In the last post, we began a discussion of the characteristics of anabolic and catabolic leaders, and how the anabolic leader “leads,” while the catabolic leader “manages.” Another distinction between catabolic and anabolic leaders is that catabolic leaders “delegate,” while anabolic leaders “participate.”
I shared that managing my large family was similar to managing a small corporation. My parenting style has, of course, used both characteristics. I have also spent the last 20 years as a solo practice lawyer. Today’s discussion reminds me of my journey as a “boss” in a more traditional sense.
According to Webster’s dictionary, “delegate” means to entrust to the care or management of another; to transfer; to assign; to commit, and “participate” means to partake of; to share in; to receive a part of.
I’d encourage you to think about the distinctions whether you are working on the family laundry, preparing for trial in court, putting together the school auction with the PTA, or whatever task you are spearheading in a group.
Most of us have been taught that delegating is something that we need to do in order to be effective leaders and to get things done. And in fact, that is true – but anabolic leaders take it a step further. When a catabolic leader delegates a task to someone else, the leader, in effect, wipes his or her hands of the task. When an anabolic leader participates in the task with another person, the other person knows that they are supported and valued while they are doing the work. Participating certainly doesn’t mean that the leader needs to do all, most, or even any of the work – it implies being available to other people without hesitation. It means that employees know that the leader is willing to personally do anything that he or she asks them to do.
Let’s take a look at an example of this. Imagine the following scenario. A lawyer is preparing a case for trial. She assigns tasks to secretary and paralegal. In Catabolic Law Firm A, the lawyer gets occasional progress reports, but remains out of the picture until everything is done, at which point the staff is either praised or reprimanded based on what they’ve accomplished. In Anabolic Law Firm B, the lawyer not only follows up frequently with the staff, but is also on hand to pitch in and work alongside them. She lets everyone know that she is part of the team and willing to do whatever it is she has asked them to do. The staff knows where they are at all stages of the project, because the leader has been “in the trenches” with them. In which company are the workers more likely to be engaged and want to do a good job? Which leader is more likely to command respect and loyalty, and inspire greatness in others?
Leading from a pedestal is not as effective as leading by example. How can you show those around you that you are a participant, not merely a delegator?
*This piece contains my interpretation of the copyrighted work of Bruce D Schneider and the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC).
