The Tyrant 🚫 vs The Liberator 🙌🏻
The path of least resistance is often the path of the Diminisher. Becoming a Liberator requires long-term commitment.
This week on Learning to Lead live we continued to explore the concepts within the book “Multipliers” by Liz Wiseman, unpacking Tyrants versus Liberators.
As with every topic we share with this community, the first step is always self-reflection. Only once we understand how we see ourselves, and how we are perceived by others can we grow as individuals and leaders. This is an continuous process, and part of everyone’s leadership journey. As we look at the traits of a tyrant and a liberator, remember it’s not just about “good” or “bad,” but about understanding how and why we react to situations.
First, let’s understand the traits of Tyrants and Liberators:
The Tyrant - also known as the TENSE leader
Creates an environment of stress & anxiety, fear & intimidation
Does not give people control over their own performance
Overexerts their will on the organization and causes others to shrink, retreat and hold back
Primary approach “What can you do for me?”
It can be unpredictable in what may set them off
Liberator - also known as the INTENSE leader
Encourages people to think for themselves and experience a deep obligation to do their best work
Respected with a reputation as fair, consistent, calm, and confident
Allows others to try new approaches and fix problems themselves
Keeps others focused on what they are able to control
People learn rapidly and adapt to new environments with liberators
“How smart you are is defined by how clearly you can see the intellect in others.” -CK Prahalad
So how do you become a liberator? There are practices you can start today to embody the traits of a leader invested in the growth of each team member.
Create Space: Everyone needs space to contribute
Deliberately make space for others to make a contribution
Resist overplaying your own ideas creating room for others
SHIFT THE RATIO OF LISTENING TO TALKING: Become a ferocious listener: listening to learn and understand what others know, and adding to your reservoir of knowledge. One-on-Ones should be 80% listening and 20% talking; give your entire attention and ask probing questions to get to the heart of the matter
LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD: Unless the situation is managed voices closest to the real issues can be muffled. Give advantage and amplify ideas and voices on the lower end of the playing field
Demand Peoples' Best Work: Embrace asking your team members “Is this your best work?” and challenge them to evaluate their own work in a supportive way. Remember that you may need to adjust your approach as it may not be something your team members have experienced in a positive setting.
Generate Rapid Learning Cycle: Give people permission to make mistakes and the obligation to learn from them.
ADMIT & SHARE MISTAKES: Create an environment with equal parts pressure and learning where intellectual curiosity is fostered to ask what worked and what didn’t. Try shifting the thinking from Fail Fast to Learn Fast. It’s also important that you as a leader equally embrace sharing your learnings and mistakes.
How smart do you need to be to be a multiplier? - Smart enough to learn
Here are a few challenges you can try in the week ahead:
Ask someone for feedback
Ask someone in your own way “is this your best work”
Assess your self-awareness (1 not aware at all to 10 very aware and in tune)
Share a failure with your team
Be a ferocious listener and capture notes on how you were one
No matter what level you are, or where you are in your leadership journey, you can start any of these practices immediately. Additionally, reflect on the leaders around you. What traits do they demonstrate? What are your interactions with them like? What about your projects. Remember we are here to learn not only about leading others but what we as individuals need from our leaders as well.
“Don’t listen with the intent of answering, but with the intent of understanding.” - Bobby Albert
Listen to the Full Replay
The next Learning to Lead Live event will be on Saturday, July 16 @ 9:30 am PT. The topic will be shared on Wednesday (July 13) so be sure to subscribe for updates and reminders!
Resources
Multipliers by Liz Wiseman: The book we are digging into for the next few weeks, packed with so many amazing leadership lessons
The Multiplier Effect: The first session in our series
The Talent Magnet: The second discussion in our series
Hot Ones: A fantastic format of interviews with celebrities (of all kinds) while they eat super spicy wings
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable: In The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Patrick Lencioni once again offers a leadership fable that is as enthralling and instructive as his first two best-selling books. This time, he turns his keen intellect and storytelling power to the fascinating, complex world of teams.
Military Leaders Know the Power of Reflection. Here's How You, Too, Can Use the Debrief in Business. The debrief is essential in military operations to pause and reflect on performance. Here are 3 ways business leaders should use this type of meeting too.
Morning Brew Business Analytics Workshop - July 18, 2022: Join a free 60-minute workshop discussing data analytics and their importance with Stephen J. Dubner, co-author of "Freakonomics" and host of "Freakonomics Radio."
The Cru Virtual Summit - July 21, 2022: This is a free summit with The Cru, a powerful networking group. The summit focuses on bringing you connection, clarity, & growth.
INBOUND 2022 - September 6th - 9th, 2022: INBOUND is an annual event, powered by HubSpot, that unites thought leaders from over 161 countries across marketing, sales, customer success, and revenue operations.
Tech Up For Women Conference San Diego - October 6, 2022:
Tech Up for Women believes tech knowledge is critical for every career journey. Join them for a one-day event to advance yourself through fast-moving topics to embrace new ideas and innovation.
Newsletters I read daily to stay informed and get inspired: The Hustle, Morning Brew, Seth Godin’s Blog, Atlas Obscura, Oprah Daily
Networking & Job Openings
Director, Product Management, Media Pipelines and Tools @ Disney
Director, Technical Program Management - Experience Engineering @ Disney
Director, Product Management @ Disney
Are you hiring? Send your job to be included in this newsletter and connect with leaders in our network
If you are enjoying this content:
Consider joining us live Saturdays from 9:30-10:30 am PT on Clubhouse
Share it with a friend!
Show your appreciation by buying me a coffee