Leaders are almost by definition people who change minds.  —Howard E. Gardner, Leading Minds

There is a lack of trust in senior management, according to a survey by the human-resource firm Watson Wyatt: 

• Only 49 percent of employees have trust and confidence in their senior managers.
• Just 55 percent say senior leaders behave consistently with core values.
• Only 53 percent believe senior management has made the right changes to stay competitive.

Clearly, much is going wrong in the workplace. Some 40 percent of surveyed executives doubt their leaders have credible plans to address the uncertain economic outlook. Certainly, this lack of confidence harms an organisation’s ability to move forward.

In light of these problems, middle managers have unprecedented opportunities to become more proactive by stepping forward and offering course corrections — and they should act with deliberate speed. Good times allow organisations to ride out challenges, but today’s tough financial climate won’t permit a wait-and-see approach.

While senior executives don’t set out to fail, research shows they make several common mistakes:

• 80 percent fail because of ineffective communication skills and practices.
• 79 percent fail because of poor work relationships and interpersonal skills.
• 69 percent fail because of person/job mismatch.
• 61 percent fail because they didn’t clarify direction and performance expectations.
• 56 percent fail because of delegation and empowerment breakdowns.

When strong leadership doesn’t come from above, it’s up to the organisation itself — in particular, the people in the middle — to launch a rescue operation.

What’s Happening

You see a problem. There’s a clear need for action within a certain time frame. You’ve discussed the issues and possible solutions many times with your boss, and she has agreed with your way of thinking. For unexplained reasons, she hasn’t acted or given you the go-ahead. What do you do?

This could be a situation in which you take action and lead your boss. You develop a plan on your own, gather data (both pro and con), suggest a course of action and ask permission to move forward.

In doing so, you’re filling a leadership void through prompt decision-making and follow-through. You’re demonstrating what it takes to “manage upward,” or lead your boss. But you’ll soon discover that you need buy-in from more people, including peers and subordinates. You’ll have to become a leader without authority — an ambassador sans portfolio.

Emerging from the Middle

Those who succeed at leading from the middle are artful, skilled managers who:

• Establish goals
• Plan projects
• Organize people
• Execute projects on time and on budget

To accomplish this, you must rethink what you want to achieve and how you’re going to do it. In essence, you’re not acting for yourself, but for the good of the organisation. This requires initiative, persuasion, influence, courage and persistence.

Perhaps the most crucial element is a large dose of passion. You must care deeply and want to make a difference because such efforts can carry big risks.

“Leading up requires great courage and determination,” says Michael Useem, a professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and author of the seminal book Leading Up: Managing Your Boss So You Both Win. “We might fear how our superior will respond, we might doubt our right to lead up, but we all carry a responsibility to do what we can when it will make a difference.”

3 Questions to Ask

According to John Baldoni, author of Lead Your Boss, managers who lead up demonstrate they’re aware of the bigger picture. They’re ready, willing and able to do whatever it takes to strengthen the organisation and team.

Baldoni urges readers to ask themselves three questions:

1. What does the leader need? The boss is responsible for motivating her people to get things right. Take the time to shift your perspective from your own world view to the priorities and concerns weighing on the mind of your boss. What does she need to do her job better? To help her, you’ll need to think more strategically and act tactically.
2. What does the team need? Teams don’t always pull together because egos get in the way. The boss ends up spending valuable time soothing hurt feelings. What if a team member were to step up into the role of “coach” and help bring everyone together? This would free the boss to focus on bigger issues, and the team would be more productive. 
3. What can I do to help the leader and team succeed? Perhaps you can take on more responsibility or step back and let others rally. Maybe you can sacrifice a personal need that allows the team to conquer a challenge. What will it take to help everyone push ahead? 

When you can answer these questions and formulate an action plan, you’ll have a roadmap for leading your boss in ways that make her look good and the team succeed. You’ll  emerge as a team player who is adept at making the right things happen.

Your ability to lead up is an indication of your potential to become a senior leader. How you demonstrate initiative, overcome obstacles and promote resilience are critical measures of senior leadership. If you influence your boss and convince others to work together, you’ll open the door to future promotions and the chance to lead the entire organisation.

The View from Above

Developing managers who can lead from the middle is a sound management practice that won’t undermine a CEO’s authority. When middle managers take ownership of issues, make decisions and accept accountability for the results, their bosses have the freedom to think and act strategically, without getting bogged down in tactical matters.

This not only creates a stronger organisation in the short run, but it equips emerging leaders for greater challenges and advancement to senior leadership positions. And with flagging confidence in today’s senior leaders, there’s no better time for leadership to come from below.

What’s Needed to Lead Up?

