Leadership: a team affair

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Table of contents

• Video
• Introduction
• A new vision of leadership
• 4 different leadership dimensions
• Leadership assessment
• Conclusion

Here's the interactive workshop for this article, as well as aparticipant's booklet.

Introduction

When you think of a leader, what image comes to mind? For many, a leader is someone who directs and leads his or her team towards results, while maintaining a team spirit. To achieve this, a leader needs to possess a few basic qualities:

• Have drive;

• Be a good communicator;

• Share your vision with your team;

• Know how to mobilize your team;

• Etc.

This vision of leadership is a good one, but it offers only 1 of the 4 different dimensions of leadership. We believe it's time to revisit this vision of leadership, and today we want to offer you a new model. A model of holistic leadership that will enable you to achieve better team results, if everyone buys into it. In this new model, the whole team is in action together, and interdependence between team members is paramount. Everyone has to take responsibility for its impact to make the team better.

A new vision of leadership

On octobre, 17 1989, around 5:00 PM in San Francisco, the Loma Prieta earthquake struck, shaking the earth, shattering windows, knocking down buildings and raising huge clouds of dust. With all the traffic lights out, it was a mess, with horns honking, people screaming and desperately trying to get home.

However, at the intersection of Kearny and Pine streets in San Francisco, traffic was flowing. A homeless man, well known for his presence at this intersection, was directing traffic as a police officer normally does. The homeless man had positioned himself in the center of the intersection and was managing the back and forth with hand signals. Lawyers, bankers and all the other highly paid civil servants followed his directions without question. People who, the day before, had walked beside him without giving him any consideration were now waving at him and sending him "thumbs up".

In the middle of this intersection, leadership flowed fluidly. No one had suggested to the homeless man that he be a leader. He didn't need a title to be one. He just saw the need and decided he was the man for the job.

This example of the homeless is the perfect embodiment of 3 presumptions of the leadership model we want to propose to you.

1. We're all leaders: Leadership is a choice. Whatever our title or role, we all have an impact as leaders.

2. We are leaders at all times: We have an impact at all times, regardless of our leadership position.

3. We are responsible for our world: We are 100% responsible for what happens around us. We are responsible for our actions. Doing nothing is also an action.

Being a leader in this model means above all knowing how to listen to and understand others and their environment. Leaders are aware and attentive to the impact they have on others.

Do the following exercise and pay attention to the impact you have on others: the next time you go to a public place, be different and change the atmosphere. Be curious, ask questions or tell a story. Observe the results: the smiles, the silences.

4 different leadership dimensions

Leadership, a bit like a dance, is about knowing when to take the lead, when to pull back, when to speak, when not to speak, while being aware of the impact we have on others. The conscious leader knows how to dance and position himself in the different dimensions of leadership.

Inner leader

The inner leader takes full responsibility by accepting himself totally and living in coherence with himself. The inner leader doesn't need to look outside for answers, he always looks inside first. He doesn't need external success or approval to define who he is as a person. He listens to what wants to be born within him, such as his intuitions and sensations.

The inner leader knows his strengths and is intentional in his responsibility as a leader. Nelson Mandela embodies this image of the inner leader. Despite all the suffering, the pitfalls, the 27 years in prison, Mandela lived his life with intention and remained faithful to his mission.

"Be the change you want to see in the world."
-Gandhi

Leader in front

When we think of leadership, we usually think of this type of leader. Although we might think of a front-runner as a "boss", it's got nothing to do with being the boss and telling people what to do. Anyone can decide to be a front-runner, like the homeless man in our example above. A good front-of-house leader knows how to create an inclusive environment and a safe space for people to follow him. Connection is important to him, and he's willing to be brave and vulnerable. He knows how to generate conversations to seek consensus. The impact is that the people on his team feel inspired and committed, and want to follow him.

Being a front-runner doesn't mean taking up all the space. Yes, he's the person on whom attention is usually focused, but the front-runner is aware of his impact. He's also capable of giving up his place to let others shine. He knows that the more he opens the door for his team members to be responsible, the more they will be.

Leader behind

The leader behind is at the service of others for the mission. Rather than wanting to be in front, the leader behind provides whatever is required for the team's success. We only have to think of all types of jobs, and we are all in some way leaders behind. They are the base of any organization's success pyramid, and without them, we are nothing. Being a leader behind doesn't mean taking it easy and letting the leader in front do the work. It doesn't mean following anyone's lead. The leader behind excels at asking questions and listening, and chooses wisely whom to follow. He understands the needs of others and provides them with what is required to achieve results. The leader behind knows the value of his work and takes full responsibility for it. For example, if you're in the stands at a sporting event, you're the leader behind. You can shout, sing, you'll have a profound impact on the players on the field.

