McKinsey has recently published research on key leader behaviors (particularly among frontline leaders) based on a global study of 180,000+ people from 81 countries.  Of 20 possible behaviors, 4 emerged as noteworthy, accounting for 89% of the variance between between strong and weak organizations in terms of leadership effectiveness.  The 4 behaviors are (not in rank order):

• Be supportive
• Operate with a strong results orientation
• Seek different perspectives
• Solve problems effectively.

Although McKinsey acknowledges these findings are not designed to answer the age-old question of what distinguishes exceptional leadership, they are probably worth keeping in mind when you next coach one of your frontline leaders.

For more info on the findings, click here.