Leadership CHI
What makes an effective leader? If this were a simple question with an easy answer, I wouldn’t be writing this blog and you wouldn’t be reading it. Like many of you, I have read numerous books, articles and theories on leadership. I have attended courses, workshops and webinars. I would say that all of them have had something to offer and certain tips or theories from each of them have resonated with me and I have tried to incorporate them into my own leadership style.
Most of the approaches to leadership that I have encountered, discuss the topic of leadership from the perspective of what makes a good leader – focusing on the “positives”, which obviously makes sense. Fewer discuss leadership in terms of what doesn’t make a good leader, or the “negatives” which can prove just as useful in helping to identify less constructive and ineffective leadership styles and behaviours to avoid, or change. In balancing this equation, I have found that reflecting on the leaders I have worked with and for, and specifically those that did not inspire me, has been very useful. Identifying the styles and behaviours that I found concerning, or that did not foster trust, confidence and respect with me, has helped me formulate my own views on what does and doesn’t make an effective leader.
For me, effective leadership and being my best is a journey, not a destination. I have my leadership strengths and weaknesses just like everyone, but I have always aspired to develop and grow and become the best leader I can be. I can think of a long list of principles and attributes that I believe contribute to successful leadership, but in trying to arrive at an effective and practical blueprint for my own leadership journey, I realised that as with most things, keeping it simple is often the best, and the hardest, principle to follow.
The power of 3
How many principles should a leadership blueprint have? If the list is long and complicated, it starts to become impractical and hard to recall. I believe the principles you want to focus on should be easy to remember, thereby improving the likelihood that they will remain top of mind and you will try to incorporate them into daily practice.
I don’t know about you, but I would really struggle to remember 10 leadership principles to apply to my daily life. If I struggle to recall them, there is no way I am going to be successful in applying them with any degree of consistency. I think any more than 5 would start to become tricky for me. You may be familiar with The Magical Number 7, Plus or Minus 2, a paper written by psychologist George A. Miller. Miller suggests that a person’s short-term memory can only hold around 7 items, plus or minus 2 – somewhere between 5 and 9.
Mikhail Rabinovich and Christian Bick have conducted extensive research into how the neurons in the brain fire when we recall sequences of data or information. As the brain receives information such as hearing the phrase “the power of 3” neurons fire for each word independently, so that each word has its own place. The brain then creates pathways between these clusters of neurons to link them together and establish the sequence so that the sentence is formed and makes sense. When we recall the phrase, the brain retraces the pathways, reproduces the sequence and recalls the sentence. As data or information becomes larger (or a sentence gets longer) it becomes harder for the brain to establish these pathways and as a result some pieces of the data become lost or disconnected from each other, reducing our ability to recall it all. According to Rabinovich and Bick, the brain has to work 15 times harder to recall 7 items than it does to recall 3; and when trying to recall 10 items, the brain has to work as much as 50 times harder.
3 works well for me. I can easily recall 3 things day-to-day, every day and I have found that even if those 3 things then contain a further subset of things, it’s easier to remember those too. I guess it helps keep the separation and sequencing of this data stronger and therefore clearer in my brain? According to Jim Collins, best-selling author of Good to Great, “If you have any more than 3 priorities, you don’t have any.”
I’ve noticed that politicians (or perhaps more accurately, their speech writers) regularly use the power of 3. Next time you listen to a politician speaking on the news or delivering a speech, keep an eye out for how they use it to highlight the benefits of something they are announcing. “We are facing uncertain times. The package we are putting into action from today will create confidence among consumers, stability for our economy and a future for our nation.”
Sports commentators love the power 3. Listen to the pre-game pieces before the start of a rugby league State of Origin match and you’ll hear statements like, “Tonight, two teams go to war. Tonight, we will witness state versus state, mate versus mate, warrior versus warrior. I can’t tell you who will win, I can’t tell you who will lose, but I can guarantee it will be fiercely contested.”
I like 3, it works for me.
Acronyms Help Too
Models, systems, products and even many organisations are easier to remember by their acronyms. L&D, CRM, NASA, M&M’s, SCUBA, MYOB – you get the idea.
Leadership CHI is an acronym, which also happens to have a definition of its own - so let’s get to it.
CHI
So, what is CHI?
