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Leading your Team in a Complex Organization

It's all well and good to learn leadership skills if you're the boss of a small business, or otherwise have complete authority and position power over everyone else.  In such a position you aren't guaranteed to lead well or command the respect and motivation of your followers, but at least you have the advantage of formally being the one one top.

"I OWN YOU!"

But most of us work at one level of a larger organization, where there are not only those below us but people in several layers above us.  How do we manage to carry out organizational and individual goals when our power is not absolute?

*you are here

You can manage up- using influence and persuasion to help shape the views and actions of those above you. You can also practice image management where you consciously help shape others' opinions of you.  If you lead a team, you can help make that team one of the strongest and most effective and motivated in the organization.

Actions that a leader can take to foster teamwork, using only their own resources, include:

• Define the team's mission and tasks- Everyone wants to know answers to the same basic questions: What are we doing here?  Why are we a team?  Where are we going?  What are the steps to get there?  What is expected of me, both individually and as a member of the team?   People rise to expectations, and if they are not set, then everyone is left to their own devices to try to figure out the goals of the group and where they fit in.
• Establish a climate of trust- This means as a leader you walk the talk.  Speak clearly and stick to your word.  A culture is top-down and this will set the tone for your group.  In addition, convey to your team members your confidence in their intentions and motives and the sincerity of their word.  If you are proven wrong, so be it, but begin from a position of trust.  Honor confidences.  If your team members know that they can come to you in confidence and what they say won't be let out or held against them, their loyalty will increase.  Focus on solving problems rather than assigning blame when something wrong happens.  Finally, admit mistakes.
• Develop norms and expectations of team behavior, including bolstering team members' emotional intelligence skills.  You can take this as far as going through team role training, where everyone finds out what the ideal team composition is, and what role they excel at.  After this type of training you may even see an increase in the team's ability to manage itself.  
• Share power- pay attention to who can wisely take on more responsibility and don't be afraid to give power away- it's one of the few things you get more of by giving away!
• Establish and nurture a team identity and foster healthy competition with another team (the key word here is "healthy"!)
• Lead by consensus and not absolute power- get team members' opinions on upcoming decisions and inform them of the pros and cons of each decision.  This doesn't mean that everything is decided by vote, or that everyone is happy in the end.  It means that you took the time to inform them, ask them what they thought, and weigh their perspective.
• Encourage "inside jokes" and jargon- every culture has its own language, humor, and customs.  While you don't want to ostracize outsiders, a little inside humor- even something as simple as affectionate nicknames- can help build a stronger team.
• Don't micromanage- This gets back to the trust issue.  Give your team members goals, and let them achieve them.  You don't have to check in every step of the way.  Manage them by objectives, not by micro-tasks.  Of course, this depends on the level of skill of your team, but in general, trust people to do what you ask of them until proven otherwise.  Part of this is making yourself available and approachable so that if they do encounter a problem, they will come to you early and often to help resolve it.  If you are distant and imposing, you may not hear of an issue until its blown out of control.  

This may seem like a simple list, but each one of these takes dedication and commitment on your part as the leader.  More so if you have already set the tone differently in your group.  But these are ways that you can increase the efficacy, efficiency, and atmosphere of your immediate group.  Who knows- you may even end up having more fun doing it.

Go Team!

The May BUB Newsletter is out!

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BUB Student Brings Value to her Employer with Assignment

As part of her course Project Risk and Cost Management, Hasnae took the opportunity to apply a class project to her intership experience. The result was not only a top-notch project, but real value delivered to her client- in this case, her employer.

The assignment tasked students with researching an company and its industry, identify and assess risks at both the industry and company-specific levels, develop a response plan with contingency planning and risk response control, and make a formal recommendation.

Hasnae is employed by an international company based in Antwerp and Paris. She took the initiative to meet with her company’s general manager on several occasions and delivered the final product to them. Impressed, they took her recommendations into consideration. Here, she answers a few questions on the project.

1) What was the greatest learning that you achieved from this project?