To lead up, you must:

• Establish trust by following through on your commitments; be impeccable with your word; do what you say you’ll do.
• Connect with others authentically and honestly.
• Get out of the spotlight; share the credit with others.
• Demonstrate that you can think and act for the boss by taking initiative and following through.
• Use common sense; think before you act; listen to others.
• Do what’s practical to help the organisation achieve its goals.

You will also need to think and act strategically, which requires creativity and imagination:

• Think critically and strategically.
• Challenge the status quo and conventionality.
• Reframe opportunities.
• Get out of your office or your cubicle and be seen.
• Turn information into knowledge.
• Deal with ambiguity and uncertainty.

Assertive Diplomacy

Taking initiative requires assertiveness, confidence and decisiveness. Effective leaders radiate power and seem to be in total control.

But too much assertiveness (i.e., aggressiveness) drives people away, discourages collaboration and causes people to resist your influence.

Assertiveness, by definition, is the outcome of acting like a leader; that is, it gives people a reason to believe in your abilities to decide, act and lead others.

Managers on the way up want to ensure they’re seen as “assertive enough.” Those at or near the top are often advised to be “less assertive.” In truth, there’s a special kind of assertiveness that is just right — a quiet confidence and power that Baldoni calls “reflective assertiveness.” It emerges from experiences, including one’s trials and triumphs. It requires both humility and resilience.

To cultivate reflective assertiveness, you must:

1. Listen first. A leader’s ability to listen signals that she values others’ ideas and input.
2. Ask what people think.  Some employees can be reluctant to offer their input.   Di Worrall in A Climate for Change, asserts that by going out of her way to encourage employee views, a leader demonstrates the fine balance between humility and assertiveness that encourages collaboration and greatly enhances trust.  
3. Keep it low. People know where power lies. You don’t need to advertise it. If you model quiet power, you can remain calm when tempers fly.
4. Act decisively. The payoff to reflective assertiveness is decisiveness. You demonstrate strength by acting confidently. Even if you need some time to think before taking action, you can keep people informed about how the decision-making process is progressing.

Challenge Ideas, Not People

It takes gumption to challenge assumptions and the status quo. Middle managers must care enough to shake things up, and they’re in a perfect position to see what doesn’t work.

Those who resist your ideas will undoubtedly outnumber your supporters at first, but persistence pays off. Begin by challenging “the way we’ve always done it.” You must be willing to rethink options. Only then can you create new possibilities and solutions.

At the same time, you may find it uncomfortable to challenge those in authority. It’s a natural feeling. The trick is to challenge assumptions, not the individuals in positions of power. Focus on ideas, not personalities.

Push Back

Not all bosses want to be led. Some fear their authority will be undermined. Others are so insecure that leadership from below is a threat that must be stamped out at all cost.

These obstacles shouldn’t prevent you from trying to lead your boss, when appropriate. Observe the following guidelines:

• Stick with the facts. Management is rooted in valid data, so build your arguments with fact-based evidence. Make sure your research is on point, and dig to find other points of view so you can counter them.
• Ask others to challenge your premise. Before presenting your ideas to your boss, find people who can play devil’s advocate and explore your assumptions. They will either disprove your premise and prompt you to rethink your course of action, or they will validate your path and boost your confidence.
• Don’t confuse causation with correlation. Just because there’s a link between two issues doesn’t mean one provoked the other.

Dealing with a Jerk Boss

In some cases, all of the best data in the world won’t convince your boss that you’re right. If he’s a jerk, he’s probably insecure. He acts tough because he’s afraid of losing his job and control over others.

Jerk bosses cannot be reasoned with, so don’t even try. Remember that you always have a choice: You can roll over, fight back or leave. Choose wisely.

Bounce Back

Ultimately, what really matters is how we recover when things don’t go our way. Resilience gives you the strength you need when faced with rejection.

Review these points:

• What happened?
• What could I have done better?
• What did I learn?

The resilience to bounce back from a raw deal distinguishes those who succeed from those who become stuck, bitter and angry. It’s important for you to remain focused on goals and engaged in the process of fulfilling them.

True leaders will step up to the plate, regardless of where they fall on the organisational food chain. They see a need and are driven to find solutions. When they distrust their senior leaders, they spot opportunities to step in, lead up and prove their value.

Never give up on your dreams, and continue your pursuit of making a difference.

D Worrall (2010)

References:

Baldoni, J. (2009) Lead Your Boss: The Subtle Art of Managing Up. AMACOM.

Gardner, H.E. (1996 ) Leading Minds: An Anatomy of Leadership. Basic Books.

Useem, M (2003)  Leading Up: Managing Your Boss So You Both Win. Three Rivers Press.

Watson Wyatt WorkUSA® 2006/2007 Survey

Worrall, D (2009) A Climate for Change, Life Success Publishing.

