How Strengths-Based Leadership Develops Exceptional Leaders
Driving HR Leadership
Would you like to know how to…
How Strengths-Based Leadership
Develops Exceptional Leaders
• Double or triple participant motivation
to develop their leadership skills?
• Make performance appraisals an
inspiring event people look forward
to?
• Use competency models to build and
leverage strengths?
• Move away from using needs/gap
analysis to identify “improvement
areas”(weaknesses)?
The Strengths-Based
Leadership Revolution
"There is nothing new to be
discovered in physics now.
All that remains is more and more
precise measurement."
Lord Kelvin, 19th century British mathematical physicist and engineer highly
decorated for pioneering contributions to electricity, thermodynamics, and
the emerging field of physics.
Five years later Albert Einstein published his paper on
special relativity challenging the rules laid down by
Newtonian mechanics.
It opened an entirely new field of science that
dramatically changed our world!
Paradigm Paralysis
"for well-integrated members of a particular discipline, its
paradigm is so convincing that it normally renders even
the possibility of alternatives unconvincing and counterintuitive.
…appearing to be a direct view of the bedrock of reality
itself, and obscuring the possibility that there might be
other, alternative imageries hidden behind it.
The conviction that the current paradigm is reality tends to
disqualify evidence that might undermine the paradigm
itself…"
Wikipedia
“In a recent survey of CEOs
and senior executives, 76
percent cited leadership
development as important,
yet only 7 percent thought
their organization was doing
it effectively.”
Jim Clemmer - www.clemmergroup.com
1
How Strengths-Based Leadership Develops Exceptional Leaders
“You cannot build performance on
weaknesses. You can build only on
strengths.
To focus on weakness is not only foolish;
it is irresponsible.
It is a misuse of a human resource,
what a person cannot do is a limitation
and nothing else.”
Peter Drucker (1909 – 2005), author of 39 books and hundreds of
articles on leadership, management, and organization effectiveness.
Widely considered to be the father of “modern management.”
Why The CLEMMER Group is
Partnering with Zenger Folkman
1. Jack Zenger and the values-based Zenger
Folkman team.
2. Revolutionary Strengths-Based Leadership
Development System.
3. Research/Evidence-Based Leadership
Development.
4. Coaching and Inspiring Skills/Philosophies.
5. A Powerful Fit with our Culture/Leadership
Development
6. Ongoing R & D with new programs and
services.
Workshop Agenda
Zenger Folkman Background/Relationship
1. Evidence-Based Leadership Development
2. Leveraging Leadership Strengths
3. Critical Components of a Best-In-Class
360 Assessment
4. Cross-Training: A Revolutionary
Approach to Developing Strengths
5. Reinforcing Leadership Development
Steps to Desired Culture
Continuous Improvement Activities
and Organization Development
Front Line Staff Leadership Behaviors
Management Processes/Systems
Supervisors/Managers/Executives Leadership Behaviors
Vision, Core Values, and Purpose/Mission
Culture Anchor Points
ZF Founders: Leading with Strength
John “Jack” Zenger, D.B.A. Co-founder and
Chief Executive Officer
Weaknesses
Strengths

