Teach, Your Children Well

Nicolet Bank just released its study on Leadership. It revealed several interesting things about CEOs and Business Leaders up here on the Frozen Tundra.

Among its findings: Leaders in this Neck of the Woods said Leadership is not predetermined.

Tundran CEOs and Business Leaders - as well as academics who study Leadership as their primary field - have concluded that Leadership CAN be learned. The most recent Nicolet Bank Business Pulse study asked nearly 500 CEOs and Business Leaders what they thought, and nearly Nine-in-Ten said, “Yes, it can.”

(36% said “Definitely;” 53% said “Probably.” Only 10% said it Probably Can’t be Learned; 1% said it, Definitely Cannot be Learned!)

Leadership = Integrity
What 's most important for Leadership? 96% said: Integrity.

Determination and Confidence were close behind. 53% of the CEOs said Conceptual Skills were Major Factors; 43% said Emotional Skills followed by Intelligence; Charisma; Sociability and Technical Skills.

With the possible exception of Charisma, all these characteristics can be learned – and/or improved upon – by learning and studying. CEOs think Integrity is about being honesty and having strong moral principles, but it's more than that.

In his recent book Integrity, Dr. Henry Cloud, found that leaders with Integrity have 6 qualities: 1.) They are able to Connect with others and build Trust; 2.) They are oriented towards Reality; 3.) They Finish well; 4.) They embrace the Negative; 5.) They are oriented towards Increase and, 6.) They have an Understanding of the Transcendent.

ASIDE: I'm not sure how much understanding I have of the Transcendent, but I DO like my orientation towards Increase - and I LOVE to Finish Well! :END ASIDE

CEOs in The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse were also asked how important it is for leaders to play various roles. 79% said Putting the Right People in the Right Place was a Critically Important role; Providing the Vision was critically important to 77%.

Both views are right out of Jim Collins’ book: Good to Great. Collins argues that you need to get the right people on the bus and the wrong people off the bus before you figure out the Vision. Collins may get pushback from leaders on the exact order of these two roles, but it is clear that CEOs in the NewNorth view both as the most important roles they play in moving an organization forward.

A second tier of “Critically Important” roles includes: Inspiring the Organization, Communication, Customer Enhancement/Satisfaction and Development of Revenue Strategies. Farther down the list are: Providing Structure for the Organization, Public Relations and Marketing and Process Improvement.

Examining the multiple skill sets leaders need - and the roles they need to play - raises more questions: Can one leader have all the skills necessary to be effective? Can one person play an effective role providing Vision - as well as getting the right people in the right seats on the bus? Is it necessary to have multiple leaders?

Leaders in The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse have mixed views. It IS necessary to have leaders at various levels within the organization, but the question here is focused at Top-Level Leadership. About six-in-ten (61%) feel it’s a Good Idea to have multiple leaders; 39% say it’s not.

The Challenge for Leaders in the 21^st Century will be more complex than even just a few years ago. We are also at the cusp of a time when many Baby-Boomers will be stepping down from leadership positions in large numbers - in most sectors of the economy. While their exit has been delayed by the recession (and constant re-adjustment of their retirement window), it will not be long before Business, Government and our Communities find themselves a little short on leaders.

The task is to develop leadership development opportunities for young people identified with Leadership potential - sooner than later.

Teach Your Children
by Graham Nash

You, who are on the road,
must have a code that you can live by…
And so, become yourself,
because the past is just a goodbye.

Teach your children well.
Their father's hell,
did slowly go by.
And feed them on your dreams.
The one they pick,
is the one you'll know by.

Don't you ever ask them why…
If they told you you would die.
So just look at them and sigh,
and know they love you.

And you, of tender years,
don’t know the fears
that your elders grew by.
So please, help them with your youth.
They seek the truth before they can die

Teach your parents well.
Their children’s hell,
will slowly go by.
And feed them on your dreams.
The one they pick,
is the one you’ll know by.

Don’t you ever ask them why…
If they told you, you would cry.
So just look at them and sigh,
and know they love you.

How the Survey is Conducted
The Nicolet Bank Business Pulse^© is a Quarterly Study of CEOs and business leaders in the NewNorth Wisconsin, and Menominee, Michigan. It is designed and implemented by IntellectualMarketing, LLC. The survey, conducted September 17 - 29, 2010, was completed by 144 CEOs in the New North. Participants include: 28% in manufacturing; 26% in services; 19% retail trade; 5% wholesale trade; 6% finance, real estate, insurance; 6% in transportation, communications, utilities; 6% in construction; 6% in other industries. 16% have fewer than 6 employees; 27% have 6-25; 18% have 26-50; 12% 51-100; 17% 101-250; 6% 251-500; 1% 501-1,000; 3% have 1,001 or more.

Questions to Dr. David G. Wegge (920) 217-7738; dave.wegge@snc.edu