Chi is the central energy of all living things and in Chinese medicine it is the balance of positive and negative energy that is considered essential for good health and well-being. I think this aligns well with balancing the positive and negative aspects of effective leadership.
In Leadership CHI, this acronym represents… cue neuron clusters firing…
Courage
Humility
Integrity
Courage
The most effective and inspiring leaders have courage. Courage can take many forms, but this is what courageous leadership looks like to me.
Dare to fail
Inspiring leaders have the courage to fail and to allow others to fail. If you never fail, you are probably coasting. Courageous leaders embrace change, encourage entrepreneurial thinking and accept failures as part of the journey towards achieving success. They try new things, take new approaches and if they don’t work out, they acknowledge it, identify what went wrong, make the necessary adjustments, and then they try again.
Leaders accept that making and acknowledging their mistakes is an important part of their growth and development and they instill this in their teams. This has the added benefit of building trust and transparency, which in-turn reduces the likelihood that they will be blind-sided by things that have gone wrong in their area of responsibility.
Good leaders want their managers to make decisions and do their jobs, rather than second-guess everything and achieve nothing.
Close your gaps
Courageous leaders identify and accept their weaknesses and surround themselves with people who possess strengths where they don’t. These leaders realise that the power of the collective is much stronger than the sum of its parts. Any weak link will jeopardise success and they happily employ and empower others who possess strengths and expertise that they don’t, in order to produce the best possible outcomes.
Stay the course, even when it’s unpopular
Leadership is not a popularity contest. It takes real strength and courage to stay the course in the pursuit of the longer-term goal when the short-term consequences of your decisions may not be popular. A leader’s role is to lead, make the tough decisions for good of the business and leave a legacy that lasts longer than any 15 minutes of fame.
We are social animals – it’s in our DNA. Whether we realise it or care to admit it, we are constantly assessing our role or position in the pack and looking for someone to lead. I believe people want to be led and in the absence of strong leadership, they will follow the loudest voice. People want to know that their future and the future of the organisation are in strong, capable hands. If they are not getting this from their leader, they will look for it in someone or someplace else.
Make your position redundant
This one often sparks a reaction because it would appear to immediately challenge our natural sense of security - but bear with me, it’s not entirely as it sounds.
I have seen so many senior managers and executives micro-manage their staff, hold talented individuals back and even find ways to remove them - all to protect themselves and keep their job.
The most inspiring leader I ever had pushed me forward and stepped back. I was too young to really see it and appreciate it at the time, but I can see now that their entire purpose was to facilitate the development and growth of me and others in our team. And it worked. The team became so strong and effective that it could operate even if our manager wasn’t there. My career advanced and so did the careers of my colleagues and our leader eventually moved on to their next challenge – their job was done. They didn’t put themselves out of a job – for them, their real job was guiding and developing their employees to help them advance and then moving on to the next opportunity. A truly courageous and inspirational leader.
Humility
Great leaders are modest and earn more respect and admiration for it.
Give the credit to your team
Even if the genesis of the idea or the initiative is theirs, humble leaders resist the temptation to take all the credit and share it with those that helped make it happen.
Nothing kills commitment, engagement and team spirit more than a leader who basks solely in the glory that has been created by the many. I am sure you have seen this one yourself. You and your colleagues have busted your butt and delivered a fantastic outcome. It was your manager’s idea and you expect them to be recognised for it, but all you want is some acknowledgement and recognition for the role you and your colleagues played in making it real and an opportunity to share in the success. Your boss takes all the glory and your level of commitment and engagement is significantly damaged, perhaps irretrievably.
Check your ego
Leaders that truly promote empowerment and ownership check their ego at the door.
Before any leader offers feedback or makes amendments to the work their people have done – perhaps they should ask themselves this question. “Will my suggestion help this person/team achieve a better outcome, or avoid a potential pitfall?” If the answer to the question is yes, then offer it in a way that builds upon what they have done and aligns to the achievement of the outcome they are looking for – they will appreciate it, and thank you for it. If the answer to the question is no, then just say “well done”. Nothing is more deflating and dis-empowering than the manager who has to put their stamp on everything that their employees submit and do. I have seen this get so bad, that people intentionally put forward ideas with elements that they know their boss will want to change, in the hope that they won’t change the elements that they passionately believe in. When this happens, you can say goodbye to productivity, innovation and creativity – people will eventually only put forward what they think their manager wants to hear.
