The forgotten form of leadership

Just a quick one from me this week. I’m in the midst of a sprint –several workshops, offsites and strategy sessions lined up back-to-back. As I write this, it dawns on me how lucky I am to get to work with some pretty amazing teams.

I wanted to share a reflection from the middle of it all. Something that’s really standing out as a theme.

In all the talk about leadership, we sometimes forget that one of the best forms of leadership comes from simply participating. 

Today, I worked with a group of senior leaders. At the beginning of the session, to grab people’s attention, I clapped my hands together and said, “Good morning!” In energetic unison, the entire group of 12 leaders responded, “Good morning!”.  The scene was set. 

In stark contrast, two weeks ago I was working with another group of leaders. But on that occasion, my “Good morning!” was met with a sea of blank faces who seemed to be saying, “Yeah, yeah, get on with it.” 

What separates one group from another? A culture of participation. It was evident throughout the day in both cases.

In cultures of participation, the senior leaders are great participants. They jump into the game. That’s very different from cultures of wait ‘n’ see, where people sit back with their arms crossed, waiting to see what happens. 

In cultures of participation, people choose to make every interaction a great one.

In cultures of wait ‘n’ see, people make that someone else’s job.

I get to work with a lot of different groups, and I’ve learned that cultures of participation bring out the best in people. They get the best debate, the best creativity, the best decision-making and – dare I say it – have the most fun.

What can you do to lead through participation today?

Cheers,
Simon