Are you brave enough to lead like a lion?
The assertion that 'successful companies are led by people who
recruit talent' - something that Sally Preston, founder and MD of
Babylicious, said at Leaders in London in November - was unremarkable
to me on first hearing.
A ‘vanilla’ statement made during a day of intense listening and thinking.
That’s not to say Ms Preston was wrong. It’s obvious. Good, talented people bring flair and skill to a business. They are the lifeblood of its success. That ‘people are our greatest asset’ is nothing new, to most.
But having let the notion mull a while, perhaps the simplicity of Ms Preston’s statement was deceptive?
How many leaders, I wonder, can truly say they surround themselves with colleagues who are their betters, at the highest level? Talent that outshines their own, in some respect?
Maybe the prospect of such a shared power base is too great a threat for some leaders? After all, traditional command-and-control leadership requires all the talent to be vested in one man or woman at the peak of the organisational pyramid. Under the old rules then, flattening out that peak even a little somehow implies weakness. I’m guessing few who operate under this ‘system’ would want to confess, by recruiting brilliance, that they’re lacking in any kind of talent themselves.
But modern leadership requires a much more open and honest stance; boldness; and a serious dose of self-awareness from those at the top. That’s surely what it takes to recruit and work alongside people who are better than you?
There are some basics involved, around knowing your own self, being comfortable in your own skin, and making no apology for that which you know you don’t know. I’ve seen this kind of powerful and relaxed leadership posture emerge in many of our executive coaching clients, who move from a position of self-doubt, to confident self-knowledge.
Those who are smart enough to spend time getting to know their own talents, as well as being honest with themselves about the things they’re not good at, have a massive advantage. And those who take the next step, by filling their ability gaps with true talent that outstrips their own, are set to succeed.
But even among leaders who sign up to the ‘open and honest’ approach – those who have already recruited all the talent their business needs – many still feel they ought to be good at everything. Yes they have talented people; yes they’ve created a strong top team; but they ought to be able to fulfil each role themselves, many believe. This kind of head talk is completely at odds with running a successful business. Sure, the boss needs to be prepared to roll up their sleeves and pitch in with their team. But actually being good – really good - at everything? Wow.
Far from being a show of strength, in our experience this approach leads to micro management instead of good leadership; under utilisation of employed talent; frustration for all involved; and ultimately burn out for the person at the top. The outcome is far from the perfection intended, but rather a state of ‘ok’ quality, where nothing is really achieved in any depth. The best people leave. The worst people (who like being carried) stay.
It’s not enough to recruit talent, then. Successful leaders also need to change their internal head talk, so that they don’t prevent the talent they do have in the business from getting to work.
And yet there are so many people out there doing the opposite.
TV provides us with a bountiful supply of evidence for this, where apparently intelligent people with successful jobs throw their business ventures (and their money) to the wind. Business turn-around consultants are brought in. Professional advisors engaged. They go in and quickly get to the crux of the issue, but are often then completely ignored. For example, viewers of Property Ladder must look on in disbelief as yet another fledgling property developer tells expert and presenter Sarah Beeny she’s mistaken. They know better, obviously.
Ms Beeny has made a killing by being at the top of her game, so why would anyone claim higher knowledge? The likelihood is, if someone like Sarah Beeny is suggesting you do things differently, they’re probably right. And, they’re trying to help you, not make you look a fool.
If the talent in your business is talking to you, you’d better listen, and let that talent get to work.
Sally Preston puts it simply: ‘Be aware of the things you don’t know, surround yourself with people who are better than you, and let them be great.’ So if financial strategy isn’t your thing, bring in a finance specialist, then listen to them and let them work their magic. Surround yourself with your betters, in whatever capacity, and bask in your combined sunshine.
For many of our coaching clients, recognising their own talents, and therefore the things that they’re not good at (or really all that interested in), is a massive relief.
Coaching sessions that focus on effective leadership behaviour provide the perfect safe space for some objective naval gazing. Client feedback tells us that the supportive challenge our coaches provide at senior management and Board level – talking truth to power, while also offering empathy and a sounding board for new ideas and solutions – is a massive boost to self esteem, self confidence, and self awareness. Clients emerge from our sessions, they say, with greater energy, more focus, better objectivity, and improved clarity.
They feel able to stop climbing an enormous mountain that looms in front of them, day in, day out. Instead they stop carrying each of their team on their (oh-so-broad) shoulders. They let them get down and walk themselves, and then watch in delight and surprise as some sprint to the summit, smiling, and throw down a rope. Funny how much easier it is to plan the onward route when you’re not insisting on giving 10 people a piggyback ride.
And who was it, anyway, who said we have to do things the hard way? If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing properly (yourself), and all that. It was probably our fathers, and their fathers. For my part, I think I added my own dollop of ‘perfectly’ into the mixture. But the smart way is infinitely more successful.
Alexander the Great is purported to have said that an army of sheep led by a lion will always defeat an army of lions led by a sheep. If you, as leader, can build the self-confidence to own your own talents, and the self-awareness to admit your weaknesses and fill those gaps with talented people that you allow to shine, then you’ll surely end up with an army of lions led by a lion.
