Leading from the Weeds
The ostentatious and deliciously funny Kieran Flannagan is one of Australia's most renowned and sort after Professional Speakers in Australia. So, it was more than exciting to be mentored by her in my own Professional Speaking journey late last year.
One funny moment from the experience was when Kieran called out "what is it with you lot and the weeds!?!" We all had a good chuckle because this comment about people being 'pulled into the weeds' kept coming up. In speaker world it is generally bad form to repeatedly use cliches - a good note to anyone doing professional presentations.
But, there is a reason many of us in that room were voicing this well warn phrase. And, recently I have been hearing this cliche a lot. I mean a lot, a lot.
Almost every leader out there is being pulled into the detail, day-to-day and operational tasks on a constant basis. Teams are lacking the capability and/or capacity to self-support their own problem solving. Often, vacancies and reductions in head count are making it near impossible for leaders to ever be out of the weeds. In our latest intake of coachees, five out of six literally used this phrase for the above reasons.
It is real and it is not going away.
The Obvious Question - How can a leader avoid being pulled into the weeds?
I touched on this recently (Operational to Strategic, 9 Aug 24) where I explored how operationally comfortable leaders can be more 'strategic'.
The underlying call out in this article was the reality that most managers were once high performing team members, and these operational habits can be hard to break. Psychologist Nathanial Branden coined that other wonderful cliche, "The first step is always awareness. The second step is "acceptance". Simply being aware of one's instinct to do, fix, and get it done is useful in itself.
From a leadership perspective we are often our own worst enemy in relation to coaching, empowering, and supporting our teams to do their job. This one idea in itself can help us to pause before jumping into weedy problems we often create for ourselves as leaders.
The Real Problem Remains
When stuff needs to be done and no one is around (or able) to do it then what choice does a leader have. Especially when mistakes will cost, timelines need to be adhered to, and budgets need to be hit. The pressure is on, so there is often no choice but to roll up the sleeves and get stuck in.
As someone that worked as a retail manager for over a decade in small business as well as corporate structures, I feel well qualified to give an approach most leaders find hard to realise:
This is not a problem, it is the reality of business. What did Nathanial say about acceptance?
If a leader ever thinks they will be detached from their operation then this perspective is the real problem...
Leaders don't sit in ivory towers (sorry-not-sorry Kieran!). Leaders need to see, hear, and feel every problem their business is trying to solve. They understand the struggles their team's are going through first hand. Elon Musk famously placed his office in the Tesla warehouse where he could see the production line.
Rarely do businesses have the resources for any level of manager to be 'only managing'. Most managers and executives have to do the work alongside their team. If we can come to terms with this then we already have a realistic expectation of what our leadership role will look like forever more.
Harvard Business School teaches MBA students a concept called MBWA. This stands for Management By Walking Around. When I learnt of this I was stunned. Are you telling me the most prestigious business students in the Western world are being taught what I was practising as a 25 year old junior manager!?! (What The Actual!!!) The concept speaks to the idea of floating through your team to watch, observe, and communicate with them frequently. Um.... ya... this is definitely something we should be doing as leaders, otherwise we lose touch with our business and make crappy decisions. Being 'in the operation' is not a problem, it is a good thing.
Your Machete Amongst The Weeds
Anyone that has seen me speak will know I am a little bit obsessed with Humility. Almost every single self-help, business biography or professional development book will reference humility in one way or another. Our modern misinterpretation of what humility is and a lack of 'how to do it' is the source of much angst, sub-performance, disconnection and anxiety in our workplaces. In the weeds humility is our number one weapon.
To be pulled into the detail and entangled in the day-to-day struggles can be frustrating but, with a small dose of humility, we can reframe why we are doing what we are doing, how we are doing it and the benefit that comes from it:
The Humble Leader in the Weeds
Why it is good to be in the weeds - as discussed before, it keeps you connected with the realities of your customer, customer experience, and your team's experience. It also shows everyone that 'no job is too small' and there is no ego about you - a healthy place to lead from. If the CEO is too important to pick up rubbish, clean mugs in the office kitchen, or welcome someone as they enter reception then they have no right calling themselves a leader. Getting into the trenches with the troops is a pleasure and an honour, not a drag. Showing your team you are willing to work beside them sends a message that inspires commitment and safety. It is also an opportunity to mentor, teach, and show 'what good looks like'. If people are not doing tasks to your standard then this is the number one way to get them up to standard and improve their capability.
How to wade through the weeds - if you are transactionally doing tasks for the sake of doing the task then no wonder this is a drag on your time, energy, and motivation. But, if you are doing it to mentor, learn, connect, keep your finger on the pulse, then it is very valuable. Doing the work through a humility lens means the work is being done in service to the team and the business/clients central to your role as a leader. Giving them what they need in that moment to be better, feel safer, or just looked after inspires all sorts of confidence and energy in team members. I find it to be energising for leaders also.
The benefits of weed wading - many have already been listed, but the real point is that everyone benefits. You benefit by seeing issues/problems/struggles first hand which makes your decision making and continuous improvements better, quicker, and more impactful. Your team benefits from more contact time with you, learnings from you, and are inspired to dig in themselves as they can see with their own eyes the effort you are putting in. And, customers/clients/external stakeholders benefit from a better experience, a smoother customer journey, and a better outcome as delays/issues/mistakes have been avoided by your interventions. In a situation that often is seen as dire where no progress is being felt, the reality is if we approach it from a slightly enhanced perspective there is a tremendous amount of forward movement for everyone involved.
Knowing the weeds will be an inevitable part of our journey is helpful. Becoming a weed wading expert is the evolution many leaders can (and need to) take.
Enjoying the improvements, developments, and first-hand data weed-wading yields may become a central pillar to one's leadership strategies.
It all adds up to a nice way to take your leadership to the next level without trying to boil the ocean while taking advantage of the low hanging fruit without needing to think outside the box to ensure every cloud has a silver lining.
