I
have always thought that management and leadership were two separate functions.
In the Army, we are taught that leaders are those that provide purpose,
direction, and motivation. Managers, on the other hand, are those that utilize
available resources to accomplish a task. Of course, most organizations don’t
split the functions. Managers are usually required to fill a leadership role
and vise-versa. This is especially true on the enlisted side of the military.
We have 20 year olds that promote to the rank of corporal and are squad leaders
responsible for managing and leading their fire team or technical squad.
Because these leadership roles are thrust on us, I chose to pursue the Master
in Leadership program. Since I have to be a leader, I might as well do it
right.
Since
this is true in most organizations – that management and leadership are often
synonymous - the fact of the matter is that we are all going to have some
pretty crummy leaders at some point or another in our careers. The individuals
may be wonderful managers but may lack that ability to provide purpose,
direction, and motivation. For this blog, we were asked to reflect on some of
our past experiences with leaders and compare someone that we consider a great
leader with someone that we consider to be a bad leader from our past. I had no
problem thinking of examples of each but there was one man that really stuck
out above the rest on the negative side. I will omit his name so as to not be
guilty of libel (although it isn’t libel if it is true). This man led with
fear. He was as mean as a snake. Did we get the job done? You bet we did but it
wasn’t because we wanted to work with him. It was because we feared the
retribution. If you remember the movie/story “We Were Soldiers”, I think he saw
himself as some kind of Sergeant Major Plumley kind of leader but that would
have required a bit of empathy and humor. This guy had neither. This guy was so
mean spirited that the weekend that we returned from a 7 month rotation in
Iraq, he put me on a 24 hour staff duty rotation (where we just sit there and
watch the phone and do security checks) instead of one of the people that had
not gone on the deployment. When asked why, his reason was “because I really
just don’t like you”. (As an aside, this guy had some real issues in his
personal life that ended up coming to light after I left the unit. I know that
he was forced to retire and I heard that he is now selling used cars. I don’t
know about all of that, though.)
Like
I said, this individual still got results. Our unit won several competitions
under his leadership and we had a successful combat tour without a single
non-combat loss. He clearly did something right but can we really use that as a
measure of effectiveness? The most effective leader that I ever had was the
exact opposite of Mr. Grumpy Pants. I will never forget this guy. His name was
Larry Lorden. It almost felt like he was my big brother. I never wanted to let
him down. He was the kind of guy that I didn’t want to be at work if he wasn’t
there. He really got us all fired up to really be the best that we could be.
Sadly, he smoked like three packs of cigarettes per day along with his five
pounds of bacon and had a massive heart attack. That hasn’t stopped me from
wanting to emulate him.
Here
is where I am a little at odds over all of this, though. In the Army, we are
constantly told to not confuse leadership with likership. What is meant by this
is that we should not worry about making our teams like us. What I am learning,
though, is that great leaders are completely in sync with their teams (Boyatzis
& McKee, 2005). They inspire others through empathy, passion, and
compassion. Great leaders are
likeable. Also, “resonant leaders help blend financial, human, intellectual,
environmental, and social capital into a potent recipe for effective
performance in organizations. In other words, in addition to being great to
work with, they get results” (p. 5).
When I think about Larry Lorden, he was someone that everybody liked and he was
able to use that to be the most effective leader I have ever met. The thing is
that he was genuine with it. Like I said, he was like a big brother and he
cared for us as if we were his family. That means that there were times where
he could be a bit stern, too. He didn’t spare discipline just to appease us. So
if a man like that can be so resonant and get such amazing results, why are we
constantly told to not worry about making our subordinates like us? I want my subordinates to like me. Maybe
it is because we have to be able to make tough decisions at a moment’s notice
and we don’t have time to cultivate teams naturally.
We
were presented with a video that was imbedded in our blog assignment
instructions. I honestly have no idea how to cite that since I don’t have a URL
or any of the publication information for it. (It may have been made
specifically for this class.) However, Dr. Boyatzis, the author of our
textbook, revealed some pretty startling facts. He noted that today, it is
estimated that 50% of leaders add no value to the team. Another 20-30% add
value to only one or two people. That means that our organizations could
literally get rid of 70-80% of our leaders and still function. They are just
dead weight. I find that hard to reconcile with the fact that those leaders are
still filling management roles as well but perhaps the thought is that teams
could manage themselves. (That was the whole idea behind the complex adaptive
leadership class that I took a few terms ago.) I know that it would be
impossible to eliminate 70-80% of military leadership but I can surely buy off
on the fact that there are more ineffective leaders than there are effective
ones. I, however, want to be effective. I want to be resonant and build
relationships with my team so that we can create a synergy unlike any other!
Remember
that I said that my leaders are always telling us to not confuse leadership
with likership. That is not the official stance of top military leadership. A
few months ago, I was as a town hall meeting with Major General Snow, the
Commanding General of USAREC (US Army Recruiting Command). I remember the
advice that he gave to us as we were about to graduate from the center leader
course. He told us to not strong arm our teams. He told us that to get the best
results, all we had to do was ask. This reminds me of a story that I heard on a
TED Talk. Amanda Palmer (2013) was a human statue street artist as well as a
musician. Several years ago, internet piracy of music was a pretty big deal so
she and her band came up with a unique idea. Instead of selling their music,
they gave it away for free. Instead of demanding payment, they asked for
donations. (She was inspired by her time as a street performer depending on
donations from onlookers.) What was surprising is that they made more money
through this than they would have by selling albums. We can approach leadership
in much the same way. We don’t have to force our teams to perform. Instead, we
can connect with them and form a relationship. Once a bond is formed, we can
direct them through the simple act of asking. When someone with which you have
a relationship asks, you want to help.
Boyatzis,
R. & McKee, A. (2005). Resonant
Leadership. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School
Press
Palmer,
A. (2013, February). The Art of Asking
[Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.ted.com/talks/amanda_palmer_the_art_of_asking
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