Sink or Swim Leadership
When I was a child, I was aware of, and even witnessed a rather perverse method some fathers employed to teach their children to swim. The well-meaning dad would hold the hand of their young child and walk them to the end of the dock, or wade with them into progressively deeper water, and then they would pick the often-unsuspecting child up and throw them into the lake. The belief was that the child, in fighting to avoid drowning, would somehow “learn” how to swim.
I am not aware of any child drowning from this experience, so I suppose that the technique worked in some way. But I have always felt that this wasn’t the best way to teach, and further wondered whether this method destroyed the appreciation for swimming in some children, and possibly even destroyed their trust in their father for others?
I had reason to recall this memory during a recent conversation with a dear friend of mine. She is young, talented, and in second year of her first post-graduate career position. She shared that while the first year had gone incredibly well, and she had reasons to believe that she is a valuable and valued employee, she was currently struggling at work because she had been given responsibility for a large project, with no real guidance or support. She has asked questions and made requests for direction but has received little that would bring clarity to the task she’s been given.
It struck me that she had been thrown into this task, and it would be up to her to “sink or swim”.
I can only speculate about why she has been put in this situation. Looking for the positive, it is my understanding that sometimes managers deliberately throw staff into “sink or swim” situations like this with the hope that the individual will discover a talent that they didn’t previously know they had, or that they might uncover a novel way to approach a challenge or task which had previously not been considered.
That aside, I am highly doubtful that Michael Phelps became a transcendent giant in competitive swimming because someone threw him in the deep end of the pool to learn for himself. Instead, I am confident that what Phelps received from his coaches throughout his swimming career was continuous instruction, guidance, mentorship, and inspiration. I believe that Phelps’ coaches first appreciated his unique qualities as a human being, then saw in him the potential of his future, and finally anticipated the difficulties he would experience in getting to where he, and they hoped he would. He was neither insulated from failures, nor left to figure things out on his own. Rather he was supported to understand and overcome challenges to ultimately become the best possible version of himself.
It would seem to me that this is a model all managers and leaders should take. We should first make it a point to really get to know the people we work with, as human beings. We should pay attention to clues that reveal their unique skills and attributes, and deliberately seek to understand their shortcomings. We should work with them to draw up a blueprint which not only clearly shows what is expected, but also informs them on how they can approach what they have been tasked with. And we should make ourselves available to understand the challenges which will inevitably arise and support them to overcome them.
Through deliberate instruction, guidance, mentorship, and inspiration, leaders become human architects who aren’t afraid to revisit the blueprint repeatedly, so that staff become the best possible versions of themselves, and leaders in their own right.
What do you think? Is it always incumbent on managers and leaders to provide clarity and guidance to our staff, or are there some times where throwing staff into the deep end to sink or swim on their own is the right thing to do?
Written by Randal Typusiak
Facilitator for Contagious Leadership | Thought Leader on Leadership & Education | Dad | Hubby | Generous Human Being