Inspiring shared leadership

Power-based command and
control
Catch people doing things wrong

Catch people doing things right

Indifference and apathy

Energized and engaged

Focus on fixing what’s wrong

Leverage/build on what’s right

See the worst in people

Bring out the best in people

Push and punish

Pull and coach

– Renowned expert in the field of leadership
development
– CEO of Zenger-Miller, President of Provant
– Human Resources Development Hall of Fame
– ASTD Lifetime Achievement Award, 2011
Joseph Folkman, Ph.D. Co-founder and President
– Renowned psychometrician and authority on
assessment and change
– Founding partner of Novations Group, Inc.
– Author/co-Author of 7 books and dozens of
publications
Jim Clemmer - www.clemmergroup.com
2
How Strengths-Based Leadership Develops Exceptional Leaders
About Zenger Folkman
 Founded in 2003 to revolutionize leadership and
organization development through empirical research.
 Evidence-based methods leveraging existing strengths.
 Comprehensive system including assessment
instruments, development programs and executive
coaching.
 Leveraging research and methodologies found in The
Extraordinary Leader, The Inspiring Leader, The
Extraordinary Coach, and How to Be Exceptional.
 Consulting, customizing, and integrating strengthsbased leadership approaches aligned to organizational
strategy and culture.
“an unusual blend of credible and uncompromising
research married with years of successful application
with leaders and organizations.
The result is innovative, at times challenging
conventional wisdom…
I have seen talent in my organization engage and
improve based on this work."
Kevin D. Wilde, VP, Organization Effectiveness
and Chief Learning Officer and author of
Dancing with the Talent Stars: 25 Moves That
Matter Now
Core Research and
Strengths-Based
Leadership Systems
Some Zenger Folkman Clients
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Canadian Tire
Niagara Region
Fanshawe College
CIBC
EllisDon
Air Transat
Seneca College
Rogers
Elsevier
General Mills
Harris Corporation
Symantec
Fidelity Investments
Coca Cola
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Deloitte
ConocoPhillips
Adidas
Marriott
Thomson Reuter
Lockheed Martin
Safeway
Zain
Affymetrix
Allianz
AT&T
Wells Fargo Bank
US Navy
Using the ‘cross training’ approach; our leaders achieved
an across-the-board improvement of close to 15% in their
year-over-year employee commitment scores.
Not only did our best leaders get better, but our ‘average’
leaders and even our poorest leaders showed marked
improvement in their leadership effectiveness and
employee commitment scores.
This improvement was a critical factor in our
qualifications for the Malcolm Baldrige award,
which our division won.”
Dee Thomas, HR Director, Boeing
Aerospace Support
Insert my new LL header here
Building a
Leadership Culture
"Growing Our Leaders for Tomorrow"
Jim Clemmer - www.clemmergroup.com
3
How Strengths-Based Leadership Develops Exceptional Leaders
“A clear, easy-to-read book…. and a compelling alternative
approach to our tendency to obsess over weaknesses.
Harvey Schachter, The Globe & Mail
"I've read How to Be Exceptional twice already and
consider it one of the best leadership books I’ve ever
read. It is truly an eye-opener."
Wayne Miller, CAO, Town of Essex
"Once in a decade, there's a business book
worth reading and remembering... a
powerful way to clarify what is required for
effective leadership… I rarely get this
excited about a title.”
Dave Crisp, Canadian HR
Reporter
Strengths-Based Leadership Development
Evidence-Based
Leadership
Development
a strategic partner of
The Original Research Base
The Need for Evidence-Based
Leadership Development
• Two years researching the impact of leadership
performance and the key behaviors great leaders
demonstrate.
• Data set of 200,000 evaluations on 20,000 people.
• Contrasted the highest-performing 10% to the
lowest-performing 10%.
• The data conclusively demonstrates:
 leadership effectiveness can be measured and
is strongly correlated to performance
outcomes
 16 competencies most differentiate the
extraordinary leaders from everyone else
 building on existing strengths is the most
effective approach to development
• Over 88,000 books with
“leadership” in the title at Amazon
– how many others don’t have that
word in their title?
• 1.2 million Google hits on
“leadership books.”
• A flood of theories, opinions, thesis
papers, inspiration, training
programs, frameworks, styles,
