We need more leaders

Personal lives, organisations and society are becoming more complex, interconnected and unpredictable. This means existing organisational structures are no longer optimal for facing the challenges we now face. The rise of evolutionary organisational structures (eg teal, holocracy etc [1]) means we need to reinvent what it means to be a leader. In today’s organisations, change happens faster, opportunities arise and challenges are faced at a much greater rate than at any other time in history. If we rely on centralised leadership, management and planning then we will simply be too slow and cumbersome to respond. And as a result, we’ll miss opportunities, succumb to threats and be left behind by the relentless tide of change.

This means we need more people who are willing to shoulder both the responsibility and the amazing opportunities that come with the mantel of leadership. Gone are the days where you need a job title or position to lead. Now we need to everyone to consider what it means for them to show leadership in the situation they find themselves. We need to all answer the question — “What can I do around here to make things better that probably won’t get done unless I do it ” [2]. If we can create organisations that embody this, then we will not be so dependent on the ‘chosen few’ to lead and make decisions. Rather than being swamped by change, we can surf it.

For this article, I’m going to use the following working definition of leadership:

Someone who has a vision for how to make things better and can galvanise coherent action with others to achieve this.

There’s no mention of title, position or someone giving you permission to be a leader. All you need is an idea of something you’d like to happen and then invite some others to help you make that a reality.

How can we make this happen?

#1 Listen…

… to yourself.

Becoming attuned to what is important to you, what annoys you or what inspires you can a) really help you understand yourself and b) help you gain clarity on the things you should be leading on. If there is something that particularly frustrates you in your current environment, or a great opportunity that you don’t believe is being capitalised on, then perhaps this is where you should focus your leadership efforts?

Becoming more aware of your internal state and being able to maintain an objective view of your thoughts and feelings can also help you maintain balance and poise when dealing with others. If you have to deal with someone who rubs you up the wrong way, being able to observe the rising frustration within you and being able to sit with it and then let it wash away can really help you deal constructively with the other person. [3]

Similarly, maintaining this awareness can help you see more clearly the areas of yourself that you hide from. I often see (in others and myself!) people who get frustrated with other leaders that they are not leading in a particular way or tackling certain issues. Sometimes this can be an honest assessment of the situation, but it can also point to aspects of yourself that you are not giving voice to or are hiding from. Psychologists calls this projection [4]. This refers to the way we project parts of ourselves that we are not happy facing up to (both good and bad) and instead over-focus on these characteristics in others.

For example, if you are frustrated that your boss is not providing the support that is needed to someone on you team, then this may be true, but it also points to the fact that this is something that matters to you. You could probably be a part of the solution and maybe you should be volunteering to help. You may also be underplaying the contribution you could make and so are hoping your boss will do it for you.

Developing a greater awareness of this can remove some of the frustration you may feel towards your boss and can also shine a light on what you should be developing in yourself and ultimately what perhaps you should be focussing your work on.

#2 Listen…

…to your leaders.

Most of us work in organisations that have leadership hierarchies of some sort or the other and so inevitably we ‘report’ to someone. We can grow as leaders by taking time to listen to and understand what is going on in their world. What is important to them? What does success look like for them? What are the challenges / concerns / fears they are facing?

It’s very easy to focus on what our superiors are doing wrong. If we take this stance then we miss out on a huge opportunity to learn and grow. Instead we need to maintain an open and curious posture where we accept them as they are and try and understand what is going on for them in a non-judgemental way. This can help us grow in our own leadership in so many ways:

a) we’re likely to build a much better relationship with them as we engage with them as humans

b) our understanding of the dynamics within the organisaiton will grow as we become more aware of what is important to others in different functions and/or seniority of role

c) our influence will invariably grow. Taking an open, curious position in confidence means people will trust you more and open up to you more and be more receptive to your input. This isn’t about manipulation — this is about connecting with compassion and empathy and wanting to help everyone in their role, even if they are ‘above’ you in the organisation.

d) they will be more open to your suggestions. When the time does come for you to initiate something yourself, strong relationships with other leaders will be essential to help galvanise action and get the support and resources you need.

