208. The Opposite of Leadership: Rethinking Roles with Mick Spiers

Challenge your understanding of leadership with the idea that the true opposite of a leader isn't a follower, but a diminisher. 

Inspired by Liz Wiseman's insights and the expertise of Dr. Chris Fuzie and Rich Diviney, we explore the fluid dance between leadership and followership within liminal spaces where these roles interweave. 

Discover how adaptability, resilience, and humility are not just shared attributes but the very foundation of high-performing teams. We dive into the balance between leadership and followership as we draw from Diviney's perspective on perseverance and courage, offering a fresh take that encourages you to rethink traditional leadership dynamics for fostering innovation and collaboration.

Trust and vulnerability are not mere buzzwords; they are crucial elements in crafting authentic, high-trust environments. As we navigate the complexities of hybrid and remote work settings, my reflections highlight the importance of empathetic listening, transparent decision-making, and genuine care for employees as touchstones for building trust. We'll share personal insights on managing tasks and communication, as well as the transformative power of intentional planning in achieving goals. 

Join us on this journey as we emphasize embracing authenticity and humility to steer teams through challenges and nurture mutual growth and success.

Chapters

• 0:01 Leaders and Followers in Liminal Space
• 8:54 Building Trust and Vulnerability in Leadership"
• 17:24 Engaging Leadership Project Promotion

