W H AT ’ S YO U RL E A D E R S H I P E Q U AT I O N ?

from the desk of: tomás j aragón1,2,3*

january 11, 2015

“Leadership is getting results in a way that inspires trust”. . . Stephen MR Covey

At the Population Health Division (PHD) Showcase on Oc-tober, 20, 2014, I introduced a leadership equation that I havefound very useful. The equation evolved over a few years andprovides a concise mental model of key leadership componentsthat I always try to keep in mind. This leadership equation con-sist of seven components: vision, values, purpose, strategy, en-gagement, empowerment, and self-interest. I strive to maximizethe first six components while minimizing self-interest. I aspireto be an effective servant leader. A servant leader is one who iscommitted first and foremost to serving others, and only desiresto lead or hold a leadership position to serve others better—notfor self gain. This equation aligns nicely with Simon Sinek’sGolden Circle model that he introduced in a popular TED talk en-titled “How great leaders inspire action.” In this issue of “Fromthe Desk of . . . ” I review this topic with the hope that you willfind it helpful for your own leadership development. I welcomeand appreciate your feedback and suggestions for improvement.

1 Health Officer, City and County of San Francisco2 Director, Population Health Division, San Francisco Department of Public Health3 Adjunct Faculty, University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health* Address: 101 Grove St., Rm 308, SF, CA 94102; Email: tomas.aragon@sfdph.org

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what’s your leadership equation? 2

1 what’s your leadership equation?What’s your leadership equation? What concise mental model of leader-ship do you hold that reminds you of the key components and how theyare related? In fall 2014, I graduated from the UCSF California HealthcareFoundation (CHCF) Leadership Program. I still remember my first sessiontwo years earlier where Dr. Ed O’Neil introduced this leadership equation:

Leadership = Vision+ Task+ Relationship (1)

This is a practical model: when you are having leadership challenges it’susually because you could use improvement in one or more components.For example, you may be a visionary but have horrible people skills, ornever get anything done. This equation supports their leadership devel-opment model and curriculum focused on purpose (vision), process (task),people (relationship), and personal. However, I was not completely satisfiedwith this equation—something was missing for me.

In the Theory and Practice of Leadership [2], leadership scholar Roger Gillstudied leadership models and practices from around the globe. He arguesthat leadership practice boils down to six core themes:

• Vision• Purpose• Values• Strategy• Empowerment• Engagement

Consequently, his definition of leadership includes these core themes:

Leadership is showing the way and helping or inducing others to pur-sue it. This entails envisioning a desirable future, promoting a clearpurpose or mission, supportive values and intelligent strategies, andempowering and engaging all those concerned.

The six themes make sense to me so I have adopted this definition. How-ever, I discovered that something was still missing for me. Recently, Dr. EricHandler, Health Officer of Orange County, introduced me to a leadershipequation that had “self-interest” in the denominator.1 Having “self-interest”in the denominator grabbed my attention. As you may know from my poston cultural humility,2 3 I believe the practice of humility is central to build-ing trust—which in turn enables cooperation. Minimizing self-interest is aform of practicing humility. Therefore, combining Gill with Handler, hereis a leadership equation that works for me:

Leadership =(V1 + V2 + P) + (S+ E1 + E2)

Self-Interest(2)

=(WHY) + (HOW)

Self-Interest(3)

1 Leadership = (Authenticity+Responsiblity+Credibility)/Self-Interest2 http://medepi.com/2014/12/01/cultural-humility/3 Cultural humility is a practice based on (a) committing to lifelong learning and critical self-

reflection, (b) discovering and setting aside our biases, (c) practicing humble inquiry [4] and deeplistening, (d) redressing power imbalances for respectful partnerships, and (e) transforming institu-tions by promoting accountability. This definition was adapted from [5].

what’s your leadership equation? 3

Figure 1: The Golden Circle (Adapted from tinyurl.com/nfbxol8 and startwith-why.com/).

In Equation 3, values (V1), vision (V2), and purpose (P) are the why, andstrategy (S), engagement (E1), and empowerment (E2) are the how. The whyand the how are the core of Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle (Figure 1).

Sinek convincingly argues that good organizational leaders “start withwhy”: building and communicating shared values, vision, and purpose.Starting with why inspires action (the how): engaging and empowering staffto implement an effective strategy. The what are results (outputs, outcomes,goals, and impacts). This is summarized in Table 1:

Having “self-interest” in the denominator makes this a servant leadershipmodel. This resonates with my values, but I also believe it makes one amuch better leader because one builds more trust and credibility. I preferleaders who are motivated by serving others; that is, they want to lead notfor self gain but to improve the lives of others.

