Introduction

The last topic concluded that the future is uncertain, but certain to pose a variety of challenges in terms of the state of the organization you may be called upon to Lead. Thus, you must be prepared to be the appropriate “type” of Leader that any state of an organization and its associated major task requires. To do so, you must develop and sustain and improve all of the five core traits and other personal qualities.  Those traits and personal qualities have been identified (In topic: “Leadership Traits and Qualities”) and the means of developing them has been suggested. (In topic: Leadership Types and Styles”, “Self-Assessment”.)

Likewise, you may find that the people of the organization may or may not be ready and willing or committed and competent enough to take on the tasks required.  Thus, you must be prepared to deliver your Leadership in a “style” that is most appropriate to the people and their ability to respond to the task at hand—the situation.  To do that, you need to have or develop a number of other skills and behaviors.  This topic focuses on some of the skills and behaviors required to do so.

Definitions

Webster’s says that:

-“Competent” is “having the requisite qualities or abilities”

-“Competency”: is “…a sufficiency of means…”

As defined by the OPM, a competency is:

…an observable, measurable pattern of skills, knowledge, abilities, behaviors and other characteristics that an individual needs to perform work roles or occupational functions successfully.

To see more on competencies from OPM, go here _____..

Montgomery Van Wart says more generally that:

For ease, traits, skills, and behaviors can all be called competencies…..Job competencies are the traits, skills and behaviors most important for a specific position or class of positions. 

Thus, to have the “job competencies” for the any “specific” position of Leadership or the general “class” of Leadership, you need not only the five core “traits” and other qualities that permit you to be the required “type” of Leader, but you need a variety of other “skills” and “behaviors” so that you can use any “style” of Leadership.

The sum total of your traits, skills and behaviors that help you inspire people to accept change and improve and do the right thing are your leadership competencies.

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence is a concept first defined by John D. Mayer, a Professor of Psychology at the University of New Hampshire, and Peter Salovey, a Professor of Psychology at Yale University, in the early 1990s.  It gained wider attention based on the 1995 book, Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman, a psychologist at Rutgers University Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, and was subsequently explained and applied to Leadership by his articles in the Harvard Business Review.

The originators defined Emotional Intelligence:

From a scientific (rather than a popular) standpoint, emotional intelligence is the ability to accurately perceive your own and others’ emotions; to understand the signals that emotions send about relationships; and to manage your own and others’ emotions.

Goleman, the popularizer, originally defined Emotional Intelligence as::

Emotional Intelligence–[is] the ability to manage ourselves and our relationships effectively–[and] consists of four fundamental capabilities: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and social skill. Each capability, in turn, is composed of specific sets of competencies. [i.e., certain behaviors and skills that must be mastered.] 

He described the four “fundamental capabilities”: 

-Self-Awareness: Recognizing who you are and who you want to be.
-Self-Management: Learning to control and manage your behavior to make the most of your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.
-Social Awareness: Moving out of your personal comfort zone to apply your new personal knowledge and understanding to understanding others.
-Social Skill: Developing relationships to support Leadership.

In later versions, Emotional Intelligence was said to consist of “five components”: “Self-Awareness”; “Self-Regulation”; with “Motivation” and “Empathy” replacing Social Awareness; and “Social Skill.

Of the capabilities or components, Self-Awareness is the basis for all the others and is, therefore, considered the most important for developing Emotional Intelligence. 

Goleman further has defined Self-Awareness as the:

Ability to recognize and understand your moods, emotions and drives as well as their effect on others.

He also says:

Self-awareness means having a deep understanding of one’s emotions, strengths and weaknesses, needs and drives....People who have a high degree of self-awareness recognize how their feelings affect them, other people, and their job performance.

Once you understand yourself, it is then possible to begin the development necessary for controlling your feelings and managing the way you behave and relate to other people.  That is Self-Management or Self-Regulation, which has been defined as the “ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses and moods.” It includes “the propensity to suspend judgment, to think before acting.”

