Following The Leaders or Leading The Followers Nov 16

Following the
Leaders or Leading
the Followers
Developing Effective Leadership in the
21st Century
Summary of key findings from

Leadership Management Australasias (LMA)
Leadership, Employment and Direction (L.E.A.D.) Survey
November 2016
Creating exceptional
results through people
P 1800 333 270 | E info@lma.biz | W www.lma.biz
Following the Leaders or Leading the Followers:

Developing Effective Leadership in the 21st Century
New information to help leaders understand what is expected of them in their roles
and how best to identify and develop future leaders with confidence and success.
Summary of key findings from the Leadership Management Australasias (LMA)
Leadership, Employment and Direction (L.E.A.D.) Survey (November 2016)
OVERVIEW
New findings from LMAs latest Leadership, Employment and Direction (L.E.A.D) Survey reveal

The strategic importance of leadership development in our organisations
The less than satisfying processes currently being used and less than inspiring success being
enjoyed to develop our future leaders
The competencies effective leaders are expected to possess and the behaviours they are expected
to exhibit in their roles
The extent to which change impacts on leadership and the vital role communication plays in
reassuring people about the future of their organisation as well as their personal future
The power and potential of tapping into the diversity in our workforce to identify talent and
development opportunities, particularly in the leadership arena.
These issues are among the most profound to emerge from this wave of the L.E.A.D. Survey and they
implore leaders and managers to invest the necessary time and energy to understand and leverage the
leadership potential that exists within their organisations.
The smarter leaders are those that have already identified the talent in their midst, have developed
appropriately tailored career pathways, training and development regimens and succession plans to
guarantee the future leadership of the organisation.
The rest are running to catch-up and will find some critical insights to help them do so in the pages that
follow. As Ralph Nader once said:
I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not
more followers.
Ralph Nader
1. To lead or
not to lead?
Is that really
the right
question?
Where is the leadership in our organisations? And a more

important question where is the leadership development in our
organisations?
Asked for the first time in this wave of the L.E.A.D. Survey, we can now
confirm that leadership development is either the most important or one
of the top few strategic challenges facing our organisations. However the
processes used by organisations to develop their leaders appear to be
lacking and may fail to adequately prepare future leaders.
Strategic importance of leadership development
More than two-thirds of employees at all levels of organisations believe leadership development is either the
most important or one of the top few strategic challenges facing their organisations:
Leaders
(Executives/
Senior
Managers)
%
Managers
(Middle
Managers
and
Supervisors)
%
Employees
(NonManagerial/
Supervisory
Employees)
%
The most important strategic challenge for my organisation
15
11
15
One of the top few strategic challenges for my organisation
64
56
57
Just below the top few strategic challenges for my organisation
17
20
16
Not an important strategic challenge for my organisation
Unable to rate
Q. Which of the following best describes how strategically important leadership development is for your organisations future?
Leaders themselves see the strategic importance of this issue (79%) to a greater extent than Non-Managerial
Employees (72%) and Middle Managers/Supervisors (67%). The prominence of the issue in the minds of
Leaders highlights the importance of succession planning and the need to consistently work to develop the
capabilities of emerging leaders.

Satisfaction with current leadership development processes

However, in looking to fulfil the pressing need for leadership development, it is deeply disappointing that
between 21% and 41% at each level are dissatisfied with current leadership development processes used in
their organisations a sad situation given this is where leaders of the future learn necessary skills and build
their capabilities in leadership:
Leaders
(Executives/
Senior
Managers)
%
Managers
(Middle
Managers
and
Supervisors)
%
Employees
(NonManagerial/
Supervisory
Employees)
%
Very satisfied
11
11
Quite satisfied
55
49
61
Quite dissatisfied
23
34
17
Very dissatisfied
Unable to rate
Q. How satisfied are you with the leadership development processes currently used in your organisation?
It is amongst Middle-Manager/Supervisor ranks that dissatisfaction is at its greatest suggesting that