Transcript

Mick Spiers: 0:01

So, what really is the opposite of leader? In Episode 207 of The Leadership Project, we were joined by Dr. Chris Fuzie, where he explained that follower is not the opposite of leader. He explained to us his concept of liminal space, and he explained that leaders and followers have more in common than they have different so that got me thinking, if follower is not the opposite of leader, what is the opposite of leader? And that is what we're going to explore in today's solocast At the end of the show, I'll also be adding some recent research about the role of trust and vulnerability in this relationship between leaders and followers, and my own leadership reflections of the week. Hey everyone, and welcome back to The Leadership Project. I'm your host, Mick Spiers, and today I'm sharing reflections for my recent conversation with Dr Chris Fuzie, which I think brings a new and thought provoking perspective to leadership and followership. If you haven't listened to Episode 207, yet, I highly recommend that you check it out. One of the most powerful concepts that Dr. Fuzie introduced is what hecalls liminal space. It's that space between what was and what is yet to be in leadership terms, it's where the lines between leaders and followers blur. We often think of leadership and followership as opposing forces. The opposite of leader is follower But Dr. Fuzie challenges this, suggesting that leadership and followership are dynamic roles that evolve in real time. Sometimes we lead, sometimes we follow, and the key to success is in how we adjust to each other. This idea reframes how we define leadership and followership. A follower isn't the opposite of a leader. In fact, both leaders and followers share many of the same values and behaviors that we're looking for. Think about adaptability, resilience, humility. Aren't those qualities that we look for in both roles. When we stop seeing leadership and followership as opposites, and start viewing them as interdependent, we open up the possibility for high performance teams where there is alignment between leaders and followers. Great things happen. This alignment creates a dynamic, fluid environment where team members adjust to one another, almost like in a beach volleyball match. If one person goes up for a block, the other adjusts, ready for whatever's going to happen next, the success of that team isn't about rigid roles, it's about how well the players work together in the moment. Think about that in the workplace, how well do your team players adapt to each other instead of just staying strictly into the role that they think they're supposed to play? Now this got me thinking, if a follower isn't the opposite of a leader, what is it? Here's where the work of Liz Wiseman comes in on multipliers and diminishes. Wiseman argues that the true opposite of a leader isn't a follower, it's a diminisher. A great leader is a multiplier, someone who amplifies the capabilities of their team, inspiring growth and creativity and collaboration, a diminisher, on the other hand, drains the energy of those around them, limiting the team's potential. They take up all the space, leaving no room for others togrow. The word diminish. They diminish the capability of the team. They put roadblocks in the way. They demotivate and demoralize the team, and they put more obstacles in place than they remove. So if we frame leadership not just having the power to enable others, it's becoming clear that the opposite of this is diminishing others' abilities. We see this all the time in organizations where diminishes take control, theymicromanage and they stifle innovation. In contrast, multipliers bring out the best in people, creating the environment where everyone can thrive and everyone can do their very best work. This ties into some powerful lessons from rich Divini, who shared his insights in episode 102 of The Leadership Project about the attributes that define great leaders, Divini emphasized the importance of underlying attributes, things like perseverance, adaptability and humility over skills. These attributes are what determine. We show up, particularly in times of stress and uncertainty. They are just as important for leaders as they are for followers. Divini's work reminds us that in both leadership and followership, the attributes we exhibit are what shape the outcome. His research focuses on traits like grit, courage and resilience, all of which play a critical role in forming high performance teams. He shared a brilliant analogy from his time as a Navy SEAL about how individual performance in pursuit of collective goals is the key. You can't have an ego that overshadows the team's success, humility and adaptability are essential. In that sense, the same attributes that make someone a great leader can also make them an excellent follower. When we look at teams through this lens, we see that success comes from a balance of leadership and followership and an alignment of these two each person, whether leading or following, brings their attributes to the table, resilience when things get tough, adaptability when the environment changes, and courage When facing the unknown. And once again, this is where Wiseman's concept of multipliers and diminishes fits in, a leader who is a multiplier encourages these attributes and others, fostering a high performing, resilient team. All of these great insights from Dr. Fuzie, from rich Divini and the great work of Liz Wiseman all playtogether with some research I've been reading recently about the role of trust and vulnerability as the essential elements of leadership, as we've explored through this episode, effective leadership isn't just about Being in charge, it's about creating environments where people thrive, whether in the context of theliminal space that leaders and followers navigate together, or the contrasting dynamics of multipliers versus diminishes, the element of trust underpins everything we've discussed. Recent research has revealed the power of vulnerability in building that trust leaders who show vulnerability by openly acknowledging their own mistakes, limitations or uncertainty are seen as human, relatable, and they're seen as authentic. In high trust environments, employers are more than five times more likely to engage inthings like creative problem solving and bringing innovative thoughts to the table. It ties directly back to what we've discussed about multipliers, leaders who multiply and amplify the intelligence and capability of their teams by fostering that trust and safety. When people feel trusted, they take risks and they innovate. In contrast, diminishes leaders who hoard power and are unwilling to be vulnerable, often erode trust. They create environments where people fear failure, which stifles innovation and engagement. People don't try. They don't want to stick their neck out and try something new, because they fear what will happen if they fail. Vulnerability, far from being a weakness, is actually a multiplayer it's a strength. It allows leaders to engage followers more deeply, fostering collaboration, building psychological safety, and where mistakes are used as learning opportunities rather than something that's catastrophic. We also talked about the liminal space with Dr. Chris Fuzie, that transition period where leaders and followers are co creating new possibilities. This space, while full of uncertainty, requires an especially high degree of trust between leaders and their teams at those key moments, vulnerability plays a key role here too, when leaders admit that they don't have all the answers and invite others into the process of discovery. It strengthens the leader follower