Management Style Of Leading Through Others
Leadership Workshop (4 of 12) - Lead Through Others
Leading at Light Speed is an excellent leadership book by Eric Douglas showing you step-by-step how to implement 10 Quantum Leaps that build trust, spark innovation, and create a high-performing organization.
Quantum Leap #3 is all about Leading Through Others.
To maximize your impact, you have to lead through others. As a leader it is imperative to recruit and hire the right players, delegate responsibility to them, and make sure they have the tools to succeed. It also means getting rid of players who fail to adapt successfully. Each player on the court needs to elevate the others, especially in this technology driven environment. Taking to heart the habits of greatly successful teams is necessary. Effective leaders keep an eye on team dynamics, they bench players who refuse to progress, and give starting positions to those who come ready to play.
Giving the secret to her cooking, renowned chef Alice Waters often said, “always start with the right ingredients.” When asked why he liked combining one or two superstars with a bunch of younger, unknown players, L.A. Lakers basketball coach Phil Jackson said: “They elevate each other’s game.”
“Get the right people on the bus,” is how Jim Collins puts it. You can only lead successfully if you find the right people and give them what they need to do their jobs right. Admittedly that’s easy to say and hard to do. This chapter offers some of the tricks. It is about a shift in logic – from thinking about yourself to leading through others. Using the example of Wells Fargo and Bank of America, Jim Collins illustrates the dramatic difference.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Bank of America and Wells Fargo Bank had similar revenues and profit margins. Bank of America was directed by a leader who, by dint of his strong personality and commanding nature, had assembled a passive team of “yes men.” Ahead of the curve, Wells Fargo CEO, Dick Cooley, was able to gather together one of the most dynamic management teams in the industry. At Wells Fargo, people posed tough questions to one another and weren’t afraid to challenge the status quo. They felt free to challenge each other’s thinking. Better relationships are founded on mutual trust not with fear and intimidation.
In the early 1980s, banking deregulation took place, triggering a revolution in the industry. The industry’s established profit margins were in jeopardy. Wells Fargo’s management team saw the changes coming and focused on cutting costs. They recognized that banking was becoming a commodity business, with thinner profit margins than before. “Run it like you own it,” became their mantra. In contrast, BofA reacted slowly. The country club culture continued over time. Not one person challenged the status quo. The outcome? From 1983-1998, a fifteen-year period, Wells Fargo’s stock outdid BofA’s by 500%.
“We” leaders surround themselves with the right people. They have sense enough to pick good people and to know what needs to be done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it. We leaders aren’t focused on controlling every decision. Their goal is to delegate. When people are empowered, they feel free to engage and ask tough questions and air conflicting opinions. Good leaders have the perspective that such an environment is a positive sign of change, and welcome this kind of friction to cultivate new ideas.
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