A better way to navigate complexity

Last week I introduced the concept of Subtle Leadership as first coined by Luz E. Quiñones in her article from 2022, as a way of influencing others through “referent power” ; which is basically the ability of anyone in the organisation to influence others based on the values, personal traits and way of showing up without the need for formal power.

This week I will share some of the main ingredients, in my view, that will get you closer to this concept.

1. It is not about you

   The first thing that I would say is that for any person to embody this concept of Subtle Leadership; you must leave your ego at the door. Leadership, not just subtle one, is about giving meaning to your life beyond your own ambition. It is not about your career progression; how many teams you lead, how much money you make or how many accolades you receive. It is about how the whole and others benefit from you being there. And I say the whole (the organisation or team) and others in that order because it is not about people pleasing everyone. In fact, sometimes, tough decisions need to be made for the benefit of the whole over individuals.

2. Gain perspective

   To benefit the whole, you need to be able to see it. Many leaders still have either a narrow or a shallow view of the organisation. Narrow as in a siloed view; only seeing their team or function; and shallow as in at a very tactical level instead of strategic. Many leaders struggle with the transition from doing to leading; and continue to link their worth to constantly achieving instead of setting a system for others to achieve. If you are a leader and you are still “in the weeds”, dealing and solving issues that should be solved by your team; you won’t be able to step back and see the whole. The magic of leadership does not happen in being constantly there and “doing” all the time. The magic happens when you can constantly see the whole and know when to step in and when not to. As my favourite musician Prince once said; the art is not just about knowing which notes you play, but also which ones you chose not to.

3. Apply systems thinking

   Deming once said: Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets. If your team or organisation is struggling with low customer satisfaction, low sales, low employee engagement; or whatever the issue is; it is because you have designed a system that behaves that way. And if you want to change the result, you need to change that system.
   To change the system, it helps if you understand and apply systems thinking (more on this topic in the future). But basically, is the art of seeing and understanding the elements that form part of the whole and how they interact with each other. As opposed to linear thinking; which usually leads to short term solutions with unintended consequences.
   A subtle leader will be able to see the elements (people, processes, structure, measures etc…) that form part of the whole and make inferences, experiments or nudges to see how they affect the whole.

4. Know who you are and what you stand for

   And finally, if Subtle Leadership is about referent power; and referent power is about personal values, integrity, moral principles and a spirit of service; it is then crucial to understand who we are and what we stand for. It is about being clear and strong about our values and perhaps being a bit less so about our beliefs. As my colleague Julian Waters-Lynch once beautifully said: The path towards becoming a great leader, then, is less about adopting new techniques and strategies, and more about the journey of self-discovery and alignment with one’s deeper values.