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Historically, executives have been said to be decisive and hierarchical. Today, advice is away from it. It’s agile and supportive. However, according to IMD professor and social psychologist Jennifer Jordan, great leaders understand that there is time and place for both traditional and new leadership styles. In this episode, Jordan breaks down leadership into seven key tensions. This includes powerholding and powersharing, tactical focus and big-name vision. She explains when to tilt towards each style to lead more effectively.
Jennifer Jordan: Originally, my goal as a researcher was to understand the capabilities that leaders in this new world really need to succeed. And our study identified seven competency. A power sharer, visionary, adapter, accelerator, analyst, prospector, and excellent listener. That being said, as we are increasingly working with the world leaders who have disrupted this Vuca, we can see that the best are still dazzling and still have a foot in its traditional leadership space and more traditional leadership style. Sometimes they are more command and control. They are Terrors and they are power holders. Yes, these new worlds or these emerging characteristics are important, but we still need to be traditional, and that is where these seven tensions were born.
I call them the Seven Tensions of the Digital Age. It is the tension between the traditional and emerging worlds. A power holder is someone who holds power in a way that provides peace of mind and security. So, when people feel that they may be uneasy or unstable, and there are many changes, the power holder really holds that authority in a way that creates security. Powershare is someone who shares power in a way that helps to develop others. They also see power shearing as a way to free time for a more strategic pursuit. So what can I get out of the table so that I can really focus on what I need to focus on, or what I am good at?
Tacticians are people who focus on a much shorter term. What is the next step? Can they break down that vision of the different roles and how they relate to different levels of an organization? A visionary is someone who can see the big picture and create an inspirational vision. But on top of that, they can influence and persuade people to adopt that vision.
The constant is someone who has a very clear North Star. They say this is non-negotiable ability. They have clear messages and the messages are very stable. An adapter is someone who understands that changes are constant and adapts the message when new information becomes available as strength rather than as weaknesses. Perfectionists are truly detailed and guarantee you that you will receive a perfect finished product. An accelerator is someone who sacrifices perfection for speed and sometimes says that he is satisfied. Thus, an intuitionist is someone who makes decisions from the gut. [inaudible 00:02:23] An analyst is someone who brings data and evidence to make decisions.
That’s why miners are deep-going people. I really want to understand specific technologies, specific parts of the market, and more. And someone of prospectors who are broader, more understanding and beyond the opportunities and threats of the environment around them. The tellers are the ones who give direction, they have answers, and perhaps they are experts, so it is their responsibility to give answers. A listener is someone who listens to understand. They are interested. They have a learning mindset, so they are learners.
A good leader never stands completely on one side of that tension. Maybe when they’re talking, or when they’re at a meeting, they’re so, but when they leave that context, they’re okay, is this still the right style I need? And it requires a lot of emotional intelligence.
I never tell my leaders that I am aiming to achieve a great balance with all seven of us. I think that’s too much. Choose three or four that they think are truly important. [inaudible 00:03:31]. If you rely only on one side, the drawbacks of that side become clear.
So let’s take the first tension we’re talking about: listeners and tellers. If I’m a teller, what are the drawbacks of being a teller? Well, others feel free. Others don’t feel like they’ve heard their voices. The expertise you bring is to focus very narrowly on your expertise. It’s the same with being a listener. If you are a listener only and never speak, what are the drawbacks of being a listener? Well, you probably haven’t heard you. You probably can’t say much in the direction. You may certainly need to be a great listener. Adding such situations may require you to be able to hold your strength. In other words, I listen to the people around me and give them a clear frame. I’m giving them feedback so maybe it’s a bit of a window. I’m giving them feedback and I’m also creating that psychological safety that they can come back to me if they have questions. So I’m a listener, but in that situation, I’m also a power holder.
