leader has "to find ways around, or through, problems and to come up with new solutions". Personal horsepower is the clout and ability "to influence and manage upwards and outwards".

Resonant communication, as Williams explains, requires `structured communication' that can strike a chord with people, by transmitting passion.

The author urges leaders to work at `close quarters', to serve the team members, rather than be a mere boss. A pyramid shows hierarchy of communication and interaction, starting with `social rituals and cliché conversation' at the base, and moving through gossip and grapevine, facts and information, ideas and judgments, and values/feelings and emotions, to `peak communication', at level six.

When the leader and the team communicate at this level regularly, "there is an easy spontaneity which facilitates productive debate and the readiness to introduce and explore options and alternatives, as an automatic consequence of just being together."

A chapter titled `great leaders develop more great leaders' discusses three `talent categories', citing Gallup research. These are: striving, thinking, and relating. Striving talents show as motivation and drive, plus "the need to achieve, to win, to excel, or be of service to others."

Thinking talents manifest in ways people think, evaluate options and decide; to check, you can find out if thinking is structured and disciplined, or if you prefer the excitement of making up your mind at the last moment! Relating talents show as "empathy, ability to initiate and build relationships, high personal and interpersonal awareness, and the ability to stimulate and influence others."

A cornerstone of the leadership mindset is `emotional intelligence,' states Williams. Building blocks for this are emotional awareness, emotional integrity, emotional competence and emotional synergy. In other words: Know thyself, "to thine own self be true," exercise self-control, and instil mutual trust. While the first two constitute `emotional literacy', the latter two are `emotional chemistry'.

In conclusion, the author emphasises that constantly added value and competitive advantage "are ensured by competently managed and courageously led, empowered, and talented people."