Take Me To Your Leader

Randy Parkin | March 2020

According to Wikipedia, the expression “take me to your leader” originated in a 1953 cartoon by Alex Graham published in The New Yorker magazine. Since then it has become cliché, a fun cultural catchphrase in popular music and movies.

Here are two serious questions though: If an alien arrived at your workplace saying, “Take me to your leader” …

To whom would you take them?

Would you be that leader?

Knowing where to look for leadership matters because...

In times of risk and uncertainty, following the wrong leader might make the difference between success and failure.
Having the right role models can make a real difference if you are working to enhance your own leadership.

The answers to those questions may seem obvious. To seek out leaders, most of us simply look up the organization chart toward those with titles like supervisor, manager, or executive. It’s a habit conditioned by our shared history in school, at work, even in our families. We expect leadership from those in positions that grant them authority over us, and it is generally accepted that everyone within their sphere of control will defer to their direction and demands.

My first “formal” leadership role though taught me an important lesson: promotion to a position of authority doesn’t make you a true, functioning leader, someone others will follow. (See the video: A Personal Leadership Story)

I’ll bet you learned that lesson too. We have all observed leaders for a lifetime, mostly unaware just how much our beliefs and assumptions about leadership were shaped by these role models from our past. Their lessons were often unspoken, but still powerful.

For 30+ years, I’ve asked workshop participants to look at their leader role models, identifying the "Best" and "Worst" leaders from their past. Many nominated as "Worst" had a title and position of authority but led poorly. They left people around them unclear where the supposed leader was headed and unwilling to go with them. Just as important, many workshop participants share that their "Best" leader role model was not a "boss" at all, holding no formal title or position and no real authority. Others looked to them for leadership anyway because they seemed to know where to go and inspired confidence in others that they could get there.

Boss ≠ Leader

Boss and subordinate are not synonyms for leader and follower. It’s important to differentiate between the boss or “formal” leader and true “functional” leaders. "Leader" is a label automatically afforded individuals promoted to positions where they have authority over others. These formal leaders are expected to lead their team toward business success. But too many don't actually lead effectively. You see evidence of that in poor results, failed plans, lagging staff engagement, low morale, and high turnover in their teams.

The notion that boss and leader are one and the same has its roots in the not too distant past when the "factory" was the dominant business model. In those old factories, work was largely routine, repetitive, and predictable. Workers with appropriate skill and knowledge were readily available, easily replaced, the best of them inclined to do what they were told. Their bosses rose through the ranks to sit in corner offices where they used their "super" vision to watch what happened on the work floor, intervening quickly if something or someone got out of line. Command and control via a structured hierarchy was the path to business success - the boss/subordinate connection largely worked. (See the video: Factory vs. Modern Workplace)

But we don't work in those factories today. Even the actual factories that still exist don't look or operate like those older factories. Escalating pace, complexity, and constant change are driving an essential democratization of the “modern” workplace. The trajectory of this transformation differs from organization to organization, but the causes are the same. Heads have replaced hands as the dominant means of production. Work happens in meeting rooms and distant workplaces, often out of sight of those formally in charge. What needs to be done won’t always be anticipated in a plan. Decisions can’t always wait to be taken up the ladder. Workers are often better positioned physically and technically to do and decide about their work than the formal leaders to whom they report. Even if a leader is present when work happens, the products of that work are often intangible, difficult to see, hard to monitor or measure directly, not easily controlled.

The last thing any business needs today is “subordinates” who simply put their head down, waiting for a “boss” to tell them what to do and keeping their good ideas to themselves. If you are the boss, a formal leader, others may do as you ask or demand. But that is likely nothing more than deference to authority, learned compliance for some and a way to avoid responsibility for others (i.e. “Don’t blame me, I was just doing what I was told.”).

They are simply doing what’s asked, right or wrong, to avoid the anticipated negative consequences of not doing it. You are not really leading. Instead, you are borrowing power from your position, a short-cut to getting things done many aspiring leaders over-use. The effectiveness of this coercive tactic is too often short-lived, and the damage done to relationships makes it unreliable.

