What's in a Name?

Some readers might be interested in the significance behind the name of this blog: Tri-Delta Leadership. I bought the domain name because it communicates a manner in which to think about leading and leadership.

Many believe that leadership and leading are about a person and position. Some of this comes from the so-called celebrity CEOs. Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, was one the first to earn this title. He still continues on the broadcast circuit with occasional appearances on CNBC and others. I also consider Meg Whitman to be part of the pack. Her fame started at eBay and continues in her current role as CEO of HP. Carly Fiorina, former CEO of HP, is also part of that group. And finally, two other business icons belong: Warren Buffet (Berkshire Hathaway) and the late Steve Jobs (Apple).

There is no question that each of these leaders made significant and important contributions to their respective organizations. Nevertheless, the problem with looking at leadership as vested in a single person is that it fails to consider two other parts of the equation.

That is, the blog name evolved from the vital machineries of leadership and the recognition that there is a difference between leading (what a person tagged with leading does) and leadership, which is the interaction of the leader with two other factors.  Thus, Tri in the title of the blog, meaning three, is representative of these distinct variables:  (1) Leader, (2) Follower and (3) Context or Situation.⁸

The Leader

Some might claim that the leader is the most important factor. Their values establish the culture of the organization and provide guidance as to what behaviors and actions are acceptable. For example, I worked for a CEO who often used the phrase "Take No Prisoners" (Norm Blake, USF&G -- bought by St. Paul Insurance and then became Travelers Insurance). These catchy phrases set the tone for the business. CEOs also can anchor on instructions that can cause wrong things to happen, like the proclamation "Win at All Costs." CEOs and their teams also set strategies and major tactics for the business.  While the focus here is on the CEO, the very same concern applies to departments or business units at all layers of the business.

Leaders are a very important part of the equation, but they don’t do it alone. When one thinks of Jack Welch and his elevated status, there is a sense that he single-handedly drove the business’s success. He may have set the direction and established processes to guide the business and HR processes, but the outcomes were largely implemented by the employees and lower-level leaders (GE currently employs approximately 323,000 employees worldwide¹). Some leaders seem to believe they can do it better and probably wish they could do it alone, but this is not possible.

Effective leaders must have certain knowledge, skills and characteristics (Know, Do, Be).² However, there is some controversy as to how much influence senior leaders actually have on the bottom line. Questions remain about how much of the outcomes can be explained by the leader. Could the followers and context have more influence? Is the leader’s job about creating purpose and meaning for the workers³ because the articulation of purpose increases motivation⁴ (see previous blog post)?

The Follower

The follower or worker is the second component of the triad. Followers have a parallel “know, do, be”² prerequisite. For example, workers need to know how to be good followers. Some of the same knowledge and skills required of the leader are required of the follower (e.g. awareness of how his or her followership is received). A good follower also needs solid critical-thinking skills⁵ (Do), along with a willingness to actively engage (Be). Barbara Kellerman’s book on Followership labeled this a participant follower; this worker is a willing accomplice in meeting organizational objectives.⁶ Other types of followers share similar qualities but may turn against the leader if the needs of the business are not met. Others are passive in their involvement.⁶

The leader does not need a fawning follower (even though it may be easier). For the betterment of the organization, the follower also needs to challenge the leader, as needed. It is up to the leader, however, to arrange the conditions for openness and alignment, so that both the leader and follower are “pulling the cart” in the same direction. 

Therefore, because the follower chooses his or her behaviors, the follower element is just as vital as the leader. For example, Yahoo has 12,500 employees⁷ and CEO Marissa Mayer must create a positive climate and alignment. This is a big job for a company that has been as roughed over as it has been over the last several years.

As a reminder, the leader and follower roles are often interchangeable. It is common and expected that the follower may at times take the lead while the formal leader follows.

The Context 

 

The context or the situation confronting the organization is the third part of the triad. It represents the business climate (competition, economy, etc.), the type of work (e.g. structured tasks – steps for the tasks are known vs. unstructured – forging new ground). The CEO and followers have some influence over the situations encountered. For example, together the leaders and followers can add more structure to their work (e.g. use project planning protocols throughout the entire organization). However, most of the time, the context is immovable and requires the appropriate reaction from leaders and followers’ joint efforts to meet business objectives.

 

Delta

The Delta component of the blog’s name is meant to signal the notion of change. Leadership is foremost about executing change in a business and moving it from its current position to some future desired state. The business’ vision and strategy are designed to articulate the planned future and to identify approaches to get there.

Tri-Delta Leadership

Therefore, the name Tri-Delta Leadership evolved from the idea that leadership is about a leader and a follower operating together in response to the context, for the purpose of changing and bettering the organization for the future. The ultimate goal is a sustainable long-term business.

Please feel free to make comments.

References

¹ CNN Money, Global 500, GE, Retrieved 10-16-12: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2009/snapshots/170.html

² Snook, S.A., R.K. Khurana, et al. (2012). Teaching Leadership: Advancing the Field. The Handbook for Teaching Leadership: Knowing, Doing, Being. S.A. Snook, R.K. Khurana and N. Nohria. Los Angeles, Sage: XI - XXIX.

³ Podolny, J. M., Khurana, R.A., & Besharov, M.L. (2010). Revisiting the Meaning of Leadership. In N. Nohria & R. Khurana (Eds.), Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice (pp. 65 - 105). Boston: Harvard Business Press.

⁴ Pink, D. Drive: the Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. New York: Riverhead Books.

See video for more information at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc

⁵  Daft, R.L. (2008). The Leadership Experience (4th ed.). Mason, Ohio: Thomson Southwestern. Styles of followership were created by Robert E. Kelley and written about in this Daft text. For a complete description of the "Styles of Followership," see pages 194-198.

⁶ Kellerman, B. (2008). Followership: How Followers Are Creating Change and Changing Leaders. Boston: Harvard Business Press.

⁷ Investor FAQs. Found at: http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/faq.cfm. Retrieved10-17-12

⁸ I have been influenced by a variety of scholars in my research and writings (see citations for each of my blogs). Here are a few (no particular order): Avolio, B.J., Bass, B.M., Curphy, G.J., Daft, R.L., Ginnett, R.C., Goleman, D., Boyatzias, R., Hughes, R.L., Kellerman, B., Northouse, P.G., Yukl, G., Wren, J.T.