models, tools…
The Extraordinary Performer
Differentiating Competencies
Differentiating Competencies
Focus on
Results
•Drives for
Results
•Establishes
Stretch Goals
•Takes Initiative
Leading
Change
•Develops
Strategic
Perspective
•Champions
Change
•Connects the
Group to the
Outside World
Character Interpersonal Personal
Skills
Capability
•Displays High
Integrity and
Honesty
•Communicates
Powerfully and
Prolifically
•Technical/
Professional
Expertise
•Inspires and
Motivates
Others to High
Performance
•Solves
Problems and
Analyzes Issues
•Builds
Relationships
•Develops
Others
•Collaboration
and Teamwork
•Innovates
•Practices SelfDevelopment
Focus on
Results
Leading
Change
•Drives for
Results
•Broad
Perspective
•Establishes
Stretch Goals
•Supports
Change
•Takes Initiative
•Connects the
Group to the
Outside World
- Networking
Character Interpersonal Personal
Skills
Capability
•Displays High
Integrity and
Honesty
•Communicates
Powerfully and
Prolifically
•Technical/
Professional
Expertise
•Inspires
Others to
High
Performance
•Solves
Problems and
Analyzes Issues
•Builds
Relationships
•Practices SelfDevelopment
•Innovates
•Develops
Others
•Collaboration
and Teamwork
Jim Clemmer - www.clemmergroup.com
4
How Strengths-Based Leadership Develops Exceptional Leaders
Strengths-Based Leadership Development
Searching for the Keys to Employee
Engagement, Satisfaction, and Commitment
•
•
•
•
The Good,
the Bad,
and the
Extraordinary
•
•
•
•
Searching for the Keys to Employee
Engagement, Satisfaction, and Commitment
Leadership
behaviors culture
within my
team/organization
The Impact of Leadership Effectiveness
on Turnover
Extraordinary
leaders have
much higher
retention
rates.
20
Average Percent Turnover
One variable emerged as the best predictor of
employee engagement, satisfaction, and commitment
18
19
16
14
14
12
10
8
9
6
4
2
0
Bottom 30%
Poor Leaders
Percent of Employees that “Think about Quitting”
Elevated pay
Richer benefits
Training and development
Enhanced working
conditions
State-of-the-art equipment
Flexible schedules
Childcare
Focusing on work-life
balance
Middle 60%
Good Leaders
Top 10%
Great Leaders
Leadership Effectiveness and Employee
Engagement/Satisfaction/Commitment
60
Employee Satisfaction/Engagement/
Commitment Percentile
55
That “Think about Quitting”
% of Employees in Work Groups
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1st 9th
10th 19th
20th 29th
30th 39th
40th 49th
50th 59th
60th 69th
Leadership Effectiveness Percentile
70th 79th
80th 89th
90th 100th
Great Leaders
Make a Great
Difference
90
80
70
60
Good Leaders
Have a
Mediocre Impact
50
40
30
Poor Leaders
Create
Dissatisfaction
20
10
0
1st9th
11th- 20th- 30th- 40th- 50th- 60th- 70th- 80th- 90th19th 29th 39th 49th 59th 69th 79th 89th 100th
Overall Leadership Effectiveness
Based on 23,800 Leaders
30
Jim Clemmer - www.clemmergroup.com
5
How Strengths-Based Leadership Develops Exceptional Leaders
Leadership Effectiveness versus
Customer Satisfaction
70
Perceptions of Customer Satisfaction
(Percentile)
Safe Work Environment (Percentile)
Impact of Leadership Effectiveness on
a Safe Work Environment
67
60
59
50
50
40
42
30
20
19
10
0
80
70
50
49
40
30
39
20
10
0
Bottom 10
Percentile
11th – 35th
Percentile
36th – 65th
Percentile
66th – 90th
Percentile
Top 10
Percentile
Leadership Effectiveness
Leadership Effectiveness vs.
Satisfaction with Pay and Job Security
Satisfaction with Company Pay & Job Security
68
60
The most
effective leaders
create the most
satisfied
customers.
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
1st - 9th 10th 19th
20th 29th
30th 39th
40th 49th
50th 59th
60th 69th
70th 79th
80th 89th
90th 100th
Leadership Effectiveness Percentile
Bottom 20%
Middle 60%
Poor Leaders
Good Leaders
Top 20%
Great Leaders
Extraordinary Leaders Make a HUGE Difference
• 10 - 20 times higher levels of employee
engagement
• 3 - 4 times reduction in employees thinking
about quitting
• 50% fewer employees that do leave
• Double the satisfaction with pay and job security
• 4 - 5 times more employees "willing to go the
extra mile."
• 1.5 times higher customer satisfaction ratings
• Over 3 times safer work environment
a strategic partner of
Strengths-Based Leadership Development
Cult ur er ipples ou
t fr o
mt heM anagemen
t Team
The
Extraordinary
Team
An Organization’s Culture
Ripples Out from the
Management Team
Leading It
a strategic partner of
Jim Clemmer - www.clemmergroup.com
6
How Strengths-Based Leadership Develops Exceptional Leaders
