The Biggest Leadership Mistake I Made
How the Pyramid Effect Impacts Leadership
I had been promoted to “people leader” and I was finally making my mark after years of hard work, delivering results and proving myself. This was a great milestone for me.
But it may have been a nightmare for the people I was “leading”.
I did so many things wrong in this first leadership role:
I was extremely task oriented, focusing on what had to be done not on the how
I struggled to have the hard conversations related to managing performance or conflict
I was easily frustrated when work wasn’t delivered “my way” or when I had to explain myself multiple times
I gave plenty of advice and I didn’t listen nearly enough.
Why Did I Fail?
My biggest leadership failure came from assuming a leadership definition based on the hierarchical organisational structure — the traditional pyramid.
This pyramid structure has been around since the early 1900’s when it became necessary to manage increasingly complex businesses. Led by some great minds of the time, its development revolutionised how work was done. The pyramid defined directed efficiency, productivity, division of labour, chain of command and command-and-control.
Those higher up in the structure have more power, control, authority, knowledge, and total decision-making rights. And those lower down are there to get the work done.
While efficient in its time, this structure can lead to ineffective leadership especially in today’s world. My first leadership style reflected this where I defined being a leader as being in charge, making decisions, ensuring compliance, and getting the work done that I had been told to do.
Not very inspiring, is it?
(Re)Defining Leadership Requires a Different Paradigm
This limited leadership definition exists in much of the leadership execution today despite the plethora of available frameworks and research.
Why does this happen? Why are contemporary insights, research, frameworks, and knowledge not being consistently applied at all levels of leadership?
I believe that there are 2 main reasons:
Inadequate preparation of frontline leaders
The pyramid effect
Inadequate Leadership Preparation
Most of the training I received before becoming a leader was related to control and compliance — why and what. Very little emphasis was placed on how to lead. The underlying assumption is that by taking on a leadership title people will know how to lead.
The Pyramid Effect: The Fundamental Leadership Mindset Shift
What I failed to understand then is that the pyramid may define reporting structures but should not define leadership actions or success metrics. To be an effective leader, I should have inverted the pyramid. From this perspective, the true role of leadership becomes apparent.
Image: authors own
How you view the pyramid will directly impact how you lead — the Pyramid Effect.
How this Mindset Impacts Leadership
When viewed in the inverted instance, the leadership mindset is altered. This altered mindset begins in same place as traditional leadership perspective. It starts with clarity of purpose and vision and inspiring employees to embrace these strategic elements.
From this point on the leadership mindset diverges from the implications of the bureaucratic pyramid.
In a traditional pyramid, each layer below serves the layer above. There is a corresponding lack of agility and decisions are made far away from where a lot of the work and the bulk of the customer interface reside.
In the inverted view, each level of leadership supports the level above it. The responsibility of leadership is to support frontline employees through setting them up for success. Here the the leaders’ role is to meet the needs of the employees in service of getting work done.
In a departure from more traditional leadership styles, this means empowering employees to:
Set aligned targets and objectives
Make decisions, have relevant control, and take accountability
Propose solutions and improvements
By embracing this leadership paradigm, you will enable:
A focus on collaborative success versus individual glory
Broad participation that creates more robust, innovative solutions that support strategic business priorities
Increased flexibility and agility with the proactive removal barriers or obstacles
Perhaps most importantly, viewed this way, leadership behaviours embody the prioritisation of the intellectual capital within the business.
This prioritisation drives true engagement, participation, and fulfilment for employees who will know that they are doing work that matters in an environment where their knowledge and abilities are valued.
Preparing Frontline Leaders for the Mindset Shift
True leadership strength lies in the mindset of knowing that you do not lead a business, you lead people, and that work is managed while people are led. This requires a diverse skill set such as mentoring, coaching, conflict management and real performance management. These are the power skills that will transform your leadership journey.
Looking back now I was wholly unprepared for my first leadership role.
Here are some things that would have helped me at the start of my journey:
Leadership training: focusing on defining leadership vision, building trust, providing role clarity, providing feedback; performance management and conflict management
Mentoring: senior leaders sharing their experience and expertise
Coaching: define and achieve leadership goals through heightened self-awareness
What are you doing in your business to ensure that your frontline leaders are better prepared to lead your business?
#leadership #leadershipmindset #businesssuccess #coaching
