Overcoming Your Leadership Weaknesses

We all have weaknesses.  I, for one, really hate to admit it, but it's true.  I guess that's what makes us human - we can't be good at everything so we need other humans to kind of complete the package.  

 

Some leaders have the misperception that they need to be good at everything in order to set the example.  That's defeats the purpose of teamwork doesn't it?  Even head coaches have assistant coaches that focus specifically on the defense or offense.  Shouldn't leaders follow a similar approach?


Regardless of the level of leadership in which you currently reside, you should consider hiring based on both needs of the team and your individual differences.  Let me be clear - I'm not advocating that you shouldn't continue to grow and develop in key area however, there are some skills that it would just be easier for everyone if you hired someone that was naturally adept in that competency.  


Examples:
Let's say for example, you aren't so organized.  Maybe you have a difficult time finding things and knowing where you need to be when.  This would be a good time to make sure the next person you hire has amazing organizational skills and ask them to help you out in this area as one of their job responsibilities.  

 

I am not naturally very detail oriented.  It gets me in trouble with my friends because I don't notice new hair styles or clothes.  I have to consciously work very hard paying attention to small details.  Don't get me wrong, I can do it, but it is draining for me.  On the other hand, problem solving and creative thinking is exciting to me.  So, whats the first thing I do when leading a team - I look for the most detail oriented person I can and they become my new best friend (not literally of course).  They drive me crazy with their details but I know they are the best person for me and my deficit.  


There are many books on the market related to building your strengths.  Tom Rath has one called Strengthfinders and Marcus Buckingham wrote a wonderful book titled "Discover Your Strengths."   I believe there is something to the concept of focusing on your strengths.  If you look at those that are really good at what they do, they have chosen to focus on what they love and where they excel.  This concept shouldn't be used as a cop-out though or an opportunity to say "I don't need to learn anything else."  

Who Do You Trust?

I recently read an article on leadership that indicated the importance of being careful who you trust regarding telling you how to lead.  The author indicated there are many people who are teaching leadership that have never had to lead a team themselves.  And I know first hand as someone that has taught leadership courses, many leaders are skeptical to take instruction from someone they perceive to be "just an educator."  Since this is a blog voicing a personal opinion, I'll weigh in on this.  

 

Are you Skeptical About Your Leadership Training?

I remember when I was a new leader (sounds like I'm getting ready to tell a story about walking barefoot in the snow to get to school) and attended leadership training courses.  I was hungry for knowledge and read as much as I could while attending as many courses as my employer would allow me to take.  I'd return from a training class and immediately implement something I had learned before I got so busy I forgot about it.  My approach to learning wasn't at all skeptical as I figured a great deal of research had probably gone into whatever information I was receiving.  


I did find however, that the longer I was in leadership, the more skeptical I became of various training courses, and more specifically, various instructors.  I began to question how their Master's Degree made them so qualified to teach this topic when they had never in their adult life led a team themselves.  Being someone that has both the education and experience I can see the value in both.

 

Beware of Bad Teachers

Education and Credentials
The thing to remember about leadership training and coaching is that these people have made it their life work to study virtually everything they can get their hands on regarding the topic of leadership.  I'm guessing if you are busy leading a team, you probably don't have time to do that.  So, these people take all the information, assimilate it and provide you information that you can choose to use or not.  These people are also educators - they know how to deliver information in a way that's interesting (hopefully) and impactful.  They know how adults learn best and are able to integrate techniques into the learning that will fascilitate the learning process.


Experienced Leaders
These are the people that have been there and done that.  They've already made the mistakes and can help you avoid a few land mines.  On the other hand, you might want to talk to a few of their employees and get their perspectives.  You'll find you can be very successful with a variety of styles.  The only draw back to the experienced leader is they aren't always so good about sharing their knowledge in a way that helps you learn.  Sometimes these people are just naturals and have a difficult time describing what it is they do in a way that you can duplicate.


Bottom Line
Take all the information you can get.  Be open to learning from anyone willing to teach and then see what works for you in your current environment.  I found that sometimes the biggest skeptics are actually the worse leaders because they aren't willing to learn.  

What the Heck is "Organizational Development" Anyway? And Why Do I Hear About It All The Time?

In recent years, it seems most large organizations want "OD" specialists (and no, these are not people who handle all your drug addicts).  We hear the word "Organizational Development" tossed about as the latest and greatest cure-all for every organizational issue.  Yet, I'm not so sure many people within those organizations (even the ones that think they need OD) know exactly what OD is or how it can help them.


Organizational Development in it's purest sense is a systemic approach to helping organizations diagnose and implement solutions for problems.  I like analogies so if I use an analogy for OD, it would be like a doctor is to a sick person.

 

Here is an example:


Company has a problem.  The problem could be anything from low profits to a specific department that has performance issues.  The company typically thinks they know not only what the problem is but also what the solution is.  After all, that's what we all do when we go to the doctor don't we?  We know what's wrong and we just need the doctor to write a prescription so we can feel better.  The interesting thing is, as humans, we sometimes don't dig deep enough to get to the root cause of the problem.  And sometimes we are too close to the problem to consider all of the alternatives.  That is the beauty of an OD professional.  They listen to the symptoms, do some digging, analyze some data (i.e. lab work), and viola', they may find something you didn't even consider (diagnoses).


Unfortunately, there are too many organizations who want to say they have OD so they hire someone to construct performance reviews and provide leadership training.  That is not true Organizational Development (although it could be part of it).  And other organizations think the OD person just helps them implement change more effectively.  That is partially true because there is a huge change management component involved in OD. In order to effectively diagnose a problem and implement a solution there is likely to be change involved and a good OD practitioner should be equipped with tools to facilitate that implementation.   But to hire an OD professional to just focus on performance reviews is like hiring a doctor to only analyze your visible symptoms (without the use of x-rays, blood work, MRI's, or even a stethoscope).  It's just an inefficient use of their knowledge and skill.  


In order for a company to truly utilize a Organizational Development person effectively there has to be a great deal of trust in the capability of the OD practitioner as well as the process.  The reality is, the OD practitioner will be privy to all your organizational "dirt."  In an effort to get to "root cause" they need to see data and interview people and they can't always share the details with the executives.  


OD has become especially important recently because companies are experiencing more change than ever before.  They are dealing with issues that are unprecedented - a global economy, four generations in the workforce, a recession, technology bursting at the seams, and the list goes on.  There has been no better time than now for companies to place an emphasis on getting to root cause and sustaining change.  


And if you happen to need a good, qualified OD professional, email me and I can hook you up.  


Mari