LEARNING TO LEAD, LEADING TO LEARN
The Good, Bad, & Ugly
Are we good at being good, or just good at being bad?
“It is not enough to be a good leader: you need to be a leader for good!”
Welcome to the second edition of Take The Lead. Let me ask a simple question:
Are you a good leader?
The answer depends entirely on what I actually mean. This is an ambiguous question with a subtlety of misdirection that may be missed.
Do I mean “are you good at leading” or do I mean “are you leading something good”?
Most will assume the former. While your self-assessment will be a very personal interpretation (a follower may see it a little different), your response will likely be about the quality of your leadership.
However, the really important question is not are you good at leading, but are you leading toward something good?
The real concern is to where you are taking people: what is your vision, your purpose or goal? As a leader, your direction is defining!
There are, and have been, many “good leaders” in that they have been successful in leading the masses to a determined goal but have not necessarily led them to what would be considered a good purpose.
Likewise, there have been many bad, and occasionally downright ugly, leaders pursuing a good cause.
The truth here is that the “quality” will essentially take care of itself: if you are really that bad, then people will not follow you any way, but, remarkably, they will not necessarily stop following you if you are heading somewhere bad.
As we have said, leadership can be so subjective, and while there are common needs, there is no one-size-fits all formula, so your efforts, as long as they cover the basics, may be considered a good lead for some, while others may consider your efforts just plain ugly; nonetheless, some are still likely to follow you.
This unpredictability of appeal emphasises the fact that it is where we are going that really counts.
Our first consideration for good leadership should be, then, not the quality but the objective. Are we leading somewhere good or are we going somewhere bad?
Leadership is about moving people and a leader has a responsibility to move them in the right direction. Our lead should be for the good of others, not the bad. If, however, it is just ugly, you can always hide behind the ‘mask of command’.
What Is Leadership?
“You must be moving somewhere or to something & you must get others to move with you. In a nutshell this is leadership!”
“Leadership can be defined, but not confined”
So many definitions can be found to answer this question, ranging from one word to a page.
A quick Google search presents the following:
“The action of leading a group of people or an organization” (the first of 2.2million results!).
Fair enough, as it says on the can… but then under “what is the best definition” you get:
“The ability to adapt the setting so everyone feels empowered to contribute creatively to solving the problems… an ability, meaning a leader has a capacity to do something through talent and skill.”
A bit “wordy” this one, and more follows: scrolling down throws up words like “vision”, “creativity”, “inspiration”, “motivation”… there is just no end!
The reason for this diversity is simple: leadership is an evolving process, not a fixed product, it is a living concept that adjusts and adapts to the need. Leadership is dynamic, malleable, even subjective, and while it can, with some effort, be defined, it cannot be confined to one definition.
To get started though, we need to extract the absolute basics to focus on so that we can build from a solid foundation and get leading!
With that in mind, then, there are just two inescapable, but basic, demands for leadership: direction and influence.
You must be moving somewhere or to something & you must get others to move with you. In a nutshell this is leadership!
Simples: do something and take someone.
Once we understand the basic requirements of leadership, only then can we develop some quality to the way we show leadership.
For instance, each of these two basic demands have three fundamental, interconnected requirements that will help us take the lead with purpose and power.
It helps if our direction is clear, relevant and achievable. Clarity provides focus; relevance powers motive; achievability produces confidence.
To influence others, we need communication, inspiration and motivation. Communication feeds the mind, inspiration fires the heart, and motivation fuels the feet.
The situation and circumstance will then dictate additional needs as necessary (as discussed below in ‘This Is The Way?) but everything else is enhancement that builds on the basics and takes our leadership from adequate to outstanding.
When Is A Team Not A Team? (Pt. 2)
TEAMWORK
“It’s Good To Talk”
“Never underestimate the power of personal communication for you cannot overestimate the effect of interacting with the individual!”
“Turning the flood of instruction into a flow of conversation”
Our first edition introduced my TEAM Valence model. The model consisted of four action points for turning a group into a team: Talk, set an Example, Accept reality & responsibility, Motivate individuals.
We will now expand on the first point:
T is for Talking.
In my day, a phone was for talking. It may seem hard to believe, but when I was a kid, a phone, not only was it tethered to a wall somewhere, but you could only use it for talking. If you knew a few clever numbers, it would tell you the weather, or the time, but it was still someone talking to you.