Goleman says it also:

...is being able to motivate oneself and persist in the face of frustrations: to control impulse and delay gratification; to regulate one's moods and keep distress from swamping the ability to think; to empathize and hope.

When you have undertaken a Self-Assessment (For guidance go here____.) you will have taken the first step in this process and will have undoubtedly gained greater Self-Awareness.  From that Self-Assessment, in addition to identifying personality characteristics that will provide strengths and weaknesses contributing to building the core traits (as was suggested in the previous topic “Types of Leaders and Styles of Leadership”) you will likely also have discovered some other characteristics or behaviors inherent in your personality or temperament that can cause problems at the interpersonal level for your leadership efforts. For example: perhaps because of your personality or temperament you are excitable and not very patient; or perhaps you are overly sensitive and take disagreement as criticism; or possibly you are shy and not very outgoing in a group.  All of those behaviors can affect the way you deal with other people and, thereby, affect your Leadership. 

You probably don't want to, and usually can’t, change your personality.  Indeed, while some, including Goleman, have listed personality characteristics such as “empathy”, “intuition”, “optimism”, “self-confidence” and “tolerance” that contribute to Emotional Intelligence, Mayer pointed out that

…diverse personality traits, however admirable, don’t necessarily add up to a single definition of emotional intelligence….Certainly these personality traits are important and (sometimes) enhancing them can be useful.  But recent research makes it clear that these characteristics are distinct from emotional intelligence as it is scientifically defined.

In essence, having or developing Emotional Intelligence is not so much as having certain personality characteristics, as understanding which ones you have or don’t have, knowing what affect they can have on dealing with others and then controlling them or using them as appropriate to facilitate your relationships with others.  Based on a Self-Assessment, you will understand what you need to do to exercise Self-Management/Self-Regulation or, just, self-discipline in your dealings with and reactions to others.  Thus, your next step should be to create a Personal Leadership Development Plan to begin to develop and practice those Self-Management/Self Regulation competencies. (For guidance, go here____.)

As you are developing your Self Management/Self-Regulation competencies so that you can deal with other people in a way that facilitates good inter-personal relations and Leadership, you should also be thinking about building your Social Awareness or your knowledge and ability to understand people and what motivates them.

Because of your past organizational affiliation—military, civilian, defense, non-defense, intelligence, other national security—you have already developed a level of Social Awareness that allows you understand empathize with and motivate  people in organizations like yours and who are like you. In the future you will have to work with a broader spectrum of people from other kinds of organizations and, thus, will want to understand their organizational traditions, ways of working and their individual professional needs and wants so that you can better empathize with and motivate them. In short, as you become more senior you must also have greater Social Awareness of a broader more generalized type because you will have a need to empathize and motivate a broader and more diverse group of people. Thus, in your Personal Leadership Development Plan you should include a commitment to take opportunities to broaden your contact with a broader spectrum of organizations and people and learn about them.

Based on that Social Awareness you will be able to develop the Social Skills so vital to Leadership.  Some of the “competencies” —some behaviors and some skills— listed by Goleman that you will need are to:

          -effectively delegate tasks in ways that empower and enable followers,

-develop people through feedback and guidance,

-communicate effectively,

-manage conflict and,

-build relationships which create bonding and teamwork.

Why Develop Your Emotional Intelligence?

Understanding Generational Differences 

As Robert J. Samuelson has pointed out:

The “Generation Gap” endures as a staple of American political and social analysis.  The notion that the special circumstances and experiences of succeeding cohorts imbue them with different perceptions, beliefs and values seems intuitively reasonable and appealing….In a 1969 Gallup poll, 74 percent of Americans believed in “the generation gap”.  A poll last year [2009] found that 79 percent still do.

William Strauss and Neil Howe pioneered the study of generations with their 1991 seminal book: Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584 to 2069.   Since that time, as others have built on the work of Strauss and Howe, they have slightly adjusted the dates that define the generations.  Today it is commonly considered that the generations that make up the American population are:

-The Silent Generation: The children of the Greatest Generation (which has almost totally died out) who are now in their 70s and aging.