#3 Listen…

…to your peers.

“If you want to know if you’re a leader, look behind you and see who’s following.” [5]. Leadership invariably involves helping others get on board your journey to making something better. People follow people much more than they do ideas. So whilst the thing you want to achieve must be important and significant to the people you want to work with, if they don’t connect with you, the enterprise will die.

The best way to connect with people is to do exactly that — connect with them. Treat them as people, your equals, not resources to get a job done. This connection can and should happen before the particular idea you have is started. Are you a good listener? Do you take an active interest in others? Do you approach conversations believing that you can learn something from everyone you meet? This stance is a choice you make — forget the idea that some people are good with people and others are not. All you need to do is chose to adopt a stance of curiosity with everyone you meet. If you treat everyone as an equal, who has some valuable insight to share with you, then you will start connecting with people all over the place.

#4 Start. Now.

You don’t need permission to lead. You don’t need a title or role in an organisation. You don’t need to reach some arbitary level of experience or qualification. It is something you chose to do. And you can chose to do that now.

What is the next step for you? Do you need to give yourself some time to reflect on what is really important to you and allow that to crystalise into something you should be putting your effort into?

Do you need to start treating your leaders as unique individuals and take time to be curiorus about their world?

What are your relationships like with your peers? How can you connect more storngly with them?

It can be helpful to think about “What needs doing around here that if I don’t do it, it probably won’t get done?” This can be a great place to start as no doubt you’ll end up tackling something that is important to others that isn’t getting done for whatever reason. Start small and let it grow from there.

Look around you for something small, that if changed, would really benefit your team or organisation. Maybe you would normally just tackle this yourself, instead, flex your leadership muscles and tackle it with one or two others. Arrange a lunch to share your idea with them. Ask them if they’d be willing to help you. Tell them you’ll come to a better solution if you tackle it together. Decide what the next steps are and make sure everyone is clear on what they’re doing. Arrange a time to check up on progress and to encourage each other. Rinse and repeat…

#5 Leadership is a skill so go and learn it

Much has been written about the power of particularly charismatic leaders and that this is something you’re either born with or you’re not. Think Steve Jobs. Whether this is true or not, and whether or not these kinds of leaders are more effective than their ‘mere mortal’ counterparts is a moot point.

Regardless of where you start on the ladder, the essential characteristics of leadership are skills that can be learnt and you can get better at.

Can you learn to develop and articulate a clear vision for an idea that if implemented would improve things? Yes

Can you learn you to connect more deeply with people? Yes

Can you learn break a task down and focus on the smaller parts that need to be achieved? Yes

Leadership is not a mysterious quality that some have and others don’t. It can be broken down to a set of essential skills and outlooks on the world, each of which can be developed and learned.

So go and learn them.

#6 Get a hobby

One of the things leaders must be able to do is to chart a route to achieve your vision. This vision might be curing cancer or it might be something smaller like improving the way we release code to production, but ultimately you need to figure out how you’re going to achieve this. This involves being able to chart a course — understanding what needs to be achieved along the way and how this can be done. Evaluating progress and course correcting as necessary.

This can be challenging to do when you need to do this with others, so it can be best to learn to do it with just yourself. A great way to build the habit of setting goals and achieving them is to set yourself personal objectives. This could be running your first marathon, knitting a jumper, learning a musical instrument or going to a new country. The key thing is that you have a specific goal and you focus on achieving it. No doubt things will go awry along the way and you’ll have to adjust to this. The disciplines you learn in doing this will be invaluable for when you go through the same process with others.

References

[1] Check out http://www.reinventingorganizations.com/ and the accompanying book for a comprehensive overview of the current state of evolutionary organisational theory.

[2] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wherever-You-There-Are-Mindfulness-ebook/dp/B01DT5WL0O

[3] For a great discussion on this, checkout both ‘Non Violent Communication’ and ‘Wherever you go, there you are’

[4] Projection is discussed pretty extensively in various psychological writings. For an interesting Jungian take on it, checkout what Robert A Johnson has written in Inner Gold.

[5] A quote from John Maxwell. Probably from this book.