One of the best things I achieved from this project is being able to complete a risk management plan for a company who has great potential but who is facing serious issues which are currently affecting its business. To have the company’s manager and designer approve of my project and take into consideration what I had to say was in itself an achievement for me. I had to take the issues of the company and structure them in a way which was clear, concise, accurate, and well built. It was challenging but once the five projects were complete and all the pieces of the puzzle were put together, I read through all assignments to see whether they all fit together and as I was reading from one assignment to the next, solutions to the issues presented became more and more visible which is the goal of a risk management project. Being able to pinpoint the issues any business is facing and build a plan leading to solving these issues is a great achievement.

2) In what areas would you have done differently if you were starting this project again?

If I could do things differently, I would go into more detail in the project by having several meetings with the general manager in order to understand the details of how they run the company, and more importantly how they deal with issues on the spot. Being able to observe and work on my risk management plan at their office may have given my project the possibility of being more detailed and possibly being able to identify more issues and risks the company is faced with and even come up with better solutions to these issues.

3) How are you taking forward your final recommendations with the company?  (i.e. are you sharing this final report – are you planning to continue to work with them, etc.)

I am going to share my final report with the company. I will be having a meeting to present the rest of my project (since I have already presented them with the first part) and then I will have a third meeting to provide them with a detailed explanation on how they can proceed with the recommendations and how to take action. I will guide them through each step of the risk management plan if they are willing to implement it as soon as possible.

4) What is the most important element that you have in mind about risk management that you will carry over to any future projects that you do?

The most important element about the risk management plan and something that I will keep in mind and carry out in future projects is that the risk identification part of a project is the most important since that sets the ground work for the rest of the projects after this step. It is important to take the time to fully complete the risk identification project and ensure that all risks are identified.  Additionally, the more detailed a risk management plan is, the easier it is to implement it. This is something I would like to focus on on future projects, making the risk management very detailed and taking a good amount of time identifying risks.

An Interview with Charles Crouch

This month we bring you an interview with Charlie Crouch, who was a faculty member at BUB and now lives in Australia and works as the Executive Advisor at EMF - The Forum of e-Excellence.

His website is www.charlescrouch.com, where he’s posted a number of articles about getting started online, as well as a place to order his ebook.

Charlie, thanks for sitting down with us.  I say sitting down, but you and I are 17 time zones apart as we conduct this interview.  You've lived in all over the world- from San Francisco to Belgium and now Australia.  Many of our students live an international life as well.  Did you follow opportunity or was it wanderlust?

It was an opportunity to do something different. We had been living in Europe, London and then Brussels, for some time, and this is a chance to see another part of the world. Australia has a long cultural relationship with the West but is geographically located closer to the East. This gives the country an interesting outlook as the two swirl and mix together here.

You spent some time as an instructor at BUB.  Do you still currently teach?

Teaching at BUB was a great experience. Teachers do indeed learn as much as the students. I am not currently teaching, but I am looking for something similar here in Melbourne. In the meantime I have spoken and moderated sessions at a number of local conferences about doing business online. Going to them as a "lecturer in e-business from BUB" is a big plus, it differentiates me from the others on the program.

I understand you're in the final phases of publishing a book: How to Manage Your Website Project;What inspired you to write it? 

While teaching is important to me, I do spend a lot of my time consulting, helping companies improve their online performance. Typically these companies have a website, and it just isn't working. I have led a number of projects to build and rehabilitate websites, and I see the same issues coming up again and again. This book is a non-technical guide to help people who are running a website project, showing them what is different and offering tips and tools to better manage their project.

You mention in the introduction that assumptions one makes about a company, technology, and even customer behavior are different online.  Why does this seemingly small shift (offering goods and services online) change so many aspects of doing business?

Going online may appear to be a small, simple shift, but it is not. Setting up an online store is easy, today many services offer online stores, ready-to-go. But the online world operates by different rules, and not knowing or understanding these rules trips up many online ventures. For example, customers behave differently online, becoming more demanding and specific, but also willing to engage in conversations with companies that either infatuate or infuriate them. If one does not take these differences into account when setting up the store, then it will have problems.

Do you see the explosion of online retailing as a more of a challenge or an opportunity for businesses?  Would the answer be different for large businesses than for small ones? 