-The Boom Generation (Boomers); now in their 50s into their mid-60s.

-Generation X (Gen Xs); now in their late 20s and into their late 40s.

-Generation Y (Gen Ys); some now in their 20s and others still in school who will be the employees of the future. (Sometimes, today, this generation is discussed as having two parts with the younger wave, those not yet of working age, called the Millennials.)

These generations are not all the same size.  Because of the “baby boom” after WWII, the Boom generation is the largest generation.

They constitute about one-fourth of the population….inevitably, they have created a kind of bottleneck, in the work world, in politics, in power.  The frustration this poses for the young and talented should be obvious.

The next generation in line—Generation X—is only about half the size of the Boom generation.  Generation Y, the children of the Boomer generation is almost as large as the Boomer generation.   

Thus, today the workforce consists of Boomers—those in their 50s into 60s—occupying the senior positions; Generation X—those in their late 20s and 40s—representing the experienced cadre; and a growing number of Gen Y—those in their 20s and younger—joining the organizations.  Thus, as researchers at the Center for Work-Life Policy have found:

The combination of Generation Y eagerly advancing up the professional ranks and Baby Boomers often refusing to retire has, over the course of a few short years, dramatically shifted the composition of the work force; each of these generations is roughly twice the size of Generation X which lies between them.  

This unbalanced composition of the workforce is even more exaggerated in the Intelligence Community workforce.  Boomers are currently a large generational component and will continue to be if they postpone retirement in order to rebuild their retirement accounts.  Gen Xers are the smallest component, not only because of the smaller number of people in their generation, but because fewer were hired in the downsizing of the post-Cold War era.  As more and more Gen Yers have been hired during the recent hiring boom and continue to be hired, they are rapidly becoming the largest component of the Community workforce. Indeed, today, “60% of Defense Intelligence Agency personnel are under thirty.”  One might say that, when it comes to leadership opportunities in the Community, Generation X is caught in the middle. 

Strauss and Howe postulated that each generation alive at any one time has a “peer personality” that is different from that of other generations.  To see their forecasts of the characteristics of the three generations currently in the workforce and judge for yourself how correct they may be, go here____.

Today, much is being made of the differences between the Generation Y and previous generations.

They are variously known as the Net Generation, Millennials, Generation Y or Digital Natives.  But whatever you call this group of young people—roughly those born between 1980 and 2000—there is a widespread consensus among educators, marketers and policymakers that digital technologies have given rise to a new generation of students, consumers, and citizens who see the world in a different way.  Growing up with the internet, it is argued, has transformed their approach to education, work and politics.

Some believe that the workplace will become a “psychological battlefield” in which “bosses will have to be half-shrink and half-diplomat”.   “Management gurus, meanwhile, have weighed in to explain how employers should cope with this new generation’s preference for collaborative working rather than traditional command and control, and their need for constant feedback about themselves.”  And, Intelligence Community Leaders have already begun to assess the characteristics and capabilities of that new generation and consider what they may mean for the Community.

The former DNI, Mike McConnell told members of this new generation of hires that he saw them as:

The best educated, most technically literate of any generation of Americans. You know no limits. You feel like you’re entitled to everything.  You are highly creative and technologically advanced. You believe anything and everything is possible. You crave teamwork, you crave fun, and you demand social relationships with everyone to include your boss.

Likewise, speaking of the younger members of that generation, Dr. William Nolte, a long time and widely experienced intelligence professional, described these new hires as:

·  More team oriented and naturally collaborative

·  More likely to take initiative to reach out and across boundaries

·  Less sensitive to organizational constructs

·  IT-savvy...

·  Fast learners, able to search and discover information adeptly

·  Less likely to reflect on the significance of data and communicating import (“telling the story”).

