Support as a Leader
Jeffrey Deckman, Founder
Capability Accelerators
March 19, 2013
I
recently designed a “Train the Trainer” program for a large organization that
is modernizing their leadership culture. My role is to develop the program and
train the folks at the Director level on the process. They then provide the
training to the managers and supervisors of this 400+ person organization.
The
topic of the most recent program was how become a “Supportive Leader”. The following are
excerpts and nuggets from that training that I hope you will find beneficial
both personally and for your organization.
Defining the
Framework
When designing a professional development program it
is imperative to define the fundamental thinking the training is based upon for the people being trained.
To not do so limits the impact of the training significantly.
The following items define that thinking.
“Support” is
an Organizational Asset
Supporting another is one of the most powerful
relationship and culture building tools we have available to us. A team that has
a supportive culture has a very powerful asset that it can use to achieve goals that
otherwise would be unattainable.
Nothing says that you care about another more than
when you work to support them and their growth. And when one gives support to
another the favor is often returned. Over time this dynamic goes viral in the
organization with people becoming intrinsically motivated to insure it
continues.
Encountering
Well Intentioned Resisters
When working to support another it is possible to
encounter well-intentioned resistance. While some people crave support, others
have difficulty accepting it. The reasons can range from pride to embarrassment
or simply that the person believes one resolves their own issues. Others still
are so self sufficient that they don’t think to ask for help.
When encountering this type of resistance try
nudging around the edges to find a way to offer the type of support that is in
the best interest of everyone involved.
Support Does
Not Always Feel Good
People often associate being supported with
being agreed with or being given a helping hand. But sometimes the best support
one can give is to disagree with someone or to have them address an issue on
their own. It is in times such as these where the leader is supporting another’s
growth instead of their wants.
The Importance
of Communication
When you are supporting another’s growth instead of
their wants, be aware they may feel abandoned because you are not “making their
problem go away”. If these feelings arise and are not addressed, they can create
resentments and damage relationships.
Therefore, it is important you stay tuned in to the
“energy” of the person in question. If you sense a problem arising, be
proactive and explain what you are doing and why you feel the type of support you are lending is
in their best interest.
While you should not abandon actions you feel are in
an individual’s best interest, it is the leader’s job to insure those negative
feelings are picked up on and addressed.
The Ultimate
Goal - Growth
Regardless of the type of support you have chosen to
provide, if what you are doing does not help the person or the team to learn and grow then you are not really supporting them. In fact, “support” that is not
empowering is not support at all. To not empower is to an enabler or to be teaching weakness.
Making it Relevant
The following are some
tips you can use to increase your supportive leadership
skills. Remember: Supportive leaders create supportive cultures and supportive cultures
are resilient cultures.
Understanding Your Role as a Supportive Leader
1. See yourself as a steward,
a “protector” and a coach of your team. Stewards provides provide wisdom.
Protectors provide safety. And Coaches provide challenges.
2.
Be committed to supporting the personal and professional growth and
well being of those around you. Focus upon supporting their long-term needs not
on gaining their short-term approval.
3.
Remember that support could be either giving them a helping hand
or giving them room to fail. (When helping a baby to
learn to walk we often do it by staying out of their reach, but within their
sight and encouraging them.)
4.
Stress that support is always
bi-directional. They cannot expect to get what from others what they don’t give
to others. So make sure you help them to understand that support is a two way
street.
Tips for Leaders to Support their Team Members
1. Understand the individual,
as best you can. We cannot support what we don't understand.
2. Ask questions. I often will
ask a person how it is I might best support them. Why guess when I can simply
ask? I will then do my best to help them in a way that most effective for them.
3. Be as transparent as
possible about your motives and reasoning. Helping them to understand the “why” behind the method of support you are using. Doing so helps eliminates confusion and
reduces frustration.
4. Allow for failures.
Failures and their consequences are like rewards - they are excellent teachers.
Just be certain the size of failure is a bump and not a bomb!
6. Allow for them to express
their individual and collective creativity especially when it comes to problem
solving. Support them in finding and using a style that works for them. What do
you care if they do it differently than you would, as long as you get the
desired result?
7. Teach them independence by “teaching them to fish” as much as
possible. But don’t let them starve if they aren’t catching any.
When an organization’s leaders are supportive of those around them
and are committed to building a Supportive Culture everyone wins.
Morale increases, production increases and, as a result, profits
increase too.
It is a simple formula.
And it always works.
Jeffrey Deckman is the founder of Capability Accelerators and the
developer of The Bigger Know Principles of Leadership. The BKPL is proven
leadership system that replaces traditional command and control leadership
styles with methods that convert entire organizations into vibrant and highly
productive knowledge networks.
