What is more important, leadership or teamwork? Leadership or consensus management? Today we hear frequently about teams, team-building, and teamwork on the one hand and management by consensus on the other. Although both teamwork and consensus building are critical skills in a leader, neither are substitutes for capable leadership itself. Instead, both, as commonly practiced in business today, are an over reaction to past autocratic management styles.
What really is leadership? My working definition of leadership is: "Providing the capable oversight, guidance and governance necessary to direct a group a people in the successful attainment of a shared vision." Note that neither the words team nor consensus are mentioned in this definition. This in no manner diminishes the importance of these two criteria for the leader, it merely reflects the reality of what leadership is and is not. Leadership is by nature both action and individual oriented. Leadership is not the function of a committee or even of a group, although the best organizations benefit greatly from having a group of leaders. There is a popular cliché: Leaders like eagles do not flock, you must find them one at a time." Although this sounds catchy, it is not fully true. Leaders do not "flock," but they are not "loners" either.
To return to our initial question ... leadership, teamwork, and consensus are all important, all necessary. In order to have effective teamwork and productive, real consensus (not just everyone waiting for clues as to what the boss thinks before expressing their opinion), the organization must have a firm foundation of capable leadership. I would add, "strong capable leadership," although I know that at hearing the "word" strong, some will immediately equate that to authoritarian or tyrannical rule. However, whether one sees a team of horses in a parade pulling a heavy circus wagon or a string of huskies pulling a dog sled, the lead animal does not dominate the others, but it does provide the essential function of leading the team. After all, someone must lead. Over my thirty plus years of business experience, I have participated in many, many management committees (teams), but in every case the effectiveness of the committee was determined directly by the apparent or de facto leader. There is an old axiom that is very true: "The speed of the leader determines the rate of the pack!" No group outperforms its leadership, at least not for long.
Thus, effective and efficient leadership is provided by individuals, note the plural form of the word, but not individuals working individually. Rather, individuals cooperating in collaboration within a hierarchy. Now "hierarchy" has become another "dirty" word in modern organizational thought. However, the reality is that without some form of hierarchy, we have either chaos or stagnation. Due to the reactionary dismissal of hierarchy by many organizations today, stemming from a decades long disagreeable experience with corporate heavy-handedness, in many quarters no decision whatsoever can be made unless every team member and stakeholder is in unqualified consensus.
Is it any wonder we see such paralysis in the corporate world? Decisions that formerly required days or weeks to gather the necessary facts and reach a conclusion to action, now require months or even years, as the team waits to achieve "buy-in" by all parties, even where the facts point to an obvious and immediate conclusion.
More than twenty years ago, I worked as a director for a corporation in the energy business. We operated with a CEO and seven director level positions, all filled by strong individuals. It was not uncommon for our management meetings to become quite loud as those strong personalities vociferously championed their equally strong views. By the end of these boisterous sessions, we often had reached a natural consensus, but on occasion, we were more divided than when we had begun. In these instances, our CEO would make an executive decision, normally right then and there, based upon the facts as he had heard them forcefully debated.
Not everyone was happy with the outcome of such executive edicts, but we were never unhappy about the fact that he had made a decision, and more importantly, we all got behind his decision to get the job done as quickly and effectively as possible. Our form of reaching consensus in those instances was simple: full and open discussion, sometimes peppered with heated argument; a command decision; acceptance by all! As long as the issues and decisions do not compromise moral or ethical integrity, this remains the most efficient manner for organizations, especially businesses, to advance issues.
It is important to state that not all of the decisions reached in this way were right. Some over the course of time proved to be entirely wrong, as did an equal number of the decisions we reached through consensus of the entire management team. Contrary to popular belief, consensus is not a guarantee of optimal decision making.
This in no way means that good leaders act in a vacuum or as a "majority of one." In fact, just the opposite is true. The reason our management team at the energy company worked together so well was that the CEO, although vested with final decision making authority, was not an autocrat, but rather a consensus builder. Effective leaders understand the value of collaboration, and they actively and continuously seek to develop avenues of collaboration within their organizations. One of the methods by which highly effective and successful leaders encourage and foster collaboration is through building cooperative networks, both within and outside of the organization, but especially within the leader's own management team.
Leadership also requires vision, as I have said in the definition earlier, and vision is based upon aggressive, forward-looking strategy development. However, this too is a problem within our organizational cultures today, especially in America. A recent surveyi of 2,700 CEO's in nine countries reveals that American CEO's spend 22% of their time on strategic issues, 17% on fire-fighting crises, and 10% on work that they admit could be delegated. In contrast, their counterparts around the world are significantly more focused on the strategic issues confronting their businesses.
