SmartBrief is partnering with Big Think to create a weekly video spotlight in SmartBrief on Leadership called “VIP Corner: Video Insights Powered by Big Think.” This week, we’re featuring Linda Hill, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School.
At their core, organizations are like political entities, and managing a network of peers does not mean just spending time on LinkedIn, according to Linda Hill, a professor of business administration at the Harvard Business School. Instead, it involves managing the political dynamics associated with all aspects of organizational life.
“For sure, one very specific piece of that puzzle is [to ask], ‘Who am I dependent upon to get my job done?,’ ” Hill said. The higher up in an organization a leader is, the more dependencies there are. Leaders must consider whether or not they have built up the right sort of relationships with those people in their network.
“Do they trust me? Do we have mutual expectations? Can I influence them? Can they influence me? If the answers are no to those questions, then you have not built the right kind of relationships,” Hill said. She recommends periodically stepping back and making an honest assessment of all the people within your network. Making a list can be helpful.
In general, leaders need to spend the time managing the professional relationships within their network. Otherwise, “your team cannot be successful no matter how wonderful the culture of that team is and how much time you’ve worked to get that right, because your team will not have the resources it needs to get done what it needs to get done,” she added.
Big Think is a forum in which top experts explore big ideas and core skills defining the 21st century. Learn more from its editors, fellows and guest speakers.
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I think you're right that nurturing one's network is a very important activity for those in leadership positions. At the same time, networks are largely random, and skewed. So, leadership by network management will lead in the long run to discrimination, i.e. to grouping which don't reflect the population at large. I write on issues like this at http://curt-rice.com
It seems there is a lot of talk about developing and managing relationships within a company these days. This goes to show how imperative it is in the successful running of a business. As the owner of my own company, I am lucky to focus on this issue consistently. The inner workings and relationships of my company directly impact the outer workings- how well we execute our jobs. When creating my company I developed 10 Core Values on which I wanted to focus. Keeping these values in the forefront when hiring, communicating, and doing the "daily grind" of business has allowed us to meet with great success. I feel staying connected to my team through open communication and shared Values have been a key to that success. As you stated, the higher up you go, the more people you depend on. When possible, have a say in who those people are to ensure you are all on the same page. When it is not possible, put in the effort to get to know them and work to get on the same page. It benefits everyone.
Ken C. Schmitt http://www.turningpointsearch.net
Unexpected notes of gratitude and congratulations can go a long way in nurturing these professional relationships. All people, at any level, appreciate being appreciated. I represent an online system that allows users to have a vehicle for such appreciation – combining the tangible power of a physical note with the digital age ease of online creation of that note. If you are looking for ways to grow, I encourage you too give this a try, either with old-school hand-written thank you's or via the system I represent.
Nurturing relationships, professionally or personally, certainly requires the level intentionality offered in the interview. What it comes down to is rapport, credibility and trust. Without these components, relationships cannot flourish or even truly exist. Ultimately, it starts with me as a leader and how much priority I place upon the needs of the people within my organization. The economy of the past several years has created a sub-generation of people who are scared and in fight or flight mode…looking out for number one. Sadly, I must count myself in those ranks from time to time and it is a daily, sometimes hourly, choice to lead in spite of fear and doubt. Enjoyed and was inspired by the comments of Ken & Curt. I think Lela violated posting rule #2.