anatomy of leadership readiness

8/14/2019 Anatomy of Leadership Readiness

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Authors:

Wali Zahid &

Leadership Readiness Class (2006)

MBA / MS SZABIST, Karachi


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Background

Background The Leadership Readiness course

Leadership is a much written and talked about term. We have seen authors and management

gurus talking about leadership styles, theories and even how great leaders worked to rise to the

occasion to save the day for their nations. There are numerous articles and material available on

internet as well. A simple search for the term leadership in Google will give you approximately

164,000,000 (164 million) results. So what is different about this course titled Leadership

Readiness being taught at SZABIST for the first time by Mr. Wali Zahid (see contributions)?

It is not about the above mentioned questions. It is about what it takes to become a leader. What

factors are involved in shaping up a leader, in preparing him / her to take up the leadership role,

getting him / her ready to be precise? It is a prologue to leadership or becoming a leader. In

studying the various aspects of readiness and during various brainstorming sessions in class we1

have developed a leadership readiness model with the help of human anatomy. How do the

various parts of human body enable anyone in gearing up to become a great leader? We titled it:

The Anatomy of Leadership Readiness

Leaders are exceptions. Therefore their anatomies are also exceptions. They perform with these

exceptional anatomies. We have outlined few important parts that play a major role in this

anatomy. They are ordered, ranked and discussed with respect to their importance in how the

leaders use them to become great leaders. These are:

Head

Heart

Gut

Tongue

Ear

Eye

Hand

Feet

We are the pioneers of this leadership readiness course and it is our pride and privilege to have

produced this piece of work.

1Wali Zahid & Class of Leadership Readiness MBA Elective, SZABIST KHI (2006)

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Anatomy of Leadership Readiness

Chapter 1

The Head

A good leader needs to have a compass in his head and a bar of steel in his heart.~ Robert Townsend

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Chapter 1 The Head

The head forms an integral part of Human body and of course our framework of Leadership

Readiness Anatomy. Head is the center of all decision making and wisdom for every human. A

person preparing himself to be a leader uses his head wisely and in coordination with the rest of

the body. This is the main control center of our Leadership Readiness Model, where all the

analysis, number crunching, data banking, calculation, computation and estimation takes place.

Anyone aiming to get ready to be a leader possesses a Head that:

Has a vision, milestones, objectives and goals for the organization. Leaders are leaders

because they have some concrete goals and benchmarks to achieve. People love to follow

leaders who provide them a purpose and aim.

Has the ability to distinguish between individual and organizational goals. Influential are those

leaders who know what individuals want to achieve in organizations and what organizationswant to achieve through individuals. A good leader artistically accepts the individuality of

his/her followers.

Analyzes the information, either sighted by the Eye or captured via Ears. Good leaders

possess sharp analytical skills, through which they intelligently evaluate the situation with the

help of inputs that are provided from various sources. It is worth mentioning that leaders

hardly get carried away with things. They thoroughly scrutinize the pros and cons of

alternatives before making decisions.

Focuses on the broader perspective and thinks out of the box. Creativity and originality is the

essence of leadership. Leaders bring in change very smoothly. Their charismatic persona

makes people accept their out of the box ideas wholeheartedly.

Is not very nervy, is calm in making decisions and delegates work to materialize goals.

Leaders seldom get into the nitty-gritty of things. They rather entrust people to carry out tasks

for them. A very important part of a leader's personality is his/her calm. Leaders do not get

angered easily. They are cool and composed like the serene sea water, yet have gusty winds

veiled in their existence.

Has processing skills to differentiate between emotion and rationale. It is well-accepted that

leaders have a cause. A cause--- which they live for. In spite of being so much involved in it

they still have the correct state of heart and mind to make decisions. History hardly tells us

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Chapter 1 The Head

cases of effective leaders exhibiting emotional outbursts. They think, think and rethink before

making decisions, rather than flowing with sentiments.

Filters the irrelevant and produces the required. Acclaimed are those leaders who can work

on relevance. People would not like to dissipate their energies with a leader who does notunderstand the weightage of significant matters.

Nods not only on his achievements but also on his / her pitfalls. A leader becomes complete

when he/she learns the art of accepting his/her mistakes. The level-Five leadership, which

says that leaders are unfinished until they learn to accept their blunders.

