The Center for Creative Leadership has been studying leadership for half a century and recently distilled its learnings into a model that defines the process in terms of outcomes.
The Center defines a leader as the person who helps create leadership, and leadership as “a social process that enables individuals to work together as a cohesive group to produce collective results.” I like the acknowledgment that others play such a central role.
Their DAC Model outlines the three crucial outcomes necessary for leadership to occur, and, as you may have guessed during Venn Diagram Week, they are displayed in that format.
- D represents Direction, the agreement of the group on the overall goals or mission
- A stands for Alignment, the coordination and organization of efforts and knowledge to achieve the Direction
- C is Commitment, to the group itself — committed to being responsible for the group as a whole, not just your own personal interest; going beyond individual interests to achieve the goal
The Center found that Alignment posed the most challenges in organizations, which made me think of yesterday’s dot (#4417) outlining where alignment challenges occur. Interactions and ambiguity often test alignment, both internally and externally, and may be a place for you to start.
Think about what you intentionally do as a leader to achieve leadership and let the DAC Model be your guide.
