It makes perfect sense that Extraordinary Leaders make a difference. But how much of a difference do they make? In this presentation we turn to our database to discover the impact of Extraordinary Leaders, how to define Extraordinary Leadership and empirical tools to help any leader become Extraordinary.

1. The Science of Extraordinary
Data Driven Insights for Building Leadership Strengths
Arranged by Jared Harding, Sr. Client Executive, jharding@zfco.com. Research conducted by Zenger Folkman ©2016
© 2016 Zenger Folkman

2. The Need For Science
I N T R O D U C T I O N
7.48 Million Books on Leadership
16.7 Million Online Leadership Videos
+500,000 Leadership Mobile Apps
As shown below, everyone has a different opinion (or coffee mug) about
leadership. Research on our substantial database of leaders clarified
key issues and revealed some universal and actionable
recommendations for leadership development. This presentation will
give you a high-level view of our discoveries.
Never Ending Opinions on Leadership
1,660 “Leadership” Coffee Mugs
LEADING WITH DATA
 Started from a database of
20,000 leaders and 200,000
assessments.
 Over 10 years growing and
analyzing our global
leadership database.
 1 million assessments
collected on leaders from
across the globe.
 Close to 100,000 leaders at
all levels, from hundreds
of companies.
 Data points from 360
feedback instruments,
performance metrics, and
organizational studies.
 Discovery, not opinion,
shapes ZF solutions.
2© 2016 Zenger Folkman

3. Fundamental Insights from the Data
I N T R O D U C T I O N
In fact, it is not even close.
“Good” performers are often
overlooked for development.
Good is Not Extraordinary
There are three important filters
for identifying a behavior that can
be expanded into a strength.
Unlocking Extraordinary
The research uncovered some
unexpected factors that distinguished
Extraordinary Leaders.
Extraordinary Defined
How does one actually develop
strengths? The discovery is
“Behavior Cross-Training.”
Achieving Extraordinary
3© 2016 Zenger Folkman

4. Good is Not Extraordinary. Not Even Close.
D A T A I N S I G H T
Good Enough?
Many leaders feel
satisfied with being
average and remain
unchallenged when
moving to the
next level.
68% 30%
of their Team
Highly Committed
of their Team
Highly Committed
Extraordinary Leaders have 25% less annual
team turnover.
Teams reporting to Extraordinary Leaders had 40%
higher customer satisfaction scores.
Locations led by Extraordinary Leaders had 2x the
profitability of branches led by Good Leaders.
Leadership has an impact.
Poor leaders have a negative
influence. Good Leaders
achieve good results. Yet,
Extraordinary Leaders far
exceed the performance of
even their “good”
counterparts. Our data
demonstrates that moving
leaders from good
to extraordinary will have
the greatest return
on investment.
Challenge
To
Change
Extraordinary Leaders
have an amazing
Good Leaders
only have
Extraordinary Leaders
vs.
Good Leaders
RESULTS
Good is the
enemy of
excellence
– Jim
Rohn
4© 2016 Zenger Folkman

5. Defining Extraordinary Leaders
D A T A I N S I G H T
Performance Metrics
Extraordinary Leaders, top 25th percentile in our
database, drove almost exponential differences in
every performance metric we measured.
Weaknesses
100% of Extraordinary Leaders have weaknesses.
Leaders “good” at everything stand out in nothing.
Strengths are the only path to extraordinary.
Fatal Flaws (Derailer)
Only 0.1% of Extraordinary Leaders had a fatal flaw.
When present, fatal flaws need to be addressed to
assist leaders in becoming extraordinary.
Top
25th
100%
0.1%
Profound Strengths
The data revealed that what made a leader
extraordinary was the presence of 3–5 profound
strengths, not the absence of weaknesses.
3-5
An Extraordinary Leader
We began by identifying leaders who were measured at
the top 10 percent of effectiveness in our database and
correlated performance metrics. The analysis led to a
startling conclusion; rather than the lack of weaknesses,
the distinguishing factor was that Extraordinary Leaders
possessed a few profound strengths.
There are those who believe that there are other
ways to achieve extraordinary leadership. We
cannot find a single example of an Extraordinary
Leader who wasn’t profoundly great in key areas
for their role. It was the only set of conditions in
our database that defined an extraordinary leader.
The Only Pathway
5© 2016 Zenger Folkman

