Monthly Archives: May 2012

#126 – Overt vs. Covert Leadership

After a recent conversation with a client about the fine points of leadership, I received this very interesting follow-up message:

“I like the concept of covert and overt leadership. I must confess that in my prior positions, I relied heavily on covert leadership. I would define this as seeing direction I believe our organization should be heading or an improvement to a system we should make and finding a way to make it someone else’s idea and then validating this idea. I still practice this and people use these techniques with me as well. Essentially, it’s planting a seed and seeing if it will grow. In upper management positions, I think it is necessary to practice more overt leadership. I believe people in an organization like to know their management can lead. It’s not nearly as much fun as planting seeds and watching them grow, but it’s necessary.”

Food for Thought ~

I have always liked the metaphor that portrays leadership as planting seeds. It’s a classic method of leadership – spreading ideas around and either purposefully nurturing them along, or alternatively, “letting nature take its course” and seeing how the idea evolves… or doesn’t.

Question for the day ~

Do you practice this method of leadership? For those of you who are gardeners, what analogies would you draw between gardening and leadership?

Thanks to all who wrote and called about “reluctant leaders.” That subject seemed to spark significant interest, insight and action.

Mary

#125 – Reluctant Leaders Speak Out

Last week’s post on the “reluctant leader phenomenon” seemed to hit home with people who have mixed feelings about their leadership. Here are some of the thoughtful and discerning comments I received.

Food for Thought ~

“I am probably one of those reluctant leaders you talk about. Factors 1 & 2 apply to me. I will investigate further to uncover deeper aspects of these factors. Thanks for pointing them out.”

“I am aware of this pattern and it has followed me for a long time until I understood my role in it.”

“I’m painfully aware of my incapacities. However, that in itself isn’t the biggest problem, it’s the idea I have about it being “wrong” to possess limitations in the position of leadership, and that expresses itself as embarrassment. There are perceived incapacities and real ones. Neither may necessarily keep me from fulfilling a leadership role, but they each require a different sort of treatment to pass through to acceptance. One requires inner work to learn my real motives for creating false or irrelevant issues. The other requires learning self-acceptance for my limits, as well as a practice of honesty and self-acceptance, openly, without embarrassment. The latter is so much more difficult, but full of rich rewards.”

“I’m a reluctant delegator. I feel I’m not worthy to ask others to do things that I either don’t have time to do or don’t wish to do. And, I’m so busy, I don’t take the time to think of how I might be able to delegate…that takes considerable time and thought. Being too busy prevents me from being the strong leader that I am capable of being, and, more importantly, the process is exhausting and then I hide behind the negative result.”

“I would respectfully like to submit a 5th alternative: burnout (running on an empty gas tank from doing too much). It can happen to any and all of us if we don’t watch ourselves and try to do everything.”

Thank you, readers, for these insights. Self-awareness and self-acceptance are key to addressing this issue. If it applies to you, please do so, because effective leaders are needed everywhere I look – families, communities, organizations and beyond. Begin wherever you are.

Mary

#124 – Reluctant Leaders

I recently observed two different situations that illustrate what I call the “reluctant leader phenomenon.” Although the two individuals are clearly natural leaders, they seem ambivalent about being leaders. They definitely have a number of leadership qualities, and they have followers. Yet they seem reluctant to fully embrace their leadership roles.

Food for Thought ~

As a result, they are only partially effective as leaders, and this may be a Catch 22 situation. Their hesitance to fully commit results in less than optimal outcomes which may in turn reinforce their ambivalence about leadership. To be sure, being a leader can be a daunting prospect and does require a multi-faceted set of skills. Yet someone who has willing followers (people who look to him/her for leadership) clearly has some strong leadership qualities. Here’s my hypothesis, with the caveat that of course this doesn’t cover all the possible factors. These natural leaders may have: 1.) a limiting belief about themselves or about leadership, 2.) a fear of some aspect of leadership, 3.) an unresolved values conflict, or 4.) some combination of the above. These factors then inhibit them from fully accepting (and enjoying) their gifts as natural leaders.

Question for the day ~

Do you consider yourself a reluctant leader? If so, what thoughts and insights might you have on this subject?

I look forward to hearing from “reluctant leaders” and the people who work with them.

Mary

#123 – Leading and Teaching

Today is National Teacher Day, providing an excellent opportunity to reflect on how teaching is an integral part of leadership. The following definitions are all included in my Oxford Dictionary: A teacher is someone who “gives information, enables a person to do something, advocates a principle, communicates, instructs, and inspires by example.” Aren’t all of these essential skills of a good leader?

Food for Thought ~

Personally, I have found that having the mindset of a teacher has helped me cope with the demands of leadership and be more effective at the same time. When I hear requests, complaints, worries or questions, I try to identify the underlying issue that needs attention and consider how the situation might become a learning experience for all of us. Learning is a life-long process; and great teachers and leaders have an appreciation for their own continuous learning as well as others.

Question for the day ~

What situation are you currently involved in that could use your skill as a leader/teacher? Do you embrace your role as teacher as an important part of being a leader? Who have been the influential teachers in your life?

If possible, I highly recommend contacting and thanking the teachers in your life, no matter how recent or long ago. I am quite sure they will appreciate hearing from you.

Mary

#122 – Try this Experiment at Work

This date, May first, holds special meaning for me. On May Day when I was a little girl, my mother would help me gather flowers from her garden and make nosegays in paper cones to hang on neighbors’ front doors. I was thrilled by the idea of our neighbors being surprised by the mysterious little bouquets! You may be familiar with the saying “Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty.” Did you know the phrase was coined by Anne Herbert, who lives in Marin County, and first wrote those words on a placemat in a Sausalito restaurant thirty years ago?

Food for Thought ~

Although kindness and beauty are not new concepts, this well-turned phrase helps us capture the spirit of generous acts of thoughtfulness and the simple power of beauty. This applies in the workplace as well as in the rest of our lives. Busy leaders often get caught up in the drama, urgency and never-ending accumulation of demands on their time and energy. And for that very reason, leaders must make conscious efforts to stay in touch with the human aspect of work. Try this experiment: think of someone that you appreciate, or perhaps a co-worker who is having a hard time or someone who doesn’t often receive recognition. Then think of a simple act of kindness that you can extend. When we experience the positive two-way impact and the beauty of kindness, it’s likely to become a habit. It doesn’t take much time to be kind.

Question for the day ~

Who would appreciate an act of kindness? What simple things can you do today to practice thoughtfulness and create beauty?

I’d love to hear about your random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty!

Mary