Become familiar with basics of leadership through the symbolism found in the Wizard of Oz. This is a fun and accessible way of looking at the basics of leadership, team and strategy.
4. What Is Leadership?
“Mobilizing people in
an organization around
common goals to
achieve impact, at
scale”
– Brook Manville, co-author of
Harvard Business Review Leader’s
Handbook
5. Essential Leadership Skill:
Technical Expertise
Role Model
Expert in field
Individually achieves goals
Understands existing processes
Credibility
Amitabh Bachchan
Steve Jobs
Oprah Winfrey
Madeline Albright
Malala Yousefi
Toni Morrison
Angela Merkel
The Difference Between Leadership & Management
The work of leadership = adaptive work (changing attitudes & behaviour)
Vision, Strategy, Outcomes/Results, People
So – the wizard of oz. Does everyone know the story? There have been many iterations…Well here we have one of the most endearing characters, Scarecrow. And when we meet scarecrow we probably wouldn’t relate to him as a leader, however endearing he is. But what is he looking for? BRAINS? And why brains? Because brains & knowledge is power. In the context of leadership, one of the fundamental skills one usually has is technical expertise. I would argue it is an essential leadership skill. I understand that you are all managers so you will know that one of the reasons you hold a leadership role is because of the technical knowledge you have. People come to you when they need solutions the right answer. So what else?
Next on the road we meet the Tinman, and he does not have a heart, but desperately wants one. In the context of leadership what does it mean? Why is it essential to have a heart? Well, leadership is about connection. It is about relationship. If nothing else, leadership is about being in relationship. Specifically it is about being in relationship with oneself and the relationships that are created with others. In essence, one needs to be emotionally intelligent to be a leader. You need to have awareness of yourself. Your strengths and weaknesses, how you are feeling, what you are thinking, how you are behaving. And then you need to manage yourself to reach your goals. Again, this is how most people become managers. In addition you need to know how to manage relationships. You need to be socially aware. You need to have the skill to motivate others or have difficult conversations or work with people that you don’t like. This requires passion, compassion and emotional intelligence. How do you correct a mistake without shutting someone down? So we know who is next?
The work of leadership = adaptive work
changing attitudes & behavior
We know that the only constant is change
And the only other constant is that we don’t like change
We have to be brave enough to create conditions for change, and do things differently
And speaking of courage…
Which brings us to the wicked witch of the west….the character we all love to hate
A character that is so misunderstood (and if you have seen the musical Wicked you will understand how misunderstood she is
But she exemplifies the principle that as a leader sometimes you will have to stand alone – sometimes you will be unpopular
You will make unpopular decisions, you will have more information than anyone else and see the big picture that not everyone will see. And when people say “they” – “they are cutting our budget”; “they are bringing forward the timeline”, “the are changing the standards” you realise that you are “they”
Which brings us to Galinda, the good witch. Now it is all good and well to be an effective leader but we cannot forget about the “how” of what we do. We must be ethical if we want to be GREAT leaders. We have lots of examples of effective leaders who are unethical throughout history and in present day. But as the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “the time is always right to do what is right”. Great leaders lead by example. They make decisions based on higher values and ideals.
https://yscouts.com/10-ethical-leadership-characteristics/
And of course we then have the wonderful wizard of OZ himself. When we meet him he is grand indeed. Our four friends are shaking in their boots to ask for courage and a brain and a heart and a way to go home. But the wizard has his own goal. He wants to get rid of the wicked witch of the west. And he cannot do it on his own. He recruits our beloved foursome to do the work. He needed a team to lead. Here there are some examples of a functional and dysfunctional team. In the beginning he is led by his ego and leads with fear. In the end, he becomes transparent and creates trust through this transparency. It is only then that he can use his actual power to help the individuals
Team: Trust
Team: Conflict
Team: Commitment
Team: Accountability
Team: Results
This is explained through Lencioni’s theory/pyramid
And of course we cannot forget Dorothy. She is the true visionary of the story and through her collaborative approach, he leads her very diverse team. She exemplifies all of the leadership skills we have touched on.
The first fundamental of leadership is you must have an INSPIRING VISION. For Dorothy it was finding the wizard of oz in emerald city to find her way home. She desperately wants to get home.
And of course BHB has a compelling vision. 5 gold stars to the first person to state BHB’s vision!
Exceptional Care. Strong Partnerships. Healthy Community.
Once you have a vision the next logical piece of the leadership puzzle is having a CLEAR STRATEGY.
And there is no clearer strategy than “follow the yellow brick road” or “ease on down the road” depending on which version you prefer. In order to lead you have to have clear guidelines on what you will and will not do. This becomes a touchstone to keep on track. Dorothy and her friends meet a lot of bumps in the literal road but they always found themselves back to the yellow brick road.
BHB is well positioned with its Strategic Plan 2016-2021 / AnnualCorporate Plans 2018/19
And of course, without people, you are a one man show. You are not leading anyone. In order for an organization or movement to work you need people. You need a team. And the more diverse the team, The more your invest in your team, recruiting, developing, retaining, upgrading the more effective you will be in leading and achieving
BHB Leadership, Staff, Partners, Community, Ministry of Health, Seniors and Environment, Bermuda Health Council
Another important fundamental of leadership is to take time. Take time to reflect, for self care, to evaluate and measure your outcomes. To adjust and to go inside and remember that you have all the resources you need to achieve your goal/vision
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vt0B0bZVM8
And finally, leaders create leaders. When Dorothy leaves Oz, she leaves three very confident and competent friends. They know they can handle anything without her.
I am of the school of thought that you can and should have leaders at all levels and that the ultimate goal is to have proactive, inspired people at all levels working towards the inspiring vision. The true measure of a leader is how many leaders one has created. How many people have your empowered. I would encourage you to take this approach and create leaders on your team. Knowing that when your work is done as a leader, the work will continue.