relationship, making this uncertain space one of shared growth and exploration. It's a huge win, win when leaders admit that they don't have all the answers. Firstof all, it builds trust. Second, it creates an environment where others can learn and grow. And third, you're going to get more diversity of thought. If you really stick up your hand and say, Hey team, I'm not really sure what we should do here, it invites a conversation full of diversity of thought, where you can look for the best solution all of this. This role of trust is even further amplified in hybrid and remote work. In today'sworld where hybrid and remote work are becoming the norm, trust takes on an even more critical role. According to a recent Harvard Business publishing report, leaders in remote settings are 22% more likely to trust their senior leaders than those in traditional office settings. This is especially significant when we consider the followership dynamic, where followers now have greater autonomy and flexibility in hybrid environments leaders who demonstrate vulnerability by trusting their teams with this autonomy are seen to have much higher engagement and productivity. This is a tricky balance with this hybrid existence. We know the science is telling us that we co create and we collaborate when we're together, but when we have this freedom of remote work, our employees and our team members, they do feel more trusted. So we need to balance this. We need to bring the best of both worlds. How can we have the collaboration and the co creation and the dynamics of a wonderful team environment, and that is easier in a physical office, but how do we also still show people that we trust them, that we trust them, and we empower them? There are at least some people that feel that when they get asked to come back into an office for a certain number of days per week, they feel like it's because they're not trusted. But that's not the case. It's it's really, well, I shouldn't say that universally, and in my experience, in the companies that I work with,it's not a matter of trust, it's a matter of CO, creation and collaboration. So we do need to make sure that our teams feel trusted, they feel empowered. They feel that they can have the autonomy that they're looking for, but we also blend that with opportunities for incredible collaboration and co creation. In closing, trust and vulnerability are not just soft skills. Finally, one of the most critical findings from recent leadership studies is that trust is built in everyday interactions through key behaviors such as listening with empathy and listening without judgment, sharing the rationale behind decisions instead of just making a decision and say, That's it. Explain the why also helps you to build this trust and genuinely caring about employees well being when people feel that you have their best interest at heart, people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care the famous quote by Teddy Roosevelt, these behaviors tie into the attributes we've discussed through this episode, authenticity, empathy and the ability to lead through uncertainty and change. Leaders who embrace these attributes are able to build lasting trust and guide their teams effectively through the challenges of the modern workplace in closing, trust and vulnerability are not just soft skills, they are fundamental aspects of the type of leadership that truly multiplies the potential of others. Leaders who can embrace their own humility and humanity while empowering those around them are the ones who succeed in creating resilient, innovative and high performing teams. Okay, so now on to my leadership reflections of the week.For anyone that's new to the show, I've asked myself the same five questions every day for the past 11 years, what went well? What didn't go well? What would I do differently next time? What did I learn aboutmyself and what did I learn about others? So here are some of the highlights from this week. What went well this week, I was individually prolific at finishing tasks that I knew had to be finished. I had five major tasks that I knew had to be finished by the end of Friday this week, using a concept that Brendan Burchard calls his Friday finishes. And what I did was used extreme focus to make sure that I got those things done. And sure enough, Friday evening, as I shut down my laptop, I'd completed all five now what didn't go well along the way? It did mean that I had to say no to a few things. Had to say no to some people that were potentially disappointed. That I said no to an additional task because I knew what the five things that I needed to get done this week. What would I do differently next time? Well, I did do this, but I can still do it better, an open conversation with the people that might be in that no camp to explain why I'm saying no to that activity because of something else. If you just say no and you don't explain it, they're going to feel that they they and their task is not important. What did I learn about myself when I'm very intentional with my planning? I can achieve amazing things when I set time blocks away, where I set time blocks for what is the things that I need to get done by the end of the week, but also time blocks for the other parts of my job. Part of that there is what is my job. So sometimes, when you've got a whole bunch of things that you need to produce, you might feel like having these conversations with team members or other interactions that you have during the day, that they're a distraction, but you need to remember that they are your job too. As this is your job is to create the environment where other people can do their very best work, and if you're not spending the time with them, then you are not doing your job. So that conversation, that impromptu conversation, that might have felt like a distraction away from what you're trying to achieve, you need to remember those conversations are your job. What did I learn about others? They'd like to be informed. So when you're making these decisions around prioritization, have an open and transparent conversation about the priorities and what you're choosing to say yes to and what you're choosing to say no to. People really appreciate the openness and transparency of those conversations. When they understand your rationale for what you're doing and why you're doing it, they then understand, and they collaborate and they help you with it. If they don't know you run the risk that you start confusing them, you start frustrating them, and they start to disengage. So people need to have those open and transparent conversations where they feel part of the solution, and not just some outsider. That's it for this week. If you've been enjoying our show, we would love it. If you would leave a rating and review on Apple podcast or your preferred podcast service. You can also subscribe to The Leadership Project YouTube channel, where we bring you weekly live stream shows, video podcasts and our curated videos, all designed to help you become the leader you wish you always had. Thank you for listening to The Leadership Project mickspiers.com a huge call out to Faris Sedek for his video editing of all of our video content and to all of the team at TLP. Joan Gozon, Gerald Calibo And my amazing wife Sei Spiers, I could not do this show without you. Don't forget to subscribe to The Leadership Project YouTube channel where we bring you interesting videos each and every week, and you can follow us on social, particularly on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. Now in the meantime, please do take care, look out for each other and join us on this journey as we learn together and lead together.