Editor’s note: Walt Grassl is author of Stand up and speak up, public speaker and Internet radio show host, Los Angeles.
Do you know someone who is very comfortable doing a job that has no leadership dimension, even though you just know they will thrive as a leader? Many of them have a condition that is sometimes referred to as altitude sickness. This is not the medical condition, which occurs when you are at high altitudes and cannot get enough oxygen. This altitude sickness refers to the fear of success, the fear of reaching great heights.
Jesika leads a department of engineers at a design and manufacturing company. Two years ago, she realized that her organization was growing too large for its current structure. To keep a workable supervisor to employee ratio, she needed to split the biggest section into two. This left her with a supervisor position to fill. She preferred to fill the position from within the existing organization to provide career growth paths for her existing employees. She sat back in her chair and thought about which of her employees might be candidates for the new position.
The water-cooler favorite was Donald, who, for years, has been lobbying for a move into management. But, Donald was not well liked by his coworkers. He was not good at working together with his team. On more than one occasion, he mentioned that if he were supervisor, people would do what he said. When rumors of an organization change started circulating, the thought of Donald being in a supervisory role was negatively impacting morale.
No other employees had expressed interest in moving into supervision. Jesika remembered that when she first became a supervisor, she did not want the job. She reluctantly took the job after her boss convinced her that often, reluctant leaders are the best leaders. They lead from a desire to serve, not a desire for power.
The following are five signs to identify reluctant leaders:
1. Peers seek their counsel
Most organizations have two kinds of leaders: People with leader in their title and people who are sought out for advice by their peers.
When looking for reluctant leaders, observe your teams. Who do the team members respect? Who do they go to before bringing problems to the attention to management?
2. They are focused on team success, not individual glory
Some employees are too busy focusing on their tasks to help others with theirs. Others realize that if one employee is stuck, it hurts the team and they are willing to either help the other employee or direct them to someone who can. The latter are potential leaders.
Some employees take as much individual credit for the work of the team as they can. Potential leaders are selfless and focus on the achievements of the group. The latter are potential leaders.
And, when thing go wrong as they sometimes do, some employees are never at fault and are quick to blame others. Other employees focus on fixing the problem and correcting the root cause. The latter are potential leaders.
3. They are passionate about the work
Which employees have a passion for the work? They should take pride in a job well done and see their work as a reflection of their character. They sometimes stay late when in the middle of a key project, not to impress the boss but because they are caught up in the moment and lose track of time. That passion and dedication inspires others. If they constantly have their eye on the clock and don’t feel that the quality of their work reflects the quality of their character, they are not leaders.
4. They exercise good judgment
One of the key characteristics of a great leader is judgment. A sign of good judgment is when an employee seeks help. When they are stuck, do they immediately get help? Do they never ask for help and then when the task is due, blame the late delivery on the problem they couldn’t solve? Or do they spend a little time and effort on the problem, but when they see it will impact the schedule they reach out for help? The first two examples are not yet ready for leadership.
5. They are life-long learners
An employee who is a life-long learner has the potential to be a good leader. They realize that they don’t know it all. They are more likely to listen and fairly evaluate the inputs of others, in particular, their subordinates. This promotes innovation and encourages employees to speak up if they feel something is heading in the wrong direction, leading to happier teams and better quality decisions.
Employees who feel that they do not have anything new to learn and don’t fairly assess contrary inputs are at risk for stagnation and ignoring the warning signs of trouble.
Sometimes, the best leaders are the reluctant leaders. When assessing your teams, look for the quiet, unambitious employees who demonstrate the qualities of reluctant leaders and help cure them of their altitude sickness.
In thinking of all the people in Jesika’s department, Matt stood out. Matt was quiet, very technically competent and respected by his peers. On more than one occasion, Matt said he was happy doing design work and had no desire to become part of management. Jesika ran Matt through the criteria for reluctant leaders and he met them all; she felt he was just suffering from a touch of altitude sickness.
Jesika met with Matt and had a heart-to-heart discussion giving him specific examples of how he had all the characteristics of a reluctant leader. She also shared that she had also shared his reluctance prior to taking a leadership role. She asked him to take a day and consider accepting this challenge.
Matt slept on it and the next day agreed to become a supervisor. Jesika promised to mentor him and provide him with the training and resources he needed to be successful. Fast forward to today: Matt is a well-respected leader and has not let the power go to his head.