Tim’s Thoughts March 2023
V-Shaped Leadership
It was great to see many of you at the winter conference last month. Special thanks to Richard Douglas, Angela Lawrence, and India Adams Jacobs for an excellent conference filled with great sessions and activities, including snow tubing and the JMU game. Thanks also to the Hotel Madison staff for great accommodations as well. David Conmy and Vivian Seay are busy working on an exciting summer conference that you will not want to miss, especially considering that it will be at the new Marriot oceanfront hotel. Be sure to keep June 7-9 on your calendars.
During the conference I had the pleasure to attend multiple committee meetings, all of which are working hard to give you the best possible value as an association. Of specific interest was the member support committee which includes support coordinators and our senior advisors. I am always amazed at the depth of experience that we have in our support coordinators and senior advisors. As managers, we often forget that we are not alone in this work. More often than not, someone on our member support committee has experienced a similar situation to what we are dealing with – our Senior Advisors are there to help. You can find a complete list of support coordinators and senior advisors at Senior Advisors — Virginia Local Government Management Association (VLGMA) and Support Coordinators — Virginia Local Government Management Association (VLGMA).
As the official start of spring is just around the corner, I am excited about the resurgence of growth around us. For me personally, this time of year leads to (the hope of) more afternoons at the golf course. In fact, this past weekend while golfing, I was able to see the return of many of the geese that reside there. As they flew over in their traditional V-shaped formation, I thought of how flawlessly they flew behind the leader and wondered what the formation could teach us about leadership. After a little research, I ran across Taneer Naseer’s website www.tanveernaseer.com/leadership-lessons-from-canada-geese-v-formation
Below are key points from his article, a springtime leadership lesson from the birds.
1. Encourage your employees to develop their skills.
One of the reasons why geese fly in V-formation is in order to help reduce air drag; the birds at the front essentially reduce air resistance so that the birds at the back of the flock have an easier time flying.
Naturally, this means that the birds in the front expend the most energy flying and, consequently, experience fatigue before the other birds do. This is the reason why this particular bird formation shifts as the other birds move up to take the lead, giving the birds who were flying at the front a chance to rest and recuperate.
It’s a smart strategy as it not only allows the birds to share the workload, but it also ensures that the flock is not dependent on a few strong birds to help them fly over the great distances of their migratory path.
When it comes to managing your team or organization, it’s easy to fall into the trap of relying on those ‘star’ players in your organization to help your team achieve its objectives. However, as employees begin to look for ‘greener pastures’ and competition begins to increase for the limited talent pool that will become available in the years to come, it’s important that you provide all of your employees with opportunities to stretch themselves, developing not only their current skill base, but learning new ones as well.
Like the geese, this will help your team to become more resilient and capable of responding to whatever challenges or opportunities they might come across in their pursuit of their shared goals.
2. Communicate your vision so that everyone understands where they need to go.
One of the most interesting things about watching geese fly is the effortless nature with which they shift lead-positions while still managing to stay on course and in formation. Obviously, one reason for this is how much they communicate with one another – something that can be easily heard from the ground even from far away – about their position and when they need someone else to take over the front position.
In some organizations, there’s still a tendency to lean on organizational goals/direction as being something that’s shared on a ‘need to know’ basis. However, as our environment changes quickly, leaders would be better served by making sure everyone on their team is not only aware of the organization’s vision but of how their efforts contribute or are tied to the organization’s plans.
Providing your employees with consistent and timely communications will not only help them to understand what course they need to take but also when and why course changes will be needed to ensure that the department / organization stays on target.
3. True leaders put those they lead ahead of themselves.
There are very few migratory animals that seem to evoke as clear an image of how we perceive leadership than geese. After all, when they are flying in V-formation, it’s not hard to recognize who the leader is at that moment – it’s the bird flying out front and center of the group.
This bird’s physical position certainly reflects our own assumptions of what leadership is about and yet, if we look at the reason why the geese fly in this particular fashion, we can truly understand the real goal and value of leadership.
Remember, the reason why geese fly in V-formation is to work together to help make the process of migrating less strenuous. The geese at the front of the formation are the ones who take on most of this burden, giving those birds that fly behind them an easier time flying to their destination.
Similarly, what’s needed in our organizations are not leaders who are simply interested in directing those they lead to some predetermined goal. Rather, what’s required are leaders who are willing to help clear the way so that their employees might be successful in their collective efforts to reach their shared goals.
The arrival of spring is often associated with a sense of renewal, of shedding off the layers of protection that staved off the harsh conditions of winter in preparation for new growth and opportunities for forward-moving change. As the sight of the geese flying overhead reminds us, spring is also a great time to reassess how we approach our leadership and what measures we can take to better serve those under our care.
Take a moment the next time you see the geese flying over and consider the leadership lessons they provide.
I would like to welcome new members,
James Frydl, Planning Director/Zoning Admin/Interim Deputy Administrator, County of Greene
Melissa Meador, Director of Emerg. Svces/EMS Chief, County of Greene
Cari Orebaugh, Assistant Town Manager, Town of Broadway
Brandy Rosser, Director of General Properties, County of Franklin