Online retailing is both a challenge and an opportunity. Going online exposes a business to new issues such as worldwide competition, different customer behaviors, and a reliance on complicated technology. On the other hand, the online marketplace is global, and your store is now open 24 hours a day for shopping. Most important, in the online world value for customers can be produced in new, different ways. Often the value is not the products or services, rather they are being offered for sale in a new and different manner which customers find valuable for themselves.

When I lived in Brussels I felt that many online offerings such as banking, insurance, and other services were extremely inconvenient compared to what I was used to in the US.  In some cases it was easier to walk to the bank in person (even not speaking the language!) than to try to figure out their website.  Do you notice a difference in how businesses approach the online platform in different parts of the world?

Yes, here in Australia they are behind in selling online by a couple of years. This is in part due to Australia's geographic isolation, smaller market, and local dominance by some big players. However the Internet has arrived, especially mobile, and foreign companies see Australia as a place for expansion and market share growth. Many foreign companies are setting up online stores especially for Australia, and the shipping companies are making it easy to deliver goods here. The local retail market is currently undergoing a great upheaval.

Your book touches on the subject of project management- do you have any advice for our project management students about to head out into the job market?

BUB gives you a great foundation of skills and knowledge. As you advance in your career, you will be presented with opportunities to learn new things and gain new experience, sometimes seemingly not related to project management. Do not pass these up, take advantage of them. Project management works across a wide range of disciplines, and you never know when something will be useful.

See also: http://www.charlescrouch.com

and http://www.charlescrouch.com/how-to-manage-your-website-project.html for his book.

Techniques for Developing Charisma

Today we're going to take a look at eight ways that you can develop charisma.  Charismatic leaders maximize the relationship between themselves, group members (followers), and other stakeholders.  They increase their referent power (the ability to influence others because one is well liked) and expert power (the ability to influence others because of specialized skills or knowledge).

How, you might ask, do they increase these measures of power?  By painting a vivid picture or vision for others, being dramatic and unique, being a good storyteller, and being an affable "character."  Charismatic leaders are especially effective at what they do, and communicate using metaphors and analogies to inspire others.  They also know their audiences and tailor their messages accordingly.  After all, leading a pack of girl scouts takes different communication tactics than leading a squad of marines!

Undoubtedly, some are born more naturally charismatic than others.  Yet there are ways to develop charisma:*

1. Create vision for others.  Paint a picture of where you are all going, and how great it will be to get there.  Attract others to your vision by describing it in ways that are meaningful to them.

2. Be enthusiastic, optimistic, and energetic.  Note: this does not mean be fake and inauthentic.  Cultivate your real enthusiasm and share it with others.

3. Be persistent.  Don't take no for an answer unless you really have no other option.  What does this mean?  Use energetic good-natured stubborness to push until you can't push anymore.  Then know when to change your strategy.

4. Remember people's names.  Everyone's loves hearing their own name.  Of course you can use tricks and techniques to remember names, but the good old fashioned (and best) way to learn people's names is to actually get to know them and care about them on a personal level.

5. Develop synchrony with others.  This hsa to do with connecting well- "clicking" with others.  Search the internet for an emotional intelligence self-test and find ways to develop your EI (emotional intelligence).

6. Develop a personal brand, including making an impressive appearance.  Be bold (but not ridiculous) and let your personality out a little bit.  As long as you have the skills and knowledge to back you up (and you are tactful - see #5 above), a little flair and confidence can go a long way. 

7. Be candid.  As long as you are adept at delivering difficult news, speak your mind and communicate directly.  You don't want to be abrasive, but simple effective communication is an asset for a leader.  Don't beat around the bush- get to the point while still being respectful and polite.

8. Don't be afraid to be tough and aggressive when needed.  Although this can isolate you from some people, if your assertiveness is warranted it can gain you a lot of respect from your followers.  For example, think of a bartender.  While it pays to be a nice guy and treat everyone well to get good tips, the best bartenders know when to lay down the law and get tough with unruly patrons.  Kicking out someone who is harassing others at the bar will win lots of goodwill (and tips!) from all the remaining good customers.

*List adapted from DuBrin's textbook Principles of Leadership, one of BUB's recommended core texts on leadership.

The April Newsletter is Out!

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The International: March Newsletter is Out!

