Incorporate your adversaries.
This issue’s great advice comes from Abraham Lincoln, long considered one of America’s greatest leaders. Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin discussed Lincoln’s leadership acumen in a recent interview published in Harvard Business Review.
Goodwin was adamant: “I can’t emphasize strongly enough… you’ve got to surround yourself with people who can argue with you and question your assumptions. It particularly helps if you can bring in people whose temperaments differ from your own. Lincoln surrounded himself with people, including his rivals, who had strong egos and high ambitions; who felt free to question his authority; and who were unafraid to argue with him.”
But Goodwin raises two important caveats. First, “…the idea is not just to put your rivals in power – the point is that you must choose the best and most able people in the country, for the good of the country.” Second, she reminds us of the inevitable responsibility of leadership to move beyond stalemates of opinion, to be ready to tell the team, “Like it or not, here’s what we’re doing.”
Other leaders heartily agree. James Burke (former CEO of Johnson & Johnson) described his own leadership approach in the same way. He confessed, “My style is to encourage controversy and encourage people to say what they think.” Is that important? Experts believe it is ESSENTIAL! In the February, 2009 issue of Harvard Business Review, author and researcher Sidney Finkelstein identifies leadership bias as one of the most significant factors in executive failure. He shows how leaders too easily follow their biases and blind spots, and why they need to surround themselves with competent, confident leaders who are unafraid to argue and disagree with The Boss.
Hollywood mogul Sam Goldwyn summarized it for all of us: “I don’t want to be surrounded by a bunch of yes-men – I want people to tell me the truth, even if it costs them their job!”
The key: Surround yourself with a team of people who possess a diversity of skills and strengths, and thoughtfully weigh their ideas and input before you make your final decisions.
If you want more great ideas for better leadership and management, check out the previous blogs and stay in touch for new material every week. Our promise to you is to keep providing practical help to equip you for effective leadership and impact.
Until next time… Yours for better leaders and better organizations,
Dr. Jim Dyke – “The Boss Doctor” ™ helping you to BE a better boss and to HAVE a better boss!