development processes lack the relevance or potency needed by this next level of leaders. This result
suggests they are feeling the weight of expectation but are not receiving the support to deal with that
expectation.
How well does your organisation develop leaders at each of the following levels?
Reflecting the levels of dissatisfaction, there is clearly a great deal of room for improvement in the
development process with just 49% to 68% at all levels believing their organisations develop leaders at all
levels very well or quite well or conversely, as many as half believing the organisation does poorly on this
front:
How well do organisations develop
leaders?
(% very well or quite well)
Leaders
(Executives/
Senior
Managers)
%
Managers
(Middle
Managers
and
Supervisors)
%
Employees
(NonManagerial/
Supervisory
Employees)
%
New/first time leaders
61
52
61
Next generation/emerging leaders
61
54
63
Senior/experienced leaders
59
49
68
Q. In your view, how well does your organisation develop leaders at each of the following levels?
Managers in particular identify that the development process requires urgent attention in order to
deliver the desired outcome.
The challenge to organisation leaders then is to identify the leadership development needs and deliver
this development in a meaningful and timely fashion to protect the organisations future from a leadership
perspective.
Leadership competencies
The recipe for developing and delivering effective leadership is reasonably simple to follow with the
appropriate level of training and development. People working at all levels of organisations have a succinct
and focused set of expectations that leaders can fulfil if they put their minds to it. The main areas of focus
in terms of leadership competencies expected are communication, developing and coaching others
and problem solving and decision-making:
Employees
2016
(Rank)
Managers
2016
(Rank)
Leaders
2016
(Rank)
Communication skills
Developing and coaching others
Leadership competencies
Problem solving and decision-making
Planning and organising
Building relationships (external and internal)
Teamwork
Strategic thinking
Q. Looking at this list of leadership competencies, please nominate which you believe are the five most critical competencies
that leaders and senior managers need to do their job well today.
The similarity in rankings highlights that generally speaking, everyone knows what competencies make a
leader effective in their role its just developing and delivering those competencies consistently that many
organisations struggle to do.
Leadership behaviours
Echoing the leadership competencies, many of the leadership behaviours seen from leaders and which
leaders themselves believe they exhibit are related to core leadership competencies. There is a strong
focus on communication, problem solving and decisiveness and on developing and supporting their team.
However, there are some major disconnects between what Leaders believe they exhibit most and Managers
and Employees see most from their Leaders. For example, whereas Leaders believe they are most likely
to exhibit motivation and bringing out the best in others, this behaviour is ranked well down in the eyes of
Managers and Employees who see a strong results orientation as the most prominent behaviour shown.

Likewise, Managers and Employees see composure and confidence from their Leaders at a far greater level
than the Leaders themselves do:
Leadership behaviours
Leaders
Exhibited
(Rank)
Managers
Seen (Rank)
Employees
Seen
(Rank)
Motivating and bringing out the best in others
18
16
Developing others
17
Being supportive
Operating with a strong results orientation
=4
Solving problems effectively
=4
Remaining composed and confident in uncertainty
Facilitating group collaboration
14
17
Developing and sharing a collective mission
11
Championing desired change
=9
11
Role modelling organisational values
=9
13
14
Keeping groups organised and on task
11
Communicating prolifically and enthusiastically
=12
13
Seeking different perspectives
=12
12
Fostering mutual respect
14
20
19
Making quality decisions
15
12
Clarifying objectives, rewards and consequences
16
16
10
Recovering positively from failures
17
10
15
Offering a critical perspective
=18
Giving praise
=18
19
18
Differentiating among followers
20
15
20
Q. Leaders Looking at the list of leadership behaviours below, please identify the FIVE behaviours you exhibit most as a
leader/senior manager of your organisation
Managers Looking at the list of leadership behaviours below, please identify the FIVE behaviours you see most from the
leaders/senior managers in your organisation
Employees Looking at the list of leadership behaviours below, please identify the FIVE behaviours you see most from the
leaders/senior managers in of your organisation
What does this mean for existing leaders and leadership development
generally?
The great news is that we know what is expected from our leaders. We also know that developing leaders
is fundamental to creating sustainable organisations. And we know what competencies and behaviours
demonstrate effectiveness in the role.
So existing leaders need to work hard to fulfil the expectations people have about your leadership and ensure
it impacts on them positively. Thinking about and acting in accordance with the competencies expected
of you will help develop quality leadership and quality leaders for the future. Given the critical importance
of leadership development, you owe it to the next generation of leaders to do it well, be the example they
should follow and help them to learn how to do it better in future not just do what it takes to retain the
formal leader role or title.

