While she was the CEO of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi, talked about a meeting with Steve Jobs. She related that Jobs had told her “If you really feel strongly about something — if you don’t like something people are doing — throw a temper tantrum. Throw things around, because people have got to know that you feel strongly about it.” For some reason that worked for Jobs, but such childish behavior is more likely to discourage a team than it is to energize it.
Some call this assertive leadership, and I suppose it could be described that way, but it’s really insecure leadership that more often discourages innovation. Yes, Jobs was successful at Apple, but all my experience shows that to be an anomaly.
One thing I’ve learned in more than 40 years of leading teams large and small is that effective leaders seldom gain by trying to be assertive. Rather, by using effective leadership skills leaders build much more productive teams. If a leader feels a need to be more assertive, they need to examine why. What has led them to believe the team needs more forceful input?
The tantrum method of leadership has more drawbacks than benefits, causing team members to be fearful and stifling innovation and creativity. Effective leaders strive to help their team, and all its members, succeed. As a rule, teams want to excel and I’ve found there are four actions that will help leaders become more effective and eliminate the need to worry about assertiveness.
- Understand and communicate what you really believe. Write a leadership philosophy and make sure the whole team understands it. Spell out what you believe, what you expect, and what your team can expect from you. Then live up to your philosophy.
- Communicate clearly. This doesn’t involve shouting or insulting diatribes. It does mean clearly communicating not only what you want your team to accomplish, but also the limitations as well.
- Get mad, then get over it. It’s natural to occasionally be angry – but for the right reasons. Leaders should be angry when people are dishonest, when that big project just falls apart, and on those days when the world seems to be plotting against them. But, being angry doesn’t mean throwing a tantrum. It’s not okay to be angry and throw a fit because a team member’s input isn’t what you wanted.
- Celebrate failure. I don’t mean throw a party when you stock tanks. Yes, there are times when failure is just not acceptable, but even so, failure can be an important part of the road to success. Believe it or not, it’s one of the best ways to be an effective leader. If the team is afraid to fail, they will be afraid to try new things. When that happens, it isn’t long before all ideas come from the leader, and the leader seldom has all the good ideas.
Temper tantrums are counter-productive and while I’m not an attorney, I believe throwing things at people could be considered battery. Tantrums also aren’t necessary because leaders who clearly state expectations and goals, leaders who have a strong vision and a passion to accomplish that vision, and leaders who nurture and encourage their teams don’t need to worry about being more assertive.
Bob Mason is dedicated to leadership development. He works with companies to solve problems by helping supervisors and managers become more effective leaders leading more productive teams. He is a professional speaker and author of Don’t Worry, You Can Do This: What New Supervisors and Managers Need to Know About Leadership; The Art of Not Motivating: How Leaders Can Succeed by Understanding the True Nature of Motivation; Balancing the Generations: A Leader’s Guide to the Complex, Multi-Generational, 21st Century Workplace; and Planning to Excel: Strategic Planning That Works.
A 30-year career in the U.S. Air Force exposed him to great leaders and leadership opportunities such as command of four squadrons, including the Air Force’s largest munitions squadron. He has studied leadership extensively, but more importantly has been there, working with real people, making hard decisions, and experiencing the results.
Contact Bob at Bob@BobMasonSpeaker.com or 505-453-5266
