Our Approach to Leadership
Journey Leadership Framework
Leadership is complex, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. At Reason Talent, we’ve boiled down decades of research behind the science of leadership into our intuitive, flexible, and comprehensive approach to leadership - the Journey Leadership Framework.
We define leadership around two overarching concepts.
Do you have what it takes to attract followers for your journey?
Do you have what it takes to arrive at the destination with those followers?
In other words…
If no one is following you, and You're not moving them toward a destination, you’re not leading.
With that premise in mind, leadership can be further broken down into the four questions that followers ask themselves when embarking on (or continuing) a journey with a leader. These four questions encompass essentially every leadership behavior that any leadership theory has proposed, making it a perfect framework to adopt or adapt to fit your needs.
The four leadership questions
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Where are we Going?
Before embarking on a journey, questions one and two are “Where are we going” and “Is that somewhere I want to go?” Effective leaders are great at identifying destinations to pursue, communicating them to followers, and getting followers excited about the prospect of arriving at that destination.
Related leadership competencies: vision, inspiration, persuasion, communication, innovation.
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Who am I going with?
Any follower wants to know who it is they’ll be on the journey with. Is this person someone you actually want to spend time with? Can you trust them when things get tough? Leaders need to be able to engage followers, build relationships, and establish trust so that followers want to follow.
Related leadership competencies: trust, integrity, humility, likeability, service, support.
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How will we get there?
Great journeys call for great maps. When deciding to follow someone, you need to know they know how to get where you’re going. Have they mapped out the journey? Do they have the necessary resources? Great leaders plan, prepare, and problem-solve to ensure the journey goes smoothly.
Related leadership competencies: planning, organization, problem-solving, critical thinking.
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Can you get us there?
All the vision, planning, and likeability in the world is pointless if the leader is going to crumble when the going gets tough. Followers need to know that the leader can take charge when necessary, make tough decisions, and roll up their sleeves to do hard work. Whatever is needed to get to the final destination.
Related leadership competencies: resilience, perseverance, determination, ambition, decisiveness, delegation, direction.
Try the Journey Leadership Framework Now
Click below and grab our Journey Leadership Framework interview guide. It’s a great way to bring more accuracy and rigor to your hiring processes!
Your Leadership Journey starts here.
Want to learn more about the Journey Leadership Framework? We can use it to help upgrade your hiring and coaching practices. Want to customize it for your organization? Share a bit of context and we’ll reach out ASAP.