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Chapter 2

The Heart

Your heart has to be in whatever you lead~ Mike Krzyzewski

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Chapter 2 The Heart

The heart is one off entity in the humans that pumps energy and life throughout the body. It brings

in pessimism (blood with no oxygen) and spurts out optimism (blood full of oxygen). The four

chambers of a heart not only are filled with a mother like love but also with a bar of steel for a

freedom fighter, a ruler and a leader. Even in todays advanced technological times we have

leaders who listen to their Heart for important decisions. For some leaders, the inclination of the

Heart is very important when making decisions.

Anyone aiming to get ready to be a leader has a Heart that:

Is competent. Leaders are able to resolve any and all the matters pertaining to their domain.

Leader with a competent heart has the focus on objectives and inspires commitment.

Is intimate. Leaders derive meaning and satisfaction from the accomplishments of their work

group, their relationships and personal growth that takes place within it. They value the workof individuals to the success of the organization as a whole.

Has integrity. Do what you say the saying goes. Leaders heart leads by example. Only

when they are sure of what they want to achieve then only they are able to convince others to

go for it. This comes from within the heart the conviction. Lack of integrity in leadership will

lose its ability to set an example and lead.

Has passion. At the heart of leadership is passion The passion to innovate, to learn, to

improve continuously, to deliver the ultimate results and to walk an extra mile. It is the

emotion of an organizational soul. The heart is indefatigable which forces the leader to

continue to follow the vision, no matter what the circumstances are.

Is insightful and able to judge the situation. Leaders are able to foresee the situation and take

appropriate decisions. Not always do they listen to their Head, but sometimes they take

guidance from their heart too.

Is courageous gives the ability to see the adversary in its eye and come up as a winner.

Leaders have the nerve to accept their shortcomings and improve constantly.

Is confident and challenges the status quo when required. Leaders do not fallback on their

objectives. They have a heart to take up the challenge and see it through either by

themselves or with the cooperation of team.

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Chapter 2 The Heart

Cries and laughs with and for the team. Leaders behave as if they are part of the team and

not always the head of it. They dig in and do the actual work too. The team as a result feels

that you have a heart for their activities and therefore trust the leadership for the leader has

undergone a similar experience. Leaders indeed foster an emotional relationship with their

followers.

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Chapter 3

The Gut

A leader must have the courage to act against an expert's advice.~ James Callaghan

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Chapter 3 The Gut

Gut in our Leadership Readiness Model points towards courage and determination. Gut is

panacea; it inspires a leader and his/her followers to achieve new heights of success. Leadership

is unadorned without Gut. It is this Gut because of which numerous people follow one simple

person for a cause.

Anyone aiming to get ready to be a leader has a Gut that:

Defends his/ her decision and make or adjudicate on decisions based on intuition and

erudition. As leaders usually think out of the box, therefore they need to have the nerve not

only to stand by their toughest decisions but also to take their followers along with that

decision and also to fight oppositions.

Is invincible and rebel against suppression of followers. Followers are a leaders primary

source of strength. In case of organizations a leader needs to have the gut to challenge the

impossible. Many leaders often exhibit this trait by saying Impossible is nothing while

addressing their people.

Can inculcate, rekindle and recycle 24/7. Leaders constantly work towards reviving and

enlightening the existing system. They have a fire burning persistently in them that wants to

see a clean, profitable and productive nation/organization.

To achieve his/ her desired goals and aims. These goals can also be the collective goals of

organization or a nation. Leaders do not just plan but they also aim towards realization oftheir planning. They strive to accomplish the tasks/aims and objectives set by him/her,

irrespective of any precarious situation that can be in the form of loss of life or any threat.

To face any personal or national calamity with self-control. History has many examples of

cases where great leaders raised their voices for justice selflessly. They were faced with high

risks of losing their loved ones and followers but even this did not diminish their drive to take

strong decisions. They inspired others in such situations.

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Chapter 4

The Tongue

Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.~ Ambrose Bierce

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Chapter 4 The Tongue

The tongue is called the strongest muscle of the human body. When it works well it does wonders

for an individual, a group, an organization or even a nation. Yet when it falters, it makes the

empires fall. Leaders possess an extra ordinary art of communicating their beliefs, ideas, views

and course of action and all this is done via the human delivery channel of The Tongue.