2. Coping with change

One of the main pressures on the leadership development process is change. Our organisations are
changing like never before and at all levels were being forced to accept that change is not just good for us,
its essential for sustainability, functionality, efficiency and profitability. Coping with change has therefore
evolved to become a core skill for leaders, managers and employees at all levels.
So how well are you coping with change in a fast-paced, ever-changing organisational world?
Since the L.E.A.D. Survey began, weve been asking how well people at all levels cope with change:
Employees believe they personally cope with change better than their leaders and managers believe their
employees do 93% very or quite well compared to 79% of leaders and 76% of managers. Even so,
the proportion of employees believing they cope Very Well with change is steady at a little over a quarter
(28%), down from 35% a decade ago.
On the other hand, leaders and managers believe they personally cope with change better than their
employees believe their leaders and managers do 91% of leaders and 89% of managers compared to
81% of employees. Again, the extent to which leaders and managers feel they cope Very Well has settled
at around a third for leaders (37%) and a quarter for managers (24%) both down around 10 points over
the past decade.
It would seem that at all levels were comfortable with change and do not fear it. Over the long-term our
ability to adapt has held us in good stead and enabled organisations and their employees to address
significant global, national and local challenges.
However, our confidence in coping with change appears to have waned somewhat, presenting leaders and
managers with an opportunity to help their people become more resilient.
Employees coping with change
Employees coping with
change
(Employee view)
2000
%
2005/06
%
2009/10
%
2013
%
2014
%
2016
%
Very well
36
35
29
29
27
28
Quite well
58
57
66
65
67
65
Not very well
Not at all well
Not sure

change
(Manager view)
2000
%
2005/06
%
2009/10
%
2013
%
2014
%
2016
%
Very well
10
Quite well
68
70
70
66
69
69
Not very well
21
19
18
22
20
20
Not at all well
Not sure
2000
%
2005/06
%
2009/10
%
2013
%
2014
%
2016
%
Very well
20
14
13
12
13
17
Quite well
70
65
76
67
69
62
Not very well
18
10
18
16
18
Not at all well
Not sure

change
(Leader view)
Q. Change affects people at different levels in organisations in different ways. When it comes to dealing with the magnitude
and pace of change affecting your organisation, how well would you say you personally (your staff) are coping with change?
What do leaders and managers need to be doing?

Provide appropriate support to enable change to be undertaken very often change is implemented
and then we move onto other more pressing matters, forgetting that ongoing support for change and
feedback is vital to ensure the change continues to work as planned.
Continue to skill the workforce to embrace and deal with change equip them with tools and techniques
to successfully plan, lead and embed change. Celebrate successful change and learn from less
successful change initiatives.
Involve people early and deeply in change - as drivers of change rather than victims of change the
earlier and more deeply we involve our people in change, the greater their commitment to planning and
implementing the change to deliver success. They begin to own the change and support it rather than
being victims or spectators of the change process.
Communicate widely, regularly and consistently about change that is taking place communication
underpins our leadership competencies and therefore our ability to successfully lead change.
Communication provides the opportunity to seek input, gain commitment and buy-in and work
collaboratively to make the change a reality.

