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© 2010-2015. All rights reserved. REAL Leadership Framework & Leadership Development Canvas are owned by LeadPeople, LLC. Do not use without
permission from Curt Buermeyer curt@leadpeople.com
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The REAL Leadership Framework and
Development Canvas
Frameworks for Understanding
and Enhancing Leadership

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The REAL Leadership Framework
This graphic depicts the four critical perspectives from which to understand and
develop leadership: Results, Effect on people, Actions, Leader attributes.

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The REAL Leadership Framework
I have been thinking deeply about the concept of leadership for about fifteen years. It’s a compelling
topic, especially if you come from a social sciences background and are interested in business and
helping people and organizations achieve success.
I came to the conclusion a few years ago that leadership is both remarkably simple and incredibly
complex.
It’s simple in that we can immediately sense when it’s present or absent. The energy from an
enthusiastic, credible and trustworthy team leader is undeniable. And the leadership void is palpable
when nobody stands up to lead, or when someone attempts to lead with no compelling rationale as to
why we should follow.
Yet, articulating precisely what is it that makes for great leadership is a real challenge even for seasoned
veterans in the field of leadership development as well as academic researchers and theoreticians.
After fifteen years of being exposed to leadership theory after theory, hundreds of formal and informal
articles, perspectives from large consulting firms, and academic literature in peer reviewed journals, I
became increasingly frustrated. This is a field of study I love, but it’s so circular, knotted and
convoluted. It seems like the more you read, the less you understand. I have been left with a nagging
question. “Is there really no universal framework for understanding leadership?!”
Nope. I have found nothing that ties all the disparate pieces together into a clear, comprehensive and
understandable framework that can withstand scrutiny.
The complexities of leadership are real. But so are the laws of physics, and Einstein developed a
universal theory of relativity and simplified it into one succinct equation. All efforts I’ve seen to simplify
the complexities of leadership have resulted in either commonsensical descriptions (e.g., “leaders must
have followers” and “leaders must have vision”), and often contradictory deduction (e.g., “great leaders
get great results” and “great leaders don’t try to get results, they create environments that allow others to
get results”).
Because leadership is such a compelling topic, and because there’s no universal framework, public
libraries, academic journals, business magazines, airport convenience stores and Amazon’s virtual
bookshelves are stuffed with twenty thousand volumes on the topic. Yet still, the equivalent of an
E=MC2
equation for leadership has not yet been derived.
I know it’s a bold claim, but I have done it. After a eureka moment in 2011, and a lot of work refining
and testing it, I have articulated a simplified and universal leadership framework which summarizes the
key perspectives from which to evaluate and develop leadership.
I have discovered that there are only four lenses through which we can evaluate a leader’s effectiveness.

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RESULTS
When I think of the best leaders the world has ever
known, my mind goes to the people who have had
the most positive impact on the world –
individuals who have truly made a difference. It
wouldn’t be difficult to come up with rock solid
proof these people were great leaders. There’s a
wide range of objective evidence and quantifiable
facts that they accomplished extraordinary
outcomes.
It’s the Results lens that I am looking through first,
because if the individual didn’t have real impact on
the world, it’s a tough argument to win that the
person was a great leader.
Whether we’re talking about the best football coach of all time or the best business and social leaders,
we see greatness in their performance. Professional football leaders have consistently helped get their
teams to the playoffs; they likely have a Super Bowl win or two under their belts. Extraordinary
business leaders have consistently delivered off the charts growth and shareholder returns. Outstanding
social or civil rights leaders have successfully propelled changes in laws and have improved society in
demonstrable ways.
When I look through the Results lens to evaluate leadership effectiveness, I ask, “Has this person been
successful? Have they achieved real results? Have they had a real impact on measurable outcomes?”
What results matter? It depends. It depends on the business, strategy, mission, and many other things.
Those particulars are important, but don’t rise to the level of the macro vantage point for a universal
framework.
Bottom line, the best leaders are clear about the results that matter. They go after them. They achieve
them.
EFFECT on People
In spite of what you may hear from business analysts, Results aren’t everything.
Exemplary leaders do both. They achieve extraordinary results and inspire the trust, confidence,
teamwork and true followership to make great things happen.

