Leadership for the Long Haul

Don Welch, Vice President for Information Technology and Global University Chief Information Officer, New York University

There are lots of different leadership styles, some of which are more appropriate for certain situations than others. We have probably all experienced the pace-setter, command and control type leader in our careers. This leadership style can work when the leader is brilliant and has boundless energy. Steve Jobs is a great example. He got stuff done even though many people  did not enjoy working for him. The question I ask is, "What could Apple have accomplished had he been a more empowering leader?"

If we look at the world productivity growth curve over the course of history, it looks like an “L” that fell on its back. During the later half of the nineteenth century, productivity exploded from slow incremental growth to an exponential skyrocket in just a few decades. Some economists have claimed that the development of the corporation and the corporate lab were major contributors to this phenomenon. Prior to this, a brilliant inventor also had to be good at production, supply chain management, sales, marketing, and administration for the invention to make a broad impact. Large organizations allowed people to specialize, leveraging both their talents and focus. To harness all this capability, we needed leaders to not only coordinate all these activities, but to get the most out of the entire organization.

Ideally, we build teams that deliver more than the members would as single contributors. That's much easier said than done. In many cases, we pick the wrong people for leadership roles. A great engineer may not make a good leader by talents or desire. In many cases, we provide little training or support to develop leadership ability. We expect a new leader to rely on their innate skills, or to just pick it up.

Organizations that are well led have satisfied stakeholders. The people in the organization are happier and have a sense of accomplishment as well as a feeling of belonging. These organizations also develop a positive, healthy culture. While it takes a long time to develop, a positive culture allows the organization to endure occasional poor leaders, improve leadership skills across the enterprise, build positive momentum, and deliver long-term success.

Over the course of my career, I’ve had the opportunity to observe many leaders and I’ve compiled a list of traits that have been constant for every good leader.

Good leaders believe in and rally support for the purpose. Surveys show that people crave a sense of purpose. They care about the mission more than they care about their esteem, rewards, personal success, and team success. Their passion is contagious. It is easy to spot an organization who believes in their purpose. We're fortunate in higher education that we have a purpose that is easy to identify and rally behind.

Good leaders care about the people. Trust is the bedrock of leadership. When people understand that a leader truly cares about them, trust becomes the positive theme of leadership. This shows how much they develop and empower people. People want to be good at what they do and grow their skills. This is about more than budgeting training dollars. It's using teachable moments. It's about giving stretch assignments and having the self-confidence to let people do things the way they want rather than the way they would.

Good leaders convey clear expectations, goals and a vision. People want to succeed. Knowing what success is and how to get there is critical. It feels good to be part of a winning team. It is not always easy to know if an IT team is winning, but clear goals help people see progress. Good leaders do as they say, setting expectations and, most importantly, holding people accountable.

Good leaders listen. This goes hand-in-hand with communication. You can’t be a good communicator without being a good listener. This also means a leader has to hear bad news and hard feedback. None of us is perfect; we can’t grow without feedback. Leaders need to understand the organization from all perspectives and they get that from listening. When people feel heard, they are more engaged.

Good leaders are courageous. Not physical courage, but the courage to do the right thing, stand up for principle, take the heat, back up their people and make the hard decisions. People know what goes on. They know when you avoid difficult problems or support

Every leader that I’ve seen with these behaviors has not only been successful, but has been someone I wanted to work for or wish I could have worked for. The more leaders exhibit these behaviors, the more the behaviors become part of the culture. New leaders tend to model the behaviors around them. Like pushing on a flywheel, these positive behaviors build momentum. The organization weathers mediocre leaders as they either adapt or leave. These have been organizations that have thrived over the long term.

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