Help!

I was chatting with some leaders last week about how important it is to ask for Help when we need it. But we also admitted how hard that can be because it can give the perception of being weak, especially as the leader!  However, I would like to propose that one of the greatest signs of strength and wisdom in a leader is when they admit they may not know something and ask for Help from others.

Let's think about it like this, as a person grows in their leadership capacity they are often taking on greater responsibility. All of those areas of responsibility may not be tasks they are completing themselves, but they are responsible for making sure they are getting handled somewhere.  And some of the best leaders I know surround themselves with people in those areas who are experts at those tasks.

For example, I have a number of friends who are CEOs or Executive Directors of their organizations. Part of their responsibility is to oversee the budgeting and financial planning, but several of them aren't wizards at Excel! If they were tasked with creating all of the financial reporting documents and procedures, the company would fall apart! But they have surrounded themselves with other people who are Excel wizards (by the way, maybe that should be a new official title?!). The CEOs are responsible for the budgeting process/oversight, but the other individuals take ownership for the task of putting it all together in an appropriate way.  So, when the CEO needs a report for the board, or a meeting in the community, they reach out - Help!  

Here's the thing, could my friends become Excel Wizards if they had enough time? Sure, but how much time might that take, and would that be the best use of their time? Instead, they realize they don't have to be an expert on everything, and it's actually a sign of strength to depend on their fellow team members and trust them to Help!

As you think about all of your areas of responsibility, where could you turn for some Help? Who might be in your circle of teammates that might have different strengths and gifts than you? What would it take to remind yourself that asking for Help isn't a sign of weakness, but it's actually a sign of great strength?

Here's to asking for Help this week!

Be Well,

Stephen

Center was created to support individuals and teams so they can live from their Purposeful Center.  We specialize in professional coaching and leadership development and we’d love to support you!  Click on our Services page to book a free consultation.

Practical Authority

We've been looking at ideas around power and authority the past few weeks. So far, we've examined the differences between Positional & Relational Authority, and the healthy Sharing of Authority.  In this installment I want to think about some practical ways that healthy authority can be utilized. To help with this process, I want to touch on two areas of application.

Credit/Blame

In his classic book, Good to Great, Jim Collins has a powerful chapter describing what he calls Level 5 Leaders.  One of the characteristics of these truly great leaders is what they do with taking credit and assigning blame.  In almost every study he conducted, Collins found these leaders were quick to pass along credit to other people on their team or in their company when things went well. Very rarely did they take credit for any successes that were being achieved. In contrast, when things went wrong, they didn't point fingers at others but took the blame for what was happening on themselves, even if they didn't have anything directly to do with the problem. Very rarely did these leaders ever throw anyone else under the bus. In other words, even though these leaders were often the people at the top of the org chart with the most positional authority and maximum power, they gave away as much credit as possible and took as much blame as possible.

Praise/Correction

I wish I could remember where I first heard this approach to using your authority in correcting or giving praise to a teammate, but I've never forgotten it! This adage simply says, "Praise in public. Correct in private." This practical approach to using authority actively looks for opportunities to tell someone you believe in them, or you are grateful for the job they are doing. It can include naming a strength or characteristic of an individual or group for who they are and what they bring to the team or organization.  In contrast, this approach recognizes that whenever you need to give someone some constructive criticism or direction on correcting a behaving or job performance issue, that is best handled in a private settings where there isn't as much of an opportunity for shame or embarrassment to arise.

As you consider these two practical ways to use authority, which area of focus would make the most impact if you were to give it some attention? Is there a particular situation, person or context that comes to your mind where it would be helpful to either give away some credit or take on the blame? What about praise and correction? Who could use a boost right now by giving them some important and authentic praise in front of others? Do you need to give some constructive feedback or make a correction with someone? How could you do that in a strategic way that was more private so you don't bring about an opportunity for embarrassment?

Here's to using our Authority Practically this week!

Be Well,

Stephen

Center was created to support individuals and teams so they can live from their Purposeful Center.  We specialize in professional coaching and leadership development and we’d love to support you!  Click on our Services page to book a free consultation.

Shared Authority

I'm grateful for another opportunity (even if it's a day later than normal), to drop into your inbox and give you something to ponder.

Last week I introduced the idea of Authority to us, looking specifically at the differences between Positional & Relational Authority.  This week I'd like to think about another aspect of authority as it relates to group dynamics and the healthy sharing of authority.

I've had the honor of doing some learning and study into group dynamics and the ways in which relationships form within a group context. One of the consistent themes in that learning has been clear - authority is a key ingredient in every group situation. Sometimes that authority is held and used by a single individual. This is often accomplished through demand and power. But some of the healthiest and most effective groups allow for authority to be shared and even "passed around" throughout the course of their time together.

For example, you may be in a team meeting that is being led by a particular individual. This is actually helpful because someone needs to get things started and help the work to move along. However, if that individual does all the talking and is dismissive of other people's ideas or input, they are indirectly (or maybe directly!) trying to maintain the power and authority over everyone else in the meeting.  The message is clear, "I am the most important person here and my opinions matter more than anyone else's." 

In contrast, if the person who starts the meeting or is in charge of the agenda seeks input from others and asks questions and actually waits to hear answers, they are demonstrating a desire to share authority in a way that is healthy and seeks the collective wisdom in the room. Of course, you can see this requires humility and a desire to actually believe that others have value and their ideas matter - to be humble enough to pass along authority to others in a way to brings greater shared value through collaboration.

As you reflect on the various groups and teams you participate in, where do you see healthy authority being shared? If you are in charge of any of those settings, is your tendency to hold onto the authority or to share it? What would it take to encourage a greater sense of shared authority in order to unlock more potential from the collective wisdom of the group? 

Here's to leaning into Shared Authority this week!

Be Well,

Stephen

Center was created to support individuals and teams so they can live from their Purposeful Center.  We specialize in professional coaching and leadership development and we’d love to support you!  Click on our Services page to book a free consultation.