Maybe the Greeks had it right. Sometimes the best powers are the ones used sparingly, covertly, but effectively, and always boldly. Perhaps the New Year will give you the reason you need to start acting more like Zeus and less like Bruce (Willis, to be exact).
Try to find a big-revenue action movie starring Bruce Willis in the lead, where he is asked to simply watch the activities instead of always initiating some type of mega-change. There isn’t such an example on any celluloid or digital print, because Bruce takes charge and people know it from the first frame.
But how about if we consider that in the real world, business leaders can take charge from the edges of the issue, not the center of it. Zeus, known to the ancient Greeks as the “king of the gods,” is usually depicted in two roles: either tossing down thunder and lighting from the skies, or sitting on his throne, observing events on earth below. One portrayal suggests action; the other reflection.
Being a boss means that you hold power over your people. Some of this power is actual – you can hire, fire, and promote them – and some is symbolic – we use titles in business to denote rank, just like in politics or the military.
Actual power means that you control the activities of employees and you have “economic power” over their tasks, pay, hours, and work locations. Symbolic power means they (should) look to you for leadership, in good times and in bad, based on your experience, education, job knowledge, and ability to think creatively and into the future.
Of course, having a title does not automatically mean people will respect you. Having plenty of power and no respect from the employees rarely leads to positive outcomes, especially over the long term (unless you count low morale, retention issues, and vicious behind-your-back gossip as positive outcomes).
Some business owners, managers, and supervisors attempt to demonstrate their leadership by being too involved with the daily operations of their departments or facilities. They work in the business instead of on the business. The difference is crystalline: the former is caught up in the minutiae of day-to-day activities (otherwise known as “firefighting”); the latter is more focused on the strategic direction of the team, department, or organization.
Getting stuck in the tall grass of endless details is not only tiring personally, it’s tiring professionally. In other words, you go home tired and your employees get weary of their boss always riding to the rescue, trying to fix what isn’t really broken, or obsessing over small matters (the background color in draft versions of PowerPoint slides), instead of presiding over big ones.
Take a simple staff meeting for example, and start by asking yourself, “WWZD?” (What Would Zeus Do?) In most cases, he would sit back in his chair, stroke his beard (metaphorically, of course, since having facial hair or being a male is not required to match the model), and watch the process.
When the group gets stuck on some issue, as they invariably do, he would wait to see if they can solve it themselves. If not, then it’s time for a pithy suggestion, perhaps an illustrating story, or an idea that is unusual.
When this unsticks the group, Zeus can lean back again and repeat the process, watching and waiting for the opportunity (if necessary) to provide another useful solution that supports the team by building upon what they have already discussed or attempted.
After the third or fourth pass, where Zeus has said nothing other than the occasional comment that unclogs the creative or operational pipeline, the group members start to turn, almost intuitively, to their male or female Zeuses, to look forward to the forthcoming idea. This is covert leadership at its finest, where the leader knows he or she is respected for his or her ideas as opposed to mere titles on business cards.
Covert leaders don’t assume their people will follow them; they demonstrate why their people can follow them by being present at the meeting, but not ruling it via the thunderbolt. Your people already know you’re in charge of the business, department, team, or them. There is no need to remind them by micro-managing every meeting into an exercise in reverse delegation chaos. “If I want something done right, I’ll do it myself” was not in Zeus’ vocabulary and it shouldn’t be part of your leadership approach either.
The best leaders are the ones who operate covertly, in stealth, and by letting their people function, solve problems single-handedly, or as part of the natural group back-and-forth team processes. You can lead from a distance, and all while being in the same room.
Dr. Steve Albrecht, PHR, CPP, is a San Diego-based consultant and author on HR and security issues. He can be reached at drsteve@drstevealbrecht.com.
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