When Intensity Pays Off…
.. and when it doesn’t.
I wouldn’t exaggerate if I say that intensity is the most appraised quality of a (tech) leader. There’s a very valid reason for that: one can hardly accomplish a lot with a lax attitude to a plethora of tasks that have to be just done. When a leader exercises the attitude of intensity to the things they do, it is picked up by the whole team. I’m leaving off the part about organizational culture that breeds such leaders and followers for now, because this isn’t what I’m focusing on today.
This time I want to highlight a flip side of intensity. The intense focus can be a blessing, but it can also be a curse. Think about it: what if a leader is putting all their ardor into actions that don’t seem to be attuned to the changing organizational or business/market dynamics? The actions that don’t feel in sync with the changes? As an example, might be that the decision-making mechanics is not working well at their organization, but they still stick with it. Or, the business environment has changed, but focus is still on the actions that originate in the expired mindset thus holding the organization back, if not completely misleading it.
What I’m trying to say: there’s a subtle balance between being intense and being loose. Yes, one wouldn’t go far if things that need to get done float at a leisurely pace. Actionable initiatives have to be pursued with the unwavering intensity and focus. In my opinion, there’s no other way to do meaningful things. However, if one is overly immersed in the planned actions, they might lose sensitivity and ignore some alarming signs. Such a leader might think to themselves: “Hmm, I feel something is wrong. But I don’t have time to think about it now. I need to act.” That’s where the catch is.
If a thought like that pops up in one’s mind, it’s time to get loose. A moment of looseness creates the space to think about what’s not going well. Wear another hat, in a way. One can go meditate, or just take some relaxed calm time to contemplate and to decide on what to do about the alarming signs. If there’s even a slight feeling of misalignment between an organizational practice and the expected outcome, the more time elapses going on with the intense actions, the higher the costs. Leaders simply have to develop this feel of a well-timed switch from intensity to looseness, because it’s just so bad if this switch isn’t working. The rigid intensity blocks seeing the signs. Looseness here is about the ability to come to a halt and to look at the intensely pursued actions from a new perspective.
Taking a shift from intensity to such a looseness just in time is the trademark quality of a star leader. It’s quite easy to follow through and to be confident about the things that one already knows. It’s much harder to be sensitive and attuned to the things that one isn’t yet aware of. If you ask me, this particular blend of sensitivity and attunement counts as one of the fundamental components of a lifelong learning, as well as one of the essential traits of a leader.
P.S. There’s a reason why I intercept my “Becoming a Leader” series with this post :)
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This story is based on an earlier article.
