Often, I write in this space about CEP’s research, our work with foundations, or my thoughts on the nonprofit sector more broadly. But, today, I want to reflect instead on one of my own challenges as a leader of a nonprofit with 33 incredibly smart, committed staff.
I’ll be clear at the outset – I don’t have the answers on this one, far from it. And, quite frankly, I’d love advice from readers of the CEP Blog.
My challenge is this: how to get the best out of people by encouraging them to feel comfortable to speak up while simultaneously fostering a culture in which people constantly challenge each other in order to get to the best solutions.
To me, it often feels hard to figure out how to do both at once.
I think most of us have been in situations where we know the best ideas and insights are not being heard. The discussion is shut down. Opportunities for improvement or innovation are lost. Staff members sitting around a meeting table are holding their tongues, feeling “silenced.” Only later, out of earshot of the “leaders,” do their voices, and perspectives, come out.
But I think most of us have probably found ourselves at the other extreme, too. I am talking about situations in which a group endlessly exchanges ideas and thoughts as if they are all equally valuable – with such an emphasis on being non-judgmental that no decision ever gets made.
As a leader, I sure don’t want to contribute to either dynamic.
I thought a lot about this during CEP’s conference a few weeks ago as I reflected on the wisdom of the speakers who addressed us and how they apply to my own leadership responsibilities. These are important issues for foundation leaders – our audience – but, frankly, I was thinking about my own role here. As a leader, my job is to get the best out of everyone at CEP, such that we implement our organizational strategy as effectively as possible.
But it’s also my job to know when to cut off debate and discussion – when we need to move on. Or when to prevent certain topics from being brought forward at all, because I feel I can see that they will distract from more important work. Or when to challenge something that doesn’t seem to quite hold together – and that isn’t being challenged by others.
It’s a difficult dance, and one that has to change as the leader reads the natural tendencies of those around him or her. Some people are more comfortable with vigorous debate, relishing it, even; others need to be drawn out, or are made uncomfortable with vigorous disagreement.
Sometimes, with some people, vigorous debate crosses a line and starts to feel personal. At that point, it’s rarely productive.
I’ve read dozens of books on leadership and organizational change, even taken courses on it. But if there is a magic formula, I haven’t found it. I feel like I make a mistake, in one direction or another, almost every day.
I will think, later, “I should have pushed harder on that point.” Or, “I pushed too hard, and it shut down the discussion too soon.”
I also wonder how much is really up to the leader, and how much is beyond his or her control – subject to the mysterious mix of personalities, dynamics, and work habits that shape an organization’s culture?
Still, as someone in a leadership position, I am not willing to give up the notion of my own relevance so easily! And so I struggle with whether I am getting the balance right: between being the nurturer and the challenger; between being the mediator and the prosecutor; between being the hard-charging coach and the impartial referee – or even assuming the role of the opposing team.
Maybe others have figured out how to strike the right balance better than I have? If so, I’d love to learn from you.
Phil Buchanan is president of CEP.
Great post Phil!
I hope people across the staffing spectrum weigh in on this because it is a perennial problem…both for leaders and members of a team.
In my own experience where I’ve seen a healthy dyanmic of dialogue happen is when people are willing to let go of their egos, the need be right (or conversely the sense of being the victim or voiceless)and the leader and the team have built enough trust to know that voicing an opinion or missing the mark on a comment will not be punished or used against you in the future.
I also think a confident and skilled leader can engage as an equal voice in a team discussion and bring the discussion to a decisive conclusion without being dictatorial or silencing and knows when things need to be dealt with within the team and when you need to take things offline with individuals.
Again though, would love to hear from others on this!
Just admitting vulnerability here shows great leadership. The desire to achieve group discussion and success, contributions and engagement from all, is rare and commendable. I wish I had you as my boss!
My suggestion would be: pose all of this to your team. Have them respond and decide what ways make them most likely to respond and decide.
You have identified one of the knottiest problems a leader faces. What makes this process so difficult is the huge variety in people’s thinking and speaking styles. Some of your staff members are very comfortable with brevity. Others may talk themselves into great insights, taking up more oxygen to get there. The crucial thing is to have the goal of the meeting/discussion be clear. That starts with the leader’s conceptualization of the goal.
Back in the day when I was an impassioned young reporter given to telling my bosses how inadequate they were, I was counseled by a wise friend: Would you like an expressive victory or an actual victory?
Public discussion is only one means for encouraging your staff to articulate their thinking, and if they all trust you and feel they can approach you individually, their air time in large meetings won’t count for so much. It’s how you use your power over all that matters. A boss with an unsympathetic style has a chilling effect on his staff’s creativity inside meetings and out. But you sound like the very best of bosses.
Thank you so much Sandra, Brigid, and Mary, for your helpful and supportive comments. I agree with Sandra that trust is the key. I like your idea, Brigid, of enlisting the team in providing counsel on this. And I love Mary’s friend’s line: “would you like an expressive victory or an actual victory?”
Hi Phil – I agree with you and the other commentors, if the key job of a leader is to help the team members be more effective than they can be as individuals then managing team process is also essential.
As usual there are no simple formulas, lots of things go into success and missing even one ingredient can hurt. I think building trust and relationships among team members and leadership is an important start. Managing process, using a variety of techniques, including meta techniques like asking people how to make a decision or structure a discussion is also important (including negotiating time lines).
I find lots of little things helpful: going around the room junior to senior, straw polling people, circulating documents, using a meeting parking lot to contain digressions, lots of paraphrasing, and questioning for understanding.
Always, I find the hardest part is managing myself.
Chris, great comment — thank you. Going around the room with more junior folks speaking first isn’t something I’ve done although as I read it I am thinking, “duh, of course.” Thanks. Phil
Hi Phil – slightly late to the party on this post, but definitely feel your pain here, and this is definitely more art than science. YNPN Boston has regular board meetings of 15 smart, passionate, committed people and it’s challenging to both make sure people feel like they’ve been heard, or their opinion has been voiced, while at the same time encouraging debate and productive discussion. Couple of things we do:
-setting “ground rules” at the outset so that people are clear on what things are out-of-bounds for the immediate conversation
- gauging feelings using physical exercises: we’ve done a “temperature gauge” where people line up between two extremes based on how they feel about an issue.
- making sure we always do a personal “check-in” at the start of discussions to break the ice a bit and get people energized and into the right headspace
This is not an exhaustive list, but those are a couple things that have helped. Happy to share more in-person.