Feb
25,
2011
Written by:
Chris Osborn
of the
BizLibrary
2/25/2011 10:17
AM
As the whole
world watched
events unfold in
Egypt and
Tunisia, we saw
excellent case
studies in the
failure of
“command and
control”
leadership. And
let’s not ignore
the current
situation in
Libya, either.
But it’s not the
first time this
type of “because
I said so”
leadership style
failed in the
political arena.
Remember the
eastern-bloc
countries in
Europe from 20
years ago? One
factor the
movements in the
Arab world and
those Eastern
European
uprisings share
is demographics.
Large – and in
some case in the
Arab world, very
large – segments
of the
population are
young. As we
look to
leadership in
our day-to-day
work lives and
in our
organizations,
are there
lessons we can
take from the
recent uprisings
that dominate
the news? The
short answer is
– yes.
In my view, a
leader’s primary
job is to
motivate people.
What we’ve seen
this play out
before our eyes
on the Internet
and broadcast
news over the
last 4-6 weeks.
It represents a
catastrophic
failure of
leadership in
the countries
where people
have taken to
the streets.
Without
exception,
leadership in
these nations
was autocratic
and built upon a
“command and
control” model
in some way. We
can cite
numerous
examples from
the business
world where
organizations –
many of the very
successful –
continue to
reply upon the
same type of
hierarchical
leadership
structure and
style. For those
organizations,
it’s difficult
to see a future
marked by great
strides forward,
breakthrough
innovations or
continued
positions of
leadership in
their respective
markets. What we
are more likely
to see is market
and financial
stagnation,
reliance upon
proven products
and services, a
lack of
innovation, and
– perhaps worst
of all – a drain
or exodus of
high potential,
young talent.
There are many,
many books,
articles and
resources of
every
description
about the
challenges of
leading in
today’s
multi-generational
work
environment.
Those challenges
are very real,
but I suggest
effective,
long-term
leaders might
sharpen their
focus on our
talent on the
younger side of
the equation.
Otherwise,
leaders will be
as irrelevant to
their younger
colleagues as
the political
leaders we’ve
seen deposed in
the last few
weeks. These
“command and
control” leaders
simply ignored
the changes in
their countries
brought on by
the emergence of
younger people
demanding a true
stake in the
political,
social and
economic
benefits of
their social
systems.
So – what do we
do? We have to
adapt, and for
many of us it’s
not going to be
easy. So here
are a few tips.
1. Spend more
time listening
than talking.
Younger
contributors –
and truthfully
most
contributors –
need to feel
like they
matter. They
need to know the
opinions count.
As leaders, we
have to
encourage the
free flow of
ideas and
information, and
we can’t do that
with our mouths
open and ears
closed.
2. Ask more
questions and
make fewer
statements. I am
amazed at how
much I learn
from my
colleagues when
I ask them what
is going on.
They know, and
frequently they
know a lot more
than me, because
they are much
closer to
situations and
challenges.
3. Give up some
control. Yes –
we need to let
go. Delegate.
Trust your
talented people
to do good work,
and more often
than not, they
will. Now –
don’t take this
to mean you
aren’t
ultimately
accountable to
others in your
organization for
your team’s
actions. You
are. But you
have to let
people have the
freedom to
succeed and
apply their
skills and
talents. After
all – isn’t that
why you hired
them?