Characteristics of Successful Teams
• Study of 122,000 employees in 10,000
work groups from 11 different companies.
• Items that differentiated the best from
the worst work groups were identified.
• Items were put into factors.
• Literature review of capabilities that
impacted the performance of teams.
• Key factors identified.
• Results of the two studies were compared.
• 16 key factors emerged.
Team Effectiveness and Employee
Engagement/Commitment
Characteristics of Successful Teams
Trust and
Respect
Direction
and Change
• Trust and
Respect
• Clear
Strategy and
Direction
• Ability to
Change
• Innovation
70
51
60
50
29
40
30
20
13
• Efficiency/
Productivity
25
Next 25%
• Recognition
and Rewards
• Team
Member
Involvement
• Collaboration
/Cooperation
• Growth and
Development
• Team
Member
Commitment
21
20
16
13
15
10
5
0
Low Survey
Results
Middle 30%
• Communication
Voluntary Turnover by Survey Results
0
Next 25%
• Individual
Accountability
People
Team Effectiveness and Turnover
10
Bottom 10%
• Getting
Results
• Ethics and
Integrity
• Decision
Making
Percent Turnover in Team
Commitment Percentile
Employee Engagement/
70
80
Results
• Performance
Management
86
90
Ethics and
Integrity
Moderate Survey
Results
High Survey
Results
Team Effectiveness Score
Top 10%
Team Effectiveness Percentile
Recordable Incidents Number versus
Team Survey Results
Recordable Incidents
Average Number
5
Strengths-Based Leadership Development
4.38
4.5
Leveraging
Leadership
Strengths
4
2.85
3.5
3
2.5
2
0.88
1.5
1
0.5
0
1.0 - 3.5
3.51 to 4.0
4.01 - 5.0
Overall Team Effectiveness
Average Mean Score
a strategic partner of
Jim Clemmer - www.clemmergroup.com
7
How Strengths-Based Leadership Develops Exceptional Leaders
What Does Performance
Improvement Mean to Most People?
"...the path to greatness is really about
building profound strengths,
rather than through relentlessly
focusing on one's weaknesses.”
Fixing Weaknesses!
Michael A. Peel, Vice
President, Human Resources
and Administration
“We were shocked at the results
of the largest, most
comprehensive survey ever
conducted on approaches to
managing change.
The study concluded that most
schools, companies, families and
organizations function on an
unwritten rule.
That rule is to fix what’s wrong
and let the strengths take care
of themselves.”
“we have seen that people are much
more successful when we focus on
improving their natural leadership
strengths while minimizing their
weaknesses."
Stephen K. Wiggins, EVP, Chief
Information Officer, Blue Cross
Blue Shield of South Carolina;
coauthor, Picasso on a Schedule
“Appreciative Inquiry is the
cooperative, co-evolutionary
search for the best in people,
their organizations, and the
world around them.
It involves systematic discovery
of what gives life to an
organization or a community
when it is most effective and
most capable in economic,
ecological, and human terms.”
Being in a state of mental health is not merely
being disorder free; rather it is the presence of
flourishing.”
•
•
•
•
•
Positive emotion
Engagement
Relationships
Meaning
Accomplishment
Jim Clemmer - www.clemmergroup.com
8
How Strengths-Based Leadership Develops Exceptional Leaders
• Why do most
performance reviews
focus on fixing
weaknesses rather
than leveraging
strengths?
• What’s the lingering
effect?
Why do most leaders focus
on fixing weaknesses?
a strategic partner of
a strategic partner of
In Search of Gaps, Needs, and Weaknesses
• Defensiveness and searching for what’s wrong.
• Data denial (“it’s just their perception”).
• Participants feel beat up by feedback/survey
reports.
• Negative response/avoidance of 360 feedback.
• Diminishes recognition/appreciation culture.
• Erodes confidence and drops positivity ratio.
• Working on weaknesses only gets to average.
• Feeds defeatist belief that extraordinary
leadership is achieved by naturally gifted or
"born leaders."
“The effective executive makes strengths productive….one
cannot build on weaknesses.
Strengths are the true opportunities. to make strength
productive is the unique purpose of the organization.
It cannot overcome the weaknesses with which each of us
in endowed, but it can make them irrelevant.
Organizations must feed the opportunities and starve the
problems.”
Peter Drucker (1909 – 2005), author of 39 books and hundreds of
articles on leadership, management, and organization effectiveness.
Widely considered to be the father of “modern management”
What’s Your Culture Anchored In?
Weaknesses
Strengths

