Being a Leader is a complicated role. It’s much more than being in charge or accepting ultimate responsibility or even leading the way forward (Take a moment to consider what great Leadership looks like to you?) Of course, all of the above may be exhibited by great leaders, but they by themselves don’t make great leaders. In fact, these are personal traits that speak more about the Individual than their Leadership.
Who was your greatest leader to date? Why did you follow them? What was it about their style that you admired most? It’s often said that the role of a great leader is to create more leaders. I understand the premise, but I’m not sure I agree. For those of us who are leaders or want to become leaders, this statement rings true. As a follower with an ambition to become a Leader or a leader who wants to delegate more, sure it makes sense. But what if the very idea of a Leadership role would send me into a tailspin? I don’t want any of that stuff, I just want to get on with my job. What now? Maybe we should give it more thought.
Know your followers (Your People)? ….. Nearly right:
The biggest mistake we make as Leaders is thinking that we should KNOW. We should know what to do, know the answers, know what to say, know which direction to go, know how to solve the problem, etc etc etc. Almost right, but so far wrong that it can get you into hot water very quickly. Change it to “GET TO KNOW …..” and the dynamic changes completely. You’re not supposed to know, but you need to get to know all of the above. But the shift from a “Know All”, to a leader who uses his curiosity via communication and collaboration will soon KNOW a whole lot more.
Authentically caring about your team. Wanting to know how you can support them going forward. Understanding what makes them tick as individuals and how you can connect with them. Understanding how to design challenges that when achieved deliver win/win outcomes for all. This is your role as a leader. These are the foundations of great teamwork.
Add to this a clear Vision. An understanding that our ultimate aim is to achieve XYZ. This is your primary responsibility. You are employed by the business to achieve these goals and assuming you’ve accepted the challenge, you must be aligned with it (if not, you need to reassess). Once your team are aligned with the Vision, now you can begin the job of mapping out your plan. How to get from where you are now (your “Here & Now”) to achieving the business Vision? Here’s what we need to see more of, less of, and map the journey by hitting these markers along the journey. But this should not be your responsibility alone. It’s a job for the team to do as a collective.
Co-design to add a sense of personal contribution and ownership:
When you let go of needing to KNOW everything, you will now allow others to contribute. This creates a sense of Team. Where people’s opinions feel valued and appreciated. Where their input can get recognised and they can contribute to something bigger than themselves. They can become part of a greater vision other than the simple execution of their daily tasks. Now they understand their role. The significance of the part they play in the overall scheme of things. How their contribution enables all the cogs to rotate efficiently to deliver the service/product that is so admired. Now when you ask them they no longer say “I do logistics for a large furniture company”. It’s “I’m part of team XYZ Furniture. We make high-end furniture in our factory in Denmark and it’s my job to keep on top of the logistics. It’s a balancing act to keep the furniture flowing and our customers happy. We were having issues with container costs over Covid, but we decided to sit tight and weather the storm. Now that container prices have dropped we can ship again at a more reasonable price than our competitors, while they have warehouses of stock that cost 3x to land just last year. As a result, our furniture is probably 25-28% cheaper. You should bear us in mind for ….. “. This Leader has created a team member who feels valued and appreciated, who wants to contribute, and who feels a sense of belonging. He is not only happy and engaged, but he becomes an advocate for the business.
So what is your role as a leader?
It’s not to know, but to get to know. It’s to always be curious. To encourage contribution and communication. To present challenges, not solutions, and to co-design to promote a sense of personal contribution and ownership. Our main job as a leader is to somehow help our people get the best out of themselves. It all begins by asking questions, not delivering solutions.
To learn more about Leadership & Team Development go to https://focus2succeed.ie/ or contact me @ damian.shields@focus2succeed.ie
