Is it possible to be an effective Authentic Leader at the upper levels of an organisation without having worked your way up from junior and middle levels?
Although not exhaustive this list does highlight the challenge new leaders have in assimilating large amounts of information in order to become effective. Whether they are an Authentic leader or not, these challenges are considerable and if the newly appointed individual struggles, organisational performance can suffer.
Conversely if you have worked your way up through the ranks, you will already understand many of these challenges, especially the roles that your various reports have, and how they fit into the wider organisation which does take the edge off any induction period. One, you should already know what your staff know, and two, you should know when they are wrong or dare I say it, trying to have one over on the boss... yes it happens!
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Lets review the challenges any new senior manager has, whether or not they have a background in that particular organisation, they need to understand:
- The mechanics of the organisation
- How the various strands fit together
- The challenges faced by staff
- The people within it
- Policies
- Internal politics
- Structures
- Culture
Although not exhaustive this list does highlight the challenge new leaders have in assimilating large amounts of information in order to become effective. Whether they are an Authentic leader or not, these challenges are considerable and if the newly appointed individual struggles, organisational performance can suffer.
Conversely if you have worked your way up through the ranks, you will already understand many of these challenges, especially the roles that your various reports have, and how they fit into the wider organisation which does take the edge off any induction period. One, you should already know what your staff know, and two, you should know when they are wrong or dare I say it, trying to have one over on the boss... yes it happens!
Arguably the most important issue of all - people promoted from within are more likely to understand the consequences of their decisions on the wider organisation. The knock on effect that changing something, which may on the face of it appears relatively minor could have elsewhere in the organisation. For example you set a new target for someone who is already working at full capacity, they therefore stop doing something else and further down the line in another department thing grind to a halt, sound familiar?
There are of course advantages to bringing someone in from the outside, which are worthy of consideration ie. an external person brings a fresh pair of eyes and a different perspective; they are not bogged down in the ‘we have always done it that way’ mentality; and can offer innovative practices and fresh ideas.
This, however, does not outweigh the challenges, so in an ideal world know matter how good someone is, there must be considerable advantages to both the individual and the organisation if the new appointee has developed from the ground floor up.
Of course we don’t live in an ideal world, so sometimes the only option is to seek new talent from outside. Lets look at the original question from a different perspective. You are the CEO and you know you have to look outside in order to fill a key role. With all the challenges this person will have over an internal candidate, can they really be expected to deliver and be effective relatively soon after they take office?
Much depends on the person’s mindset; they must ‘recognise’ and ‘acknowledge’ the challenges presented by coming into an organisation at a senior level without having done the junior roles. Their ability to assimilate the information identified in the first list of this blog becomes vital. The quickest and most effective way to gather that information is through direct reports and other staff members, at all levels. Therefore ‘relationship building’ is essential, the ability to develop the relationships to the extent where your staff trust you and you trust them is key.
This fits into the Authentic Leadership model, because only genuine people can develop trusting relationships with multiple people quickly and effectively. A coercive, approach would be a disaster, people will withdraw and you won’t know what you need to know until its too late! A passive approach is equally ineffective because you can’t move relationships on without actively engaging people.
The relationship building approach requires time and effort, you need to be:
- Visible
- Approachable
- Honest
- Communicative
- Able to listen well
- Credible
- Respectful
- Caring
- Inclusive
- Personable
Again not an exhaustive list but sufficient to demonstrate the challenge faced.
Few organisations have quality handover periods so it is unlikely the new leader will have the luxury of ‘time’ they will have huge pressures from above and below, so time management becomes a strategic imperative.
The answer then must be along the following lines - it is challenging to bring in an outsider to a senior position. If that person understands the challenges and that the development of relationships is he key to success they may well be able to overcome the disadvantages discussed earlier and add value by bringing in new ideas and practices.
Think of it in terms of a formula one Grand Prix: two different leaders starting at the same time, one is an Authentic style leader the other is not. Who would cross the finish line first, having formed strong working relationships and assimilate the required information as quickly and effectively as possible? And who would be stopping in the pits for assistance and a helping hand because they didn’t know what those around them could have told them?
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