Action Centered Leadership™
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Imagine you've recently started a new job as a team leader.
At first, you're completely overwhelmed with all there is to do.
You've got to get to grips with the group's objectives, assign tasks, keep everyone motivated, and adhere to a strict schedule.
And that feels like just the tip of the iceberg!
You also know that, under your predecessor, several of the team were struggling, so you devote a lot of your time to coaching these individuals.
This seems to be working well, with the team members concerned growing in confidence as a result of your hard work. But after a few weeks, your start to realize that things are going badly wrong in other areas.
The group isn't working cohesively as a whole, and an unpleasant blame culture has sprung up amongst several team members. And an important deadline is missed. You've been so busy coaching people that you didn't see these things till it was too late.
Managing a team is very much like juggling several balls at once. Drop one ball, and it spoils the whole pattern.
Unfortunately, this is an easy mistake for managers to make, as they spend too much time on one responsibility at the expense of others that are just as important. This is where a management model like Action Centered Leadership™ helps you monitor the balance between the key areas for which you're responsible, helping you avoid dropping any balls along the way.
In this article we'll look at what Action Centered Leadership is, and we'll explore how you can use it with your team.
Action Centered Leadership
Action Centered Leadership (sometimes known as ACL) is a model that was first published in 1973 by leadership expert, John Adair.
It's so-called because it highlights the key actions that leaders have to take when managing their teams. And it's particularly helpful because it groups these responsibilities together under three key areas:
Task: Achieving the team's goal.
Team: Developing and building your team, so that it's ever more effective.
Individual: Helping individuals develop their full potential in the workplace.
These areas are represented by the three interlocking circles, as shown in Figure 1 below.
The model states that leaders must balance the actions they take across all three key areas if they want their group to succeed. The areas are interdependent; if a leader focuses too much on one area and neglects the other two, then the group will experience problems.
Tip:
Although Figure 1 shows all of the circles as being the same size, this doesn't mean that leaders should always divide up their effort across these areas equally. Rather, the most appropriate balance varies according to the situation, and over time.
The shaded areas in Figure 1 show where one element relies on one or both of the others for success.
Here is an example that illustrates this interdependency:
Imagine your team is working well together, and everyone has the skills to accomplish the final goal. However, there's one team member who isn't carrying his share of the load. He's lacking motivation, and missing deadlines. The entire group's morale starts to suffer because this one member is dragging their productivity down, and the team misses its deadline because he hasn't finished his work.
Here, issues with the individual are negatively affecting the task as well as the team .
Alternatively, imagine what would happen if you didn't articulate your team's goal properly. Everyone may have great individual skills, and people may work really well together, but because no one is sure what they should be trying to achieve, progress isn't being made towards your goal.
In this example, both the individual and the team needs are being met, but task needs are being ignored. Because the group isn't sure how to accomplish their task, they're headed towards failure.
How to Use the Tool
Review the activities you're carrying out for each of the three key leadership areas, and make sure that you're dividing your time amongst all three appropriately.
Here's a list of common tasks for each of the three management responsibilities. You can use these as a guideline; and tasks can be added or eliminated based on your specific situation.
Task
Identify the purpose of the team, and communicate that purpose to all members.
Clearly state the final goal of the team.
Make sure everyone understands the resources, people, and processes that they should be using.
Establish deadlines for project tasks, and explain the quality standards you're expecting.
Create a detailed plan for how the team is going to reach their final goal.
Group
Identify the style the group will be working in (very formal, relaxed, etc.)
Make sure that everyone has the skills and training to accomplish the final goal.
If your team will be working in smaller groups, appoint a leader for each group, and make sure that he or she is effective and properly trained.
Monitor team relationships, and resolve conflicts where necessary.
Work on keeping the group motivated, and morale high.
Give regular feedback on the team's performance.
Individual
Make sure that you spend some one on one time with each member of your team for assessment: identify their strengths and weaknesses, their needs, and any special skills they can bring to the team.
Make sure each group member has the skills to perform his or her role successfully.
Appropriately praise and reward individual team members for their contribution.
Help define each individual's role, and agree the tasks they're responsible for.
If any team members seem to be lagging behind, coach them until they're back on track.
If you'd like to learn more about your leadership style and how you can apply it to the Action Centered Leadership model, you can purchase ACL tests from John Adair's website .
Key Points
Leaders have many responsibilities when it comes to managing their teams. And, it's easy to get so focused on one area that the others slip by the wayside, leading to an unbalanced, poorly-functioning group.
Using a tool like Action Centered Leadership can help any leader stay on top of the most important responsibilities, and keep the group working efficiently, happily, and productively.
Action Centered Leadership™, the Three Circles and Three Rings are all trademarks used by John Adair and Adair International Ltd . ACL is a registered trademark belonging to John Adair, and the model is re-produced here with the kind permission of John Adair and Adair International Ltd.
