PDF What'S Your Leadership Equation? - Sf, Dph

WHAT'S YOUR LEADERSHIP EQUATION?

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"Leadership is getting results in a way that inspires trust" . . . Stephen MR Covey

At the Population Health Division (PHD) Showcase on October, 20, 2014, I introduced a leadership equation that I have found very useful. The equation evolved over a few years and provides a concise mental model of key leadership components that I always try to keep in mind. This leadership equation consist of seven components: vision, values, purpose, strategy, engagement, empowerment, and self-interest. I strive to maximize the first six components while minimizing self-interest. I aspire to be an effective servant leader. A servant leader is one who is committed first and foremost to serving others, and only desires to lead or hold a leadership position to serve others better--not for self gain. This equation aligns nicely with Simon Sinek's Golden Circle model that he introduced in a popular TED talk entitled "How great leaders inspire action." In this issue of "From the Desk of . . . " I review this topic with the hope that you will find it helpful for your own leadership development. I welcome and appreciate your feedback and suggestions for improvement.

1 Health Officer, City and County of San Francisco 2 Director, Population Health Division, San Francisco Department of Public Health 3 Adjunct Faculty, University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health * Address: 101 Grove St., Rm 308, SF, CA 94102; Email: tomas.aragon@

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What's your leadership equation? What concise mental model of leadership do you hold that reminds you of the key components and how they are related? In fall 2014, I graduated from the UCSF California Healthcare Foundation (CHCF) Leadership Program. I still remember my first session two years earlier where Dr. Ed O'Neil introduced this leadership equation:

Leadership = Vision + T ask + Relationship

(1)

This is a practical model: when you are having leadership challenges it's usually because you could use improvement in one or more components. For example, you may be a visionary but have horrible people skills, or never get anything done. This equation supports their leadership development model and curriculum focused on purpose (vision), process (task), people (relationship), and personal. However, I was not completely satisfied with this equation--something was missing for me.

In the Theory and Practice of Leadership [2], leadership scholar Roger Gill studied leadership models and practices from around the globe. He argues that leadership practice boils down to six core themes:

? Vision ? Purpose ? Values ? Strategy ? Empowerment ? Engagement

Consequently, his definition of leadership includes these core themes:

Leadership is showing the way and helping or inducing others to pursue it. This entails envisioning a desirable future, promoting a clear purpose or mission, supportive values and intelligent strategies, and empowering and engaging all those concerned.

The six themes make sense to me so I have adopted this definition. However, I discovered that something was still missing for me. Recently, Dr. Eric Handler, Health Officer of Orange County, introduced me to a leadership equation that had "self-interest" in the denominator.1 Having "self-interest" in the denominator grabbed my attention. As you may know from my post on cultural humility,2 3 I believe the practice of humility is central to building trust--which in turn enables cooperation. Minimizing self-interest is a form of practicing humility. Therefore, combining Gill with Handler, here is a leadership equation that works for me:

Leadership = (V1 + V2 + P) + (S + E1 + E2) Self-Interest

(2)

(WHY) + (HOW)

= Self-Interest

(3)

1 Leadership = (Authenticity + Responsiblity + Credibility)/Self-Interest 2 3 Cultural humility is a practice based on (a) committing to lifelong learning and critical self-

reflection, (b) discovering and setting aside our biases, (c) practicing humble inquiry [4] and deep listening, (d) redressing power imbalances for respectful partnerships, and (e) transforming institutions by promoting accountability. This definition was adapted from [5].

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Figure 1: The Golden Circle (Adapted from nfbxol8 and ).

In Equation 3, values (V1), vision (V2), and purpose (P) are the why, and strategy (S), engagement (E1), and empowerment (E2) are the how. The why and the how are the core of Simon Sinek's Golden Circle (Figure 1).

Sinek convincingly argues that good organizational leaders "start with why": building and communicating shared values, vision, and purpose. Starting with why inspires action (the how): engaging and empowering staff to implement an effective strategy. The what are results (outputs, outcomes, goals, and impacts). This is summarized in Table 1:

Having "self-interest" in the denominator makes this a servant leadership model. This resonates with my values, but I also believe it makes one a much better leader because one builds more trust and credibility. I prefer leaders who are motivated by serving others; that is, they want to lead not for self gain but to improve the lives of others.