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How can internships prepare you for the real world? A reflection on internships and an experience at NATO

This month alumna Kathleen Machet submitted this Alumni Perspective:

No matter what kind of prior experience or exposure to an industry you have: internships prepare you for the real world. My time as an intern through BU Brussels at the US Mission to NATO in the Public Diplomacy division was rewarding on many levels. I gained a tremendous amount of insight into a dynamic and multi-cultural organization, my own government and myself. Internships open doors, and build upon the curriculum enriching the educational experience.

Joining the US Mission at NATO as an intern gave me an insight into the political and diplomatic structure and the makings of my own country; it also gave me a wide perspective on the inner workings of a global organization. I had the opportunity to work alongside diplomatic and political experts as well as military personnel and through exposure and interactions with individuals from varying backgrounds I was able to build upon the educational foundation that BU had given me. It transformed class room education into diplomacy in action.

In addition to field experience an internship builds skill sets that are essential in today’s competitive global workplace. I strengthened and applied my skills in analytical abilities communication and in time management. I learned the importance of clear communication and analytical skills. I assisted in research and messaging support on speeches, social media posts and interviews for the Ambassador which required impeccable attention to detail and analytical analysis. Communication and strategy, a critical component to all jobs must be clearly thought through and the impact of the message analyzed.  These experiences forced me to consult with experts within and outside the mission and also allowed me to try to think like an Ambassador, the target audience and my superiors. In addition, balancing work and school forces a certain dedication and schedule that made my organizational skills stronger than ever: such as in the real world these skills are crucial as young professionals learn to balance work and home life.  

Along with improving my written communication skills I benefited from having to refine my oral presentation skills from having to do briefings to high level officials, consulting with military experts on key issues for the website and creating briefing documents for the ambassador: I learned to be direct and efficient. It is essential to be able to adapt your approached to varied backgrounds in the real world. It is also important to know your audience and tailor your message.

Internships make available a mentorship structure and support system that isn’t easy to find in entry level jobs. For me I was encouraged to interact with role models on many levels from interviewing for academic related papers, attending seminars and discussions inside and outside of NATO and interacting with Washington. In addition, BU encouraged me to work with an academic mentor in an independent study that built upon my interests, academic education and real life experience. Through working with Ambassador Bettzuege I was able to reflect and build upon my experiences and interests at NATO, making for a rewarding and well-rounded experience.

We have spent a lot of effort, money and time getting our education and we owe it to ourselves to apply it and challenge ourselves every day. Having an internship has allowed me to push myself and gave me hands on learning that enhanced my education from BU. I would encourage us all to take opportunities to enrich our education and broaden our cultural interactions in our professional and everyday lives. The career of tomorrow is waiting behind an unopened door. Let an internship and BU help you open it up, if you don’t you may never know what’s behind it.

Guest Blogger: BUB's Joris Lacroix - A Visit to BUB Dublin and N. Ireland

This semester’s visit to the BU Dublin program was a little different for me. Usually I simply give a presentation to the BU students that are studying abroad at BU in Dublin, which is located on the lovely Dublin City University campus (DCU).

This time around my visit coincided with a trip to Northern Ireland that is planned every year for the BU Dublin students. I was invited to go along on this trip, which was a great opportunity not only on a personal level, as I had never been, and knew very little about Northern Ireland, but also for recruitment purposes as it allowed me to know the 54 students on the trip on a more personal level.

Along with Dr. Gordon Kennedy, a history teacher for BU Dublin I was a ‘chaperone’ during this trip. It was a great experience, as I learned a lot about Northern Ireland, and how still to this day there is a great divide, and hostility between the Catholics and the Protestants. I was shocked, and amazed to find out that there were ‘peace walls’ separating the two communities in Belfast, as well as the fact that at 11pm, every night the gate that separates the Catholic side from the Protestant side is closed.

Most of the students on the trip were in their junior year of university, and for the most part loved studying in Europe. With a tasteful mix of Irish history, and Guinness, a diet that is sure to please just about anyone with interest in Ireland, the BU Dublin program provides a great framework for making American students want to come back and continue their studies in Europe.

That is where BUB comes into play, as Brussels is the capital of Europe, and the European institutions looking to be more and more involved with Ireland and Northern Ireland, these students can look to Boston University Brussels as a great way to receive a degree from BU whilst finishing their European studies.

