Anyone who tells you leadership is easy is either a liar or a fool. Each day leadership is tested by interpersonal disputes, market demands, and gaps in knowledge. People count on leaders to have emotional balance when everything is going wrong. It is facing difficult questions when you do not know the answers. You must be firm one moment and understanding the next. When things go well, you give credit to others, and during failure, you take responsibility. Leadership is one of the most challenging skills to cultivate. It is a duty and calling rather than a heroic struggle. I want to discuss it.
We often train a leader at an early age. Young people become captains of sports teams or members of the student government. Junior ROTC programs do an excellent job of teaching the skills of leadership and followership. The early training in leadership is beneficial, but over the last thirty years, I have discovered that it is incomplete. For the last two hundred years, we have expected leaders to have answers to every challenge and be able to motivate others. A leader formulated a plan, and the followers executed the project. Today, in a global and creative economy, this is no longer true.
A contemporary leader must depend on others with specialized knowledge. A deep understanding of the law, finance, computer software, logistics, and marketing is impossible for one person to gather in a lifetime. Today, a plan requires multiple people to formulate and execute. The contemporary world is too complicated and chaotic to come up with natural solutions.
It is why I discovered a TED talk from South African food executive Lorna Davis. She talked about how she bought into the myth of heroic leadership. She also found heroic leadership did not effect change within her organization. People applauded her works and went about doing the same things they did before she joined the organization. Heroic leadership failed. She goes on to mention that a new model of leadership needs to develop, and she called it “radical interdependence.” A leader should have a goal, and it is up to the team on how to achieve that goal. It requires listening, empathy, and giving others a chance to excel. It is anything but heroic.
I did not realize I was using this approach when I confessed during a meeting I was stumped. I did not know how to address a quality problem, and I asked, “Anyone have any idea how we are going to fix this?” Within a day, I had answers, and the leaders at the off-shore office were implementing them without checking for permission. The off-shore team knew if I disapproved, I would let them know, so they decided to take the initiative. I am confident our quality issues will clear up.
Radical interdependence requires trust and allowing others to come up with solutions. It involves a surrender of control, which many successful people find uncomfortable. It relies on asking questions instead of giving orders. It is physically and mentally exhausting because you are stretching your emotional intelligence and practical knowledge. You are learning and growing with the people you are leading.
Leadership is the most challenging skill a person can acquire, and it is impossible to master. It is clear why the military calls command a burden. Each day you are tested, and failure can mean the loss of millions of dollars or even lives. I think Lorna Davis has some useful guidance about leadership. I am going to ignore the liars and fools.
Until next time.
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