One of the biggest “a-has” moments in leadership is understanding the idea of “altitude.” As a leader, you deal with many different groups: your team, your leader(s), peers, board members, customers, and more. (See more at our 360 Leader Series – Shows 432-434) Each of these relationships and touchpoints requires a different approach. Like a pilot, leaders have to adjust to their altitude and adapt their engagement styles to fit the audience in order to maximize their effectiveness and success as a leader.
Being able to adapt one’s approach based on who you’re talking to is key to being a great leader. While that seems like an easy statement to say and live out, I’ve seen it impact a person’s effectiveness in a bad way at all levels of leadership. Today, we’ll look at tips to ensure you are flying at the right altitude with the people you are interacting with.
Discussions, directives, and decisions
For a new people leader or even a new leader leading in a different role, part of the adjustment is learning how to best engage with your team. You must clearly distinguish between discussions, directives, and decisions. It’s important for the leader to set a clear tone for those around them:
Discussions operate at lower altitudes, seeking opinions, input, and consensus. These conversations can be very collaborative in nature.
Examples: During a brainstorming session, you are working through the programming for a highly visible event at the organization. Everyone shares their thoughts, and you might collectively decide on what the final agenda looks like. In another example, the team may come together to discuss how to improve customer relations & experience. People are contributing their ideas, and ultimately, you, as the leader, will choose which of those ideas the team implements.
Directives require leading at a higher altitude, where you exercise decision-making authority and align your team toward specific goals.
Example: After gathering input from your team, you decide to implement a new customer outreach and referral program. As the leader, you’re assigning the tasks, providing clear instructions, and setting deadlines and milestones on how to roll out each phase. In another example, you are directing your team on all the checklists and procedures in order to close down your operations for the evening.
Decisions are where the responsibilities fall. At every organization, people make decisions of varying magnitudes. In those critical moments, the leader is the one who decides.
Example: After reviewing all the data and team recommendations, you decide to pivot the team’s strategy and activities. You have the team start doing new things and quit doing other things. You are the decision maker as the leader, and you’ll need to take full responsibility for its success or failure. A leader shouldn’t delegate decision-making for the big things; that’s a core aspect of leadership.
The altitude adjustment comes down to making it clear to the team whether it is a decision, a directive, or a discussion. Operating at different altitudes means effectively managing these areas well, and requires careful attention to your leadership altitude to maintain effective management and team engagement.
Communicating at different altitudes
Communicating effectively means adjusting how you talk based on who you’re talking to. When you’re presenting to your leader or a high-stakes group like an executive team, you need to be more strategic and provide the right amount of detail.
Years ago, I did a show with Aman Agarwal (Show 254). He’s a very sharp leader, and we discussed the topic of technical leaders, those who are experts in their field, struggling with communicating effectively with higher-level leaders. Leaders can often miss the mark when communicating with different groups. Discussions, directives, and decisions may come more naturally, but being mindful of what we are presenting, in what way, and with what level of candor is something harder to balance. As you are preparing for your presentation, ask yourself:
- Is the material covering information at the right level? Is it too in the weeds, or is there not enough detail?
- Is my audience well-versed in the topic, or do I need to relate things in a way that translates better for others to follow?
- Does my tenor, physical appearance, match the tone of the presentation and the people in the room?
When you are with a high-level leader, you may tailor the message for that specific person. For an external message, your message may be broader in detail, while communicating in a professional but easy-to-understand way. When it comes down to it, you need to change how you communicate to be most effective with different audiences.
“Flying” at different altitudes
Some leaders excel while working at one altitude but struggle with other heights. For example, a leader might be a rock star leading their team, but struggle with leading up to their network of leaders and stakeholders. A single-altitude approach can doom one-dimensional leaders to not reaching their potential, impacting the business in a negative way, and ultimately may cost them their jobs.
How to master altitude adjustments
Self-Assessment: Self-awareness is key. Identify your natural altitude preference (60,000 feet, 30,000 feet, or 10,000 feet). This will help you recognize your strengths and weaknesses at different altitudes. Take the self-reflection further by understanding what your challenges and preferences are at each level. Perhaps one level intimidates you, while you feel very comfortable at another level.
Audience Understanding: Know your audience. When you understand the needs and preferences of different audiences, you can adapt your communication style and content accordingly. Seek to learn what those specific preferences are for key people that you communicate with are in order to better deliver your message.
Strategic Delegation: Know your limitations. Once you know and acknowledge your limitations in certain altitudes, you can identify team members who excel at different altitudes as an offset and delegate those responsibilities to leverage others’ strengths. You can’t be everywhere at once, so leverage the unique skills of your team to help carry the load.
No leader is perfect at every level, but it’s important that you have everything covered in your role. Reflect on your layers this week to see where you can focus some attention, where your team can step in to help fill a need, and how you need to adapt your leadership and communication along the way. Doing so will make you a great leader who can fly at all altitudes.
Make a better tomorrow.
-ZH
