Becoming an effective leader

An article by Dr. Daryl Watkins     6 Comments

As a Professor of Leadership, my students approach me with their vexing leadership problems. These problems always seem bigger than life and keep them from being productive. One student works in the pharmaceutical industry. He has been attempting to get through to his supervisor about serious process defects with potential to ultimately hurt people. So…it’s important. He even took the issues up a few levels in his organization with the same apparent effect. No one seems to be listening. I asked him what he would do next. He seemed dejected and defeated, explaining there is nothing more he can do. They (his bosses) are all incompetent, politically motivated, AND they just don’t care.

I explained the concept of a trim tab. As aviators or sailors, many of us are aware of the mechanical and aerodynamic principles behind a trim tab. Basically, a trim tab is a relatively small control surface connected to the trailing edge of a larger control surface (like a rudder). The location and direction of the trim tab allow the pilot to more easily control the aircraft or ship by making small adjustments to the angle of the trim tab.

How does that relate to my student’s situation? Well, my student is passionate about making big changes to his organization. He wants to be the rudder. He is regularly going to battle with his management about all of the problems that he sees. Because of his aggressive style, his management has probably branded him as negative, pessimistic, and a troublemaker. Surely, he is just not a team player. And, since management doesn’t seem to be listening, he just makes more noise every time he approaches them with a problem. His approach is much like a person who talks louder hoping that increased volume will solve a language barrier.

He needs to flip his mental mode to thinking in terms of becoming a trim tab instead of the rudder. What small sources of influence might he be able to develop and control that could change his level of effectiveness? For instance, maybe he could contribute to the company newsletter, become a union rep, or help with the boss’ pet project. The point is that small changes can have big impacts.

For instance, as a Little League baseball coach, I had a few players who always arrived about 5 minutes late to practice. It wasn’t their fault; they were reliant upon their parents to get them to practice. Bribery, laps, and threats did not seem to make a difference. I finally solved the problem by having all of the players attach their equipment bags to the backstop in the order they arrived. Batting practice would go in the order of the bags. If they forgot to attach their bags, they had to put the bags at the end of the line. Sure enough, my late players soon put enough pressure on their parents that they were now arriving early to practice.

In 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey talks of finding small levers that can ultimately result in big changes, essentially becoming a trim tab for your organization. In the embedded video below, Dr. Covey shows how New York City dramatically reduced crime rates and how Principal Madeline Cartwright turned around Blaine Elementary in the inner city of Philadelphia by getting on her hands and knees and cleaning a urinal.

Are you a trim tab?