Stop trying to be the perfect leader and instead leverage the perfect team
By Katherine Lewis
Business leaders are under more pressure than ever to satisfy all of their employees, stakeholders and clientele, at a time when many are still grappling with pandemic disruptions and changes. When it comes to solving a business challenge, leaders can often feel that the entire solution rests on their own ability to figure it out.
But in reality, that is never the case. There will always be limits to how much you can flex your own leadership style and leverage your own strengths. You have to lean on your team to fill in the gaps. Most corporate leaders have invested a good deal of time getting to know their direct reports, both through close observation or by using time-tested psychometric assessments like Birkman, Hogan, DiSC® and other similar tools.
Armed with this knowledge of perspectives and personality profiles, what do you do next?
Be intentional and consistently monitor for the strengths you need in the moment. What is it that you really need? Is it influence or deep thought? A facility with process and organization? Speed of execution? You have to cultivate self-awareness to know whether your own bias is really the one you want in each case. Ask yourself “What perspective do I need to best inform this decision or process?”
A recent client comes to mind. She is action oriented, motivated by getting things done, a classic task-oriented “red.” She had been wrestling with organizing a holiday party for her department and deciding how to satisfy both those who wanted an in-person gathering and those who preferred a virtual event. She knew that her own inclination might be to center her decision on the in-person participants and be more dismissive of how those participating virtually might feel. So, she delegated the job to a more thoughtful and sensitive member of her team, someone assessed as being more people-oriented and less task-oriented (Birkman Blue or Green). My executive client knew that this other team member would have more patience with this decision and be better at determining a structure that would allow everyone to feel comfortable and celebrated during a festive time of year, which is the whole point.
This example illustrates that leaders need to recognize they can’t be all things to all people. Teams need to recognize when they don’t have certain strengths and then hire for them, engage a consultant, or leverage others throughout the company who do have them.
That’s why I tell my clients it is important to use the Birkman method or other assessment tools during the hiring process, not after. This helps ensure that your confirmation biases don’t lead you to just hire more of what you already have. I recently spoke with a team that was trying to diversify its perspectives, because it was mostly made up of “doers” and “analyzers” (who are task-oriented and process-driven). Team members told me they “really hoped” a new hire was going to turn out to be an influencer type, meaning more attuned to people and their motivations. Well, I told them, if you haven’t had that person do an assessment, your own confirmation biases would suggest that the new hire would be a “doer’ or an “analyzer,” since everyone really liked her.
Even though this advice may sound obvious, it can be really hard for leaders to recognize when they need to reach out in the moment for a different perspective and let that one be dominant. A good thing to keep in mind is that any time there is going to be a big transformation or initiative, leaders need to reach out to the thinkers, the innovators and those who are more oriented to people rather than tasks, to make sure that perspective is included.
In fact, any time a team has a lone person or a few people sitting in a different quadrant than the rest of the team, be sure to ask them what they think.
Like what you’ve heard? For more insights tailored to your specific team or business, contact me at katherine@lewisrushassociates.com. I would love to help you develop the most cohesive team you’ve ever led.