Investigators as Leaders

When pursuing a large investigation, there are two skill sets required to see it through successfully to Root Cause. First are Leadership Skills and Technical Skills follow. This entry is about Leadership Skills. Do not confuse leadership with management. A person with good leadership skills can inspire and motivate individuals to perform. Leadership is often informal and subtle.

On the other hand, management is overt and uses hierarchical leverage, including the carrot and stick philosophy. Some managers, although they have license to use hierarchical leverage, use leadership skills to get things done through others. Be mindful though, that to be a good leader does not require one to be a manager. There are a great many powerful people in business and politics who are strong leaders, but not formal leaders.

A good leader will recognize the deficiencies they have and close that gap by leveraging the skills of another to complete the investigation. In such cases, the person leading an investigation will pull together an investigative team, bringing together different skill sets and perspectives to enable a robust investigation.

It is important to recognize that leadership skills are not easily acquired and that leadership is not easily won. It takes continual practice, willingness to accept feedback and learn from ones mistakes, and the tenacious building of trust.

As you work through investigations, think about your leadership skills. Are you burning bridges or building relationships? Leaders build relationships. Successful investigations cannot be completed in a corporate environment without good leaders who build good relationships. In fact, many organizations have the philosophy that they will hire people with leadership skills, because such skills are hard to develop; technical skills they can easily buy.

How have your investigations been going? Perhaps it's time to investigate your leadership skills!