Reinforcement-based Leadership

I'm sure you've picked up lots of books on leadership and what makes it work. Although I graduated from a school whose motto is "Serve to Lead" with a reputation of churning out the country's future leaders, I feel the that sometimes it's hit or miss in terms of getting students aligned with the program at the Royal Military College. For one, not everyone had formal leadership roles and titles. Second, scores of "successful" old puteras, the term we use for alumni, were not rank holders during college days, so what made them great after graduation? Furthermore, you always have the 10% exception which represents those who dreaded every second being there but they later become successful in their careers (let's leave the definition of "successful" for later discussion).

I was enrolled in a leadership course back in January. Before leaving for the first class, my boss told me about the 4-point rule that has stuck in his head till this day. They were 4 things that kept people focused in their career. Remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint.

1) Opportunity - the timing and sometimes luck for opportunities to present themselves and for you to seize the moment

2) Motivation - promotions, monetary rewards, recognition, personal satisfaction - anything that keeps you liking what you do and wanting to do more

3) Enabler - training, mentoring, coaching

4) Competency - how smart you are and how well you get things done

The concept of reinforcement-based leadership is that humans are naturally selfish, self-centered and want to accomplish certain things for their own benefit alone (naturally if our goals are not aligned, conflict arises, not rocket science). So the more opportunities you give to your high potentials or the more recognition they get whether in terms of reward or promotions, the better they execute the business plan. At least that's the common thinking. The cumbersome piece about reinforcement is that it requires constant maintenance.

Politics is a great example of typical reinforcement-based leadership where politicians use motivation and opportunity strongly in their campaign. Monetary rewards are legal in the context of recognizing employees in your organization. Constituents do not count!

A very close friend of mine is visiting us this weekend. Looking forward to his company and 2 weeks away from my desk.