Inspiring shared leadership

Power-based command and
control
Catch people doing things wrong

Catch people doing things right

Indifference and apathy

Energized and engaged

Focus on fixing what’s wrong

Leverage/build on what’s right

See the worst in people

Bring out the best in people

Push and punish

Pull and coach

Your Best Leader
1. What were this leader’s most profound
strengths?
2. Did this leader have any weaknesses or
areas in which he/she did not excel?
3. What kept these weaker areas from
undermining his/her overall impact?
a strategic partner of
Jim Clemmer - www.clemmergroup.com
9
How Strengths-Based Leadership Develops Exceptional Leaders
Your Worst Leader
1. What was this leader’s Fatal Flaw?
2. Did this leader have any strengths or
areas in which he/she was actually
quite capable?
3. Why were these strengths not
enough to change an overall
perception?
Focusing Development on Weaknesses
Works Well When. . .
. . . People Have Fatal Flaws
A
Linda Simon, Senior Vice President,
Leadership and Organizational
Development, DIRECTV
If Someone is Average at Everything, What
is the Effect of Focusing on Lower Scores?
Average at Everything
Typical Approach to
Development
A
B
B
100
C
90
D
80
E
C
D
Strong negative data
on an issue can
cripple a person’s
leadership
effectiveness
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
1
2
3
4
1. Evaluate current
level of effectiveness
2. Identify areas of
strength and
weakness
3. Create an action plan
to improve areas of
weakness
F
70
G
60
H
50
30
Will fixing one or
two less-positive
issues have a
dramatic impact on
leadership
effectiveness?
I
40
J
18
K
L
20
M
10
N
0
Fatal Flaws & No
Profound Strengths
O
P
1
5
You don’t have to be a superhero to be
an extraordinary leader.
2
3
4
5
Our Research Shows Strengths-Based
Development is Most Effective
Extraordinary leaders are distinguished by existence of a few
profound strengths, not the absence of weaknesses
100
Overall
Leadership
Effectiveness
Average Percentile Score
E
Overall Leadership Effectiveness
(Percentile)
Leadership Competencies
“...the next evolution of focusing on strengths…
compelling research to understand what it
takes to become an exceptional leader.
The insightful tools and developmental
approaches help address fatal flaws and push
your existing strengths over the edge to
exceptional."
80
64
72
81
89
91
4
5
60
40
34
20
0
0
1
2
3
Number of Profound Strengths
(Competencies at the 90th percentile or higher)
Jim Clemmer - www.clemmergroup.com
10
How Strengths-Based Leadership Develops Exceptional Leaders
A Strengths Focus Doubles Improvement Rates
Pre-test
Post Test
Executives Responded to These Statements:
90
82
80
66
70
Percentile
60
+26
+12
54
56
50
40
30
20
10
0
*Fixed Weaknesses
The Powerful Impact of Building Strengths
Built Strengths
* Fixing weaknesses excludes those fixing fatal flaws
“…their research caused us to rethink our
performance management philosophy.
We revamped our process to orient it more
toward building employees' strengths. The
results have been remarkable…
The biggest change has been in the energy
people have for the performance
management process. It is now something
that most employees look forward to.
How many companies can say that?"
Mary Settle, Vice President of Human
Resources, BARD Access Systems
Build Strength
I have created an excellent development plan
that will guide my efforts to improve.
Fix Weakness
63%
13%
72%
As a result of my use of the 360 feedback
process, report, and tools, I feel that I have
improved in my overall leadership effectiveness.
38%
I feel that I have moved forward on improving
the specific issues on my development plan.
68%
43%
I have taken the time and made a real effort to
work on my development plan.
60%
38%
Building on Leadership Strengths