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Effect on People is the second perspective to consider. Like the Results perspective, Effect on People
is an outcome of leadership – a lagging indicator of a leader’s actions – described in the Actions
section below.
Nobody wants to follow a condescending, arrogant and selfish jerk. Of course, some positional leaders
who fit that description do achieve results. But they don’t have followership. And without
followership, there can be no real leadership.
An individual who gets results through belittling, an abrasive and dictatorial style will ultimately fail to
have true followers. If people don’t respect the person in charge – or worse yet, find her unlikeable or
untrustworthy, compliance will be the best the “leader” can achieve.
It’s important to note here a sematic mix-up in the world of leadership. Those in formal leadership
roles or those who have positional authority are rightly called “leaders.” That’s a positional definition of
leadership, however. Therefore, someone with no true leadership ability can be – and too often is –
appointed as “the leader.” In the REAL Leadership Framework, the focus is properly on real leadership
– the kind that is about both results and relationships rather than the positional leader role.
The Effect on People perspective is about the emotional impact, ability to create followership, inspire
trust, convey credibility, and help groups of people see a better vision of the future. The essential aspect
of this perspective is that the impact is measured by asking the people who are influenced by the
individual. “Do you deeply trust the person? Do you find her credible? Does she inspire you to achieve
more? Does he energize you? Or, does he drain your energy? Does she bring out the worst in you or
demotivate you?”
ACTIONS
The third perspective I have identified is purely behavioral.
While the first two perspectives I focused on concern the outcomes of leadership, the Actions
perspective is simply about that – actions.
A great leader shows she has the best interests of her team and the mission at heart. She leads by
example. She walks the talk. He does what he says he’ll do. He shows confidence, makes the right
decisions and shows caring toward followers. He acts admirably. He behaves as a leader.
The Actions perspective can be measured only through observation. It’s not about the outcomes or
consequences of the actions. It’s about doing the things that lead to the two most important outcomes
mentioned above: Results and Effect on People.
What are the actual actions that matter? Some examples include showing initiative; communicating with
clarity about the vision, setting meaningful goals; taking the time to build strong relationships;

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demonstrating authentic caring for others; being trustworthy; showing competence to lead others by
making smart decisions.
From the Actions perspective, effective leaders are only evaluated by their actual behavior – through
things as specific as eye contact, tone of voice, discussions about strategy, speeches about goals, emails
concerning upcoming milestones, ownership of mistakes, sharing credit with the team, providing clarity
to those who are struggling with ambiguity, etc.
It’s important to note, behaviors can be taught, practiced, demonstrated, and eventually become
habitual.
And like with any complex set of behaviors, some people are just naturals. Just as some people easily
learn a musical instrument, some people rapidly and effortlessly pick up and demonstrate extraordinary
leadership skills. (Leader traits is the fourth perspective, described below.)
Lastly, the Action perspective also concerns actions not taken. Leaders don’t do certain things. They
limit their sarcasm, avoid complaining and blaming, keep certain opinions to themselves, avoid being
engaged with activities unrelated to the mission, manage their frustrations with “incompetent people,”
and inhibit themselves from being “doers” while shifting into being a leader of doers.
LEADER
The fourth and final perspective on leadership that I have discovered is squarely focused on the
individual – all aspects of the unique person who is leading. Who are they? And where do they want to
take us? Are they worth following?
Fortunately, my doctoral education in psychology has focused on the vast variety of individual traits,
attributes and characteristics of people. It’s undeniable that each person has a unique constellation of
genetics and life experiences. Even identical twins show significant variability in who they’ve become in
life. And over the recent decades, leadership researchers have steadily come to the conclusion that there
is no one set of characteristics that are necessary or sufficient to make a person a great leader.
Essentially, there’s no such thing as a “right leader.” To hit the point home, I encourage you to consider
the diversity found in effective leaders throughout human history. Whether you’re considering political
and civil rights leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jn., Winston Churchill, Rosa Parks,
or business leaders like Steve Jobs, Alan Mulally and Warren Buffet, you can’t help but be amazed at the
range of personalities, passions, visions, capabilities, strengths, motivations and cultural backgrounds of
these leaders.
History has certainly proven time and again that the diversity in leaders’ personal characteristics,
personality, intelligence, physical attributes, beliefs, and attitudes, etc., is robust. Each leader has a
unique blend of innate and learned characteristics and attributes that lead to their success.

