Oct 7 in General discussion
'Covert Leadership'
I’ve been thinking about the concept of ‘Covert leadership.’ I don't believe it's very well understood. My goal is to influence my team in a way that encourages them to take initiative without them realizing I am leading. Instead of explicitly instructing employees on what to do, I focus on creating situations where they naturally align with my objectives. Here’s an extremely brief explanation of what I mean. I might provide further explanation tomorrow because tonight I’m exhausted. (Depends on if people are interested)
For instance, rather than telling my employees to foster relationships with one another, I take the following approach:
- I invest time in understanding each employee's interests.
- By identifying common interests among team members, I can create opportunities for interaction.
- I create “coincidental scenarios” where I intentionally bring together individuals with shared interests to facilitate meaningful conversations.
Often, this occurs organically. For example, if I notice that two employees, Matt and Austin, are not engaging in conversation, I might initiate a discussion about Formula 1, knowing that both are passionate about the sport.
Similarly, if I observe Lindsay and Carly both pack their own lunches, I might ask about their meal preparations—whether they prep their meals the night before or in the morning and how much money they save by making their own lunches. This dialogue often leads to broader conversations that deepen their connection. As a result, I can confidently anticipate that the next time Lindsay and Carly share a lunchroom, they will engage in conversation.
I’ve just realized how long this is, so I’ll stop here. If anyone would like examples of how I create these scenarios inorganically just let me know. (I’ve got much more complex examples)
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'Covert Leadership'
Leaderboard (30-day)
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