By Susan Letterman White
Leading can be like playing with fire. It is “difficult and dangerous work” according to the authors of “The Practices of Adaptive Leadership” . It’s taking charge of making a difference. It’s doing whatever is necessary so that the team and organization being led reaches its objectives and maintains alignment with its purpose. What’s so difficult and dangerous with spending your time and effort trying to improve performance?!?
It’s difficult to influence others to do their part to help a group reach its goals, even a goal to make the whole (organization or team) better than its parts. It usually means asking people to do more than they are already doing or change the way they have historically done something. People have an inherent aversion to change. So, there’s that. It’s also difficult to master the competencies that make a good leader and extraordinary leader and if you want leadership to make a difference in the key performance metrics, like revenue generation, customer and client satisfaction and retention, employee engagement, productivity, and retention, or profitability, then according to the reams of the research data you need people, who are outstanding, not just good, leaders.
It’s dangerous because sometimes it means speaking up when you see something that is wrong, which often comes with a price. You speak up. Your boss disagrees with you and retaliates. In most instances, you have no protection. Take a look at this recent Massachusetts Appeals Court ruling to see that even though under Massachusetts law your employer would be fined for preventing you from placing in your personnel file a disagreement with a criticism placed in the file by your employer, your employer can still fire you for taking advantage of that law.
It’s difficult for leaders and followers to act against their self-interest even when it is in the best interest of the organization. For example, most people avoid personal conflict. Their desire to avoid conflict doesn’t disappear when people step into positions of formal authority and power. Their desire to grow in their career doesn’t disappear either. If the recognition, advancement, and compensation processes reward behavior “A,” don’t expect anyone to engage in behavior “B,” even if that is the right thing to do and in the best interest of the entire organization. If the penalty process sanctions behavior “B” expect most people, who are not in a position to absorb the punishment without damage to avoid behavior “B.”
We’ve all read about the importance of exercising “leadership” regardless of one’s formal authority. Leadership trainings focus on leading oneself in addition to leading others. Managers are taught to use informal influence to persuade others and to speak up if they have a different perspective. However, what is the benefit to the organization when it receives data it is not interested in learning? We know how it may quickly turn into a harsh penalty for the “leader.” Unfortunately and all too often, power wins out.
Exercising leadership may put you in the line of fire and tough criticism more often than in line for praise. Are you attempting to lead a group that is firmly entrenched in its status quo? If so, expect resistance in the form of criticism. Leading is difficult and dangerous. Be sure you know yourself and why you would be willing to put yourself in danger before you start playing with fire.
