Leadership: what's your reputation rating?

Published: 2010-11-01   There are 3 comments ... please add yours below

Recently, a friend sent me a note about the “2020 Workplace” book* – highlighting three themes. First, by 2020, every leader will have a reputation score. Second, leader-led learning will be embedded at work. Three, teams will elect their own leaders. Well, which side are you on: the revolutionaries or conservatives? It probably doesn’t matter. The tide will sweep you away if you don’t keep up. But, how do you build that leadership score? Below are six dimensions to consider, as you plan your journey to the world of 2020 leadership.

Before starting though, let me comment on the third trend. People already elect their leaders. Not by voting but via individual decisions (day to day) as to whether they fully commit or just coast along – or worse, resist. The formal vote will be just that – a formalisation.

So, let’s check those leadership metrics that might determine your score:

1. Vision power: do your people know where you’re taking them? Do your leadership actions help to lift their sights? Across the team, is there goal alignment?
2. Energy quotient: do people have that Nike “just do it” drive and deep organisational willpower? Is each person fired up?
3. Culture quality: do people know how they’re expected to behave? Have you modelled appropriate behaviour? Are constructive values in place?
4. Task performance: are operating standards clear? Does everyone know what output is required? Is productivity rising?
5. Organisation integrity: are people bonded as part of a team – with effective relationships? Each person knowing where and how they fit in?
6. Renewal capability: is there continuous learning and reinventing? Do people have the chance for creativity? Are change and development accepted norms?

We often speak of 2020 hindsight. But, what we need is foresight. The technical and social elements of our lives are changing ever faster. It would be my guess that if you performed well on the six metrics above, you’d be in pretty good shape.

So why not get your people together for a cup of coffee and ask them for comments on what you could do to raise your score on each of the six measures. Use their input to make a plan.

2020 sounds futuristic. But, a decade isn’t long. So let’s hope we’ve each honed our skills and developed good “personal scores”. Otherwise, the 2020 leadership elections will dump us onto history’s scrap heap along with the buggy whip and also the internal combustion engine.

* http://www.amazon.com/2020-Workplace-Innovative-Companies-Tomorrows/dp/0061763276

Dr. Timothy Pascoe AM
PhD (Cambridge), MBA (Harvard), BE & BEc (Adelaide)
Creator, V|E|C|T|O|R Leadership^®