Leading Those Whom Are Better Than You
Note From The Stronger Leaders Strong Profits Team:
Thank you all for the incredible response to last week's Leadership After Hours Podcast Episode!! Due to your incredible response, we asked Mike Swartz to dive a little deeper into his experience when it came to leading those who may be more experienced or skilled than you are. Check out what he had to say and be sure to go back and listen to last week's episode if you haven't done so already!
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Leading Those Who Are Better Than You
Guest Author: Green Beret Master Sergeant (R) Mike Swartz
Oftentimes, we as leaders find ourselves dealing with imposter syndrome. Am I good enough to lead others? How do I lead this organization? What is the best way to lead this team? With these questions running through any new leader’s mind, it becomes even more challenging when the group of people you have been selected to lead….are better than you.
Growing up as a leader in the Special Operations community, I was constantly in charge of people who were faster than me, stronger than me, more intelligent than me, and way better at shooting than me. When put in this position, you have to realize that being a great leader does not mean that you are the best at x, y, or z on the team; those are individual tasks. Instead, it’s how you foster growth within your team to execute collective tasks and achieve collective results that matters most.
We have a very unique method of developing and promoting people within the military. The bottom line is that every single person is expected to move up over their career. We have an “up or out” system of retention in the military that will force an individual out if they fail to be promoted within a certain timeframe. Now, don’t get promotion confused with leadership. Rank in the military is not always synonymous with leader, even though it once was long ago. Take for instance the NCO corp. Sergeant stripes used to be reserved for leaders, now they are just used to symbolize promotion and foster the ability for someone to be retained because they are great at their individual skill set and deemed worthy of retention. Not everyone in the military with a certain rank are considered leaders. Therefore, when you are placed in a leadership position you are oftentimes in charge of people who just yesterday were your peers, and they may be better than you at individual tasks.
So how do you move past this challenge? It’s really simple, “when in charge, take charge”. Conduct an internal audit of yourself and identify what you can do to foster an environment where the team goes beyond individual talent and develops a collective mindset dedicated to a higher mission than themselves. “Mission first, People Always”; this is the double headed dragon that you must always be vigilant of. You now transition from individual contributor to coach. You must constantly conduct a SWOT analysis of your team by identifying strengths and placing your people in positions to capitalize on their strengths, as well as identifying weaknesses and protecting your people from themselves until you are able to develop their weaknesses into strengths. Take care of your people and remove obstacles. Provide them with guidance and intent and watch them work. Give them a wide path to find the solution on their own, they will amaze you with their creativity. Remain vigilant for micro-management, this is the killer of any team.
There is a Spanish proverb that goes something to the effect of “A wise man changes his mind, a fool never will”. Remember to keep an open mind and realize that you are only able to make decisions based on the information you have at any given time. As new information becomes available, be open to changing your mind and setting new courses. Maintain excellent communication with your team, this will allow you to pivot when necessary and with the full support of your team.
-Mike Swartz
Listen To The Podcast Here: https://leadershipafterhours.buzzsprout.com/