Don’t Be Afraid to Set the Pace
‘These days as a manager you just have to be the coach. It is always best when people discover their own solutions, regardless of the circumstances.’
I hear and read versions of this a lot.
And it’s wrong.
I will say that again given that this is a leadership coach speaking. Coaching is not always the answer.
It definitely is not the answer when you need to see an immediate improvement, and all your efforts to date to persuade others it is necessary have not worked.
It is not the answer when an organisation hit a plateau some time ago, and expectations are not high enough to take it to the next level.
The same can apply when you as the leader have a vision for what the next paradigm shift looks like, and you need to get people moving with you.
Sometimes you have to set the pace and challenge others to come with you, whether they want to or not.
Here’s five aspects of the how and why.
1. Shifting from ‘whether’ to ‘how’
Pacesetting is not a style you can persist with forever - but when you need to make the shift from WHETHER improvement can happen to HOW it happens, it is the way to go.
The ‘whether’ question can only have one answer. While it helps if the staff body can see that improvements are both desirable and possible, in the end they do not have to be convinced to make a start.
You have to be clear as a leader that they do not have an option if the status quo is not good enough.
Some colleagues will need to see the proof in the outcomes before they believe it, but that is not a problem in itself. They might be frustrated, bewildered, offended even but as long as they go with you it is enough. Believing is not always a prerequisite for success.
When the green shoots of progress start to emerge, even if only in limited parts of the organisation, that is the signal to encourage wider participation in the ‘how’ question. The practice from where it is starting to work needs to be shared, along with the positive attitudes which made it happen.
2. Keep the vision live
In order to persuade your colleagues to start the journey, you do need to know what the end point looks like.
You do not require every last detail but you should be able to describe it with some conviction. Whether your colleagues believe it or not does not matter as much as whether you look like you do.
No need for histrionics. A matter of fact description as though you had just seen it with your own eyes is what is required. Putting on an act makes it look as though you are still trying to convince yourself.
A clear articulation of what real success looks like is required from the outset, and you need to be prepared to repeat it more often than you might ever think reasonable. Repeat it round the table with the senior team, in line management meetings, corridor conversations and within emails.
The point is not to flog it, but to show that you really mean it and invite direct engagement with everyone else. This generates opportunities to show whether you have been understood, and to begin the ‘whether to how’ process in as many places as possible. A small world of encouragement from you to others that they can make the shift with you may be all they need.
Going from whether to how requires confidence. Your job as a leader is to instil it.
3. Pick your quick wins
You also need to have your initial moves worked out, and to state why you have chosen them.
Quick wins can be misused, often because they are dressed up as significant forward steps. Be honest about what they are, and if you are using them to get some initial momentum and energy around the organisation.
This might mean getting people on board at a low level. There is enormous value in ensuring everyone does the same thing. People get to see their colleagues engage in a task that they never thought they would bother with, and experience some peer pressure to get on board. There is enormous power in this kind of organisational discipline.
Once everyone has completed the first task they get an appetite for the next one, and in finding out what the impact was everywhere. The first quick win does not have to represent a significant milestone, but it does need to be easy to evidence whether it has happened or not. The relevance of that evidence is the role it can play in persuading the unconvinced to engage.
Even better if you can get ideas from around the organisation as to the quick wins you will pursue. This will create an element of buy in, and that the improvement will be driven from the ground up.
4. Don’t try to take everyone with you
Here is another management myth. You do not need to take everyone with you.
It can make life a lot easier if you do, but it cannot be at the risk of diluting your message or the urgency for improvement. These are the priorities, not keeping everyone on board.
Pacesetting means raising the stakes. That does not mean anything if people have a choice about whether the improvements are necessary.
I am not saying that this is about forcing people out, or that you should scan the room for non-believers as you make your case. It is not about forming an artificial polarising line to back people into a corner. There is still merit in persuading people, talking it through and dealing with objections. You might need to reframe an argument or clarify your points.
But if you really believe in your vision, and that this is the direction the organisation must move under your leadership, you must not round off the edges. The day might come when you need to say that last bit out loud to everyone.
Not everyone has to be persuaded, or go with you all the way to the end of the journey.
5. Create organisational memory
As stated at the beginning, pacesetting is not a style you can use forever. You might return to it, albeit with a break in between as you embed the improvements you seek.
The ‘organisational memory’ created by a period where you set your stall out and encouraged others to come with you can be really valuable.
You can attract employees who enjoy a challenge, and the opportunity to be part of a legacy. It also aids motivation and retention when your strongest performers from across the staff body have a chance to work together.
Some colleagues will surprise themselves at how resilient and adaptable they prove to be; the confidence generated from that is worth having. It can unblock issues of succession planning when people see themselves in a new light, perhaps as the innovative, high performers who inspired others in what they achieved.
There will be lessons for other leaders in the organisation about how they run their areas and teams. They should not need to wait for you to set the pace, or for permission to do it themselves.
Remember that
Pacesetting develops opportunities for everyone else to see the organisation through your eyes. This can be incredibly powerful in developing a ‘big picture’ perspective at all levels.
As a leader the story is yours to be told. Keep telling people about the progress so far, what they have done to achieve and how much closer you are now to the end point.
How can I help you?
1. One to one coaching programmes for senior leaders who are swamped by their jobs so they can thrive in life. Click here to discover where you are on your journey from Frantic to Fulfilled? Just 5 minutes of your time and you will receive a full personalised report with guidance on your next steps.
2. Team coaching programmes - working IN a team is not the same as working AS a team and yet they are often treated as if they are the same. I help teams move from the former to the latter, and generate huge shifts in productivity and outcomes.
3. Talks, workshops and seminars - including topics relevant to the two areas above plus explaining Gen Z to Gen X and dealing with the intergenerational workplace. Speaker showreel here.
4. My book The Snowflake Myth will be published in 2025 - to receive a free chapter (when available 😬) please click here.