Overall the experience was a positive one, and I can safely say that we will be looking to do this again, and hopefully open the opportunity to go on this trip to our own students.

Interview with BUB's Chris Kindermans, MSc PMP

Boston University’s own Chris Kindermans sat down with us recently to discuss the Project Management Institute’s PMP®, Project Management Professional exam and integration into the curriculum at BUB. He will be leading the two-day pre-exam course hosted by BUB on March 30th and 31st from 08:00 to 17:00hrs.

 

What value do you feel Project Management training has to today's professional?

Project Management is the discipline of planning, organizing, allocating, and managing the scarce resources of a company or an organization, in order to achieve its specific goals and objectives. This type of training let acquire all students, wanting to work and to develop a career in any kind of organization or government body, a vital skill or competency that makes them stand and perform in line with the organizational requirements and expectations in this times of Globalization. Acquiring Project Management knowledge should be given the same consideration as learning how to read and how to write.

How has the class at BUB been created to meet the needs of the students?

In line with the exponential growth of the number of certified Project Managers in the world and with the explosive demand from the national and international markets, for trained Project Managers, BUB has decided in 2006 to create 4 Project Management training modules, in line with those modules, offered by the main campus. These 4 modules haven proven to cover all needs of the students.

Have you found a good response so far?

Right from the beginning Project Management classes belong to the top classes of BUB, in fact they belong to the top tier from a participants point of view.

How do you see Project Management contributing to the development of a leader?

In order to become a good project manager, someone has also to develop a set of interpersonal and leadership skills. To name some: We expect a Project Manager to be Ethical, Professional, Respectful, Fair, and Honest. He/She should be a good communicator and inspire a shared vision for the project team. She/He should be competent, empathic, and enthusiast. We also require from a project manager a good capability of finding sustainable solutions, solving problems, negotiating, motivating people,  and conflict handling. We train the students in all those areas, which all belong to the skills set of a great leader.

Is there a place for Project Management in International Relations?

When we go back to all of the above, it goes without saying that project management skills, competences and knowledge belong to the key attributes of a successful Manager, working in International Relations. Knowledge of cultural differences is yet another competency, to be acquired by project managers. Globalization thrives on competent project managers and proper resources allocation.

Do you see a difference in the approach to Project Management internationally as opposed to the US?

Except for dealing with some cultural aspects, there is no difference between the US approach  and approaches in other parts of the world. Courses at BUB are largely inspired by the PMBoK, the Project Management Body of Knowledge, an ANSI standard, issued by PMI. PMI, the Project Management Institute, with currently more than 550.000 members worldwide, has issued only one global standard for project management and everywhere in the world, people who want to be certified have to study the same PMBoK and they have to pass the same type of exam. Worldwide, there are now more than 600.000 PMP's, certified Project Managers from PMI. A proof that the profession of Project Manager is really global, and the courses at BUB are aligned in the same way.

The Evolution of Leadership Study

Today we're going to take a look at how academic thought about the field of leadership has changed over the years.  One of the first things that new students to our Master of Science in Leadership program find out is that Academia hasn't had just one approach examining what makes for a great leader.

First, the Great Man

This is where most people still seem to be when it comes to thinking about leaders.  It is summed up in the old adage Great leaders are born, not made.  The idea, popular in the 1800's, was simply that great leaders were great men (remember, this theory pre-dated gender equity); that is, they were born with a certain set of inherent traits that propelled them to great feats and thus into the history books. 

Just as history has been said to be written by the victors (that is, after the fact from the point of view of those to who triumped), this theory looked at those who emerged as leaders with 20/20 hindsight and ascribed their qualitites as those of great leaders.  Hmmm... does that sound tautological to anyone else?

Next, Combinations of the Right Traits

Next it was considered that it wasn't simply inherent traits in the individual that contributed to effective leadership, but those that could be learned as well.  Perhaps one was born with oratory acumen, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't possible to learn how to become a better speaker still.  No longer was it left to genetics one's chances of becoming a great leader.  Now one could strive, learn, and grow to increase one's skill in certain traits associated with effective leadership.

