Attitude control and effective leadership

Flying, attitude control and crashes

Early efforts at fixed-wing aircraft design succeeded in generating sufficient lift to get the aircraft off the ground, but once aloft, the aircraft proved uncontrollable, often with disastrous results. The development of effective flight controls is what allowed stable flight. This is known as attitude control.

It occurred to me that leadership is a lot like flying a plane - taking off is easy but without proper attitude control the leadership provides unstable, also with disastrous results.

Better control; better flight; better leadership

In attitude trumphs skill I wrote about how leadership is primarily judged on attitudes seen so what would constitute ‘attitude control’ for leadership?

Here’s 8 key behaviours (with thanks to Charlie Pellerin),  that show the right attitude in leadership, by example– which do you live the best / find the hardest?

1.       Clarifying roles, accountability and authority for team members

2.       My gratitude helps others feel appreciated

3.       I work with others to find shared goals and interests

4.       I evaluate and appropriately include others

5.       I clarify agreements, keeping them and renegotiating in advance before they are broken

6.       I call out unpleasant realities and present realistic solutions

7.       I am 100% committed to the outcome I’m seeking

8.       I recognise and shift drama  in myself and others towards resolution

9.       My behaviour and language confirm what results I am accountable to produce

The ‘leading’ edge – attitude trumps skills

Of course we must develop leaders. After all, we’ve evolved to be strongly responsive to the context we’re in, and thereby people who can shape that context have a tremendous influence on us.

But given the state of leadership across the globe and decades of developing it, it’s clear that most leadership training is ineffective.

In a recent conversation with Charlie Pellerin, NASA’s former director of Astrophysics and the author of How NASA Builds Teams (life changing book!) he highlighted to me what’s wrong – most leadership training develops the wrong thing.

Let me show you why...

·         Think of someone you admire as a leader (from any walk of life)

·         Write down 4-5 qualities that make them a leader in your eyes

·         Now circle each quality if it is more about an attitude than a skill

... did you circle most as ‘attitudinal’? In fact, most things we call out as leadership qualities are attitudes.

Here’s the root cause - we train leadership skills, not attitudes.

Of course such skills (clear communication, emotional control, etc) are necessary but they are not sufficient; it’s your attitude that counts with others the most.

Raise leadership by focussing less on the leading skills and more on how your attitude is perceived.