- August 9, 2012
- Culture of Collaboration, Leadership
It is hard to believe we are in the last month of summer! I hope this post finds you well.
Today I’d like to give you some keys to moving away from the Command and Control model of Leadership, which has created the I-Pod existence, to the new leadership model of the We-Pod where communication is the key to maximizing team results and overall success within the organization.
Command and Control: Keeping the I-Pod Intact
We all know the name of the old leadership model. We also know that it is changing; however it still exists in tactical organizations, sometimes lost in detail, forgetting the importance of communication and team collaboration, which is the underlying structure of a successful organization. The model of collaboration can take time initially to create, however, once it is done, the quick-thinking responses of people who have knowledge and current information can be amazing.
In my work as a consultant, I have seen an increasing number of examples that demonstrate what happens when a leader holds back and stays in the isolation (the I-Pod) of their own internal conversation. In the fast-paced and changing environment that is the current condition in organizations, flexibility is important, but not more important than communication.
Jumping to the We-Pod: Communication is the Key
As a leader, it is incumbent upon you to communicate and share issues with direct reports, peers and the boss.
A recent situation in my coaching and consulting work has proven to me that withholding communication can be a dangerous game with results that leave a sense of frustration and confusion about “what happened?”
Here are three common areas in an organization where communication is withheld which can impede progress and results:
Communication with the Boss
This is probably the area where the most assumptions are made without checking them out. If you do not share your plans, your progress and your awareness of issues with the boss, their conclusion might be that you that you are not managing issues; when the truth is that you perceive the team situation and have solutions that you are implementing.
Communication with Peers
This is the area that I have found to be the most under used in a pro-active and positive way. You as a leader can begin to make changes, in these communication patterns. In competitive organizations where collaboration is not a priority, it may seem that to reach out to peers, share best practices, and give each other a broader view of the organization’s business might create vulnerability that could undermine your position. If your peers do not know what your focus is or what you are achieving because there has not been communication, they have no opportunity to collaborate, advise, support, give new perspectives, or to work with you on a joint initiative.
I suggest you take the chance, set up lunches and begin to get a broader base of communication. One of my recent executive coaching clients made this a goal: to reach across functional lines and schedule appointments with other VP’s. He was encouraged by their response, was able to learn the reality of their functional part of the business, and they were able to create some shared opportunities for moving the business forward with external connections.
Communication with the Team You Lead
Some of us are perfectionists to the point where it gets in the way of communication and forward movement. If you are unsatisfied with results that have been presented to you as a leader, keep the agreement to respond and communicate your concerns and set up time to handle the issues. Sitting on something that does not work, leaves the team in the dark and you in a sense of frustration and incompletion. Sometimes the team that you lead, without communication of your concerns, can be left wondering and making assumptions that do not move them forward towards a more effective result.
Below are a few suggestions for moving into the We-Pod collaboration model:
- Make communication a priority by putting it on the calendar.
- When there is a 1:1 with the boss ask for time to communicate what you are doing in specific areas, what you have accomplished and what you are working on.
- Respond to your direct reports when they send anything, even to say you received and want to improve what has been sent.
- Set up a lunch with one peer every two weeks to give you an opportunity to see where some effective time can be spent going across functional lines.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you enjoyed the article. As always, please let me know if there is anything I can do for you.
Stay tuned for my soon to be published book: Jump from the I-Pod to the We-Pod: Breaking the Barriers to Essential Collaboration for Business Success!