Leaders and managers coping with change

Q. How well would you say you (your leaders and senior managers) are coping with change?
Leaders and managers

coping with change
(Leader view)
2000
%
2005/06
%
2009/10
%
2013
%
2014
%
2016
%
Very well
47
25
39
34
41
37
Quite well
49
54
57
59
52
54
Not very well
16
10
Not at all well
Not sure
2000
%
2005/06
%
2009/10
%
2013
%
2014
%
2016
%
Very well
31
32
30
26
27
24
Leaders and managers

coping with change
(Manager view)
Quite well
62
62
65
69
68
65
Not very well
10
Not at all well
Not sure
2005/06
%
2009/10
%
2013
%
2014
%
2016
%
Very well
23
21
17
15
18
Quite well
56
61
62
63
63
Not very well
14
13
15
16
14
Not at all well
Not sure
Leaders and managers coping with

change (Employee view)
3. Communication the two-way street

to dealing with change and uncertainty
Robert McCloskey once famously said I know that you believe you understand
what you think I said, but Im not sure you realize that what you heard is not what
I meant. Or in other words, communication is fraught with enormous potential for
misunderstanding, misinformation and misinterpretation such that we can never be
quite sure what people have really heard.
One thing is for certain though if youre NOT communicating at all or are doing so intermittently or poorly,
there will be large gaps between what you think youre saying and what others think they are hearing (or not
hearing as the case may be).
Nearly half the leaders (47%) believe theyre communicating to a great extent about the future of the
organisation yet just 29% of employees and 16% of managers believe this is the case.
Communication about your personal future

Employees about leader/
manager communication
Managers about leaders

communication
Leaders about their

communication to staff
Great extent
24
15
39
Moderate extent
46
43
51
Small extent
21
29
Not at all
13
Great/moderate extent
70
58
90
Small extent/not at all
30
42
10
Employees - To what extent have your business leaders and senior managers reassured you about your future with your
organisation?
Managers - To what extent have your business leaders and senior managers communicated with you about your future
with the organisation?
Leaders - To what extent have you communicated with your staff about their future with the organisation?
Leaders and managers need to recognise that reassurance about the organisations future and the future of
individuals is paramount to securing a stable, productive and harmonious workforce.
Periodically settling the horses by providing information, vision, direction and purpose to the people who
make the organisation perform will help enable them to deliver results as a team. When this focus also
highlights the future for each individual, their meaning and purpose become clearer and their performance
improves as a result.

4. Diversity leveraging the gold that lies within

A lot of airtime has been devoted to the topic of diversity lately particularly cultural or ethnic diversity.
On the world stage, the US Presidential election front-runners continue to exchange vitriolic and hurtful
diatribes about building walls (physical and emotional) to protect our values from those who would threaten
our way of life. In response, leading global recording artists have recently joined forces to send a clear
message through song about the need to work together more effectively as a diverse world community.
In Australia (and to some extent in New Zealand), diversity in workplaces, communities, family structures and
personal relationships has been at the forefront of societal debate of late through, for example:
The emotionally-charged discussion around legalising same-sex marriage in Australia
The prospect of a referendum to formally recognise Indigenous Australians in the Constitution
The introduction of Australias National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the subsequent snails
pace in enabling eligible claimants access to service under the scheme
Discussions around balancing gender ratios in high-profile organisations and the perceived potential
negative impact (e.g. Victorias Metropolitan Fire Brigade)
It seems every time you turn on the TV or radio someone is questioning the merits and value of diversity and
amplifying the negative impact they believe it is having on our way of life like its a Yes/No decision as to
whether diversity should be permitted or worse still tolerated.
Are we too diverse or not diverse enough? Are we too accepting of different world-views or becoming
increasingly intolerant or even xenophobic? Are we suffering because were too pluralistic or failing to truly
capitalise on the many benefits of the diversity that surrounds us?
Diversity is used as shorthand or code for multiculturalism or ethnic diversity when clearly it is so much
more than the shade of ones skin or shape of ones eyes. By limiting the discussion in this way, organisations
are seriously missing golden opportunities to tap into and leverage the richness, the colour and movement of
their workforce.
Latest Leadership Employment and Direction (L.E.A.D.) Survey results highlight that diversity is very much
part of our organisational cultures and, by definition, is a part of our lives that will increasingly need to feature
in the thoughts and plans of modern leaders and managers.
However, there is plenty of scope to harness, leverage and benefit from diversity to an even greater extent
than is currently evident it just takes courage and commitment from all of us.
Capitalising on workforce diversity
Looking at the extent to which organisations are currently capitalising on the diversity in their workforce, we
note that all segments (employees, managers, leaders) believe their organisations are capitalising on the
diversity of skills and experience of their workforce to a far greater degree than other diversity categories
(age, gender, ethnic/cultural):
100%
13%
90%
22%
17%
15%
22%
17%
21%
15%
20%
80%
70%
60%
43%
44%
47%
46%
41%
41%
39%
37%
40%
50%
20%
6%
4%
6%
7%
Employees
Age
Unable to rate
16%
12%
9%
12%
Managers
10%
Employees
12%
Leaders
8%
14%
Managers
10%
21%
20%
Gender
Not at all
Small extent
21%
10%
17%
12%
8%
6%
9%
Managers
18%
18%
Leaders
30%
24%
18%
Leaders
20%
25%
Employees
40%
Ethnic/cultural
Moderate extent
Great extent
Q. To what extent do you believe your organisation is capitalising on the following aspects of diversity in your
workforce?

