Great leaders have allies and confidants.

With the large number of Baby Boomers retiring, there is a growing need within large and small organizations to do a better job of developing their new leaders. Clearly, one element to this process is in-depth training. When new leaders all have a common language and a set of tools for how to lead people and manage change, the entire organization will have the capacity to better rise to the challenges before it.

However, there is another element to helping new leaders become better leaders. It is the understanding that great leaders have allies and confidants. Allies are the people who a leader counts on to make sure they can successfully execute the company’s strategies. These are the key people who will work closely with them and assist them in making sure things are done right. Allies have a strategic mindset and the capacity to execute operationally.

Confidants, on the other hand, are the people who leaders visit with to explore new ideas, examine new perspectives, and with whom they can share their worries, challenges and points of frustration. Within this relationship is the potential to gain fresh insights and perspective in order to become better over time. The best confidants ask important questions and assist the leader in thinking through what it is they are trying to achieve.

Our challenge as leaders, especially those of you who are leaders of leaders, is to make sure all new and current leaders are building a larger network of allies and are working closely with a coach or confidant who can help them gain fresh insights and maintain perspective in the midst of their current and emerging challenges. It is the combination of having allies and confidants that differentiates good leaders from great leaders.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

What Great Leaders Know And Do

For over thirty years, I have spent countless hours meeting with large and small groups of people. Some days I have keynoted conferences with over one thousand people in attendance. Other days I have visited with ten people around a conference. Often, I have been profoundly moved during a one to one executive coaching session. And in each of these large and small gatherings or during private one to one sessions, I have listened and learned a great deal.

While there are three primary ways of learning, namely doers, analyzers and watchers, I am often hired to be a watcher, someone who comes in, steps back and sees the bigger picture of what is going on. From my vantage point, I often can notice the invisible obvious and share my observations and perspectives with the CEO or other senior executives.

In this space, I am an ally and a confidant, i.e. someone who listens to understand rather than to respond. I come to each group prepared to share, but more importantly I also am prepared to learn and to relearn about what is most important. Over time, I can often see a pattern of what is getting in the way and what misalignments need to be corrected.

But along this life long journey of watching, I have been given a profound gift, namely the opportunity to witness great leaders at work. Sometimes, it has been with large groups and other days it is small groups. What ever the context, the good ones are able to do four things extremely well, namely grow their organization, help others envision a better future, steward key people and resources, and finally activate and energize key people and systems so that the organization will endure once they leave.

This winter into spring I want to share with you what I have learned from my journey of working with great leaders. Some of the lessons may seem pretty simple but I guarantee you they are not easy. Other lessons may be both complicated and complex. Still, as a whole, they are worth pursuing because in the end, everyone wants to work for a great leader and, if given the chance, to be a great leader.

This week, I want you to begin thinking about what are the characteristics of great leaders who you would be willing to follow. Write them down and we can compare lists over the course of the coming weeks.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257