While **66%** of leaders surveyed today said their senior leadership team was good, only **21%** said theirs was strong and **13%** of leaders admitted theirs was dysfunctional.

Nearly **200 leaders** taking part in todays Growth Facultys Senior Leadership Program 'The Formula for Business Excellence" were asked to participate in the survey, and executive coach [John Spence](https://johnspence.com/) used the opportunity to push delegates into action.

[__](https://thegrowthfaculty.ac-page.com/leadershipqualities) He asked them to **name one action** they would take from session 1 People: The Heart of Your Business. Here we feature a selection of some of the actions from this leadership cohort, and the learnings put forward by John about each topic.

**_"Set the task for the leadership team to build their own personal leadership model." "Print out the 7Cs."_**

John Spence had asked the leaders present: _Do you have a written personal leadership model or philosophy?_

He shared his leadership model called the 7 Cs: **Character** $honest, forward-looking, competent, inspiring, fair and supportive$, **Courage** $makes tough decisions and can be vulnerable$, **Competency** $good leader and good at what they do$, **Communication** $clear and frequent communicator$, **Collaboration** $includes others, respects autonomy$, **Compassion** $helps others see their value, helps them grows, thanks them$, and **Contribution** $leaves the organisation better than they find it$.

John says to write down the type of **leader you want to be** $personal leadership model$ as this can help how you lead, but also helps when hiring or firing, as it sets out what values are important to you.

[_Free Download: 10 Leadership Qualities That Will Help Solve Challenges in 2023_](https://thegrowthfaculty.ac-page.com/leadershipqualities)

A personal leadership model can also be used to ask your team to keep the leader accountable: _Im promising this is the way I said I would lead, where am I falling short?_

**_"Find other channels for acquiring talent and start to build a talent list"_**

John had told the delegates that people are the future of your company and urged leaders to create a **talent pipeline** via _internships, internal referrals as well as recruiting firms, attending industry, networking and careers events, posting on and looking at freelancer websites, job boards, LinkedIn and social media, sourcing from competitors and similar industries_ , and _welcoming back boomerang employees._

John shared the one **interview question** that he used when hiring high-level employees. _For the next 45 minutes tell me in detail what you know about our company, our top 3 competitors, our industry, and where you see us in 5 years._

If they couldnt do this at such a senior level, they werent up to the job, he said.

**_"Conduct stay interviews"_**

John recommended leaders conduct not just exit interviews for leaving employees, but **"stay interviews"** for great ones you want to stay.

Stay interviews help leaders understand what your best employees want most, and what might make them consider leaving.

**Interview questions** he suggested for stay interviews included:

- What aspects of your job do you find **most fulfilling**?

- Are there tasks you feel could be delegated or redesigned to make your role **more enjoyable**?

- How would you describe your **relationship** with your immediate supervisor?

- What skills would you like to develop here? Do you feel you're making progress toward your **professional goals**?

- Are there changes that could be made to your schedule that would improve your **work-life balance**?

- What form of **recognition** motivates you the most?

- What would make you **consider leaving** this organisation? Do you have suggestions for **improving** the work environment?

- What immediate **changes** would make your day-to-day work more satisfying?

**Reasons People Stay**

John says research shows top people are more likely to stay at companies if there is **pay parity,** **meaningful work** , other **A-player colleagues** , a **winning culture** $with accountability for results$, personal and professional **growth opportunities** , **flexibility** , and a **leader they trust** , respect and admire.

**" _Set up a reading schedule"_**

John said the average businessperson reads half a business book a year $or less$. He told delegates that if they read 12 business books per year they would be among the **top 1%** of readers in the world.

John himself reads **more than 100 business books** a year, and suggested leaders read at least 15 minutes a day for their own professional and personal development.

To make the learnings in books stick, John says he uses highlighters and shorthand icons $such as an R for read again and R\*\* for critical and \# or $ for number data$.

**_"Look for patterns"_**

Using the example above of reading business books, John explained how the volume of knowledge he gains from his extensive reading leads him to **recognise patterns** in leadership advice from top thought leaders. This pattern-recognition helped him create his **formula for business excellence** :

**_$Talent + Culture + Extreme Customer Focus$ X Disciplined Execution = Business Excellence_**

He further explained the importance of Pattern Recognition in leaders, saying the **4 Ps of expert performance** were: Passion, Persistence, Practise, and Pattern Recognition.

