The manager administers, the leader improves;
the manager maintains, the leader develops;
the manager relies on systems, the leader relies on people;
the manager counts on controls, the leader counts on trust;
the manager does things right, the leader does the right thing.
-Fortune Magazine

The intentions of our decisions are our brand of fertilizer that enables our results to flourish and amplify with time or, fade and wither! You got the record crop (number/result) this year. Can you do it again next year? At what cost? Is that acceptable?

What legacy did you sow to enable it to happen again? Did you strip the resources and need to start from scratch and build up the soil again? Or did you harvest sustainably so you can let it rest for a season, come back and crop it hard again?

The intention of our decision-making is the quality of the fertilizer we prepare to apply to our next crop!

Decisions made in fair times can be duly considered, socialized and delivered. They can readily add great fertilizer to a great team with outstanding results!

However, few of us work in these environments. Most of us have too many decisions to make in too little time, with out due consideration or thought. Most of us need to select what we think are the 'big ones' and focus on delivering these well. The quality of our selection gives critical feedback on our assumptions and therefore leadership style.

What "big ones' do you select? Why? What are you seeking to create in these attributes, something positive or avoid something negative?

Most leaders rate themselves poorly, they have little objectivity in their assessment of the impact of their performance. Their boss is generally more objective and their direct reports most objective!

What would your direct reports say about you? Do you know? Have you collected any information? Well corporate life is about to!

IBM have an impressive management development tool that gives direct reports an opportunity to rate managers biannually. Managers that have a poor report are counseled to address the issues. Those that have two bad reports are usually removed, certainly three strikes and they are out! This is a very powerful message about leadership: that it is best assessed by those that are led!

In an effort to give leaders realistic feedback about their performance many corporations have offering 360 degree feedback. Often clients take the management feedback as more important, and pragmatically this can be true in the short term, than subordinate feedback. Is management going to continue to find this acceptable?

Staffing is most companies biggest expense. Leadership development, given 2 to 3 are developed for every one retained and placed, is therefore its greatest investment in this expense. The literature suggests 30-50% of external appointments fail. Now we are stuck between a rock and a hard place!

Corporate life is keen to assess a leaders talents and develop these, however if it can identify self limiting behavior ? such as career de railers, maybe it will decide to be more cautious in the development of these individuals.

Hogan and Hogan, the most sought after leadership analysts in the USA's Fortune 100 companies, indicate they are the inability to form a team, and a lack of understanding of your leadership style! (1)

Leadership-style is one of the most searched topics in leadership on the Internet. Now we know why! Leaders are being told to appreciate their leadership style so that they can consistently develop and apply it, thus avoiding the traps of leadership de railers!

However, leadership is intimately tied to personality, with sincerity of style being one of the most critical factors in allegiance being given! If it is personality based, how can the results of generic tools give us appropriate clarity and sense of contribution compared to what we know inside ourselves?

The answer lies in crafting our action-based leadership values into a foundation of our behavior for the 'tough' times. That we become the beacon of integrity we intended to be in these circumstances by doing "the right thing."

It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are. Roy Disney

(1) Hogan and Hogan, International Journal of Selection and Assessment, Vol 9, No 1/2, Mar/Jun 2001.)

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Rosemary Johnston is a professional corporate and personal coach. Working with executives from some of Australia's largest and most successful companies for over 15 years. Rosemary's new book, "How To Develop Your Leadership Style and Skills to Take Charge of Your Career and Life" is now available to download at her web site. Read about how you can share some of the success Rosemary has had coaching leaders in Australian blue chip companies. http://www.leadershipfirst.com.au