Leadership is a difficult art. Here are some good advice for you, who have either taken on or been given the role as leader for a larger project, and maybe have never really tried it before. What should you consider?
© Elin Brimheim Heinesen, 2003
THE PROJECT
Understand that successful project completion requires good planning and organisation.
If you do not have a leadership education or have not attended a project management course, you can google for good advice on project management on the internet. It is essential to familiarise yourself with the basic rules of project management, which primarily involve putting in a lot of effort to get the framework of the project in place — that is, the project description, which must at a minimum include detailed descriptions of needs, objectives, stakeholders, all tasks, the roles of the project participants, and a timeline with milestones. Good planning and consensus on the framework are absolutely necessary foundations for any project if one hopes to succeed.
Understand that every project requires effective management to be completed.
As a leader, you must be prepared to take full leadership of the project. You have the main responsibility for the entire process from the start to the end of the project. This means it is primarily your responsibility to resolve any problems that may arise along the way. Remember, you are the pilot. If the passengers panic over severe turbulence, it is of no help if the pilot also panics, lets go of the controls, and shirks responsibility! Stay calm and focus on managing and thereby bringing the plane to safety.
Understand that every project is a transformation process.
Every project will inevitably encounter turbulence along the way. Any transformation is a ‘birth’, and a birth will always be more or less painful. It is a completely natural part of any development process that turbulence arises, for example, in the form of various confrontations or other obstacles along the way. This turbulence can raise the stress levels to unbearable heights. It is up to you whether you let yourself be distracted or halted by the turbulence, or whether you are able to create order out of chaos and resolve difficult tense situations. This is where your leadership skills will be put to the test.
Understand that there are no shortcuts.
You can certainly learn from experiences in other contexts, but you cannot simply transfer problem-solving solutions from one project to another, even if the solutions have worked well elsewhere. Even if you have previously experienced problems in similar situations, you cannot assume the same problems will arise again. Remember, every context is unique, and there will always be a need for each project to find its own solution. You may possibly arrive at the same result, but it is the process of finding that solution itself which is the most crucial in ensuring that everyone involved feels a sense of ownership in the solution. It can be time-consuming, but without this ownership, any solution is doomed to fail. Remember to factor this in from the start so that it can be accounted for in the planning and the schedules, which of course are also important to adhere to.
THE LEADERSHIP ROLE
Understand that your foremost task as a leader is to be a guiding star.
This means, among other things, that as a leader, you must be the driving force and use all your energy to motivate others and spark their enthusiasm and desire to be part of the project. Strange as it may sound, many initiators do not see themselves as leaders, but it is important to understand that if you are the initiator of something that is primarily your project, then the responsibility for it naturally falls on you. Others will expect you to take on the leadership role. This role does not automatically or randomly fall to others. Even when responsibility is formally handed over to others, the leadership role will still tend to stick to the initiator.
Understand that your leadership skills will be judged by how securely you steer towards the goal.
Remember, you will not be seen as a good, strong leader if you only enforce your own agenda. Accept from the outset that it may not end up being YOUR way, as you imagined it from the start, but rather a way that the majority supports. It may be that not everyone can fully agree, and there will always be a point where you, as a leader, will need to cut through and make a decision on behalf of everyone else. However, if you have given everyone a good insight into the project along the way and a feeling that they have had a fair chance to influence it, they will be more inclined to compromise and accept your decision. You are only a strong leader if you are good at helping as many people as possible to follow a certain path by making the decision-making process transparent, and then good at sticking to the decision and ensuring others stick to the agreed path and move at a similar pace. You should set the demands others expect you to set. If you do so, others will perceive you as a strong leader.
Understand how important it is to believe in the project.
It can sometimes be difficult to maintain belief when the turbulence is severe, but if you yourself do not manage to maintain belief in the project, you can hardly expect others to believe in it. Therefore, be sure that before you initiate a project, it is exactly right, so you can maintain belief — and calm, regardless of the extent of the challenges and regardless of how much resistance you encounter along the way. Otherwise, you might as well pack up right away. Remember again: You are the pilot. Everyone needs you to believe that you are capable of landing the project safely.
Understand how important visibility and transparency are.