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But there is one exception. I believe there is one leadership attribute found in all extraordinary leaders.
Authenticity. The best leaders have just been themselves. I imagine all have put in effort to be better
versions of themselves and adjust their style based on their personal growth and understandings of
others; yet they have embraced who they are. They have managed their behavior to fit the needs of the
situation, to reach their objectives, while not being chameleons.
For a positional leader to harness the collective power of people and be a real leader, followers must
trust the person’s character. They must have a sense of the true individual, his strengths and flaws.
Thus, authenticity is key because followers don’t just follow ideas. visions and missions; they follow
individuals. If there is not adequate transparency and authenticity, we as prospective followers will find
ourselves wondering, “Who is this person I’m following? Can I trust him? What makes her tick? What
does she really want? Where are they headed? Do I really want to follow her to that destination?”
Development Canvas
To bring out the practical value of the Leadership
Framework, I have developed a tool I’ve called the
Development Canvas.
The Canvas helps you reduce simplify the most valuable
developmental targets relevant to your personal and
professional development as a leader.
I have found through my work with a variety of clients in
various industries that, if you take the time to work through
each section of the Canvas, you will have a clearer
understanding of who you are, what success looks like and how to develop yourself to become the kind
of leader you would want to follow. There will be a pathway to success through Results, Effect on
People, Actions and your authentic personal attributes as a Leader.
Additionally, you will find a high-level aspirations section at the top, where you will articulate simply
what kind of leader you’re aspiring to become; what broad effect you want to have on people, teams and
culture; what results you want to get for business or more broadly in the world; and what your career
aspirations are.
At the very bottom of the Canvas, you will articulate your purpose at work, and purpose in life. These
statements will be powerful when you truly nail them. When done well, you might even get shivers up
your spine. These statements go to the core of your being. What are you on this planet to do? What
purpose does your life serve? Unless you are one of the rare people who has already clearly discovered
your purpose in life, this section will take lots of time to reflect.
On the Canvas, you will also see the four main sections, Results, Effect on People, Actions and Leader
characteristics. You will also see important subsections to each, laid out in such a way to reflect how

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your unique potential (Leader perspective at the bottom), will leads to what you need to do and not do
(Actions, in the middle) and then the outcomes that will manifest from your efforts (Results and Effect
on People).
To gather the most meaningful data and content needed to fill in the Canvas, consider the following to
get you thinking:
RESULTS
 Goals and objectives
 Evaluations of
performance
 Planning documents
 Job descriptions
 Mission and vision
statements
 Outcomes valued by
others (customers,
peers, boss, society)
 Competition and
market share
 Growth estimates
 Profitability goals
EFFECT on People
 360-feedback
 Conversations about
personal impact
 Corporate culture
 Team dynamics
 Verbal reactions
 Informal feedback
 Personal brand
 Reputation
ACTIONS
 Daily habits
 Communications
 Follow-through
 Managing others
 Sharing thoughts
 Setting direction
 Decision making
 Handling conflict
LEADER
 Life history
 Personality
assessments
 Measures of
motivation
 Competencies
 Feedback
 Reputation
 Culture/heritage

© 2015. Copyright LeadPeople, LLC 2010-2015. Development Canvas © intellectual property of Curt Buermeyer, PhD LLC. All rights reserved.
Development Canvas ©
Name: Date: Revision#:
High-level Development Aspirations
1. Leader (Who are you aspiring to be as a leader?):
2. People/Team (What impact do you aim to have on people, teams, culture?):
3. Business (What measurable results do you aspire to have in the business/market?):
4. Career (What are your long term career aspirations?):
RESULTS
Business Goals; Measures of Success People Impact Goals; Measures of Interpersonal Success
EFFECTonPeople
What outcomes prove you’re successful in the business or marketplace? (e.g., growth, profitability,
productivity, turnover, safety, quality, share, customer ratings, products & services).
What outcomes prove you’re successful in your impact on people, relationships, teaming, collaborating and
enhancing the culture? (e.g., having an A team, having followership, improving employee engagement).
ACTIONS
Behaviors to Start (Start doing, increase) Behaviors to Stop (Do less of)
ACTIONS
Personal life/health: Personal life/health:
Personal life/health: Personal life/health:

© 2015. Copyright LeadPeople, LLC 2010-2015. Development Canvas © intellectual property of Curt Buermeyer, PhD LLC. All rights reserved.
Leader Attributes and Characteristics
LEADERCharacteristicsandAttributes
Signature Strengths Fans Describe You Motivations, Fuel Key Capabilities Core Values
LEADERCharacteristicsandAttributes
Quick on the uptake
Personality Derailers Critics Describe You Demotivators Key Gaps in KSA’s Hot Buttons, Irritants
Purpose Statement—in Life:
Purpose Statement—at Work:

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