Overall, 80% of employees, 76% of managers and 83% of leaders believe their organisations capitalise on
diversity in skills and experience to a great or moderate extent. Contrast this with just 61% of employees,
53% of managers and 57% of leaders who believe their organisations capitalise on cultural or ethnic diversity
in their workforces. Only marginally better ratings are reported for organisations capitalising on age and
gender diversity in the workforce:
Age
Skills/
experience
EMP MGR LDR EMP MGR LDR EMP MGR LDR EMP MGR LDR
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
Great extent/moderate
extent
Small extent/ Not at all
Gender
Ethic/cultural
68
57
64
63
58
58
61
53
57
80
76
83
26
39
30
30
36
30
31
41
33
18
23
13
EMP Non-managerial/supervisory, MGR Middle managers/supervisors,

LDR Executives/senior managers)
So what does this mean for todays leaders and managers?

Clearly, there is a great deal of room for improvement for organisations to make better use of the rich tapestry
that exists on these and other dimensions of diversity such as religious, sexual, ability/disability, work
history, working conditions and so on. So, here are some important questions to ask yourself:
What am I doing to identify, understand, harness and leverage the diversity of my workforce?
When was the last time I focused some energy on better understanding what lies within each of my
team members?
And perhaps most importantly, how can I embrace, celebrate and amplify the positive impacts and
benefits that a diverse workforce brings to my organisation?
Were sure youd agree this is a far more productive use of the airwaves than to simply shut down the
diversity conversation because its all too hard or threatens our local village. Bottom line this is the new
way of life for the village youd better get used to it!
SUMMARY
The latest findings from LMAs L.E.A.D. Survey remind modern leaders and managers that:
One of the core commitments a leader makes to their organisation
is to develop the leaders of the future to in effect stabilise and strengthen the
organisation to enable it to deal with the challenges it faces.
Leadership development processes MUST work to identify, develop,
enhance and capitalise on the leadership talent and potential of an
organisations human resource processes that either dont exist or dont work will
ultimately bring the organisation to its knees when the leadership needed for the future cannot be found
and harnessed.
The leadership equation is not an overly complicated one there is a clear
set of expectations around competencies and desired behaviours that allow the leader to be effective.
Its just a matter of focusing effort and investment to deliver on these expectations.
Change that is well-planned, well-implemented and well-led will
deliver on its potential and will be embraced and supported across
the organisation far from being a barrier to leadership development, we see change
increasingly being the catalyst or opportunity that affords emerging leaders the chance to demonstrate
their potential.
Reassurance about the organisations future and the future for the
individual is fundamental to stabilising and sustaining the workforce
overall understanding and tapping into the diversity that lies within is central to this
reassurance. When the talent and development potential of the workforce is understood, the sky is the
limit for tapping into leadership potential and developing tomorrows leaders.