To demonstrate the importance of the leader behind, let's take this "How to start a movement" video from Derek Sivers' Ted Talk. The shirtless dancer is the leader in front. Without the contribution of the shirtless dancer's first follower, there would have been no movement. So the movement was created by the leader behind.

Leader next door

The leader alongside exists in agreements and partnerships between people who share a common goal. The leader à côté is like our dance partner, who knows how to be in front as well as behind. If we return to the example of dance, let's think of an extremely fluid dance duet. Would it be possible to tell who is the leader in front and behind?

"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."
-Confucius

Well, if the duo is very fluid, probably not. This is the strength of the leader on the side: he knows how to take joint responsibility with his team members to create a collective work. This is where the "I am because we are" of the Ubuntu philosophy comes into its own, and where the bond of interdependence between team members is strong.

That's why Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) works. Like many movements, we aim to create leverage with another person's strengths or the strengths of the group. With a sense of responsibility, AA members have a collective strength that binds them together. With the leader at our side, we're aiming for a team where titles no longer matter, and where agreements and partnerships are created to multiply results.

Leadership assessment

We now offer you a leadership assessment based on the 4 dimensions. You can use it to make a self-assessment of your own leadership.

Answer the following statements on a scale from 1 (the statement doesn't apply at all) to 10 (the statement applies perfectly):

Interior:

1. I listen to what wants to come out of me (intuitions, sensations) and act according to what rises up inside me. ______

2. I go about my day knowing why I am where I am and knowing the intention and impact I want to have on others and my environment. ______

3. I don't hesitate to take a stand and speak out when I see something I don't agree with. ______

4. I take the time to slow down in order to find new solutions. ______

5. I'm constantly listening for signals from my environment. ______

Front:

1. The objectives to be achieved are clear and well understood by my team. ______

2. I treat my team members as people, not just according to their roles. _____

3. I know the strengths of my team members and I don't hesitate to do what needs to be done to get the right people in the right chairs. ______

4. I'm not afraid to tackle the real issues and difficult conversations with my team. ______

5. I regularly encourage, give and ask for feedback to help my team grow. ______

Behind:

1. I provide my team with everything they need to be at their best and achieve their goals. ______

2. I always give my best, no matter what the task. ______

3. I take the time to ask questions and take an interest in my team members. ______

4. I enjoy team successes more than my own individual exploits. ______

5. I don't hesitate to leave my place as leader up front so that other team members can shine. ______

6. I am aware that I am a leader at all times, because I have an impact at all times. _____

Behind:

1. As a leader up front, I've developed leaders in my team on whom I can rely. ______

2. As a leader up front, my team members are willing to go the extra mile beyond their responsibility. ______

3. As a leader, I have an accountability partner I can count on. ______

Which of the 4 leadership dimensions is your weakest and strongest? What are your observations and how can you adapt your leadership?

Conclusion

"A man's intention is his action."
-Elizabeth Anscombe

We need to move beyond the traditional model of top-down, one-dimensional leadership and find more fluid, inclusive alternatives that harness the power of many rather than relying on the power of one. That's exactly what we propose. Natural leadership is a deeply collaborative approach, which is why the first of its four dimensions is leading from within: self-leadership. Leaders must be fully present and live a life of integrity, openness of heart and self-awareness if they are to make the kind of conscious, creative choices that natural leadership demands.

Each of the remaining three dimensions works together holistically. Depending on the situation, you can lead from the front, by offering advice and being inspiring; from behind, by supporting and encouraging others; alongside, by partnering with and supporting other members of your team.

In closing, it's important to remember that no matter how good your intentions, if there's no action, the result is zero. Take 1 or 2 tips from this article and put them into action right away. If you observe latent conflicts, be courageous and initiate the conversation. If someone seems disengaged, be curious and ask questions. If someone is having a bad day, act with compassion and smile.

Now that you've been introduced to this new natural leadership model, be the leader of this movement in your organization. If you see people competing to be the leader out front, educate them on the importance of the different dimensions of leadership to team success. Remember that we are all leaders at all times, and that we are responsible for our world.

If you want to go further with this leadership model, you can learn more from the book "Five Ways to Lead" by Karen and Henry Kimsey-House.

If you would like this training for your team, please contact us at team@hubu.ca.

Hubu: Because We Are.

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