“underled.” For Kotter, the leader of the future is a “leader-manager” combining
both profiles.
Networks are not one-way streets. To the same extent that (highly qualified)
employees are becoming co-entrepreneurs, they are also becoming central parts of
the networks that span all levels of the company. Good relationship management
also includes the relationship to your superiors – for employees and leaders alike:
“Managing your boss well means understanding them and their context, knowing
your own skills and needs and developing and maintaining a relationship that
fulfills the needs of both (Kotter 1999b, p. 22). The relationship should meet the
central needs of both and each partner should add their own strength and compen-
sate for the other’s weaknesses.
3.2.5 Leading Means Letting Go
Most leaders see themselves in the “hands-on” role, moving things and people and
having everything under control. However, in many cases they go over the top –
surpassing their own goals, those of the company and those of their employees.
Managers who do everything themselves at breathtaking speed, living in a state of
constant motion in order to prove their indispensability to themselves and others
often produce unmotivated employees, costs resulting from rashly made decisions,
and a ruined private life. Therefore I maintain that leading also means being able to
let go. Loosening their grip on the reins is hard for many managers to learn, but
absolutely necessary.
3.2.5.1 Delegating Means Having Free Hands and a Free Head
One of the most frequent causes of failed leadership is micromanagement. Some
leaders simply refuse to delegate or want to at least supervise every little thing
themselves. The stress and overload that more and more leaders are succumbing to
and that in the worst cases ends in burnout evolve from the inability to let go and
delegate, as well as the inability to separate important and urgent matters from
others. Everyone wants everything immediately because we believe that everything
urgent needs to be done right away – and by us personally. The Internet and email
have contributed greatly to this mania, with mails showing up on the screen in
seconds requesting an answer as soon as possible.
Especially leaders must not get lost in the little things, thereby losing sight of and
having no time left for the whole. A person who is able to delegate tasks and
responsibilities to others – this is the key – has time and energy for the real tasks of
a leader and promotes the development of their employees at the same time. This
allows employees to grow with their responsibilities, generating a climate of trust
and partnership. Delegating is an art and the secret of efficient managers. Yet 80%
of German managers still organize their own schedules themselves; only 16% have
148 3 Systemic Leadership or: Designing a World That Others Want to Be Part Of