Recent surveys indicate that achieving employee engagement and meeting/exceeding customer expectations are at the top of business concerns identified by CEOs worldwide. This Leadership Brief Express (LBE) explores the leadership behaviors instrumental in creating a culture where employees are engaged and motivated to contribute. These behaviors transform the relationship between management and employees enabling alignment, involvement, open & two-way communication, collaborative problem-solving & learning, innovation and high-performance.

1. 4 Key Leadership Insights
“First, leadership as
management is not enough.
Second, transformational
leadership rests on
collaboration and shared
purpose, difficult to
accomplish in more resistant
environments (Garrison &
Kanuka, 2004). Third, leaders
need to be the innovation
they wish to create, and
support change: “start with
serious self-reflection,
understand the change
context, and balance passion
for change with enlightened
self-interest” (Cleveland-
Innes, Emes, & Ellard, 2001, p.
25). While striving to emulate
great leaders of the past,
remember to serve those who
follow as well as, if not better
than, they serve. Finally, and
perhaps above all, remember
that in all its forms, leadership
without ongoing personal
transformation is little more
than management.” (IRR ODL,
Leadership Notes, Oct. 2012)
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Leadership Behaviors which Drive Results
Primary Leadership Objective
The primary objective of leadership is to achieve sustainable organizational success by creating a culture where
employees are engaged and motivated to contribute. According to CEO
Challenge 2015, an annual survey of CEO's conducted by The Conference Board,
CEO's believe that sustainable business results are best achieved through a
"longer term focus on capacity-building and the development of strong cultures
of innovation, engagement and accountability within their organizations”. The
Conference Board’s report also states "While CEOs see the criticality of Human
Capital to long-term success, they are also focused on an enterprise-wide
integrated approach in their growth strategies that equally values engagement,
innovation and customer-centricity, along with excellence in execution.” ¹
Leadership Behaviors which Engage & Motivate
The results of CEO Challenge 2015 clearly indicate that issues related
to achieving employee engagement and meeting/exceeding customer
expectations are at the top of the list of business concerns identified
by CEOs worldwide. So, what kinds of leadership behaviors are
instrumental in creating a culture where employees are “engaged
and motivated to contribute”?¹ They are the behaviors which
transform the relationship between management and employees
enabling alignment, involvement, open & two-way communication,
collaborative problem-solving & learning, innovation and high-
performance. These same behaviors, at a fundamental level, are
integral to establishing an organizational culture of honesty, trust,
appreciation, respect and enthusiasm without which high-
performance is not possible.
PriceWaterhouseCoppers (PWC) 18th Annual CEO Survey
The findings of the PriceWaterhouseCoppers (PWC) 18th Annual CEO
Survey, just released last month, underscores the need for “soft-
Skills” in corporate leadership and begins to define what they are.
“Above all though, perhaps the quality CEOs most need to master is
humility. By being humble while leading, a CEO will be able to listen
and learn from the team they have built around them; they’ll be able
to take maximum advantage of the diversity they are cultivating and
they’ll be receptive to the insights they gain from new collaborations.
Most important, this humility will give CEOs the confidence to pass on
what they have learnt to the next generation of leaders.” ²
The Leader who “Gets-it”
The leader who “gets-it” demonstrates skills in their relationships
with people by treating them “… as a ‘whole’ individual rather than
as an employee, and considers the individual’s talents and levels of
knowledge to decide what suits him or her to reach higher levels of
attainment.”³ This kind of leader is a role model for all to emulate
through living the organization’s values and collaboratively accomplishing company objectives. Examples of their

2. behaviors include:³
 listening to each follower’s needs and concerns
 expressing words of thanks or praise as a means of motivation
 making public recognition of achievements and initiatives
 making private notes of congratulations to boost self confidence
 ensuring fair workload distribution
 undertaking individualized career counseling and mentoring
John Kotter wrote about this engaging style of leadership in the Harvard
Business Review …“Motivation and inspiration energize people, not by
pushing them in the right direction as control mechanisms, but by satisfying
basic human needs for achievement, a sense of belonging, recognition, self-
esteem, and feeling of control over one’s life, and the ability to live up to one’s ideals.⁴
Take a look in the mirror
An article in the McKinsey Quarterly Newsletter advises leaders to be introspective in order to
understand their “modes of operating” as “many people aren’t aware that the choices they
make are extensions of the reality that operates in their hearts and minds”. The article goes on
to state that “…it’s crucial that those who seek to lead powerfully and effectively look at their
internal experiences, precisely because they direct how you take action, whether you know it or
not. Taking accountability as a leader today includes understanding your motivations and other
inner drives”. ⁵
7 Best Traits of a Leader
I recently read a blog post on leadership which identified 7 best traits of a leader. I’m not sure there is an absolute list
of best traits but if there were I believe these would be near the top. I listed these traits below along with my
thoughts on how they are best defined. ⁶
Authentic: they don’t have a guard up and let people know who they really are; they share their vision, expectations,
agendas, strengths and the things they may not be so good at; their honest, forthright, respectful and don’t put a
‘spin’ on things.
Self-Awareness: they’re aware of the deeper parts of their personality, what drives their behavior, their behavioral
patterns and the affect their behaviors have on others.
Humble: they are modest, don’t brag or exaggerate, acknowledge and appreciate what others bring to the table and
know they have strengths as well as things they need to work on just like we all do.
Compassionate: they have empathy for others when they stumble as they realize we all stumble from time-to-time;
when there’s a choice between being kind and right, they choose to be kind.
Patient: they respond (vs. react) to situations with their knowledge and skills along with the wisdom they’ve gained
through life’s experiences; they are graceful with people allowing them the time and space they need.
Responsible: they are accountable for their actions and what they’ve agreed to; they claim 100% responsibility for
what they did or didn’t do in a given situation even when others have a stake as well; they don’t ‘pass-the-buck’.
Influential: they competently use their positional power in the best interests of the company; they inspire, engage
and align people to achieve company objectives; they continuously improve the organization to meet the challenges
of tomorrow.
Conclusion
In closing, corporate leadership plays a pivotal role in shaping an engaged and high-performing business culture.
Leaders who are role models of the values and behaviors which advance the culture will realize the results not only
today but for years to come.
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3. Dave
Dave Fleck, M.A.A.B.S., CEO and Principal Advisor & Coach
Certified Executive Coach in Appreciative Inquiry & Whole System IQ™
dave@c4os.com; www.c4os.com; Mobile: 908-797-7328
Center for Organizational Success, Inc. (C4OS)
“Your Partner in Creating High Performance Organizations"™
40 E Main St., Suite 247, Newark, DE 19711
Mid-Atlantic Corporate: 302-985-3080
References:
1. The Conference Board CEO Challenge 2015 Survey Report; Feb., 2015
2. PriceWaterhouseCoppers (PWC) 18th Annual CEO Survey Report; Jan., 2015
3. Harvard Business Review on Leadership; “Managers and leaders: Are they different?”; Zaleznik; 1992
4. Harvard Business Review; “What leaders really do”; Kotter; Dec., 2001
5. McKinsey Quarterly Newsletter; “Change leader change thyself”; Boaz & Fox; Mar., 2014
6. IzoLife.com Blog; Best Traits of a Good Leader; ElKartoum; Nov., 2014
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