Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams and Why People Follow

by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie (2008)

In this book, Gallup takes its 70 years of research on human behavior and applies it to the role of leadership in a new way. Most of us will find ourselves in leadership roles at some time in our life, making these lessons valuable tools for business and personal development.

What are the keys to effective leadership? Gallup looked at 20,000 in-depth interviews with senior leaders, studies of more than one million work teams, 50 years of Gallup Polls about admired leaders and a study of more than 10,000 followers around the world. (Page 2) Three key findings emerged from this research:

1. The most effective leaders are always investing in strengths.
   While we hear a lot about being well rounded in our skills and abilities and working to overcome weaknesses, this approach inadvertently "breeds mediocrity." (Page 7) Those who strive to be competent in all areas end up becoming the least effective leaders overall.
   
   Rather than emulating admired leaders, the most effective led based on their unique talents and limitations. There is no definitive list of characteristics that describes all leaders. (Page 13)
   
   Research has shown that people gain significant improvement in self-confidence when they learn about their strengths. In a recent study, those with higher self-confidence had higher income levels, fewer health problems and higher job satisfaction levels 25 years later. (Page 15-16)
2. The most effective leaders surround themselves with the right people and then maximize their team.
   Most of the time, people are hired for their knowledge and competence, rather than their strengths. The danger of that practice lies in the inability of such people to innovate and change because they are selected and rewarded for doing what they already know.
   
   Rather than one dominant leader who tries to do everything or individuals who all possess the same strengths, Gallup found that the most cohesive and successful teams possessed broad groupings of leadership strengths: executing, influencing, relationship building and strategic thinking. (Page 23)
   
   Those strong in the executing strengths know how to make things happen; they are the implementers. The influencers help the team reach a broader audience as they sell the team's ideas inside and outside of the organization. The relationship builders hold the team together, creating teams that are greater than the sum of their parts. Strategic thinking strengths keep the team focused on what could be-absorbing and analyzing information so the team makes better decisions. (Pages 24-26) While the individuals need not be well rounded, it helps if the team is.
   
   Gallup has identified these telltale signs of strong, high-performing teams:
   * Conflict doesn't destroy strong teams because strong teams focus on results. They seek out evidence and data and try to remain as objective as possible.
   * Strong teams prioritize what's best for the organization and then move forward. They keep the larger goal in view.
   * Members of strong teams are as committed to their personal lives as they are to their work. They are both highly engaged in their work and highly satisfied with their personal lives.
   * Strong teams embrace diversity. "The most engaged teams look at individual through the lens of their natural strengths, not at physical characteristics."
   * Strong teams are magnets for talent. The potential stars want to be on teams where the work is stimulating and they have the ability to demonstrate their leadership and have an impact. (Pages 71-76)
3. The most effective leaders understand their followers' needs.
   Four basic needs of followers' emerged in Gallup's research:
   * Trust. Followers are more engaged and able to achieve results with greater speed and efficiency when trust is established and maintained through honesty, integrity and respect.
   * Compassion. When compassion is recognized, followers are more likely to stay with the organization, customers are more engaged, productivity is substantially higher and the organization is more profitable.
   * Stability. Followers need to know that the core values are stable, that the company is financially stable, and how they directly effect the organization's key metrics like costs, profits and sales.
   * Hope. Leaders who instill a sense of enthusiasm about the future inspire engaged followers. Leaders need to initiate new efforts that create organizational growth. (Pages 82-91)

This book offers a leadership-specific version of the Strengths Finder program. When you purchase the book and use the unique access code to take the online assessment, you receive an individualized Strengths-Based Leadership Guide that lists your top five themes of talent and suggestions for leading with each of these themes.

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