Today, more than ever before, our organizations need leaders who are flexible as to methods and techniques, but stalwart with regard to ethics, decisiveness, and vision. Such adept leadership will result in a collaborative organizational culture that in turn fosters teamwork and consensus.
Copyright 2005 by John Di Frances
John Di Frances is an internationally recognized organizational legacy expert and professional speaker. www.difrances.com
By definition a leaders leads a team to take action... Read More
It was a time of turmoil. In November 1979, supporters... Read More
The ancient Greeks had a saying: "When Aschines speaks, the... Read More
A Lasting Leadership Lesson: How One Leadership Talk By George... Read More
"The payoff for the ethical person is a reputation for... Read More
latent (adj.) ? Not visible or apparent, but capable of... Read More
The United Nations Conference on Law of the Sea was... Read More
Here's a really simple way to measure the strength of... Read More
Leadership is motivational or it's stumbling in the dark. The... Read More
Many people are interested in the characteristics of a great... Read More
It's been said many times that true leadership is measured... Read More
"Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I'll... Read More
OK, I know this title sounds self-serving and hard nosed,... Read More
Although world business is undergoing historic changes, the prevailing view... Read More
Great leadership is timeless, always in vogue. The world has... Read More
Did you know that there are 7 really effective yet... Read More
Although a meeting is a vehicle for resolving differences, it... Read More
A tight knit team is a group of competent individuals... Read More
Women should not be afraid of or feel guilty about... Read More
"There's only one thing more contagious than a good attitude... Read More
CHAPTER 1 ************ VALUEThose qualities regarded by a person or... Read More
Connect and Engage! Your People Are Your Power.It's been said... Read More
Decades ago, as a rifle platoon commander in the Marines,... Read More
Mentoring is one of the best ways to learn, to... Read More
To excel in business we need conscious command of all... Read More
You've heard of the Peter Principle: "People are promoted to... Read More
Did you ever think that all of the great heroes... Read More
"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working... Read More
Spencer Johnson really hit a nerve when he wrote Who... Read More
What is more important, leadership or teamwork? Leadership or consensus... Read More
... Read More
Anne was a new supervisor, and like many new supervisors... Read More
So you want to be a leader? Or you want... Read More
There is too much learning out there that we earn... Read More
As someone who teaches, manages, parents or influences you'll probably... Read More
When it comes to fishing, my husband takes the lead.... Read More
Who is Randy Gage? I first read about him in... Read More
"Click It" Into Gear!Ever wonder how two people can be... Read More
DESCRIPTION CMOE's Leadership Skill Training addresses a wide range of... Read More
Why talk about leadership?"Leadership is important whether you a leader... Read More
When you first meet someone who is blind, deaf, or... Read More
When we perceive the simple center in the seemingly complex,... Read More
Personal attacks hurt people, mar communication, and end creativity. If... Read More
Last week, as I was standing in the checkout line... Read More
Quality leadership is a positive asset that is needed in... Read More
Did you know that you can successfully handle most leadership... Read More
A little on leadership?Many people enter the leadership world through... Read More
Leadership is motivational or it's stumbling in the dark. The... Read More
The hologram is a three-dimensional photograph made on a flat... Read More
"...And winged hope, with heart of fire, To gain the... Read More
"Dissatisfaction and discouragement are not caused by the absence of... Read More
There is a steady stream being written and taught about... Read More
At your next staff meeting consider leading your team through... Read More
1. The Law of Authoritarian StyleAuthoritarian leaders lead by control... Read More
(Excerpted from the Jim Rohn Sampler single CD)My first mentor,... Read More
Why is it that we often wait until we have... Read More
Before we can effectively lead anyone, we must take an... Read More
Go to any educational institution, look at airport bookshelves, shopping... Read More
"Enflamed with the study of learning and the admiration of... Read More
Chances are if you're interested in this post, you're looking... Read More
"What do you want to be when you grow up?"Remember... Read More
As the 'Great And Powerful Oz' once said to Dorothy,... Read More
Anne was a new supervisor, and like many new supervisors... Read More
The vast majority of leadership training available to managers focuses... Read More
I just delivered a free speech. I am a great... Read More
It happens easily. You're conducting a meeting and suddenly a... Read More
Leadership |