Taking responsibility for my contribution
Taking responsibility for the work that is mine to do.
Leadership
Leadership where the work requires it
The work is central
In every organisation, work needs to be done to fulfil its purpose. That requires people who take responsibility, work together, make decisions and take initiative.
Not everything needs to go through a manager. People can take responsibility for their own part and help the work move forward.
Leadership is therefore not reserved for people in management positions.
The work determines where leadership is needed and what that leadership needs to contribute.
Ownership and leadership
Ownership and leadership in the work
Ownership means taking responsibility for your own contribution to the work: knowing what is expected of you, acting within your possibilities and keeping agreements.
Leadership becomes visible when someone takes responsibility for moving the work forward, especially when that does not happen by itself.
That can take different forms.
When two teams depend on each other but cannot reach a shared approach, someone can take the initiative to bring them together. When a way of working is not working well, someone can propose how to improve it. And when interests or priorities conflict, leadership may mean that someone makes a decision.
Sometimes the work calls for giving others the room to act for themselves.
Moving the work forward
Taking responsibility when the work requires it.
Ownership and leadership are closely related. The distinction is not always clear-cut, nor does it need to be. What matters more is that people do what is needed to move the work forward.
Hierarchy
Hierarchy has a function
Not every issue can be resolved by the person who encounters it. Sometimes the work requires a decision from someone with a different responsibility or authority. It then needs to be clear where that decision belongs.
Hierarchy helps organise responsibilities and authority, makes decisions possible and helps move issues forward when they cannot be resolved within someone’s own responsibility.
The nature of the work determines which responsibility and authority are needed.
Responsibilities
Hierarchy helps clarify who is responsible for what and where an issue belongs.
Decisions
When a decision falls outside someone’s own responsibility, it needs to be able to move to a place where the appropriate authority is available.
Clarity
Even when something is not possible or a decision does not change, a clear answer helps people move forward.
That does not mean that someone in a higher position has more say about everything. Hierarchy therefore mainly has a function in the work.
Managing
Managing: three responsibilities
Leadership is not reserved for managers. Managing is, however, a specific responsibility that needs to be organised within an organisation.
These three responsibilities do not have to come together in one person. How they are distributed depends on what the work and the organisation require.
Organise the work
Ensure that the work is organised well, so that responsibilities, authority and collaboration match what the work requires. That does not mean a manager has to organise everything personally. Read more about Organisation.
Maintain oversight and develop
Understand how the work is progressing, keep sight of results and ensure that obstacles are investigated and improvements are made. Not to control continuously, but to act in time and learn from what the work produces.
Being a good employer
Ensure that responsibilities towards employees are fulfilled, that conditions support healthy, safe and pleasant work, and that people can develop. This also includes attention, support, careful people-related decisions and clear mutual expectations.
The point is not to place everything with the manager, but to ensure that these responsibilities are properly assigned.
Investigate
What holds you back?
Not immediatelyWhy didn’t you deliver?
But firstWhat makes things unfold differently than expected?What holds you back?
When the work does not progress as expected, the first question is not automatically who did something wrong. It is more useful to investigate what is happening.
Perhaps information is missing, a decision is delayed, coordination is not working or someone does not have sufficient authority.
But the possibilities may also be there while someone does not experience them. Previous experiences, assumptions or uncertainty can mean that the available room is not seen or used.
By investigating what is holding someone back, it becomes clearer what is needed to move forward.
Sometimes that requires changing something in the organisation. Sometimes it requires looking at the situation differently. And sometimes it requires making a decision or setting a clear boundary.
Room and clarity belong together. People need to know the purpose, what results are expected and which agreements apply.
Understanding why someone does not act does not mean that everything is acceptable. When agreements are not kept or behaviour structurally does not contribute to the purpose, clarity and boundaries are also needed.
Leadership helps people use room where possible, and provides clarity where needed.
Daily work
Leadership in everyday work
Leadership starts with seeing what is happening. Investigating what is needed to move forward. Making room where the work gets stuck. Acting and learning from what that produces.
See
Investigate
Make room
Act & learn
This makes leadership part of everyday work rather than a separate programme. The work is central. Leadership helps move it forward.
Explore together
Where does the work get stuck in your organisation?
Explore what the work requires, where responsibilities or room are missing, and what is needed to move forward again.