If a project is to gain support, it is very important that the project and its purpose are as easy and straightforward as possible for everyone to grasp so they can take a stance on it. All involved should be informed as thoroughly as possible — not only verbally but also in writing, preferably set up with headlines that everyone can understand. It is important to ensure that everyone receives the same information so that they have as similar a frame of reference as possible. Otherwise, confusion and myths can easily arise.
Understand that your attitude is crucial to how much turbulence you will experience in the process.
If you perceive every obstacle as a major problem, then problems can come to occupy a disproportionate amount of space and thereby drain all your energy, ultimately paralysing you and damaging your credibility as a leader. Energy which you should rather use to work on the project itself. Wasting energy on worries will only create further problems.
Understand that your success — and your quality of life — is determined by your attitude.
If you have a victim attitude, your projects are more likely to fail — and that is naturally unfortunate for you. But that will not get you anywhere. If you have a winner’s attitude, you will think that everything is as it should be — regardless of the situation. And it is, unless we are talking about natural disasters! It is in the mind that we decide how we judge what we experience. And here we always have a choice.
Understand that it is all about the perspective in which you see things.
You can either think that you or others are stupid, incompetent fools if things do not go as planned. Or you can call problems challenges — and chaos growth pains. The choice is yours.
Understand how important it is to focus on solutions rather than problems.
The interesting thing is not so much the ‘turbulence’ you as a leader have to go through or the ‘idiots’ you have to put up with, but how you tackle the turbulence and whether you are able to absorb all the learning that can come out of the turbulence in a process and use it constructively. Your success as a leader depends on how good you are at solving problems — that is, how good you are at handling and turning difficult situations and creating consensus among those involved, and then showing the way forward. In other words, you must be a pretty good diplomat.
Understand that even though the responsibility ultimately lies with you as a leader, you cannot do everything alone.
Acknowledge that you depend on the help of others to complete your project. Remember, the best way to involve others in a project is to let them understand that they are needed and their help is required. Do not be nervous about delegating tasks — even if you think you could do them better yourself — and respect that others have different ways of accomplishing tasks. The advantages of involving others will in the long run be greater than if you end up having to do all the work yourself with a high likelihood of ending up with stress. Therefore, ask for help if you encounter resistance that you have difficulty tackling, and if it does not help, then get help from someone else. You do not lose control by delegating tasks, as long as you make sure the division of roles is clear, you coach others well, and you otherwise have a good and mutually respectful collaboration.
Understand how important it is to make decisions — and to make them in good time!
Being indecisive is one of the worst things a leader can be. If important decisions are not made — or are repeatedly postponed because the leader cannot decide what is right — it creates a lot of insecurity among employees. It is important for a leader to listen to everyone, but this must not become an obstacle to making timely decisions. The leader must not become a bottleneck for the decision-making process. Lack of decision-making results in a lot of uncertainty and frustration among employees because they lose direction and feel like they are moving in no man’s land without a goal. In the long run, this can poison the good atmosphere at the workplace and create a lot of unnecessary dissatisfaction. At some point, the leader will have to make a decision about what is important so that everyone can move on with their work, ensuring everything does not come to a standstill. There must be a good balance between ‘democracy’ and ‘dictatorship’ because a leader can only inspire trust if he or she both listens to others AND shows that he or she dares and is willing to make decisions on their behalf. Thus, good timing for decisions is crucial.
TYPICAL CHALLENGES IN RELATION TO OTHER PROJECT PARTICIPANTS
Understand how important it is to create identification around the project.
The results of a project will not endure if the majority of those involved cannot identify with it and feel a sense of ownership. Therefore, you very much need to evoke engagement and establish fundamental respect around the project among as many people as possible if the project is to be successfully completed. You are the decision-maker — do not forget that — but others must feel that they have had a fair chance to contribute their input.
Understand that all people are different — and that they have the right to perceive things differently.
The goals and visions that seem so obvious to you may be difficult for others to envisage. Acknowledge that not everyone will be able to immediately understand or grasp the benefits of your way of doing things or new ways of thinking. Therefore, make an extra effort to make your project as clear and understandable as possible, so others can better relate to it and do not have to guess. If you hope to complete a project, you need to ensure that as many people as possible can keep up. Respect that others may have a different perspective or a different pace than you. Do not view this as a problem, but simply factor it into your planning. Then make a decision based on that. Indecisiveness creates insecurity.
Understand that everyone’s input is equally important.
