Episode #388: Micro Leadership Techniques

Time is the enemy of good leadership. It takes time to develop a team of individuals. A common metaphor is the orchestra conductor. Each instrument player has a specific role and it is the job of the leader to meld them together to work harmoniously and effectively. The conductor takes a significant amount of time to get this working correctly. That is their sole purpose. They make the best of the talent in the team, get them working well together and develop the individual talents of those involved. In business, we have to do all of these things and worry about the P&L, the Balance Sheet, the competition, quarterly earnings, changes in Government regulations, the media, shareholders, where the market is heading and the latest developments in technology. We are kept pretty busy.

Consequently we are time poor from the moment our eyes open until we drift off to into slumber at night. There is a tension between the time needed to work with our team members to work effectively together and the time we have available to do just that. So we cut corners. We start to lead from a macro perspective. We are prone to broadcast emails to the whole team, mass Town Halls where we download what is going on, Zoom calls to the whole team where we pontificate on how things should be. It is terribly efficient but is it particularly effective?

We know from sports that all the modern coaches coach each individual based on who they are and what they are capable of doing. The old style game half-time coach thunderous moments of inspired oratory are the thing of Hollywood movie celluloid relics of a past long passed. Leaders need to focus on each person, one by one.

Some players are easy going, amazingly talented athletes who can perform the most unexpected feats of spontaneous physical dexterity, that a coach can never teach. They are Amiables who like people and are understated. They don’t speak in a loud voice, in fact they are laconic to the extreme. Loud incandescent outbursts about the requirement for getting the numbers are lost on them. We have people like that on our business teams. They are the solid quiet performers, often the social glue inside the team, holding all the superstructure together.

The opposite stye are the Drivers. They are highly numbers and outcome oriented. They want the big bucks which comes with producing results. They don’t need external motivation, because the fire burns deep inside them and it is permanently self-igniting. They don’t need public acclaim or affirmation, because they march to the beat of their own drummer. They don’t listen to any praise because they are sceptical and they don’t feel any need of it. They can handle extreme pressure from above to perform. They have no problem with straight talk about getting the numbers or getting out of Dodge. They need to be strongly corralled to play as a team member, because they are oriented as an individual player and believe they rise or fall on their own efforts. They have severe outcome focus, rather than people focus, so often they can be limited in application as the leader. That doesn’t stop organisations putting them in charge though, because they produce results.

Analyticals are data freaks. They only react to proof and evidence. They suspect any opinions which cannot be backed up with the statistics, expert testimonials, key numbers or facts. They are very well organised and thorough in their approach to everything. You have to persuade them with the data. They are not stirred by emotional calls to action. “Do it for the Gipper” doesn't do anything for them. Whether in sport or in the office, they need to be convinced by proof of the right course of action and once on board, they then knuckle down and get right behind the effort.

The opposite style is the Expressive. They are outgoing, like being with people and are very confident, often too confident. They are usually the pranksters inside the team, making the jokes, geeing everyone up. They are flamboyant and enjoy the accolades, public acclaim and attention. Titles, prizes, trophies, incentives – bring them on they say. Inside the company they are the “hail fellow well met” crew, who work hard and play harder. Pumping up their ego has no bounds. The less fizzy, more sensible variety are often the most attractive leaders inside the organisation.

As leaders we need to know which style we are and what are our own strengths and weaknesses. We need to know the same detail about our team members. We should spend time with them individually. Time constraints push us away from doing this, but we have to fight against the unrelenting drive to harmonised mediocrity. There is no point in being a macro leader in a modern micro world.