Say “Thank You”
The simplest and often one of the most powerful attributes of an effective leader. Great leaders take the time to ensure that everyone sees and understands the value of what they do every day, and that it is appreciated. People can be motivated by different rewards and incentives – some respond to bonuses, some to benefits and perks and others to professional development opportunities, or attending conferences. Everyone responds to “thank you” - and it doesn’t cost a cent.
I was coaching a senior executive who like most, was very driven and extremely time-poor. He was a naturally empathetic and caring person, but he struggled to find the time and capitalise on opportunities to acknowledge and thank his employees. We agreed that he would put three 10 cent coins in his right pocket at the start of each day. His goal was to make the most of the opportunities he already had (in one-on-one meetings with his direct reports; or walking across the office to get a cup of coffee) to acknowledge something that someone had recently done and say thank you or well done. Every time he did this, he would move a coin to his left pocket. It wasn’t long before he didn’t need the coins and the positive shifts in the 360° feedback he received as part of his development were fantastic.
Integrity
Stay true to yourself and you will be healthier and happier for it.
Honour Your Commitments
Successful leaders under-promise and over-deliver. They are seen as honest and trustworthy. They keep their promises and if they believe that they cannot honour a commitment or a deadline, they say so and re-negotiate.
If they don’t know the answer to a question, or are not confident that they have all the information they need to make a commitment, they don’t. Instead, they commit to finding the answer or gathering the additional information they need, and then they make the promise that they can keep.
Successful leaders understand that as tempting and as it may sometimes be, they cannot give guarantees or assurances for outcomes that they cannot control. Statements such as “no one will lose their job” when employees are facing an organisational structure and you do not have complete control over all such decisions, can be disastrous. Such assurances might be offered with the intention of alleviating the fear of your concerned employees, but if you can’t honour it, it can destroy trust and employee perceptions of your credibility, honesty and integrity.
Speak Up
Effective leaders have skin in the game and don’t try to fly under the radar. If they have issues or concerns with a proposal or an objective, they accept responsibility for raising it and putting their concerns on the table for consideration – clearly and constructively. Constructive debate and disagreement are crucial for effective organisational leadership. Each leader needs to feel free to put their issues on the table and trust that others will do the same, so that all potential risks and disagreements are aired and considered – by the team, as a team. The team, fully informed, can then arrive at a decision that is in the best interests of the organisation and move on, together.
Those that have concerns and don’t speak up are often the ones that do so after the meeting has ended. Perhaps nothing highlights a lack of integrity more than the person who suddenly decides to be brave when the meeting is over and the rest of the team is not around. This person often shares their disapproval covertly and cultivates fear and doubt in others. Such “white-anting” is like a cancer and eats away at the success of the team and the organisation.
Tell it like it is
A Leader with integrity tells it like it is, even when they suspect that it may not be what people want to hear. A good leader takes the time to explain the “why” and help people understand the reasons behind the decision, so that they can understand why the decision was made and the outcomes or benefits that it is expected to produce. Even if people don’t like or agree with the decision, most will respect their leader for their honesty and transparency.
Employees are not stupid. They watch, they listen, and they talk. They know when something is not right, or if a situation has taken a serious turn for the worse. If they know that you will be honest with them and keep them informed when you are able to do so, they will trust you and respect you.
Stay true to yourself
This one can be as a difficult as is important. The definition of integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. In simple terms, it’s about being authentic, doing the right thing – even when nobody is looking and staying true to your moral and ethical standards. When this is challenged by a decision being made that you believe is unethical, dishonest or immoral, it can impact much more than your ability to perform your role – it can negatively impact your health, well-being and your sense of self.
Our values, morals and ethics define who we are. We can’t change them like we change an opinion or a job, and in some cases, that’s exactly what this can lead to.
When an individual is facing this dilemma, they are the only one who can decide what’s best for them. This can be a very personal and difficult decision to make, but perhaps this thought might help.
Would it be better to lose some sleep over leaving the security of a job and an organisation with values that are in clear conflict with your own; or lay awake at night trying to reconcile the fact that you have compromised what you believe in so that you can continue to work for an organisation that you have lost all respect for?