The importance of clarity in new leadership roles
A single spotlight on stage is a powerful image. All eyes and focus are on the solo performer, illuminated, bathed in light, with all waiting expectantly for their next move. But the performer cannot see the audience. They cannot see what is behind them. They can only sense there is more out there, more to see, more to hear, more to know. The small circle of light conceals a bigger picture, the glare preventing an appreciation of the size or scale of the venue. As the performer begins, you are aware that there are other shadowy movements happening around them, figures moving silently, shifting scenery or taking up positions. Then there is another spotlight, then another then another as more performers come into the frame and join the refrain. But there are still shadowy corners, areas that can’t be seen, the audience is still invisible, so too the wings and backstage and all of the wider boards to be trodden. The spotlights highlight some but not all and leave areas shadowy, unexplored and despite the increase in spotlights, serve only to pinpoint specific areas.
Contrast this with the turning on of floodlights in a stadium, the sudden bursting into brilliance from darkened venue to one fully illuminated and visible from all angles. The light shines upwards and outwards into the night sky, the crowd is visible; the teams are visible; the branding of the stadium and the key players are all visible.
There are no shadowy areas.
The specific placing of broad floodlights means that all areas can be seen and the full picture of performance is easy to follow and clear to see.
When we take on a leadership position, we can often be lit by spotlight or employ a spotlight approach rather than turning on the floodlights. When an organisation is vast and complex it can be easy to focus on spotlighted areas and switch attention and focus between competing priorities like the turning on and off of multiple spotlights. These spotlights are useful to illuminate specific areas of focus but they don’t help to build the bigger picture of what needs doing and can potentially obfuscate the real issues or areas of need.
We can also, in a new role, unintentionally point the wrong spotlight; we can default to our favourite and well trodden position on the stage and begin by focusing on what we’re good at rather than what needs doing. Or we can turn the spotlight onto the noisiest squeaky wheel rather than turning the light to what is most pressing. There is advice given on first aid courses that if there are multiple casualties, you check the quiet ones first. If someone is able to shout, that means their airway is clear. If someone is quiet, then potentially they are in more danger. By initially turning spotlights onto noisy problems or our own areas of expertise to give us confidence, we can potentially miss the quiet areas that actually require more rapid support or focus.
A floodlight rather than spotlight model is therefore important to begin any new leadership model or role with. Building a rapid and well lit picture of what is actually going on is essential to then knowing where to turn your leadership resources and where to shine a specific spotlight. Rather than jumping in and beginning a stellar solo performance under a single spotlight, we need to take time to go around and turn on every floodlight. We need to ensure that we can see all areas; we need no shadowy corners, no half visible scenery moving in the darkness, no obscured audience.
We need to turn on the leadership floodlights.
It can seem imperative to be in the spotlight yourself as a new leader, to hit that initial note with perfect pitch and wow the audience with your opening bars, but whilst busy smashing the solo key change, we can potentially miss shining the spotlight on what really needs doing. Spending time illuminating all areas of your organisation is never time wasted. Turning on the floodlights is essential for all decision making and underpins all strategy. We need to get under the skin of our organisation; step back; watch from all corners of the stands and then, and only then, under the bright triple lights of clarity, knowledge and reflection, begin to make decisions and take action.
Whenever we think of torches, or spotlights or searchlights, these are usually in highly tense or dramatic or potentially scary situations; they are the lighting of action movies and thrillers, where something is lurking in the darkness ready to swing the narrative. Floodlights on the other hand are to ensure all can see clearly – all can see the action, both the triumphs and defeats, and all know where to focus and where the main action is.
At this time of year, many colleagues will be readying themselves to move into all manner of new leadership roles come September. Many will already be envisaging the changes needed and anticipating the challenges to come. Some will turn on floodlights but some will turn on spotlights. And the trouble with spotlights is that they leave you in the dark with some areas.
The temptation to firefight, to pinball from one pressing issue to another is very real in any new leadership role. This means we can be constantly jumping from action shot to action shot, torch in hand shining it at every unexpected or novel situation that makes us jump. But we must ensure we take time in all we do to turn on the floodlights. Unless we have a clear picture of all, we cannot develop strategy or associated actions that are anything other than reactionary. If you can only see part of the auditorium, you cannot plan actions to orchestrate effective whole organisation development.
So, if you are due to take on a new leadership role, how will you turn on the floodlights? How will you develop a full and illuminated picture of your stadium rather than a hazy set of multiple spotlights? Just as often it takes a flickering light a while to buzz into action, so too will it take time to put on all the floodlights, and we must not be distracted from this during our early days in a new leadership role. We cannot guide teams and plot effective courses in the semi gloom. Gift yourself time to turn on those floodlights and know that the overall performance will ultimately be informed and responsive rather than reactionary if we’re not singing into a darkened auditorium.
Thinking Flexibly 