Introduction: Do you know what a senior leader looks like?
Have you ever encountered leaders who are hands-on in their work, but are often inefficient and demoralizing their teams?
Or do they take care of every employee like a nanny, but kill the creativity and autonomy of the team?
Or are they striving for perfection and checking every detail themselves, but they exhaust themselves and their team?
These leaders seem to be working hard, but in fact they are caught in a cycle of "uselessness". If you've ever had this experience, I'm going to tell you: the more useless the leader, the more senior it is.
A typical negative example is Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of the Shu Han Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms period, who was famous for his wisdom and talent.
However, when he led the Shu Han state, he was too personally involved in everything, from national affairs to military strategy, and even to specific personnel arrangements.
Although his starting point was for the stability and development of the country, this overly centralized leadership style led to the rapid decline of the Shu Han regime after his death.
Zhuge Liang's "dedication to the best of his ability, and then after death" is admirable, but it also reflects his failure to effectively train and delegate power to the next generation of leaders
In the end, Shu Han "had no generals in Shu, and Liao became a pioneer" and became the first country to perish in the Three Kingdoms.
01
Inaction at the top
The middle level is promising, and the grassroots are promising
Traditionally, leaders are often seen as the heart and soul of the team, and their decisions and commands determine the fate of the team.
However, this notion is outdated.
Modern management theory argues that the role of the leader should shift more to providing support and service to the team rather than being the master of the team.
"Leaders are useless" does not mean that leaders have no value in themselves, but emphasizes that leaders should abandon excessive intervention and command, and let team members give full play to their abilities and creativity.
When middle-level cadres and grassroots employees can make independent decisions and self-management with the support of leaders, the efficiency and innovation ability of the team will be greatly improved.
As Peter Drucker said, "The essence of management is not in knowing, but in doing, not in logic, but in validation, and its only authority is achievement." ”
Because, I say, the best leaders are those who let people constantly surpass themselves and become better, not just obey instructions.
02
Three traps
Nanny, model worker, perfect
In the pursuit of efficient team management, leaders often unconsciously fall into some "useless" traps.
These pitfalls may seem like a leader's effort, but in reality they can hinder the development of the team and the growth of its members.
Below, we'll uncover three common leadership pitfalls and explore how to avoid them for more effective leadership.
1. Nanny leadership: harm others and yourself
The nanny leader takes care of each team member like a nanny. They arrange everything for their employees in every detail, and even take on their due responsibilities for employees.
However, this practice actually stifles the creativity and autonomy of the team.
When employees become accustomed to being cared for by their leaders, they lose their ability to think and solve problems independently and become more dependent on their leaders.
This is fatal for the long-term development of the team.
2. Labor model leadership: hard work for others and self-suffering
Labor leaders are those who are hands-on and hands-on. They often don't trust the abilities of their team members and are always worried that things won't be done well, so they have to take care of everything themselves.
However, this practice not only wears out the leaders themselves, but also deprives team members of the opportunity to grow and exercise. Ultimately, this style of leadership will only lead to inefficient teams and low morale among members.
3. Perfect Leadership: Tiring others and exhausting oneself
Perfectionist leaders are those who strive for perfection and pay attention to detail. They often have very high requirements for themselves and their team members, and they have to check every detail personally.
However, this practice not only exhausts the leaders themselves, but also puts a lot of pressure on the team members.
When employees feel that their work is always falling short of their leaders' expectations, they lose confidence and motivation, causing the entire team to fall into a state of exhaustion and frustration.
03
Four major behaviors
Empowerment, coaching, showing weakness, inaction
A truly senior leader is not a hands-on leader, but one who knows how to skillfully play different roles to maximize the potential and creativity of the team.
Below, we'll look at four effective leadership roles that can help leaders avoid the pitfalls of "uselessness" and enable teams to function efficiently and continuously innovate.
1. Empowered leadership: Let employees make their own decisions
Empowered leaders know how to empower and hold team members accountable. They believe in the abilities of their employees and encourage them to make decisions and manage themselves.
This style of leadership stimulates the motivation and creativity of employees and allows the team to continue to develop.
As Jack Welch said, "Before you become a leader, success is only about your own growth, and when you become a leader, success is about the growth of others." ”
A leader who knows how to delegate must master these six words: grasp the big and let go of the small. So, how to grasp the big and let go of the small?
First, be clear about your team's goals and priorities, making sure everyone is clear about what their current focus is.
Secondly, we must learn to trust and let go, and let subordinates make decisions and implement independently within the established framework;
Finally, it's important to regularly check in on progress and results to ensure that the team is always moving in the right direction.
2. Coaching Leadership: Let employees think proactively
Coaching leads and inspires team members like coaches.
They don't tell employees what to do, but rather inspire them to think and solve problems through questions and feedback.
This style of leadership allows employees to grow and improve, while also improving the overall capabilities of the team.
So, how to be a coach? First of all, you must believe in the ability of your subordinates and give them full trust and autonomy;
secondly, to provide necessary guidance and support to help subordinates solve problems and overcome difficulties;
Finally, encourage subordinates to innovate and challenge themselves, so that they can continue to grow in practice.
3. Weak leadership: motivate employees
Weak leaders know how to show their weaknesses and shortcomings in a timely manner.
They don't deliberately hide their mistakes or failures, but are willing to share their experiences and lessons learned with their employees.
This practice stimulates empathy and motivation among employees, and makes employees work harder to repay the trust and support of their leaders.
At the same time, weak leadership can also create an open and inclusive team atmosphere, encouraging employees to dare to try and innovate.
So, how to show weakness?
First of all, you must put down your body and shelf and communicate with your subordinates on an equal footing;
Secondly, we should admit our own shortcomings and mistakes, and encourage subordinates to put forward opinions and suggestions;
Finally, appreciate and praise the merits and achievements of your subordinates so that they feel their worth and dignity.
4. Leadership: Doing something and not doing something
Google is a leader in the global technology industry, and its success is inseparable from a unique leadership style - non-action leadership.
Google's founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, knew that excessive interference in a team's day-to-day work stifled innovation and creativity.
As a result, they have adopted a "hands-off" leadership style that gives the heads of each business unit a great deal of autonomy and decision-making power.
This no-do leadership allows Google to quickly adapt to market changes and continuously launch innovative products.
At the same time, Google also focuses on providing employees with a good working environment and benefits package to inspire employee motivation and loyalty.
This people-oriented, rule-by-nothing leadership philosophy has earned Google a global reputation and success.
Inaction leadership is not really inaction, but emphasizes that leaders should do something and not do something.
They know how to grasp the big picture, grasp the key points, and let the team members take care of the specifics.
This style of leadership not only ensures that the overall direction and goals of the team will not deviate, but also gives full play to the enthusiasm and creativity of team members.
As the Tao Te Ching says: "The Tao often does nothing and does nothing." If the prince can keep it, all things will be self-transforming. ”
✎ Write at the end
The more useless the leader, the more senior he is. This does not mean that leaders can sit idly by and sit idly by, but rather emphasize that leaders should shift their roles and mindsets from over-intervention and command to providing support and service to their teams.
The more useless the leader, the more senior he is. This is not to say that leaders can completely let it go, but it emphasizes the need for leaders to shift from traditional command and control to a smarter and more efficient approach to leadership.
Through leadership styles such as delegation, coaching, showing weakness and inaction, we can stimulate the motivation and creativity of team members, and improve the team's efficiency and innovation.