Uncommon Leaders- Break From The Herd
When I use the phrase Low Maintenance Team, the most common response is, “I wish I had one of those.” The more I hear that phrase the more I realize Low Maintenance Teams (LMTs) are not common.
There is a path I developed that allowed me to build my Low Maintenance Teams. I know I was not the brightest of my peers, but my teams were not the norm. In fact, no matter whom I talk to about LMT’s, I realize many leaders are not sure where to start.
Break From The Herd!
I know it is not a lack of information on how to lead. Amazon and Barnes & Noble have hundreds of books on leadership and team building. There are consultants that are much smarter than I am, training organizations and individuals. Many are good and are teaching people great lessons. Even the bad ones have a pearl of leadership wisdom we can learn from.
But even with all this information available where is the change? Why does all the money spent on books and training seminars seem to have such inconsistent impact?
I believe it is the herd mentality. Leaders follow other leaders’ examples, to both the benefit or to the detriment of their teams.
Breaking From The Herd
Early in my leadership career in Corporate America, I followed the herd. I did what others did. I remember watching my sales manager lead a certain way,and I emulated what he had done. Unfortunately by following what was commonly done, my teams consistently had very common results.
Like many people, being common was never one of my goals growing up. I came to the realization that I needed to change. If I wanted to be an uncommon leader, I needed to do things that the herd was not doing.
I began proactively undoing my leadership style. I began to implement changes inside my team and inside myself that were not normal. Some of them worked great and some did not. But I had made a commitment to be an uncommon leader. The status quo was no longer an option for me. I had to unlearn my old tricks and learn new ones.
Perhaps the biggest lesson that I wish to share with the leaders who have read this far is:
“The quickest way to change the fortunes of a team is for the leader to change.”
One of my past blogs discusses the changes a leader needs to make in order to be uncommon.
To Lead A Low Maintenance Team- You Must Surrender Self
The Bottom Line:
The thing that often prevents leaders from breaking from the herd is fear. As a leader, I owe it to my team to not allow my fear of failure to allow us to stagnate.
There may be protection in a herd, but herds have been known to run head first off a cliff as well. As a leader, it is my duty to keep my head up and look around.
If I want to have be an uncommon leader and lead a Low Maintenance Team that has uncommon results, I must break from the herd.
Question:
What is one way you can break from the herd mentality where you work?
Why would anyone that claims to be a leader want a low maintenance team?
Leadership is the ability to inspire other, drive results and performance, make the individuals and teams better than they thought they could be and challenge the status quo.
Everything else is management and can become boring for a true leader.
Once a team becomes low maintenance, it is time for a good leader to hand over the rains, maybe to somebody with less experience, and to move on to the next challenge.
I agree with you on every point about what leadership is. I also believe that the mark of a good leader is what happens when they are not around.
The fact that the leader has inspired others, has driven results and performance and has focused on making the individuals better- results in the team being a low maintenance team.
Once the team is operating as an LMT, the leader is able to focus on vision and strategy without spending time managing the day to day.
Here is a list from my first blog on LMT’s–
Low Maintenance Team (LMT) Leaders do a few things differently:
LMT Leaders-give away power and decision-making.
LMT Leaders- hire low maintenance people.
LMT Leaders- create a culture that requires initiative and accountability.
LMT Leaders- create processes that make the team run efficiently.
LMT Leaders- expect growth and train for growth continuously.
I think we are pretty closely aligned on our positions. Thanks for the comments.
A link to my first post on Low Maintenance Teams:
https://www.andersonleadershipsolutions.com/leaders-all-want-to-lead-low-maintenance-teams/