Compass vs. Map
Over the years, my appreciation of good business aphorisms has steadily increased. I make a mental note if I find myself regularly referencing one. I believe Ben Horowitz’s book “The Hard Things About Hard Things” has had such a strong and growing popularity because it is chock full of timeless business aphorisms. “Lead bullets, not silver bullets” and “Hire for the next 18-24 months” are two that I use regularly in the start-up world in which I live.
Managers excel at the efficient execution of pre-established processes. They require maps. Leaders – who usually are formally identified with director level titles and higher – demonstrate their versatility where the terrain and tools are less familiar or less established.
One business aphorism that I find myself referencing more frequently in recent years is: “Provide the compass, not the map.” This aphorism is powerful because it serves as both a tool for talent evaluation and as a leadership check and balance, simultaneously.
Let’s start at the top. As a senior leader, it is incumbent upon you to define what success looks like for your team and for your direct reports. If you can not clearly and crisply define these success criteria, you are forcing them to determine what is important. That is a failure to lead. Neither a compass nor a map is valuable if your team does not know in which direction they should be heading.
Once that North Star has been identified, you need to ask yourself: do your direct reports need a compass or a map? If you find yourself providing a map, it usually occurs for one of two reasons.
The default reason is that your direct reports have not yet crossed over that critical manager to leader threshold. As Stephen Covey wrote: “Management works in the system; leadership works on the system.” Managers excel at the efficient execution of pre-established processes. They require maps. Leaders – who usually are formally identified with director level titles and higher – demonstrate their versatility where the terrain and tools are less familiar or less established. These individuals are able to effectively chart new courses within the business. They are able to look around corners, seeing not just the immediate implications of their actions but how their actions create future opportunities or issues, similar to a chess master. Good leaders require – and desire – only compasses. As such, I use the compass/map heuristic when considering promoting someone or evaluating the performance of a particular leader.
In many circumstances, however, that is not the actual reason for providing the map. The real reason is that you as a leader have not let go of the tactical reigns. This is a common trap for many talented leaders at all levels.
One of the hardest transitions as you progress through the leadership ranks is elevating your focus towards defining the success outcomes I mentioned above and identifying roles, responsibilities and constraints for your teams. Well-intentioned managers – myself included – will sometimes find themselves being prescriptive with their instructions – not just telling their teams where to go but also how to get there. Most leaders are not even aware that they are doing this; it is simply the muscle memory of action oriented individuals who have reached that level of the organization primarily due to these capabilities. For other leaders, they believe in their heart of hearts that they truly possess a set of skills that are unmatched in the organization.
Irrespective, this behavior disempowers and demotivates your team. It neuters top talent and stunts the growth of your emerging talent. You must develop the self-awareness to catch yourself in these circumstances and have created a culture of safety where your team can be radically candid in calling out your micro-management. Both are easier said than done. And, if you believe your ‘zone of genius’ skills are unequaled in the company and you intend to flex that muscle, simply indicate to your teams transparently how and when you will exercise this prerogative so that it is accretive – not erosive – to organizational processes.
Next time you find yourself in a “compass vs. map” situation, ask yourself: “Which of the two am I providing?” And, if it is the map, ask yourself that important second question: “Does the team need it?” The answers to those questions will provide insight as to the quality of your team and, more importantly, the quality of you as a leader.
