How do we help people break through and go to the next level of performance? It is a question leaders think about all the time. As a leadership development professional, it is a question I think about all the time. 

The First Question – What are the differences between good and great leadership?   

 In addition to being a leadership development professional, I am a weekly radio show host. I host a show called Lessons in Leadership where I interview high-level leaders in business, education, government and the community about current leadership topics. (The show airs from 4:00-5:00 CST every Friday afternoon on AM 920 in St. Louis, or online at www.wgnu.net). While every show has a different guest, and a different topic, there is one question I ask every guest. “What, in your experience, have you seen that differentiates great leaders from good ones?” It always results in a fascinating conversation. My guests are people running organizations where their leadership is on the line every day and can make

or break their organizations. What happened was unexpected; a model emerged from that question, and their resulting answers. Six clear themes bubbled up as to what the leadership differentiators were. So, I have created the Diamond Leadership model based on what makes leaders a ‘cut above.’

 Let me flush these ideas out a little more by making these terms more descriptive, and adding a few quotes from some of my guests that add meaning.

“Gives the credit during the good times and takes the heat during the tough times.”

“We practice the philosophy, try stuff, fail fast, learn and go forward.”

“Don’t be afraid to tell people the truth. A culture of candor accelerates everything we do.”

Builds Trust.    At its core, leadership is ultimately about trust.

“Forget what organizations write on their websites and posters about their values. Just watch how their leaders behave.”

“There are no substitutes for telling the truth and keeping commitments for creating trust.”

“The great leaders I’ve seen turn what their organization does into a cause or a crusade and inspires people to want to be a part of it.”

“The most successful managers I’ve seen have a passion for winning. They know that people really want to win, and they dedicate themselves to creating a series of small wins, and turning them into a series of big wins.”

“Our most successful managers understand that they work for the people they lead – the ones taking care of our customers.”

“Real leaders get it that it’s not about them, it’s about those they lead.”

Engages People Fully.   True commitment comes from fully engaging people’s hearts, minds and talents.

“My 90 year old dad taught me my greatest leadership lesson; to be authentic and be interested in people and connect with them at a personal level.”

“As CEO, the most important thing I do that has the biggest impact on my business, is listening to my customers and my associates. That’s where many of our best ideas come have come from.”

Creates Clarity.   In a world of unrelenting time pressures and unlimited choices, clarity is power.

“We totally changed our culture and level of performance when we implemented five simple principles and started living by them - Pick it up on time, deliver it on time, don’t break it, bill it accurately and recover quickly if we make a mistake.”

“In our organization, we have three simple rules we live by: 1-We work for the customer, 2-We work for the customer, and 3-We work for the customer. Every associate knows it, and it empowers them to do the right thing during those moments of truth.”

Great leaders, like quality diamonds, are valuable, and their authenticity is obvious. And as many of my guests have stated, great leadership is the competitive edge in business. It is the one thing that cannot be copied.

The Second Question: How do we develop these leadership skills?

My wife Sandy, and her mother, Professor Barbara Parker, and I have done community work with men and women who were trying to successfully re-enter the community from the corrections system. Returning from the prison system is a challenge more daunting than most will ever encounter. Statistics bear out the challenge. Within 3 years, 2 out of 3 people go back to prison. They fail to make the necessary and difficult changes to breakthrough to a new life. And yet, some do.   After working with over a hundred men and women, we saw many of them succeed, and many continued on the same path. One thing became clear; not making serious changes was a ticket to more trouble. Staying the same was not an option. Businesses should be as clear about that.

After doing this work for a while, a question kept gnawing at us. “What is the difference between those that are successful in breaking through to a new life and those that are not?” So, we started examining just that. Quickly we realized it was not gender, race, or education. In fact, it clearly was not any one thing. What we found was that success leaves clues. In fact there were seven things we could identify that were the differentiators.   They will likely not surprise you. Those that succeeded in overcoming incredible odds did these things:

1. Made the commitment to change – and owned it.

Found a model for success.

MI = MI. (Micro initiatives = major impact)

The epiphany for me was these are the same principles for developing leaders. 

To help illustrate these principles, let me tell you Al’s story, and then relate it back to how they ring true for leadership development.

