Module 2: Assess Your Leadership Code

Strength
Learn:

Explore the five domains of the Leadership Code

Apply:

Assess which of four roles is your greatest strength

Use this knowledge to focus your target results

EXPERT INSIGHTS:
Key Concepts (Transcript)
Dave Ulrich: When we studied the field of leadership, we looked at a lot of studies, a lot of
research, and we identified four basic roles that an effective leader must play. If youre going
to succeed as a leader, these are the basics. This is the code. Its the basic elements, the DNA
of good leadership.
Number one is a strategist. A strategist answers the question, Where are we going? If youre
going to be a strategist, you need a point of view about the future. You need to know how to
position your organization for the future, for what you hope to do and for what you want to
accomplish.
Number two, you need to be an executor. Executors have the ability to turn ideas into results.
They answer the question, How do we get there? They make change happen. They ensure
accountability. They build teams. And they deliver.
The third role that weve identified is talent manager. A talent manager answers the question,
Who goes with me? Whos going to join us? How do I engage people? How do I help the people
feel a part of this organization?
The fourth role that weve got is a human capital developer. The human capital developer
answers the question, Who stays after we go? Am I building the next generation of talent?
But, at the heart of the leadership code is what we call personal proficiency. In the research
and studies that we did, we found that all leaders have some common personal traits. These

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traits, attributes, or characteristics are things that build trust, integrity and relationships.
Because of these traits, leaders are more likely to succeed.
Your job as a leader is to ask which of those four roles strategist (Where am I going?),
executor (How do I get there?), talent manager (Who goes with me?), and human capital
developer (Who stays after I go?) am I predisposed to? We all have a predisposition. We all
have one were more comfortable with. But, what you need to learn is a basic mastery and
proficiency in all four.

Related Questions (Transcript)

Can you think of leaders who exemplify the strategist and talent
manager roles?
Dave Ulrich: A strategist is somebody who answers the question: Where are we going?
Someone who has a point of view about the future. You see people who create new strategies:
Jeff Bezos at Amazon looked at technology, looked at distribution, and discovered a new way
to distribute products and services. He was a strategist; he could see what wasnt there and
have a great idea.
The current CEO of Nokia is changing their strategy from a device company to an Internet
company and hes positioning [the company into what it needs to become for the future world].
Norm Smallwood: An example of a talent manager is Herb Kelleher at Southwest Airlines. Herb
really believed that employee engagement, employee commitment, would drive a customer
experience that would be second to none at Southwest Airlines. So even though their strategy
was to do low price, he would make up for it by a customer experience which was really fun.
So, customers on Southwest Airlines would engage with Southwest Airlines employees in a way
that created a culture which anyone whos taken a ride on a Southwest plane will never forget.

And how about examples of human capital developers and executors?

Dave Ulrich: A human capital developer is somebody who builds the organization for the future.
A. G. Lafley is the head of P&G. Procter & Gamble is known as what we call a feeder firm. We
did research and we said, What organization produces leaders for the future? And in the
consumer products industry its Procter & Gamble.
In politics, a great example of this is President Abraham Lincoln. When he built his cabinet he
surrounded himself with those whom hed beaten in the election. And its called a team of
rivals. He put together a team so that he knew that if he wasnt there, the team was actually
as good as or better than he was. That takes an enormous humility and confidence humility to
listen to ideas, and confidence to still lead the team.
Norm Smallwood: An example of an executor would be Larry Bossidy. Executors pay attention
to issues like ensuring that what we know is what we do. They ensure that there are clear
goals, that there are measures, that there are consequences, and they create a feedback
culture.
Dave Ulrich: Let me add a Larry Bossidy story. A number of years ago I had the privilege of
doing a workshop when he was at Allied Signal. This workshop happened to be in Detroit. He

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showed up, he walked into the room, he stood up, he said, Ladies and gentlemen. Its profits,
products, and people. Are there any questions? Everybody was shocked. Thirty seconds into
his talk he said, If not, go do it! And he walked out. No one doubted his focus, his
commitment, and his dedication in getting those results.

WHAT IS THE LEADERSHIP CODE?

The Leadership Code is the set of fundamental skills every good leader must master. Our
research suggests that all leaders must be effective as:
1. Strategists
2. Executors
3. Talent managers
4. Human capital developers
At the center of these four roles is personal proficiency, a set of skills and qualities that helps
leaders perform these roles in a manner that engenders trust and respect.

