Page 4 - NBIZ August 2020

Failed

LEADERSHIP

By Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S.

nce again, this issue of failed content of one’s character.” Today one’s who just do it. These are the extrinsic
leadership was the elephant in character reveals one’s actions, and it decision-makers.
O the room. Here was the wrong is the actions we see, not the thoughts Today, psychometric assessments
person in the wrong seat. And worse of the individual. based on Hartman’s work can mea-
yet, the failure was not 100% this per- Our character is a combination of sure individuals’ decision-making
son’s fault. No, much of this person’s many factors, as well as attributes. styles and their core attributes.
negligence rested on the leaders’ shoul- These attributes or talents put into Innermetrix, a leading research,
ders and the executives who ignored motion our character. Knowing what development and consultant certifi-
the behaviors and allowed the status those talents are is rarely identified cation company, has developed a psy-
quo to continue. I have witnessed because behind those talents are the chometric assessment, the Attribute
unsuccessful leadership time after time “values” that each individual holds Index. This assessment can identify
despite all the books, resources, we- dearly, or not so dearly. the leadership capabilities through
binars, training and coaching around Dr. Robert Hartman recognized this external and internal decision-making
this topic of leadership. disconnect between the “values” and styles, along with 72 talents.
Maybe now is the time to answer the talent. He was a scientist who pio- In working with The Trusted Advi-
this question: Why does failed leader- neered “axiology,” which is the study of sor’s Network (TAN), this collaboration
ship continue to happen? the nature of value and valuation. Dr. identified three categories for those
My sense is the first reason is Hartman is now considered the father in executive leadership roles: Overall
people think of leadership respective of axiology. Hartman developed the Leadership, Overall Organizational and
to others and not to themselves. Since Hartman Value Inventory, which psy- Time Management. The scores for each
I started my executive consulting and chologists and others use to measure of these categories originated from spe-
coaching practice, I believe leader- an individual’s character. cific talents. Overall leadership consist-
ship begins within everyone. If you Hartman discovered human beings ed of these top five attributes or talents
cannot lead yourself, you cannot lead make decisions about the outside world for executive leaders: Accountability
anyone else. and their inside world through three for Others, Balanced Decision Making,
Most public schools do not teach filters. These filters are Systemic Think- Developing Others, Leading Others and
this concept of self-leadership. Lead- ing (Head), Intrinsic Thinking (Heart) Understanding Motivational Needs.
ership is viewed as being involved in a and Extrinsic Thinking (Hands). The Overall Organizational catego-
not-for-profit organization or partici- Many of us have experienced a ry included these five talents: Concrete
pating in a “clean our neighborhood” workplace environment where employ- Organization, Integrative Ability, Prac-
day or being elected to some role on a ees think a lot about making decisions. tical Thinking, Proactive Thinking and
student council. Then there are the employees who Results Orientation. Within the Time
What does it take to become a feel a lot about the decisions. They Management category, these talents
self-leader? Dr. Martin Luther King are concerned about the feelings of were present: Attention to Detail,
recognized the importance of “the others. Finally, there are the employees Concrete Organization, Consistency

4 NBIZ ■ August 2020