Who’s serving whom?
In a modern business, traditional command-and-control leadership will no longer produce the best results.
As part of my coaching, I encourage leaders to assume a more creative, visionary role. This occurs when they have cultivated the right people and processes, so they feel confident to step back and spend their time doing the tasks they enjoy the most, or that extract the most from their unique skillset. Establishing this situation takes an investment of effort, but with the framework I provide and their ambitious ideas, my clients have found that this optimal scenario is within reach.
A limiting mindset – A hierarchical structure
Having a hierarchical structure, with one ultimate overseer, has a number of detractors that will affect overall productivity, employees and even the leader themself. This structure may have evolved organically during the company’s growth from infancy and does not require a particularly controlling personality to create it. In the early stages, a more hands on approach to leadership is required to navigate the twists and turns of establishment.
If you think that your company might function in this way, don’t feel guilty about it. You will have been integral in getting your organisation to its current position, so adapting your relationship to it may feel alien. You might think it a risk to relinquish too much responsibility. However, it is important that leadership evolves alongside the business itself, so that they are aligned, complimentary and future fit.
A missing element – Servant leadership
I advocate servant leadership, where the leader serves the company and its people, rather than the more outdated belief where the processes must be subservient and controlled from the top. From an outside perspective, this may sound like diminishing the leadership role, but in fact opens up a new avenue of opportunities to assume a more forward-thinking and fulfilling position. The benefits of this are:
1. Increased autonomy – Adopting servant leadership will make your colleagues and employees more accountable, so activities can run without your direct input, giving you the chance to switch to a more strategic focus.
2. Stimulated engagement – Empowering your colleagues and employees will boost their confidence. You will need to support them at first, but soon they will be more capable that before and engaged to meet and exceed their targets.
3. Greater scope for growth – One of the most attractive benefits of servant leadership is that your can company can grow holistically. By this I mean, employees will see that they can expand their skillsets, buying into this progressive culture, which will result in a thriving business.
A different perspective – Role revision
In a world where people can network more easily and are more prepared to change jobs, it is vital that leaders demonstrate that each and every person has a role to play and that they are willing to give them that opportunity. As an increased amount of people are working from home, it makes sense that everyone should be more independent and confident to carry out a variety of tasks.
MIT lecturer Kate Isaacs outlines the features and positives of servant leadership:
‘Their [the leader’s] job isn't to be the smartest people in the room who have all the answers, but rather to architect the gameboard where as many people as possible have permission to contribute the best of their expertise, their knowledge, their skills, and their ideas.’ (1)
I agree entirely with Ms Isaacs point, that choosing where best to contribute ‘expertise, knowledge’ and ‘skills’ are key features of a mature, successful company. Alongside this, I would suggest that dividing these assets effectively, so the available skillsets are utilised is also integral.
The diagram above shows how adolescent and inefficient organisations arrange their available skillsets. Each group is trapped within the logical and operational mode, so busy handling the day-to-day challenges, that they neglect the more creative and strategic aspects. As I said before, this is nothing to be ashamed and can sometimes feel like the best solution when things are particularly hectic.
This second diagram shows a more ideal situation, where the creative, strategic, logical and operational modes are assigned to best effect. Notice the MD/CEO in the top right quadrant, whose task it is to consider the future targets and direction of the company. Mature businesses that are most likely to achieve sustainable success exhibit this structure, with each managing group fulfilling a different role.
Let’s rethink – consider how you can best serve your business.
(1) Kate Isaacs quote from Meredith Somer’s article – Why distributed leadership is the future of management - https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/why-distributed-leadership-future-management