Tributum Newsletter #89
It is generally accepted that to be successful at anything you need to be consistent. Whether it’s saving and investing, exercise, work, marriage etc. Consistency is held to be the key – not the spikes and throughs, but how performance is measured over time.
And the message of consistency has been translated to leadership, and even parenthood. You need to be consistent. You cannot do for the one what you are not prepared to do for the other. There can be no appearance of favouritism or bias towards employees, team members or children – books and courses have been written and designed for this concept. But Steven Bartlett completely turns this notion on its head in Rule#32 of his ‘The Diary of a CEO’. He says you have to be an inconsistent leader. I know – shock, horror, HR having meltdowns…but his reasoning is sound.
As individuals, we as humans are not as logical, rational or level-headed as we give ourselves credit for. In fact, we are all different, emotionally, physically and intellectually. How then can a one size fit all approach to managing people and teams then be best practice?
With the Soccer World Cup now over his Rule#32 reminded me of an urban legend involving Sir Alex Ferguson, arguably the best soccer manager ever. He managed Manchester United for more than 2 decades in an industry where tenure is often measured in months. After their “Trebble”(winning the 3 major soccer trophies available to an English football team) they were invited to meet the Queen of England. Formal wear was required, but mercurial French player Eric Canona rocked up in his tracksuit. But Sir Alex did not reprimand him or prevent him from meeting the Queen. At the time he treated Cantona differently than he would have treated other players in the squad. He let it go. Why?
Because Eric Cantona was as prone to emotion as he was to brilliance on the soccer pitch. Sir Alex knew that a reprimand at that moment of celebration would have negatively impacted Cantona going forward. He dealt with the individual based on the individual’s personality, performance and ability. He treated the individual differently for the good of the team.
Another Manchester United player, Rio Ferdinand, recalls the occasion where the team was not playing particularly well in a game, but he felt that he was performing above standard. During half -time Sir Alex had a go at Ferdinand in front of the while team for slacking off. Why? Because Sir Alex knew that Ferdinand could handle it and if he was unhappy with clearly their best player in the first half, then the other players would know that they need to raise their game without even being spoken to. ManU went on to win the game. He treated the individual player differently for the good of the team.
But that is precisely what we get taught not to do in leadership seminars and by HR manuals (also parenting books). You have to treat everyone the same just in case there is a complaint. It does not make sense that in a world where everyone wants to be acknowledged and praised for their individuality, nobody wants to take responsibility for that individuality in the workplace or team environment, and they want to be treated the same.
There is one team, but many individuals. One family, but many family members. You cannot treat the individual as the team, and you also cannot treat the team as the individual. People need to be managed for who they are and what they bring to the table.
As Bartlett states in the book: “For us as leaders, to become the complimentary piece for each member of our team we must be as inconsistent, emotionally variable and fluctuating as the people in our teams are.”.
Also – “Great leaders are fluid, flexible and full of fluctuation. They are whatever shape they need to be to complete your motivation.”
The same applies to parents. We are told from early on that we should not compare our children to each other. They are different and they develop differently. Why will we then ever put them in the same box when it comes to parenting them?
So, practice being different when it suits the situation or the individual. It’s hard work, but hopefully it pays off for both of you. Until next month, keep breathing.