Here’s an interesting look at your leadership ethos. Let’s look in the mirror for a moment. It’s a fun look at my experience with my many wonderful clients and comrades (and me) over a period of 40 years of leadership activity.
Are you a lizard or a learner? There are many types of lizards and learners. None of them should be branded “bad”. Instead they could just be considered in the light of what works best in what situation.
The Lizard
Lizards are highly developed, very competent, yet have fixed capability.
Here are their chief characteristics:
- They already know best.
- They want others to learn what they already know.
- They believe in command and control.
- They expect to be listened to.
- They are only empathic when it suits them.
- They have a false sense of self-awareness.
- They are very habitual.
- New environments cause them major discomfort.
- They are risk averse.
- They operate from a survival and fear ethos.
Types of Lizards
- T-Rex – dominant and aggressive predator.
- Skink – passive, introvert, carrion seeker.
- Chameleon – master of camouflage, sneaky predator.
- The rest (includes the above) – cold blooded, lacking in empathy and are low or slow learners.
Here’s an example of a lizard in action:
I watched this CEO as he left his vehicle, parked in his designated car-bay closest to the building entrance. He stomped around the garden edge of the parking area, kicking the shrubbery that he clearly didn’t like. He then called someone on his mobile phone as he walked into the building and yelled something about clipping the hedge.
I was having a coffee with his chief operating officer in the outside coffee area to the building. I asked “What’s that all about?” The COO said “That’s what he’s like.” I asked “What would happen if you asked him if that was a useful way of getting cooperation?” He said “That would be a career limiting move.” I asked “Are you telling me that you can’t have a frank and respectful conversation with him?” The COO paused, looked down and said “It’s just not worth it.”
I soon coached the COO to move to another company. I made a mental note to keep a track of the outfit this CEO was leading. They have experienced helter skelter progress, high turnover of talent and the facility is widely regarded by the customer base as being painful. Unfortunately the outfit is an essential service and there is no alternative. For that reason alone this CEO is likely to remain until a catastrophe occurs. I hope like hell that it doesn’t happen anytime soon.
As a side note, the CEO’s board is probably ignorant of the CEO’s manner – lizards manage upwards cleverly and many boards are too removed from reality to know what’s actually happening.
The Learner
Learners recognise that they are still developing, and whilst already competent, they are aware they still make mistakes and recognise their own potential to improve.
Here are their chief characteristics:
- They are willing to listen and consider other options.
- They want to share the learning.
- They believe in collaboration.
- They understand the need for evidence based input.
- They are authentically empathetic.
- They are genuinely self-aware.
- They seek to improve their useful habits and diminish those that don’t work.
- They seek to adapt to new environments.
- They are willing to take well considered risks.
- They operate from a “thrival” and care ethos.
Types of Learners
- Extrovert learner – seek to learn from around and outside themselves.
- Introvert learner – seek to learn from within themselves.
- Blended learner – seek to learn from wherever they can.
- The rest (includes the above) – inquisitive, people centred, experimenters.
Here’s an example of a learner in action:
I was introduced to this CEO at a presentation I gave to a TEC (The Executive Connection) group. A few months later this CEO asked me for a meeting. She said “I liked what you spoke about and wonder whether you could adapt it for my leadership team, because we are seeking to move to the next level. We need to get ready for a doubling of our service.”
I said “I can and would need to understand your team and your requirements first” She asked “OK, how would you like to go about that?” I said “I’d like to interview a cross section of your leadership team to discover where they are at and what they think they need to meet the challenge.” She said “OK, let’s do that.”
After I’d completed my enquiry I designed an intervention that I thought would achieve the objective. I discussed it with the CEO who offered some suggestions and then said “Are you OK with me being a part of this?” I asked “How would you like that to be a part of this?” She said “As a participant, of course.”
During the intervention, two days of training with six two hour group coaching follow ups over four months, the CEO participated in all activities.
Their objectives were fully achieved, not because of me, but because the CEO set the example as a learner and an adapter.
Now looking in your mirror, where do you fit? Can you see that we all have both characteristics?
Can you deliberately choose which to be in which situation?
Do you know how to do that?