Functional Leadership = Results + Relationships

Don’t get me wrong; some of the best leaders I work with are formal leaders. But these great formal leaders distinguish themselves not because of their title or position, but because they do two things every true, functional leader must do.

First, functional leadership is about Results. With a firm understanding of what’s happening around them, leaders envision a better future, share their vision in a clear and compelling way, then offer a confidence inspiring path to get there. Their commitment to the results envisioned is confirmed by the actions they take to focus investment of effort and resources to bring about related change or smooth the way forward. True leaders are obviously going somewhere and doing what they must along the way to deliver results. Anyone not doing that is not leading, no matter what their title or position happens to be.

The focus of a functional leader may be large, even changing the world. But, the future most envision is much more modest, the results they pursue more commonplace, perhaps...

Attaining a challenging business goal, whether strategic or operational.
Completing a project, from delivering a report to completing a repair, and everything in between.
Implementing new ideas or practices, changing the way things get done.
Enhancing the productivity of a team so their talent and time are applied more effectively.
Helping others develop new capability, enhancing their knowledge, skills or experience.

These leaders are just doing their job. Their goals don't have to be large or their contributions exceptional; they just need to matter. When you look for functional leaders, look first for results, especially a history of delivering them reliably over time. If you can’t wait for results to prove who can lead, then look around for people who are…

Constantly aware of their situation, anticipating problems or opportunities, ready to offer a way forward when others don’t and make the sometimes tough choices needed to ensure the right things happen.
Cooperating with others who have a stake in shared goals, solving problems creatively, negotiating commitments to work together effectively, then holding everyone, including themselves, accountable for performing as promised.
Volunteering their knowledge, expertise, and support to help anyone willing to apply themselves to the pursuit of desired results.
Influencing others by making clear requests of them, listening carefully to their concerns, then offering fair value in exchange for their cooperation rather than resorting to coercion or manipulation to get what they want.
Setting an example of what it takes to succeed, stepping up when others hesitate, acting rather than complaining, moving forward without excuse, and ready to learn what they must.

The second thing that distinguishes functional leaders is that they deliver the results they seek through Relationships. Heading off toward a better future alone does not make you a leader. If you can produce what’s needed on your own, you don't need to lead—just go do it. Leadership though is always about engaging others, about turning the right people into followers.

As the challenges a leader takes on grow in scope, velocity, or complexity, there comes a point where they can't possibly know everything, be everywhere, or do it all. To succeed, a functional leader extends their reach by building and sustaining influential connections with followers then borrowing the capacity and capability they have to offer. Potential followers include…

Performers who bring competence and commitment to do the work required; and,
Stakeholders to provide the access, resources, or support needed to get that work done.

To find these functional leaders, don't look just at the leader themselves. Look for followers, the number and quality of people who believe the leader is…

Credible and competent, someone whose actions match their words, willing to do what they can but aware of their own limitations and working constantly to expand them.
Trusted, counted on to be respectful and reliable, earning influence with others over time by demonstrating consideration for them and acting authentically with them.
A capable coach sought out for the direction or support, someone skilled at developing the competence and confidence of others without interfering unnecessarily in their work.
A champion of both performers and performance, cultivating a workplace culture in which people can expect the leader's help to get what they need from their work while knowing they will be held accountable for doing that work.
A worthy guide who speaks truthfully about what’s happening, focuses attention on what matters most, then gets involved doing it with an energy that inspires others to pitch in.

So What You Ask?

Making a distinction between between formal versus functional leadership is not just semantics. The "factory", boss/subordinate mindset is deep-seated, affecting our decisions and actions in many subtle and unhelpful ways. If what you believe about leading says it is mostly about position or title, about being the boss in control with authority over underlings, then you might...

Assume only those with the right title can set direction or take charge, when others are actually more qualified to do so.
Defer to formal leaders even when you know they are headed down the wrong path.
Try to manage or supervise others when leading them would produce better results.
Work too hard at being the "boss" when you, your team, and organization would benefit more if you became a better leader.

Consider just a few reasons that matters...

