Leadership is the second topic in my series on the words ‘Teamwork, Leadership and Change’. As I previously wrote in my ‘Teamwork’ blog, the three words are very much interrelated in everything we do. And all three words become a challenge during both smooth sailing and difficult times.
I have to admit a recent ‘flip-flop’ in my thinking regarding Management and Leadership. You have probably heard the expression ‘Managers do things right and leaders do the right things’. I subscribed to that theory for years but have recently changed my mind. Some people actually get tagged as good managers, but weak leaders. I now completely disagree with that notion. Managers, if responsible for other people, should be leaders. It is really that simple. If managers are not good leaders, they either need more training in leadership or they simply do not possess the desire to really lead. There is no doubt that the so-called ‘Peter Principle’ occurs regularly where employees are promoted into management positions that do not fit them well and they either fail miserably or struggle to be effective as leaders. That may not always occur, but too often when it does, no corrective action is taken.
Corrective action when people are promoted into management positions while lacking leadership is imperative; but only effective if there is a vision for leadership excellence and an intentional commitment to strive to attain that goal. Vince Lombardi often stated while coaching the Green Bay Packers, ‘Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.’
Chasing perfection is not a one and done effort or an easy path to take. It is truly the road less traveled because it is so bloody difficult! It is much easier to go with the flow of everyday happening than to divert from the usual to create a new normal of behavior. So what is the real commitment necessary to achieve perfection/excellence: A deliberate effort on a daily basis? Wow! Daily? Really?
It couldn’t have been easy for coach Lombardi and the Packers either. It must have taken lots of courage and good old-fashion guts to stay the course. If someone on the team wasn’t performing, the coach needed to take corrective action. I have the feeling that teammates did some of that as well. That also takes courage – to hold each other accountable is not an easy thing to do and, in fact, can put relationships at risk. So, is it worth it?
Courage is one of the crucial qualities of leadership. If personal change is necessary, it takes courage to first admit it and then act upon it, because it requires a departure from the ‘norm’. If a peer or someone we manage needs to improve, it takes courage and skill to help them realize that.
Adding communication skills is another crucial quality of leadership. Since perception often becomes reality, delivery of the message can be the true difference-maker. Rule of thumb – err on the side of gentleness and from a place of genuine caring.
I believe that one of the most difficult roadblocks for aspiring leaders to overcome is fear, or the lack of courage to face fear head on. Fear is a given, since we all have it from time to time and often face it continuously. How we deal with fear is a Key Performance Indicator. None of us enjoy fear, so if we do the natural thing we either fight or go into flight when afraid. I have personally been there and done both. A better approach is to face our fear with the perspective of what I will refer to as Tender, Loving, Caring (TLC) Leadership.
Serving the interests of others on your team, those you are responsible for, or your customers, should be a top priority for you as a leader – regardless of title or job responsibility. The question, however, becomes what are the best interests of those people? Are they also your interests? Are those interests their own desires? Do they come from a book or an employee manual? Are they simply those dictated by the goals of your company or their company? I believe that it could be all of these or none of these.
Next week I will continue the discussion on Leadership and provide four key, thought-provoking concepts that will hopefully inspire you to become a better leader.