Pattern Recognition was also one of the **5 Levels of Strategic Thinking.**

**_"Ask the team what they think it takes to be a leader in our organisation, then look for patterns"_**

John told delegates that research shows people want leaders who will tell them the **truth** , have a **clear vision** for where the organisation is going, has the **skills** to get it there successfully, is excited about going **with them** , and will treat them **fairly** and **support** them along the way.

**_"Check how well Im going with my team"_**

John said 5 elements of high performing teams included a **shared direction** $clear, compelling vision$, **binary goals** $KPIs, achieved: yes or no?$, towering **competence** , robust **communication** , and personal, mutual and reciprocal **accountability**.

**Personal** accountability is _I keep my word_ , **mutual** accountability is _I can hold you accountable to binary goals, without it getting personal_ and **reciprocal** accountability is _I expect you to hold me accountable._

**Best Team You've Worked For**

When asked to describe characteristics of the **best team** the program participants had ever belonged to, delegates put forward:

_high calibre, work hard and play hard, support each other, cohesive, supportive, trust, passion, results-focused, pushed each other to perform, transparent communication, alignment to goals, a sprinkle of fun, innovation and growth, had my back, aligned around a single purpose, can rely on them, went through Covid together_ and _learnt a lot about each other at a deeper level, team before self._

**_"Set up our next 1:1 chats with staff including lessons from today"_**

One of the lessons included acting on the research from Googles Project Artistotle that uncovered **Five Pillars of Effective Teams** : _Psychological Safety, Dependability, Structure & Clarity, Meaning of Work, Impact of Work._

John suggested these practical actions to build a better team:

- Leaders should foster an environment where **psychological safety** is a priority. This involves being open to feedback and encouraging open dialogue.

- Clearly **define roles and responsibilities** to ensure that everyone knows what is expected of them.

- Engage team members in **meaningful work** that aligns with their personal and professional goals.

- Use these findings to **proactively address** team dynamics before issues arise.

**Next session in Senior Leadership Program**

The next session in the Senior Leadership Program will be **Cultivating a Winning Organisational Culture** on Wednesday, 25th October, 2023.

**Invest in Your Learning With Membership to Growth Faculty**

Senior Leadership Program Formula for Business Excellence includes [Growth Fac](https://join.thegrowthfaculty.com/#plans)[](https://join.thegrowthfaculty.com/#plans)[ulty membership](https://join.thegrowthfaculty.com/#plans) giving program delegates access to the latest ideas and thinking from the brightest minds in the world, including:

* Unlimited access to **dozens of live virtual masterclasses** on trending topics around work, career, leadership, and culture; such as psychological safety, burnout, difficult conversations, strategy and execution, micromanaging, accountability and more, with opportunities to chat, ask questions of the speaker, and interact with your peers. 
  * Unlimited access to our **multi-module leadership programs** at both emerging and senior leader level. 
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  * Year-round leadership content **on demand** with replays of our live events, highlight reels, interviews with top business authors, and more. [See our latest program of live virtual and in-person events. ](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/event.php?eventId=a1J4G000008xoC7&promoCode=Blog&utm_source=TGF&utm_medium=blog)

**Discounts to Adam Grant LIVE in 2024**

With automatic [Growth Fac](https://join.thegrowthfaculty.com/#plans)[](https://join.thegrowthfaculty.com/#plans)[ulty membership](https://join.thegrowthfaculty.com/#plans) program delegates also qualify for discounts to our in-person events. Get an EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT until December 15, 2023 to [ADAM GRANT LIVE ](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/event.php?eventId=a1J9g000000R00ZEAS)on WorkLife Reimagined in Melbourne and Sydney in February 2024. Tickets selling fast $VIP SOLD OUT$ so book now\!

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Leaders Nominate Actions from Our Masterclass on People Issues at Work

Highlights of Session 1 of our Senior Leadership Program

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Leaders Nominate Actions from Our Masterclass on People Issues at Work

Highlights of Session 1 of our Senior Leadership Program

Keep informedStay Inspired

Keep informed
Stay Inspired