My Top 3 Leadership Paradoxes
Leading a team equals a balancing act between extremes. I found 11 such extremes or paradoxes described in literature. Here are my top 3 paradoxes and ways to master them.
Some years ago, I joined a global community called Toastmasters. The tagline reads: “where leaders are made” for a reason. The organization was founded more than 100 years ago. So, they know a thing or two about leadership. I recommend saying goodbye to the myth that confident leaders are born that way.
Say hello to the idea that leading yourself and others well can be learned. I believe you learn leadership through stages. And the first is the acknowledgement that leading well is a prerequisite of a successful and healthy career. As with any skill, you learn by doing.
Leading isn’t easy. It is a balancing act between extremes. I found 11 such extremes or paradoxes described in literature. Here are my personal top 3 and how to master them. As mentioned before, you learn by doing. So do I.
Shortly after my promotion to department head, I sent Tim’s design back to the drawing board. For the third time.
I liked Tim. A funny New Zealander, refreshingly different from me. In that team meeting, he looked desperate and sighed deeply. I saw his frustration. However big my own frustration was, I could not let the design pass. His draft broke several of our design rules again.
So what went wrong?
Leadership asks you to hold two opposites at once. Management scholars call these tensions paradoxes. I prefer balancing acts. Picture a balance. If you put more weight on one scale the opposite goes up.
The example above provides us with 3 balancing acts to choose from.
Top 1: A free hand, and a firm grip
I delegated the design and gave Tim a free hand. I was extremely fond of his abilities. Plus, I would rather not be that micromanager. Micromanagement fights back with overdependance of your team. It increases your workload and feels like a straitjacket, for anybody involved. However, this is a topic for another newsletter.
I didn’t put enough weight on the firm grip.
In general, a firm grip is the organizational frame. It means three things:
- Share all relevant information.
- Check that everyone sings from the same sheet.
- Agree with your team on check-in points along the way.
You guard the frame. Your team fills it with ideas.
Tim knew only half of our design rules. My brief had gaps. We talked it through. I completed the brief. Tim delivered a lovely design soon after.
Top 2. Lead, and recede
Here is the tricky question: who owns the result of that gorgeous design?
Though it came late, my guidance shaped it. My feedback improved it. Didn’t I earn a share of the authorship?
The answer is no. The authorship entirely belongs to Tim.
As a leader, you help your people show up their best. The credit is theirs. You recede into the background.
I asked Tim in a 1:1 to present his work at the next team meeting. In it, I praised him for his great work.
My contribution was minor. Tim negotiated with the company, wrote the brief, provided feedback. I reminded myself, that I have bigger fish to fry. That is carving out time for strategic thinking, keeping the team spirit high even in tough times, and develop a picture of the future that keeps everybody motivated. I was not paid to continue working in the engine room.
Top 3. Self-confidence, and humility
Self-confidence grows from within. For me, the “inner compass” is a helpful visualization. Something drives you. Call it vision, a purpose, or concern.
Your concern might be as big as mitigating climate change. At the time, mine was sharpening my employer’s reputation across Europe.
This inner compass keeps you steady. It lets you swim against the current when the situation demands it.
So where does humility come in? As the genius Albert Einstein realized, we all stand on the shoulders of giants. Your team members might not look like giants. Without them, you achieve very little. Your team turns your vision into reality. Every single day.
You show humility by being all ears to their troubles. You show humility by helping them find solutions as their mentor.
Grow on the job
Paradoxical leadership is not an “either or”. You choose the degree that fits the particular situation. Your decision is guided by experience, facts, and intuition.
The latter is easier said than done for scientists. It is admitting that human interaction is only partially based on facts.
A scientific education provides you with valuable skills: analytical thinking, reasoning, fact checking. Leadership asks for listening skills and mentorship. You learn these skills like any other: by doing, reflecting and adjusting.
Confident leaders are growing on the job. So can you.
Get the free worksheet – A reflection exercise to sharpen your leadership skills.
Subscribe here to The PNC News.