In each case, all those characteristics except perhaps the last, sound like outstanding characteristics for the intelligence professional and just what the Community needs today. 

In a description of the Generation Y that seems to make them a perfect fit for the Intelligence Community, Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams say that:

The Net Gen spends time searching, scrutinizing, authenticating, collaborating and organizing….The Net Gen’s modus operandi is networking.

To see what some commentators believe Leaders should know about Gen Y and some views of Gen Y as potential Leaders, go here_____.

Despite all this discussion of differing generational characteristics, Jennifer Deal argues, that overall, the different generations are more alike in terms of their basic needs and higher level wants that will motivate them to improved performance.

…..The Generations now of working age value essentially the same thing….Here are 10 intergenerational truths:

1. All generations have similar values.

2. Everyone wants respect.

3. Leaders must be trustworthy.

4. People want leaders who are credible and trustworthy.

5. Internal politics is a problem at any age.

6. No one really likes change.

7. Loyalty depends on the context, not the generation.

8. It is as easy to retain a young person as it is to retain an older one.

9. Everyone wants to learn.

10. Almost everyone wants a coach.

While all people, despite their generation, have the same human, organizational and leadership needs, because of their age, tenure and position in the workforce, not all generations are alike in the relative emphasis they place on those needs.  One recent survey found that people of different generations and, therefore, with different lengths of service in the workforce, place their priorities differently.

Professionals are Different

But, is not just people of different generations or genders that you will be Leading in the Intelligence Community, it is “professionals”.  Do the following observations by textbook authors Desmond D. Martin and Richard L. Shell describe you, or more importantly, do they describe those you will be leading?

Professionals as a group tend to have a strong sense of self worth….

….they are particularly concerned with ego and status needs….

Professionals attempt to protect their status position by exhibiting behavior purposely designed to influence others to perceive their work as being difficult and important and they resist all kinds of communication that downgrade the importance of their work or the abilities that they possess….

Thus, while other peoples’ basic security and belongingness needs may be fulfilled if they are treated fairly and with equality and given a good job in an organization they can respect; it seems that the security and belongingness needs of professionals require that the Leader give special attention to nurturing and enhancing their sense of special status in the organization.  If not, they may spend more time working to convince others of their importance than performing to prove it

Furthermore, Martin and Shell say that studies indicate, and you personally are well aware and understand, that:

 …professionals prefer large amounts of autonomy and work best in an environment that is conducive to responsibility, growth, and recognition.

They expect considerable freedom and autonomy in performing their work.  Also, they expect and respond well to interesting and challenging assignments.

They seek recognition for good work, and a relatively free environment in which they can set out to attain or achieve that recognition.

This suggests that Leaders must also pay special attention to the esteem and, more importantly, the self-actualization needs of professionals.  Because as Martin and Shell have noted, and you may have observed in some of your organizations:

There is much evidence…to support the conclusion that many environments do not provide this freedom or the much needed recognition.  Consequently, many professionals become frustrated….

When an employee is frustrated because of an environment that is impeding personal needs satisfaction, and that environment is fostered by an upper level management….One adaptive response is to strengthen informal group ties with professional colleagues….

Groups of professionals constitute greater threats to management efficiency and effectiveness than do individuals.  They can either upset or enhance cooperation with the organization because they can facilitate or reduce motivation among their members.

In short, while professionals have the same basic needs and wants as anyone else, they expect and require that the Leader give more attention to meeting them.  And, to achieve desired behavior and results from professionals, the Leader must.  Leading professionals is a tough job. 

Personality Matters

Finally, while all people share basic human needs, their personalities are different which causes them to behave in different ways within the organization. Despite generation, gender or professional status it is best to know people as individuals, to know their individual personality, and treat them as they would like to be treated.

