Category: Leadership

A Ship in Stormy Seas

Sometimes a common thread emerges during my coaching work with different clients. The following illustrates one such recurring theme.

My client gave me a very real sense of a ship in stormy waters. I sensed the vessel had been at sea far too long and desperately needed to find harbour, to re-provision, to refit. But this ship was mid-ocean, its captain a man on a mission with no time to stop. There was still direction, the sea anchor was out, but the rigging was worn and the crew tired from continual activity, facing yet more adrenalin-sapping storms.

Why do I use this image? Because no matter how long the conversation went on it seemed impossible to get to movement on the real issues. The pace, the stretch going on for the leader – both in the business and his life in general – seemed to force his whole approach into a racing maelstrom. I desperately wanted to steer him into the shelter of a safe harbour, so he could rest and draw back – mentally and physically – but I could not get him there. In coaching, it often seems that the boat has to either be in harbour, or at least sailing slowly, so that new perspectives and possibilities can first be seen, then considered, then actioned.

The link to leadership is very evident. Someone who is continually under stress can get used to that approach, accepting it as the norm, and then judging all their thinking and activity by this calibration. Sometimes it is successful, particularly if close to the leader’s natural style. But options are missed, the rocks ahead not spotted and there is no provision for long term thinking. All this is understandable, except that as leaders we are paid for our ability to see both the immediate and the longer term course – for our business, and for ourselves as well. We are also role models: our style and approach influences others, either as an example to be followed ‘it gets results for him so I’ll try it too’ or in reaction ‘he’s lost the plot, his usual judgement is way off course, no way am I doing that’.

The work of leadership is about producing results regularly, consistently, but just as importantly, it is about building organisations capable of continuing to meet challenges, ready for the future, a place where people want to work. This may seem obvious but it is a tall order. Results win out and, in the case of my sea captain above, there is no space or capacity to look at the often nebulous ‘cultural’ issues. It is hard enough to stay on top of current performance and the dichotomy of the short term versus the long term often seems too wide to bridge.

So how do we find a way through this? Well certainly, look after yourself. Beware heroics: we all love those saviour leaders, but they do not build sustainability and continuity. They risk the ‘burn out’ option – a bright firework in the dark. So look after yourself holistically and attend to your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs. If in doubt, listen to your body; it will guide you to the right starting place.

Beyond that, create a strong team: a team that can share leadership and allow you to rest; that can take control of the boat, using their technical skill and natural talent wisely. If you’ve recruited well, they will step up – will want to step up – and indeed will be affronted if you keep control and power close to you. I like the analogy of ‘first amongst equals’. Have you seen the goose video? It offers another analogy, this time from nature. When geese fly they share the lead role, they ‘honk’ their support, and they always look after the tired and injured.

But enough of the metaphors and analogies. Take action to look after your self. Step back regularly – including taking your holidays. Your best work may be done as you reflect and think away from the office. Get a good team around you, get them working well, and let them take the wheel and help steer the boat on the journey to success.

When the Dials go back to Zero

In two recent team meetings I have had a sharp reminder of what a good leader does.

In one, a planning meeting, the leader, exasperated by the conversation, suddenly interrupted the dialogue with the outburst “this is all too pedestrian!” A stunned silence descended on the room, followed by some enquiries and much defensiveness: natural reactions to a sudden, critical intervention. The leader’s intention was to elevate the discussion, to set a clear benchmark, a more distant horizon to head toward. He did not have the answer but he had a sense of the parameters of the solution. He just knew there was another game to be played, a bigger field on which the company should be competing. He wanted his experts in the room to define the new detail. The reaction of the team was confused. The team leader was unable to articulate the totality of his instinct and the team felt affronted that the work so far wasn’t good enough. Their previous hard work now seemed devalued. Credit to them though, they asked questions and looked to understand.

In the other, a new leader was meeting the team for a ‘getting to know you’ session. An established team with a reasonable track record, the team members were very comfortable with each other, very experienced in their fields. After lunch, without warning, the team leader said “I have to give you some feedback”. Well we all welcome feedback don’t we! This team did. She then proceeded to give the team some very straight, less than favorable feedback about how they were viewed by other teams in the business, by senior managers and by suppliers. Again there was defensiveness, disbelief, a stumbling into questions, a desire to make sense. Whose truth was right? Yet sitting watching this I sensed something had changed, something would never be quite the same again for this team and their business world.

Why do I pick these two examples? Because they reminded me of a video I used to show to managers in the 1980’s called ‘The Paradigm Shift’ by Joel Baker. Probably way out of production now, its essential message was that when something changes the dials go back to zero – meaning that what was once a sure dependable fact, a way of working, an attitude or mindset, an opinion, is no longer valid. All the dials you’d so clearly relied on before to guide you, no longer calibrate. That is what I think happened in both of these teams.

So why are these events so important? I think because a paradigm shift appeared to have happened, or at least started, in both of those meetings. Though each incident was confusing, painful and potentially damaging for the teams, clearly each held a kernel of truth. You could see, feel and almost touch the change happening. These two examples were key moments, obviously, for those particular teams, but perhaps more importantly for their organisations. Both businesses need to change, to raise performance, to be different in their market places. Yet for all the dedication and commitment – and there are bucket loads in both organisations – both are in danger of mediocrity.

Is part of the work of the leader to push on the edge of paradigms, where the boundary lines are often thin, blurred or sometimes absent? It is certainly key work for senior leaders to be willing to address: to surface the underlying issues, to raise the unspoken – even when there are no answers; to do this and to anticipate and expect confusion, yet to continue. Are we willing to do this more? We need to be, because this is the core of leadership: not the softness of a comfortable team, but the toughness and rigour of real questions and truths. Our people deserve this and our organisations need the result in performance change.