 I have worked with Al for about 3 years. He is in is mid-fifties. Al spent most of his adult life in federal prison. He grew up in a tough neighborhood on the south side of Chicago in an abusive home. In his late teens he was convicted of kidnapping and spent 16 years in prison. After being released and placed on probation, he went back to his old ways. 

Over the next couple of decades, Al’s probation was revoked and he was sent back 8-10 times (He can’t remember the exact number) for repeat offenses. Al was the definition of a career criminal. While in prison, he was the guy who “ran things.” His criminal ways continued while in prison. If an inmate wanted something, he usually had to go through Al. By his own admission, he was a bad guy. Because of the influence he was able to exert, he was often transferred around to other federal facilities around the country.

A few years ago, after his latest release, Al was told by his federal probation officer to participate in a program that included training and follow-up support to help him succeed, or go back to prison. The program was a faith-based, not-for-profit organization that my wife worked for, and they asked me to do the training portion of the program for the men.

Al was in one of my classes. It was an eight-day class designed to help men and women begin the transition to reentering the community. I have conducted many of these classes with probably about 150 men, and this class was by far the toughest. They were hardened men who were cynical and angry. As with any challenging training I have ever conducted, in business, or anywhere else, some get it, some do not. Somewhere along the line, Al started to get it. A breakthrough occurred. I asked him many months later, while doing follow-up mentoring, “Al, what is different now? You have been revoked at least 8 times, and now you’re doing all the right things to get it together. Why?”   He told me very simply he had decided to change. It was his responsibility and no one else’s. He knew that he would go back to prison for life, without that fundamental decision. 

Leadership development has the same first step as Al’s first step. The organization, or the individual, must first make the commitment to invest in leadership development. Let us face it; that is what development is. It is change. My experience is that most organizations I come across talk about leadership development, know its value, but do not really commit to it. In the May 2006 issue of Training magazine, Jack Welch is quoted from a keynote speech, “great leadership development is the heart and soul of any great organization.” Few seem more qualified to make that statement. During Welch’s tenure, GE’s market value grew from $13 billion to $400 billion. He was voted the most admired executive of the past 20 years by readers of Chief Executive Magazine and in 2000 was named Manager of the Century by Fortune Magazine. (Kornik, Joseph, p. 21, Training, May 2006). So, with leadership development as with Al, step one is step one. Make the commitment – and own it.

One thing became pretty clear to me about Al. He was committed. He was motivated. But, he had no idea how to change or what to change to. Living in a community, in a family, functioning in a workplace was new territory to him. What he knew was how to operate on the street, or in a prison. He knew that those models would not work any longer, but did not know what a new model for living might be. Having great survival skills and powers of observation, he instinctively knew he needed new models, so he started hanging out at the agency Sandy worked for and watched for people he could follow. He found a few and stuck to them like glue. 

In leadership development, leaders need a model to follow. Most of us are like a little like Al, we have seen bad models, and are looking for better ones of what successful leadership looks like. As a leadership development professional, I have also been on that search. Sometimes we are fortunate to work with a person who is a role model. But I always thought it would be helpful if we really found a mental model or blueprint leaders could use as a way to really get their mind around what leadership is about. 

The second phase of the breakthrough process for Al is the same for leaders. Find a model for success. I offer up the Diamond Leadership Model © for consideration.

One of the next things Al had to do once he had been out for a while was to assess what was and was not working for him. That was a pretty complex job that required help. In the training I conducted, and in the follow-up work with him, Sandy and I had to engage him in many conversations examining his patterns of thoughts and behaviors and how they were helping or hurting his cause.   Coping skills that helped him in the prison system could very well hold him back in this new world. We also had to help him examine his employment related skills. Research indicated that unemployment was the number one predictor of recidivism. Some 80% of those who go back to prison are unemployed.

In leadership development, assessment is critical. To not be clear about one’s strengths and developmental issues is to miss leveraging our inherent talents, and to continue a pattern of behaviors that are ineffective.   While the risk is not the same as with Al, the risk is stalling our development and our careers. There are many useful leadership assessments available. They include DISC based assessments, FIRO-B, CPI 260 and others. To compliment the Diamond Leadership Model©, I have created the Diamond Leadership Assessment©, an online multi-rater tool designed to help leaders understand their strengths and developmental issues based on the Diamond Model. Like Al, in order to accelerate the growth process, we must assess what is and is not working.

