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| the BIR Management Committee under CIR Liway Chato |
The UP
Alumni Association recently gave me a Distinguished Alumnus Award for “Leadership
in IT Development (Public and Private).” That has inspired me to write about governance and management. I have written about travel and leisure, retirement and renewal, and health and longevity.
Let me start to write about leadership in this new category. The three directional phrases represent differing leadership styles.
Leading from the front is directive, behind, delegative, and alongside,
participative. To illustrate each, I use examples from my stints in different
organizations.
Leading
from the Front
Directive
leadership rests on a leader who provides clear directions, makes strong
decisions, and communicates openly. Think of a military commander, leading his
troops into battle. Not being clear may prove disastrous.
It may be less
obvious, but the same thing is true in startups like Megalink, the consortium of banks that first enabled
members to share ATMs. AS GM, the Board gave me one goal: to launch ahead of
BancNet, a rival consortium.
Since there
were no such existing switches in the Philippines, I had to go to countries that
had already succeeded in doing so. Their examples gave me enough information to
lead from the front.
When we were
ready, I presented a risk analysis to the Board. The system was not perfect, but
no system ever does. I felt the risks were minimal and I included ways to
mitigate them. They agreed with me. We launched ahead of BancNet.
Later we
also became the largest consortium at 32 member banks.
Leading
from Behind
Delegative
leadership requires that a leader empower people to take ownership and
responsibility for their work. He/she acts as a mentor, coach, or facilitator.
This type of
leadership is best suited in industries that depend on its people’s talent,
creativity, and innovation. Organizations in advertising, design, or product
development are examples.
I came
closest to using this style as MD in SAP Philippines when we were introducing
the end-to-end German ERP software in the country. The groundbreaking product
had successfully powered leading companies elsewhere in the world.
The
salespersons in the Sales Team have individual styles in covering territory and
convincing organizations within it to make his/her quota. I was ready to help
open doors, establish CEO-CEO relationships, and provide support and guidance
when they asked.
It was even
more so for the Technical Support Team. I did not come from the technical ranks,
but I assured them of the technical resources. I discovered they needed moral
support more, especially in managing conflicts with regional support teams.
Leading
Alongside the Team
This
participative leadership style emphasizes the team most. The leader works
closely with members and there is much collaboration, shared responsibility,
and consensus building.
Prime
examples are non-profit organizations that usually include many volunteers, educational
institutions that involve numerous constituents, or government agencies that handle
large numbers of people.
In BIR, the IT
group had a thousand people and worked with hundreds of consultants. When I
joined them, they had already organized into implementation teams.
I was not
brought in to stall their progress. I worked alongside the team leaders. I focused
on working with top management to inspire the huge organization to embrace the impending
major change. The system was successfully installed less than two years later.
The
Most Effective Style
In American culture,
organizations value individualism, efficiency, and results. As such, they may
lean towards the directive leadership style. In the Philippines, we emphasize collectivism,
group harmony, and relationship-building which may favor a participative style.
These are
generalizations, however. Individual organizations within both countries may
vary. In the end, the most effective leadership style is situational. It depends
on a particular team's maturity and the nature of the work, not just organizational
culture.
In SAP, for
example, even if I practiced delegative leadership with the sales and technical
teams, I led from the front with the marketing team. After all, I was the chief
storyteller for a small company of less than 30.
As the chief
marketing officer, I handed down clear marketing goals. I also clearly stated the
messaging intended for each specific audience. The marketing team applied them to
the recommended, using appropriate media.
There is not
one style that bests the others. Different situations, teams, and organizations
may require all three styles. The most effective leaders must have all three at
their disposal. In other words, they must lead from all sides.
