Actions form the language of leadership. Leaders do a lot of listening and talking. However, it is a truism that actions speak louder than words. And, this is the rationale behind V|E|C|T|O|R Leadership® and its emphasis on action and, therefore, regularly developing and updating your Leadership Action Plan.

As highlighted in the [Introduction], as a leader, the only thing you need is followers. If no one is following, you're not leading. However, this can be changed by finding actions that communicate more effectively and convince people to join the journey you're offering - to build a business, conquer a new market, launch a new service or lift team performance a further five percent. V|E|C|T|O|R can help you do this.

V|E|C|T|O|R is pragmatic. It offers ideas and options that work, gathered over forty years of observation (and exercise) of leadership, across a range of industries and situations.

V|E|C|T|O|R is also realistic. It recognises there is no silver bullet or set of actions for all occasions. Different situations require different approaches, and this is as true of leadership as it is of driving a car. Driving on tarmac, sand and ice require different approaches. You can learn to be effective in each situation, but only if you are willing to recognise the differences and adapt. V|E|C|T|O|R reflects this situational imperative with an open framework of options rather than a closed model or narrow set of dos and dont's.

With its action focus and situational orientation, V|E|C|T|O|R provides an earthy complement to the higher-level and diverse perspectives of key leadership writers. Some recommend leadership principles based on well-established theories of individual and organisational behaviour. Others promote guidelines for particular leadership periods, functions or situations: taking control during your first three months; choosing strategic and operational priorities; overcoming communication challenges; improving culture; providing leadership in times of crisis; and, so on. Still other writers (often successful leaders themselves) derive general principles from their own start-ups, turnarounds, etc. There is no shortage of advice.

However, the hard part is deciding exactly what you (not they) should do. V|E|C|T|O|R is about helping you become more proficient in the language of leadership - choosing actions that respond to the individual and collective characteristics of your people, and their current commercial or other challenges.

V|E|C|T|O|R is based on a simple analytical framework. The framework considers actions under six headings: Vision, Energy, Culture, Task, Organisation and Renewal. Hence the acronym V|E|C|T|O|R.

Actions under each heading help you do two things: first, answer a particular Follower Question - so your people have the confidence to come on a journey with you; and second, generate a specific Organisational Outcome - and Competitive Advantage.

Under Vision, the Follower Question is this: Where are we going; and, why? The leader, who works with his or her team to define goals and chart the journey, taking account of the terrain and relevant risks, answers that question. The Organisational Outcome is Goal Alignment: so, we all know where we are going. The competitive advantage is Positioning and Differentiation.

Can we do it? is the Follower Question under the Energy heading; and, the desired Outcome is Organisational Will. A leader achieves this through actions like driving execution, taking charge, allocating resources and creating fun. Done well, such actions lift the spirit. To borrow a slogan, this is the "Just Do It" aspect of leadership. It is about physical energy, the get-up-and-go factor. It develops the Advantage of Confidence and Self-belief.

Moving from the physical to the psychological, under Culture, you answer the question: How should we behave? Focusing on winning, taking tough decisions, doing so with fairness and compassion, and delivering performance rewards are some of the actions that can help deliver an Organisational Outcome of Constructive Values; and the Competitive Advantage of Legitimacy and Acceptance.

Under Task, the Question is this: What output is required? And, the desired Outcome is a set of agreed Operating Standards. These can be achieved through actions like driving the bottom-line (whether profitability, quality or service), attending to customers, solving technical problems and demonstrating efficiency. These underpin the advantage of Professional Excellence.

On any journey or in any endeavour, a key Question is this: Who else is coming along? Under Organisation, you create Teams and Relationships. This Outcome is the product of actions such as focusing on people, designing clear and simple organisation structures and roles, and developing staff. It builds Competitive Advantage based on Talent and Influence.

Finally: What if our world erupts? - if every assumption is turned on its head. How can you, as leader, generate organisational Learning and Reinventing: helping your team to adapt, and emerge reinvigorated, ready to move on? Actions in Renewal include monitoring change in the environment, rethinking strategy, reallocating your time and increasing your adaptability. This completes the cycle by refreshing the Vision, renewing Energy, refining Culture, and so on. It creates the Advantage of continuing Relevance and Edge.

When you create your Leadership Action Plan, you'll see six Action Areas under each of the six Follower Question. Taken together, they create a matrix and framework to help you develop your Leadership Action Plans. The 36 Action Areas do not claim to be exhaustive but are intended to stimulate your thinking - reviewing what you are currently doing and, more importantly, what actions are needed going forward.

As you will also see in our resource material (when doing your plan), each Action Area is supported by four or five Illustrative Actions - and these in turn by explanatory material and mini-cases, both positive and negative.

But none of this is either prescriptive or comprehensive. V|E|C|T|O|R offers a framework - not a closed model. Its objective is to aid your reflection and analysis and, above all, facilitate development of your Leadership Action Plan. Only you and your immediate colleagues (your close-in followers) understand fully your team's circumstances and what its members need, if they are to sign up for the journey with you as their leader and drive on to success.

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Let me end with a metaphor. When I was in my first year at university, we were offered two types of mathematics: pure and applied. The former was full of equations, theories and abstractions; the latter more concerned with calculations for lifting and shifting things in the real world. In these terms, V|E|C|T|O|R is part of applied leadership: on-the-job lifting and shifting to build a business or change an organisation.

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

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