SECTION II CHALLENGE 1A

SECTION II A

THE CHALLENGES 360-DEGREE LEADERS FACE

If you are a leader in the middle of an organization, you don’t need me to tell you that you have a challenging job. Many of the middle leaders I meet are frustrated, tense, and sometimes tempted to quit. I hear them say things such as, “It’s like banging my head against a brick wall.” “No matter how hard I try, I never seem to get anywhere.” “I really wonder if it’s all worth it.”
If you and I were to sit down and talk for a few minutes, I bet you could list at least half a dozen problems you face because you are trying to lead from the middle. Perhaps you even feel you have been struggling to succeed where you are. But did you know that the things that frustrate you also frustrate nearly every other middle leader? Everyone who attempts to lead from the middle of the organization faces common challenges. You are not alone.
As I’ve mentioned, the best opportunity for helping yourself—and your organization—is to become a 360-Degree Leader. However, before you dive into the principles that 360-Degree Leaders practice to lead up, across, and down, I think you ought to acquaint yourself with the seven most common challenges that leaders in the middle face. Defining and recognizing them will help you to navigate the world of the middle, where you are trying to be a good leader even though you are not the leader.
I believe the challenges will resonate with you, and you will find yourself saying, “Right on.” And, of course, I’ve offered some suggestions to help you, since recognizing the challenges is of little value without solutions. Read on so that you can resolve some of these issues and get ready to lead 360 degrees.

Challenge #1

THE TENSION CHALLENGE:
The Pressure of Being Caught in the Middle

THE KEY TO SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATING
THE TENSION CHALLENGE:
Learn to lead despite the restrictions others have placed on you.

One of the toughest things about being a leader in the middle of an organization is that you can’t be sure of where you stand. As a leader, you have some power and authority. You can make some decisions. You have access to some resources. You can call the people in your area to action and direct them in their work. At the same time, you also lack power in other areas. And if you overstep your authority, you can get yourself into real trouble.
My friend and colleague Dan Reiland calls this “the pressure of feeling like you have all power and no power.” If you are not the top leader, you are not running the show, but you may be responsible for it. Even if you think you possess the vision and skill to take the organization to a higher level, if it requires the organization to go in a different direction from its present course, you don’t have the authority to make such changes on your own. And that can make you feel like you are caught in the middle.
As a leader in the middle of an organization, the authority you do possess is not your own. Unless you are the owner and CEO of the company, the power you have is on loan from someone with higher authority. And that person has the power to take that authority away from you by firing you, demoting you, or moving you to another area of the business. If that does not create tension, nothing will.
FACTORS THAT IMPACT THE TENSION
The effects of the Tension Challenge are not experienced equally by everyone trying to lead from the middle of an organization. A leader’s temperament and ability certainly come into play. In addition, the way the tension impacts a leader is affected by the following five factors:
1. EMPOWERMENT—HOW MUCH AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY DOES THE PERSON ABOVE YOU GIVE YOU, AND HOW CLEAR ARE THE LINES?
In his book It’s Your Ship, former navy Captain D. Michael Abrashoff recounted how he turned around the performance of the crew of the U.S.S. Benfold using empowerment.

When I took command of Benfold, I realized that no one, including me, is capable of making every decision. I would have to train my people to think and make judgments on their own. Empowering means defining the parameters in which people are allowed to operate, and then setting them free.
But how free was free? What were the limits?
I chose my line in the sand. Whenever the consequences of a decision had the potential to kill or injure someone, waste taxpayers’ money, or damage the ship, I had to be consulted. Short of those contingencies, the crew was authorized to make their own decisions. Even if the decisions were wrong, I would stand by my crew. Hopefully, they would learn from their mistakes. And the more responsibility they were given, the more they learned.1

Not everyone experiences the kind of freedom to succeed—and safely fail—that Abrashoff’s crew did. How clearly the lines of authority and responsibility have been drawn greatly impacts how strongly we feel the Tension Challenge. The more vaguely the lines are drawn, the greater the potential for stress.
If you’ve led a volunteer organization, as I have, then you may have observed that high-powered leaders and entrepreneurs often experience the Tension Challenge when they step out of their business world and volunteer. As top leaders, they are used to their authority being equal to their responsibility. They are used to casting vision, setting direction, and making things happen. When they volunteer to serve in an organization, they no longer possess all the authority, and they find themselves in the gray area of the middle. Many are not sure how to navigate in that environment. (That’s especially true when they are better at leading than is the person running the volunteer organization.) Many of these business leaders respond by either trying to take over or going off in their own direction. Others simply give up and return to the world they know best.
Good leaders rarely think in terms of boundaries; instead, they think in terms of opportunities.
2. INITIATIVE—HOW DO YOU BALANCE INITIATING AND NOT OVERSTEPPING YOUR BOUNDARIES?
Good leaders rarely think in terms of boundaries; instead, they think in terms of opportunities. They are initiators. After all, the number one characteristic of leaders is the ability to make things happen. Sometimes that desire to initiate leads to the expansion of their responsibilities—and their boundaries. Other times it leads to conflict with the people who lead them.
You need to realize that the stronger your natural desire to initiate, the greater the potential for tension. If you continually push the limits, it’s likely you will rub others the wrong way. The good news is that if you work in an environment where leaders at all levels are empowered, people may tolerate your challenging the process of how things get done. If you challenge the vision or the authority of your leaders, however, you may go from being caught in the middle to being on the outside, looking for another job.
3. ENVIRONMENT—WHAT IS THE LEADERSHIP DNA OF THE ORGANIZATION AND LEADER?
Every organization has its own unique environment. If you have a military background, you can’t walk into a corporate environment and expect it to function like the army or marines. If your experience is in large corporations, and you go to work in a mom-and-pop business, you will have problems if you don’t adapt. That’s just common sense.
Likewise, an organization takes on the personality of its leader. The leadership DNA of the Benfold changed during the course of Abrashoff’s command. He wanted to create an environment of empowerment where initiative and ownership were valued. People who demonstrated those characteristics were rewarded. And as long as Abrashoff was in command, the ship’s environment exhibited those characteristics.
If you are a leader in the middle of an organization, assess your environment. Is it one that increases or decreases the Tension Challenge? Can you thrive in the kind of environment you’re in with the level of tension it presents? Do the positive aspects of the organization outweigh the negative effects of the environment on you? An environment may be fine for one leader but not for another. Only you can make the assessment for yourself.
4. JOB PARAMETERS—HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR JOB AND HOW TO DO IT?
Have you ever noticed the level of tension you experience when starting a new job? It’s pretty high, isn’t it? The less familiar the work, the greater the tension. If you don’t know how to do the job, you’re going to be stressed, even if you’re a fast learner and have a teachable attitude. Even after you know how to do the work, if you have no idea what others’ expectations are of you, you won’t be on solid ground. Only when you really have a handle on your job and you are good at your work does it reduce the tension of being in the middle.