The research evidence continues to trickle in. The study I write about today was conducted by Green Peak Partners with the involvement of Cornell’s Industrial and Labor Relations School (my graduate alma mater, as it happens).
They did in-depth interviews of 72 executives from 31 companies and compared elements of their people skills with the business results they achieved. To summarize the findings, J.P. Flaum, the managing partner of Green Peak, said:
Our findings directly challenge the conventional view that “drive for results at all costs” is the right approach. The executives most likely to deliver good bottom-line results are actually self-aware leaders who are especially good at working with individuals and in teams.”
Here are a few key findings:
- The hard-driving, results focused style, without concomitant attention paid to interpersonal relationships, will work only in very short-term crisis situations. Beyond that, such leaders perform badly on all key financial metrics, including growth, profitability, and ROI.
- Add in strong leadership skills to a results focused style, however, and an executive performs very well.
- Self awareness is a primary driver of executive overall effectiveness.
We must be clear, however, that strong interpersonal/leadership/team skills is not the same as being “nice.” It includes being tough and demanding and frank in feedback, when necessary. But it does include treating employees at all times with the respect they deserve as adults and human beings.
This data, combined with other recent research (The Leadership Circle, Zenger Folkman, and others) is why we offer The Authentic Leader program for C-level managers. And it’s why we spend time, even in our mid-level manager training program, on the assumptions, beliefs, and habits of thought that determine so much of how a manager’s operates on the job.
