Modern management theory teaches us to create leadership positions with accountability for a broad scope of operations. Basically, a hierarchy shaped like a pyramid with defined spans of control. “Successful” leaders are generally found to grow their scope of authority through internal and external advancement, growth of their business enterprise, both organic and through M&A. During this time their day to day becomes more complex. They have more touch points with subordinates, peers, senior leaders and external stakeholders. There are more moving pieces to manage, more issues to resolve, and more solutions to implement. Change is inevitable: market changes, customer needs change, and employee needs change. In addition, special projects, industry events, networking, and planning & reporting activities all draw on a leaders ability to be successful.
Soon enough many reach burnout and stay in a position where they are ineffective. This has, since 1968, been referred to as “The Peter Principle”, an observation made by the Canadian educational scholar and sociologist, Dr. Laurence J. Peter, whereby employees are often promoted to their level of incompetency.
Complexity places pressure on three critical resources; time, energy, and capability. Time is finite for all of us and however much we attempt to do more with less there are only 24 hours in a day! Energy and capability differ from individual to individual but eventually it all catches up to us.
What complexity does is prevent you from doing what good leaders should be doing. Leading through influence and trust, mentoring and developing teams and planning for the future both from a business and talent perspective. Good leaders don’t just get results, they develop the next generation of leadership.
Complexity and leadership is partially what drives culture and behavior in your organization. Your words, actions, and behaviors show people what it’s really like to work at your organization. They show people who you really are, how to interact with you, and they mimic your behaviors.
The other impact is on the overall wellness of the leader, their direct reports, and their personal life. Complexity in the work place, being present with family, having ‘me’ time all draw down on the time, energy, and capability. This often leads to inner feelings of not being good enough, imposter syndrome, and lower self worth. Subordinates and family can become resentful, mistrusting, and resigned to your way of being. Resignations of staff, divorce, and estrangement are not uncommon and can often be attributed to an over aggressive work ethic caused by complexity.
For sure, there are hundreds of great leaders business across the globe, but there are thousands of mediocre ones and millions of future leaders.
Take a moment to think about the level of complexity that you deal with on a day to day basis and the impact it has on your being. In fact, I encourage you to take 30 minutes after reading this to ask yourself the following questions:
- How many meetings do you attend a day?
- Which of those meetings are really effective?
- How much time do you spend informing others on status?
- How would you describe your listening style, how would others describe it?
- How much time did you spend yesterday on developing others?
- When did you last spend time thinking and reflecting on your day?
- How much time do you spend thinking about the future of the business?
- Do you know who is looking for a job in your span of control?
- How do you personally define success?
- Where are you in that journey towards success?
- What of all of your daily actions make you feel energized and fulfilled versus drained and discouraged?
Be honest with yourself. Write down your first thought, don’t over think it. When you look at your answers some things will become clear to you. Reflect on all your answers but pay particular attention to those answers which might require more consideration.
We’d love to hear from you. How much complexity is there in your organization and how does it impact you as a leader or as a future leader? For the courageous, send us the answers to your questions and we would be more than happy to be a sounding board for your reflections.