Being The Head Of Your Team, Not Its Toenail

There’s a thing about leading a team.
Whether that team is three people or 30,000, it still applies.
You can be the head of that team. And what is a head? Nothing short of a vital, connected component.
Or you can be something else, like a toenail clipping.
Superficially related to the body it came from, but not really on the same page.
Or even the same room.
A toenail can pretend to be part of a person, while rotting in a landfill on the other side of the planet.
That might be a gross metaphor but it’s appropriate, given how in the dark that nail must be.
I stand by it.
Which is not what great leaders do with their people. They don’t stand ‘by’ them – they stand with them.
If you’re confused why the organisation isn’t embracing change, this might be why.
Sometimes, leaders come up with these great plans. And they might genuinely be great. They may have researched deeply, consulted widely, climbed the highest mountain to ask the highest oracle…
They reveal it in a big flourish, rightly proud of what they’ve created.
Then the employees look at each other and wonder, where on earth did that come from?
This is what I mean by standing together.
Your employees are as much strategic leaders as you are. Collectively, they know more about the organisation than you do. Partly because there’s more of them, partly because they live it in a different way.
You can’t design a plan without them.
Even if you do and even if it’s amazing, no one embraces change by having it imposed on them.
People follow change when they create it.
Or when people like them create it.
When it’s handed down from the heavens as divine wisdom, that’s a little harder to swallow. Save that for Moses – you have an organisation to lead.
Sometimes that means making the tough (and unpopular) decisions.
But it always involves communication and consultation.
And the bigger the decision, the more of this you need to do. It’s a valuable source of evidence and ideas – more than that, it’s a valuable source of support.
People follow leaders when they feel heard.
Even in China – about as antidemocratic as you can get – leaders make a show of consulting with the people, before no doubt doing what they always intended.
Now, maybe China isn’t the best role model.
Especially if you want creative employees who are happy to challenge your ideas.
But even that government, with its obsession with control, is willing to at least hear people out.
Are you doing at least that as well?

The best way to enhance your organisation is with the ultimate advantage: trust.
But how do you measure something like that, let alone improve it?
Especially if your workforce is stretched thin, cynical and burned out on change?
There are simple, effective and proven strategies you can begin implementing today. I know you can unlock the creativity, productivity and joy of your employees.
Learn how today with my free white paper and all the resources you need to launch your own trust-based change initiative:
https://battenandking.com/advantage

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