INTHEBLACK July 2022 - Magazine - Page 53
“What we know today is, the bigger a company becomes, the more reporting layers it
has, the more complex things become, and the more it starts to see the world from
inside out, rather than what I call ‘outside in’.”
MARTIN LINSTROM, MARKETING AND BRAND TRANSFORMATION EXPERT
COMMON SENSE: INCREASINGLY LESS COMMON
Asking customers exactly what they want and then
addressing their needs seems like a very common-sense
approach to doing business.
However, Lindstrom says that in his experience,
common sense has become an increasingly scarce
commodity for many organisations.
“What we know today is, the bigger a company
becomes the more reporting layers it has, the more
complex things become, and the more it starts to see
the world from inside out, rather than what I call
‘outside in’,” says Lindstrom.
Instead of creating a web of excuses to justify an
increasingly complex system, Lindstrom recommends
organisations adopt a common-sense management
approach grounded in empathy.
THE THREE PILLARS OF COMMON-SENSE
MANAGEMENT
For leaders, common sense management has three main
pillars: the ability to be vulnerable, the ability to create a
strong sense of purpose and the ability to create a
collaborative environment.
Showing vulnerability is difficult for leaders, says
Lindstrom, but it is key to connecting with your team
and showing them that you have weaknesses, too.
“As soon as you are willing to exchange weaknesses,
two things are happening. First, you’re very clear about
where you’re good and where you’re weak, and
therefore you can focus on that,” Lindstrom says.
“Yet you can also let other people admit or share with
you their weaknesses, and that means that you can
create powerful leadership programs around it.”
The second pillar, creating a strong sense of purpose,
is particularly important for younger employees.
“They want to be part of a tribe, or a movement,
where there’s a sense of purpose, and if there is no
sense of purpose, they’re out of there, because money
is somewhat secondary,” Lindstrom says.
Thirdly, leaders need to create a collaborative
environment for their teams, without the constraints of
departmental KPIs and office politics.
“A good leader today is only present to break down
those silos, through the collaboration aspect,” says
Lindstrom. “As soon as you collaborate, you see things
from a common point of view. Common means empathy.
And empathy means that suddenly common sense is
present.”
PRIORITISE AND BE COMFORTABLE WITH
SAYING “NO”
Rebeccah Houghton, leadership expert and founder
of BoldHR, works with organisations to bring commonsense management to all levels of an organisation, not
just the very top.
Houghton’s aim is to empower middle managers to
adapt and innovate in the face of an increasingly
fast-moving business world. She recommends a threepronged approach to building common sense into
decision-making.
First, managers need to exercise strategic prioritisation
and control the pace and flow of their own work.
“I often say to my leaders, ‘If you don’t have your own
priorities, you’re always at the mercy of everyone else’s,”
says Houghton. “Without your own priorities, you can
never say ‘no’.”
Second, leaders need to cultivate influence, which is
particularly challenging in the accounting and finance
sectors, which tend to attract introverts, says Houghton.
The key toward managing effectively and exerting
influence is about “getting leaders to a place where they
realise that their influence is not about climbing the
greasy pole or being political,” Houghton says.
“Their influence is actually about helping their teams
do more and be more and achieve more. It’s about
helping their organisation to be better.”
Finally, Houghton says the fast pace of business
means middle managers must learn how to be strategic.
“Thinking strategically has to be devolved to the
middle, because it can’t be the domain of just 10 people
in your organisation who do it once every three years.
“It’s kind of a constant rethink, but you need to be
strategic about how you think, otherwise you’ll make
bad decisions.”
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