The Great Leader model tells the story of leadership, and it tells a story of great leadership where the Leader talks to the employee, understands the employee’s story, and at the same time is completely honest with the employee. Furthermore, the leader sees the employee as a whole person, not just a piece of the puzzle. The employee is a flesh and blood human being with strengths and weaknesses. The HAWKEYE model is general. The individual concrete leadership stories and leadership experiences from each manager are good and very concrete. The general model shows how to use the leadership model in all situations.
4.1 HUNT – “Non-stop hunt for information and data”
The Excellent Middle Manager is constantly on the hunt for valid information and data to support their leadership, both for themselves and others. The ability to “read and understand” their employees’ verbal and non-verbal communication is crucial. The Excellent Middle Manager must therefore train and develop their senses to capture, filter and timely send all relevant data and information to the parts of the brain that need it. This applies to both explicit data and tacit knowledge, verbal and non-verbal communication.
4.2 ACT & ASK “Acting and asking questions to all involved”
The excellent middle manager asks data-generating and new questions when he or she lacks answers, has doubts or lacks the right decision-making basis to make the best possible decisions. The questions are asked to all relevant stakeholders.
4.3 WATCH “Watch, often listen, feel and sense the reaction to gather more data and information”
The excellent middle manager observes and integrates all reactions to their leadership behaviour, style and communication.
Steps 1 to 3 (HUNT – ACT/ASK – WATCH) are continued in several iterative processes until a common agenda for all involved is found, which the leader deems best possible in the situation, taking everything (what is deemed possible) into account.
4.4 KEY AGENDA “Finding a common agenda for all involved”
The excellent middle manager formulates the common agenda for the team, department, etc. through the involvement of all stakeholders. Only true involvement creates the necessary co-ownership.
4.5 ENTHUSIASM “Commitment, motivation and competences make the difference”
The excellent middle manager knows that employee motivation and competences are key to being able to create and maintain their own, their team’s, their team’s and the organisation’s results and best possible core performance. Motivational factors are naturally embedded in the daily behaviour of the Excellent Middle Manager and are an integral and natural part of daily work processes. The competences of managers and employees are further developed in line with current needs. The chosen competency development agreed between manager and employee is created from both a management and an employee perspective and in both a short-term and long-term perspective.
4.6 YESTERDAY “Articulates a vision and a goal and turns it into yesterday’s results”
The excellent middle manager draws and tells the picture and experience of the shared vision as if it has been achieved, fulfilled and realised. An idea of how the team, department and company are, work and function on the other side of the vision, when the manager and employees together look back on the day when the vision was successfully implemented.
4.7 EVALUATION “Once the vision is implemented and the goal is achieved, evaluate with positive feedback”
The excellent middle manager continuously evaluates their leadership and the behaviour of the organisation and employees with positive and constructive feedback. Both in terms of day-to-day work and longer-term tasks and visions, both short-term and long-term. The excellent middle manager’s evaluations lead to new “hunts” for information and the HAWKEYE spiral begins anew.