I have a question. One is the situation, what is happening? So, what do I feel in the environment around me? what happened? That could be a contextual question. As the world is changing rapidly, it needs to accelerate, it needs to accelerate. It could be a situational question, or it could be an emotional, intellectual question. What do I feel from the people around me? People around me actually feel, I feel they need to say something, and I should shut up. Or they feel frustrated because I share all this power, but maybe they aren’t ready for it. I need to hold a little power.
I have certainly seen leaders who can’t do that. They have a very clear message, it is well thought out and it is clever, but the people under them are not buying it. No changes have been made and no changes in behavior. Still, the message remains the same. And they can’t grasp it, yeah, I did all the work, I listened, I created a good strategy, but for some reason it’s not working. What do you need to do in a different way? How do you need to adapt? And I think that question is something that leaders need.
One of the people who stands out to me is Angela Lentz. She was former CEO of Burberry and the head of retail at Apple. And for me, “I’m not a digital person. The world is changing. I know that Burberry’s future customers will become Billienials. I don’t need to listen to them. How do they want to shop? What do you think about fashion?” She was an incredibly curious person, but “These are non-negotiable things. This is Burberry history. These are things we want to keep. And this is a frame. This is non-negotiable for us. I’m here to help you. I can make this company a success.”
Another leader I admire is Matthias Doppner. He was the head of the German media company Axel Springer. He was the perfect balance for miners and prospectors. Because one of the most confused spaces he was in when he entered photography about 15 or 20 years ago, advertising media says, “We need to understand how the industry is changing, and how our readers and customers want to digest the media.” So very explorer. He took the top team to Silicon Valley. They stayed there for six months. He took the next level and said, “We’re going to live like a startup. I know you’re in the comfort zone of executive life. We’ll take you there. You’re going to skip economy class.
And that was part of his leadership outlook, but he said, “Okay, we already have some areas of competence. We’re going to sell them off. So he was great at switching between this explorer and miner.
I usually see the leader when it’s on one side, so there’s a sweet spot on one side, and its range is very short and very concentrated. Two things happening: lack of skills. So they are very tacticians. They really don’t know how to become a visionary. They don’t know how to create a vision. They don’t know how to influence people. Or they are very powerschellers and they really don’t know how to hold power, but more likely, I’m looking at how they know, but there’s a fear that they won’t go there.
Let’s say they are absolute powerschellers. What are their fears? Their fear is a drawback to being there, becoming powerful, being considered authoritarian, perhaps arguably, too aggressive, pushing down the voices of those who work for them, that’s their fear. And explore, is this all the power holders? Why do you have that view? Please give us an example of a power holder that you think would do in a way that would help your team.
Understanding and understanding through where these fears come from can make you feel more encouraging to explore its scope. The same goes foresight and tacticians. Sometimes people are afraid to go to the visionary side. “Oh, it’s so fluffy, I don’t know what it entails. So they’re also afraid of going there and failing, exploring the foresightful aspects of their vision and saying, “What does the vision look like? What do you think it’s exciting for your team? Why do you think the vision is fluffy? Challenging misconceptions about their fears and how these other aspects of tension look in a negative way.”
Many leaders come to my classroom with complete fear of this world. They don’t say that. Yes, the world is changing. There is no doubt about that. And yes, all of their expertise may not be that relevant. And if they share their strength and they listen, can they still be effective leaders? Even these younger generations who may have technical answers and want to hear their voices, they may be looking for their leaders to give them guidance, provide safety and evacuate them from the above politics so that they can do their job. And they are very traditional qualities. And I think it gives some comfort to the leader.
Hannah Bates: That was Jennifer Jordan, IMD professor at HBR Quick Stady Video. You can find the videos and more on HBR’s YouTube channel.
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This episode was produced by Scott Lapierre, me, and Hannah Bates. Curt Nickisch is our editor. Music by Com Com Com Com Com Media. Thank you to Ian Fox, Maureen Hoch, Amanda Kersey, Rob Eckhardt, Erica Truxler, Ramsey Khabbaz, Nicole Smith, Anne Bartholomew, and you – our listeners. See you next week.