It has been reported that:

About 20 years ago scientists established that combinations of five basic dimensions—extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness to new ideas and experiences account for all personalities….The five dimensions can be reliably be measured with questionnaires.  Armed with the resulting data, scientists are showing that personality predicts such important outcomes as health, job performance and academic success….In some cases the trait plays a direct casual role, as when a lack of conscientiousness torpedoes workplace success.  In others, the connection is indirect, as when being disagreeable leaves you with no social network, which can cause stress….

Intelligence Community organizations use a variety of questionnaires to assess the personality of employees and provide feedback so that employees can understand their personality and its specific characteristics so that they can work to build on their strengths and overcome or compensate for weaknesses. This course emphasizes the use of the Myers-Briggs Test Instrument (MBTI).  In addition to using the MBTI for their own Self-Assessment (as recommended above), aspiring Leaders may want to study the Myers Briggs material to understand personality types in general and the different characteristics of each that shape the behavior of that type person in the workplace.  It is safe to say that, by being informed and sensitive to the differing personality types and their characteristics, even without knowing the specific personality types of their followers; as Leaders get to work with and know their followers, they will be able to identify the follower’s general personality type and, thereby, understand how to work with and Lead that person on an individual basis.

For example Martin and Shell point out that:

A major characteristic of professionals who are internally oriented  [ISTJ administrators and INTJ analysts] is the tendency to take personal credit for job success and responsibility for future job performance.  Professionals with internal orientation exhibit a strong relationship between motivation and overall job satisfaction, i.e., satisfaction with pay, promotion, supervision, etc.  Consequently managers need to pay attention to these variables as they impact on performance among professionals with strong internal orientations as compared with other subordinates that are externally oriented….

and who are more likely to be  ESTJ-organizers or ENTJ-strategists and can be motivated by more direct, external approaches, requirements and challenges.

In summary: It is only a well-developed Social Awareness that will allow a Leader to understand that, while all people are the same in terms of their needs, they place different priorities on those needs depending on their generation and time of service, gender, their status as professionals and individual personality.  Leaders must remember the Golden Rule and treat others as you want to be treated—with security and fairness, kindness and respect, opportunity to learn and advance, and make a contribution. But, they also remember the Platinum Rule and make sure that they treat people as they would like to be treated, by generation, gender, professional standing and personality.  To understand people Leaders need to get out among the people of the organization, get to know them first hand, relate to them in a personal way, listen to their concerns and desires, and let them know that they are valued and that their work is appreciated.  It cannot be stated enough times, that there is nothing more inspiring or motivating to  people than for them to realize that the Leader knows who they are, knows what they are doing, thinks it is valuable and well done. The most inspiring words that you can use as a Leader are the person’s name followed by “great job” and “thanks”. 

Understanding People: Summary

The Golden Rule:

            -Like you, all people want to be treated with:

                        --Security and Fairness

                        --Kindness and Respect

                        --Opportunity to develop and use their talent

                        --Opportunity to make a contribution.

The Platinum Rule:

            -But, they also wanted to be treated as they would prefer by

                        -Generation

                        -Gender

                        -Professional standing

                        -Personality

And,

            -Most of all, they want to be treated as:

                        -Individuals

Motivating Individuals

Social Skills for Motivation

Ken Blanchard briefly sums up most important motivating skills as being able to: 

• Delegate by one minute of goal setting.
• Provide one minute of praise at the end of each project.
• Provide one minute of feedback when mistakes or failures occur.
• At evaluation time, coach or counsel.

Spending one minute is certainly better than doing nothing.   But a Leader will have developed the skills to a high level and will spend all the time required to use them effectively.

Delegating correctly is important. But, it is a skill that can be learned. For some suggestions of how to do it, go here_____.

Praise and Feedback

After a delegated effort is completed, and if the performance was exceptionally good praise is required.  Tom Rath and Donald D. Clifton, who are associated with the Gallup polling organization, say that according to Gallup research, 65% of 4 million people surveyed say they got no recognition for good work. The authors say: 

Praise is a powerful leadership strategy. All sorts of bad things happen when people don't feel appreciated. They whine. They complain. They bring others down with them.

