The Three C’s of Leadership

By Rich Fredricksen

We all grew up with the three R’s of basic learning, and we’ve all heard the three keys to success in business: location; location; location. In corporate circles, it’s the Three C’s of leadership that can make or break your company.

While every organization should have a framework for applied leadership, the Three C’s: clarity, confidence, and courage are the traits of superior leadership, and the traits that differentiate an individual as a superior leader. To execute at the highest levels, leaders must demonstrate the Three C’s.

Clarity…

The first and possibly most crucial of these is clarity. Clarity means understanding strategy and how to execute it. Clarity takes strategy from the abstract to the concrete, bringing into focus what must be done. It requires leaders to ask themselves tough questions: what results am I trying to achieve? What steps are necessary to achieve it? And the toughest question: how will I measure success…or failure?

When I help managers develop their execution skills, the first step – and usually the most painful step – is to ask these tough questions. The best managers have answers but many managers have never thought in these terms before. After all, the idea of measuring results can be nerve-wracking. But knowing what must be done and how to measure it is critically important to successful execution. Knowing what to do is only a portion of the equation. The majority of people believe the hard part is figuring out what to do and developing a plan to accomplish it, but the hard part is actually doing it.

Clarity is what allows leaders to optimally bring to bear the different skill sets and capabilities within their organization to meet the desired business outcome. Clarity can only result if you have enabled thought, allowing you to simplify and focus. Leaders with clarity are able to engage the organization around plans and objectives, have clear, unambiguous expectations and path forward, and communicate in simple terms that people can take action against.

Confidence…

Great leaders must have confidence in his or her team to accomplish the desired goal. Confidence is developed by coaching teams through a challenge and support model ensuring plans are rigorous and thorough. Then they can implement processes and systems that reinforce discipline of thought and action. Confident leaders are those who begin with well thought out and challenged plans and approaches. They maintain a positive attitude and build committed teams, and have a consistent ability to overcome obstacles and deliver desired outcomes.

Courage…

Demonstration of the first two C’s is useless without the third. Courage – business courage – is necessary to simplify a complex world and commit to the right four initiatives, rather than ten, hoping two will succeed. Courage requires a trust in your principles of execution that will lead to a true clarity of what needs to be done, and the confidence that the organization can accomplish it. Demonstrating this kind of courage will entail a personal risk for the leader but will differentiate him or her from their peers because it will create a focus that is guaranteed to deliver results. “Strategy equals execution,” said Colin Powell, “all the great ideas and visions in the world are worthless if they can’t be implemented rapidly and efficiently.” Great leaders make great companies. And great leadership can be built by using clarity, confidence, and courage – the Three C’s of leadership – to bridge the gap between strategy and results through execution.

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Rich Fredricksen is founder and principal of the Paiva•Fredricksen Group, whose Strong•Leader Execution System is designed for organizations who wish to improve and sustain their ability to execute. The system aligns and focuses organizations, builds efficient governance and decision making processes, and works in the trenches to improve people, processes and results. www.strongleader.com

Published in Networking Today, December, 2006