When You Feel Resistance, Teach.

My approach to Connected Leadership.

Several years ago at Target, we were in the process of making some organization shifts to move the digital team back into Marketing. It’s a much longer story, but the team had been moved in and out of Marketing over time. As part of the transition plan, I was meeting with the team and sharing my thoughts on why the move was happening. 

Stereotypically, and especially several years ago, digital / performance marketers and brand marketers often didn’t see eye-to-eye. Maybe worse, they lacked respect for each other’s expertise. Performance marketers struggled with what they perceived as the brand marketers’ lack of accountability, and brand marketers struggled with the digital teams lack of understanding for how brands become beloved.

During the meeting, in a passionate moment trying to appeal to the pride and expertise of the performance marketing team, I shared with them that they had an unfair obligation - they had to teach. Collaboration is an over-used and often maligned word at work, I prefer to call it team-work. Teams working together productively require clear roles, common goals, and trust and respect for the unique skills each team member brings. When this doesn’t exist, resistance is created...teams protect their turf and dig in. 

My plea to the performance marketing team was simple: when you feel resistance, teach. I had no idea in the moment how profound this statement would be.

Since the meeting several years ago, I’ve come to realize this statement is at the core of my approach, what I now call Connected Leadership. Growing and evolving as a leader is a life-long journey, and it’s only been over the last several years that I’ve been able to distill this approach to its essence and realize how it stands in stark contrast to the Command & Control approach of many leaders, especially CEOs.

Command & Control, in my view, is a dated approach. It is by definition hierarchical. It causes people at all levels of the organization to constantly “look up” for direction and approval. It creates a single point of failure (the boss) in decision-making -- and either creates or facilitates silos as teams are motivated to go to the boss, not each other. When you create a structure where the boss makes all the decisions, you also create bureaucracy as people constantly jockey and position, and decision-making speed is entirely reliant on access to the boss and his/her ability to make all the decisions. You also teach people not to think or be accountable. 

Over time, people (and organizations) can lose their decision-making muscle and when that happens, business can stall. Command & Control organizations are based on power. And given organizational power is often based on information, silos are reinforced. In fairness, this approach is still practiced in lots of teams and organizations so it can be effective at driving results. It can also drive away great people who don’t always want to be told what to do.

Connected Leadership is harder and, to me, far more rewarding. It is based on expertise and trust which means talent and culture really matter. Trust in one another creates dependencies based on expectations that people are competent, reliable and have pure intentions to serve the customer and the organization over themselves. Being dependent on one another requires sharing, not hoarding. It requires people to be 100% accountable and willing to speak truth to power, and objectively assess their own work. 

When it works, the outcomes of Connected Leadership are powerful. People see themselves as part of something bigger. They feel true ownership. Information flows and the pace picks up. Talented people are motivated by autonomy and accountability. The organization is stronger because it is connected to one another.

In the case at Target, I saw this model come to life. Teams worked through the pain. Expertise and knowledge were shared and, while I’m not there today, I suspect the teams continue to thrive under new leadership.

At H&R Block we are making the transition from Command & Control to Connected Leadership. There are many days it would be easier to “call the ball” and tell others what to do. At times it is appropriate or required, but the trade-off between speed and reinforcing old behaviors is a deliberate choice. The people at H&R Block are ready for this change. I haven’t felt much resistance, but when I do, I will practice what I preach.