Leaders need to surrender!
In virtually every culture, the notion of surrender probably has a negative connotation; it certainly does in ours. Realizing that, I want to provoke readers and suggest that as leaders we all need to do some surrendering.
How so? To answer that question let’s begin by considering the etymology, or the origin, of the word surrender. Our modern-day English word surrender finds its roots in the 15th century Old French word surrendre meaning ”to give up, deliver over”.[1]
As leaders, we need to genuinely engage a mindset that makes room for others to participate and impact our organizations.
What I am suggesting here is a value proposition that believes that everyone has the potential to contribute toward an organization’s direction, effectiveness, and outcomes.
Simply said, leaders have an obligation to afford the space and attitude that encourages a participatory level of engagement from all who want to be a part of an organization’s accomplishments.
We need to surrender. For many leaders, we need to surrender what we think is ours to do and allow room for others.
Think about it for a minute. How meaningful might it be for someone who is not in a leadership or management role to know they have influenced what they are a part of?
Years ago, early in my tenure as a franchise restaurant owner, something shaped my thinking around this perspective.
Our restaurant has a drive-thru. That part of the business does the majority of the volume. So, speed is essential.
A high school team member made a suggestion about what we used to hold the straws in the drive-thru cockpit. The container we were using looked a lot like the one in this picture.
The team member noticed that we had to fill the container often throughout the lunch hours. This created an inconvenience for the team and slowed down the drive-thru.
She asked, sharing her insight, if we could get a bigger container.
When she made the suggestion, I applauded her, I mean I made a big deal about her idea. I commented to her and the team that it was wonderful that she recognized the issue, thought about what we were doing, and had an idea about how it might be done better. Not only did my commenting encourage the team member, but it also served to foster an environment in our organization that helped define how everyone can contribute.
You can imagine how that team member felt – she beamed with pride. You can also imagine what others in the organization thought, how they gained a sense of confidence about our willingness to give them room to play a part.
I wish I could tell you that I did this intentionally, thoughtfully with what it achieved purposefully in mind. I did not! I stumbled on the realization of how impactful it was to make room, give space, deliver over to those on my team the ability and permission to be a part – to surrender, if you will, what too many leader’s see as their sole territory.
As leaders, we need to be willing to give up. Unfortunately, too often leaders and followers alike see and believe that the leadership effort is exclusive to those in leadership positions.
So, what do we as leaders need to do?
- First, do you think YOU have to do it all – YOU DON’T! Where is it written you do?
- Be intentional to reshape your attitude toward involvement on the part of those on your team, in particular those not in leadership roles.
- Share, openly and publicly your permission for the team to engage, think, suggest, and experiment. If you don’t tell them directly, few will think they can, much less actually do it.
- Listen! Leadership10 is a HUGE proponent of the need for leaders to do a better job of listening. How will you know what the possibilities are if you aren’t listening?
- Defer to finding ways to make ideas work versus just reflexively saying, “that won’t work”.
Give these steps a try. Invite your team to engage in this together with you.
Surrender some of the cherished leadership territory to others!
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[1] Retrieved online from surrender | Search Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com). July 18, ’21.