Anyone aiming to get ready to be a leader has a Tongue that:

Thinks before it speaks gets signal from head to speak out or not. Leaders do as they say.

They speak of rational promises that they can keep which results in trust in the leader and

their leadership. Trust -- which is the basic element in Leader-Follower Relationship?

Is tactful in handling matters of critical nature. Leaders use every possible communication tool

to resolve issues and build commitment and support for the bigger organizational goal. It

includes what is discussed in meetings, the corporate intranet and the blog.

Is soft to subordinates. It can still not be implied that the tongue is always hard towards rivals,

because some leaders believe that rivalry can also be cured with a soft tongue! This is the

charisma of leaders. Leaders hold strategic conversations with people so that they are clear

about expectations and direction.

Guides when the team looses hope. Leaders play a supportive role when teams or individuals

are lower on morale. They show and talk optimism in their persona. This revives the spirits of

their followers and builds their self-esteem to achieve their desired goals with more

enthusiasm.

Explains lucidly any argument, words of wisdom and strength; controversies and successes;

delegation of work; mission and vision. Leaders have an outstanding quality of being simple.

This is why, what they speak is also plain and pure which can be easily understood and

accepted by everyone.

Is emotive and bears a fiery diction and forceful rhetoric that is able to convince and inspire

his /her people. The tongue has to be inline with the emotions and the fire that burns within

the Leader. This makes his/her words come out more thunderous and commanding.

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Chapter 5

The Ear

The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people.~ Woodrow Wilson

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Chapter 5 The Ears

Ears are an integral part of our Leadership readiness Model. The famous saying goes Speech is

Silver, Silence is Golden and when Leaders are silent --- They Listen. This makes the ears take

up a very significant place in our Model. Ears provide input to the Head about the surroundings.

Be it the followers, rivals, other Leaders or anyone. Sharp ears that can filter out useful data

make leaders contented about what they do. They also tell the Leader as to what people feel

about him/her, what they expect from him/her and what their individual motivational levels are.

Anyone aiming to get ready to be a leader possesses an Ear that:

Listens to opinions, ideas, controversies and grievances. A very vital trait in leaders is said to

be their ability to listen patiently. When they listen to peoples complains they try to identify the

root cause of that complain and then hit hard at the problem itself.

Listens whatever is told in words, between the lines and above the lines and in silence.

Leaders are sharp. They derive meanings from conversations and from silence both. This is

extremely important both in dealing with individuals and organizations in order to understand

the psyche of people and to know as to what are their personal drives towards the

organizational goals.

Recognizes and differentiates sounds coming from variety of sources having intensity of

emotions and importance. Leaders pay attention to grievances. They are ready to listen to

peoples personal issues and give advice. Diversity in nature is appreciated for deeper

understanding and association with followers.

Is a participant2 rather than part of an audience3. Leaders have an ability of indulging

themselves in their surroundings. They believe in engagement rather than association. This

helps them develop and flourish emotional bonds with people around them.

2 Participants They know why they are present, they know how the input would help them in evaluating the

situation.3 Audience No Clarity of purpose, no need, expectations are not met

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Chapter 6

The Eye

Leaders keep their eyes on the horizon, not just on the bottom line.~ Warren G. Bennis

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Chapter 6 The Eyes

Eyes --- A window to persons Heart. Eye is a very complex organ in its making. If used properly it

can simplify various complex situations. Leaders have a pure Heart burning with the fire of

ambition. These flames can be seen in a Leaders Eyes. The passion, the drive, the heat, the

purity and the sincerity towards his/her followers is clearly reflected in the Leaders Eyes. Leaders

are good observers too. Their Eyes can capture openings very quickly and effortlessly. Their

bright and intense Eyes manifest their motive to accomplish objectives.

Anyone who is aiming to get ready to be a leader possesses an Eye that:

Seeks for an opportunity. Good leaders have a zero-in on opportunities. Leaders are always

in search of new benchmarks and challenges. They easily get bored with stereo types. This is

why they want to innovate.

Is proactive in observing things before they are visible to someone else. Leaders are the onesto take the first step. They believe in themselves and their Eyes for sighting and capturing

profitable opportunities before others jump for them.