Others will have to live with any changes the project may bring about, just as you will. If they play even a minor role in the project’s completion, it is essentially their project too. Therefore, everyone’s input is valuable pieces contributing to the successful completion of a project. A democratic process can be cumbersome, but the result is more sustainable the more people feel they have helped create the final result. A successful project is usually the result of a process involving many compromises.
Understand how important it is to show appreciation.
Red flags should go up if project participants, for example, start missing meetings or show a lack of engagement in other ways. Is it the right project? Or is it because people feel sidelined or unheard? Remember, as a leader, to continually show others that you are open to listening to and taking their suggestions seriously. All involved need to feel that their efforts are appreciated and that they have the opportunity to influence your decisions as a leader. Otherwise, they will lose interest in participating in the project. If you feel resistance from someone, approach them directly and offer to listen to what they might have to say. Show that you take them seriously.
Understand how important it is to listen.
As a leader, you, of course, need to make decisions — including sometimes unpopular decisions — but that does not exempt you from your moral duty: which is to listen to others. Do not give others the impression that you are only interested in having them listen to and understand your viewpoints. It is possible that you only feel respected if others listen to you. But remember that others feel exactly the same way. Therefore, start by giving others a chance to speak before you summarise. Show positive openness and receptiveness to others’ viewpoints — even if there is harsh criticism. Do not take criticism personally, and NEVER go into defence mode, because then you are not listening and may miss valuable knowledge. It can be hard to receive criticism, but think about the much better result that can come from it, rather than shutting your ears. Therefore, listen if you want to win allies and involve them and make them believe that it is to everyone’s advantage to reach the goal. (If it is not, then perhaps the project was not worth undertaking from the start.)
Understand that your solution may not always be the best for everyone.
Even if you are very convinced that you are right, it may not pay off to push ahead too quickly. If, for example, you do not listen to others’ proposed solutions but continually try to convince other project participants of the excellence of your ideas, you may come across as so dominant that others feel sidelined, lose engagement, or directly begin to oppose you. If your solution truly is the best, then calmly trust that the best arguments and proposals will win in the long run because they have the greatest chance of proving their viability. So take it easy — even when you feel pressured. It simply does not pay to try to enforce something if others are not on board with the idea. It will only backfire. The more calmly you handle it, the greater your chance of achieving what you want.
Understand that you will never achieve 100% support.
As a leader, you will never win everyone’s hearts anyway — especially if the project represents changes that some of those involved may dislike, perhaps because it means a loss of prestige for them in some way. Remember, no one wants to give up privileges. Make peace with the fact that you cannot be friends with everyone. That is how it is. Do not waste unnecessary energy on it. Take comfort in the fact that it is likely only a few who will be unyielding. The others, in the best case, do not care and can be influenced. And remember that ultimately, it is the majority that decides.
TYPICAL PERSONAL CHALLENGES
Understand that the success of the project is most important — not your personal glory.
Remember that situations may arise where you need to set yourself aside and make personal compromises to ensure the project’s completion. Take comfort in knowing that often a more effective result emerges from a compromise than from stubbornly sticking to your own perception of how things ‘ought to be.’
Understand that you can only maintain others’ respect by maintaining your integrity.
You retain your integrity by understanding the difference between your role as a leader and yourself as a person — even if others do not understand the difference. Unless you want to dig your own grave, never take criticism and resistance personally, no matter how personal the attacks against you may seem. By consistently being true to who you are — and what you sincerely believe is right — and simultaneously showing others the respect you expect them to show you — regardless of the level of resistance and disrespect — you can, after all, achieve respect from as many as possible.
Understand that sometimes you yourself can become the project’s worst obstacle.
Catch yourself when you start to complain about something or someone that, in your eyes, is preventing the project’s completion, no matter how justified your complaint may seem in the situation. You will not win supporters or inspire others’ engagement by complaining about others’ resistance, lack of support, or participation. Therefore, do not resort to old-fashioned methods such as blame, criticism, accusations, and begging. It may provide a short-term personal relief to gripe, but all you achieve is creating a negative atmosphere around the project, increasing resistance and dropout rates, thereby also risking the project’s completion.
Understand the consequences of perceiving yourself as a victim of others’ resistance or opposition.