Tags:
Leadership Skills, Skills
At first, you're completely overwhelmed with all there is to do.
You've got to get to grips with the group's objectives, assign tasks, keep everyone motivated, and adhere to a strict schedule.
And that feels like just the tip of the iceberg!
You also know that, under your predecessor, several of the team were struggling, so you devote a lot of your time to coaching these individuals.
This seems to be working well, with the team members concerned growing in confidence as a result of your hard work. But after a few weeks, your start to realize that things are going badly wrong in other areas.
The group isn't working cohesively as a whole, and an unpleasant blame culture has sprung up amongst several team members. And an important deadline is missed. You've been so busy coaching people that you didn't see these things till it was too late.
Managing a team is very much like juggling several balls at once. Drop one ball, and it spoils the whole pattern.
Unfortunately, this is an easy mistake for managers to make, as they spend too much time on one responsibility at the expense of others that are just as important. This is where a management model like Action Centered Leadership™ helps you monitor the balance between the key areas for which you're responsible, helping you avoid dropping any balls along the way.
In this article we'll look at what Action Centered Leadership is, and we'll explore how you can use it with your team.
Action Centered Leadership
Action Centered Leadership (sometimes known as ACL) is a model that was first published in 1973 by leadership expert, John Adair.
It's so-called because it highlights the key actions that leaders have to take when managing their teams. And it's particularly helpful because it groups these responsibilities together under three key areas:
Task: Achieving the team's goal.
Team: Developing and building your team, so that it's ever more effective.
Individual: Helping individuals develop their full potential in the workplace.
These areas are represented by the three interlocking circles, as shown in Figure 1 below.
The model states that leaders must balance the actions they take across all three key areas if they want their group to succeed. The areas are interdependent; if a leader focuses too much on one area and neglects the other two, then the group will experience problems.
Tip:
Although Figure 1 shows all of the circles as being the same size, this doesn't mean that leaders should always divide up their effort across these areas equally. Rather, the most appropriate balance varies according to the situation, and over time.
The shaded areas in Figure 1 show where one element relies on one or both of the others for success.
Here is an example that illustrates this interdependency:
Imagine your team is working well together, and everyone has the skills to accomplish the final goal. However, there's one team member who isn't carrying his share of the load. He's lacking motivation, and missing deadlines. The entire group's morale starts to suffer because this one member is dragging their productivity down, and the team misses its deadline because he hasn't finished his work.
Here, issues with the individual are negatively affecting the task as well as the team .
Alternatively, imagine what would happen if you didn't articulate your team's goal properly. Everyone may have great individual skills, and people may work really well together, but because no one is sure what they should be trying to achieve, progress isn't being made towards your goal.
In this example, both the individual and the team needs are being met, but task needs are being ignored. Because the group isn't sure how to accomplish their task, they're headed towards failure.
How to Use the Tool
Review the activities you're carrying out for each of the three key leadership areas, and make sure that you're dividing your time amongst all three appropriately.
Here's a list of common tasks for each of the three management responsibilities. You can use these as a guideline; and tasks can be added or eliminated based on your specific situation.
Task
Identify the purpose of the team, and communicate that purpose to all members.
Clearly state the final goal of the team.
Make sure everyone understands the resources, people, and processes that they should be using.
Establish deadlines for project tasks, and explain the quality standards you're expecting.
Create a detailed plan for how the team is going to reach their final goal.
Group
Identify the style the group will be working in (very formal, relaxed, etc.)
Make sure that everyone has the skills and training to accomplish the final goal.
If your team will be working in smaller groups, appoint a leader for each group, and make sure that he or she is effective and properly trained.
Monitor team relationships, and resolve conflicts where necessary.
Work on keeping the group motivated, and morale high.
Give regular feedback on the team's performance.
Individual
Make sure that you spend some one on one time with each member of your team for assessment: identify their strengths and weaknesses, their needs, and any special skills they can bring to the team.
Make sure each group member has the skills to perform his or her role successfully.
Appropriately praise and reward individual team members for their contribution.
Help define each individual's role, and agree the tasks they're responsible for.
If any team members seem to be lagging behind, coach them until they're back on track.
If you'd like to learn more about your leadership style and how you can apply it to the Action Centered Leadership model, you can purchase ACL tests from John Adair's website .
Key Points
Leaders have many responsibilities when it comes to managing their teams. And, it's easy to get so focused on one area that the others slip by the wayside, leading to an unbalanced, poorly-functioning group.
Using a tool like Action Centered Leadership can help any leader stay on top of the most important responsibilities, and keep the group working efficiently, happily, and productively.
Action Centered Leadership™, the Three Circles and Three Rings are all trademarks used by John Adair and Adair International Ltd . ACL is a registered trademark belonging to John Adair, and the model is re-produced here with the kind permission of John Adair and Adair International Ltd.
