In a recent international survey, the BPI group Institute for Leadership assessed workers’ perceptions and expectations of their direct managers and leaders – and found significant changes from a similar survey conducted in 2007.

Of note – U.S. workers reported a 39% drop in “very good” opinions of their direct managers from 2007 to 2011. And 78% of those employees indicated their direct manager had a strong impact on the connection they feel towards their company.

Are your managers and leaders focusing enough on re-engaging their disillusioned employees?

As the economy shakes, rattles and rolls its way toward recovery, talent retention is a serious concern. The last few years have been trying times for all – and employees are holding leaders accountable.

In our next complimentary webinar, we’ll share the results of our recent international survey, focused on the current status of employee engagement, and the qualities employees want in their “Ideal Manager.”

Register here: “Re-engaging Your Workforce: Critical Skills for the Ideal Manager.” 12-1 p.m. Central on September 14.

You’ll learn:

• How direct managers influence employee engagement
• How U.S. managers stack up against leaders in 10 other countries
• How employee expectations vary across generation, gender and country
• The 5 most critical skills for managers – as reported by their employees
• How to build the Ideal Manager in your organization

You’ll meet:

Carol Fitzgibbons, Director of Talent and Organization Solutions with BPI group. Carol is also a member of the adjunct faculty in Loyola University of Chicago’s MBA program, and recently held an internal Organizational Development role with Kraft Foods.

Duncan Ferguson, Managing Director of Leadership Development with BPI group. Duncan has more than 22 years of experience in human resources management, including senior leadership roles with BP-Amoco and GATX. 

“Re-engaging Your Workforce: Critical Skills for the Ideal Manager.” 12-1 p.m. Central on September 14.

We have learned enough about leadership to know with a high degree of confidence how important leadership is to an organization’s vitality and success. We have learned what traits people value in their leaders, and we have some good leadership models for leading through change, leading by example, etc. But what we don’t have a lot of is an explanation of how leaders can drive true innovation and why leadership is so critical to successful innovation. There are some writers now contributing to a growing body of work in this area, but this research and work is all relatively new. So I’ll offer my take on the current state of research in the area, what I believe makes sense and a brief description of three excellent books I recommend on the subject.

I want to start by focusing on the word choice I am using here – “charismatic leadership.” I am not arguing or positing that “charismatic leadership” about a management team or structure. It’s not. It’s also not always about the CEO, COO or any other specific member of the top management team. While there are great examples of leaders in those roles who fit this emerging model for innovation leaders, leadership does not always rest in the management structure an organization provides.

We take our leaders where we find them, and frequently, innovative leaders are NOT the people our organizations tell us have “authority.” In fact, innovative leaders are frequently a little scary for traditional management types. Innovation is about driving new ideas and concepts forward, frequently with an evangelistic fervor and little hard evidence to support the notion the “it” will work. Traditional management methods require metrics, data and proof. So innovation frequently flies in the face of business school management teaching, and as such, results in innovative leaders being left out of the “ladder to success” in a traditional career advancement model. Traditional management, therefore, frequently doesn’t “get it,” and move innovation leaders to roles outside the formal management structure of their teams and organizations.
But – there are those organizations that do “get it.” And it’s in these organizations where passionate people find positive reinforcement, encouragement and a place to apply their passion to their ideas. So, here are the traits we most often find in truly charismatic leaders:

1. Generation of lots of ideas. One idea – even a great one – is not an indicator of creativity or innovation. It’s one idea. No more – no less. Innovative people have lots of ideas. Ideas are the currency of innovation, and we need to look for people who have numerous ideas.
2. Curiosity – where do you think ideas come from? Ideas generally are the product of stimulation from a wide range of sources, and to be exposed to lots of different things, innovative leaders are relentlessly curious. They read, the see film, they explore, they think, they exchange ideas, they seek out new things for the pure pleasure of the new experiences that result from these events, things or ideas. Too many traditional management types are unfailingly NOT curious. They do the same things over and over. They get their news from the same two sources, etc. Look for a different sort of leader. (A good interview question for this – “How many books are you currently reading?” Not that I am a model here, but I am usually digging through 5-6 books at a time – fiction, politics, economics, leadership, etc. During a corporate interview I had several years ago, I was asked about THE book I was reading. When I answered truthfully, I got a raised eyebrow or two. After hired, I was told my answer scared them a little. I should have walked out the door on the spot, but – hey – I was optimistic I could help shift the culture a little. WRONG!)
3. Collaborative – this trait is so critical, it is an absolute requirement in my opinion. Truly innovative people are constantly working with others. They share ideas. Refine ideas. Look for improvements. Look for obstacles, etc. And you cannot do this in isolation.
4. Able to see patterns and connections – this is one of those key traits or competencies that many current management methodologies seek to stamp out. There are patterns and connections all around us. Innovative people put things together in ways others of us don’t quickly see. Don’t discount any suggestion that some unusual things are – in fact – connected. Discounting these sorts of observations can lead to missing some terrific new markets, new products or new processes that can really help drive bottom line results. Too many organizations have structures in place to actually discourage people from sharing information across business units or divisions. Those organizations – and those at the very top of such organizations – lack the ability to see broad interconnections and patterns. So they build structures designed to keep people in silos. These companies are frequently successful for a time, because they push on the things they do best to the exclusion of new ideas. And they are rarely innovative over the long haul.
There are other crucial leadership traits, but these (and they are NOT exclusive in my view) seem to be common to the innovative leaders I’ve met and studied. I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts on the subject.

Now – here are three books you should read ASAP about these ideas:
A Whole New Mind – Daniel Pink. This is – hands down – my favorite business book ever. I’ve read it 4 times, and am now working on some ideas inspired by this amazing work. We ALL owe Mr. Pink a debt of gratitude for getting his ideas on paper and to all of us to enjoy and read.
Innovative Like Edison – Michael J. Gelb and Sarah Miller Caldicott. It’s really impossible to top Thomas Edison for innovation leadership. This is a must have read for those of us interested in this subject.
The Seeds of Innovation – Elaine Dundon. This another terrific read, and Dundon gives us some great information about how innovative organizations work. LOVE this work!