The Practice of Leadership

What is The Practice of Leadership?
by GEORGE AMBLER on WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2011
The exploration of the practice of leadership is a broad topic that is further complicated by the vast number of views and opinions expressed on the nature successful leaders and leadership. The goal of this post is to provide an overarching framework that will be used to guide our conversations on the ever evolving practice of leadership. In our conversation on the topic of leadership, we have chosen to place our emphasis on leadership practices, as it’s only when we take action that we are able to influence our world. As Mahatma Gandhi observed, ‘we must be the change we wish to see in the world’. Given this leadership focus, it’s necessary to be clear as to what are the outcomes of effective leadership.

Three Leadership Outcomes

An approach to the development of an integrated practice of leadership is described by Drath, et el. (2008) in their article, “Direction, alignment, commitment: Toward a more integrative ontology of leadership” published in The Leadership Quarterly[1]. In the article the authors propose an integrative leadership framework comprising of the following three key leadership outcomes:

Direction. This outcome is the facilitation of shared direction and collective agreement on the vision, mission, goals and aims. Direction implies change, a change from the current reality towards some future state.
Alignment. This outcomes concerns producing the right configuration of organisational structures, skills, processes, performance management systems, governance and technology required to allow the organisation to move towards their desired future direction.
Commitment. This is outcome is concerned with bringing people to the place where they willingly devote their time and energy in support of the shared direction.
When we approach the topic of leadership in terms of these three outcomes, it changes the leadership conversation. It changes the conversation from one that has historically been focused on leaders, followers and goals, to a conversation focused on the production of direction, alignment and commitment.

The Three Leadership Disciplines

Building upon the leadership framework described above and exploring leadership from a business perspective provides the necessary foundation to develop a business leadership framework. In considering this, we have identified three key organisational disciplines, that when taken together, help to produce the leadership outcomes of direction, alignment and commitment. Historically, each of these disciplines has been researched and described in isolation. However, it’s only when each of these disciplines are integrated in a manner that produces direction, alignment and commitment that leadership occurs. Thus, an integrated approach as illustrated in the diagram below provides a great framework to begin a new leadership conversation.



Adopting an integrative approach, as illustrated above, across the three business disciplines of strategy, execution and culture, provides a framework from which we can start a new conversation about the leadership practices, necessary to produce the outcomes of direction, alignment and commitment. A brief overview of each of the three key disciplines are as follows:

Strategy. The discipline of strategy is about setting direction. Strategy addresses where we are and where we are going, providing the purpose, vision, mission and goals of the organisation. Strategy is important as is sets the direction, which in turn guides our choices concerning the allocation of scare resources, such as time, attention and assets. Strategy sets the context in which execution, resulting in alignment is generated.
Execution. The discipline of execution is about aligning the organisations people, processes, information, governance, structures, technology and measurement in support of the strategy. It ensures that our resources are applied effectively and efficiently in support of the strategy. Execution helps to clarify accountability for the achievement of business outcomes and bring about the necessary alignment required to implement the strategy.
Culture. The culture of an organisation deals with ‘the way we do things around here’. The organisation culture consists of the unseen beliefs, values and assumptions that support the way people work and the practices we adopt to support how work gets done. Culture results in either the commitment of people towards the strategy and vision or alternatively a lack of commitment leading to compliance and mediocrity.
Integrating these three disciplines in a way that produces the outcomes of direction, alignment and commitment produces leadership. Each of the disciplines described above are supported by a set of leadership practices, that in turn supports the production of direction, alignment and commitment. Exploring these leadership practices is the purpose and goal of this new and emerging leadership conversation.

[1] Wilfred H. Drath, Cynthia D. McCauley, Charles J. Palus, Ellen Van Velsor, Patricia M.G. O’Connor, John B. McGuire, (2008) “Direction, alignment, commitment: Toward a more integrative ontology of leadership”, The Leadership Quarterly



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Tagged as: Framework, Leadership Practices