Agile Leadership: Navigating the Double-Bind

• Published in: Of Counsel 2023-06, Vol.42 (6), p.10-14
• Main Author: McKenna, Patrick J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Law firms; Leadership
• ISSN: 0730-3815

[...]I've discovered that the great majority of leaders, in any position of responsibility, are at their most vulnerable early in their tenure. [...]what I've discerned is that there are a number of what I would label the "double binds of leadership"-the more or less ongoing dynamics of the job that incumbents wrestle with, to effectively handle being an effective leader. Here are the top five: * Do I shake things up or do I preserve the status quo? (determining appetite for change) * Do I strengthen my bonds with people or do I maintain a distance? (developing working relationships) * Do I demonstrate that I know what to do or do I ask for help? (appearing knowledgeable) * Do I strongly influence the decision I want or do I facilitate a consensus? (making decisions) * Do I focus on achieving results or do I accept a degree of uncertainty? (setting action priorities) Each of us, when first serving as a leader, has a natural predilection to favor one approach or the other; to gravitate to one extremity over the other. [...]our preference, as to whether to 'shake things up" or to 'preserve the status quo' is often 'hard-wired' into us, the result of past experiences gained before entering into our current leadership position. If you believe that the direction you are being asked to undertake is not achievable or able to be accomplished within the timeframe expected, make your feelings known as early as possible in your tenure. 2.Developing Working Relationships (Double-Bind: Where do I need to strengthen bonds with people and where do I need to maintain a distance?) I realized that fundamentally my relations with my partners would never be the same.