Whether you’re a line manager or not, you’re a leader. Communicators occupy an enviable position in any organisation so make sure you know your leadership style. But you don’t need to start from scratch - as this new case study proves.
by Andy Kirby
Let me tell you my story about leadership. Before I start, a disclaimer. Most of the ideas and key learnings aren’t ‘mine’: I’ve just co-opted them. Actually, I’ve done more than that. Over the past two years as I set up and led a comms sub-team at NHS Digital I’ve iterated and adapted some of these ideas. But still, the wisdom in this piece is mostly other people’s; the waffle? All mine. Hopefully you’ll make like a magpie too: find something sparkly that attracts your eye in this piece which you can then steal and use for yourself…
I’m currently reading A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne (of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas fame). It’s a slow-burn book which I didn’t think I liked for the first 100 pages or so, but suddenly I was hooked, and I did. It’s a book about writers and writing, and plagiarism. It’s fascinating. Funny. Tragic.
At one point the protagonist, an aging author named Maurice, is talking to his young padawan/ biographer in the pub (lots of scenes in this book take place in the pub, which is maybe why I like it so much). Maurice says: “What’s the most irritating question that a writer can be asked? (…) It’s Where do you get your ideas? And the answer is that no one knows where they come from and nobody should know. They evolve in thin air, they float down from some mysterious heaven and we reach out to grab one, to grasp it in our imagination, and to make it our own.”
Well, Maurice, I know where the idea for this piece came from. It came from, of all things, a job interview I attended recently. One of the questions challenged me at the time, but it also stuck with me after the fact. I kept probing at it over the following weeks like a tongue at a wobbly tooth. There was something in the question I wanted to explore more fully.
I think the reason why I kept at it was the fact that, ultimately, my interview had a successful outcome. Which was all kinds of great, of course, but it did mean I’d have to leave behind the team I’d set up, where I’d managed 14 people and watched at least half of them go on to bigger things. That was one of the things I’ve been most proud of in my career, and I knew I’d really miss team management in my new role.
But, because of the interview question and some further reading I undertook off the back of it, I soon came to see that although I wouldn’t be managing so many people in the same role, I could still influence and guide people, help them grow. Leadership and management are not the same.
Bringing your best or whole self to work
Back to the interview: I was asked how my leadership style would empower people to be at their best. It referenced Simon Bolton, NHS Digital’s impressive new chief exec, who in his early communications often talks about “bringing your best self to work”. To be honest I’d been expecting a question around leadership or management. But not this one. And for a moment I was flustered. Eventually I gave a decent, and honest answer, but as is often the way with interview answers, the one I gave later, in the middle of the night when I wasn’t facing a panel, was much better.
I’m a regular Johnny Five from Short Circuit. An audience-appropriate reference for all you 80s movie fans there. I’m always after “more input”. And over the past couple of years I’ve read scores of management articles, but after my interview I started to read up on leadership and what it really means to empower. I think I probably covered the question off all right at interview, but I think, after taking on all that extra input afterwards what I’d say in answer to a question about helping others to “bring their best selves to work” is that it’s not just bringing your best self to work, but your whole self.
Much as I’d love to, I can’t take credit for that line. As far as I can tell, it comes from Mike Robbins, a thought leader who argues firmly for the value of authenticity in the workplace, and, as it happens, the author of a book named Bring Your Whole Self to Work. The idea is that people have to feel comfortable at work to perform at their best.
Another line I can’t take credit for – and in this case don’t want to – is another one I heard in a different interview (in this one I was on the panel): “Happy cows make tasty milk.” A phrase used by someone’s manager. That’s horrible, really, comparing people to cows. But I can see what they were trying for.
I’ll get back on track. So how does a leader go about empowering people and how does your leadership style help facilitate people bringing their whole (milk) selves to work? I’ve been a manager, but I’ve also led. My own leadership style is collaborative, open, honest and authentic. I try to recognise people are people (not cows) and they all behave and respond differently. I try to tailor my style and approach accordingly. It’s about reaching an understanding of what makes someone tick (not moo) and helps them be their best.
As a published author, I’m very curious about people (much more than I am around technology, though I do love a good gadget and NHS Digital are of course all about delivering tech that improves lives). I’ve heard of leaders who feed their curiosity by keeping a spreadsheet of key facts about colleagues that helps build relationships with them. Incidentally I keep similar spreadsheets for characters in my novels as I’m writing them so that I can maintain consistency and keep track of a character’s personality and motivation. Who and what they care about. All that jazz.
One of my leadership role models, Sir Alex Ferguson, didn’t need a spreadsheet. He just stored all of this information in his heid. So he’d know to ask about this youth team player’s dad, or that the person in accounts was a hedgehog-rescue person in their spare time. It helps if the people you are leading appreciate that you are genuinely interested in them. And crucially it’s not just those you manage. Leadership style isn’t just about those who work for you. Leadership style should work for all, no matter if someone is above or below you. That’s what I’m going to take into my new role, alongside my values.
