Yet another Sage leader focuses on collaborative problem-solving skills when reflecting on the nature of effective leadership. She noted that problem-solving is actually a multi-skilled endeavor:
Being a good problem-solver is the one thing I have respected most in leaders I have worked with. Someone who says, “I’ll handle that. I’ll figure a way to solve that problem.” I try to do that and get volunteers and others on my committee to do that. It requires being very objective about what needs to get done. It involves a whole bunch of qualities—skills, ability to deal with people, intellectual capability.
We conclude this brief venture into the analytic skills needed to be an effective leader (and effective agent of Generativity Two care) by turning to a lengthier analysis made by one of our Sage leaders regarding what doesn’t work:
“There are two mistakes that leaders make. One is over-control. I have lots of examples where people may not understand how to do a job, and a supervisor explains it to them and then takes over the task while the volunteers stand around with their hands in their pockets. People aren’t going to stand around very long because they didn’t volunteer for that. Yelling and criticizing is also what I mean by over-control. Some leaders also make the mistake of looking too closely over someone’s shoulder. Instead, let them make mistakes, let them try, and then show them what’s wrong and they won’t make the mistake again. The second mistake I see is people making assumptions and generalizations that lead to problems, like assuming someone knows what they’re supposed to be doing and they’re told “Go over there and do that.” And the next thing you know they are making errors that could have been avoided. In some ways these two issues, over-control and assumptions and generalizations, are two sides of the same coin.”
We suggest that “sides of the same coin” refers explicitly to the coin of analytic reasoning and, as our other Sage leaders have noted, to several other sides of the same coin– the complex and interrelated coins of vision, effective questioning, and collaborative problem-solving.
Relational Skills: We turn now to a second element. It has been identified by Liedrka (1997) as critical to the generativity cycle. This element has to do with the skills needed to build a collaborative relationship. With regard to the role of Generativity Two, this means building relationships that are truly respectful and caring. Let’s first consider the reflection offered by a Sage leader about her own leadership strengths:
“In thinking about my principal leadership strengths, I believe I have a good balance among personal style, ability to build relationships, and political capability. And all of this is rooted in action. Of these, building personal relationships is most important to me and probably best defines my leadership style. I also have the ability to be a quick study of people and decide whether to connect with them or not. I can immediately determine whether I’d like to get to know the person, or if the person possesses something important that I’d like to learn. I guess this came from all of the hiring I did in one of my early Bay Area jobs. I got to be very good at assessing people’s strengths and weaknesses and at making “yes” or “no” decisions on whether to hire.”
For this Generativity Two leader, it is a matter of first assessing the other person, then building a relationship that is compatible with this assessment. We also see in this Sage leader’s statement a translation of skills learned while in a corporate setting to the civic leadership (Generativity Four) that she provides in her community.
Download Article 1K Club