Reinventing ourselves is difficult to do. What all of us can do is make small, but critical changes that have major impact. All made three (very doable) changes. He joined AA. He started spending time with different (more healthy) people, and he focused on landing and keeping a job. The results have been remarkable.   The first two changes enabled to make land and keep a good job. For the first time in his life, Al has a real job with benefits. Al knows that the number one factor that keeps people from going back to prison is maintaining employment. Three micro initiatives have made a major impact.

In leadership development, the same is true. It is usually not necessary to reinvent ourselves as leaders to become more effective. What I have seen is leaders taking on micro iniatives and doing them consistently well have made big differences. Examples include getting into the habit of giving regular feedback to people, making more effort to recognize achievement, listening and seeking input from team members, and delegating for development have made major impacts on leader’s development and effectiveness.

One of the sad experiences of working with men who have been in the prison system comes when I ask them, “Who is in your life that will support you in achieving your goals?”   Typically, three out of four tell me “no one.” That may be the biggest obstacle to sustaining success.

 Al knew instinctively that he needed a few people to help keep him going forward.   He needed mentors.   I became one of those mentors.

 One thing is perfectly clear to me; Al could have followed the first four steps faithfully and would have utterly failed without the support of mentors.

 I would extend that comment to virtually all the participants we have worked with. There have been too many bumps in the road that would have derailed him left on his own. There have also been many situations he has encountered that were new to him where he needed coaching.

Other examples highlight the point. In the May 2005 issue of Fast Company, an article titled “Change or Die” revealed that cardiologists report that when heart patients are told that they will die of a heart attack if they do not make significant behavior changes, only a shocking 1 in 10 actually do. The article also reports that a cardiologist named Dr. Dean Ornish gets dramatically different results. Some 77% of his patients make the needed changes.   It states “a big reason why 90% of heart patients can't change their lifestyles but 77% of Ornish's patients could -- because he buttressed them with weekly support groups with other patients, as well as attention from dieticians, psychologists, nurses, and yoga and meditation instructors.” (Deutschman, 2005, p. 53)

Leadership development is a process of developing new leader behaviors that are more effective, and letting go of behaviors that are not. It is the same challenge Al and Dr. Ornish’s patients face – making lasting change. While leaders may not need the level of support that Al and Dr. Ornish’s patients required, support to navigate the growth process is extremely beneficial. Executive Coaching has proved to be extremely valuable for managers and executives seeking to improve and grow. Research cited in the Public Personnel Journal: Winter Issue 1997 studied a group of executives that participated in management training. After the training, one group participated in follow-up executive coaching; one group did not. Following is the summary paragraph of their findings.

The present research demonstrates the dramatic effects of one-on-one executive coaching as a transfer of training tool. As is typical of many management training programs today, the training phase focused on enhancing participants' self-awareness, and knowledge of managerial competencies that they could potentially use in their current supervisory or managerial jobs. Although the training phase emphasized the importance of developing indicants to track progress, none of the trainees systematically or quantitatively measured productivity after training alone.

However, after trainees underwent one-on-one executive coaching, archival data were collected indicating that training alone increased productivity by 22.4 percent. Most importantly, training, when augmented with coaching, yielded productivity increases almost four times the level achieved by training alone- 88.0 percent. (Olivero, G., Bane, D., Kopelman, R., p 469, Public Personnel Management, Volume 4, Winter 1997).

 My own experience as a trainer and a coach supports those findings. Accordingly, follow-up executive coaching is part of the Diamond Leadership Development © process. Al, heart patients and executives have all benefited from creating a support system to accelerate change and growth. 

About a year into the program, Al called and asked me to take him to a drug and alcohol treatment program. It was a two-hour drive to the facility so we had a chance to talk. He admitted he had been “using” again and had a heart-to-heart talk with his probation officer and they agreed that checking into this 30-day treatment program was the best course of action. What was interesting to me was that Al was beginning to step up when it really mattered, possibly for the first time. I saw three indications of that. First, he was being honest with himself and others about what he was doing. Second, he was recommitting to doing things the right way. Third, he was deciding to keep the commitment he had made to himself, and others, to making serious change. This was a watershed moment. Al chose to step up when it mattered most.

