The Leadership Code

I'll confess right now I'm a Dave Ulrich fan. Aside from the fact he's consulted and done research for over half of the Fortune 200 as well as being formally recognised as an international HR thought leader multiple times, I'm just really attracted to his focus on HR being measured by the value it creates for an organisation.

Today I'd like to highlight the model presented in The Leadership Code: Five Rules to Lead By. Dave summaries his research in the video below however if you wanted to read a little more, a google search of title actually produces a few extracts from the book.

"60-70% of what any leader, anywhere has to know and do is the same basic stuff."  - Dave Ulrich 

1. Strategist - "Where are we going?"

An effective leader needs to have vision that adds value. As a leader you need to know where you are taking your team, your functional unit, your organisation. I like the term strategist because it implies thoughtfulness and purpose to achieve a long term goal and so that's why I think it's more than just vision. Dave uses the term 'practical futurist' and points out that not only does a leader need to create a future pragmatically but also ensure that their team understands that direction as well. 

2.  Executor - "How do we get there?" 

An effective leader needs to be to get things done by turning plans and strategy onto action. This is a competency that requires discipline and accountability. I'd also say this involves the ability to prioritise resources and think tactically in order achieve relevant outcomes working across business teams.

3. Talent Manager - "Who goes with us?" 

An effective leader needs be able to engage people, to motive them and make them feel like part of a team. Importantly however, the energy that a leader generates among their team needs to be directed towards building value in the organisation. An experienced talent manager can identify, build and direct skills to ensure people are performing at their peak. 

4. Human Capital Developer "Who stays when we're gone?" 

An effective leader needs be able plan for what talent needs to exist in the future. Here talent moves from achieving short term results to meeting to future strategic needs. In one sense a slightly selfless thought process that views talent beyond the individual and instead focuses on the organisation and the next generation. I'd imagine strong crossovers here with succession planning competencies. 

5. Personal Proficiency - A common, core factor. 

While Dave's research as part of the RBL group found most HR practitioners tended to naturally associate themselves with one of these quadrants, all leaders had to master a core factor - Personal Proficiency.

"It's not a role, it's a set of personal competencies that allow you to be trusted by those you lead. Personal Proficiency deals with insights about yourself; with your ability to know yourself, to learn, to have integrity, to have emotional intelligence, to exercise good judgement..." - Dave Ulrich

I'm not surprised that the personal proficiency quadrant is given a high importance in this model. This quadrant contains universal elements you would expect in a leader and I would also argue acts as a foundational personal and intellectual framework form which the other quadrants can stand. 

The Leadership Code: Five Rules to Lead By, By Dave Ulrich, Norm Smallwood, and Kate Sweetman.