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Products: 360-degree Series > Leadership Benchmark™


What is the Leadership Benchmark™?

Much has been written about "leadership", and although there has been a tremendous amount of research into the subject, it is still often misunderstood. Within organisations, it is confused with "management" and the terms "management" and "leadership" are used interchangeably and incorrectly to describe the same thing. To get the most from using the Leadership Benchmark, it is necessary to understand the difference between the two.

In organisations, "leadership" can be seen when the CEO sets the vision and direction for his/her top team or for the entire organisation. Yet leadership is more than that. Every one of us has to take a leadership role from time to time, for example whether in our private lives by deciding on the direction the family should take when faced with a crisis, or at work when the new employee (who has just completed induction training) successfully leads people through the evacuation procedure to safety when faced with a real emergency.

In short, leadership may be described as setting the conditions which encourage others to follow.

Management on the other hand, is successfully completing the tasks or responsibilities outlined in one's position or role description (these may or may not involve or require leadership).

The Leadership Benchmark is a 360 profile that enables existing and aspiring leaders (irrespective of their position in the organisational hierarchy) to gain feedback on how well they are establishing the essential leadership conditions that will encourage others to follow them. As a consequence, they can then work on maintaining those leadership activities that are working for them and start developing any further skills, behaviours and strategies necessary to create the essential leadership conditions.

Who is it for?

The Leadership Benchmark has been designed for use by managers and senior managers who are required to develop leadership skills so that people will follow them, not because of their title of "manager" but because people want to follow them. In other words, these managers are required to establish the essential leadership conditions that will encourage others within the organisation (both those who report directly to them and others whom they need to influence) to "follow" them.

The Leadership Benchmark is ideally used when it is integrated with a leadership development process being undertaken by the organisation. As the name implies, it enables participants in such a leadership development process to establish a "benchmark" for developing the essential leadership conditions.

Alternatively, the Leadership Benchmark can be used as a one off tool in the coaching of aspiring or established leaders to help them develop or enhance their potential to lead.

What solutions does the Leadership Benchmark™ provide?

Organisations that use the Leadership Benchmark typically do so when they want their key people to be good at influencing both up and down and across the organisation.

Organisational decision makers often ask:

  • Who would be the best people to lead this change project?" or
  • How do we develop our managers so that morale remains high and our people are prepared for the tough business challenges facing us?" or
  • How can we get our people to consistently act in accordance with our agreed values?" or
  • How can we ensure that the corporate strategy filters down through the organisation and is used as the basis for all decision making?"

These and similar issues that leaders within the organisation must address, can be solved through a strategically designed process of implementing the Leadership Benchmark with key managers. Why can implementing the Leadership Benchmark help address these issues?

Because the Leadership Benchmark requires managers to define the four essential leadership conditions that each must encourage and develop to be seen by others as an effective leader, a cadre of effective leaders across the organisation is quickly developed. These four essential leadership conditions that encourage others to follow are:

  • A shared understanding of the environment ("We know the challenges that are facing us and our strengths that will help us through")
  • A shared sense of direction ("We know where are we going?")
  • A shared set of values and a feeling of team ("We are in this together!")
  • A shared feeling of power ("We can do this!")

What outcomes are fulfilled?

By implementing the Leadership Benchmark managers will be able to:

  1. Gain feedback on how well they have established the four leadership conditions with the people they must lead and influence.
  2. Develop a personal leadership plan to address each of the four leadership conditions, i.e. how they will establish:
    • A shared understanding of the environment in which the organisation is operating
    • A shared sense of direction
    • A shared set of values and a feeling of team
    • A shared feeling of power
  3. When completed a second time, track progress in each of the four areas.

What is special and unique about the Leadership Benchmark™?

Most leadership surveys, questionnaires, or profiles, focus on inputs - i.e. personality traits, behaviours, skills, competencies or capabilities. The Leadership Benchmark is unique because it focuses on outputs - i.e. what the leader needs to achieve in order for people to want to follow him or her.

This means that every aspiring leader within the organisation can maintain their own personality, style etc., yet still create and maintain the four essential leadership conditions. Using the Leadership Benchmark people are not "put in boxes" or expected to behave in "certain ways" (unlike some other profiles). Rather they are treated as unique individuals, each with their own special style, skills and unique capabilities to bring to their leadership role.