Nowadays, talking is only one function of a phone. In fact, it is not inconceivable to believe that some may never actually talk on their phone for a whole day despite being on it for 24 hours.
With social media, internet, YouTube, and Instagram, there is just so much a phone can do these days other than provide a means to talk: you can send and receiving information by the load, watch videos or listening to music for hours; with no need to actually talk.
What does this tell us? Well, for one, having a means to talk does not mean that you will.
If you are working with people, perhaps even a team, and have a voice, then you have a means – and opportunity – to talk.
Do you? Or do you use that “means” only for sending and receiving information?
Perhaps you watch a few things, even listen to a few bits of gossip, but no actual talking.
Good things start with people when you talk: bad things happen when you do not!
When communication dies, relationships die. The quality of our communication with our colleagues dictates the quality of those relationships.
Talking with our team members is a basic necessity. Leadership is all about communication, in fact, without it, you have no leadership, so start by talking!
Before you start yapping away though, It is important to consider your intent and purpose. For best results, try not to talk “at” your team, or even “to” your team, but “with” your team.
This implies a two-way flow of conversation rather than a one-way flood of instruction.
It is more about hearing what they have to say, at this stage, than what you have to tell them.
Remember, this model is about valence – cohesion – it is not about performance or productivity (time for that later). First, we need to help the group bond. We need to create a cohesive whole from our gathering of individuals before we can lead them to achieve their goals. A team will not achieve full utility unless it has first achieved full unity.
Make opportunities to talk directly to colleagues too, face to face, or by phone as much as possible-or at least practical.
Some may confuse sending emails as “talking”. Emails are good for instruction, information and direction (perhaps preferred for such as they leave a trail and can be formally referenced) but you can’t beat actual talking for building strong relationships.
Never underestimate the power of personal communication for you cannot overestimate the effect of interacting with the individual!
Finally, keep in mind that if you are not talking to them, it does not mean they are not talking about you! People will talk, so you best do your share.
What can you do this month?
- Choose someone in the team and, if you cannot meet them, call them for a 10mins (non-work related, if possible) chat.
Make sure this isn’t someone you would normally chat with, though –chances are that your ‘bond’ with them is already good– so reach out to someone else in the “group”.
- If you feel the need for an angry email, pick up the phone and call them instead – or at least first! This call should not be to berate, however, but to bond. Don’t launch into commands like: “Why didn’t you…?” Reach out with concern by asking: “Are you struggling?”
As BT – once upon a time the only “network” provider in Britain – used to say: “it’s good to talk!”
This Is The Way?
MY LEADERSHIP
“As a leader you need to select the right tool for the task, right club for the crisis, or right spice for the situation.”
“There is no one-way, but there is a wrong way”
Leadership is dynamic and often subjective. What makes leadership so enduring and ubiquitous is its fluid and flexible nature.
Different styles, different methods, different people! There is no “one way” to lead, but there certainly is a wrong way!
As people are all different, and leadership is about people, it is no surprise that leadership can, does, and needs to change with the need, group and circumstance.
In a crisis, a firm control and command style may be necessary to push people into compliance so as to do what is necessary. By contrast, in a conference, more collaboration and consideration are required to draw people out to contribute.
Both will be respected in their own specific scenario, but not so much in the other’s. Applying the command approach and forcing compliance at a cohort table might be seen as bullying, while being cautious and waiting for collaboration during a crisis will likely not save the day.
Leadership is a lot like golf, DIY, or even cooking. Golf has special clubs for specific shots; DIY needs a particular tool for a precise job; and cooking requires exact ingredients for expected results. As a leader you need a similar “tool-box”, “golf caddy”, or “spice rack” from which you can select the right tool for the task, right club for the crisis, or right spice for the situation.
Force the wrong style, method or approach at the wrong time and people will not follow you.
Neither can you just console yourself with self-conviction that you are right and they are all wrong. If no one follows you, then you are not leading, you are just walking about. You may be a visionary, a pioneer, or even an innovator, but not a leader. Leaders need followers.
So, be prepared to be flexible, accept the need to adjust your style, manner and approach to meet the needs of the team, the task and the specific situation.
What’s Next?
Our next edition of TTL will discuss the third action point of the TEAM Valence model: E for Example; considers from where we can find sources of inspiration, and ask: can you lead from a “low-level” position?