6. Unlocking Extraordinary Leadership
D A T A I N S I G H T
Everyone has potential profound strengths. The challenge is to identify those
competencies that could and should be developed into a profound strength. We
propose three important filters for identifying a behavior that could be expanded into a
strength. We label this the CPO model. The ideal situation occurs when these three
elements come together. Profound strengths are grown from competencies that the
leader is already reasonably good at, something they enjoy doing, and a behavior highly
valued by the organization.
Three Key Filters
C
P O Competence
A behavior the leader is
already reasonably
good at doing.
Passion
A behavior the leader finds
personally rewarding and
that energizes their
performance.
Organizational Need
A behavior that is critical
to the leader’s role in
adding value to the
organization’s goals.
C P O
6© 2016 Zenger Folkman

7. Achieving Extraordinary Leadership
D A T A I N S I G H T
Probability of being an
Extraordinary Leader when:
3%
“Technical Expertise”
IS a strength
“Communication”
is NOT a strength
Probability of being an
Extraordinary Leader when:
82%
“Technical Expertise”
IS a strength
“Communication”
IS a strength
Probability of being an
Extraordinary Leader when:
14%
“Technical Expertise”
is NOT a strength
“Communication”
IS a strength
We firmly believe that leadership strengths can be developed. As we conducted our original research on leadership competencies, an interesting fact
emerged. There were a handful of behaviors with significant correlations to each core leadership competency. We called this the Powerful Combination Effect.
It provided a key insight: Profound strengths are developed by joining two behaviors where the combined impact is more powerful than the impact created by
the behaviors alone. See the example below of the combined impact when the competencies “Technical Expertise” and “Communication” are both strengths.
Powerful Combinations
7© 2016 Zenger Folkman

8. Achieving Extraordinary Leadership
D A T A I N S I G H T
Helping others set stretch goals makes
their work more motivating and
challenging.
Establishes Stretch Goals
With clear direction, acting quickly can cut
through red tape, inviting innovation and
efficiency.
Quick To Act
A driver of high performance is receiving
information on how well you are performing.
Effective Feedback and Development
Groups that work as a team are often the
difference between success and failure.
Creates High Performance Teams
Drives for Results
Leadership Cross-Training
Trust is a key ingredient in getting others
to work together toward the same results.
Integrity and Trust
If a beginner asks a tenured distance runner
how to get started in the sport of running,
the expert would suggest the basics. If a
strong runner asked the same expert what it
would take to become elite at marathons,
the response would be very different and
most likely involve “cross-training” activities.
You do not build profound strengths with the
basics. Our research has uncovered the
most powerful combinations for each core
competency. See the example to the right.
Leadership Cross-Training is the process of
leveraging these companion behaviors as
development action items for building
strengths. This approach opens the door to
new ideas and gives people an actionable
avenue to pursue Extraordinary Leadership.
8© 2016 Zenger Folkman

9. Extraordinary Overview
C L O S I N G T H O U G H T S
Good is not
Extraordinary
Extraordinary
Defined
Unlocking
Extraordinary
Achieving
Extraordinary
• Extraordinary Leaders drive almost exponentially better business outcomes than even good leaders.
• Organizations will reap huge benefits by helping the vast pool of good leaders become extraordinary.
• Extraordinary Leaders are defined by their profound strengths, not their lack of weaknesses.
• Building key strengths is the only path to Extraordinary Leadership.
• Everyone has potential profound strengths.
• Competence, Passion, and Organizational Need help leaders identify the key strengths to develop.
• Competencies have highly correlated companion behaviors that create powerful combinations.
• “Leadership Cross-Training” provides an actionable and empirical approach to building strengths.
9© 2016 Zenger Folkman

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✉ jharding@zfco.com
801-995-4382
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Jared Harding
Sr. Client Executive
© 2016 Zenger Folkman