In her latest book, Isobel Rimmer underlines what exemplary leaders do differently
Working in FMCG is tough. Trends change, consumers switch, products perish and finding and keeping great employees is never easy. Effective leadership and great communication are essential precisely because of the fast moving environment.
Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, experts in the field of leadership and authors of the best-seller, The Leadership Challenge, have helped millions of leaders in FMCG and beyond through their ground-breaking research and work.
Their Five Practices of Exemplary Leaders™, based on thousands of case studies, highlights the importance of being a great role model – clear on who you are, your values and what you stand for. They emphasise inspiring a shared vision that others can aspire to, challenging the way we work, and being willing to experiment and take risks, all whilst enabling, encouraging and motivating people to go beyond what they believe they’re capable of. All five practices require inspiring communication from the leader.
It’s easy to assume that leadership is the responsibility of the Board, the Directors or the Senior Leadership Team. Yet leadership exists at every level; we can lead from any position in any organisation. Often, it’s the Team Leader, Manager or Supervisor who has the greatest influence on their teams, not just the CEO or the Board. We should also avoid confusing mission or purpose with the day-to-day activity of leading teams and navigating daily challenges.
Kouzes and Posner define leadership as “The art of inspiring others to want to struggle to achieve shared aspirations.” The word struggle may seem an unusual one to use – it can have negative connotations, and many of the groups and CEOs I work with, initially push back on this point. Yet it’s a powerful word that captures the reality of the leadership journey. We don’t struggle for something unless we’re inspired and encouraged – and in organisations, that inspiration typically comes from the communication of our immediate boss, manager or leader.
Professor Ronald Heifetz, Founding Director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School, offers a slightly different definition of leadership: “The practice of mobilizing people to tackle tough challenges and thrive.” He even suggests that when things are running smoothly, leadership isn’t really needed. Yet in times of uncertainty and complexity, inspiration and encouragement become essential, whether in one to one reviews, team briefings, customer pitches or simply in the everyday grind of getting work done and connecting with teams and customers online.
Great leaders are also great learners. They look for new and better ways to inspire their teams. Under Joel Burrows’ leadership at Lindt & Sprungli, we saw the powerful impact of investing in leadership development. His teams were truly inspiring – willing to challenge the status quo, explore new ideas and embrace change. He motivated them to rethink old practices and experiment, even when that meant taking inevitable risks.
How do you inspire a shared vision? It’s all about communication: painting a vivid picture of what the future could look like, helping your team imagine the possibilities and the road ahead. Of the Five Practices developed by Kouzes and Posner, this is perhaps the most challenging. Most leaders, understandably, focus on goals and objectives rather than a vision. Targets and milestones being tangible, measurable and easier to communicate.
A CEO of a large manufacturing business once told me his ‘vision’ was to become a $2 billion business within 3 years. It was, given their market sector, an achievable goal, but it was just that, a goal, not a vision. What does a $2 billion business look like to someone working in the manufacturing plant in China, or to a sales rep working through distribution channel partners in California or a merchandiser selling through small chains, family-owned shops and outlets? Of course, the CEO could envision it for himself, especially with his share options.
Eventually, he agreed, and we worked together to create a true vision. The company went on to exceed its $2 billion goal, but only after thinking differently – sharing images and stories of what success could look like, not just focusing on numbers, milestones and targets. It also meant repeating the vision consistently. I often advise clients: just when you think said it too many times, that’s when your people really start to get it. Never underestimate the power of repetition. Listen to Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech and notice how often he repeats that phrase.
AvisBudgetGroup and their franchise operations worldwide are investing in leadership development using Kouzes and Posner’s Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership framework. Supported by The Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) 360, a powerful 360 leadership assessment tool, they can measure how frequently their leaders demonstrate behaviours aligned with the Five Practices: Model the way; Inspire a shared vision; Challenge the process; Enable others to act and Encourage the heart. This baseline frequency report highlights each leader’s strengths and helps them focus on individual development needs.
Their Leader’s Journey has helped retain key talent, increase revenues and boost Net Promoter Scores (NPS). Running workshops around the world has also brought together teams that don’t usually collaborate, enabling them to create new programmes, campaigns and initiatives together. Everyone wins.
In today’s hybrid world, a leader must be a great communicator across every platform – from one to one reviews, in person or virtual, to Town Hall events, training sessions, sales kick offs, conferences, briefings, team meetings and boardroom pitches. Given that we now spend more than half our time online using platforms like Teams and Zoom, a leader’s ability to connect, engage, and motivate others-now that we’re all, in effect, on TV – has become an essential part of their leadership toolkit.
To inspire others to go beyond what they think they’re capable of, we must think about the picture we want to create and articulate the message in ways that people can relate to. Kouzes and Posner have shown that the ability to tell stories differentiates great leaders from merely good ones. To encourage and enable their people, great leaders actively seek out examples of good work and behaviour that highlight the values and activities they want to see more of. Training in storytelling – or storyselling as we often call it – is very much in demand.
Stories allow a leader to connect more deeply and more emotionally with their people. We grow up with stories; we are familiar with ‘once upon a time…’ and the idea that we all ‘live happily ever after.’ A well-structured story is easy to remember and relate to.
A great story includes a description – giving context, background and setting the scene. It presents the dilemma or problem faced and contrasts that with the desired outcome. When we share what we did and how we delivered the solution, it becomes easy for others to connect, engage and imagine how it might apply in their own world. The final element of a great story – the icing on the cake – is the impact: the results achieved and the difference made. Much more than just living happily ever after.
Leaders who understand the importance of helping their people to want to struggle, and who learn to share engaging stories that support what the future could look like, inspire those around them. It may not be easy, but it can certainly be learned. After all, as Sheryl Sandberg, former CEO of Facebook, said, “The ability to learn is the most important quality a leader can have.”
Isobel Rimmer is the founder of international training and development consultancy, Masterclass Training, which is a global training partner for Kouzes & Posner, The Leadership Challenge, the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership and the LPI360 Assessment. Isobel is also the author of Present with Presence: Everything you need to plan, prepare and deliver with impact in any situation, published by Rethink Publishing.
