Sir Ken Robinson is an expert on education. learning, and creativity.\u00a0 He tells a story about once having served on a panel of speakers that included the Dalai Lama.\u00a0 During a Q&A session, the Dalai Lama was asked a question that he didn\u2019t answer right away.\u00a0 After a long silence, the Dalai Lama finally responded, \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d\u00a0 Robinson doesn\u2019t remember what the question was, but that\u2019s not the point.\u00a0 The point is, the Dalai Lama had the strength of character and self-confidence to say honestly, \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d\u00a0 He didn\u2019t try to fake it or spin it, he just answered truthfully, \u201cI haven\u2019t thought about that before.\u201d\u00a0 There\u2019s a lesson there for anyone in a leadership position who feels compelled to be the answer person . . . the person who always has the answers and who always knows what to do.\u00a0 For more on why you shouldn\u2019t be the answer person and why you shouldn\u2019t even try, please continue reading below.<\/p>\n
The Power of \u201cI Don\u2019t Know\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n We heard a speaker once who commented that CEOs get up in the morning, look in the mirror, and say to themselves, \u201cI wonder if today\u2019s the day . . . the day people discover that I\u2019m not as smart, competent, or knowledgeable as they thought I was.\u201d\u00a0 Some leaders may make a show of being the go-to guy when problems come up, but in their hearts, they know they don\u2019t have all the answers.\u00a0 And their followers may make a show of believing their leader has all the answers, but they know it\u2019s a lie.\u00a0 No one has all the answers all the time.\u00a0 It\u2019s simply not possible. So why all the posturing?<\/p>\n Some leaders believe that admitting to a gap in their knowledge would be a sign of weakness, but in fact, it\u2019s a sign of strength.\u00a0 An admission that he or she doesn\u2019t have all the answers builds trust among followers.\u00a0 It\u2019s a sign that the leader is comfortable with the strengths, abilities, and knowledge that he or she does possess, and is honest about the limits of those strengths and abilities, and the limits of that knowledge.\u00a0 The leader who tries to put up a front of omnipotence destroys trust because everyone around him or her knows it\u2019s BS.<\/p>\n In the study of group dynamics, there\u2019s a thing called the Messiah Syndrome.\u00a0 It occurs when there\u2019s something very scary coming . . . maybe a disruptive new technology or a big new competitor . . . and the group doesn\u2019t know what to do. \u00a0So the group turns to its leader and says, \u201cThank God for our leader!\u00a0 He\u2019ll know what to do.\u00a0 She will protect us and won\u2019t let anything bad happen to us.\u201d\u00a0 And so the leader accepts the mantle as the group\u2019s messiah.<\/p>\n You may remember, there was a guy whose people made him their messiah a few thousand years ago, and for him, things didn\u2019t work out all that well.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the problem if you allow your group to make you its messiah.\u00a0 The group now depends upon you to protect it, but sooner or later, you\u2019ll stub your toe.\u00a0 Something will happen that the group thinks you should have prevented.\u00a0 The group now realizes that you are not the all-knowing, all-seeing, omnipotent, infallible person they thought you were.\u00a0 You\u2019ve let your followers down.\u00a0 They trusted you, but you betrayed that trust.\u00a0 And since they can no longer trust you, it will be very difficult for you to lead them.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s be clear on the difference between a leader and a messiah, because both do have a responsibility to protect their followers from harm.\u00a0 The difference is, a messiah makes the unspoken, and untenable, promise to followers that he or she alone will keep them safe and protected, no matter what.\u00a0 A leader, on the other hand, organizes a group into a team, and each team member has a role to play in keeping the group safe and protected.\u00a0 Collectively then, all the team members are depending on one another for safety and protection, not just on the leader alone.<\/p>\n So how do you maintain your position as leader, but avoid the Messiah Syndrome?<\/p>\n So do you want to be a genuine leader or a pretend messiah?\u00a0 We trust your choice will not require a lot of thought.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sir Ken Robinson is an expert on education. learning, and creativity.\u00a0 He tells a story about once having served on a panel of speakers that included the Dalai Lama.\u00a0 During a Q&A session, the Dalai Lama was asked a question that he didn\u2019t answer right away.\u00a0 After a long silence, the Dalai Lama finally responded,<\/p>\n\n