Zaffyre

F ROM THE HEART OF Z AFFYRE

August 2007

To let go, step back and let others shine across a sky that was previously ours takes humility and a belief in the good of others

Step back and let others shine

by Margot Cairnes

Harry is the managing director of a large global business. He is smart, savvy, politically astute and a high achiever. The people he employs are bright and creative – stars in their own right. Unfortunately, they only shine in their own realm. Harry is so good at doing everything and so keen to have everything done his way, that the brilliance of his people does not reach across the galaxy of the whole company.

But despite this limitation, the calibre of the leaders of Harry's company is so good that the company is still a high performer.

However, the frustration of the leaders below Harry is also high. They know they could do better, they know their ideas (which they rarely even voice to each other or Harry) would take the company from being good to outstanding. The executives feel alone and some of the really stellar performers are thinking of leaving. They are all being approached regularly by headhunters.

Harry misses out on time with his family, feels unsupported by his people (although he knows they care for him and respect him highly) and is achieving far less than is possible.

When we can do something well ourselves it feels dangerous to step back and let someone else do it. They might do it differently. While they are learning, things might go backwards for a while. However, when we as leaders step back and create a vacuum we create space for others to grow..

This is particularly important during times of rapid change, because it is possible that our way, the way that worked in the past, is not the way that will work in the future. With the global reach of companies, how can any one person know all the aspects, cover all the bases and get their head around all the issues? We have to work as a team.

Using a tribal analogy, the leader steps from being the chief of the tribe to being the leader of the nation – all the tribes. This is often the journey from being a "brave leader" to an "elder statesman" or "shaman" – from doing to being, from holding action-oriented power to being the one working the relationships behind a strategy to support the common good.

This transition is about letting go, growing up and learning to trust ourselves and others. It takes great courage which both takes and builds character. To let go, step back and let others shine across a sky that was previously ours takes humility and a belief in the good of others.

None of this suggests that we forgo key performance indicators, strategically designed reward systems or honest discussions around performance. It is just that sometimes we the leaders are the blocks. When this is the case, we often can't see it because we lack self-awareness. It is a catch 22 that those of us, who think we can do it all and don't really delegate, are the very people least likely to get the feedback that would allow us to change.

So perhaps a first step in having your people perform better is taking some time to self-reflect, get some feedback from objective outsiders and ensure that you are creating a space in which others can shine.

Becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable

by Margot Cairnes

Listening to John, a client, recount his recent successes, I was aware that I had heard everything he was saying before. I looked through my files and found a copy of a vision he had expressed six months earlier. What was incredible was that it had come true word for word. Reflecting on what had happened to make this possible, we noticed that John was very open to feedback, to learning and, in his words, "being comfortable with being uncomfortable".

This capacity of being comfortable with being uncomfortable is the mark of a hero. Heroes are people who are prepared to go into the unknown to discover something new, to find the breakthrough solution, to be a pioneer.

Humans are social animals. We like to be part of the crowd. We feel comfortable when we are accepted. This is most likely to happen when we stay with the known, with what others do. It is uncomfortable to stand out, to rock the boat.

Nelson Mandela is often accredited with the following quote from Marianne Williamson: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.” When we dare to be our brilliant selves we shine. When this happens we are frightened that we will be rejected by others.

This is an interesting challenge for leaders. In times of rapid discontinuous change the only way to be safe, as we move forward, is to create the future as we go. This means we will constantly be in unknown territory and shining our own light so that we and others can see the way. This is decidedly uncomfortable.

I have watched many leaders take their organisations to previously unimagined heights. They have done this because they dared to have a dream, dared to be different and dared to be all they were capable of being. In the midst of this process, each and every one of them felt deeply uncomfortable. Each and every one of them questioned their decisions and their wish to keep going. Then I saw each and every one of them recommit to being comfortable with being uncomfortable.

I guess the questions we each need to ask are: What is it that we really want to achieve? Do we have the courage to be different, to leave the known and to shine? When are we going to start?

You might recognise these questions as the storyline of most block busting Hollywood movies. Joe Blow through accident, desire or crises ends up leaving the known. From this place he has a dream. To achieve the dream he risks all.

In risking all he begins to shine. In shining he wins fame, happiness and success (usually the girl) but not before he has felt reviled, abandoned and deeply uncomfortable.

Most of us yearn for the success; fewer of us have the courage to be different, to be uncomfortable and to set out on the journey.

Most of us yearn for success, fewer of us have the courage to be different, to be uncomfortable and to set out on the journey

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