Any leader who relies solely on positional authority will run into trouble
…But at the same time, any leader who fails to strive for perfection, who never tells and only listens, and who shares but never holds power, will also struggle to be effective.
– Jennifer Jordan, Michael Wade, & Elizabeth Teracino
takeaways of note:
7 core tensions between Traditional & Emerging leadership approaches*:
Tension 1… Expert vs Learner (balance risk of making bad or inappropriate decisions)
Tension 2… Constant vs Adaptor (balance risk of seeming too rigid or too wishy-washy)
Tension 3… Tactician vs Visionary (balance risk of providing no “north star” or of serving up lofty or intangible goals)
Tension 4… Teller vs Listener (balance risk of missing important information or missing opps to apply own valuable knowledge)
Tension 5… Power Holder vs Power Sharer (balance risk of alienating or marginalizing promising talent or of undermining own authority by sharing power too broadly)Tension 6… Intuitionist vs Analyst (balance risk of making decisions based on outdated & biased heuristics or of ignoring own inner compass with valuable insights from past experience)
Tension 7… Perfectionist vs Accelerator (balance risk of delaying launch of key initiatives or directives or of bringing initiatives forward without ample consideration & testing)*examples shared from Pandora, Red Hat, Novartis AG, Burberry, Gucci, IKEA, & International Red Cross
Bonus Nuggets:
What can executives do to navigate these tensions?
Self-awareness – Understand natural tendencies, comfort zone, default position
Learn, adapt, practice – develop portfolio of micro-behaviors to address tensions not managed well (can be identified by formal coaching)
Contextual awareness – gather advice directly from the leader or the surrounding social environment re: when it’s appropriate to favor one approach more than the other