THE CODES FIVE DOMAINS

The Leadership Code helps you know what to do to be a better leader. It captures the entire
landscape of what makes an effective leader and helps you focus on five domains of leadership
as a whole, rather than as a series of disjointed competencies.
The following table illustrates the key components of the Leadership Codes five domains:

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Code Domain

What They Do Best

Focus

Perspective

Human Capital
Developer

Individual

Long-term
Strategic

Map the workforce

Link firm and employee brand
Help people manage their careers
Find and develop the next generation talent
Encourage networks and relationships

Strategist

Have a point of view about the future

Create a customer-centric view of strategy
Engage organization in developing strategy
Create strategic traction in the organization

Organization

Long-term Strategic

Executor

Make change happen

Follow a decision protocol
Ensure accountability
Build teams
Ensure technical proficiency

Organization

Short-term
Operational

Talent Manager

Communicate
Create aligned direction
Strengthen competency
Resource to cope with demands
Create a positive work environment

Individual

Short-term
Operational

Personal
Proficiency

Practice clear thinking

Know yourself
Tolerate stress
Demonstrate learning ability
Tend to character and integrity
Have personal energy and passion

Self

Internal

Finding Your Code Strength

While the Leadership Code identifies an underlying framework of knowledge, skills, and values
common to all effective leaders, each persons leadership profile will look and feel different
based on job level, industry, company culture, and so forth.
Keep in mind that while effective leaders must all demonstrate personal proficiency, and
achieve competency as strategists, executors, talent managers, and human capital developers,
most leaders have a predisposition toward one of these four roles.
Understanding which role you are most predisposed to will help you to focus on the results that
are most attainable and best aligned with your natural capabilities.
In the activity in the Apply section of this module, you will determine your primary Leadership
Code strength, then narrow your target results to best capitalize on it.

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MODULE 2 ACTIVITY INTRODUCTION (Transcript)

Norm Smallwood: Assessing your leadership core strengths or predispositions is integral to
developing your own personal leader brand. These strengths are the foundations on which your
style rests.
As you prepare to complete the next activity, think hard about the things that come easily to
you in your job. What tasks do you find most energizing and enjoyable? What types of things do
you find yourself shying away from? Be honest. Take the time to reflect on each answer so that
you get the most out of this activity.
The answers you provide will help identify the one or two leadership code roles that are most
relevant to you. Well rely on the results to help develop your own personal leader brand
statement later in this program. A second, added benefit of completing this assessment is an
awareness of which roles you might not be as good at. Look for ways to strengthen your skills in
these areas as part of your own personal development or ensure that other leaders on your
team have complementary strengths.

MODULE 2 CASE EXAMPLES

The following activity contains two parts. In the first, youll be asked to rate ten statements to
help identify your relative strength in the Leadership Code.
In the second part, youll use this strength to help you narrow your list of target results from
the first activity.
Read the text below to see how Mike, Amanda, and Ravi fared on their diagnostics and used
their Leadership Code strengths to narrow their results.

Mike's Story (Transcript)

As part of the Leading for Results course, Mike takes a self-assessment on leadership qualities
to determine his Leadership Code strength. This test reveals that he is an executor above all,
which does not come as a surprise to him all his life, he has been praised for his ability to
make change happen.
In fact, Mike falls very much in line with the executors profile. As a leader, he tends to be
action-oriented. He expects results from his team, but he holds himself to high standards as
well. He takes responsibility for what needs to happen and does whatever it takes to get work
completed on time and on budget, even if it means working late nights and weekends.
But Mike realizes that he now needs to leverage his code strength by selecting the two target
results that best align with it. Now, he thinks, is the time to translate the months of
groundwork Ive done with customers into results for my organization and shareholders. After
looking at his four target results, he finds that his executor strengths will best be put to use
helping to Achieve the product launch financial targets and to Increase speed to market,
both critical results for HealthiFoods and its investors. And hes confident that achieving these
short-term wins will help improve his employees morale.

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Amanda's Story (Transcript)

Amandas Leadership Code strengths assessment reveals that she is equally strong as a talent
manager and a human capital developer.
To continue with the course, she needs to choose which strength she thinks suits her best. To
do this, she reads the description of each and reflects on what she enjoys doing and what she
thinks she does well: developing strong bonds with her colleagues; earning the trust of those
she works with; and acting as an advocate for her employees when it comes to what Dowal can
do for them.
Ultimately, she decides that shes a talent manager more than she is a human capital
developer. Her real strength, she feels, is in promoting a more positive work environment for
her employees on a day-to-day basis. So, she selects "Improve employee engagement" as her
primary target result.
Choosing the second result, however, proves more difficult. While Amanda understands that
the goal of the exercise is to align target results with her code strength, she does not think the
two most obvious results on her list address the firms strategic goals as much as the One
Dowal initiative. Believing that she can find a way to leverage her talent manager strengths
on this project, Amanda ultimately selects One Dowal as her second target result.

