Visionary Leaders are Safe People

Reinventing Sport Leadership - Part 15 of 16

Photo credit - Unsplash

“We become leaders the day we decide to help people grow, not numbers”

(Simon Sinek)

Years ago (it almost feels like another lifetime), I worked in an organisation with a very toxic environment. The environment was extremely hierarchical; and characterised by centralised leadership that encouraged backstabbing, employees selling each other out to senior management, and lack of trust. What I noticed was that those who “sucked up” to senior management, would get preferential treatment such as promotions and then fell out of favour within a couple of years because they were sold out by a new batch of their colleagues. It was unbelievable to watch this phenomenon and how it affected the morale of the organisation, but still, people persisted. I eventually left the organisation because I was always a victim of rumours that I was not loyal. When I asked what the senior management meant when they doubted my loyalty, I quickly learned that there were certain who wanted me to loyal to them, and not to the institution. With a saddened heart, I resigned and took up a new opportunity elsewhere, leaving an organisation that required my expertise (and I was not the only one who left) the most.

I ended up at another organisation with a very different culture. A culture where I felt very safe because I could express myself without looking over my shoulder worrying about whether any of my colleagues were determined to “pull me down.” In the new organisation, I felt my potential being released and my career began to thrive. I truly felt safe to do as I thought was necessary without my boss worrying that I could perhaps be better than him at what my work required. My colleagues also felt the same because, within a very short space of time, our organisation grew to become one of the leaders in sport in South Africa. There was simply a great environment of trust, loyalty (to the institution and community), and transforming energy to do the best for the organisation, main clients, the community, greater South Africa.

The difference between the two organisations was in the leadership of the two organisations from senior to the middle, and lower levels. Here are a few things that empowered me to give of my very best, and to be the best employee I could be:

· I was given an office when I arrived and immediately was presented with the new organisation’s master plan for the next ten years. I was immediately brought on board with the vision of the organisation shared with me to so that I could “buy-into” it.

· I was asked to do things I had never done before in my life or had never heard of. For example, I was asked to write a business plan. When the instruction came, it was the very first time that I heard about a business plan. I had no clue what it was and had to learn about it and present one as expected.

· I could express my thoughts verbally in meetings, and through reports without fear because everyone’s opinion and worth were valued. All of us were seen as professionals who knew our jobs because it was for this reason, and in my case, other traits I was not even aware of for which I was recruited, that I was given the job I did.

· I failed on numerous occasions but knew that I would have another chance (one more) to do the work right. There was no shouting at me for making any mistakes except for a cordial discussion, and occasionally a firm word when my motivation would sometimes slack. By failing I learned to “fail-quickly,” and got to know that “if you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over” (John Wooden). That is, I began to do everything I needed to do thoroughly so that when I received feedback from my line manager or other colleagues, I did not have to re-write a document or report. The use of time well became an important asset in my skills so that I did not drag the organisation back with my tardiness. I was part of a team and got to learn that I was an important cog in the machinery that was starting to deliver an impressive programme.

· I was never second-guessed by my line manager. There was that trust that I am a professional, competent, and knew my job. My boss knew that I would know when to ask for help if I needed it, and this I did when it was called for. It might look like I am painting a perfect organisation where there were no disagreements, conflicts, backstabbing, second-guessing – little bits of toxicity. These and more ills were there but were dealt with openly and quickly so as not to sabotage the vision and mission of the organisation. There are people who did not fit in who left on their own. However, those of us who remained enjoyed the pleasure of seeing the organisation achieve its goals, and individuals bloom in their careers.

The list of great things that told me that there was safety in the organisation is too numerous to share in this article. Suffice to say that I felt safer in this organisation than in the first one I described above. In my perspective, the safe culture in the second organisation boiled down to the leader we had, and the great results we achieved over many years are proof of it.

What then makes for a safe leader? The following are some of the critical aspects of safe leadership that I have experienced, and try to apply myself from day to day:

· Safe leaders are very knowledgeable but do not interfere with the work of their followers. They create an environment in which one can fail or make a mistake and recognise that it is not succeeding that people learn. However, such leaders step up to the plate when failure becomes a habit.

· Safe leaders value their followers’ opinions and consider diverse views when making final decisions. The more diverse the input by followers, the more the safe leader is equipped in making critical decisions about the organisation he/she is building.

· Safe leaders genuinely respect and honour their followers. They remember personal issues such as birthdays, secretaries’ days, a follower’s wellness, and that of his/her family. That is, they are personal while still being professional. For instance, a follower might be struggling with personal issues and because of a safe environment, can still accomplish their work on schedule because the leader is approachable and supportive.

· Safe leaders set achievable but high standards because they negotiate expectations with the followers. In my case, I found myself with a job description that I felt was not adequate and did not express what my job entailed. I was allowed to review it, strengthen it, and make it more relevant to what I was pushing for my roles and responsibilities to become. My boss accepted the reviewed job description because it was well done and set high enough standards and expectations that would contribute better to the organisation achieving its vision and mission.

· Safe leaders are proactive and will notice when things start “getting pear-shaped” in the organisation. That is, they have their “finger on the pulse” all the time and will step in with appropriateness depending on the cause of the drag. They will do so without fear or favour, but with compassion and firmness because they have empathy, understanding of human behaviour, and a dynamic and always changing environment.

· Safe leaders inspire confidence in their followers. This issue might appear as if it is a given in a workplace environment. It is built over time, and the sooner it is entrenched, the better. It is about earning followers’ respect and trust. It involves the leaders being very clear of expectations, being supportive, being firm and holding a higher moral ground at all times.

· Safe leaders have their followers’ “backs.” They provide a “safety net” onto which a follower will fall safely in as a result of failing, lacking the confidence to perform a task, being demoralised, feeling of not being up to a task, inadequate, or ill-equipped. Hence, they mentor and coach, and will find opportunities for the follower to be upskilled. I have recently had to explain to one of my followers that “I have my loyalty to him/her” until proven otherwise. In our discussion, I emphasised the need for us to trust one another so that I can always be there in my supportive role while allowing the follower to carry out his/her responsibilities effectively.

· Safe leaders know their strengths and weaknesses. In other words, they are “jack of trades, master of none” or in its originality, “a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” This means that a leader is a generalist rather than a specialist, however versatile and adept at many things.” This why safe leaders employ people who are better than them at many key performance areas in an organisation. Theirs is to support, mentor, facilitate, encourage, monitor, and evaluate as and when necessary.

· Safe leaders mobilise the whole organisation so that the unique talents of its people are utilised optimally to benefit the organisation, individuals personally and professionally, and all stakeholders.

Safe leaders must promote a sense of respect, trust, belonging so that all followers can feel safe and that they are part of something bigger than each one of them individually. They ensure that individual dreams and aspirations of the followers converge into a focused, hard-hitting, and transforming organisation that caters exceptionally well to the needs of their stakeholders.

“Men (sic) can do a great deal with very little if they have high morale and determination” (General George C. Marshall).