Why leaders can’t be everything to everyone

Paul Walker is the CEO of FranklinCoveythe most trusted leadership company in the world.

In today’s business climate, expectations to be a “unicorn” leader reign supreme. Every day, leaders come to work and face a new fire that demands immediate attention, trying to navigate previously uncharted territory and facing a never-ending checklist of unforeseen challenges. This has been especially true since the beginning of the pandemic.

Leaders face these “all for all” expectations for a number of reasons. The first is the relentless pace of a constantly changing external environment (think global pandemic, inflation or an economic downturn, for example). Second, the daily (and often hourly) barrage of information makes it extremely difficult to determine what to focus on. And finally, the role of management is increasing. Technological advances allow organizations to work with fewer layers of management, but this puts greater pressure on each layer, especially on front-line leaders.

Today’s first-level leaders are expected to be good at translating strategy, creating context, creating culture, inspiring their teams and looking after their well-being, dealing with the varying social and political differences in the team, and so on.

With all of the aforementioned chaos and change, as we enter 2023, being an effective leader and balancing priorities absolutely requires leaders to focus on where they will have the most impact. It also means deprioritizing activities that are not directly aligned with your organization’s most important goals.

Over the years, I’ve learned that the best leaders leverage their strengths and carefully delegate the rest. In my role as CEO, I’ve focused on what I can do in a unique position as a leader: driving corporate strategy, setting impactful goals, coaching other leaders to improve their roles, and holding teams accountable. I can’t be everything to everyone – and that’s a position of strength, not a disadvantage.

Here are some of my key strategies to help you focus on what you can do as a leader in a unique position and effectively delegate the constant stream of challenges to others.

Lead out with your best abilities.

As a leader, how can you understand and leverage your own unique leadership capabilities and those of your team members? Knowing what you and your colleagues are good at can help you determine who should solve what problems, so you don’t have to go it alone.

This process starts with discovering your wheelhouse and leading it out with the best of your abilities. Don’t spin your wheels trying to tackle all the nuances on your own. Otherwise you will get stuck in the mire of overwork and stress.

Take others on a journey.

Some leaders are better than others at entrusting their teams with important work and empowering them to move forward. Here are some ways to design the journey so that everyone succeeds.

• Create a shared vision and strategy with your larger team, not alone. This gives them more skin in the game and allows them to step up when needed.

• Establish clear common goals from the start. Give people something to rally behind and provide transparent accountability and metrics to guide their efforts.

• Do everything in your power to create inclusive, trusting teams that encourage everyone to be themselves, enabling everyone to contribute at their highest level.

As a new manager, I remember feeling overwhelmed by my vast array of responsibilities. I felt like that game you see in some arcades – that game with a table full of coins. The arms push the coins to one end of the table, creating a chain reaction of the coins, and whatever coins fall on the other side, the player gets to take home. Similar to the arcade game, as a new manager, I just came into the office every day and pushed my work coins around, hoping my efforts would result in some level of meaningful outcome. My lack of clear focus probably made the effort twice as hard on my team.

I quickly learned a better approach. First, to narrow my focus to the fewest number of goals the whole team could win by. Second, to make sure my team members were crystal clear about the what, why, and how behind our goals. And third, to then clear the path so that everyone on the team can contribute their creativity, talent, passion and drive to collectively achieve each of those goals. When I rearranged my focus, that’s exactly what we did – and it worked.

Set your teams up for success.

Once you’ve identified your team’s and your team’s strengths and worked to get your team on the same wavelength, you may need to seek support for your team members to ensure everyone has the skills they need to get the job done to clear. After all, others take on critical tasks because you can’t do everything. You want to give your team members the same peace of mind that they also have the tools they need to succeed.

Learning and development (L&D) programs play a key role in ensuring that you are not always the one who takes the lead. Work directly with your HR department to provide your team with meaningful and effective content (and not courses that just tick a box). Avoid content that is passive, one-way, and focused on superficial skills. Instead, find content that digs deeper into the deeper capabilities leaders need to thrive. The same approach applies to traditional skills and leadership development. Coaching, mentorship and sponsorship programs are other ways to help leaders grow in a way that drives business results.

If you feel pressured to be a “unicorn” leader, know that you are not alone. Take comfort in the fact that for those at the top the pressure will always be like drinking from a fire hose, and sometimes the water will flow faster than others. Remember to face your challenges with reflection, thoughtful delegation and continuous enrichment.

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