It’s not about you anymore. There might have been a time when it was about you, and either you don’t realize it, or you don’t want to relinquish that feeling that you have. For some of you, it still may be about you, but one day, it won’t. I remember when I first got promoted to become a Branch Manager, I was told at the end of my phone conversation that “it’s not about you anymore, it’s about them.” That was twelve years ago, and I still remember that conversation, because those became words that I still live by today.
I was reminded of this recently when I was talking with one of my former employees who just accepted a Branch Manager position within our bank. This was a position that he’s been wanting for a while now, and he finally had the opportunity to take on the role. I spoke to him about a week afterwards and asked him how he was doing. He asked me for some advice and I repeated to him what I was once told – “it’s not about you anymore, it’s about them.” He knew exactly where I was coming from and he told me he learned that his first day. After we laughed, I then asked him “what kind of manager are you going to be?” Then, there was a long pause.
The point I was trying to make is that we see people striving for promotions, striving for leadership positions, but when they are actually promoted to a leadership role, most of them have no idea what do. It’s important to think about, because leadership positions like this bring power. “People have power, when they have the ability to affect other’s beliefs, attitudes, and courses of action” (Northouse, 2016; pp 10). When you become a leader, you are given power, and that power is to motivate and influence.
When it comes to motivation, there are two types of power: personalized and socialized. Personalized power occurs when individuals have the need of power only because they’re selfish, impulsive, uninhibited, and lacking self-control, and they use this power for their own needs, and not the good of the organization (WC, 2017). These are usually the leader’s followers don’t respected, or care about, because these leaders don’t care about or respect them. Socialized power is expressed in the service of higher goals to others, and it involves self-sacrifice to the team, often empowering the team for feedback and added responsibilities (WC, 2017).
Power can be a way to lead, to influence, to get results. You accomplish these objectives in many different ways. How do you get people to follow you? You can lead by fear (coercive power), or you can lead by example (referent.) People may feel motivated because you reward them prizes or bonuses. Sometimes people must listen to you because they have no other choice. You’re the boss, so they agree, willing or not. This is called legitimate power. I think that we all can admit that we’ve come across this before in our past.
Having power isn’t everything, sometimes you have to use some sort of tactic to help a follower understand the direction that you need them to go, and the direction that they need to realize. Tactics can be a good thing, if done the right way. Something I would always stay away from were such tactics as manipulative or pressure tactics. Making people do what they don’t want to do really doesn’t make sense to me (unless I’m trying to get my daughter to eat vegetables.) I have always preferred to employ tactics like rational, inspirational, and consolation, and have found them to be more effective in the long run. These tactics require logic, planning, and positive conversation and emotions. “When you can put your people’s needs and interests before your own, you will be a more successful leader” (Modglin, 2017).
In a sense, it’s not about you having the power, it’s about them being empowered. Sometimes leaders just don’t have the ability to build relationships, or they don’t know how to adapt. Acknowledge and appreciate, and get to know your people. “The best leaders know their people wholly, and use that knowledge to modify the levers they pull in order to earn more full engagement, and deliver a more meaningful work experience for the people they lead” (Bouck, 2013).
After the long pause on the phone, the newly appointed manager finally said, “Not sure, I just know want to be a good leader for my team.”
References:
Modglin, Amy. (2017). Leadership: It’s Not About You. Forbes.Com. September 27, 2017. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2017/09/20/leadership-its-not-about-you/#49255be15a5a
Bouck, Cory. (2013). The Lens of Leadership: Being the Leader Others Want to Follow. Book Baby. Pennsauken, PA.
Pennsylvania State University, World Campus. (2017). Lesson 7: Power and Influence. Retrieved from: https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1867456/modules/items/22975720
Northouse, Peter. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. 7th Edition. Sage Productions, Inc. Thousand Oaks, CA.
Jodi Rafalko says
Jason.
I read the article you referenced from Forbes, and I really enjoyed the perspective of it’s author. She admits that early in her experiences leading, she thought leading was about her (Modglin, 2017). I also have thought that way in the past as I learned how to lead, and I find it interesting that we even still use the term “leader”. I wish that the term “supporter” was coined instead as the term to define someone at the head of the group, as support is a lot of a leader’s job (Northouse, 2016).
I’m wondering if you agree with some other points in the Forbes article. You talk about coercive power, and it doesn’t seem like you’re either condoning or condemning it, but the Forbes article seems to only be focused on something like servant leadership, where the leader puts all followers interests before their own rather than taking power (Northouse, 2016). Is that always, always the most useful? Or are there times when legitimate or even coercive power is really the best option for a leader to get his or her group to accomplish certain goals? In my opinion, when looking at more simple task functions rather that maintenance, or relationship based functions, there’s a place for authoritative power rather than servant leadership. What do you think?
References
Modglin, Amy. (2017). Leadership: It’s Not About You. Forbes.Com. September 27, 2017. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2017/09/20/leadership-its-not-about-you/#49255be15a5a
Northouse, Peter. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. 7th Edition. Sage Productions, Inc. Thousand Oaks, CA.