Leadership, Process, Submarines and Space Ships.

I was writing a letter of recommendation for a peer recently, and started to think about leadership. There's a movie that came out several years back called U-571; it's a fictionalized take on a real WWII story where the Allies were able to capture German cryptography equipment. The plotline isn't terribly important here, but suffice it to say that at one point, a new leader is in a high stress environment and his subordinates are asking what they should do. In the heat of the moment, the new leader says that he doesn't know what to do. He buckles under the pressure.

Shortly thereafter, one of the older men on the submarine explains to him that the Captain of the boat can never express uncertainty--the Captain must always be confident and must always have the answers. It's a great scene, and worth watching.

This scene came to mind as I was pondering the leadership styles of different people that I've worked with, and the style of the person who I was offering a recommendation for. The perspective that the leader must always know the answer and must always exude absolute confidence is one that many leaders have. I've worked with a lot of people who take that approach, and who lead with absolutism (even outside of the pressure of a submarine under enemy attack). Making suggestions, questioning the wisdom of an approach, offering feedback (even privately) is viewed by these leaders as insubordinate.

On the other hand, I've worked with people who were titled as leaders but who failed to function as leaders. If their team was unable to come to consensus on a direction to take, the leader would be unable to make a decision. Any lack of consensus and any conflict or disagreement lead to organizational paralysis. If a group conclusion was not reached quickly, the "leader" would defer, delay, avoid, obfuscate.

This got me to think about the happy medium. The happy medium is a leader who is confident, but also willing to entertain countervailing thoughts, suggestions and proposals. The ideal leader can solicit and evaluate feedback, but can also make a decision when necessary--and once that decision is made, the ideal leader can mobilize resources to effectuate it.

Since we're doing movie clips today, the ideal leader's approach looks something more like Ed Harris in this scene in Apollo 13. In a high pressure situation that required a quick decision, he encouraged brainstorming, evaluated options, made a decision and marshaled resources to implement the solution quickly. Yes, there was some abrasiveness in his reaction to certain suggestions, but the ticking clock of that crisis required it.

Leadership requires the ability to evaluate the nuances of a situation. Emergencies require moving the slider closer to unilateral decision making and decisiveness. Emotionally charged situations with a significant amount of historical baggage require moving the slider over to a slower, more deliberative process. A myriad of factors affect the decision on...how to decide things as a leader.

This came to me in the context of the letter of recommendation referenced above. I realized that while I appreciate leaders who make the right decision, I really and truly admire leaders who make the right decision and get there with the right process. Using the right process (and the right combination of confidence and openness) can help your team accept even difficult decisions and can help build cohesion and support among those who have to implement and live with the decision. Knowing which process to use is a skill that takes considerable judgment and the willingness to try different approaches (while being sensitive to their outcomes). Leadership is a process of constant evolution and learning.