The Batman Syndrome
Picture Batman standing in a crowd looking up at the bat-symbol (the call for his services) blazoned into the night sky. Batman turns around in the crowd, who’re looking to him for help, and is confused as to why they are imploring him. Batman then turns back to the emblem and asks himself; “I wonder when Batman will show up and do something?”
We see and hear it quite often: the call for a leader to show themselves. It’s the lull in a meeting when a decision needs to be made; it’s the floundering team member waiting to be guided; an underperformer whose behaviour needs to be called out; it’s the bat-signal shining in the sky. When you see that light in the clouds, do you look around for the hero to arrive, or will you step up yourself?
Unfortunately, we are seeing a lot of leaders choosing to ignore the call and not ‘getting’ the fact that they’re leaders. They hide behind their processes; they stay busy; build excuses. They enjoy their management titles and trappings while sidestepping the responsibility of leading their people. They don't have to be the one to have the final say or to be consulted on everything, but they need to be prepared to tackle the hard topics or tricky challenges. When their people look to them to lead, they are ready to be the hero.
Have leaders you have worked for that have succumbed to this syndrome? Were you Robin in this scenario and did you need to step up? Or, did you just continue without someone leading the challenge?
Overcome cookie-cutter leadership traits
Many leaders deal with everyone the same way and hope for the best. But successful leadership depends largely on how they respond to and direct others. An executive coach can help you develop the skills to understand, and respond to, people as individuals. In our executive coaching sessions, we challenge our clients to develop their understanding of what executive presence looks like for them. This helps them understand what people will be looking for at the outset and ensures that when the bat-symbol next appears, they are comfortable with how they should act and what they should do.
I challenge you to think about what your leadership philosophy is? Do you have one?
Click to find out more about our Coaching Services.
Realise the leadership “tag, you’re it” game:
In some organisations that are challenged with a lack of role clarity and numerous work streams, it can be hard to see who holds the reins and has the overall perspective. I have seen this occur in privately held businesses where the owner still wants to control things, but will tag a GM, Ops Mgr or MD into certain tasks without consistency.
Alternatively, this can also occur in a ‘working group’ structure where the team members have responsibility for different tasks and are just working to the sum of their individual bests. There comes a point when someone has to set a direction and the group goals otherwise progress stagnates.
Conversely, people can become a leader without a ceremony or job title. Those who don’t recognise this may succumb to the Batman Syndrome as they fail to see that a shift has occurred. They could continue with the status quo or can realise it's time to change the game and become the leader they, and their team, need them to be.
Things to do according to “The Accidental Leader: What to do when you’re suddenly in charge”:
Know what you bring to the challenge - your pluses and minuses
Define success and achieve it
Get other people on your side
Overcome your natural shortcomings
Get organised - right now
See through the apparent system to the culture within
Direct people and get them to act
Stay on top of your game:
Leaders lead by example whether they intend to or not, and at a senior level, everything you do and don’t do is noticed. Therefore, you need to be the strongest leader you can be and need to role model the behaviours you want your team to emulate.
The best leaders have a growth mindset and are lifelong learners. As part of your own leadership journey, continue to read, research, try things, invest in yourself, seek feedback from a coach or mentor and interact with other leaders and organisations. Make a major leadership growth goal and dedicate yourself to achieving it. Lastly, keep your ego in check and remember as the leader – you make the difference.
We currently offer a great three day course to help leaders stay on top of their game: Operational Leaders Programme
Top tips from this blog:
Be aware of the signals for you to provide leadership and respond accordingly
Step up when leadership is required, don’t hide behind a management process. You lead people, and you manage things.
Seize the initiative, you don’t need to wait for someone to acknowledge that they have placed you in a leadership role
Remember that people are looking at you 24/7 as a leader
Be Batman
This article was contributed by Luke Johnson, Strategic Advisor.