Overview

What Makes A Good Leader?

  • Is it vision?
  • Is it knowledge?
  • Is it people interaction skills?
  • Is it business management competencies?

Andrea Needham’s first book Workplace Bullying, the Costly Business Secret (Penguin 2003) opened the eyes of many people internationally. She exposed the ugly truth about what can go on in organisations when dominant personalities are allowed to intimidate those around them.

Now, in ‘Courage at the Top, igniting the leadership fire’ she continues the theme she raised in her first book, that the presence of strong, competent leadership does not allow such destructive behaviours to exist.

After many years of working with some brilliant and some not so brilliant leaders throughout the world, Andrea W Needham has identified the one quality that is essential for effective leadership and that quality is courage.

In Courage at the Top Needham defines courageous leadership; she provides case-studies which reveal why courage is so essential in a good leader, and provides an action plan to help organisations appoint and foster leaders with the courage required to achieve the best possible outcomes.

This website and the books written by Andrea W Needham focus on the critical message that Boards and senior management need to place a higher priority on the strategic value and leadership of the People Factor. Well-honed business management skills are essential for success at the top but they will not guarantee success. Leadership talents, attributes and skills – the truly hard stuff’ are the key to true success as a senior manager and as a board member

This means that these key people have the courage and skills to do the right thing.

What is the right thing?
Simply, it means treating people with respect and dignity.
No more, no less.

Key People Factor Issues that Organisations need to address

  • Double standards for behaviours
  • Not living the organisation’s Vision and Values
  • Lack of or incompatible relationship skills
  • Poor aka incompetent aka destructive management
  • Lack of leadership talents
  • Lack of diversity – generational, ethnicity and gender

This leads to:

The People Factor Challenges

  1. Recognition by the governing body that the People Factor is a strategic and not an operational tool
  2. Early identification of and investment in potential leaders
  3. Active inclusion of ethnicity, gender and generation at all levels
  4. Retention of the knowledge capital invested in the People Factor
  5. Identification, development and maintenance of the appropriate skills and talents for new and existing teams
  6. Development and growth of individuals’ talents, skills and abilities to meet changing business needs
  7. Development of sound behaviour feedback systems
  8. Ability to divest the organisation of redundant skills if necessary
  9. Reviewing the organisation’s business processes to promote responsibility without losing creativity
  10. Definition and underpinning of People Factor processes to ensure that the most needed and appropriate support is invested in seeking and retaining the skills and talents needed

Therefore, as with anything and everything in life – the focus must start at the top:

The Challenge to Governing Bodies – Boards and Owners

Their single biggest, most strategic and difficult task for any governing body is to hire a CEO (Managing Director, General Manager, Principal, Dean, Chancellor) who

  • is driven by respect for the People Factor
  • has a strong, proven, track record of leadership skills
  • has a personality profile that validates the leadership talents
  • demonstrates competence in business management