For more articles like this to boost your confidence and skills to make change happen, subscribe to the free newsletter  for leaders of change at:   www.humanresourceschange.com.au/change-management.html

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 We’re also reminded of the impact these events are having on domestic pets, livestock and the local wildlife population. Losses which cannot be calculated. But amongst all this, are stories of hope and inspiration – take this wild koala.  

 Koalas are relatively shy and retiring, rarely venturing by choice into human populations by day, let alone interact with them. In fact they can be highly aggressive and dangerous if disturbed or cornered.  Yet, in the face of unrivalled heat,  this koala’s survival instinct led it onto the verandah of a house to seek water. It overcame its natural aversion to humans, accepted their water, had a bath in it and posed for a photo.

What do we do when our back is against the wall in hard business or economic times? Just sit back and wait for our boss, our union, our government, or our bank to do something about it? Or are we dissatisfied enough to rattle our own comfort zone, make a change and try something a little or a lot different, before we get past the point of no return. 

Why not improve your personal resilience to change by trying something different – Learn something new at a free seminar, network face to face with new people, ask someone you know for help, look through the on-line job sites, book an appointment with a career coach,  try temping instead of permanent work, get to know how Linked In, Plaxo or Facebook can expand your networks.

You might want to try something different to improve the resilience of your business to change – control costs by cutting back on excessive policies or eliminating unproductive product lines. Look to your supply chain for partnerships and deals or improve your skills in managing uncertainty by attending a seminar, buying a book, listening to an expert.

You never know, there might be the hand of help or a door of opportunity just waiting for you to open. But only if you take the first step.     

Di Worrall is an author, social commentator and change management consultant. For a FREE subscription to the newsletter – Creating a Climate for Change click on the following website  http://www.worrallassociates.com.au/

Get a FREE chapter of Di’s new book – A Climate for Change on

http://www.aclimateforchangebook.com/

There are exceptions of course to the mood – Christmas car parking rage and the recent spate of thefts of money from banks and automatic tellers, of presents from under Christmas trees, and of Christmas lighting from our homes.

Another exception to the spirit of generosity is the harrowing story of my sister’s Christmas day experience.  A much loved family pet – her 14 year old black and white cat Toby was cornered and mauled by a pack of dogs in her front yard. Reported as husky-type dogs, they belong to a neighbour who moved into her street several doors down earlier that week. It was several days before the cat was found deceased from its wounds.

…The neighbour was approached by this loss and demonstrated no concern. 

My sister woke at dawn the morning after this bereavement to the same unrestrained, unmuzzled pack of four dogs at her back door attempting to break through into the house through the cat flap where her two remaining cats were hiding in terror. At her own risk, my sister drove the dogs out of her property and onto the street where she found the same neighbour waiting.

…The neighbour showed no concern about what had just occurred.

Further, the neighbour had chosen the cover of dawn to wander up and down the street disposing of her rubbish in neighbours bins as she had no further room in her own bin.  Further reports come in that the unrestrained dogs were attempting to enter the property of another neighbour whose small dog was cowering in their backyard. The police and local council were called.

…The neighbour showed no concern .

After exhausting the space in her the neighbours bins, the neighbour lit a bonfire in her backyard, complete with a mattress which produced a black, suffocating smoke across her neighbours yards. This time the fire brigade were called.

… Again, the neighbour could not understand what all the fuss was about. 

All of this occuring in the space of under a week.

Are these the actions of someone who is deliberately malevolent? Or is it a gross example of ignorance? An extreme case of someone who lives with the absence of empathy? Some of us do have this characteristic – a near complete inability to comprehend the consequences of our action or inaction on those around us.     

Many of us have new year’s resolutions. It’s a time to reflect on the past year and think about goal-setting for the coming year. While it’s great to have really big goals and dreams, what about the small ones? What a difference we could make if each of us took the resolution to consider – if only once – how our actions or comments might affect someone else and:

• Hold our road rage in just once
• Stand up in the bus or train for someone who looks like they need the seat more than us
• Say hi to that neighbour we’ve never spoken to, next time we see them
• Go out of our way to give a someone a compliment
• Not park in that disabled spot
• Think twice before firing a staff member in 2009 due to “poor economic conditions”.

It’s like that movie with Gwyneth Paltrow - Sliding doors. Our life is a consequence of the decisions we make and the paths we take. What could happen if we made a conscious decision to refrain from our own interests, and instead Love Thy Neighbour in 2009 by speaking or acting in a way which has a positive effect  (or prevents a negative effect) on someone else – if only just once.

Di Worrall is an author, social commentator and change management consultant. For a FREE subscription to the newsletter – Creating a Climate for Change click on the following website  http://www.worrallassociates.com.au/

Get a FREE chapter of Di’s new book – A Climate for Change on

http://www.aclimateforchangebook.com/