One of the comments to my post last Friday, An Important Leadership Question – What’s Your Dream, came from “Leader in a Box” who asked:
First of all, let me agree with Gerry who commented that most all leaders are “in the middle”. While their middle might look different than yours, the reality that most leaders are somewhere in the middle. Given that, my first advice it to stop defining yourself that way, because I don’t believe that definition is helping you.
Second, it is difficult to give specific advice without more details, but I can say that your
concern isn’t completely unique. This is a concern for enlightened executive leadership and is, as I said experienced frequently at all other levels of organizational leadership.
While I have often talked about this in my executive leadership coaching, that doesn’t help you!
Here is my basic advice for you.
Focus on what is in your control. Support ideas of your team that you can implement without other approvals.
Reframe your challenge as “fighting for them” and make it more about connecting their ideas to organizational goals and values.
Share your concerns (with appropriate examples) to your leaders away from a specific example you are trying to persuade at that moment. Then you can come across NOT as Robin Hood, but as a part of the leadership team, looking at the idea flow process. When you make headway conceptually, you are in a better position to influence with a real situation.
What do others think? Share your coaching and mentoring in the comments, for EVERYone’s benefit.
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