Has an insight of the situation. Leaders always go for the details and the in-depth analysis of

the picture. They do listen to their Heart for matters but still they estimate and calculate the

pros and cons of decisions with the help of the inputs given by Ear and Eye.

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Chapter 7 The Hands

Each organ, in its capacity is of high importance in our Leadership Readiness Model. Hands are

outstandingly important because of the fact that they carry out tasks planned by the Head, with

the help of data sought by the Eye, input received by the Ear. Hands need to be synchronized

with the Tongue, as it is important for Leaders to build trust in their followers by doing what they

say. Leaders make their mark by the tasks that they perform, hence making their hands powerful

and authoritative.

Anyone who is aiming to get ready to be a leader possesses HANDS that:

Quickly grab the opportunity sought by the eye. A leader has a strong eye for upcoming

opportunities, but the hand makes it achievable a task to clutch those opportunities.

Contribute to the tasks. It is important that the leader not only orders his people to perform

work but also works hand in hand with them to reach the goal.

Write down plans and also execute them. A good leader believes in dynamic actions rather

than static plans.

Are ready to defend. A good leader always acts as a shield for his/her followers when they

are looked down upon.

Stretch out from the call of duty. It is important to understand that many a times; a leader has

to perform tasks which do not come within his turf. A good leader is always willing to go an

extra mile to attain the sought goals.

Are ready to appreciate with a pat on the back or clap.

Are synchronized with his/her words. A good leader believes and acts on the notion Practice

what you Preach. This makes his words more influential for the followers to act upon.

Are helping and supportive. There are times when the followers would be upset regarding

some assigned tasks, a good leader pitches in his/her support and assistance towards the

concerned team member to get the job done.

Are willing to spend when needed. A publicly adored leader is one who takes care of his

followers on the financial front. Examples would be sponsoring a Hi-Tea, or Dinner once in a

while for the team to keep them motivated with a social aspect.

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Chapter 8

The Feet

Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.~ Anonymous


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Chapter 8 The Feet

The feet show the direction of where the Leader is headed. They look forward; they step in the

right direction and walk gentle steps. The word feet derived from foot, means: base, bottom, end,

support, stop and finish. Feet as generally perceived, facilitates a leader in moving from one

place to another. They are a sign of balance and grip on the ground. They depict that the Leader

does not become conceited in any situation. His/her steady and warm steps manifest his/her

consistent progress towards the goals.

Anyone who is aiming to get ready to be a leader possesses Feet that:

Help in measuring the key performance indicators of the organization or nation. These Feet

enable the leader to be on the move and evaluate and observe his/her followers while they

perform.

Carry his/her disposition in a respectable manner and culminate the tenure by leaving foot

prints of wisdom for his/her successors. We all learn from history or the footprints of our good

former leaders. The concept of Succession planning is a good example of learning from foot

prints and preparing to get new footprints.

Lead his/her people to path of prosperity and development. Here the criterion for setting

preferences of goals is critical, assuming education is the first node in that path, followed by

career development and so on.

Sustain the motion of his / her actions. As Newtons Law states that to every action there isan equal and opposite reaction so the leader also keeps the reaction frothing, to achieve

optimum success. Situation analysis, synchronization, feedback and reinforcement also help

in sustaining the momentum.

Walk an extra mile; i.e. to set standards for others that are in a form of milestones for them.

Leaders do not limit their scope to a particular set of activities; rather they have broad

horizons and perform in different domains.

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About the Author

Wali Zahid is an international consultant, speaker,trainer and executive coach. He has spoken toaudiences in Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Western Europe,England and the United States.

Wali has trained thousands of managers and businessleaders in the past 15 years from most Fortune-500companies. His leadership and training of trainers

workshops have been a crowd puller. His branded workshops include Leadership forCEOs, Women in Leadership, Leadership Readiness and Leadership Derailments.

A lifelong learner, Wali has received training and education in America, Canada, UK,Germany, Austria and Singapore. He is an accredited leadership trainer from TeamManagement Systems, Australia. He has also taught pioneering courses at MBA levelin Pakistans premier business schools like IBA Karachi and Szabist.

He is member of UKs Institute of Directors, Chartered Management Institute,

Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development, Chartered Institute of Marketing andAmerican Management Association.

