If only they knew how little I know.
I have often asked myself this question in the course of my corporate business career. And then, at some point, when I had to lead an organization with more than 2,000 employees, I sometimes got a little dizzy because of my responsibility.
How and why had I made it this far? Time for a reflection.
- I didn’t like micromanagement. If I wanted to know something, I asked my employees. Because one thing I always knew: which of my employees knew best about a topic.
- Listening in order to understand was a passion. And always when it came to a relevant topic that was important for the organization.
- Empowerment was my strategic tool. Control was done in the team. I had created the structure for this: a monthly team routine. Pre-discussed agenda, round table discussion, so that everyone had their say. And I in the role of the questioner. So everyone understood the common course and supported it.
- Trust arose when I was willing to address my own weaknesses and mistakes. The failure was seen as an opportunity to learn.
- Mutual trust between me and my employees was ultimately the be-all and end-all. But I accepted the risk in advance with a sense for understanding and the courage to do it. I was very rarely disappointed and if I was, then a separation could not be avoided.
Even though I trusted my employees to be the experts in their respective fields, I always stayed in the process of learning, also to uncover my own blind spots. This included establishing formal feedback loops, talking to an external career coach, and mentoring outside of my own organization.
True strength does not lie in having all the answers, but in active listening, in asking questions and, above all, in uncovering the enormous potential of one’s own employees. Admitting one’s own knowledge gaps, similar to the classic “I know I don’t know anything”, is my way of achieving an authentic leadership style based on trust and continuous learning.
==> And how much do you know?
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I am Bernd Scharbert and I accompany and advise from my industrial background of experience when it comes to intercultural leadership, diversity and sustainable work in general. If you are interested, please feel free to contact me.
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