Every week a mover and shaker is featured in the manager of the week interview. After brief bio graphical details and impressive statistics about the size of their empire and extent of their influence the interview always concludes with the same question. What is your leadership style? The answers are always a variation on two stock phrases. The old school say “firm but fair” which is code for I am the boss what I say goes and as long as everyone remembers this everything runs smooth. The modern manager describes themselves as “part of a team, a negotiator and facilitator”. This is code for I don’t make a big deal out of being the boss I am happy to let other have their say because I am confident they will come round to my way of thinking.
As a former senior manager if I was asked what was my leadership style I would say –delusional. I always thought I was right. I also thought other people would think I was right (eventually) and that if as part of the senior management team we made a decision it would happen even though experience told me that it won’t. Well not very often and not first time of asking. It is because I am not the only one who was delusional that senior managers are encouraged to have more face to face contact with front line staff. This can be in the form of large open meetings which allow for questions and answer or the more informal and more enjoyable walking the floor or the slightly devious and more risky undercover boss.
Pow wows with the big chief let you get your message across directly but only the fool hardy are going to publicly contradict you but I have frequently been surprised. Walkabouts are usually staged managed so you only get to see what they want you to see and to talk to people who are trusted to say the right thing however there is always the chance someone will let something slip when they go off script. It seems a bit excessive to don a disguise and go undercover. However on the TV programme called Undercover Boss they persuaded chief executives to do just that. And guess what they found, they had some really good staff, doing a really good job, despite senior management.
I think recognising that your leadership style is delusional shows insight and so much of effective leadership is about having insight into what affect your behaviour has on others.
Blair McPherson is a form Director with a large public sector organisation and author of Equipping Managers for an Uncertain Future published by www.russellhouse.co.uk