2. As we have seen, the essence of the Leadership Diamond model
is the leadership mind, or leadership intelligence, which is different in
kind from the so-called ordinary mind. Shifting gears into that new
consciousness is the secret of control. This transformation can be
described by observing power and leaders and by detecting the
hidden leadership potential within oneself. And leadership begins by
being a leader in one's own life.
The Leadership Diamond is like the benzene ring, the
fundamental molecule for synthetic chemistry. It is a molecule that
comes naturally with human existence; vision, reality, ethics, and
courage are basic human needs. When organizations are challenged
to adhere to the requirements of the Leadership Diamond, they are
simply confronted with the basic fact that their own fulfillment is of the
same order as that of individuals.
3. Is it important that all leadership traits be exhibited in one person?
Or should there be a division of labor, so that one executive is the
visionary, another is the realist, a third concerns himself or herself with
human relations, and a fourth is the agent, the doer? The proper
response to this frequent question is that both positions are correct.
Each individual executive must exhibit all four traits. That is the
essence of Leadership Diamond theory, In addition, however, the
organization or partnership works best if specific tasks are assigned to
different people. Thus, a good partnership is one in which one person
works on the strategy, another knows how to establish close and
trusting human connections, a third sees to it that results actu- ally
occur, that actions are in fact taken and real decisions made, and so
forth. Such a team would work well together.
4. Expanding Organizational Skills
Diamond model requires diagnosis. We now address ourselves to
this endeavor The following diagnoses were developed by executives of
various organizations, attempting to describe business leadership
situations with which they were struggling. Their efforts may be of help to
you.
The following diagnoses, developed by many different types of
executives, serve as models for thinking in Leadership Diamond terms.
They are classified into several loose categories. You should develop
your own set of diagnoses, to ensure that you will in effect have taken
the “oath of leadership,” that is, made a commitment to view your
leadership concerns in the Leadership Diamond format. The least you
can expect is to double your leadership effectiveness on any measures
you choose.
5. Diagnoses of Business in General. In a typical company, one
executive argued, the planning department represents the vision
strategy and a good portion of the reality strategy. Operations
concerns itself principally with realism. Human relations works with
ethics. Courage is the responsibility of those who spend the money
and make the decisions, and that task falls principally to the CEO or to
the management committee. Finally, to oversee greatness is
preeminently the task of the CEO and the company's board of
directors
6. Diagnoses of Functions. Organizations, divisions, or functions
within companies were diagnosed by a set of executives with the
Leadership Diamond grid method. They were program managers of
the product development department of a large manufacturing
company. Their complaint was that managers did not keep
commitments and forgot promises. They did not show concern for the
problems they caused people down the line and elsewhere in the
organization by not having satisfactorily completed their own tasks.
7. Diagnoses of Training. One set of executives utilized the
Leadership Diamond grid to design a seminar for the management
group of a large engineering and manufacturing facility. The
participants have two functions: they are both project and line
managers. Their need is to become more effective as an organization
and to greatly increase productivity. Their productivity requirements
are measured by three criteria: on-time deliveries to their internal and
external customers; reduced costs in development, but especially in
manufacturing and quality engineering solutions, so that, through
styling and design, they can lower manufacturing costs and, more
important, be competitive on the market.
8. In the order of their presentation in the seminar, the following are
the points the group wants to cover. Each one will be amplified with
appropriate exercises.
1. The vision of such a seminar is understanding the theory-in this
case, the Leadership Diamond model. Without adequate
theoretical preparation, leadership work is in danger of being
amateurish instead of professional. Even though executives are
impatient to act, which is good, they must nevertheless take time
for theory so as to remain competitive. No one hires an engineer
who is not trained in theory.
9. 2. The ethics of such seminar is to enhance teamwork. Teamwork
is part of every other aspect of such a seminar. For instance, the
discussion of theory consists, first, of small-group work and only
later of general discussion. Right at the outset, participants
practice teamwork. More intensive teamwork can be stimulated
later, after the seminar cycle is complete, by sharing personal
leadership diagnoses. In practice, this means that I diagnose
myself, and you diagnose me, and then we compare notes. This
process is then reversed, so that you diagnose yourself, and I
diagnose you, and then we compare notes.
10. Diagnoses of Values in Business. Continuing with this
loose classification of diagnoses of business situations, we now
take a look at values and what happens to them when seen in
Leadership Diamond format. Let us first consider an example of
the arts in business. A museum curator and part-time business
consultant comes up with the following practice diagnosis of the
arts.
11. The Third World. A worthy conclusion of these illustrative
analyses comes from a business and political gathering, held in Latin
America, where the fate of the Third World was discussed. A Third
World industrialist needs global consciousness. Even more than
industrialized nations. Third World countries must be fully aware of
what occurs in the rest of the world. What happens there deeply
affects events in the Third World. One example is the price of
petroleum. The disposition of the Third World debt, which depends on
decisions made by First World governments and also affects how the
fate of the Third World is sealed. It is therefore a critical need of Third
World business executives to manage their relations well with the
industrialized world. These are all matters of vision.
12. One More Word About Philosophic Depth
Among management approaches, the Leadership Diamond
model is positioned as the mindset (that is, the attitude- the way of
thinking, perceiving, and experiencing, the philosophy of life, belief
system, world design, or metaphysics) that underlies, is necessary to,
is the critical success factor for, and is the necessary condition for
understanding and, above all, implementing, bringing about, the
behaviors (visible, describable. Teachable, and measurable) that are
recognized as managerial skills and that lead to certain actions, which
are strategies, tactics, plans, and programs conducive to
consequences, or results, which in turn accomplish the organizational
objectives. Furthermore, to reinforce motivation, and for the sake of
profes sional precision, measures must be introduced.
13. One More Word About Philosophic Depth
Among management approaches, the Leadership Diamond
model is positioned as the mindset (that is, the attitude- the way of
thinking, perceiving, and experiencing, the philosophy of life, belief
system, world design, or metaphysics) that underlies, is necessary to,
is the critical success factor for, and is the necessary condition for
understanding and, above all, implementing, bringing about, the
behaviors (visible, describable. Teachable, and measurable) that are
recognized as managerial skills and that lead to certain actions, which
are strategies, tactics, plans, and programs conducive to
consequences, or results, which in turn accomplish the organizational
objectives. Furthermore, to reinforce motivation, and for the sake of
professional precision, measures must be introduced.
