vol. XVII no. 2

				Page 3 Page 1 2 3 4 5 WHAT ARE THE BEST WAYS FOR LEADERS TO GET BUY-IN? CAMPANA: The qualities of a leader affect buy-in. A leader with a high degree of honesty, integrity, sincerity and passion along with a good dose of humility will encourage buy-in. BOYER: Enabling followers to participate in the execution process is important. You've got to have people around the table to figure out what steps need to be taken to get where you want to go. Unless people participate in the process, your buy-in won't happen. RUF: Buy-in really starts with listening, being open to ideas rather than having preconceived notions about how it's all going to work. KAISER:I see three key messages to deliver to followers: You are important as an individual; your role is important; and in coming together, we can accomplish great things. GRANT: Getting back to the California or bust idea: I don't know that everyone signs up to go to California, but they might sign up to follow the leader because of all those qualities we discussed. IS LEADERSHIP SOMETHING ONE IS BORN WITH OR CAN IT BE LEARNED? RUF: The leaders I respect usually have had a defining moment early in their lives during which they took on a leadership role. HARDING: Leaders are born with potential, but it is critical that those skills, talents and aptitudes be developed over time. Without that development, they will not be great leaders. HOW DO YOU DEVELOP SOMEONE'S POTENTIAL FOR GREAT LEADERSHIP RATHER THAN RUN-OF-THE-MILL LEADERSHIP? BOYER: Early in my career, I was within the Bell system, where we rotated often to get different perspectives. Developing several perspectives in turn develops talent and leadership skills. CAMPANA: When executed correctly, a leadership plan positions a person to take on greater levels of responsibility and leadership. You should focus on general management skills instead of purely technical skills, although you need a balance between the two. GRANT: When you think back through history, if you look at leaders versus great leaders, great leaders are defined by a crisis. Take Winston Churchill or Abraham Lincoln, for example. Those moments of crisis allow people to rise to the occasion. Rudolph Guiliani after 9/11 is perceived as a great leader. The day before, he was probably just a leader. KAISER: I think you see greatness coming when people really live their values. Leaders must emphasize corporate values. If people understand how they're going to be treated by the leader and how the organization is going to treat them, they face less uncertainty. If they can count on the leader to treat them fairly, then ultimately they are more willing to follow. Previous Page | Top | Next Page

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