Leadership is Awareness - Greenleaf Pt 4

The recent TV show, Undercover Boss , is an interesting study of CEOs of national organizations, who go undercover and disguise themselves as entry level employees, in order to gain an awareness of what is really going on within their large companies. Often times they are disappointed with some aspects of their organization's performance; they are usually touched by the commitment level of most of their employees; most of the bosses find policies and procedures that need to be changed to better their productivity and effectiveness.

It is quite embarrassing, if not inexcusable, when a boss has to admit, “I know that I am the CEO, but I had no idea what was going on.” Being aware of general issues of values and ethics; of overall trends and behavior; of corporate policies and practice; and of products and services is the mark of an effective leader.

Greenleaf (1991) suggests 10 characteristics of servant leadership. Recent blogs have made comments on Listening, Empathy, and Healing. This entry will explore characteristic number four. In the days ahead, I will touch on the remaining elements: Persuasion, Conceptualization, Foresight, Stewardship, Commitment to the Growth of People, and Building Community. This is quite a list of characteristics to be emulated.

The degree of awareness that a leader processes enables him/her to wisely understand various situations and to make decisions from a holistic perspective. The purpose of awareness from Greenleaf's (1991) perspective is to fulfill the needs of others and to persuade subordinates toward the common good. As I have considered this concept, three thoughts have dominated my thinking. First, for a leader to be aware, he/she must get out of the office. The concept of MBWA (managing by walking around) is such a key habit for leaders. The ivory tower syndrome is so easy to adopt for the leader as one's office becomes a second home and the lap-top is embraced as one's best friend. Scheduling specific times to leave the office and walk around, touching base with the people of the organization can enable the leader to get a sense of what is happening behind the scenes. Talking and listening, as well as being visible, can enhance the sensitivity of the leader to the needs and concerns of the organization.

Second,and closely linked MBWA, is the idea of margin. It is so difficult, and yet so imperative, for a leader to build enough margin in his agenda to take time to observe. In inductive Bible study, there are typically three steps: observation, interpretation and application. The more time spent in observation, the more accurate the interpretation. As the student of the Bible takes time to observe what is on the page, insights and truth begin to surface. So it is with leadership. The deeper the ability to see, the greater the awareness of the leader. A leader must be careful to full his/her schedule with enough space to observe. Building margin into the day permits the leader to address the unexpected and still have time to assess and evaluate the bigger picture of organizational life.

Finally, for awareness to become a reality, the tyranny of the urgent must be avoided.The call of the to do list is never ending. The cries of the few will stuff the agenda with hours of meetings Problems and issues are like wild fire- just a spark and they begin to blaze out of control. So many people want to down-load their concerns to the leader. Everybody's problem needs to be addressed today. The urgency of others will invade the calendar of the leader if given a chance. But the leader must be careful to filter the mountain of administrivia in order to make room for the important. The details of the demands of business can push out the priorities of importance if the leader is not careful to increase his/her ability of awareness.

MBWA, margin, and avoiding the tyranny of the urgent are a few pragmatic habits that can increase the awareness of the leader.

Photo:by Matthew Rough

Greenleaf, R.K. (1991). The servant as leader Indianapolis, IN; The Robert Greenleaf Center.