Frontline Leaders: With titles like supervisor, foreperson, or team lead, frontline leaders typically make up 50-60% of any organization's formal leadership cadre. As much as 80% of the workforce reports directly to them, the people who do the "real" work of the business - designing, producing, selling, delivering, serving. Frontline leaders are best positioned to know what makes those workers tick, what hinders their best efforts, and what's needed to keep them engaged and productive. You would think frontline leaders should be a critical constituency for an executive team. In my experience though, too few CEOs and senior leaders put much meaningful, personal effort into connecting with this group. And without those connections, they miss out on critical information, insight, and access that can be useful anytime, but especially when significant strategic initiatives or change are contemplated.

Informal Leaders: Look around any modern organization and you'll find a growing group of advisors and technical specialists playing critical roles with respect to administration, regulation, and innovation. In areas like HR, IT, Safety, Finance, or Communications, these individuals have no or little formal authority and no one reporting to them. Yet they are expected to hold others to standards, implement change, and complete projects. Their influence is based on expertise and willingness to help. Their roles give them unprecedented access to the workforce - they often know what's really happening before those in charge do. But like their frontline supervisory counterparts, the leverage they could provide as leaders is too often underappreciated. This is particularly evident when managers and executives feel obliged to make decisions because of their position on the hierarchy, ignoring the advice of these specialists who have less formal authority but more current knowledge, skills, and experience.

Leader Development: The most obvious consequence of seeing only the formal leadership structure is that in many organizations budget and opportunities for development are skewed by the hierarchy, more going to formal leaders at the top of the pyramid when the majority of leadership demand is actually nearer the bottom. No wonder then that credible sources* report 60% of those transitioning from individual contributor to formal leader get little or no training, and 50% of them fail to meet expectations a year after promotion.

More subtle is that the training leaders get, especially frontline leaders, is relatively ineffective (Personal note: I've been designing and delivering this training most of my career - I apologize). Workshops are an efficient way to share content, producing leaders who are better educated. What's really needed though is behaviour change, leaders executing on their leadership opportunities, on the job, where it matters.

For example, almost all leadership workshops include a module on providing feedback, explaining how it fits in the performance management system, discussing why it matters, sharing a framework to structure a feedback conversation, and perhaps practice in a role play activity. Good stuff, but it does little to help a new leader who might need to overcome a life-long lack of confidence when speaking up, has a habit of acting rashly rather than preparing for what could be a difficult interaction, or will try to confront performance problems honestly and directly in a culture where the norm has long been to "sweep problems under the rug" to avoid "rocking the boat". Leaders with issues like these need development that offers a more personal approach suited to their personal style, talents, weaknesses, and circumstances. And, they need support, coaching over time till they hone new habits and practices.

Becoming a Better Leader Yourself

Anyone can lead. You don't need a formal title or direct reports. If you do hold a formal leadership position, learn as much as you can about managing and supervising. There are times when every leader is challenged to step up, take charge, and use whatever authority they have available to make things happen. But being the "boss" shouldn’t be a habit and can’t be your only option.

If you want to get results reliably in a modern workplace, work at becoming a functional leader. People need that kind of leadership. Not all the time, but especially when things are volatile, uncertain, or ambiguous – you know, your normal workday. There is always someone who can’t see what’s coming, has little idea what needs to be done, doesn’t know how to do it, or lacks the confidence to just get on with it. Those people need someone to guide them through a sometimes chaotic environment where there is little tolerance for poor performance or just “doing what we’ve always done”. And when execution really matters, they must feel trusted enough by the leaders around them to take the initiative, believing their best efforts won’t be punished if things don’t work out.

Learn too how to attract the right kind of followers. That leader/follower connection is a matter of choice, on both sides. You first choose to step up, telling others the results you envision and offering a path toward them. Others will watch, then make their own choice: to follow you or not. If they fall in with you, believing you worthy of their help, then you are leading. If you look around and no one is headed in the direction you set, then you are not leading. The position or title you hold will matter little either way. Ultimately, organizations don't choose their functional leaders; the leaders and their followers do.

And When That Alien Shows Up...

Don’t be distracted by title or position. Look for individuals doing what it takes to deliver results, then look at the people around them, at the number and quality of performers and stakeholders who choose to follow their lead. Better yet, be one of those leaders yourself. The people around you and your organization need that.

* Center for Creative Leadership