With Anna Sarnacka-Smith a Business Trainer and Master DISC D3 Consultant in EFFECTIVENESS talks Edyta Samborska.
Hello Anna. You truly believe in leadership. What skills and competencies do we need in order to be a good leader?
If you want to be a leader, not just a task or process manager, you need to have a desire to serve people. You act in a way that others want to be better in what they do. A great leader will ask an employee: “What can I do for you, what would help you to achieve your goals?”, instead of just pointing what needs to be done. Moreover, a leader takes responsibility for everything what is going on in the team; if something doesn’t go according to plan, they don’t put the blame on other people, but ask themselves: “What have I done wrong? What can I do better next time?”. A great leader focuses on finding solutions. Understanding how to become your employees’ mentor, watching them making mistakes and helping them stand back on their feet is the key. And finally, a great leader can listen and listens to understand, not to judge others.
Do you think that everyone can be a great leader?
Based on my experience, having listened to stories about leaders’ journeys (interviews for my book), having worked with clients, it became more than certain that natural born leaders are a myth. Every leader I met has a different personality and story. However, all leaders have something in common: making a decision to be a leader, finding their passion and values, being aware of their assets, believing in the potential of other people, hard work and a continuous desire to learn, also from their own mistakes. So, indeed, everyone can be a great leader if this is who that person wants to become. Let’s remember, leadership is not a position, it is all about your attitude. This is something what we have to work on every single day.
Does a leader need to be an expert in the field of her/his work?
Not exactly. I agree with what Robert Korzeniowski (a Polish athlete) told me about that. He said that experts were most valuable in the second line; in the background. If he kept to the expert line, today he wouldn’t have the possibility of being a leader in media, sales, and medical ventures. Usually when you change the leader, a project picks up a different pace, character; that does not necessarily happen if you change the expert. What makes you a leader is the ability to look at the situation from a bird’s view (usually experts focus on the given subject) – because this is the only perspective which offers you a general overview – and then to envisage the direction to be taken. Sometimes, when we lose ourselves in the tasks we perform, we lose perspective. I remember that Robert Korzeniowski said: “It’s as if we wanted to drive a car perfectly, but forgot where we were actually heading”.
How to be an effective leader for young employees in our challenging world?
I believe that every generation is different and has some sort of problems with the previous one. Being an effective leader you have to learn generational differences, what’s important to them because you have to get the very best out of them as well (the way you develop them will prove your effectiveness as a leader). Things that worked for you for the last 20 years are not going to work anymore.
Above all, as leaders we need to find out what their values and motivation are, who they are, what their goals are. So we have to talk to people, plus, the good news is nowadays we have competencies assessments which support us in getting all these information. Knowing that about our employees, we can create an environment in which they can unlock their potential. Today young people fear rejection and criticism, which is why we need to find a way to communicate with them and lead their careers effectively. Keep in mind that we invite them to come work with us, so we must be the one to make an effort and get to know them.
How a leader can build trust and respect in her/his team?
First of all, we have to remember it’s a process and leaders work on that every day. I have seen that honesty plays a great role when it comes to building trust in a team. That includes: putting all cards on the table, talking about your expectations (not just assuming that someone else has to know or understand them), showing that there are certain behaviors that you appreciate but some irritate you. The more you get to know yourself, the more truthful you become. And remember – do not be afraid, people will not take advantage of it, they will really appreciate that. Show them who you are and invite them to do the same. The more we know about each other, the easier it is to build trust and talk even about difficult subjects.
Women as leaders are more and more popular these days. What do you think is the reason behind that transformation?
It seems it is going to be better since women have begun believing in themselves, and nowadays they allow themselves to face the fact that their job may be important part of their life and it is good, it is not against their families etc.; but we still have so much to do in that area. I experienced that looking for leaders to interview for my book. Inviting men was not a problem, but each woman said: “I feel honoured to be invited but I am not sure if what I have accomplished is good enough to include in a book”.
You are a D3 Potential Diagnosis method enthusiast. Can you tell us what the advantages of using this analysis are?
A few years ago, as a business trainer I had been looking for proven tools which would help me to increase employees’ performance and I found D3. I made a decision to implement this assessment on Polish market, since – by using the iceberg metaphor, D3 examines not only behavior which can be observed (behavioral styles), but also what is below the water level, what is not seen by the naked eye and yet impacts our behavior (team roles, values, internal motivations). An analysis of the assessment results for both the boss and the entire team immediately shows what they all have in common, what are their strengths. We get a clear picture of which roles dominate in the team and which ones are missing for the team to achieve even better results etc. It helps to prevent potential risks in implementing projects and boosts people motivation. That’s the key to success.
In your book Everest Lidera (Leader’s Everest) you emphasized how values are important in the business world. Why is it so crucial from your point of view?
Indeed, we should build our leadership on values. History has proven time and time again that people who became leaders had not striven to become leaders, but rather stood firmly for what they considered important. A leader whose actions are based on values inspires others to change, aims really high and gives others hope that dreams can come true. Values are their compass which shows them the direction they should take when in doubt. Values is also what they base their decision-making on. We often hear that leaders need to have charisma and be an inspiration to others. True as it may be, it all starts with the values they live by and which they find most important; leaders believe that they are worth their full commitment. It is hard not to notice this commitment to values – a leader „radiates” his beliefs and passion.
Thank you so much for your time. I wish you all the best in your future career.
Business coach, HR consultant in EFFEC- TIVENESS, with leadership experience; supports clients in hiring the right person for a specific position and in such an ar- rangement of work, so that everyone has an opportunity to use their strengths, as well as in shaping the leader’s attitude. She launched DISC D3 competence test in Poland. She likes challenges and believes that the best is outside the comfort zone, hence she works for the European market, currently living in the USA.
Entuzjastka agile, scrum, six sigma, gamifikacji oraz usprawnień procesów biznesowych. Pełna energii oraz zapału, na co dzień realizuje się na stanowisku IT Project Managera, mentora oraz trenera. Zaangażowana w kreowanie nowych rozwiązań, wprowadzanie usprawnień oraz dostarczanie wartości podczas pracy projektowej. W wolnym czasie spełnia się jako Dyrektor ds. Projektów w PMI PC Wrocław Branch, Program Manager Women in Project Management, redaktor Strefy PMI, Dyrektor Kreatywna KarieraNaObcasach.com oraz copywriter dla Wroclife.