Ravi's Story (Transcript)

Ravis self-assessment reveals that he is a strategist. Hes satisfied with this result: indeed, his
true passion resides in considering how Intersystal will position itself for the future.
Recognizing that the company needs to be smarter, faster, more flexible, and in tune with the
latest technology and consumer trends, Ravi thinks often about strategic direction for the
organization. Further, he is confident that the Indian market represents significant growth
potential if approached correctly and he wants to ensure that the company doesnt lose out
on opportunities in his country.
So for his first result he chooses Help to identify a strategy for targeting the Indian market.
But for his second result, he decides on something slightly less strategic because he believes
that above all else, Intersystal needs him to buoy employee morale in India. Therefore, he
chooses Keep employees motivated and attract top talent.

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MODULE 2 ACTIVITY: IDENTIFY YOUR CODE

STRENGTH AND USE IT TO NARROW YOUR RESULTS
Instructions
Youve seen how Mike, Amanda, and Ravi identified their Leadership Code strengths. In this
activity you will identify your own Leadership Code strength and use it to refine your list of
desired results.
This self-assessment is based on Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwoods research on what makes an
effective leader. Drawing on research and interviews with renowned leadership theorists and
practitioners, they have concluded that although each persons leadership will look and feel
somewhat different based on personality as well as more external circumstances, every
effective leader must master the fundamentals of leadership. Ulrich and Smallwood refer to
these fundamentals as the Leadership Code.

Part 1: Leadership Code Assessment

(Copyright 2008 The RBL Group)

This assessment consists of 9 sets of four statements that you need to rank by what is most or
least like you at work.
Put a 4 next to the statement within each set that is most like you or most closely reflects your
priorities at work. For the one next most like you, put a 3; for the next most like you, put a 2;
for the least like you, put a 1 then move to the next set.
You must use each number once and only once within each set. Try to describe yourself and
your priorities as accurately as possible. There are no right or wrong answers.
Scale: Least like me < -- -- > Most like me
1

4
Rating

1.1 I clearly identify the competencies required for success.

_____

1.2 I incorporate expectations of outside stakeholders, including customers, into our future
goals.

_____

1.3 I am consistently good at getting things done.

_____

1.4 I help people understand the long-term benefits of working for this organization.

_____

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2.1 I know and build my teams technical proficiency.

_____

2.2 I involve others in the organization in developing strategy in order to build commitment to
our future direction.

_____

2.3 I make sure we are developing the future talent we will need for our most critical
positions.

_____

2.4 I find ways to attract and retain people with the competencies required for success.

_____

3.1 I incorporate input from our key customers into setting future directions.

_____

3.2 I make needed changes happen.

_____

3.3 I allow the people on my team flexibility in getting their work done.

_____

3.4 I invest time in helping key employees develop and advance.

_____

4.1 I hold people accountable for accomplishing assigned tasks and reward good performance
appropriately.

_____

4.2 I make sure people get the information they need to be productive and engaged.

_____

4.3 I find targeted development assignments for promising employees who will become our
next-generation talent.

_____

4.4 I translate our strategy into a compelling and achievable story.

_____

5.1 I establish clear accountabilitieswho, what, by when, and with what resources.

_____

5.2 I have a clearly articulated point of view about our direction for future opportunities.

_____

5.3 I am a talent scout who excels at finding and developing next-generation talent.

_____

5.4 I am proactive in helping my people develop the competencies they need for successful
performance.

_____

6.1 I follow a decision protocol that defines what decisions need to be made and by whom.

_____

6.2 I help people align their individual goals with the work and goals of the organization.

_____

6.3 I recognize and use the organizations strengths for the benefit of customers and
investors.

_____

6.4 I regularly identify what our future talent needs will be.

_____

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7.1 I treat everyone with humanity, justice, and temperance, even under stressful
circumstances.

_____

7.2 I ensure my team has a clear purpose and clear roles.

_____

7.3 I have a point of view about how future trends will affect how our business operates.

_____

7.4 I help employees understand what is required at each stage in their development.

_____

8.1 I follow a disciplined process to make change happen.

_____

8.2 I excel at describing strategic goals in ways that appeal to employee values and hopes for
the future.

_____

8.3 I encourage people to network throughout the organization.

_____

8.4 I help my people get the training, coaching, and technology they need to perform and
develop in their current jobs.

_____

9.1 I create a work environment that is upbeat and supportive.

_____

9.2 I monitor work in progress and provide timely corrections.

_____

9.3 I create an employee brand by identifying expectations and rewards that will appeal to
the most talented current and potential employees.

