Leadership Has All of the Answers ?
Leading high performers is not about having all of the answers.
Leadership of high performers is about the ability to effectively synthesize information within a domain while adapting to new and changing inputs, in order to provide clear and effective communication that drives outcomes through the contributions of others.
That was a mouthful, let’s break it down.
…the ability to effectively synthesize information within a domain…
In other words leadership must be able to take information and build an understanding of the problem, task, or desired outcome that they can work with.
For the sake of this explanation imagine the domain as the map of a landscape.
The more experience and understanding a leader has in a domain, the more detailed and robust the map will be.
…while adapting to new and changing inputs…
Adaption to new information is a key quality of good decision making, good problem solving, and is necessary for leadership. New inputs must be recognized, noise filtered, and the new information that results will contribute to a better understanding of the domain. As new information about the landscape comes in, the map must evolve.
…to provide clear and effective communication that drives outcomes through the contributions of others.
Communication is key in leadership. It’s not enough to have a deep understanding of a domain and the ability to path-find through the landscape alone. A leader must be able to communicate not only the proposed path, but when necessary, the reasoning behind the direction as well as the eventual destination so that others will come along.
Leading high performers is not about having the path predefined and then tasking the team with clearing the way.
High performers have an inherent need to contribute, to achieve, and to be part of the path-finding process. Successful leadership of high performing individuals involves listening, collaboration, and involves these individuals early, and often, in the domain mapping and path-finding process. These high performers will be key contributors in providing new information that helps evolve the understanding of the domain. Good leadership will recognize and optimize for this.