If you do so, you essentially make others responsible, which will be seen as you shirking your own responsibility. For example, if you use others’ ‘incompetence,’ ‘ignorance,’ or sheer ‘ill-will’ as an excuse for the project’s poor performance, it will only elicit resentment or anger against you as a person. Others will begin to doubt your leadership abilities because, in their eyes, you are offloading problems onto others, which you yourself have the primary responsibility to solve. Instead of judging others and/or giving up, stick to the core issue. Remain open and trusting, and investigate what the reasons for the resistance or the lack of participation might be. There may be entirely different reasons behind it than those you initially imagined.
Understand that it is your responsibility to break down prejudices.
If you encounter many prejudices, it is most likely not because others are foolish. Prejudices may arise because you have not explained or ‘sold’ the project well enough. Do not let personal irritations over people’s prejudices get to you; instead, approach those who resist directly. Talk to them, listen to them, and then use all your energy to focus on what you can agree on. Highlight the purpose and benefits of the project for everyone — especially those achieved when the goal is reached. Spend time explaining this — for your own and others’ sake.
IF THINGS START TO GO WRONG
Understand that critical attitudes often indicate insecurity due to a lack of overview.
‘Resistance is not necessarily about personal attacks — although it can be expressed that way. More often, it is about a lack of overview or resources. Many people find it hard to grasp changes in a world they already see as complex enough. They, therefore, fight — often fiercely — to hold on to what they know and to stay within their ‘comfort zone.’ They will be reluctant to acknowledge the need for changes and will view anyone trying to alter their daily life as a threat. In such a mental landscape, projects aiming to change old procedures can seem particularly difficult to implement. Your best chance to avoid this is by showing the very resourcefulness others lack! By exhibiting resourcefulness yourself, you can more easily reassure others and gain supporters for your project.
Understand that creating a sense of security is more important than being right.
In our demanding, complex age, there is an enormous amount of ‘noise’ to deal with all the time. The larger a project is, the more people are involved, and the more ‘noise’ there is. Noise creates confusion, which in turn creates insecurity. Insecurity tends to develop into dissatisfaction, rumour-mongering, and gossip — and in the worst case, smear campaigns. Filter out the noise by continually making the benefits of the project’s completion as visible and transparent as possible, thereby making as many people as possible familiar with the project. Ask for others’ opinions and take them into account. Listen to the criticism, and take it to heart, even if you think it is unreasonable. Be inclusive, not exclusive. Only in this way can people feel more secure about what is happening, and this may even lead them to become engaged.
Understand that people have a natural tendency to look for scapegoats when they feel insecure.
If you, as a leader, cannot make those involved feel secure about the project, you may unfortunately end up being the scapegoat. Insecurity easily turns into dissatisfaction and can unfortunately take the form of gossip and personal criticism, which will certainly not make the process easier. You can ensure that you never give anyone an excuse to use you as a scapegoat or villain. Therefore, do not play the victim or the accuser, but divert attention away from yourself as a person by using all your energy to highlight the project and the benefits of its completion. Break down prejudices by being the good example of the behaviour you want others to show you.
Understand that being receptive to criticism is not the same as weakness.
It can be tough to deal with criticism. It’s important to understand that people sometimes just need to vent, and you may happen to be the target at that moment. It likely has little to do with you, but more about them and their own problems. If you understand this, the criticism will hit you less hard, and you will have the capacity to let them vent a bit. Many will be grateful for the opportunity to pour out their heart — and for your receptiveness. They will not see you as weak. Quite the opposite. Most will perceive you as a tolerant person, strong enough to withstand criticism, and therefore someone they can trust. Only by listening to and respecting others’ viewpoints do you stand a chance of getting them to listen to yours. This doesn’t mean you completely relinquish control to others. You lead the project by helping others find solutions to the problems they tell you they have. There can be extremely important and educational points in what others share with you.
Understand how important it is to have fun as well.
Rise above the problems, appreciate the challenges as the best lessons you can receive, find the gifts, and create enjoyment. View everything with humour in your eyes. If you emanate an aura of positive enthusiasm, you become a positive magnet and make it much easier for yourself because people will be much more inclined to help you — and join in all the fun you represent. It is highly recommended, for that way, neither you nor your project will go downhill. Instead, you can confidently sing: “The only way is up, baby!”
© Elin Brimheim Heinesen
