What is the ‘Authority Trap’?
One of the biggest leadership mistakes made when navigating complexity is falling into what I call the ‘Authority Trap’. This is where we diagnose an adaptive (complex) challenge as technical and then attempt to lead through the challenge with a level of authority and clarity which is mis-matched by the complexities of the situation. With the increasing levels of uncertainty and complexity in the world, this has become a much more prevalent topic in my coaching practice.
A Common Example
Imagine that you are a senior executive in an organisation at a time of turbulence within your organisation or business division. Your shareholders (from private equity to public sector) are looking for a definitive way forward and positive results. Meanwhile, your team are feeling uneasy. They know that organisational performance is not where it needs to be and there are a variety of uncertainties and complexities at play. They may be concerned for the organisation, but they are most likely thinking mostly about how this affects them personally, the change they may be facing and / or the security of their job or role. They crave certainty.
You sit in the middle.
With a desire for certainty coming from both sides, you recognise that direction, protection and order is being sought (in essence they are looking for you to lead with authority) and the pressure is on. Meanwhile, you have your own response to the complexity you are facing. Jennifer Garvey Berger, a renowned leadership author, speaks of how our nervous systems respond to complexity as if it is a threat.
The temptation to fall into an authoritative role in the face of complexity is great (= ‘The Authority Trap’). It is a more comfortable place to be for everyone, including ourselves. However, going after comfort (the cheese), is unfortunately not an effective way of navigating complexity.
Leadership Role in the face of Complexity
While authority can be a very useful leadership lever in a crisis (e.g. a fire in a building) or when an environment needs a high level of control (e.g. a classroom with younger students), it is not a very useful lever in complex situations. As David Snowden illustrates in the Cynefin Framework, a more appropriate response to complexity is to probe-sense-respond. Our leadership role is therefore less about authority, but more about creating the conditions for and role-modelling of the practices of probing, sensing and responding. This can translate into leadership practices as follows:
- Create a holding space for navigating complexity – a space where those around you can purposefully and expansively problem-solve and ideate
- Bring curiosity and encourage others to bring curiosity also
- Get on the ‘balcony’ and see the system and
- Act experimentally and encourage learning and reflection from the outcomes of these experiments (informing the way forward).
Over the coming weeks, I will explore each of these leadership practices, one by one. As I navigate this territory, I will weave in anonymised example and helpful tools and practices. I would love to hear your thoughts and questions along the way to make it as useful as possible, so do get in touch with your thoughts. Contrary perspectives are welcome also!
Eadine
Your thinking-partner as you navigate change and complexity.
Eadine is the founder of Resonate Leadership. She is a Harvard-trained leadership development professional, certified Leadership Agility® Coach and certified facilitator of the LEGO® Serious Play® method. We create spaces for navigating change and complexity resulting in growth, learning, innovation and problem-solving.
If your organisation is navigating complexity do reach out for a complimentary conversation about how we can partner with you.
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