Hands-on or hands-off? Why leaders need to exercise discernment around action
The topic of discernment comes up frequently for leaders within our executive coaching sessions. One example is Terry, a coaching client and executive leader of an internal change task force. Her story around discernment and analysis of what actions she should have taken at which points in time is a great reflection to help all leaders determine when to lean in or step back.
Discernment is a key leadership differentiator and not talked about enough – so let’s dive into her story, and how it can apply to you and your business as you discern when to take action.
Terry’s Story: “Maybe I Should Have Leaned in More”
Terry was working on a complex, progressive initiative at an old-school, bureaucratic organization. Her main contact on the operational side was the Chief of Staff, Ryan. Terry saw herself as a mentor to Ryan and wanted him to lead, rather than stepping in and driving the project herself.
While Terry brought expertise, guidance and project management skills, this change effort needed to be driven by Ryan. She felt that stepping in would disempower him and change wouldn't become embedded into the system. Ryan and his team needed to go at their own pace. The problem was, left to their own timing, not much progress had been made six months in.
There was a bit of churn around finding appropriate dates to bring the stakeholders together for alignment and decision making at key milestones. In addition, there wasn’t enough support from the C-suite.
"Maybe I should have leaned in more back then," Terry reflected aloud during our executive coaching session.
At the time, it all made sense. Terry was hands-off on purpose, 'leading from behind'. But in hindsight, not enough traction happened at an early stage of the project, and it was now stalling.
Now, Terry is adjusting her level of action, but she’s afraid it’s too late. This moment was a key leadership lesson on learning to recognize the cues that she could have taken action sooner in.
How can a leader know when to lean in, and when to step back?
This is a key leadership skill: the ability to discern what the right amount of action is, without the advantage of hindsight. It’s hard because there’s no right answer. There can be good reasons for both at times.
Leaders can cultivate their skill to discern how much action they should take by asking themselves a few questions:
Is this a time to put the "pedal to the metal", or are you as the leader driving at the speed limit?
Are you just there to help with jump starts or have you decided you're going to ride in the back of the bus for this one?
Tips for Cultivating Discernment Around When to Take Action
“The ability to discern how much action is needed in this moment, without the advantage of hindsight, is a leadership differentiator.”
1. Ask yourself: are my skills unique in this effort?
Do I truly have a perspective or skill that is not redundant among the team?That might warrant more action because you have something unique to offer. If someone on the team seems like a ‘proxy’ for your perspective and experience level, that’s an indication you may be able to back off a bit.
2. Tap into the hindsight perspective
Put yourself in the future and look back to see if the 'now' warrants action or a hands-off approach from you. Communicate that framing and perspective to your stakeholders. In the broader context of this problem, what is needed?
3. Reflect on what your intuition is telling you
Take time to look at the situation from the outside and listen to where you're truly feeling pulled. Distinguish this from where you feel you "should" be.
Conclusion
Discernment is an essential leadership skill that requires tuning in at a deeper, more subtle level. It’s okay if it’s not perfect in practice because if you're tuned in, you'll learn and get even better next time.
Terry, in her coaching session, took the time to reflect on her experiences, asking herself, “if I had acted more strongly and swiftly, would we be in a better place now?” There’s not always a right answer, but we can keep practicing and refining our discernment to become even more effective leaders.
Leaders, if you’re struggling with discernment, coaching can help you cultivate the skill and confidently decide when to act and when to step back.