Finally, Situational Leadership

While recognizing that leadership traits could be learned as well as inherent in the personality was a step forward, academia was still re-examining its approach to the field.  It was recognized that a great leader in one context (say, the battlefield) was not necessarily a great leader in another (democratic politics).  A great prison warden would not necessarily be as effective as the head of the local Girl Scouts troop.  Thus was incorporated the approach of Situational Leadership, that is, the recognition that it is important to look at the context in which one is applying her skills to determine her effectiveness as a leader as much as the skills themselves. 

Context means not only the situation (the environmental factors) but the followers as well: who they were and how they operated.  Therefore leadership is now seen as a function of traits (inherent and learned), characteristics of the followers, and the nature of the situation.

And what traits are associated with effective leadership?

• Capacity (this one leans towards the "you're born with it or you aren't")
• Achievement (a mix of inherent and learned skill/effort)
• Responsibility
• Participation
• Status

As you can see, these traits nicely mix those you are born with, and those you can improve through effort and will.

What's the next step in the study of what it takes to become a great leader?  I'm not sure but our MSL students will be some of the first to know and apply that knowledge out in the real world!

The International: February Newsletter is Out!

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The MSL and Post-Graduate Success: An Interview with Alumna Claudia Ritter

This month we had a chance to sit down with Claudia Ritter, a graduate of the BU Brussels Masters of Leadership degree in 2011.  In response to many applicant inquiries as to how the MSL degree is used post-graduation, we focused the conversation on how she's found value in applying her knowledge in the work world.

Claudia, thanks for joining us today.  I'd like to talk about your experience with BU Brussels's MSL program.  What initially interested you about getting a Masters in Leadership degree at BU?

I was at the time cycling through a career transition, leaving a highly politicized working environment to set up my own consultancy in cross-cultural communications in Brussels. I had held senior management positions in EU public affairs for twenty years. I had gathered significant experience building international teams, managing international projects, organizing European-wide campaigns and developing international media strategies. And I felt ready to design and deliver leadership programs for companies and organizations challenged by the complexity of multicultural working environments: when seeking to enter new markets, when sub-contracting to other countries, when driving a change process...

At the same time, I wanted to update my knowledge, preferably in an academic environment. The BU Masters in Leadership degree seemed to fit my objective: the courses are being taught by industry-experienced  professionals who combine their practitioner’s skills with academic structure.

Did you have any expectations about what you would be learning?  If so, what were they?

My expectations were clear, at least I thought so. I wanted business-focused knowledge for immediate use in my daily work. But I got so much more out of it than just topical content. I learned about strategy, finance, negotiating, leadership and team dynamics. But I also learned that good leadership development programs – whether in higher or in executive education – are not just a series of classes you sit through to obtain your degree or certificate.

Good leadership development programs are those that have a long-term value because they become a transformative journey. They do not simply teach you about leadership, telling you what you should do to be successful. They also help you capture the spirit of leadership by integrating emotionally intelligent leadership practices. They are not only about achieving learning goals, they also address the powerful drivers of leadership behaviors. And those are skills you need in today’s international workplaces. Ignore the real state of an organization you work for, ignore the norms of the groups you interact with in your professional relationships, and you are set up for failure. Know how to navigate complexity, and organizational systems and cultures will support you.

Every choice to go back to school involves weighing out time and money investment against what you perceive the value of the program will be.  What did you expect the value of the MSL to be for you specifically (not just value to the typical student)?  Were there certain issues you wanted to address, or career goals you wanted to obtain?  Did you use the MSL to help you in a career transition to a new career, or to advance in your current position?

I wanted to position myself on the market. There are many consultants around- many competent colleagues. So how would I make a difference? I already had my academic credits, but I felt that a postgraduate Masters from a renowned American University would help.

And indeed, it has. Not only have I embarked on new learning, I have accessed new networks. Two former co-students of mine in Brussels have become business partners. A professor on the campus in Boston has given me valuable advice relating to my professional activity, though we never met in person. I can present myself as a seasoned professional who combines twenty years of experience in the industry with up-to-date academic learning. This has by the way helped me win an important contract last month. The MSL has opened many doors for me: to new learning, to exciting business partnerships, to an academic community I feel that I belong to, and to new clients.

How have you applied the knowledge from the program in your work life?