Currently, he is working as Director of Management Development Services at BritishCouncil, Karachi and can be reached at [email protected].

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Contributors

Name Age About Me Contact

Aafrin Khizra

Niazi

23

yrs

BCS (Bachelor of Computer

Science) from Al-KhairUniversity. Doing MBA with

majors in HRM from SZABIST.

Working in Faysal Bank

Limited. Will move HR

department after MBA.

[email protected]

Ammar

Farooq

34

yrs

Working in IT field since

1995, with a graduate

degree from FAST Lahore in

Computer Sciences.

Currently enrolled in lastsemester of MBA program at

SZABIST.

[email protected]

Bushra

Ubaidullah

Bhurgri

26

yrs

Graduated (BE in Computers)

from Sir Syed University of

Engg & Tech. Currently in the

3rd semester of MBA at

SZABIST. Majoring in HRM.

[email protected]

om

Faisal

Shamim Naik

31

yrs

Working in IT and

Telecommunication field

since 1999, with a graduate

and a post graduate degree

in Computer Sciences.

Currently enrolled in last

semester of MBA program at

SZABIST.

[email protected]

Faisal umer 25

yrs

Graduate degree in

Computer Sciences from

SZABIST. Currently enrolled

second last semester of MBA

program in HR at SZABIST.

[email protected]

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Farhana Zia 23

yrs

Graduated (BE in Computers)

from Sir Syed University of

Engineering and Technology.

Presently in MBA third

semester at SZABIST with

majors in HRM.

[email protected]

Hisham

Aurangzeb

24

yrs

Bachelors in Software

Development from Hamdard

University Karachi; An Oracle

Certified Professional with

sound knowledge of

Databases and the

Technology. To improve my

management skills, joined

SZABIST for an MBA withmajors in HR.

[email protected]

0333-2241882

Mirza Faizan

Baig

27

yrs

Working for Deloitte M.

Yousuf Adil Saleem & Co.

Chartered Accountants in HR

Department. Also work as a

free lance visualizer and

graphic designer. Qualified

as BBA (Hons.) from BIM&CS

and certified as a 3-D

Animator from ArenaMultimedia. Currently

enrolled in MBA/MS program

at SZABIST, KHI.

[email protected]

Omar Hafeez 24

yrs

Working as IT Coordinator

Sind for Ministry of

Environment (Government of

Pakistan) on implementation

of SMART project. Graduated

(BCS) from SZABIST in 2005,

presently in 2nd semester ofMBA program with majors in

HRM.

[email protected]

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Shahla

Surhyo

30

yrs

Attached with Banking

Industry since 2000, having

past flavor of Citibank &

currently designated as

Relationship Manager in

Human Resources at Bank

Alfalah Limited, holding a

Masters in International

Relations, MBA (Marketing) &

M-Phil in IHRM is in progress

at SZABIST under feather of

Northamton UK.

[email protected]

Shehnaz

Shalwani

23

yrs

BCS and MCS from SZABIST.

Right now pursuing MBA in

Human Resource final

semester. After completing

MBA in HR. I have passion to

work with HR department of

a good multinational where I

can learn and apply my

skills. My hobbies include

music, TV and reading.

[email protected]

Shiraz Ahmed 29

yrs

Working in HR &

Management since 1999,

with PGD in Public

Administration, Masters in

HRM and a Certified HR

Professional, currently

enrolled in MS program at

SZABIST.

[email protected]

Syed Fida

Marvat

Currently doing MBA from

SZABIST Karachi. And

serving in PAF as Flight

Lieutenant. BE, Aeronautical

Engineering PAF Academy

Risalpur /NUST.

[email protected]

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Tabassum

Nadeem

45

yrs

Serving in Pakistan Navy in

the HR department for PN

Civilian Employees as

number two.

Joined Navy in 1979 as a

junior Cadet (after

matriculation). By profession

submariner. BSc (Hons) in

Naval Sciences and Bsc

(Hons) in War Studies from K

U. Currently enrolled in 4th

semester of MBA program at

SZABIST.

[email protected]

Umer Irfan 25

yrs

Currently doing MBA in HR

from SZABIST Karachi. Have

done BS (IT) from

Assumption University

Bangkok. Worked at UNHCR

Bangkok as Coordinator for a

year.

[email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

anatomy of leadership readiness

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