• The only way to become an extraordinary leader.
• Up to three times higher change and improvement.
• Profits, sales, engagement, morale, energy levels,
turnover, health and safety, and customer satisfaction
skyrockets.
• Broadens the spectrum of development methods with
cross-training and competency companions.
• Participant motivation to improve is 2 – 3 times higher.
• Organizational culture is much more positive and
energized.
• It's a lot more fun to work on strengths!
a strategic partner of
Critical
Components
of a Best-InClass 360
Assessment
Accuracy in Predicting Leadership Effectiveness
Ability of Individuals in Each Rater Group to Predict Overall
Leadership Effectiveness
0.35
R Squared-Variance Predicted
Strengths-Based Leadership Development
0.30
0.25
0.20
0.15
0.10
0.05
0.00
Manager
Direct
Reports
Peers
Other
Jim Clemmer - www.clemmergroup.com
Self
11
How Strengths-Based Leadership Develops Exceptional Leaders
Perceptions of you are
others’ reality.
The Reality of Leadership Perceptions
How people would
objectively evaluate us
Trait F
How people really
evaluate us
Trait F
Trait A
How Are You Perceived?
What is Your “Trait F”?
A profound strength?
Trait F
Trait A
Impression
Trait E
Trait A
Trait B
Impression
Trait E
Trait D
A Fatal Flaw?
Trait B
Trait E
Impression
Trait B
Trait C
Trait D
Trait C
360s and Leadership Development Programs
• 85% of Fortune 500 organizations
use multi-rater feedback (360’s) as
a central part of their leadership
development program.
• They have found that it can have a
major impact on awareness and
development.
• Leaders gain information and
perceptions they would otherwise
never get.
Trait D
Trait C
Wide Variety of 360s Available
• Lots of 360s
approaches.
• Not all equal.
• Lots of similarities
but there are
some major
differences.
Jim Clemmer - www.clemmergroup.com
12
How Strengths-Based Leadership Develops Exceptional Leaders
In Search of Gaps, Needs, and Weaknesses
Joe Folkman’s History with 360s
• Graduate School – Worked with
some of his professors who had
created one of the first 360
assessments
• Wrote his dissertation on data
that he had collected from a 360
that he developed
• Founding partner in an
organization that developed
hundreds of 360 assessments
• In 2002 he started over….
Many organizations are using a
weakness-based approach to
development:
• People don’t like the process.
• Not much change occurs.
• Losing 70 - 80% of the training
value.
• Negative and punishing.
Components of a Best-of-Class 360 Assessment
1. Simplified competencies and survey items based on predictive
evidence.
2. Ratings compared to extraordinary global norms, not averages.
3. Rating scales that avoid false positives and little differentiation.
Typical Agree to Disagree Scale
“Listens carefully and attentively”
• Respondent – “This
person is an OK
listener.”
5 – Strongly Agree
• Participant – “I am
doing pretty good
on listening – I got a
4 out of 5.”
3- Neutral
4 - Agree
2 - Disagree
1 – Strongly Disagree
a strategic partner of
Strengths to Improvement Scale
“Listens carefully and attentively”
• Respondent – “This
person is an OK
listener.”
• Participant – “I am
OK.”
Using this scale the
average response to
survey items
decreased by .75
What’s the Message
From This Feedback Report?
5
5 – Outstanding Strength
Global Norm
Richard
4.5
4
3.5
4 - Strength
3
2.5
2
3- Competent
1.5
1
0.5
0
2 - Needs Some Improvement
1 – Need Significant Improvement
Jim Clemmer - www.clemmergroup.com
13
How Strengths-Based Leadership Develops Exceptional Leaders
Aiming for Extraordinary
How’s Richard Doing Now?
Best Leaders
Richard
5
“Our greatest
tragedy is not that
our aim is too high
and we miss it,
but that it is too low
and we reach it.”
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Michelangelo
