In most organizations, leadership shows up in one of three ways:
- There’s no leadership. There’s no direction, no clarity of priorities, no accountability, nor motivation.
- Leadership is driven from the top. The person with the most authority makes the decisions, creates clarity, sets expectations, and holds others accountable. Progress depends on one individual’s presence and power.
- Leadership comes from within the team. While direction may still be set from above, execution of plans is wholly transformed. Now the members of the team make key decisions, create clarity, set expectations, hold one another accountable, and activate motivation for each other.
I recently shadowed a high-performing team in action. They modeled this third approach to leadership in remarkable ways.
- Authority was invisible. In their meetings you couldn’t tell who had the most authority. (In most organizations, the highest-ranking person does most of the talking or decision making.) Everyone was participating in discussions and decision making.
- Accountability was peer-driven. Colleagues held each other accountable. They told the truth, asked questions, and provided candid assessments of project progress
The third approach has such a tremendous impact on results that we’ve replicated it in every one of our solutions. Here’s why: The people best equipped to support and sustain alignment are already within your organization. The most effective feedback and accountability mechanisms come from peers.
The only leadership development worth the investment includes a systemic method to perpetuate on-going development after the initial days of the program. Leadership is fleeting when it’s a role reserved for a few.
Sustaining and perpetuating alignment is a culture. Are you equipping your teams to build it?
P.S. Sustaining leadership isn’t just about who speaks up in a meeting—it’s about whether the team can stay aligned when it matters most. That’s why our next Activation Session is focused on “How To Stay Aligned When Senior Leaders Aren’t.” You’ll discover practical ways to keep projects moving forward, even when the top isn’t in sync.
