Just spoke to an old friend on the phone which compelled me to take a moment and share my philosophical points of view on leadership and teamwork. First, never let the quote, Youre only as good as your team leave the forefront of your consciousness. In my humble opinion the largest trapping associated with leadership is the fear of loss of control. Some leaders choose their team and develop them solely with a vertical team approach. Often the question is asked; what is your leadership style; looking for the characteristic autocratic, democratic or laissez-faire style. My answer has always been, it depends on the needs of the specific person, circumstance and objective. Often leaders are threatened by these non-specific answer as it leave much to interpretation, thus creating an illusion of a loss in control. Going with the concept, Youre only as good as your team, if an executive chooses his leadership team based on only one or two of those self limiting characteristics it closes the gap on groupthink and the benefits they provide. I once had a casual conversation with a management peer regarding an interview for a staff nursing position I had just completed. The candidate was very over qualified for the staff nursing position they were applying for. In all honesty, the individual was more qualified for my job than I was at that time. The peer manager asked why I would consider such a Risky endeavor. I was taken back by the question. Their position was by hiring such a overly qualified person for this position I was potentially placing myself as a leader in a position to be made to look either bad, or inferior. My position was and remains to this day, that a strong leader surrounds himself with greatness. Remember, Youre only as good as your team If you surround yourself with a team that only knows the mantra, You lead, I follow, or With a bit of sarcasm, If I want your opinion, Ill give it to you your team then consists of a team that is designed by its very nature to fail, and an organization that limits its potential on the shoulders of one individual. Another anecdote, Together we stand, divided we fall. These not only serve as motivational words on posters hanging in offices, but also as words assembled to create an environment for organizational success. I challenge you to look at successful organizations and to look at their organizational structure. In college they teach you about vertical and horizontal leadership. To offer one last observation laced with only a trace of metaphorical humor. If your team spends all their time looking up, are they not more likely to miss the boat? Sorry for the long post......
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 16:25:06 +0000
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