What really are the characteristics that make a good leader? Well.. you probably know… they possess good judgment, are strong communicators, self-aware, resilient, accountable. Those are many, but not all, of the qualities that come to mind when we think of leadership. But therein lies the challenge. A “good” leader is often defined in quite a few ways.
These are qualities that we all would like to have (and some we probably already do). But you will notice the qualities of a good leader are abstract concepts that are difficult to define. They also vary depending on the team and the goal. There is no test to take that scores your exact ability in judgment, communication, awareness, resilience, or accountability.
So, how do we define what these qualities are and what it really looks like to have a “good” leader? At EII Consulting, understanding and measuring the abstract concepts of leadership is central to our work! Through our Leadership Insurance Foundations course, we teach the foundations of leadership that are fundamental to success across all levels of your organization. We will help you work through those abstract concepts to find leadership success. After all, the most important role of a great leader is making good judgments in order to make a great organization!
The Economist article, “A question of judgment” gives us a great starting point to discuss the managerial quality of “good” judgment and how hard it is to define but so essential to have. Sir Andrew Likierman of London Business School defines judgment and describes the steps that can be taken to improve the chance of getting our judgment right.
Making Difficult Decisions
During stressful situations or difficult times, leaders have to make decisions. During the Covid-19 pandemic, politicians had to decide on restrictions to keep citizens safe. Managers had to decide if employees had to be laid off, which parts of their offices needed to close or if shutting down altogether was the best step. Good judgment even includes the little steps of careful planning and prioritizing of meetings or deadlines to maintain operations and avoid future problems.
All leaders put into difficult situations want to have the best possible judgment in order to make the right choice. But, it is very difficult to pinpoint what exactly defines good judgment.
Sir Andrew Likierman defines judgment as, “the combination of personal qualities with relevant knowledge and experience to form opinions and make decisions”, which he also believes involves a process. Let’s break down the three parts of Likierman’s definition.
Personal Qualities
The personal qualities that can define our judgment (either good or bad) can actually be innate. Some people are naturally good listeners, self-aware, understanding of the people around them, and have the ability to spot cues in the environment. These qualities (combined with the next two parts of Likierman’s definition) give leaders a step up to be naturally good decision-makers.
However, people can have the problematic innate personal qualities too. Some individuals may possess a tendency to ignore others, be indecisive, impulsive, or rigidly stick to rules all without much reflection of the context or consequences. Ignoring the environment or information received is a mistake many leaders make which leads to bad judgments. This can happen because a leader unconsciously filters out information or is not actively taking in all that they hear or read. A tendency of ignoring what you might not want to hear can be detrimental to making a good call of judgment.
Relevant Knowledge and Experience
A good leader with good judgment has personal qualities that also combine with relevant knowledge and experience to form opinions. But, just because you have expertise does not mean you will as a result make good judgments. Expertise and judgment are not the same things.
At EII Consulting, we help our clients understand how their professional skills and leadership abilities differ. A problem that trips up many organizations is the belief that professional skills equate to leadership. When in reality, success in leadership comes from the ability to properly coach others to develop the skills needed for the role.
Academics at a college, university, or other institution of higher education are likely very knowledgeable in their field. Their expertise and knowledge can be useful in making decisions but it doesn’t necessarily mean they will make good judgments all the time or be able to lead others effectively.
As a recent graduate of the University of Delaware (UD), our marketing associate, Lexi Wetmore can confirm this to be true from her experience. It’s a common phrase to hear in passing from classmates, “he/she is a great professor who knows what he/she is talking about but he/she just doesn’t know how to teach”. Lexi says she experienced this in her first calculus class took in college. Her professor was incredibly knowledgeable but every class session left her more and more confused. She knew he had expertise but he struggled to effectively teach this complex subject to all of his students and meet them where their understanding was.
A leader with good judgment should be constantly measuring their results so they know when they are not meeting their team where they are or outside of their own ability to make the right decisions. That is when they seek advice from someone with the right background and knowledge. This is why most universities, UD included, have a center for teaching and learning designed to coach and support teachers in becoming better at teaching.Getting coaching and feedback on your methods is essential to staying at the top of your game.
This is important: a leader with relevant experience can be a deceiving quality to base judgment on. It is tempting to use a track record of success as a sign of good judgment, but wrong.
Take George Custer, Union cavalry officer, and U.S. commander during the Civil War and into the 1870s, for example. Custer was a successful commander in the Civil War who was recognized for his bravery and leadership. He was made a general of cavalry in his early 20s! After the war, Custer was sent to fight in the Indian Wars. However, at the Battle of Little Bighorn, after over 15 years of experience as a cavalry leader, Custer underestimated his foe and made a horrendous blunder that got him killed; along with nearly every one of the men in the five companies that he led into battle.
Even with a great track record and previous success, it is hard to predict good judgment in future roles.As Likierman cautions, “While good judgment is important to success, success is not a signal that there has been good judgment”.
The Good Judgment Process
It does not only require innate personal qualities, relevant knowledge, and experience to be a leader who makes good judgments. Likierman additionally believes that following series of steps in the decision-making process improves our chances of making a good choice.
During this process, the decision-maker must ask themselves at each stage whether they:
*Warning: following all these steps could still lead to the wrong choice* But, as Sir Andrew might add, “a sensible process improves the chance of getting it right”. The reasons are varied. You might not have all the relevant information and might not know it. You might make a seemingly safe decision to trust someone but they fail to live up to that trust, for good or ill reasons. These, and other, obstacles cannot be predicted. But following this process gives you the best chance of success.
Now, think about your leadership and your own organization. As people take on more responsibilities in their careers, the degree of judgment required increases. Lacking judgment often comes from assuming your leadership is fine. Often, that lack of foundation leads to the collapse of a business.
At EII Consulting, we provide you the leadership insurance to avoid mistakes in lack of judgment. With our training, you will learn the tools needed to help you develop highly effective leaders and set your organization up for success.
If you’re interested, contact us today to set up a consultation!
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