Components of a Best-of-Class 360 Assessment
1. Simplified competencies and survey items based on predictive
evidence.
2. Ratings compared to extraordinary global norms, not averages.
3. Rating scales that avoid false positives and little differentiation.
4. Measure leadership effectiveness against key performance outcomes.
5. Emphasis on building strengths not gaps/needs/weaknesses.
6. Identify the key competencies most important to the leader’s role.
7. Written comments only focused on flagging any fatal flaws rather
than listing weaknesses.
8. An efficient survey process that takes about 15 minutes to complete.
9. Simple, intuitive, and visual feedback reports.
10. Provide insights to leaders on how to build his or her strengths.
Strengths-Based Leadership Development
Cross Training:
A
Revolutionary
Approach to
Developing
Strengths
a strategic partner of
The Leader’s Situation Determines Which Strengths are Key
• Development efforts focus on building profound strengths
• Specific strengths to be built vary by leader
• Goal is 3-5 strengths at 90th percentile
• Offers a positive approach to development
for individual leader and the organization
The Zenger Folkman organization has had a
profound effect on leadership development.
Their research reveals the impact of strengthsbased development on individual and organization
success across industries and geographies.
Their competency model and 360 evaluation provide
the framework around which to build a
development plan."
Hillery Ballantyne, Senior Vice President,
Talent Management and Leadership
Development
Jim Clemmer - www.clemmergroup.com
14
How Strengths-Based Leadership Develops Exceptional Leaders
Developing Strengths
A Powerful and Statistically Significant Correlation
Between Two Competencies Emerged
• Strengths are what
differentiate.
• You don’t develop strength
the same way you fix a
weakness.
• Statistical correlations and
interaction effect of
behaviors.
First Researchers Looked at
“A Without B”
(A)
(B)
Builds
Drives for
Relationships
Results
Then Researchers Looked at
“B Without A”
(A)
(B)
(A)
(B)
Builds
Drives for
Builds
Drives for
Relationships
Results
Relationships
Results
If this IS a strength . . .
but this ISN’T . . .
the probability of being an extraordinary leader:
12%
If this IS NOT a strength . . .
but this IS . . .
the probability of being an extraordinary leader:
14%
The Power of “A + B” Led to the Notion of
“Powerful Combinations”
(A)
(B)
Builds
Drives for
Relationships
Results
If these are BOTH strengths . . .
When building on
strengths, often the
best approach is to
build around them.
the probability of being an extraordinary leader: 14%
+ 12%
26%
a strategic partner of
Jim Clemmer - www.clemmergroup.com
15
How Strengths-Based Leadership Develops Exceptional Leaders
Good to Great: Non-Linear Cross Training
Weightlifting
Mental
Imagery
Techniques
Stretching
Long
Distance
Running
Interval
Training
Sleeping
Habits
Yoga
"...lifting leadership effectiveness from the (somewhat
pejorative) realm of 'soft skills' to a plane that equates
these competencies with 'harder' disciplines…
not only can these skills be learned, but they can have a
similar impact on bottom-line results and employee
performance.
Leadership cross-training is an approach that can have a
powerful impact on helping good leaders become
exceptional ones."
Jaime Gonzales, Head of Professional
Development, Jet Propulsion
Laboratory
Nutrition
Equipment
a strategic partner of
Competency Companions:
Cross-Training Ideas for Leaders
Each Competency Has Many Companion Competencies
?
?
Assertiveness
?
Displays High
Integrity and
Honesty
?
Drives
for
Results
?
?
?
?
Competency Companion Development Guide:
A Roadmap for Developing Strengths
Concern
for
Others
Decisiveness
Displays High
Integrity and
Honesty
Inspires
and