ABOUT THE LEADERSHIP, EMPLOYMENT AND DIRECTION

(L.E.A.D.) SURVEY
LMAs L.E.A.D. survey is a year-round survey of people working at all levels within organisations in Australia
and New Zealand. It focuses on the issues, needs and expectations of employees, frontline managers,
supervisors and business leaders and senior managers.
The survey has been conducted since 2000, originally as an annual survey, and provides a sound basis
for identifying different perspectives from several key organisational audiences. It is now being conducted
year round and entirely online to maximise the opportunity for people to be involved. Adopting a consistent
approach over the last decade, supplemented by strategic evolutions and changes, the survey delivers a
comprehensive data source and trend information that few other surveys can match.
In addition to providing the most up-to-date picture of life in todays organisations via responses from the
three key audiences (Non-Managerial Employees, Frontline Managers / Supervisors, Business Leaders
/ Senior Managers) it identifies commonalities, differences and major gaps as well as areas for stronger
connection and collaboration.
Further, it provides the ability to predict where organisations may need to change, evolve or simply
consolidate to provide the environment that employees want to be part of into the future.
The audience for the research is drawn from organisations of all types (public, private, quasi-government,
franchises, not for profit), sizes (micro, small, medium, large), locations (metropolitan and regional) and
industries (20+ sectors).
The diversity and mix of those involved is one of the features of the survey and their response provides the
foundation for trend analysis, gap analysis and robust assessments of the current state of play in Australia
and New Zealand.
In the latest L.E.A.D. Survey, reported in this summary, the total number of participants involved was 2,712:
130
294
2,288
Business
Leaders / Senior
Managers
Middle
Managers /
Supervisors
Non-managerial
Employees
Sample sizes of this scale provide robust data and present a very accurate picture of the current state of play
in organisations overall and within key sub-groupings. The margin of sampling error at a total sample level is
less than 4%.
The profile of the audience in the latest survey is as

follows:
Organisation type
4%
The profile of the respondents by level in the latest

survey is as follows:
Location
4%
2%
16%
68%
22%
10%
Metropolitan
Australia
Regional
Australia
New
Zealand
Gender
20%
Leaders
54%
Government/quasi
Public Company
Private Company
Franchise
Not for Profit
Other
Age
69%
31%
71%
29%
Managers
Leaders
5% 22% 41% 32%
Under 35
years old
35 - 44
years old
45 - 54
years old
55+ years
old
Managers
20% 31% 35% 15%

Under 35
years old
35 - 44
years old
45 - 54
years old
55+ years
old
Non-managerial Employees
35% 30% 24% 10%

Under 35
years old
35 - 44
years old
45 - 54
years old
55+ years
old
Non-managerial Employees
65%
35%
The survey design and implementation is

overseen by an experienced, independent
research practitioner and the systems and
process used to conduct the survey ensure valid,
reliable and representative samples.
The audience is designed to replicate the structure
and nature of organisations at an overall level
to create an appropriate representation of the
population of people working in organisations
across Australia and New Zealand.
T SOLV
N
A
C
E
E
W
PROBLEMS
by using the same kind of
THINKING
W
D
H
E
E
S
N WE
U
E
W
CREATED THEM
Albert Einstein
For further information, please call

Australia 03 9822 1301
New Zealand 0800 333 270
info@lma.biz
www.lma.biz
Summary of key findings from the Leadership Management Australasias (LMA)

Leadership, Employment and Direction (L.E.A.D.) Survey
November 2016

Following The Leaders or Leading The Followers Nov 16

Caricato da

Informazioni sul documento

Titolo originale

Copyright

Formati disponibili

Condividi questo documento

Condividi o incorpora il documento

Opzioni di condivisione

Hai trovato utile questo documento?

Questo contenuto è inappropriato?

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

Following The Leaders or Leading The Followers Nov 16

Caricato da

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

Following the

Summary of key findings from

P 1800 333 270 | E info@lma.biz | W www.lma.biz