I attended the Aviation & Aerospace Manufacturing Conference where the author and leadership consultant Ken Jennings presented some of his work based on “The Serving Leader”, which is also the title of a powerful book he and John Stahl-Wert have written. I had several conversations with Ken during the conference and I received a copy of the book.
It is one of those books that you have trouble putting down. It draws you into the story and it unfolds as a great parable. While I cannot do justice to the entire book in this brief article, I would like to share the highlights of the book. If you are in any form of leadership or management position (and we all are in some form), I highly recommend that you get this book and read it.
In order to be a serving leader, one of the first things you need to do is challenge all that you think you know already and be open to discovering new insights. The first challenge is to look at what you think is the “organizational chart” or structure of your organization. If it looks like the traditional hierarchical organization, you know, the “top down pyramid” looking structure, try thinking about what it would be if you turn it upside down! That’s right, turn it 180 degrees and put yourself on the bottom, supporting, nurturing, coaching, and mentoring those who are on the next level up in the organization. And here is another clue, you need to get those you support to see themselves the same way you do, supporting, nurturing, coaching, and mentoring those above them in this new view. This is what Ken calls “Upend the Pyramid.” This is not a trivial step and not one to be approached half-heartedly. It takes real commitment and soul searching to be committed to this type of leadership, but it does yield measureable positive results.
As you upend the pyramid, the next revelation you come to is about how you support, nurture, coach, and mentor those “above” you. Some think this type of organization is one that carries everyone, and that can be a trap or hole you can get caught in. However the second action of the serving leader is to “Raise the Bar.” This is about providing expectations of performance and behavior that is consistent with the culture of the organization you are developing. People rise to expectations. It is part of our nature. If there are low expectations, people sense that and respond accordingly. If there are high expectations, people sense that and also respond accordingly. Just think of the challenging times that you and others have faced in the past. When things are really tough, people come through with extraordinary ideas and effort and accomplish great things. Raise the bar, let people know the expectations and they will respond or decide that they may not be a fit for the culture of “the Serving Leader organization.”
As a serving leader who truly serves the organization, with rising (and appropriate) expectations, the next action is to “Blaze the Trail” for those whom you are serving, and they likewise. Blazing the trail in this context means clearing the obstacles that are in the way of progress. It means taking a serious look at the processes, procedures, and methods that could possibly keep those you serve from being at their absolute best. It means looking at anything that could possibly assist those you serve to meet the raising expectations and doing all you can to ensure they have what they need. This is like clearing the rocks and boulders out of the path in front of people. Identifying what is blocking or hindering their success and removing as much of that as possible is Blazing the Trail!
To be a serving leader, you have to really know your people. You need to know their every strength, even those they do not use on a day-to-day basis in their current job. Focus on building on strengths to the point that weaknesses tend to become irrelevant. When you build on strengths, you will find that most weaknesses get addressed naturally, and more often, other people have strengths to offset weaknesses in other ways.
There is one last critical element to being a Serving Leader. Look for my next article to cover that. In the mean time think and work on these ideas and concepts within yourself and your organization!
No comments:
Post a Comment