What the Experts Say: Four Things Leaders Can't Give

Four Things Groups Want that Leaders Can't Give — and One They Can Rosabeth Moss Kanter, a professor at Harvard Business School and the author of Confidence and SuperCorp in this excellent article contests that emerging group experiences have predictable dynamics, whether they are new project teams, training and development programs, wilderness experiences, or just people learning new jobs. People form relationships based on first impressions and sometimes-false hopes, find that things haven't gone as imagined, and then struggle through confusion and misunderstanding to create their own positive norms that help them work effectively. The best leaders help people through these stages only to find some common issues popping up — things people seem to want that even the best leaders can't provide. Anticipating these dilemmas makes it easier to resolve them. Here are four desires that are almost impossible to satisfy: Absolutely clear expectations about everything. Expectation-setting sounds good as a leadership principle but is difficult in practice, especially when leaders try to tell people about things they haven't yet encountered and do not yet have the experience to comprehend. No matter how much leaders try to define expectations, lay out the nature of likely events, or describe the steps that the group will be going through, it's not enough. As the work unfolds, leaders are likely to hear, "Why didn't you tell us X, Y, or Z?" Even when leaders pull out the opening memo with X, Y, and Z spelled out in detail, some people deny that they received it. All leaders can do is strive to be thorough, to communicate repeatedly, and to document the flow of events. Perfect certainty about the future. A related demand some groups make is that everything should be known in advance and unfold without variation. Yet, even the best plans, with alternative scenarios and multiple contingencies, still fall prey to unanticipated events. My favorite unfortunate example is the volcanic ash that disrupted Europe in April; who would have built that unlikely event into their project or program plans? But knowing that certainty isn't possible, groups still crave it, especially when the task or situation arouses anxiety. Leaders sometimes feel forced to announce schedules knowing that they could slip or other activities interfere. A better tactic is to acknowledge that there are always unknowns and to offer a different kind of security in the form of regular updates and honest communication about what decisions will be made when. Yes all the time. Leaders are the linchpins linking their groups to the wider organization, marketplace, or community. When leaders do this well, they protect the group from intrusions by the surrounding systems so that the group members can focus on their work. As leaders patrol the boundaries, however, they also need to maintain them. Group members tend to look inward, not seeing the constraints flowing from the wider system. They often push to get more of what they want, regardless. Thus, leaders who want to be highly positive and supportive still find themselves having to say "No." Empowerment doesn't mean stepping aside and abdicating responsibility. Leaders must excercise good judgment about what is appropriate, even if that makes some group members uncomfortable. The ending at the beginning. This wish is an impossible fantasy. When groups finish their tasks or experiences on a highly positive note, members often say that later experiences should have been offered earlier — that they would have been able to do their work even more effectively if things that happened at the end had happened at the beginning. Adjustments are always possible, of course, and smart leaders listen to the feedback. But some of this is just about the effect of time. As groups mature, they are better able to respond to experiences that would have fallen flat at the beginning. These tensions go with the leadership territory. It helps to be aware of them and remain unrattled while working through them. But here's the good news. The one thing groups want that leaders can always provide, with predictably positive results, is TLC — tender loving care. People respond well to a sympathetic ear and frequent communication. Knowing that leaders care about their success can help people let go of the rest. O2ibm Visit this Open Forum