by Jonathan Jones
Jim Collins coined the phrase a “genius with a thousand helpers” in his best-selling book Good to Great. It describes the leader who looks successful, but without him or her, the organization falters. In this situation, the leader controls the organization with an iron will and gets compliance from his people rather than commitment. He hires followers/doers and not leaders. By not developing other leaders, this genius/leader is preparing for potential disaster. The leader does not delegate effectively or at all and ultimately tries to do too much. The leader feels stress from the work and lacks support from his team. At the same time, the management team feels stressed and a lack of support from their leader. This leads to poor quality communication and decision making by everyone. The managers cannot grow and support the leader. Resentment builds between the leaders and his management team, which ultimately leads to the “isolation” of the leader. Which ultimately leads back to the leader not delegating effectively and trying to do too much. Sadly, it becomes a vicious cycle.
To grow an enduring organization, one of the main roles of leadership is to grow and develop the next generation of leaders. They must identify potential leaders who can execute on a vision. The dual role of delegation is to achieve the desired result and to develop a person. When the purpose is to develop future leaders, it gives the person delegated a chance to prove herself. If she is given a clear vision of the desired results and guidance on how to achieve it, she can usually figure out the right path and achieve it. After achieving the desired result and the leader recognizes the achievement, it will build confidence in the new leader.
Growing leaders is the real genius of leadership.
Jonathan Jones (Jonathan.jones@vistagechair.com or 314-608-0783) is a CEO peer group chair/coach for Vistage International.
Submitted 4 years 268 days ago