The deception
that you ought to remain at the helm of an institution indefinitely breeds a
deep sense of insecurity. Leaders who fall into this deception fill their time
with activities geared toward preserving status quo at the expense of growing
the institutions they lead. Every effort and strategy is directed to destroying
any force that threatens their position.
We live in an
ever changing world. Emerging technology quickens the pace of this change,
turning state-of-the-art technology obsolete just when it is about to settle as
the winning trend. Our greatest challenge in passing on the leadership mantle
to the next generation is that we find it hard to embrace their thinking
patterns. They are different from us and we are stuck in the good ol' days.
What we need to appreciate is that our old methods were fit for the old environment.
Change is necessary for the institution’s sustenance.
Nurturing
Talent
Most
performance monitoring systems focus on looking at the "Areas for
Improvement". They articulately point out weaknesses of the individual and
strengths are mentioned in passing. The system advocates the idea that the
reviewee needs to get better at their weakness areas to go higher up the
ladder.
An interesting
analogy of the Animal School is told. The students in the school were the Hare,
the Duck and the Eagle. The main classes were Running class, Swimming class and
Flying class. The Hare was so good at running, but did quite poorly in the
Swimming and Flying classes. The Duck swam effortlessly, but made pathetic
grades in the Running and Flying classes. The Eagle, decided not to bother with
the running and swimming classes, choosing to focus on the Flying class. His
area of strength.
The Hare was
forced to take extra remedial classes in swimming and flying. The Duck had to
take longer hours on the race track trying to improve his running speed. The
result as you would imagine is that the Hare turned to be an average runner and
the Duck an average swimmer. They dropped the ball in their respective areas of
strength. The rebellious Eagle excelled so well in flying that the Hare &
Duck's grades could not reach anywhere close to those of the Eagle in the
Flying class.
We must
nurture the next generation's strengths instead of their weaknesses. At best,
if you work so hard at your natural area of weaknesses, you can only be
average. If we nurture their strengths, they excel with less effort.
Different
Ideas?
There is
nothing that kills morale like a boss that tells you, "Son, that's how we
have done this for the last 15 years! We cannot change things here just because
you came from college yesterday!" The moment your organisation stagnates
by clinging to old ways of doing things, that's the beginning of its death.
Henry Ford would attest to this from his experience in sticking to the Model T
vehicle and shutting his eyes to the competitor's innovations.
A leader
should grow young leaders by considering their ideas. They may be raw and
needing a bit of refinement, but you will be surprised how a seemingly odd
thought can save you time and resources. Bring that young chap to the decision
table. Ask them for their opinion and mull over their ideas. Challenge their
views to encourage them to think without undermining them. Go ahead, take the
risk to adopt their views. This will give them confidence to actively
participate.
Job Rotation
A leader needs
to get the big picture in order to remain effective. You identify a promising
executive excelling in the Finance Department, having had a short stint with
the Marketing team. Consider giving them a chance to spend some time in the
factory floor to appreciate the Production department's challenges. Let them
work with the Human Capital team to get a feel of the people issues they need
to be cognizant of. Have them do some deliveries with the Supply Chain
department, possibly even drive the trucks!
There is no
better leader than one that understands a bit of how everything works. They do
not have to be good at all of it, but they need to understand it. A leader has
to provide guidance and formulate strategy for the whole organisation. Rotating
jobs in different departments gives the upcoming leader the advantage of seeing
how a decision in one section will affect the rest of the departments. They will make wiser decisions when they take
over from you.
Unfamiliar Grounds Challenge
A leader
remains one regardless of the situation they are handling. Leadership is
universal – a fish will swim in any pond, as long as there is water and so
should a leader! Leadership is about influence. It is a strategic rather than a
tactical skill. Should you be considering putting someone in a leadership
position, you need to test the transferability of their leadership skills.
The End-year
company party is coming up – put him in charge of the organizing team. Observe
how he brings the team together. How does he come up with a budget? Has he
earned the respect of those he leads? Check his attitude towards taking up a
seemingly menial assignment. There is no assignment too small for a great
leader. You will learn their true leadership ability in unfamiliar grounds.
Let Go!
Veteran
leaders are the greatest barrier to change in leadership. You have to muster the
courage to LET GO your position. Having done all to grow leaders in the next
generation, you need to know the point where you must pass the mantle to them.
Empowering a
new generation of leaders opens the door for change - and most likely it will
be radical change! Our greatest fear is change. Can you overcome that fear and
let go? It is vain to groom a leader and never give them the chance to lead. It
is worse when the groomed leader gets impatient and moves to your competitor
having all the leadership skills they need to beat you in the market. Let go!
The mark of a
great leader is in his ability to groom the one that will take over from them.
A leader’s greatness is not in their reluctance to let others lead. Are you a
Great Leader?
