John Adair's Action Centred Leadership

'John Adair's most famous leadership ideas are found in his simple Action-Centred Leadership model. This is simply depicted and described as the Three Circles, which in essence are the "Task, Team and the Individual". Adair believes that to be an effective leader or manager, these three concepts must be held in sharp focus. I have provided some information on the model below for you to think about!'

John Adair

A model for team leadership and management
 

The Three Circles Model provides a great foundation for leadership and team building workshops and the management of any team regardless of its size or make up. Action Centred Leadership is also a simple model, which makes it easy to remember and apply, and to adapt for your own unique situation.

Managers of all levels are effectively business leaders - Adair defines business simply as 'the are in which one is busy.' Business itself is concerned with a core principle - the production of quality products or services at a profit. At the core of this lies the overlapping responsibilities of any leader - Achieving the Task, Motivating and Developing the Individual and finally Building and Maintaining the Team.

All good managers and leaders should have full command of the three main areas of the Action Centred Leadership model, and should be able to use each of the elements according to the situation. Being able to do all of these things, and keep the right balance, gets results, builds morale, improves quality, develops teams and productivity, and is the mark of a successful manager and leader. 

The model

As we have explained, the three parts of Adair's model are commonly represented by three overlapping circles, and is one of the most recognizable and iconic symbols within management theory.

John Adair's action-centred leadership task-team-individual model infers a level of understanding from the leader of the environment in which they work. It integrates into what is commonly refered to as leadership and Management, but Adair is careful to make some distinction between the two:

Leading is defined by Adair as being about giving direction 'especially in times of change; inspiring or motivating people to work willingly; building and maintaining teamwork; providing an example; producing a personal output.'

Managing is defined as the ability to run a business in a steady state and is concerned with 'day-to-day admin, organising structures and establishing systems, controlling, especially by financial methods.'

However, both sets of skills are essential!

Your responsibilities as a leader for achieving the Task are:

• Initiative - this gets the group moving
• Perseverance - this stops the group grinding to a halt
• Efficiency - working within any budgetary constaints
• Honesty - related to establishing facts
• Self confidence - being able to face up to facts
• Industry - it's not always the Hare that wins!
• Audacity - knowing when to use it and not be wholly governed by procedures 
• Humility - being able to put your hand up to admit mistakes

Your responsibilities as a leader for the Team are:

• Initiative - creating great teamwork and strong trust
• Humour - maintianing a sense of proportion and relieving any tension
• Audacity - become arole model through actions or direction
• Honesty - wins respect - full stop!
• Self confidence - have confidence in yourelf and it will inspire confidence in others
• Justice - always treat people fairly
• Humility - celebrate success with the team
   

Your responsibilities as a leader for each Individual are:

• Tact - use sensitivity when dealing with people
• Compassion - be sympathetic and help people when you can
• Consistency - will help people in their relations with you
• Humility - helps to recognise the strengths of others and gives credit where due
• Honesty - wins respect every time
• Justice - people are encouraged when dealt with fairly

About John Adair

John Adair was born in the UK in 1934 and after serving as a platoon commander in the Scots Guards, devised his Action Centred Leadership model while lecturing in Military History and as an advisor in leadership training at Sandhurst Royal Military Academy and as assistant director and head of leadership department at The Industrial Society.

The basis of his theories are the oft quoted works on human needs and motivation by writers such as Abraham Maslow, Frederick Herzberg  and Henri Fayol. His main distinction though is his departure from the norm in terms of leadership qualities being a trainable quality as opposed to an inate ability.

In addition to  the Action Centred Leadership model, John Adair has written over 40 books on management and leadership, including 'How to Grow Leaders', 'Effective Leadership Development',  and '100 Greatest Ideas for Effective Leadership and Management.'

John Adair is now a management consultant and also has his own publishing company. He also maintains links with the University of Surrey, where he was the first UK chair of leadership studies, 1979-83. In 2009, he was appointed Chair of Leadership Studies United Nations System Staff College in Turin.

Specific Team Building Activities and Workshops to support John Adair's work:

• Strength Deployment Inventory
• Change Management Workshop
• Leadership Workshop
• Krypton Maze
• Escape from Acrab
• Weather Satellite
• NASA

 For more information on our Teambuilding Activities, please click here.