You will notice that Gill started with Vision but I started with Values.This was intentional. Values are “what’s important to us.” Our vision of adesired future state depends on what is important to us—our values. Val-ues are more than “supportive values” (as in Gill’s definition), they are thereason—the why—that inspires our actions–the how. Therefore, we mustclarify our common core values before we design a shared vision.

Table 1: Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle and Leadership Equation

Golden Circle Leadership Equation (rows 1 and 2)

Why Values, Vision, PurposeHow Strategy, Engagement, EmpowermentWhat Results (outputs, outcomes, goals, impacts)

how great leaders inspire action 4

Now we need to add the what or results:

Leadership+ Execution→ Results (4)

Note that leadership is a relationship with followers. Management is a set offunctions to execute a strategy [3]. Unlike management—a set of functions—leadership cannot be delegated, assigned, or transferred.4 The purpose ofmanagement is execution. Therefore, here is an equivalent to Equation 4:

Leadership+Management→ Results (5)

However, as Stephen M.R. Covey [1] reminds us:

“Leadership is getting results in a way that inspires trust.”

That is, “[Good] leadership is getting (executing) results (what) in a way(how) that inspires trust (why).” In other words, good leadership ensures thewhole process: leadership, execution, and results. How can this be? How can“leadership” be a component and a whole at the same time. This is not acontradiction: this is the recursive property5 of leadership. Every time you“click” on leadership you get “Leadership+ Execution→ Results.”

By the way, Covey’s quote applies equally well to management: Goodmanagement is getting results in a way that inspires trust. You can think ofleadership and management as two sides of the same coin. To be a goodleader requires good management skills; and to be a good manager requiresgood leadership skills. Both are important. However, in a dynamic, complexenvironment with uncertainty and risk, and a need to be agile, adaptive, andresponsive, good leadership is mission critical. In a stable, predictable envi-ronment with low risk, and little need to be agile, adaptive, or responsive,good management may be sufficient. As you move higher in an organiza-tion, leadership skills become more important and expected—and is essen-tial in today’s turbulent, complex environment, or to tackle complex socialproblems (proverty, hunger, etc.).

2 how great leaders inspire actionTo fully understand the Golden Circle please view this brilliant TED Talk bySimon Sinek entitled “How great leaders inspire action.” As of December2014, it is the third most viewed video on TED.com (see Figure 2 on thefollowing page):http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action

3 summaryIn summary, through study, practice, and reflection I have adopted (andadapted) this servant “leadership equation.” I believe that readers willfind value in this leadership equation that aligns nicely with Simon Sinek’sGolden Circle. In other words, good leaders start with why (vision, values,and purpose) and how (strategy, engagement, and empowerment) to achieve

4 Do not confuse “leadership” (practiced by leaders) with “leadership roles.” One does nothave to be in a leadership role or position (e.g., being the boss) to be a leader, and being in aleadership role does not make one a leader. True leadership requires willing followers.

5 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recursion

References 5

Figure 2: Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadershipall starting with a golden circle and the question “Why?” His examplesinclude Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers . . . (Filmed atTEDxPugetSound).

what (results). If you cannot remember equations, just remember StephenMR Covey: “Leadership is getting results in a way that inspires trust.”

references[1] Stephen M.R. Covey. The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes

Everything. Free Press, 2008. 354 pp. isbn: 1847392717.

[2] Roger Gill. Theory and Practice of Leadership. 2nd ed. SAGE PublicationsLtd, 2012. 552 pp. isbn: 9781849200240.

[3] Michael Maccoby et al. Transforming Health Care Leadership: A SystemsGuide to Improve Patient Care, Decrease Costs, and Improve Population Health.1st ed. Jossey-Bass, 2013. 416 pp. isbn: 9781118505632.

[4] Edgar H. Schein. Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead ofTelling. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2013. 144 pp. isbn: 1609949811.

[5] Melanie Tervalon and Jann Murray-García. “Cultural humility versuscultural competence: a critical distinction in defining physician trainingoutcomes in multicultural education”. In: J Health Care Poor Underserved9.2 (May 1998), pp. 117–125. PMID: 10073197.

Figure 3: “Visionary” leader in need of a leadership equation!