But praise is important even when people are just doing their job on a regular and daily basis.  It is important for gaining the trust of the people of the organization to let them know that you are aware of what they are doing, recognize that it is a contribution to the organization and appreciate it. Most bosses, and even most good Leaders, don’t give enough praise. In fact, it is impossible to give enough praise.

Praising people is easy to do and will make you and them both feel good. James Kouzes and Barry Posner make the point that recognizing contributions brings out the best in people. They say that, while Leaders should “Focus on clear standards” and “Expect the best” from their followers, they also need to “pay attention to what’s happening around them so that they can find positive examples to recognize.” And, they should, “Personalize recognition”.

Recognition is too often highly predictable , routine, and impersonal. A one-size-fits-all approach to recognition feels disingenuous, forced and thoughtless. Over time, it can even increase cynicism and damage credibility.

That is why Ken Blanchard says, praise must be TRUE—i.e., timely, responsive, unconditional, enthusiastic.

When you are the Leader of a smaller organization where you know all of the people, personalizing recognition, appreciation and praise is easy.  You see them every day and can easily find something that they are doing well, even if it is just getting the task completed on time.  When a person is praised for something, they will keep doing it and try to do something else to gain more praise.

As you become more senior and Lead a much larger organization where you can’t know all the people at a personal level, you will need to enlist the help of direct bosses or co-workers to make sure that you personalize recognition. But, do it, it pays off even more at that level. To repeat: There is nothing more inspiring or motivating for people than for them to realize that the Leader, especially a senior Leader,  knows who they are, knows what they are doing, thinks it is well done and valuable. 

But, when a person or group has completed a task, in addition to praise for a job well done, they also need specific feedback so that they know why it was well done, what it was that you thought was especially good about it so that they can keep doing it that way, and so that other people in the organization will understand that the way it was done is what is expected of them.  Thus, in addition to praise, provide specific feedback to the person or group.

- Do it immediately, stating specifically what was so well done, or good about the effort and why it was important for the organization or the consumer.
-Do it with feeling and in a way that indicates that you personally really appreciated the effort.
-Do it in public and in a way or with words that encourage the whole organization.

For other people in the organization, hearing others being praised and noting a lack of praise for their own work can be a motivator to increase their efforts.  But, it will only be a motivator if the Leader notices and responds with praise to their increased efforts or performance.  But, to make an effort to increase one’s performance and not have it noticed or praised can soon become a demotivator.  Thus, the Leader must have different levels of praise for different levels of effort and performance and spread that praise around widely.  It is usually possible to find something, no matter how insignificant, for which a person can be praised.

Unfortunately, sometimes there is poor performance. In such cases there may be a need to critique a person or group.   All of us hate to give negative feedback. But, to be a successful Leader, you must develop the skill to do so.  When that need arises,

-Do it without delay, but do it in private, be specific about what was not good, but objective.
-Do in a way that is unemotional and impersonal but shows disappointment.
-End on a positive note of personal encouragement.

More specifically, when delivering a critique, or showing dissatisfaction with performance, and especially if delivering a reprimand, is important to know the person and understand the approach that will help them to respond positively.  In that regard, some cautions with respect to timing and style are in order.  This is when your development of “social awareness” and understanding people in terms of their generation, gender, and personality and as an individual comes into play.  Certainly, in terms of reprimands, one approach will not work with everyone.

If the Leader handles feedback informally immediately or without delay (as recommended above) at the end of each project or on each occasion when fine or poor performance occurs, and maintains good documentation of those instances, then when formal evaluation time comes, there are no secrets or tension. This technique is becoming more widely understood and used. As reported by Amy Joyce in the Washington Post:

Even when it is not negative, a careful evaluation is still a stressful time consuming process. Small wonder that it takes some managers forever to get them done....But the managers I talked to recently seemed to agree that the more they talk to employees along the way the easier it is when the official review comes along.

