The H.S. Group -- Celebrating 40 Years of Excellence

Monday, January 30, 2006

"If I Only Had A Heart"


Upon reading the First Annual Global Leadership Study by the Mercer Delta Executive Learning Center, many organizations may begin singing the familiar tune, "If I Only Had a Heart" from "The Wizard of Oz". As it turns out, the combination of traits desired L. Frank Baum's endearing Wizard of Oz characters, The Scarecrow, The Tinman and The Cowardly Lion, may together describe the profile of today's successful business leader.

According to the study, Senior Executives identified today's successful leader as multi-dimensional; possessing three key competencies. Mercer Delta Executive Learning Center catagorized these competencies as Head, Heart and Guts. This is a transformation from the past when the "Head" won out and the smartest guy in the room became the leader. Today's business environment requires a more complex, multi-dimensional leader.

If only today's HR and OD professionals could simply click their heels together to develop the initiatives to assist their companies in achieving the right blend of leadership characteristics, or like the Great and Powerful Oz, simply look into their little black bag of tricks. Instead it appears to be a long ardous journey down the yellow brick road, with many unexpected challenges along the way.

To read more about the Mercer study click here: Effective Leadership Development Critical to Corporate Performance and Competitive Advantage

Posted by Denise Knutson, Senior Consultant, The H.S. Group

posted by The H.S. Group at 2:55 PM

1 Comments:

  • While I can agree with the characteristics of the Scarecrow and the Lion in strong leaders, I believe that often the Tin Man may be missing from the equation.

    * Head: Cognitive skills; providing strategy, direction and purpose
    * Heart: Emotional intelligence; understanding, working with, and developing others
    * Guts: Values; doing the right thing based on clear values

    Too often, managers forget the very important aspect of understanding and developing others. Training programs continue to dwindle, despite the increased need for experienced workers.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 8:57 AM  

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