Leaders often feel pressure to make significant, sweeping changes to demonstrate effectiveness in today’s fast-paced world. Yet, what if the secret to impactful leadership isn’t solely in grand gestures but resides in more subtle leadership?
Successfully tackling complex, wicked challenges requires leaders to give up grand gestures and heroics for less flashy, small-scale actions that increase their potential for profound impact.
The Myth of the Hero Leader
The “Great Man” leadership theory posits that leaders are exceptional individuals naturally endowed with the qualities they need to inspire and guide organizations. Their inborn traits enable the heroic gestures that will allow them to shine.
The problem? Evidence for the long-term effectiveness of the hero leader is sorely lacking.
The Allure of the Larger-than-Life Leader
Larger-than-life leaders still have a foothold in many organizational cultures despite considerable research challenging the legitimacy of this model.
The draw of a singular, charismatic leader engaging in grand gestures to save the organization remains strong, most likely due to the model’s simplicity.
The Media Loves Heroes
Hero leaders are often media darlings.
“We live in an age in which image is valued above substance, and illusion above reality,” according to author Fusi Akinkugbe in a recent Business Day article. He attributes this phenomenon primarily to social media.
However, the mainstream media is not immune to celebrity leadership. A quick internet search for names like Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos proves the point!
Colorful portraits in the news reinforce the belief that grand gestures define authentic leadership.
While the hero leader’s charisma can sometimes galvanize the workforce and attract public interest, it can also be a point of vulnerability. For example, the organization’s reputation can suffer if the leader’s actions or statements become controversial. Think Elon Musk.
Heroics Can’t Conquer Complexity
While the myth of the hero leader is still prevalent in popular culture, grand and heroic gestures work best for short-term fixes, and primarily when leaders’ challenges are standard and not complex.
The secret to impactful leadership for complexity lies elsewhere.
Long-term impact in the workplace today resides in more subtle leadership.
Individuals can rarely, if ever, conquer complex challenges alone, no matter how dramatic their actions.
Why Grand Gestures Often Fall Short
The efficacy of heroic leadership has always been a myth. However, this leadership model is downright dangerous in a world where many, if not most, of the challenges we face are wicked problems – those novel dilemmas with many potential causes and possible solutions with associated tradeoffs.
Here are some reasons why danger lurks:
Oversimplification
Leaders engaging in grand gestures risk sending the message that the thorny issue is relatively easy to solve. This misconception can lead to disillusionment and disengagement when team members realize the full complexity of the challenges.
Moreover, large actions often require significant resources and attention, potentially diverting focus from other equally important tasks or more effective, smaller-scale steps.
Grand gestures often look great in quarterly reports and feed the leaders’ egos. However, over-the-top gestures usually do not offer long-term solutions to multifaceted challenges.
Temporary Motivation
Grand gestures can boost enthusiasm in the workplace in the short term. However, charismatic leaders’ solutions may not be sustainable over the long haul.
As the initial excitement fades, momentum flags.
When team members fail to see effective action, disillusionment and disengagement escalate. They can become cynical and skeptical.
Creates a Culture of Dependency
The scale and grandiosity of the hero leader’s moves can intimidate team members, making them less likely to offer smaller, incremental solutions that could be more effective in the long term.
When leaders frame themselves as “saviors” who will fix everything, the culture develops dependency characteristics.
The high stakes in grand gestures can instill a fear of failure within the team. The resulting anxiety can inhibit their willingness to take risks and innovate.
Moreover, the hero leader is unlikely to entertain their input anyway. Thus, the organization misses out on the valuable insights of those at the grassroots level.
Team members become passive, thinking the leader will handle all major problems. This assumption contradicts the idea of collective responsibility and creates an unhealthy dependency on the leader.
The Power of Small Actions
Leaders who engage in less flashy actions can make more significant, long-term progress in addressing complex challenges.
One domain where subtle actions excel is how a leader articulates the issues requiring attention.
Even minor adjustments in framing can set off a chain reaction, encouraging broader participation and more successful resolution of problems and innovative approaches to opportunities.
Here are some examples of small steps leaders can take for significant impact:
Setting the Narrative
Leaders who use positive and inclusive language when discussing complex issues can foster an environment of optimism and collective responsibility. This language can motivate employees to seek solutions actively, no matter how intractable the challenges might appear.
A leader can frame the wicked problems as opportunities rather than burdens. This simple reframe can inspire teams to think creatively and engage in problem-solving willingly.
Using real-life examples or stories to explain the importance of a thorny issue can make it more relatable to employees. This emotional connection can motivate them to act.
Showing Vulnerability
Leaders inspire creative input from team members when they express their belief in the collective intelligence of the team.
When willing to show vulnerability by admitting they don’t have all the answers, they empower employees to contribute their ideas without fear of judgment.
These leaders build trust by being transparent about the challenges and uncertainties in addressing complex problems. Their directness encourages open dialogue and collective problem-solving.
By framing each team member’s role in the context of the larger organizational mission, the leader sets the stage for everyone to find meaning in their daily tasks.
When team members experience their work as meaningful, they are more likely to engage.
Incremental Goals with Feedback Loops
When a leader works with the team to break down complex problems into smaller, manageable milestones, the challenges seem less daunting. This approach helps create a path of incremental progress, making the end goal more achievable in the eyes of the team.
As leaders emphasize the importance of frequent reflection and feedback, continuous improvement becomes the norm.
Indeed, small actions are not just minute details; they’re potent catalysts capable of sparking change far beyond their initial scope.
So, the next time the drumbeat of “go big or go home” echoes in your ears, remember: True leadership might flourish in the nuances—the understated, the straightforward, and the elements often deemed trivial. The most transformative power flows from these subtle gestures.
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