If that approach is taken, then the required person-to-person formal evaluation session can be used to summarize the performance which has already been praised or reprimanded along the way and the session can be used for another more important function, coaching and counseling

Communication

To do all of these things: delegate, praise, provide feedback, coach or counsel, you must be a good communicator.  As Martin and Shell say:

…communication makes the organization work.  It determines the direction the organization will take and impacts on both the motivational level of employees and the understanding that employees have of organizational purpose and goals.  Communication in essence, is ….a fundamental management task.

Montgomery Van Wart emphasizes, “communication is a fundamental part of the process and therefore a key skill in the leader repertoire.”   He cites Lieutenant General Paul Van Riper, USMC, formerly a Director of Marine Corps Intelligence, as saying “effective organization men are masters of language.”  It is important that a Leader be a clear, logical and dynamic speaker to inspire or motivate people.

But, communication is a two-way process.  As emphasized by Terry Pearce, it means not only talking to the people of the organization but listening to them as well.  Martin and Shell emphasize that the ability for followers to provide the Leader with:

…feedback is necessary for effective communication among professionals.

Since professionals usually have a large investment in their education, they are sensitive to interpersonal relationships that do not permit their involvement. Consequently, communications that limit [their opportunities for] feedback are often ineffective.

So, if you want to get feedback you have to drop any “façade” and encourage your followers to provide unfiltered information by asking questions.  Thus, the best Leaders do not talk “at” people or even talk “to” people. They must talk “with” people.  

That is where the second part of communication—listening—comes in. Listening is an important skill that many people must develop to support their leadership efforts. Leaders need to use "active" listening or, even better, "empathetic" listening. Those manners of listening require a skill that must be developed because it does not fit the way most of us have been listening in the past.

Once you have listened to what the person has to say, you must respond.  In many cases, your response can just be “Thanks” and appreciation and a comment showing understanding.  On the other hand, you may be inclined to say that you will think about it, consider it, or look into it, implying that you will take some action.  If you do that, then you must get back to the person with an explanation soon.  This point on feedback is important. As Marshall Goldsmith points out: 

Leaders who respond to feedback, promise change, then do nothing different are perceived...as less effective. Raising expectations without delivering results is a formula for increased dissatisfaction and decrease respect. Even a little follow up has a positive impact.

Martin and Shell highlight that professionals are very often turned off when managers do not respond to their suggestions. But, if you respond to the feedback you receive, even privately, that will become known and appreciated throughout the organization.

Go here for some tips on listening____.

Time Management

As can be see from the foregoing; learning, practicing and using these skills can be time consuming. Given that the senior official of an organization is in demand for a myriad of meetings, for performing a wide range of management activities and for liaison outside the organization, how does that person get the time to be a Leader? The answer is time-management. Time management is a skill that is critical to Leadership, but it is so specific to each person and each position that it must be relearned every day and practiced and used full-time. The bases for effective time management in Leadership are:

• A focus on Leadership vice management.
• Prioritization of activities.
• Delegation of less important tasks.
• Maintaining a daily/weekly schedule developed on that basis.
• The courage to stick to that schedule despite pressures to be at the beck and call of outside persons and issues, even seniors or the daily crises.

Martin and Shell "summarize" effective time management in a similar way:

1. Establish clear-cut goals for yourself and your unit.

2. Set time priorities in accordance with those goals.

3  A willingness to delegate authority to subordinates.

4. A proactive planning stance is preferred to a reactive or "fire-fighting" stance.

5. In both setting priorities and being proactive, it is often necessary to refuse some specific requests for help by both superiors and subordinates.

6. Take steps to avoid time wasting.

7. Finally, both a to-do list and a daily time log can be helpful.

As Peter Drucker has said

If there is any one "secret"¨ of effectiveness, it is concentration....Concentration--that is, the courage to impose on time and events one's own decision as to what really matters and comes first--is the executive's only hope of becoming master of time and events instead of their whipping boy.