In the volatility of the contemporary business world, leaders are subject to stress; still worse is that not every leader has the traits necessary for successful coping (Barsh, Mogelof, & Webb, 2010). The solution for the lack of coping skills issue is suggested in the form of a strategy developed by McKinsey & Co advisor company. The five key capabilities represent a leadership model that relies on several pre-conditions and the skills that the leader has to develop. These are critical determinants of the leaders’ successful performance and enhancement of their life quality, as such.
These capabilities form the centered leadership model that is quite likely to result in the leader’s enhanced adaptive capabilities and present the feeling of belonging while lowering the unhealthy impact of stress. Initially, the authors state, the model was developed with regard to the female leaders (Barsh & Cranston, 2009). It was asserted that female leaders are more likely to develop personal capabilities that help them center their leading effort firstly on themselves, and later – on their business. Women, the state, are better at utilizing their inner power to attribute meaning to what they do.
Moreover, women possess a higher level of emotional intelligence that enables them to be self-aware. Also, women are commonly regarded as better conversationalists due to their social skills, which is why female leaders gain trust easier than their male counterparts (Barsh & Cranston, 2009). Nevertheless, all the components of the McKinsey leadership model are applicable to both male and female leaders. Gender-related studies of leadership have discovered that the differences between men’s and women’s leadership styles exist; they are, however, insignificant per se (Appelbaum, Audet, & Miller, 2003).
The McKinsey leadership model dimensions concentrate the leaders’ attention on themselves and extravert it to their teams, enhancing both the performance and life in general. After the leaders identify themselves as such, they learn to single out their strong points and utilize them in business. The model increases the leaders’ self-awareness and control. Also, it helps deploy a personalized view of the issues and overcome the anxiety of facing them. After that, the leader learns to communicate their objectives to the team. Without plunging into a descending hierarchy, the leader uses dialog to overcome complex situations and encourage the team’s performance.
It is important for the team to feel the leader’s presence and participation, which the leader also learns. Either through coaching or the power of persuasion, the leader acts mindfully in the toughest of situations, thus gaining the respect and trust of their team. The leader’s capabilities are the major source of the team’s motivation. Consequently, the McKinsey model subsumes the leader’s ability to firstly sort themselves out, weigh their strengths and weaknesses, and use the results of the analysis in action (Barsh, Mogelof, & Webb, 2010).
The model developed and adopted by McKinsey and Co appears logical and well-designed. Indeed, leadership is the air and water to any establishment, and is it only smart for the C-suite to coach and invest in their leadership development. The McKinsey model answers the question of what exact model of leadership behavior should be promoted in a successful establishment. To effectively solve problems, be result-oriented, view the issues from different angles, and support the team, a leader should be aware of how their own behavior might affect the performance in the first place. A “centered” leader does not necessarily mean a “self-centered” one.
On the contrary, a leader capable of establishing an efficient dialog with themselves, making sense of what they do, not being afraid of taking action in the harshest situations can hardly be egocentric. A leader understands that they have a team to care for and focuses the energy on the team. After all, the leader’s primary task is to get a job done.
It is known that even the slightest changes in the employees’ attitude, such as going offline when at work or taking a break when necessary, can boost up their performance (Webb, 2016). The leader’s task is to facilitate a change of attitude in a poorly performing team an encourage an efficient one to keep it up. A useful strategy provided by the McKinsey model is that the leader should find the meaning of personal importance and regard every goal as their personal one. In doing so, the leader is able to communicate the importance of the goal achieved to their team and be more involved in the estimation of risks. At the same time, not being afraid to take risks, acting consistently, and making decisions through discussion will result in better opportunities and eventually lead to success.
References
Appelbaum, S. H., Audet, L., & Miller, J. C. (2003). Gender and leadership? Leadership and gender? A journey through the landscape of theories. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 24(1), 43-51. Web.
Barsh, J., & Cranston, S. (2009). How Remarkable Women Lead: The Breakthrough Model for Work and Life. Old Saybrook, CT: Tantor Media. Web.
Barsh, J., Mogelof, J., & Webb, C. (2010). How centered leaders achieve extraordinary results. Web.
Webb, C. (2016). How small shifts in leadership can transform your team dynamic. Web.