Fear No Tool! The Leadership Practices Inventory Pt. 3
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Click here to view and download this month’s worksheet(s) to utilize on your own or with a Group and/or Team.
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“Leadership is not about personality; it’s about behavior.”
James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner, The Leadership Challenge, Sixth Edition
We are ending the final quarter of 2023 exploring The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership as defined by authors and researchers James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner. Kouzes and Posner have spent decades identifying and sharing how anyone can learn to lead. A leader simply has to fearlessly ask for the answers to the test of what others need them, simple but not easy!
Our objective with the 2023 Tool of the Month was to explore the four self-awareness tools we utilize in our coaching practice on a deeper level. The four tools included the DiSC Communication Profile (Q1), the Change Ready Profile (Q2), the CliftonStrengths tool (Q3), and now the Leadership Practices Inventory tool. Our fourth quarter review of the LPI has encompassed the following:
October – The LPI Purpose
November – The LPI Process
December – Implementing LPI Exemplary Leadership Practices
The 5 Leadership Practices Inventory Exemplary Practices are:
Modeling the Way – Embodying the characteristics you expect from others
Inspiring a Shared Vision – Casting a dream or a vision of what could be
Challenging the Process – Seeking opportunities to generate improvements
Enabling Others to Act – Empowering others through collective action and effort
Encouraging the Heart- Demonstrating gratitude for people’s contributions and creating a sense of community
Implementing the five practices of an extraordinary leader is a choice and can be learned. Choosing to seek feedback takes tremendous humility and courage. Seeking this level of feedback provides the most accurate ‘window’ to the perspective of other humans possible, however, it may be undeniably uncomfortable.
When feedback is viewed from a lens of curiosity, the feedback can be seen as valuable information rather than a personal attack. The highest form of leadership is a true focus on understanding the needs of others which leads to creating environments where others can be and become the most effective versions of themselves.
According to Kouzes and Posner, an astounding 95.8% of direct reports are highly engaged when leaders very frequently or almost always use The Five Practices. If a leader truly seeks to be effective, I can think of no greater case than to become a student of The Five Practices.
Golfers hire coaches to help practice the perfect swing. Tennis coaches can help you improve your serve. Foodies spend hours and hours in the kitchen, traveling abroad to learn new techniques and are always in search of just the right gadget or ingredient to create the perfect dish. We can choose to become the most effective leader possible if we choose to learn how to implement The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership.
As a point of reference, the LPI asks observers to score the leader using 30 questions in the five exemplary practices categories with six questions in each category. Using a scale of 1-10, observers rank the leader based on their 1-1 interaction and the frequency with which they observe the leader engaging in the practices (almost never to almost always).
When the feedback is collated, the leader is provided with a numerical and graphical representation of the frequency they engage in the practices from the lens of the observer, thus providing deep insight into the perspective and needs as they are seen and felt by the observer.
The most important step to being a more effective leader is to create a written action plan with the goal of increasing the frequency with which the leader applies the practices in the areas where the scores are least frequent.
We highly recommend you purchase a copy of The Leadership Challenge and review the author’s Ten Commitments. A few practical suggestions we recommend are:
Commit to demonstrating honesty and integrity in your actions. Integrity can be defined as “do what you say you are going to do, when you say you are going to do it.” Share deadlines with others to demonstrate your commitment to execute on promises made. (Modeling The Way)
Demonstrate patience, humility, and grace by scheduling 1-1 time to listen to colleagues on a consistent basis. (Modeling the Way)
Articulate your organization’s D-N-A and or Values, Vision, and Mission regularly with extreme clarity, help others understand the why we are headed where we are headed and where we are heading. Ensure it is in written format. (Inspiring a Shared Vision)
Spend time monthly providing your entire team with an update on your road maps (business/operating, strategic and succession plans) communicating and reinforcing clarity. (Inspiring a Shared Vision)
Take time to examine and refine process on a consistent basis. Identify all processes, determine what is working and what is not. Ask what could we be doing differently? (Challenge the Process)
Encourage others to experiment, take risks, fail forward and innovate in a safe space. (Challenge the Process)
Meet with team members to identify and assign meaningful projects and tasks to others and allow them to own the outcomes without fear of humiliation. (Enable Others to Act)
Create collaboration groups and include cross functional team members, when possible, to gain perspective and enhance and increase engagement levels and positive outcomes. (Enable Others to Act)
Develop the habit of affirming, validating, and cheering contributions and progress individually and publicly. Proactively seeking moments daily, weekly, monthly with each team member to encourage their efforts and recognize them, not only for what they do, but for who they are. (Encourage the Heart)
Taking time frequently to share collective progress and celebrate achievements and milestones. Express gratitude and consciously ask colleagues how they prefer to receive praise. (Encourage the Heart)
As we begin a new calendar year it is the opportune time to reflect on what specific practices you may want to add to your daily, weekly, monthly leadership activities. How will you choose to behave as the new year approaches and unfolds?
Muster the courage to overcome the fear of seeking and receiving feedback. Obtain the answers to the test, listen to the needs of others, and choose to meet those needs with grace, patience, and humility!
-LS
This Month’s Worksheet
Click here to view and download this month’s worksheet(s) to utilize on your own or with a Group and/or Team.
Recommended Quarterly Reading
The Leadership Challenge
by James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner
2024
Managing From The Inside Out
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