You’re a leader, so you care about everything that is going on in your organization. Inevitably, you’re going to see or hear about something a few layers down that you don’t like.
In fact, you really want it done differently. How can you exercise your leadership through others to get that thing done?
How Most Leaders Create an Epic Fail
Most leaders, myself included, have pulled a knee-jerk reaction by diving in to fix the issue themselves. This kind of response constitutes an Epic Fail of leadership on your part. Here’s why:
When you step around a legitimate layer of leadership in your organization, you have just undermined that person’s authority, influence, and trust. You might as well not even have them in your business. You have just signaled to all of their direct reports that there are two cooks in the kitchen, and your people don’t know which one to listen to.
While their heads swivel back and forth like Agassi fans at Wimbledon, you are losing productivity and sowing confusion.
So how do you avoid the temptation to pull an end-around but still get your objective accomplished?
You have to learn how to lead through others.
Leading Through Others is Astonishingly Simple
There are really only two steps to leading through others:
• Have a conversation with your direct report about what you want.
• Follow up to see what happened.
Seriously. That’s it. Have a conversation and then follow up.
Let’s take a look at the four key ingredients of the secret sauce that makes a good conversation.
1. Create Issue Clarity
The first ingredient of a good “leading through others” conversation is to create clarity around the issue of your concern.
What is it that you want to change? Is it an internal process? Is it the way the receptionist answers the phone? Is it a problem with quality control? Take a moment to consider what is bothering you and condense it to the core issue. Then communicate that, and only that.
In the process of coming to clarity, you may realize that it’s not really a big deal. It could be that you are bordering on micro-managing and need to keep your focus on bigger issues. But if you are convinced that something needs to change further down in the org chart, issue clarity will be essential to ensuring that your message arrives intact.
2. Frame the Approach
One reason leaders go around their managers to address issues directly is because they don’t believe the manager will approach the problem correctly. They are concerned that the manager will be too harsh, too lenient, or emphasize the wrong thing.
If you feel that way, it’s probably an indication that the manager needs more coaching or leadership development. How long are you going to keep doing their job for them? Start now, with the issue at hand, to help them frame the right approach.
I encourage leaders to coach with questions. Instead of barking out exactly how they should do everything, ask them to walk you through the approach they are planning to take to address the issue. That gives you an opportunity to involve them in shaping the most effective approach.
In an effective “leading through others” conversation, you are communicating with a direct report with the expectation that they will exercise their own legitimate leadership role to get something done further down in the org chart.
3. Ask for Their Perspective
When the boss sends a message down the chain, people instinctively anticipate the negative. Employees have learned to expect that a directive from the top is going to create more work, be hard to implement, or be disconnected from a practical understanding of their work.
You have an opportunity here to surprise them in a good way. In your conversation with your direct report, ask them for their perspective on the problem. If it’s negative, help them consider how to see the issue at hand as an opportunity. An opportunity to learn, a chance to make an impact, an opening for being recognized or creating excellence.
[Note to self: It’s also an opportunity for them to demonstrate to you their own capacity to lead through others.]Remember, you are not using your people as a human telephone wire, you are influencing people who influence other people. Influence comes when people believe that you value them—so ask good questions and then elevate them by sharing your perspective.
4. Coach Their Scope of Influence
By honoring the chain of command, you are avoiding a leadership mistake (rather than going around your own managers). But your direct reports could easily make the same mistake you just dodged. They probably have not had access to all of the leadership development you have gone through, so now they need your help to do this right.
If the issue needs to be addressed further down, coach them to think through their own legitimate scope of influence (which is their own direct reports). You want them to reinforce the management role of the people under them. Help them to recognize the way you are following the chain and honoring the communication process. And let them know that you expect the same behavior from them.
Why is this So Important?
When you learn to lead effectively through others, you are reinforcing (rather than undermining) the role of leaders/managers/supervisors throughout your organization.
I constantly hear leaders complaining that their people do not show ownership of their work. But those same leaders steal that ownership away when they go around their people to make changes and address issues directly.
You can’t have it both ways. If you want your people to own their work, you’ve got to honor them in their realm of authority.
You want your people to make good decisions and own the results. But that will never happen if you keep interfering with the structure.Your ultimate goal is to have competent, effective leadership at every level of your company.
Keys to Effective Follow-up
You’ve included all four ingredients for your effective “leading through others” conversation, but your work is not done, yet. You have to follow up.
Yes, it would be great if your one conversation was enough to get the job done, but your culture is not that strong in accountability, yet. Managers quickly learn when leaders are just tossing off another idea or complaint that will never be checked on again. They are too busy to go running after every brilliant brainstorm you ever share in a meeting.
You signal that you are serious when you follow up.
Thankfully, follow up is also ridiculously easy. You have only three questions to ask:
• What did you do?
• What was the result?
• What are you going to do next?
If the issue was resolved, make sure that you recognize the people involved for their efforts. If not, the 3rd question sets the stage for another round of “leading through others.
Leadership is complex and dynamic, so I’m sure that I have not exhausted all the ways of influencing through others. Chime in and share how you have seen leaders effectively project their influence through others.
Follow us LinkedIn to get thoughtful articles on the bridges leaders must build and cross to inspire greater performance.
