Good Leaders, Part II - Follow the Delegate
Last time we talked about when shit happens, good leaders roll up their sleeves and be ready to jump in to help. Today I’ll talk about one aspect for good leaders at peace time.
What’s peace time? This is when things are humming along, no time crunch, no looming disasters. In the ideal situation, teams should operate in this mode for the majority of the time. Sadly there’s not enough ideal situations in the tech industry, so in reality this is probably a minority. But still, they do exist.
What do great leaders do in such a time?
The typical wisdom is to delegate. The great leaders must have some solid lieutenants that they rely on, and peace time is when the great leaders delegate to the solid lieutenants to drive.
I agree with this, but I’d push for one further step. Great leaders don’t just delegate; they follow the delegate.
What’s the subtle but critical difference between a) “to delegate” and b) “to follow the delegate”?
For someone to be a great leader, they know when to lead, and when not to lead. When they are not leading, they are great followers too. It’s normal for anyone to follow their manager (or other org leaders above them), it’s also common for anyone to follow their peer (or a leader in another sibling org), but it’s exceptional to follow someone’s reports (or other people under their direct command).
For a leader to follow their delegate, it implies this leader demonstrates humble servant style leadership.
To show the contrast, a dictator can delegate, but never follow their delegate; a dictator always illustrates their power in front of their delegates. A dictator’s delegate tends to guess what the dictator wants, and acts on behalf of the dictator. A dictator’s org is more likely to be a stifling environment.
A great leader does not hold such dictating ego; they truly empowers the delegate, by following the delegate’s leadership. A great leader’s delegate can come up with innovative approaches by themselves, and such surprises are welcomed by the great leader. A humble servant leader’s org is more likely to be a prospecting environment.
Is your manager a dictator leader, or a humble servant leader?
P.S., It’s worth calling out that peace time can turn into war time any moment, and the great leader’s mode of operation can change immediately when that happens.