INVISIBLE CAPTAINCY: LEADING EVEN WHEN YOU ARE NOT IN THE BOARDROOM
In sport, you never have the opportunity to micromanage a player. You are so busy making sure that you do what you need to do that there is no time to micromanage others. The coach picks a player and then backs him to do his job to the best of his abilities.
I have always done the same in my business. I have an interview with you, and if I think you are the correct person for the job, then I employ you with the full-hearted trust that you will do your job to the best of your ability at all times. Most of the time that strategy works, but for a select few, it was difficult to understand. They wonder: “Why is my boss not checking what time I get to work?” I have always believed that if you are not doing your job properly, I will give you enough rope to catch yourself.
BUILDING A CORE OF ACCOUNTABILITY
What I have also seen in the last 20 years is that if you have a core of good people working in your business, they start holding the other staff members accountable. This is an important stage to reach because the core staff members set the standard they know you would like to maintain.
One thing I realised is that nobody shares your passion for the business that you started, but you can find strong senior management who share your vision and always make calculated decisions with that vision in mind.
STEPPING OUT OF THE ENGINE ROOM
Over the last two years, I have deliberately decided to get out of the engine room (day-to-day operations) and focus more on the strategic vision of who our clients are and why they buy from us. You take these small questions that have a big impact for granted when you start a business, but they become more and more important as you grow.
If and when someone buys my business one day, I will be able to walk away and the business will not be affected at all. Invisible Leadership allows senior staff members to make decisions that take the focus off one person making every call. It is not a lack of leadership, but an opportunity for staff members to take full ownership.
CONFIDENCE: THE KEY INGREDIENT
This ownership often gives staff members the confidence they need; and as you all know, confidence is a key ingredient of success in business, life, and sport. Leading from behind often works better in highly skilled or creative groups that know their jobs inside out and are very confident in their own capabilities.
Gone are the days of having one leader calling all the shots. How often do we see this trend in sport as well? It is not uncommon these days to see two captains in a team. Look at our beloved Springboks as a great example. When Siya Kolisi has done his job on the field, he is substituted by a fresh pair of legs, and then Eben Etzebeth or Pieter-Steph du Toit will take over the captaincy without any hiccups.
How is your leadership structure looking? Are you relying on one individual, or do you have a leadership group?
GET IN TOUCH
If you would like to get in touch with me about my key note presentation, Debunking Motivation, please send an email to corne@cornekrige.com. Visit my website to review my speaker sheet for more info. I also share my story on my social media pages on Facebook and LinkedIn.