Effective Leaders are Facilitators by Dr. Marshall Goldsmith
The leader as facilitator. More and more the role of leadership is changing. If you look at the history of the leader, the history of the leader is the leader is an expert, the leader knows what they're doing, the leader knows more than the direct reports. The leader is supposed to tell them what to do and how to do it. The followers are supposed to listen and learn from the leader. That was yesterday, not tomorrow.
More and more, leaders manage people called knowledge workers. Now what is a definition of a knowledge worker? They know more about what they're doing than their boss does. Well, if I'm managing people who know more about what they're doing than I do I can't just tell them what to do and how to do it. I have to ask, I have to listen, I have to learn. I have to be a facilitator.
Let me give you an example of one of the greatest leaders I've ever met who is a perfect role model for this. His name, Alan Mulally. My friend Alan was the CEO of the Ford Motor Company for eight years. The stock went from one dollar to $18.40. He was CEO of the year in the United States. He left the company (a UAW company, they don't always love CEOs) with a 97% approval rating. He was the most beloved leader in the entire United States, an amazing, amazing man. He does stuff with me now. He's a great leader, and he's an even better human being.
So Alan goes to Ford. I want you to imagine, it's a company that's losing 17 billion, billion with a B, dollars. He challenges each leader, "Give me your top five priorities, red, yellow, green. Green, on plan. Yellow, I'm not on plan, have a strategy to get there. And red, I'm not on plan, I have no strategy." Company's losing 17 billion dollars. 16 leaders, five priorities, 80 priorities.
The first meeting, 80 green. Everything is green. Alan says, "Well, we're losing 17 billion dollars and everyone is on plan. I guess our plan must be to lose at least 17 billion, cause that's right there where we're headed. Unfortunately we're going bankrupt. We can't do this very long. Do it again." Finally, one of the leaders says, "Red. I'm not on plan. I don't know how to get there." My friend Alan stands up and applauds. He says, "Thank for having the courage to say red. I really appreciate you having the transparency, the courage to say red."
Then Alan said something I've almost never heard a leader say before. He said, "You know, you're not on plan, you don't know how to get there, you're kind of lost. I can't give you the answer. I don't know how to solve your problems. Why don't we work together as a team, get everyone involved and find some people that really can help you and get those people with the knowledge, no matter what level they are in the organization, to help you." According to Alan, within a few minutes the problem was solved.
How many leaders have the courage to say, "You're lost and I'm more lost? Why don't we find somebody, maybe a first line supervisor, who can solve the problem. Let's just solve the problem. This isn't an ego contest." Well, more and more the leader of the future is a facilitator.
I'm a great believer in situational leadership. I worked with a developer of situational leadership. Paul Hersey was my mentor for years. Situational leadership says the leadership style should fit the readiness of the follower. So for example, if a person needs direction the leader gives them a directive style, if they need coaching, a coaching style, if they need supporting, the supporting style, if you can delegate, a delegating style. The model is often based on a premise though that the leader knows more than the follower. This kind of falls apart when the leader doesn't know more than the follower.
So in this case, let's say Alan is managing this person and the person says, "I'm at readiness level two," which means I want to learn, I need to learn, I need help, I need coaching. Alan says, "I don't know enough to provide coaching." The leader then becomes a facilitator, a mobilizer. Let's find someone else who can give you the coaching you need, and not being so egotistical as to think I, as a leader, can provide you this coaching. I don't know enough to provide you the coaching and it's okay. It's okay.
More and more the leader of the future is gonna manage knowledge workers. The leader is gonna be a facilitator, someone who helps people find what they need, not a know it all who gives people what they need. And more and more, if leaders have the courage to stand up and admit what they don't know, life is gonna be much better.
Finally, I was a coach of J.P. Garnier, CEO of GlaxoSmithKlein. I said, "What did you learn about leadership as the CEO of GSK?" He said, "I learned a hard lesson. My suggestions become orders. If they're smart, they're orders. Stupid, they're orders. Want them to be orders, they are, and if I don't they're orders anyway. My suggestions become orders."
Think about Alan Mulally in this case. That person said, "Red." And Alan said, "Have you thought of ..." what would have happened?" That suggestion would have become an order. "Yes sir." They run out and do some stupid thing, Alan's not an expert and they have no commitment because it's the CEO's idea.