I integrate much of my theoretical learning at BU into my own leadership programs. But, most importantly, I use a lot of BU’s teaching methodologies, blending them with my own. I love bold mixtures of learning techniques that are conducted over a period of time.

My programs are not designed as one-time quick-fixes – or correctives -, but built as multifaceted processes that permeate the three layers of any organization I work with: the individuals, the teams in which they work,  and the culture of the organization. They combine intellectual and emotional learning. They blend contextualized content with action learning and coaching, where participants use what they are learning to diagnose and solve real problems in their organizations.

No doubt BU has inspired me to design leadership programs that are different from what you normally find in the executive training arena.

Do you look at others (peers, underlings, bosses, clients) differently now?  If so, how?

Studying leadership, if taken seriously, transforms you. It changes the way you relate to colleagues, business partners and clients, because it changes your mindset. You learn that being a good leader does not mean that you have to be the toughest gal or guy on the block, nor that you have to head a team or an entire company. You learn that leading is about inspiring people, about creating places of resonance, and about making sense. You learn that leadership effectiveness goes well beyond the management of resources and the rational operation of organizations. And, yes, studying Leadership has fundamentally changed the way I look at others. I have become more open, more tolerant, more curious – and more aware of the need to create innovative leadership practices. Interestingly, I seem to always be meeting people – new colleagues, partners, friends – who share my interest in helping leaders cultivate a broader range or depth of social and emotional competencies not just for added leadership strength in their own organizations, but for the vitality of our economy. That’s synchronicity at its very best…

Why do you think that leadership is such a hard topic for people to understand?  I've found that many people feel they should be interested in it, but very few actually go forward and try to learn more about it.  Do you agree?

I believe that strong leadership programs have to be focused on intellectual and emotional learning. They are not just about tackling reality, they are about implementing ideals too. This is not what you typically find in most business schools and executive training centers, at least not yet. They continue to operate according to traditional metrics, such as financial performance and organizational strategy. These will of course always be important considerations. But in today’s diverse and constantly changing global market we need a new generation of leaders with that extra dimension that makes the difference, with that extra set of new skills. We need people not only responding to economic challenges, but to ethical and cultural challenges too. People not only interested in  aligning their underlings, but also in developing attuned relationships.

This is a principle that many colleagues of mine, my business partners and myself apply when developing our leadership programs targeting the executive education arena: we increasingly build on the concepts of authentic leadership and emotional leadership. Our clients love this approach as it combines business-focused know-how with techniques to uncover their own strengths and ideals, and to use their daily work as a laboratory for learning and personal development.

I am convinced that the most forward-thinking business educators will over time recognize the importance of transmitting, alongside topical content, certain skills and behaviors in higher education to help their graduates become true leaders instead of mere managers. That would be long-term value for people and organizations. Imagine what our societies would be like if  they were structured around the concepts of resonant leadership. What would our parenting be like, our schools, our businesses, our communities…

And I am sure that we will get there. Remember how unusual the breakthrough concept of « emotional intelligence » (EI) seemed to us when Daniel Goleman first coined the term in the early nineties of the last century ? How could EI possibly exist when it could not be measured, unlike the intelligence quotient, the IQ ? Today, EI is a respected area of academic research. We know from two decades of analysis within top organizations that resonant leaders excell not only through skills and smarts, but also by connecting with others.

One question we've been asking people is "Why Leadership and Why Now?"  If someone were to ask you why they should learn about leadership now as opposed to later, what advice would you give them?

Today’s markets are complex and highly competitive. The sooner you position yourself with a degree from a top-ranking university, the better. And Leadership it should be, provided that the classes blend proven traditional management models with these new work skills: self-awareness, empathic understanding, self-mastery, and personal responsibility. Learning about leadership now makes you fit for the future. It helps you navigate international business environments - building trust, developing attuned relationships with colleagues and clients, detecting differences in management and leadership styles in other countries or organizations - and adapt your strategy. It will take you into the ranks of leaders-to-be benefitting not only their own organizations, but also their families, their communities, and society as a whole. I have witnessed it myself when  enrolling as a student with BU: learning about leadership in an academic context not only changes the way you interact in your professional, but also in your personal relationships, in addition to opening up great networks. 

Thank you for your time Claudia.  Congratulations on all your successes.