How Feinstein, Pelosi can pass torch
Memo: To Sen. Dianne Feinstein, age 84, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, 77
From: Kristin Cobble
My work involves coaching leaders and organizations, including those facing a question that may be familiar to you: What do you do when you play a crucial role in an institution and, while you’d like to leave, there is no one who can step into your shoes without the organization suffering?
Yes, it’s possible that California would lose seniority, power and institutional knowledge if you retired. But that’s only one of the questions involved when you consider passing the torch.
My advice to people in your predicament is to begin by asking yourself: Are you able to see the energy and passion and fresh perspectives that younger generations bring? Be honest! If you squirm, then you have some homework to do!
Start by asking questions of the young people you know about how they see the world. If they were running things, what would they do differently? Don’t argue with them and tell them why that would never work. Listen! Allow yourself to be inspired.
When you find yourself thinking, “They don’t get it,” remember you also don’t get it. Do you know the tale of the five blind men describing the elephant? One touches a leg and says it is like a tree. Another touches the trunk and says it is like a snake. Another touches the poop and ... well, you can finish the sentence yourself. The point is, no one has a complete understanding, no matter how old and wise.
Get curious about what you don’t know. Ask yourself: What am I missing in my strongly held beliefs about how the world works? What do I not know about how to be successful in the world and how to change it?
A traditional model of developing the next generation of leaders is for older leaders to spot and mentor “the good ones.” In other words, teach the younger ones to see the world as the older leaders do. This method is no longer viable.
Why? Because the world is changing too fast. Besides, most Millennials want to find their own way and are skeptical of copying anything from older generations.
You — and the rest of the world — need a new way of developing new leaders.
To illustrate the new way, here’s a story:
I recently led a two-day brainstorming session at a Bay Area high-tech company. We brought together 70 people from inside and outside the firm. At the end of the first day, I had drinks with a few twentysomething and thirtysomething employees — a minority of the people in the session — and asked whether there was anything that they either hadn’t said, or said but felt hadn’t been heard.
It turned out there was a lot they hadn’t said.
This, for me, confirmed the research of Rosabeth Moss Kanterat the Harvard Business School who found that in any group in which you have a majority that is similar and one or two people who are different from the dominant group, the minority will not speak up as much. It doesn’t matter what kinds of groups we are talking about — eight female nurses and two male nurses, or eight blacks and two whites, or whatever.
In our session, the Millennial voice was getting lost. I realized the only way we’d be able to hear their voice was if we put them in their own group, so they’d feel free to speak up, instead of seating one at each table. The next morning, I did. It was amazing! They were so happy to be together, talking over each other, making jokes and moving around a lot. They didn’t want to sit at tables, so we sat on the floor. And when they were the majority, they came up with some great ideas, which the larger group ended up stealing shamelessly!
I still had to help them not self-edit, as they imagined how the more seasoned professionals would react to their ideas.
So what are the lessons as you seek successors for your special work?
(1) Try to develop groups or networks of successors, not just one person to fill your seat or leadership post. Avoid one-on-one conversations where it is easy for you to let your biases unintentionally kill the opportunity for fresh perspectives.
(2) Make a practice of getting together with groups of young leaders so it is easier for them to speak up to you. Support them in developing their own thoughts.
For example, invite five to eight younger leaders — people you notice that other younger people pay attention to. It doesn’t matter whether they have an official leadership role or not. Host a regular conversation for six months (don’t call it a meeting — call it an experiment). More people will say “‘yes” if the commitment is not forever! You may decide to go another six months, or you may not. Either way is fine.
Perhaps the conversation is once a month for two hours. Do it in person or set it up a video conference. If it’s in person, make it a potluck or brown bag. Breaking bread together helps break down barriers!
What you are doing is creating a space through which your natural successors can strengthen their relationships with each other, gain clarity about what they believe is possible, and strengthen their commitment to making it happen. Your job is to figure out how you can support them.
The present and the future are full of problems that require collective leadership to solve. The problems you are working on now probably won’t be solved until long after you’re gone.
The most important thing is to have fun, stay curious and be open to being surprised about what your successors achieve. Let me know how the experiment goes.