It takes a whole lot of discipline, and honesty, and transparency as a leader to stop and breathe. When a person needs help, fight that urge to provide the help yourself and have the courage to sometimes say, "You know what? You need coaching, and I don't know enough to provide it. I'm gonna work with you to help you get the help you need, and it doesn't matter from where. I'm a facilitator who's helping you. I'm not a know it all."
More and more, leaders manage people called knowledge workers. Now what is a definition of a knowledge worker? They know more about what they're doing than their boss does. Well, if I'm managing people who know more about what they're doing than I do I can't just tell them what to do and how to do it. I have to ask, I have to listen, I have to learn. I have to be a facilitator.
Let me give you an example of one of the greatest leaders I've ever met who is a perfect role model for this. His name, Alan Mulally. My friend Alan was the CEO of the Ford Motor Company for eight years. The stock went from one dollar to $18.40. He was CEO of the year in the United States. He left the company (a UAW company, they don't always love CEOs) with a 97% approval rating. He was the most beloved leader in the entire United States, an amazing, amazing man. He does stuff with me now. He's a great leader, and he's an even better human being.
So Alan goes to Ford. I want you to imagine, it's a company that's losing 17 billion, billion with a B, dollars. He challenges each leader, "Give me your top five priorities, red, yellow, green. Green, on plan. Yellow, I'm not on plan, have a strategy to get there. And red, I'm not on plan, I have no strategy." Company's losing 17 billion dollars. 16 leaders, five priorities, 80 priorities.
The first meeting, 80 green. Everything is green. Alan says, "Well, we're losing 17 billion dollars and everyone is on plan. I guess our plan must be to lose at least 17 billion, cause that's right there where we're headed. Unfortunately we're going bankrupt. We can't do this very long. Do it again." Finally, one of the leaders says, "Red. I'm not on plan. I don't know how to get there." My friend Alan stands up and applauds. He says, "Thank for having the courage to say red. I really appreciate you having the transparency, the courage to say red."
Then Alan said something I've almost never heard a leader say before. He said, "You know, you're not on plan, you don't know how to get there, you're kind of lost. I can't give you the answer. I don't know how to solve your problems. Why don't we work together as a team, get everyone involved and find some people that really can help you and get those people with the knowledge, no matter what level they are in the organization, to help you." According to Alan, within a few minutes the problem was solved.
How many leaders have the courage to say, "You're lost and I'm more lost? Why don't we find somebody, maybe a first line supervisor, who can solve the problem. Let's just solve the problem. This isn't an ego contest." Well, more and more the leader of the future is a facilitator.
I'm a great believer in situational leadership. I worked with a developer of situational leadership. Paul Hersey was my mentor for years. Situational leadership says the leadership style should fit the readiness of the follower. So for example, if a person needs direction the leader gives them a directive style, if they need coaching, a coaching style, if they need supporting, the supporting style, if you can delegate, a delegating style. The model is often based on a premise though that the leader knows more than the follower. This kind of falls apart when the leader doesn't know more than the follower.
So in this case, let's say Alan is managing this person and the person says, "I'm at readiness level two," which means I want to learn, I need to learn, I need help, I need coaching. Alan says, "I don't know enough to provide coaching." The leader then becomes a facilitator, a mobilizer. Let's find someone else who can give you the coaching you need, and not being so egotistical as to think I, as a leader, can provide you this coaching. I don't know enough to provide you the coaching and it's okay. It's okay.
More and more the leader of the future is gonna manage knowledge workers. The leader is gonna be a facilitator, someone who helps people find what they need, not a know it all who gives people what they need. And more and more, if leaders have the courage to stand up and admit what they don't know, life is gonna be much better.
Finally, I was a coach of J.P. Garnier, CEO of GlaxoSmithKlein. I said, "What did you learn about leadership as the CEO of GSK?" He said, "I learned a hard lesson. My suggestions become orders. If they're smart, they're orders. Stupid, they're orders. Want them to be orders, they are, and if I don't they're orders anyway. My suggestions become orders."
Think about Alan Mulally in this case. That person said, "Red." And Alan said, "Have you thought of ..." what would have happened?" That suggestion would have become an order. "Yes sir." They run out and do some stupid thing, Alan's not an expert and they have no commitment because it's the CEO's idea.
It takes a whole lot of discipline, and honesty, and transparency as a leader to stop and breathe. When a person needs help, fight that urge to provide the help yourself and have the courage to sometimes say, "You know what? You need coaching, and I don't know enough to provide it. I'm gonna work with you to help you get the help you need, and it doesn't matter from where. I'm a facilitator who's helping you. I'm not a know it all."
