ERAU OBLD 633 Adaptive Leadership in Complex Environments Week 4 (CRIGOE)

Leading when not in charge is a unique position, and it is not just for subordinate associates in relation to their formal leader. Leaders also encounter opportunities when they hold a title but lack the authority or knowledge to support it. Everyone can lead through influence regardless of their title in an organization (Harvard Management Update, 2009). What is important is that we do not confuse authority and leadership as the same thing or requiring the same skills.

As a new leader at Amazon and in logistics operations, I am a leader by title first, with people skills second, and technical acumen in a distant third place. Last night, I had the opportunity to converse with a leader two levels below me, the front-line manager for her area. She was concerned about my actions and explained how things had always been done. She asked me to demonstrate my understanding of certain things, explain what I was trying to accomplish, and where I was steering things as “The” Operations Manager. By the end of our conversation, she had bought into our goals. Not because I demanded it, but because I clarified my intent and answered every question honestly, and more importantly, I admitted there were things I did not understand and was still trying to learn about. In that conversation, she led me through her frustration; my job was to give her what she needed: answers and assurance that I can and will support her and the team in achieving our goals. It was just as Marty Linsky said in his video about leaders must deliver to their people what they need, not just what they want (Linsky, 2011).

When people are concerned or frustrated, leaders have to stop everything and listen actively. Turn off all electronics, maintain eye contact, and only speak when the other person is finished or gives you permission to continue. Those aspects of active listening are crucial to the flourishing or erosion of this relationship. Being honest about the extent of our knowledge as leaders is vital to establishing trust through transparency. Asking for their solutions to the concerns they are raising invites them into the decision-making loop, giving them a seat at the table. The final component is thanking them for coming to us as the leader. When they are willing to risk their reputation, your perception of them, and sometimes, their pride, we must be grateful for the feedback and implement any of it possible. Leadership is not just about guiding and directing, which is essentially about authority; it is also about risking the loss of our team’s identity in the past, in the hope of shaping a better future (Linsky, 2011).

 

-Chris

References

Harvard Business Update (2009). How to Lead When You’re Not the Boss. Harvard   Management Update, 14(3), 1–2.

Linsky, M. (2011, April 13). Adaptive Leadership Change - Leading Change. YouTube.             https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af-cSvnEExM

 

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