Forty years ago, my interest in leadership was born. As I began to study this phenomenon, I rejected the dominant idea that leadership is a role and a title in an organization. My experience of leadership was through the character of people whose impact on me and others was transformational. The first theoretical influence came from reading Peter Drucker’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship and James MacGregor Burn’s Leadership. Burns’ perspective, seen through the lens of political leadership, saw leaders creating transformational change. Drucker distinguished between leadership and management, describing a leader as someone who has followers. Even that simple formation did not seem adequate to what I had experienced throughout the first three decades of my life.
Introduction to the Circle of Impact model of leadership
In the mid-1990s, after a decade of interest and study in the nature of leadership, I became a leadership consultant. I began to see three patterns of behavior that are obstacles to an organization's ability to fulfill its goals. Those patterns of behavior are:
a lack of clarity about ideas, especially values, purpose, and an understanding of their impact.
a lack of respect and trust in the relationships within the organization.
a lack of capacity to define the impact of the organization.
This process of discovery resulted in the creation of my Circle of Impact model of leadership.
The universal character of these three patterns of behavior translates into the three dimensions of leadership - Ideas, Relationships, and Structure. These become the focal points for a leadership of impact.
If leadership and management are separate functions, and I believe they are, then there is a distinct difference that we can identify.
To be a good manager, one must have the knowledge needed to run the business. In many respects, attention to the internal operation of the organization is paramount. From a management perspective, Structure is the dominant dimension.
Leadership, on the other hand, creates an environment of change.
All leadership begins with personal initiative to create impact that makes a difference that matters.
Leadership, therefore, can be performed by anyone. Managers and Executives can function as leaders. Employees can make a difference that matters. What is distinctive of this view is that each person must choose to do so. Leadership only exists by the actions of people.
Managers can facilitate the development of leadership in their people. They are released to solve problems and communicate more broadly. From this perspective, the Structure of the organization must change from that of a machine to something more organic and communal.
This short video introduces the perspective that I describe here.
The leadership impact of the Circle of Impact is reflected in how each of the dimensions makes a difference that matters.
Discovering a clarity of values, purpose, and understanding for what impact means in the context of your world.
Developing relationships of respect and trust for the creation of genuine community of purpose.
Creation of an organizational structure that is focused on creating impact that makes a difference that matters.
The other videos in the series build upon this perspective. They are available to view on my YouTube channel. I will post a video with a comment each Friday.
If you have questions or want to discuss how the Circle of Impact can benefit your team or organization, please reach out to me at ed@edbrenegar.com.
The Leadership Six Series
Introduction to the Circle of Impact model of leadership