Values-based leadership
Values have always played a key part in my work. It’s why I work for NHS Digital in the first place (that vital golden thread; the idea of helping people). But you can take it further, as I have come to see in other leaders I really respect. Simon Bolton’s values-based, people-centric leadership is a lot like another NHS leader I very much admire: Rob Webster who is chief executive of the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership. Rob spoke at an NHS Digital comms awayday (or no-way day as we termed it, because it was virtual and nobody was going ‘away’ anywhere, stuck in lockdown as we were) and wowed us with his principled approach to leadership. If you missed it – and it’s likely that you did, most of the good stuff is in this blog.
It might sound like stating the bleeding obvious but in order to properly ‘do’ values-based leadership, you do need to work out what your values actually are. I conducted a bit of navel-gazing in these very pages when I embarked on that very exercise in a blog for comms2point0 18 months ago.
My values define who I am at work. I’m enthusiastic, and the positive attitude and energy I bring to the table (my milkshake, if you will) hopefully rubs off on those around me (or brings the boys to the yard). I’m known as the person who will always put my hand up for things – I’m a Yes Man but in a good way. I’m known as a generous person and leader – I want to help people stretch, grow and flourish. I give my time and my expertise and advice. As Rob Webster puts it in his blog you must “give people head room to succeed and they will exceed your expectations.” And I’m known to be authentic. Genuine. My team know I must work hard. Add value. Be positive. Connect with others.
That doesn’t have to stop just because I’m not directly managing so many people on a daily basis. Too often we only think of leadership as mattering to people we manage. But we all lead, whatever role we’re in. You can influence upwards, downwards, sideways and any which way. As Rob Webster perfectly puts it, in a successful team or organisation people should “lead from every seat.”
Being clear, saying thank you, and giving people the head room to develop and become leaders themselves
That’s me and my values, but how does that empower people? Well, I’ll offer up three pieces of advice here, which I’ve learnt over the past couple of years (everyone in my team knows I always have to talk, or write, in threes) and which I’ll take on to my new role. Remember, it doesn’t matter if you are a manager or not, this is about your leadership – whatever role you are in or stage of your career.
Firstly, make sure people have clarity. Make sure they know what the expectations are. Make sure that they know you’re there to help, if needs be, but encourage them to come to you with solutions not problems. Give feedback, often, both formally and informally. Don’t be afraid of having tricky conversations, but always do so clearly and kindly. Let them know that you have their backs. Have fun. Set an example: don’t just chat on another Teams call if you don’t need to – go for a walk and talk instead. Wear sunscreen.
Secondly, make sure people feel valued and appreciated - again doesn't matter whether you manage them or they're above you or to the side of you. In his leadership manifesto blog, Rob Webster writes: “Say thank you often and mean it.” I sometimes think I say thank you too much and that it will dilute its effect. I say it at the end of nearly every team meeting or 121. But in 360-degree feedback, my team disagreed. Somebody saying thank you did mean something to them, and it did help them feel appreciated.
Thirdly give people the head room to not only succeed, but to develop. I’ll go back to that Yes Man thing again. Encourage those around you to try things and take risks (within reason). Give opportunity to learn, either formally or informally. Encourage shadowing or mentoring. Rob Webster talks about people having two jobs – “to do their job and improve their job”. Both are work. I love that as a concept and a rebuke to anyone who says they don’t have time to get involved in wider cross team or cross organisational projects.
As I said, A Ladder to the Sky is all about ideas and where they come from. It’s about whether you can truly own an idea, and at what point borrowing from those ideas becomes stealing (or plagiarism). As Maurice says: “One writer might overhear a conversation in a café and a whole novel will build from that moment. Another might see an article in a newspaper and a plot will suggest itself immediately.”
In the same way I have shamelessly borrowed pieces of my leadership style from others I’ve worked with – other members of the management team, my peers, my parents, my managers, my mentors and also well-known leaders from across the NHS and beyond (like Fergie). Who can you shamelessly borrow inspiration from? What can you plagiarise? Do you know what your values are, your leadership style? If not, spend a bit of time working all these things out – I can guarantee you’ll feel more grounded and confident if you do. I’d go so far as saying you’ll be a better communicator and leader and will truly bring your whole self to work.
Andy works in strategic communications for NHS Digital. You can say hello to him on Twitter at @andrew_kirby1
*Sign up for the comms2point0 eMag*
The comms2point0 eMag features exclusive new content, free give-aways, special offers, first dibs on new events and much, much more.
Sound good? Join over 3k other comms people who have subscribed. You can sign up to it right here
Image via Old Rollei
