This week, let’s talk about outdated leadership advice. Fifty, forty, maybe even thirty years ago, there was a very rigid idea of who a leader was and what their role was.
Transcript below if you prefer to read.
I’m thinking of the stereotypical middle aged guy who basically expects his delegates to work late, do whatever he says without question and basically be good little worker bots with no opinions.
As management starts to be mostly millennials and older Gen Z also start moving into management roles though, leadership is almost unrecognisable from the status quo just a few decades ago.
So if you’re receiving leadership advice from someone who has been in leadership for a while, they might have some outdated tips that don’t really work or apply to the modern workplace.
Here are a couple to look out for.
Show em’ who’s boss - rule with an iron fist
I really hate this advice mostly because it simply isn’t effective and is therefore objectively bad advice.
I can’t think of anyone who responds well to being treated like a naughty dog.
I get that a leader needs to have authority and respect, yes, but I don’t think behaving like a dictator is the way to get it. Fear is not the same as respect.
Respect is a two-way street. Show your team respect and they’ll give it back to you. There’s actually a lot of power in being honest with your team, and having open discussions about their current goals and why they’ve been set.
Keep a tight lead on your team
So this is similar to the last piece of advice, but it’s slightly different in that it’s basically telling you to micromanage.
And again, I just don’t know of anyone who responds well to being micromanaged.
Yes, sometimes you may have team members who need a bit more support, but you still don’t need to micromanage them. It’s actually more motivating for most people to be empowered with autonomy and support than acting like their mum.
Also, micromanaging can often mean you end up being reluctant to delegate and end up just doing the work yourself, which isn’t beneficial to you, your team or your company.
Never show vulnerability
There’s a lot of advice out there, especially in the UK, and I’ll just say it, especially among men, to never show emotion in front of your team.
Now, I do agree that it’s unprofessional to air your dirty laundry and to put your team in a position where they’re having to comfort you.
I don’t know if you remember, but there was, I think a CEO, or maybe a manager, who had to make members of his team redundant and he got really emotional and was like “this is so hard for me.”
I don’t advocate for that, because he was making the situation about him when he was speaking to a group of people who had just lost their jobs.
And I think when you’re leading a group of people, you do have to be there for them. Your role is to support them.
But showing that you’re human can have a positive impact when done in the right way. When you open up in an authentic way, it can help your team to relate to you.
Don’t admit when you’ve made a mistake
It’s very common advice that admitting an error shows weakness, that your team will respect you less if you admit to messing up.
Now obviously this depends on the scale of the issue, but there’s some power to be had in saying, “actually, I was wrong about this and I want to apologise and fix it.”
Refusing to ever admit that you were wrong doesn’t make you look powerful, it makes you look foolish. This is why ruling with an iron fist doesn’t work - people will say one thing to your face and say and do something else behind your back.
Be truthful and you’ll likely receive the truth in return.
Don’t listen to people below you
Management used to be very top-down and hierarchical. The people at the top give the orders and the people underneath carry them out.
Nowadays, workplaces are much more collaborative and this makes for more effective businesses, as often the people close to the work are best placed to recognise and come up with solutions for problems.
Some people don’t like that. They don’t want to take suggestions from someone they deem as beneath them. I think those people are doing their team and their company a disservice.
Firstly, no one is above or beneath anyone, despite what their job title says.
Secondly, collaboration is the key to innovation. When we work together, share ideas and gather multiple opinions, we’re more likely to recognise potential issues more quickly and come up with better ways to solve them.
What to do instead
I’ve come up with six leadership principles to follow, and these can be applied in your own leadership style.
Lead by example
As a leader, you should demonstrate the performance, values and behaviours you expect from your team. If you expect people to work hard and be professional, but you’re constantly showing up late, not turning up to meetings and gossiping. Show others that you value the work you’re doing and they’ll start to believe in it too.
After all, how can you expect someone to do something if you aren’t even doing it yourself?
Take a people-first approach
Leadership is all about people, so whilst your job on paper may well be all about helping the company to achieve their goals, the unwritten caveat is that you need to build strong relationships to do that.
Focus on building positive relationships with everyone on your team and beyond, and you’ll be able to achieve the wider vision, earn a bucketload of goodwill (very helpful when you need a favour or need to stretch a deadline) and enjoy a more pleasant working life.
Listen more than you speak
I’m going to cover this in more detail in the next section, so I’ll keep this brief.
We learn much more from listening than talking, but it is a skill that is hugely undervalued. Listen to people and they’ll feel seen and heard (literally), develop trust in you and you’ll probably be able to create better outcomes as a result.
Examine your biases
Every single one of us has biases, whether we’re aware of them or not. It’s crucial that you provide a safe and inclusive environment for each and every person on your team.
It’s natural to gravitate towards those who are similar to us, be that through personal interests, background, gender - the list goes on.
Ideally, all workplaces would provide training on this, but alas, most do not. So it’s up to you to ensure that you treat everyone equally and fairly, don’t buy into stereotypes and don’t make assumptions. Self-awareness is a muscle you’ll need to build in order to recognise and combat any biases you may have.
Prioritise self-development
I briefly mentioned self-awareness above. Self-awareness is key in understanding your strengths and weaknesses, so you can continue to develop your strengths and improve your weaknesses.
Learning is a never-ending process, especially if you want to be a leader. There will always be new skills you can work on to make yourself even better.
Be a generous leader
There will be people on your team who are future leaders or who have ambitions that span outside your team. Don’t feel threatened by these team members, or try to discourage them from spreading their wings. It’s actually your job to help them to thrive.
Employees who are supported and nurtured are more likely to be self-starters, reliable and take accountability for their work. They may not be on your team forever, but your guidance and mentorship will stay with them, and they’ll be an asset to the team while they’re there.
And that’s all. Leadership has progressed so much in the last couple of years into a more collaborative role and I think this is a change for the better.
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