Over the past two years, we’ve talked a lot about personal and professional leadership. Not that every article is directly about leadership, but just about everything we do has some connection to leadership, at some level. This month, let’s take a look what it takes to become the leader who people NEED, instead of always trying to be the leader people WANT.
Key questions
Have you been reading this column? Do you know whether you’re a Leader, a Manager, a Follower or a Slug? Have you attended any conferences or seen presentations from any of today’s (active) or yesterday’s (retired) presenters? Have you BEEN a presenter or polished up that résumé to submit to BE a presenter in the future? Who do you follow on Twitter, Facebook or any of the myriad social media platforms? How’s your PERSONAL physical, mental and moral presentation? What was the last class you took, and did you contribute or merely sit through the class? What was the last certification or degree you obtained? How many people from your organization have branched out to attend other conferences and classes, teach other programs or make presentations? When you tell someone where you’re from, do they recognize that name or, probably more importantly, do they recognize that name as a positive and proactive organization/community? Do your troops recognize you as the leader for more reasons than just your title?
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have great answers for ALL of those questions, but then again, I readily acknowledge I’m not perfect and in most cases, I’m not the leader people WANT. But I do I hope I’m the leader people NEED at this point in time. That’s another important dynamic: Being the leader people need today might not be the leader people need tomorrow, in proverbial terms, of course. Leadership is a 24/7 function; however, the “need” will be calculated over time, based upon a combination of conditions on the ground for the troops and community, and the political and financial climate you operate in.
The 10/80/10 principles
Staying with the theme that there are four types of people in the world—Leaders, Managers, Followers and Slugs—I believe MOST organizational compasses and their folks fit into both of the 10/80/10 principles I’ll discuss below. I recognize that really high-performing organizations will find the percentage of both principles as being closer to 5/90/5, but speaking frankly and honestly, we’re not seeing too many of those in the fire and EMS service, so these principles are merely a reflection of what I believe we are all seeing in today’s departments.
10/80/10 Organizational Principle
This is a public safety cast where 80 percent of the people are working for the right reasons, with the right moral and mental focus, prepared to do the business of the people and for the people. These are the folks who make sure the organization stays on track. I submit that this 80 percent is where your “formal” Followers, Managers and Leaders fit.
Then there are the 10 percent on the left and 10 percent on the right who are constantly directly or indirectly, consciously or subconsciously, trying to derail the organization. Now when I say “left” and “right” here, we’re not talking about Democrat vs. Republican; we’re talking about differences in ideology and general approach to the job—and there can be people on either side of any issue whose actions disrupt the organization’s progression. Many times, these are your “informal” leaders along with THEIR Managers and Followers, dragging along Slugs.
The 80 percenters may simply view both sides as Slugs. These are not necessarily lost souls, and there may be clarity to their message, especially if the organization is moving forward but barely making progress. When progress has slowed or you’re stalled, it is advisable to listen a little closer to the “clickity-clack” and determine whether the left or right MIGHT be in harmony with your organizational goals and mission after all. As you evaluate that clickity-clack, it will not be unusual for the organization’s 80 percent to drift up or down, merely a recognition of human nature and business continuity needs.
10/80/10 People Principle
This rule recognizes that 80 percent of your people are the Managers and Followers who are actually getting things done. About 10 percent of your people are your true Leaders, setting the vision, which the 80 percent are working toward, while the remaining 10 percent are your Slugs. Where each of these personal traits fit within the organizational principle depends on your conditions on the ground, but you likely know who your people are, and who’s working to implement the organizational vision and who’s working to derail your organizational progress.
Once a person becomes a Leader within the organization, they typically remain a leader, although they can certainly drift between formal and informal status based upon elections, politics, new bosses and myriad other organizational stresses. The key is for those once-formal leaders to not become one of the 10 percenters who can be dangerous to any organization. Rarely does a Leader experience an osmosis that recalculates their status to that of purely a Manager or Follower. When one of those Leaders finds themselves drifting into Slugdom, it’s time to reassess your status with that organization.
Managing in an 10/80/10 world
So how do you lead that 10/80/10 organization to always focus on high performance? How do you become that leader who people need? I’ll submit first and foremost that you have to recognize that it is not personal. Whatever your role or rank, IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU. We are about providing service, managing a dynamic service-business model, and adapting to the ever-changing conditions within our industry. This requires dynamic leadership and recognition that we are running a business, not merely providing a service. You don’t have to be the latest and greatest (tell me who that is … TODAY?) It’s sort of like the personal diet program we talked about in the September 2016 issue. There’s no single diet that works for everyone; similarly, there’s no single management or development model to help you become THAT leader.
Like I said above, this isn’t about you, even though most public safety leaders lean toward the Type A personality traits. To be successful, you MUST ultimately trust that your people know their job and understand the organizational vision. The key is indeed understanding the organizational mission. If your ONLY mission/vision is “getting fire trucks and ambulances out the door,” then that’s what your 80 percent will understand and work toward. But aren’t we doing MUCH more than just getting units out the door? Our dinosaurs need to face facts. If your ONLY mission/vision involves the physical movement of fire trucks and ambulances, you will eventually become extinct.
Once you’re sure you’ve articulated the mission and vision appropriately, make sure people understand the WHY. Understanding WHY is the first tangible step in others truly becoming part of the 80 percent and becoming both the formal and informal leaders who will help keep the organization on track. This is critical when you’re in an environment of change. The dynamics of public safety unfortunately mean we are routinely in a state of flux or change. The people who are here for the right reasons want to be part of the 80 percent. You may need to convince them that the change and the WHY is in their best interest, as well as the best interest of the organization.
There’s a time and a place to get involved; then there’s a time and place to trust that your people understand WHY and that they will “get it done.” Micromanaging every facet of what your folks do is the surest way to overwhelm yourself and unintentionally derail the organization. Do you want people to throw up their hands and become part of the 10 percenters who aren’t performing? If so, then micromanage what they do every day. It won’t take long to derail yourself. I’ve personally been on both sides of these weeds and rails, and constantly have to evaluate whether my own personal involvement in particular projects or assignments is really necessary—or maybe it is/was something I was taking too personally and seriously.
Similarly, you cannot just cave to the Slugs. Everyone needs to be given the opportunity to succeed on their own, being recognized when they succeed, and held accountable when they do not. It is likely that the 10 percent operating in full-Slug mode will likely require MUCH more of your attention than your 80 percenters. The accountability stage is being watched by 100 percent of the organization, especially by the 10 percenters on the right and left. If your accountability is “successful,” you may convert some Slugs to Followers, moving them into the 80 percent. That’s your best chance to make a difference. If your accountability is weak or unsuccessful, you risk sustaining the perception among the 10 percenters that 10 percent-land is the place to be.
In sum
Listening is always a critical leadership trait. You have to be part magician, part boss, part friend and part follower to succeed as a Leader. Listen, give everyone the opportunity to contribute and succeed. Dealing with change and personnel issues is difficult work. I submit that most of an organization’s troubles come from these two areas. The Leader has to be educated enough, compassionate enough and tough enough to get people where they need to be, which is routinely not where they want to be. You need to keep your 80 percent in high-performance mode, and work toward becoming a high-performance organization. At the end of the proverbial day, though, make the decisions necessary to keep your organization on track and your people on board. Be the Leader people NEED you to be, not merely the Leader they WANT.
