Leadership dilemma. Is it really?

I came across an interesting short poem by Christopher Logue that I found very insightful. You see it on the right. Many people liked it and some wondered what it really meant

The British poet Logue wrote this for a poster. The poster was for an exhibition of the work by an influential French poet and art critic, Guillaume Apollinaire. It was said to capture the life of the man. Apollinaire was strongly associated with avant-garde art movements such as cubism and surrealism - cutting edge ideas ahead of their time.

For me, this is the essence of leadership. Unleashing the potential of people around you. Gaining capabilities far beyond what they thought was possible. Trying things which normally people shy away from. Going further and beyond what average minds can imagine.

Leadership is all about direction

Leadership is taking people somewhere they ought to go whenever they are ready. Whether they like it or not; whether they think they can or not. Great leaders seem to be able to sense when it is time to take decisive action and take the plunge. More often than not people are amazed at what they could achieve just because they tried.

Leadership does not have to refer only leaders of nations and large societies. Leadership exists everywhere. Sports coaches, school teachers, parents, doctors, factory foremen are all leaders. They guide and direct people around them to gain skills, master techniques and grow healthy.

Even parents running behind a child on bicycle have to decide when to take the trainer wheels off. They keep it too long afraid that child would fall and hurt itself, they are constraining the child. Or worse, make the child less confident. If they are anxious and over-cautious and the child will pick them up too. Those mental brakes will continue to control the child for life. However, any of us who have been part of well-adjusted families or teams have seen amazing things children or trainees or team members can do. All because the trainer wheels were taken off at the right time. Not too soon and not too late.

So an important function of the leadership is directing people to take the next step in the journey of self-discovery and learning.

Leadership is about timing

So when is the right time to take the trainer wheels off? This goes to leader's capability and self-awareness. A swimming coach is no good when he or she can't assess the skills and the gaps. Coach would only succeed when the learners have a regimen which ensures they are continuously making progress - they make the right movements; they breathe correctly; they do exercises which strengthen the necessary muscles; they eat properly. With these, the coach can make the assessment when they can swim unaided or when they can dive or when they can try different strokes.

It is somewhat similar for a parent or a supervisor. They know what their people need to master and what they need to improve. It is not just learning how to ride a bike. It could be making a key presentation; walking to school; doing bank work; preparing for an exam; managing an audit inspection or whatever. A key requirement for a leader is training and coaching people become better skilled, capable and independent. If the leader is capable it is not a problem knowing when the people or ready. When the moment comes, it is on the leader to let go.

Leadership Dilemma

Frequently, the real problem facing the leader is not the assessment capability, but something else altogether. It is leaders' level of self-awareness and self-acceptance. Many of us, especially, as parents, fail our children because we get our own issues mixed up when we ought to focus more on children. Same goes for many supervisors and managers. We are anxious; we are insecure; we are afraid of facing the consequences; we dread failure. So we take all the responsibility ourselves depriving the our people of growth and progress.

Leadership means being able to hold your own when you are not sure and you may fail. But you still have to do draw the line, take a breath and let go. Your confidence and trust in your people will give them wings when you let go. Your self-awareness will give you strength to keep in check your own anxiety and fears. Your people may protest; your toddler will throw a tantrum; your team member will fake illness. But your tough love will help them get over it.

There is a troll version of poem where the last line goes "... And he pushed. Splat.Splat.Splat."

But as we have seen, you push when your people are ready and you are good enough to know when. You don't push when they need more time to grow or practice. You keep the trainer wheels. Smart leader that you are, you know you are not delaying because of your own fears.

An experienced and accomplished surgeon once told me that he could have done a lot better for so many of his assistants had he allowed them to do more operations independently. On hindsight he felt that they were ready but he was not.