| What do executives consider when making a decision? What
motivates an executive to get involved in one activity or initiative
at the expense of another? Who does the executive look to for advice
- and who does he or she ignore? CCL's Pete Hammett sought to better
understand who and what influences executives. The result is
Unbalanced Influence, a new book about the myths and
paradoxes that influence today's senior leaders. What Hammett
found is that multiple "influencers" come into play to shape an
executive's behavior and perceptions in their efforts to be an
effective leader. More notably, said Hammett, is that "these
influencers often seem unbalanced."
Over the course of its 37-year history, the Center for Creative
Leadership has had remarkable access to executive leaders throughout
the world - some 20,000 each year. Looking at leadership assessment
data from senior executives, Hammett found that many executives'
perceptions of effective leadership are shaped by a very narrow
sphere of influence. "The way executives choose to lead and their
benchmarks for defining effective leadership are shaped by a few
people and often a conflicting set of influences based on various
leadership myths and paradoxes," he says.
These paradoxes and myths often cloud or confuse how executives
effectively engage others in accomplishing critical objectives.
"Distorted, limited or unbalanced influencers prevent leaders from
being effective in the long term," says Hammett. "By understanding
who and what influences you and how the influencers interact, you
gain a better view of your leadership behavior and your ability to
move your organization in the best direction."
Although Hammett's research is based on data from senior-level
executives, the idea of getting clear on your influencers is a
valuable one at any career stage. "If you are a new manager, for
example, this is the time to build a great foundation for how you
lead and how you develop as a leader," he explains. "For more
experienced managers, understanding influence will allow you to
build a more balanced approach and, hopefully, avoid some of the
pitfalls that many of today's senior leaders face."
3 Myths, 4 Paradoxes
| Myth |
Explanation |
| Power, Influence and the Myth of Effective
Leadership |
Power and influence color perceptions about
effective leadership. |
| Myth of Effective Decision Making |
The only bad decision is the one not made-not the
only one not made by you. |
| Intuition, Analytics and the Myth of "Elegant
Reasoning" |
Compelling strategies are seldom created by a great
leader. |
| Paradox |
Explanation |
| Values, Ethics and the Performance Paradox |
How do executives align "doing whatever it takes"
with values and ethics? |
| Creativity, Innovation and the Paradox of
Operational Excellence |
How do executives build infrastructure and processes
while harnessing creative energies? |
| The Paradox of Gifted Leadership: Developing "the
Next Generation" Leaders |
How do executives who are gifted leaders today
develop talented leaders for the future? |
| The Paradox of Balance - Aligning Life and Work |
How do executives commit to their organizations
without harming themselves and others? |
This article is adapted from "Unbalanced
Influence", by Pete Hammett (Davies-Black Publishing, 2007), and
published at
Centre for Creative Leadership |
