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“Powerful” leaders according to conventional wisdom are those who have enough personal, economic, political or physical strength to influence others. That definition still stands. Yet as we’ve witnessed in the past few weeks, as leaders of all kinds respond to the terrorist attacks in America, this “top-down” model of leadership power in a crisis is changing. Instead, what’s emerging is a more useful “all-inclusive” model of leadership power, in which the best and most astute leaders are realizing that in order to be powerful in times like this, they must also give power away.
The events of Sept. 11, 2001, left many people – and their leaders – feeling vulnerable, perhaps even powerless. That came across clearly in numerous, subsequent conversations I had with senior business and community leaders. Not only did they share the range of emotions coursing through their organizations, but they described actions they had taken in the immediate aftermath of the attack. They had each fulfilled many of the roles expected from powerful leaders; they had assessed safety and security, issued messages of reassurance to their followers, taken immediate steps to protect resources and formed crisis response teams.
But most importantly, these leaders were actively encouraging and simply witnessing incidents of their employees taking back power themselves. Large numbers of employees found ways, within and outside of work, to regain a sense of power, which for many was lost in direct response to the terrorist attacks. That’s tremendously healthy, both for the organization and its individual employees. During this difficult time, leaders are discovering that their employees can accomplish more by being encouraged to channel their energies into activities that give them a sense of power rather than passively waiting for their leaders to prescribe action.
Community Spirit Is Alive and Well
For many leaders, the events of the past few weeks have
generated an unexpected outcome: an outpouring of community spirit
within organizations. E-mails fly fast and furious as employees
counsel and console one another. Offers of financial assistance and
shelter are extended to co-workers barely known. Fundraisers and
prayer groups on behalf of victims sprout spontaneously. All
occurring without specific orders to do so from leaders.
Research in industrial psychology has repeatedly shown that co-workers, in general, have a great need to form connections and community. The response to recent events is evidence of that. The best leaders—those who recognize the need to find creative ways to foster and promote this spirit of connection, family or community in the workplace—are finding ways to empower their employees to continue these activities. As one CEO said, “This has brought us together in a global community and now we need to build on that.”
Other leaders have shared responsibilities for power among their followers by their response to backlash discrimination against certain religious or ethnic groups. Witness President Bush’s remarks acknowledging that “Islam is peace,” and his unspoken expectation that it’s up to all Americans to self-police that statement. Or the reaction of an executive in California who, as he looked out at those gathered for an “all hands” meeting at one of his company’s manufacturing facilities in California, was suddenly acutely aware of the wide range of nationalities represented. He stopped, and observed how much they looked like the membership of the United Nations. And spontaneously said, “I pray that the events of today don’t interfere with the kind of cooperative spirit you have with each other here and the tolerance you show for each other’s ways of life.”
Step Up and Take
Charge—With Help
We know something about the kind of leadership needed in a
crisis. Leaders need to show a command presence, be present and
take decisive action. To the surprise of many, New York Mayor
Rudolph Guiliani is now being held up as a role model for that kind
of leadership. In the past few weeks he has been alternately
realistic, candid, compassionate, action-oriented and decisive. His
power doesn’t just stem from his title
and responsibilities; lately, it’s
come from acknowledging and encouraging the capacity of his fellow
New Yorkers to themselves respond to the crisis.
While we used to believe that effective leadership was only about having the Right Stuff (part of the “top-down” model), we now know that it is also about the interaction between leaders and their followers. For Guiliani, the newfound acclaim he’s received for his effectiveness—and his renewed strength as a leader—stems from his willingness to be a powerful leader and share leadership responsibilities. For all of our criticism of people in leadership roles, people actually do want to be led. And at this moment, people are especially receptive to having someone take charge, particularly if they can assist with finding solutions.
We’ve all heard amazing stories that involved “ordinary” people taking the initiative to help others. One employee, stuck in New York with her co-workers, chartered a bus, rented videos, purchased soft drinks and transported the group across the country to get home. People want to do something! Leaders need to be catalysts for getting people involved in real, meaningful initiatives—and helping them regain their sense of power.
Take the Helm, but Don’t
Give In To the John Wayne Syndrome.
The most common mistake that leaders in crisis make is to push a
strength to such an extreme that it becomes a weakness. They
believe they have to work so hard to do it all, do it now and do it
right that they end up neglecting to take care of themselves. Few
of the CEOs I interviewed had spoken with other CEOs facing the
same issues. Many said to the effect,
“I cannot show my emotions to those
around me; it is my job to be strong so they can regain their sense
of security.” One person said,
“On the surface I walk around and
smile but personally this has rocked me to the
core.”
When leaders admit to their followers their own worries, fears or sadness, they do not lose their credibility or power. On the contrary, evidence suggests that by revealing this “hidden” part of themselves, leaders become more authentic to people and actually gain power in return. Leaders can demonstrate to their followers that feelings and emotions can co-exist with courageous action. It’s possible for leaders to be worried and highly decisive or action-oriented about what they believe is best for their customers and shareholders.
Forget “Business As
Usual”
Following a crisis, many of us have heard the phrase,
“it’s
time to get back to normal.” Another
version of this same statement would be
“business as
usual.” But the phrase is hollow
because it ignores the fact that a profound change has occurred. We
would love to go back to a world which predates Sept. 11, 2001, but
we know we cannot get back to
“business as
usual.” Employees are smart
– they know that the impact and
changes from this event will be far-reaching.
In times of trouble, leaders must be especially careful with their words, because words are so powerful. One executive told me that in an e-mail to employees worldwide he talked about taking care of customers and getting back to business as usual. He really only intended it to convey something about reclaiming productivity. But some employees took the words as patronizing. He quickly got the message that it was more important to be realistic about events. Rather than self-centeredly believing his message was the only correct course, he accepted the reality that others had the power to conceive a better message.
Learning About Power
While we cannot repeal recent events, we can learn from them.
Even difficult events can be great teachers. Think of your
own life experiences. While it is the joyous times that you
remember and cherish, it’s the hard
times that have likely shaped who you are. While most of us
would not actively choose to participate in a crisis or trauma
(especially ones of this magnitude), we need to be prepared for
learning significant lessons about ourselves and about
leadership. Our lessons will be about leadership, shared
power, character and resilience. We all can anticipate
learning new definitions of personal and shared leadership
power. We look forward to learning them with you.