I was complaining to a colleague that despite a series of clear decisions by the SMT we continued to have managers who were still trying to get the direction of travel changed and this was seriously limiting progress. I expected him to agree and that we would talk about how we could get these dissenters back in line. But instead he said , “ The battle fields are littered with the bodies of soldiers led by those who were never wrong and never changed their mind.”
I thought of Napoleon’s ill conceived Russian campaign and that famous picture of his retreat. How his generals must have tried to get him to change his mind , the reports he must have revived about the morale of his men as supply lines became overstretched, winter closed in and soldiers died of hunger and disease.
Yet Napoleon had been very successful in the past with a track record of famous victories achieved by making the right decisions. It would be difficult to tell such a leader they had got it wrong. He should have listened to the dissenting voices. And yet leadership is usually presented as the ability to be focused, single minded and determined not indecisive individuals prone to change their minds or swayed by the last person they spoke to.
It’s the classic leadership dilemma when to stick to your guns and when to heed the advice of dissenting voices. After all just because it not working or taking longer than anticipated for the benefits to be realised doesn’t mean it won’t work or does it? Of course leaders always think they are right but they recognise the dangers of over confidence and listen to the advice of those whose opinion they value. Except do they?
These situations call for self knowledge on behalf of the leader. How do they respond to set backs, unremitting pressure and the resulting stress. Does the normally inspiring and supportive leader become dogmatic, dictatorial and inflexible, viewing constructive criticism as personal disloyalty?
If the individual has some insight into their behaviour, recognises how they tend to respond when things keep going wrong, then they can take steps to avoid being dogmatic, dictatorial or distrustful. And therefore more open to changing their mind, consider new ideas and be willing to compromise.
Even with insight the individual may need some one to remind them how they typically respond under extreme pressure. Who is going to tell their boss that they are being stubborn. irritable and irrational? Which is why having a mentor, someone outside the line management, someone whose opinion they respect, is useful. The individual can ask the mentor, “I’m I being unreasonable, too demanding and dogmatic?” And get an honest answer.