You will notice that Gill started with Vision but I started with Values. This was intentional. Values are "what's important to us." Our vision of a desired future state depends on what is important to us--our values. Values are more than "supportive values" (as in Gill's definition), they are the reason--the why--that inspires our actions?the how. Therefore, we must clarify our common core values before we design a shared vision.

Table 1: Simon Sinek's Golden Circle and Leadership Equation

Golden Circle Leadership Equation (rows 1 and 2)

Why How What

Values, Vision, Purpose Strategy, Engagement, Empowerment Results (outputs, outcomes, goals, impacts)

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Now we need to add the what or results:

Leadership + Execution Results

(4)

Note that leadership is a relationship with followers. Management is a set of functions to execute a strategy [3]. Unlike management--a set of functions-- leadership cannot be delegated, assigned, or transferred.4 The purpose of management is execution. Therefore, here is an equivalent to Equation 4:

Leadership + Management Results

(5)

However, as Stephen M.R. Covey [1] reminds us:

"Leadership is getting results in a way that inspires trust."

That is, "[Good] leadership is getting (executing) results (what) in a way (how) that inspires trust (why)." In other words, good leadership ensures the whole process: leadership, execution, and results. How can this be? How can "leadership" be a component and a whole at the same time. This is not a contradiction: this is the recursive property5 of leadership. Every time you "click" on leadership you get "Leadership + Execution Results."

By the way, Covey's quote applies equally well to management: Good management is getting results in a way that inspires trust. You can think of leadership and management as two sides of the same coin. To be a good leader requires good management skills; and to be a good manager requires good leadership skills. Both are important. However, in a dynamic, complex environment with uncertainty and risk, and a need to be agile, adaptive, and responsive, good leadership is mission critical. In a stable, predictable environment with low risk, and little need to be agile, adaptive, or responsive, good management may be sufficient. As you move higher in an organization, leadership skills become more important and expected--and is essential in today's turbulent, complex environment, or to tackle complex social problems (proverty, hunger, etc.).

To fully understand the Golden Circle please view this brilliant TED Talk by Simon Sinek entitled "How great leaders inspire action." As of December 2014, it is the third most viewed video on (see Figure 2 on the following page):



In summary, through study, practice, and reflection I have adopted (and adapted) this servant "leadership equation." I believe that readers will find value in this leadership equation that aligns nicely with Simon Sinek's Golden Circle. In other words, good leaders start with why (vision, values, and purpose) and how (strategy, engagement, and empowerment) to achieve

4 Do not confuse "leadership" (practiced by leaders) with "leadership roles." One does not have to be in a leadership role or position (e.g., being the boss) to be a leader, and being in a leadership role does not make one a leader. True leadership requires willing followers.

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References 5

Figure 2: Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership all starting with a golden circle and the question "Why?" His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers . . . (Filmed at TEDxPugetSound).

what (results). If you cannot remember equations, just remember Stephen MR Covey: "Leadership is getting results in a way that inspires trust."

[1] Stephen M.R. Covey. The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything. Free Press, 2008. 354 pp. isbn: 1847392717.

[2] Roger Gill. Theory and Practice of Leadership. 2nd ed. SAGE Publications Ltd, 2012. 552 pp. isbn: 9781849200240.

[3] Michael Maccoby et al. Transforming Health Care Leadership: A Systems Guide to Improve Patient Care, Decrease Costs, and Improve Population Health. 1st ed. Jossey-Bass, 2013. 416 pp. isbn: 9781118505632.

[4] Edgar H. Schein. Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2013. 144 pp. isbn: 1609949811.

[5] Melanie Tervalon and Jann Murray-Garc?a. "Cultural humility versus cultural competence: a critical distinction in defining physician training outcomes in multicultural education". In: J Health Care Poor Underserved 9.2 (May 1998), pp. 117?125. PMID: 10073197.

Figure 3: "Visionary" leader in need of a leadership equation!

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