One the toughest things for many people to deal with is uncertainty. In the past year, there has been only one certainty in business – that no-one really knows how deep or how long this recession will be. We are certain only of the uncertainty that we face.
So what is the role of the leader in this? How can they help and how should they behave? We all like to think that our leaders should know more than we do. We want them to make the right decisions. We want them to take on the uncertainty, and convert it into safe predictability. We want them to be infallible.
But, we also want them to show that they too are human, can make mistakes and own up to them, and have their own burdens, concerns and cares. (Just not too many of them).
What we are less likely to see, is that we’re asking for the impossible from our leaders – at least that’s how it must seem to them. You cannot be infallible and human at the same time. Being human is a guarantee of fallibility to some degree. So what is a leader to do?
Some leaders take the approach of showing the world the ‘Superman’ image. The impenetrable face of someone who is always right (and therefore doesn’t listen to others) may take the form of the hard-nosed ‘just give me the numbers’-style leader, or the ultra-charistmatic, energetic inspirational ‘Duracell-bunny’ people-magnet. Either of these is a nightmare in the making.
If they take their style is to be completely fallible and therefore supremely consultative, that doesn’t work either. You end up with something like a home-spun, laisez-faire, completely open and inclusive approach where nothing gets done, and chaos reigns.
Actually, what people really want is congruent leadership. And in my view, you can’t be a congruent leader at either of those two extremes:
No-one is infallible. We all make mistakes, so if leaders think that people want them to be super-human and try to present that image to the world, all they end up with is resentment and broken trust. Pretending you know it all, especially in this market, is fatal.
And at the other end of the scale, you can’t be fluffy and truly lead. All that leads to is lack of faith in the leader’s abilities.
As has been said a million times before – there is no one perfect leadership style. Every leader works in the way that suits their style and the organization, and should be able to flex their focus between people and task depending on the current need.
But whatever style they adopt – the fundamental truth is that what we want in our leaders is authenticity and consistency.
[Tip: If you're a leader - make sure that what you say and what you do are in tune. There's nothing more likely to lose the trust and confidence of your people than saying one thing and acting in the opposite way. "We really value our people" - while treating them with no consideration - leaves a very bad message.]
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Photo Credit: Esparta
Article by Vandy Massey
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