Being a catalytic leader

Multi-dimensional leadership

Every leader has multiple relationships going on simultaneously – from close managerial and peer relationships to political relationships inside your organisation and through to relationships outside your organisation.  You’ll no doubt on your leadership journey so far have come across Steven Covey’s circles of influence and control?   Want a reminder, well here’s a neat graphic.

Covey’s concept here was one of efficient time and energy management.  It recognises that a lot of our energy is often spent trying to manage things that we cannot control.  So dividing things into three circles allows us to focus our energy on the things we can do something about.

So how does this relate to catalytic energy.   For a moment take a step back and look at Covey’s diagram which starts from the outer circle and ultimate draws your eye and energy to the centre.  It’s an outside in approach.

Reversing the polarity

For catalytic energy this is happening in reverse.  Imagine yourself being in the darker circle in the middle.  That’s you.  Catalytic energy is about pushing and extending that energy outwards and through other people.   Because you’re only one person you don’t have time to exist in parallel worlds which is Covey is recommending from a time management perspective you close down the outside and focus inside.  

For catalytic energy it’s not about living within these outer worlds, it’s about enabling, motivating and enthusing those people within your immediate circle to push outwards.  And as necessary to push outwards through others as well.   So you start to get a movement going.   And a little bit of you, a tiny little bit of you exists in those outer worlds but that’s not really the point.  The point is people went off to explore and do amazing things in those outer worlds because you made it happen.

If you’re a parent you’ll recognise some of this – it’s what you’re doing every day as we live in hope that our children won’t tread the exact same path that we did but to take our insight and create new optimistic pathways of their own and thrill us with those discoveries.

Now scorecard slaves out there will have a harder time digesting this logic.   Typically, they might panic and say things like:

·        What gets measured gets done

·        How will people know what to do if I’m not there to supervise?

·        How will I know I’ve been successful if I’m not there directing?

·        But if I’m making impact at that level I’ll need a bigger team and raise surely?

To which catalytic converters will likely respond.

·        Why do you think you alone know what needs measuring, where’s that coming from?

·        Why do you think you have a moratorium on all the good ideas?

·        What really worries you about letting go?

·        Why do you not trust that your people aren’t good enough?

·        Why is your need for success validation critical to the change that’s truly possible?

·        How are you utilising the skills and ideas that people in your team already hold but don’t get to share with you?

Purposefully relinquishing control

The catalytic converter is on a quest to push outwards.  They know they cannot live everyone’s lives, be in every place.  They also know that pushing outwards enlisting the skills and talents of others means honouring those skills and talents and maybe even admiring them.  And catalysts live to encourage others to be catalysts themselves.

Diminishers

Finding the right word for the opposite to a catalyst isn’t straightforward.  Liz Wiseman calls them Diminishers and that works for me.   Look again at Covey’s circle and imagine the Diminisher at the centre.  Actually Diminishers aren’t just at the centre, they’re sitting on a throne in the centre and the universe revolves around them.   Diminishers hoard resources for the priorities they consider to be important.  Diminishers hold the master plan and direct resources, sometimes skilfully if not in a wholly motivational way to get stuff done.  But when that job’s been done, there’s nothing left on the pitch.

Why do we need to know this?

In our increasingly knowledge driven economy we’re enjoying a workforce that is more qualified and possibly brighter than it’s every been.  It’s estimated that the IQ levels of the average population a hundred years ago would only be around 73 on today’s IQ test.   It’s not possible or desirable for leaders to hoard resources and make themselves the centre of the universe.  The world moves too fast and it’s a road to irrelevance.

Carol Dweck, who knows a lot about neuroplasticity showed us that when children were set a series of increasingly difficult puzzled and praised for their intelligence, they become less motivated in trying even more difficult puzzles feeling they were reaching the edge of their “smart”.   But when children were praised for their hard work and for their efforts to think, they created a belief that intelligence grows and more is always possible.

If you’re already a leader of people you owe it to them to ensure you’re a catalytic converter.  If you’re not yet leading people you can still practice the same techniques in your networks coupling with your connective energy.   Until you can change laws of physics and be in multiple dimensions at the same time it is the only way to make your impact on the world bigger than yourself.

How’s that for exciting?