Approach

---

A diamond is our symbol of leadership excellence. We admire leaders that sparkle brilliantly like a diamond. I often use the diamond metaphor when talking about leadership. For instance, assessing leadership potential is like sorting through rough stones to find those rare “diamonds in the rough” with the potential to sparkle brightly. Once found, these gems are shaped and faceted to bring out their best qualities.  With time and attention, a spectacular gem emerges!

Diamonds are graded based on four C’s - Cut, Color, Carat and Clarity.  

Color equates to one’s innate qualities because color cannot be changed in a diamond. This is especially important with large diamonds (big leaders) as color is more visible the larger the stone. Being aware of our innate qualities is important. Each of us is unique and therefore has a unique starting point from which to achieve our goals and purpose. Knowing your assets and liabilities helps to craft a bespoke leadership development strategy. Quick note: colorless transparency is prized among top diamonds - as it is among leaders. Fortunately, leaders can become more transparent whereas diamonds cannot.

Cut is the most important quality as this has the greatest influence on a diamond’s sparkle. As diamond experts will tell you, a large stone cut poorly appears smaller than a smaller stone with a higher cut. Cut equates to the learning, change and growth one makes during his or her career. Unlike diamonds, however, we can continue to "facet" ourselves through leadership development and transformation.

Carat weight and size is less importance than cut. I find that interesting because people always talk about the size of a diamond. However, leaders that sparkle brilliantly outshine their peers, irrespective of size of the leadership role.

Clarity refers to blemishes on a diamond, whether on the surface or internally. Like people, very few diamonds are perfect - there are nearly always some imperfections, even if tiny and hard to see by an untrained eye. For this reason it is the least important of the C’s when assessing a top quality diamond. When assessing a leader, it is good to remember that no one is perfect and the goal is understand the leader and how he or she can enhance his or her talents while reducing the impact that small flaws or imperfections can make. All of us, even the most talented and best at what they do, have room to improve and do even better. Unlike a diamond, none of us is a finished product…

We use this model in our work with leaders.  It is born from years of working with leadership models used by different consulting firms, from academic research and from seeing what works best with clients. It is intended to be both academically rigorous and intuitively appealing. It resonates with people, whether experts or everyday leaders:

• Thought
  • Focus - detail or strategy, logic or feelings
  • Flexibility - ambiguity and agility
  • Novelty - creativity, innovation
• Action
  • Motivation - drive, competitiveness, passion
  • Purpose - career goals, values
  • Emotion - fears, desires, resilience and restraint
• Influence
  • Presence - confidence, command
  • Communication -  articulate, polish
  • Community - agreeableness, likability, people networks
• Results
  • Productivity - metrics, commitments
  • People - team, customers/clients
  • Politics - stakeholders, power, reputation
• Transformation
  • Learning agility - growth potential, stretch
  • Expertise - mastery, experience, wisdom
  • Awareness - situational self-awareness, mindfulness

Top leaders are bright, driven and deliver results through people.  Most importantly, they are agile learners who can facet and transform themselves in order to transform their business or organization.