"Both feelings are natural, but they are in direct conflict with each other," he notes. Murnighan highlights another dilemma for managers: Team members want democracy and the chance to have input about decisions, but the leader feels responsible for the group and usually wants to take control, thus reducing democracy. All while doing nothing (well, sort of nothing).
You are seeking to be respected and trusted – and effective.
In essence, it boils down to the conundrum of tough love. Pushing people to do more, while also showing that you care about them, is the great balancing act every leader faces. Your team members must know you care about them. Murnighan believes you know this innately, because if you think back to the best leaders you have had over your career, a common trait will be they cared about you as a person. Second, research shows you must sincerely care about your staff if you want to be an effective leader. They may not like you for this, of course, which is why leadership can be lonely. He says research shows that to be more effective, leaders must ask people to do more than they otherwise would. That can come from encouragement, expressing high expectations (because people try to live up to the expectations of others) and, when necessary, an assertive push. He adds two more guidelines, which can be summarized under the phrase "bear down warmly."įirst, to be effective, leaders must push people to do more than they otherwise would. If doing nothing sounds like it has expanded to doing two things – facilitating and orchestrating – it doesn't stop there. If each and every member of a team lives up to their maximum potential, the team and its leader will be as successful as they can possibly be," he advises. Instead, leaders do best when they help other people do as much as they can as well as they can. Orchestrate the work of team members, so that things go smoothly, with a hands-off approach and a collaborative mood. Help your staff to get their work done, rather than interfere with their work. Your role as a manager is to be a facilitator and orchestrator. Too often, people are promoted for being very productive at doing tasks, and then can't learn to let others strut their stuff. The essence is to stop getting involved in day-to-day details but still lead. Murnighan is not really recommending that managers sit in their chairs with their feet up on the desk and fingers crossed that this odd bit of management advice will work. They might not do things the way you would do them, but they will get results you never expected – positive results – because everyone has hidden talents, and most leaders never discover them," he argues.īut Prof. "People on your team will reveal skills you never knew they had, and will accomplish things that go far beyond your estimate of their capabilities. If managers move aside and do nothing, their team members will not become lethargic but instead will fill the vacuum created. But he argues that employees benefit from a vacuum. "Conscientious, dedicated leaders do too much – way too much," he writes in his provocative new book, Do Nothing! Keith Murnighan, a professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, says leaders often feel responsible for every team member and under enormous pressure to keep doing more – to do everything they possibly can. Want to be a great leader? It's simple: Do nothing!
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