The Toynbee Associates 360 feedback tool
What makes for great leadership? What are the skills and qualities required of leaders who need to lead in the 21st century?
What we're seeing is that the old "heroic" style of leadership is no longer working. (If charisma was all that was required of the people at the top, why did Enron fall?)
What we do know is effective are leaders who succeed through their people, the idea of leader as partner and servant.
Specifically, when asked to think of a manager we would rate as great and what it was they did that made them so, typically we'll respond with answers like "they believed in me", "they helped me take calculated risks", "they listened", "they gave me direction and guidance", "they coached me" and so on. These are the leaders who we want to work for, and for whom we willingly work late and put our all into what we do. This is what we mean by "employee engagement". What research proves is that there is a direct result between engagement and productivity, and therefore the bottom line.
In our view, most of the 360 tools currently in circulation are outmoded. They are based on competencies based on the old leadership models. Being developed in the U.S. their applicability to the way we do business in 2008 in the UK is also limited.
The Transformational Leadership Questionnaire (TLQ), developed by Real World Group and used by Toynbee Associates is different because it measures what now works in our fast-changing world and has been developed specifically for the U.K.
Four broad aspects of "engaging leadership" and 14 leadership competencies are rigorously assessed. These are:
1. Engaging others (which includes showing genuine concern, being accessible, enabling, encouraging change)
2. Enabling the organisation (supporting a development culture, inspiring others, focusing team effort and being decisive)
3. Moving forward together (building a shared vision, networking, resolving complex issues and facilitating change sensitively)
4. Personal qualities and values (being honest and consistent, acting with integrity)
Leaders are assessed by their team, their peers, their managers and suppliers and a comprehensive and confidential report is generated. The feedback is then explored further with a coach, from which emerges a personal development plan which provides an appropriate and useful focus for further coaching or training.
The TLQ then can - at the client's request - be run again at the end of the coaching programme to measure specifically how the leader has improved, which then raises the level of commitment the leader has to their development and the impact they have on their teams, their business and their customers.
For more information on this tool, how it works and fees, speak to Ros Toynbee on 020 7383 0714 or email her at ros@toynbeeassociates.co.uk.
