Can you lead from behind? Or the side?

One of the privileges I've had over the years, both as a senior leader and as an executive coach/consultant, is that I've had the opportunity to get to work with some truly amazing leaders and aspiring leaders.  Many of them are possessed of similar qualities and characteristics - drive, energy, passion, idealism, and a strong desire to make a difference.  Given the opportunity and the leeway, they grow, develop and achieve some amazing results. 

As one might expect or imagine they also often share some of the same frustrations.  One issue that comes up quite frequently is the challenge they face in their organizations in not being allowed to make full use of their skills, abilities and energy.  They are often being held back by the "leaders" above them.  As a consequence their organization does not get the full advantage of their energy, enthusiasm, and willingness to take on more responsibility. 

From my vantage point there's real risk to the organizations as a result of this style or culture of leadership.  In some cases, these highly motivated and capable individuals become so frustrated by their current reality that they actively seek opportunities elsewhere.  So rather than consciously building and supporting a succession planning pipeline these organizations are often unconsciously encouraging voluntary departures of these highly motivated and capable individuals.  A huge loss of potential and a huge cost to have to subsequently hire external candidates to fill leadership gaps into the future.

So can you let your followers or aspiring leaders succeed?  And what kind of environment do you have to create to keep them engaged in the short-term and for the long haul?  In many cases the answer to these questions comes down to doing the opposite of what you might be doing right now.  From my discussions with these stars in the making there are various leadership behaviours that inadvertently - or deliberately - suppress the drive and energy right out of their future leaders or that drive these leaders right out of their organizations.

First off, if you are truly self-centered leader than there is not much beyond this that you are really going to pay attention to.  If it is really all about you then I expect that affording the opportunity for others to grow, develop and demonstrate their skills is already being seen through a lens of how will this benefit your own standing.  Not much advice I can provide you with because we are just working off of a different playbook.  As for those reporting to you, the best advice for them might be to persevere, learn what they can, and seek out more fulfilling opportunities as they arise.

For those of you who have a more altruistic bent, let your next generation of leaders exercise their skills, abilities and competencies.  This may seem a particular challenge to a current leader when your followers have skills and abilities that you don't.  We've likely all had this experience.  We may have risen to our current leadership role more by experience and learning the ropes than through formal training and preparation.  And this experience and on-the-job learning took place in a very different set of business circumstances than we are now dealing with.  We may not have been afforded or taken the opportunity to learn new skills or otherwise upgrade.  Now we are finding that those who have been hired after us may in fact have some greater capacity or capabilities than we have.  We can choose to be threatened by this reality or take on a true leadership role by fostering and utilizing these skills to the benefit of the organization.

Provide your budding leaders with clear expectations and objectives.  Its a tough environment to work in when you truly don't know what the specific targets are, what authority you have to make decisions, or what limits there may be to one's sphere of influence.  This becomes a recipe for frustration.  Give your budding leaders the clear parameters in which they can exercise their authority and allow room for their drive and energy to make a difference.  There is probably nothing more frustrating than to have the rules of engagement constantly shift on you. 

Similar to the point about clear expectations above, resist the temptation to micro-manage the efforts of your aspiring leaders.  If you have set clear goals and established some no-go zones, allow your people to achieve the goals set in a fashion best-suited to their leadership style.  It's more than likely that they won't do it exactly as you would have done it.  Sometimes they may even be more efficient and effective than you would have dreamed.  Perhaps they are going to come up with an innovative and inspired effort that you and others can learn from.  Perhaps they will make a mistake along the way too.  Use those as opportunities for learning and growth rather than as an excuse to jump in, take over or otherwise curtail their development.

Finally, stay consistent in your approach.  If you have given your next level of leaders a set of expectations, been clear about goals and objectives, set some targets make sure that at the first sign of adversity that you aren't pulling out the rug from under them.  Don't be a wimpy leader.  Not only will this prove to be a frustrating leadership development exercise for your follower, you are likely to do more than a bit of damage to your own leadership credibility.  Be consistent.  Stay the course. 

Ironically enough, by learning to lead from behind or the side you are likely to enhance your reputation as a leader in your own right, get better results for your portfolio or organization, and create greater human resource capacity in your business in both the short-term and the long haul.  It may take greater strength on your part to support your developing leaders than just jumping in and taking over but I believe you'll find the benefits worth the effort.
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Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
TEC Canada Chair/Executive Coach/Senior Consultant
hadubiak@wmc.ca

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.