KEY POINTS:
At West Point, the renowned military academy attended by the United States' finest future officers, they teach their young cadets to be followers in their first year, not leaders.
As the four-year course progresses, bit by bit the cadets' superiors add to their responsibilities. But first, they spend a lot of time learning what a good follower is. At West Point, most of the cadets have been stars of some kind - class valedictorians, the college basketball captain - but they become convincing second fiddles in that first year.
By the end of their four years, they are ready to lead soldiers directly into battle if need be. As the academy says, its mission is: "To educate, train and inspire ... so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of duty, honour, country ... "
The US military approach to grooming future leaders may not be every New Zealand organisation's obvious ideal, but there is something to be learnt from the way things are run. The Army has a lot of time to prepare its people for big things, being 95 per cent training, 5 per cent action, says Professor Bruce Avolio, Clifton Chair in leadership at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Avolio, an industrial/organisational psychologist, described as the "father" of authentic leadership in the US, has worked with the military in his own country, Singapore, Sweden, Finland, Israel and South Africa. He recently worked with the University of Auckland Business School's charitable trust, Excelerator, on a large-scale study looking at authentic leadership in New Zealand.
The study, More Right than Real, funded by accounting firm BDO Spicers, concluded that local leaders often lack authenticity, which could discourage staff creativity and innovation. The main criticism was that New Zealand leaders felt it more important to be right than to be real. They were, however, strong morally and ethically.
Dr Lester Levy, chief executive of Excelerator, defines authentic leaders as "owning one's personal experiences and acting honestly. If you are a truly authentic leader, you will be morally and ethically grounded, self-aware, open, transparent and balanced."
The authentic leadership concept has gained widespread acceptance in the business world since a number of high-profile scandals among corporates such as Enron, Parmalat and WorldCom.
Avolio predicts that the training for leadership will become more formalised. People will be able to get certificates in leadership and will move between jobs in that role.
"I really would hope to see a certificate for leadership," Avolio says.
"I would like to see leadership become more of a profession. There would be things people need to know whether they are in New Zealand, the UK or Mexico."
Avolio is keen to see organisations get serious about demanding higher standards for what qualifies as being a leader.
"The way leaders are selected is pretty unbelievable," he says. In the US, it is often done through word of mouth. "We are coming to a period of time where there will be increasing pressure to get this right and be more effective because of the [emerging] war for leadership talent," he says.
Already an authority on what makes a good leader, Avolio is now turning his mind to what makes a good follower.
"You could do a lot more work on exemplary followers who end up being better leaders," he says.
More resources have been committed to leadership than followers, but that is beginning to shift, says Avolio. He is keen to see more training, development and appreciation of followers in organisations.
A good follower is "someone willing to be transparent, someone who challenges, who makes sure choices being made are for the good of the group". They take care of their development and are positive. In a time of crisis these second-in-commands should be able to take on a leadership role.
In the Army, they are in fact developed for that to happen. In wartime, you can be separated easily - "heroes die just like other people do".
Military leadership is about building a strong sense of cohesion so that when in a difficult situation, you rely on that connection to the people you are with. In the Army and in corporate life, leaders are faced with motivating staff.
With his psychologist hat on, Avolio says: "People like to feel their work is meaningful whether they are typing a manuscript or saving someone's life; it's about creating a sense of meaning, a sense of ownership ... giving people a clear sense of mission."
Giving your staff a looser rein, to keep them happy and motivated, is becoming a strong trend in the corporate America. IBM has done away with formal working hours. Employees work out a schedule with their line managers. Companies like IBM are wanting to give employees more ownership.
"It started ... with latchkey kids," says Avolio. Used to being free to decide how to spend their time after school, they don't respond well to being told what to do at work within strict confines.
The professor is now researching moral courage and efficacy at West Point. He is trying to discover if courage is a state or a trait. Courage is something that relates to all leaders and followers.
While a West Point cadet would need to show courage out in the field, Avolio is also looking at it whether a soldier has the courage to question a superior and say: "You're not doing it right." He says the Army is trying to encourage that, and more of that attitude should be happening in corporations.
* Gill South is a freelance business writer based in Auckland.