Motivates
Others
Deals Well
with
Ambiguity
Trust
Positive
Optimism
• Research identified
statistically correlated
companion behaviors
for each competency.
• Each companion
behavior represents a
leadership crosstraining idea for
development.
• Each provides a
potential path for
building on an existing
strength.
Example: Strengthening a Leadership Competence
Can Be
Trusted
to Act in the
Team’s Best
Interest
Solves
Problems
and Analyzes
Issues
Relationship
Building and
Networking
Technical/
Honesty and
Integrity
Professional
Communicates
Powerfully
Expertise
Desires to
Pursue
Excellence
Develops
Others
Takes
Initiative
• CCDG research from
thousands of leaders
on how to build a
profound strength.
• The research
examined what the
best leaders did to
build their
competence on each
of the 16
differentiating
competencies.
Jim Clemmer - www.clemmergroup.com
16
How Strengths-Based Leadership Develops Exceptional Leaders
CCDG Customization Example for Safety
Non-Linear Team Action Planning
Clear
Communication
Hold People
Accountable
Leadership
Effectiveness
Employee
Training
Safety
Positive Team
Environment/
Involvement
Ability
to Anticipate
Feedback
to
Individuals
Focus on
Results
Leadership
Positive
Work
Environment
Decision
Making
Integrity
and Candor
Teamwork
Collaboration
Ensure Right
Resources
to do the Job
Clear
Strategy &
Priorities
Communications
Ethics &
Integrity
Ability to
Change
Strengths-Based Leadership Development System
Reinforcing
Leadership
Development
From Bolt-On Leadership Programs
to Built-In Development Processes
"Zenger Folkman's research and tools have
provided excellent guidance to leaders I've
worked with over the years.
The tools allowed them to create actionable
goals and inspired them to actively pursue
excellence in leadership.”
Pam Mabry,
Director, Human Resources
Leadership Effectiveness by Level
80
Leadership Effectiveness
Percentile
Degree of Change
Leadership Effectiveness by Level
(Average across five studies including 5285 leaders)
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
Permission
Lip Service
Passionate
Lip Service
Involved
Leadership
Integration
Lower
Middle
Top
Leadership Level
Jim Clemmer - www.clemmergroup.com
17
How Strengths-Based Leadership Develops Exceptional Leaders
Closing the Leadership Gap
Follow-up is the Key to a Leader’s Behavioral Change
Some organizations had just 3 – 5 percentile points
between levels with a dramatic upward shift in
leadership effectiveness of all leaders.
These organizations:
• Set the leadership bar high.
• Selected the right leaders.
• Built talent management processes
around leadership competencies.
• Made it line management’s
responsibility to develop people.
Impact of Manager Support on
Development Efforts
1
• One-on-one coaching, coaching workshops for leaders,
follow-up software, and other implementation reinforcers
help make learning stick.
Follow-Up is Critical
74
80
Percent of Leaders Who
Feel They Have Improved
70
60
87% of what a person
learns in a leadership
program is gone within
30 days if there
is no follow-up.
50
50
40
Dr. Brent Peterson, former VP Research, Franklin Covey
• Leadership assessments and workshops start the process,
they don’t end it.
33
30
20
10
0
Unsupportive
Manager
Somewhat
Supportive
Very Supportive
Manager
Level of Manager Support
a strategic partner of
Rare Public Workshops
The Extraordinary Leader (1 day)
and
The Extraordinary Coach (1 day)
Toronto – May 15 and 16
Calgary – May 9 and 9
Register for one or both - clemmergroup.com
Give Me Your Business Card For
• A chance to win a signed
copy of ZF’s new book.
• Links to further
articles/white papers and
blogs expanding on today’s
material.
• Links to archived webinars
including the slides used
today.
a strategic partner of
Jim Clemmer - www.clemmergroup.com
18