Leaders are constantly faced with the pressure to perform. During the development process, under pressure, it is easy to fall back to familiar ways of doing things. We do not have to think about them, they are habits. Those are the times, like with Al, leaders have to be acutely aware of the pull of old habits, and choose to use the new behaviors learned in the training and coaching process, that are more effective. A tool I use in leadership development is a follow-up assessment using the Diamond Leadership Feedback System. Six to 12 months after the initial assessment, a follow-up is administered. There are a couple of major benefits to doing that. First, it measures improvement in the leadership behaviors. Second, it creates accountability for improvement. The second benefit cannot be overemphasized. 

Accountability is often the missing link in leadership development; accountability for the learner brings integrity to the development process. 

By stepping up when it matters most is when we create breakthroughs. Like with Al, those choices, particularly in times of crisis, can also be watershed moments in our leadership development.

After discovering the 7 Steps to Creating Breakthroughs, we started incorporating them into the training we did with the men and women in the re-entry program. For many, it became a roadmap they found tremendously helpful. One of the things we started doing was bringing past graduates of the program who have found success to talk to the class at graduation. In the spirit of step two, we brought in “models” that have traveled their path and have found a way out. Al has been a speaker at some of those graduations. It was fascinating to see the reactions of some of the participants who crossed paths with Al in the prison system. His message to them was, “Some of you knew me; if I can do it, and so can you.” From what I could see, the message hit home.

If there was a person whose story was more inspiring than Al’s, it was a woman named Regina. I have asked Regina to speak to my graduating classes as often as she was available. Her story is riveting. She spent over twenty years addicted to drugs and alcohol. She really has no idea how many times she has been incarcerated. She was into prostitution to support her habit. She had two daughters that were taken from her by the state because of her behavior. Over the course of those years she went to treatment sixteen times – and failed sixteen times. In her seventeenth attempt at treatment, she knew somehow this time would be different. She was determined to get her kids back, get her own place, and get her life together. In fact, during that seventeenth treatment, in 2001, she decided that she wanted to use her failures as a path to her success and become a drug and alcohol counselor. She set a goal to become certified within four years. So, she stayed on track. She got a job at a treatment facility and began the training to become certified. She got her own apartment. She was doing so well she was remarkably released from probation early. She regained custody of her two kids. And right on target, she became a certified counselor in 2005. Today, she is a poised and proud woman who is enjoying life, her kids, and making a difference in the lives of others through her work. Regina’s is the most inspiring story of persistence I have ever seen.

In the process of growing as leaders we face ups and downs; have failures and successes. Training is an event; development is a process. 

Going from good leaders to great leaders does not usually happen in the early stages of the journey. It happens over time, by staying true to the process, and by sticking to it. And when we do that, we have the same opportunity to create breakthroughs in our lives, and in our organizations. Most importantly, as great leaders, we have the blessing and the privilege of making a difference in the lives of other people, and being an inspiration to other people. And, as Al and Regina have told my graduating classes, “If I can do it, you can do it. You just have to do the right things, and don’t quit.”

Mark Hinderliter is the President of The AbeL Group,whichhelps clients develop managers and leaders through assessment, training, and executive coaching. He is the creator of Diamond Leadership Workshop©.   Mark has trained and coached hundreds managers and leaders in the US, Canada and Asia.

Mark is the host of Lessons in Leadership, a weekly radio show discussing current leadership topics. The show airs from 4:00-5:00 every Friday afternoon on AM 920, WGNU, or online at www.wgnu.net.   A former inmate named Bob was a member of one of Mark’s classes at Leavenworth Federal Prison, and helped him land his first radio show. Mark can be reached at 636-458-5928, or mark@abelgroup.biz

Kornik, Joseph (2006, May). Jack Welch, A Legacy of Leadership. Training, 20-24.

Deutschman, Alan (2005, May). Change or Die. Fast Company, 94, 53-56.

Olivero, Gerald. Bane, Denise, Kopelman, Richard (1997, Winter,). Executive Coaching as a Transfer Tool. Public Personnel Journal, 4, 461-469.