_____

9.4 I consistently make time to seek input from our key external customers.

_____

Assessment Scoring
Enter the numbers you wrote next to each question on your scoring sheet in the blanks below
and total each column.

Totals

Strategist

Executor

Talent Manager

Human Capital Developer

1.2 _________

1.3 _________

1.1 __________

1.4 __________

2.2 _________

2.1 _________

2.4 __________

2.3 __________

3.1 _________

3.2 _________

3.3 __________

3.4 __________

4.4 _________

4.1 _________

4.2 __________

4.3 __________

5.2 _________

5.1 _________

5.4 __________

5.3 __________

6.3 _________

6.1 _________

6.2 __________

6.4 __________

7.3 _________

7.2 _________

7.1 __________

7.4 __________

8.2 _________

8.1 _________

8.4 __________

8.3 __________

9.4 _________

9.2 _________

9.1 __________

9.3 __________

_________

_________

__________

__________

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Now write your highest scoring domain in the field below.

This is your primary leadership code strength.
________________________________________________________________________________

Note: If two of your scores are similar, you may want to read below about each of the roles to
decide which one suits you the best. Each domain includes critical competencies required to
execute the activities required for sustained organizational performance.

Primary Code Strength: Strategist

Leaders with strengths as strategists are committed to answering the question Where
are we going? They are practical futurists who figure out where the organization
needs to go to succeed, who test these ideas pragmatically against current resources
(money, people, organizational capabilities), and who work with others to figure out
how to get from the present to the desired future. Strategists have a point of view
about the future and are able to position their organization to create and respond to
that future.
Leaders whose strongest domain is the strategist domain demonstrate strengths in the
competencies associated with strategy formulation: Have a point of view about the
future; Create a customer-centric view of strategy; Engage the organization in
developing strategy; and Create strategic traction in the organization.

Primary Code Strength: Executor

Leaders with strengths as executors are committed to answering the question How
will we make sure we get where we are going? Effective leadership translates strategy
into action. Executors understand how to create plans and assign accountability, know
which key decisions to take and which to delegate, and manage time and priorities for
optimal results. They know what to take responsibility for and what to let go. They
keep promises to multiple stakeholders. Executors make things happen.
Leaders whose strongest domain is the executor domain demonstrate strengths in the
competencies associated with execution: Make change happen; Follow a decision
protocol; Ensure accountability; Build teams; and Ensure technical proficiency.

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Primary Code Strength: Talent Manager

Leaders with strengths as talent managers are committed to answering the question
How will we make sure people come with us? Talent managers go beyond the truism
that people are our most important asset to actually knowing how to identify, engage,
and build talent. They identify what skills are required, draw talent to their
organizations, develop talent, engage employees, and ensure that employees turn in
their best efforts. Talent managers generate intense personal, professional, and
organizational loyalty.
Leaders whose strongest domain is the talent manager domain demonstrate strengths
in the competencies associated with talent management: Communicate; Connect the
individual to the organization; Strengthen competency; Resource to cope with
demands; and Create a positive leadership climate.

Primary Code Strength: Human Capital Developer

Leaders with strengths as human capital developers are committed to answering the
question, Who stays and sustains the organization for the next generation? Just as
good parents invest in helping their children succeed, human capital developers help
future leaders be successful. Human capital developers build a workforce plan focused
on future talent, understand how to develop the future talent, and help employees see
their future careers within the company. Human capital developers ensure that the
organization will outlive any single individual.
Leaders whose strongest domain is the human capital developer domain demonstrate
strengths in the competencies associated with human capital development: Map the
workforce; Link firm and employee brand; Help people manage their careers; Find and
develop next generation talent; and Encourage networks and relationships.

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Narrow Your Target Results

Your strength in this Leadership Code role impacts how you think about your target results. To
increase your likelihood of success, review the list of results you identified in the previous
activity.
Focus on the two that align best with your identified leadership code strength and list them on
the lines below.
Result 1: ________________________________
Result 2: ________________________________

EXAMPLE
The following are sample target results chosen by your peers in this
modules Case Examples:
Ravi:

STRENGTH: Strategist
TOP TWO RESULTS: Keep employees motivated and attract top new talent; help
identify a strategy for targeting the Indian market

Amanda: STRENGTH: Tie between Talent Manager and Human Capital Developer; chose to
focus on Talent Manager
TOP TWO RESULTS: Improve employee engagement; actively participate in the
development of the One Dowal initiative.
Mike:

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STRENGTH: Executor
TOP TWO RESULTS: Achieve product launch financial targets; increase speed to
market.

2008 Harvard Business School Publishing