The Strongest Leaders Develop Other Leaders

What separates winning organizations from the also-rans? Noel Tichy asserts that winning companies are led by men and women who personally and methodically nurture the development of other leaders, at all levels of the organization. Effective leaders recognize that the ultimate test of leadership is sustained success, which demands the constant cultivation of future leaders.

They understand that, if long-term success requires more leaders at more levels than your competitors, then teaching, coaching, and cultivating others becomes a strategic imperative. They realize that their success depends on others, and that leading and teaching are inextricable. They spend hundreds of hours a year working with their colleagues to share ideas, identify needs, and develop hands-on business expertise.

The ability to develop the leadership of others requires three things: a teachable point of view, a story for your organization, and a well-defined methodology for teaching and coaching.

1. Teachable point of view. A teachable point of view is made up of the leader's ideas, values, emotional energy, and edge. You must be able to articulate a defining position for your organization and to talk clearly and convincingly about who you are, why you exist, and how you operate. These ideas need to be supported by a value system that you articulate, exemplify and enforce. Along with this, winning leaders seem to naturally generate positive emotional energy in others plus they have the "edge" necessary to face reality and make tough decisions.

2. Living stories. The basic cognitive form in which people organize their thinking is the narrative story. Leaders can tell three kinds of stories: the "who I am" story in which leaders describe themselves, the "who we are" story in which they articulate what the organization's collective identity is, and the "where we are going" story, the most important type of story, which energizes people about the direction of the company. Winning business leaders use the power of storytelling as effectively as our most gifted public leaders.

3. Teaching methodology. To be a great teacher you have to be a great learner. Most effective teachers - and leaders - will tell you that they grow as much as those they teach and lead. The process of teaching can be quite simple; it starts with having a conscious system for interacting with people. To make a difference, you must have the self-confidence to be vulnerable to others; you need to share your mistakes and doubts as well as your accomplishments.

Outside consultants are the last people who can develop the long-term leadership talent in your organization. That is the job of recognized leaders, with a proven record of success, who work with their colleagues every day. People want there own leaders to look them in the eye and say, "here is where our company is going and here is what we need from all leaders in order to get there."

Any organization that takes the time to get more leadership out of its people is going to be far ahead of its competitors.

The long term success of leaders cannot be measured by whether they win today or tomorrow. The measure of their success will be whether or not the company is still winning 15 years from now, when a new generation of leaders has taken over.