3D Leadership
3D leadership involves answering three simple questions:
What needs to be done?
What direction needs to be followed?
Who needs to be influenced to do specific tasks to achieve goals set?
Leadership is the ability to identify what needs to be done i.e. goals/targets/behaviours to engage etc., setting the direction to aim towards goal achievement, influencing others to do what is necessary to achieve goals.
These seemingly simple questions can distinguish a person’s ability to be a leader. The ability to identify what needs to be done in the first instance, is the most critical aspect of a leadership, failure at this point cannot be rectified by direction setting and influencing others. Knowing what needs to be done is not always easy to ascertain as it entails knowing the right thing to be done.
Leaders often emerge during a crisis as they are the first to identify a credible course of action to overcome the emergency. Next time a crisis develops in your work environment pay attention to those who can answer the 3D leadership questions, as they are the true leaders in your organisation, not necessarily those with a title which implies leadership.
If a leader identifies the correct goals to focus upon, then it is necessary for the leader to set the direction in which followers should orientate their actions. Finally, when the leader has clearly communicated what needs to be done and set the direction, the leader needs to influence others to ensure specific outcomes materialise.
A leader who consistently addresses the 3D leadership questions will build a reputation as an effective leader, creating confidence amongst followers and more success for their organisation.
Consider the opposite, a leader who inconsistently identifies the correct course of action to take, steers their team or organisation in the wrong direction and lacks compatibility skills to influence followers will have a poor reputation as a leader, regardless of any title they may hold.
