From the Ask Tom mailbag:
Question:
I read the post on Race Day, and I am very curious about how the crew selected the crew leader for Race Day? Did they just elect someone?
Response:
This is a very interesting question. In some of my workshops, I often assign a small group to complete a complex task. While the exercise is to the complete the task, the purpose of the exercise is to put the group in a position where a leader emerges.
So, who becomes the leader? It is seldom put to a vote, but the group always has an intuitive sense who the best person should be.
At first, I thought the decision might be related to technical skills, but that is often not the case. Most often, it is the person who has the time span most suited for the assigned task.
It is the person who understands not only each of the individual steps of the task, but the most appropriate sequence, the relationships of those steps, and most importantly, the people who will be performing each of the steps.
The fascinating part in the selection of this person, is that the members of the group have an intuitive sense of who the leader should be. -TF
I would agree to the fact that the group almost always has a sense of who the leader should be but I am equally sure that the reason is not timespan.
A leader generally would be someone view a strong viewpoint and willingness to take responsibility for decisions. And as you mentioned, delegating people is one important point.
From Tom’s discussion of Time Span I believe the “willingness to make decisions” attitude is either a demostration of arrogance or that person embodying the required time span. It is with the necessary experience (time span) can one judge the ramifications of your decisions and make them confidently.
The question is how does time span effectively measure the list of items Tom has made above on effective leadership?
“It is the person who understands not only each of the individual steps of the task, but the most appropriate sequence, the relationships of those steps, and most importantly, the people who will be performing each of the steps.”