Engagement
Leadership is Engagement
I was speaking with my son about leadership the other day, and he mentioned that he wasn’t really leading in his context because it was the team of people that were doing most of the work and without them, they wouldn’t have had half the good ideas that they had.
“Precisely,” was my response. “True leadership doesn’t crave the spotlight, it enables the team to accomplish the mission.”
Leadership is hard.
I understand why leaders keep the circle very close and don’t engage others in their decision-making–the challenges of opening up decision-making are myriad!
Picture yourself deciding by committee what to eat for breakfast.
Leader: (yawn) I’m going to make some eggs for breakfast.
Person #1: Your cholesterol is a little high. You can have eggs, but throw away the yolk.
Leader: But, I like the yolk, and I haven’t had eggs for a week. I think it’ll be fine.
Person #2: My grandmother ate eggs every day of her life and was fine. Go ahead and make the eggs.
Person #3: Eggs cost so much now, we really need to tighten the belt! Just have some toast, with some butter…but not too much, butter is expensive too!
Leader: But…
Person #4: Eggs? Eggs!?! Do you even know how they treat the chickens? The eggs you got from the grocery story probably came from caged birds with no freedom of movement! How…dare…you!
Leader: Well (shrugging), it says, “cage-free” on the package.
Person #4: We all know it’s just a corporate ploy! Unless you buy them from a local farmer, you are eating slave eggs.
Leader: Never mind. I’ll just get some coffee, I’m going to be late now.
Person #1: You need to eat something! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!
Person #2: (shaking head) You caved. My grandmother always said that you need to have a stiff spine to be a leader.
Person #3: Ignore him. You’re right, that’s probably best, but those pods are expensive. You really should get a drip coffee machine…
Person #4: Yes! Not only are they expensive, they’re bad for the environment! Just drink water!
Person #2: My grandmother would drink a big glass of water every morning…
Person #5: Sorry, I’m late. I had a thing. What’d I miss?
Leader: Meeting dismissed. I’m so glad we have these standing meetings to discuss these important topics!
Leaders can get worn down by “death by a thousand cuts” when they open up decision-making to groups of people and end up with the least common denominator decision, trying to please everyone.
But, leaders must be careful not to become solitary.
Solitary leaders that make decisions without input risk missed opportunities, decreased morale and lack of trust.
Missed Opportunities. Oftentimes, no, most times, my opinion wasn’t the best in the room. If I had moved forward without team collaboration and ignored the importance of diverse perspectives, we would have had a fine decision, just not the best possible one.
Decreased Morale. When decisions are made that increase people’s workload without their input, team members instantly feel devalued, as if their work is expected, but their opinion not valued. This lack of employee engagement and morale lends itself to quiet quitting.
Decreased Trust. If a decision is made that seemingly contradicts principles held by employees, trust in leadership declines. Oftentimes, this is due to a gap in information. When NIMSU (No Information Make Stuff Up) happens, the stories that people tell themselves are often not kind to leadership. Building trust in leadership requires appropriate levels of effective collaboration.
Leaders must recognize that true leadership is not about being the sole decision-maker, but that maximizing team potential requires engagement. While opening up decision-making processes will involve challenges and frustrations, the benefits of involving others in decision-making outweigh the negatives. By embracing collaboration, valuing diverse perspectives, and fostering a culture of trust and engagement, leaders can unleash the full potential of their teams and drive their organizations towards greater success.