MANAGEMENT TIPS

Leadership Isn’t Hard: Establish Who, What, How

A simple guide to leading a successful project

After witnessing a spectacular leadership failure recently, I was reminded of the essentials for good leadership. Train wrecks have a way of making us appreciate a well-run railroad.

I worked as a local poll inspector for the 2020 presidential election, which was run by local community members with minimal training. And it was everything I feared it would be.

What NOT to do

With respect to a very nice person who served as chairperson of the polling place to which I was assigned, he provided a case study in what NOT to do as a leader. Let’s call him Jack (not his real name). For example:

No roles established

Even though he had our names and contact information two weeks prior to the election, Jack never contacted any of the seven team members. (And, yes, I think any group of people assigned to work together for any amount of time — even one day — should be considered a team.) Most of us were first-timers. Contacting people ahead of time to quickly inventory their skills and interests would have allowed him to suggest roles for each person that would be best suited to their abilities.

Instead, we arrived at the polling center, eager to participate but having no idea what needed to be done to prepare for the polls to open. We handed each other signs and discussed where they should be placed. At one point, I asked pointedly what he wanted each person to do. No answer.

No introductions were made (even though a critical part of working at the polls is knowing which party each person is affiliated with so that we could have a Republican and a Democrat participate in any of a dozen types of situations), no procedures were announced (“If someone brings an absentee ballot to surrender, bring them to me.”), no guiding principles provided (“Our purpose today is to help community members vote and to remove any obstacles to their right to vote.”).

No responsibilities communicated

Somehow, people drifted into various jobs, and polls were declared open at 7 a.m. sharp. We’d all received general training at the clerk’s office, which was spotty and largely unhelpful, so we weren’t entirely sure what to do. We figured it out the hard way in the first hour — causing longer waits for voters than necessary and probably violated some processes.

Communication prior to the event would have made a tremendous difference. By assigning roles early, Jack also could have shared a description of what was expected of that person along with some insights from his personal experience. We would have hit the ground running and made the voting process better for both voters and workers.

No processes defined

Bear in mind that this election took place in Michigan in 2020 — where just weeks before, a local militia’s plan to kidnap and execute our governor was thwarted and where the courts had ruled days before that people could open carry firearms into polling centers.

In the middle of a pandemic.

Outside of a team member asking Jack to pull his mask up over his mouth and nose multiple times, no mention was made of us maintaining personal safety. I asked what our procedure was if someone showed up with an AR-15. He responded, “Oh, well, just be nice and let them vote.” He expressed no concern for the safety of the team.

This lack of process continued throughout the day and culminated in a big problem at the end of an exhausting 15-hour day. As three of us attempted to work our way through a printed PowerPoint to shut down the tabulator andn transmit poll results (the most important critical function of all), another poll worker decided that she knew better, walked over, and pressed the cancel button.

Her action stopped the entire shutdown process and required a tech person to be sent from township hall to address the problem.

What to do

I’ve seen dozens of “Jacks” in my lifetime — in community organizations, volunteer groups, and the business world. Truly good leadership is rare, but it doesn’t need to be.

Leaders can borrow from the journalism world, where the essentials of any news article include who, what, when, where, and why, to set up a winning project.

Spelling out these basic elements of a project skillfully can mean the difference between a successful project and a failing one.

Establish guiding principles — Why

Define up front what the team is trying to accomplish and the general approach to accomplishing it, providing the sketchy outlines of the team’s culture. This frame, even an informal one, provides context for every decision and action.

In the case of a polling center, reminding the team that their purpose is to help people vote to support a democracy connects them to broader ideals and makes them feel good about and invested in their efforts — and very long hours. In other cases, team members may have an opportunity to help shape the guiding principles, which makes them more committed to them.

One other note: always ensure that your team’s wellbeing is a central consideration. People must feel safe to perform at their best capability.

Define the team — Who

Determine who will be on the team and assess their strengths and interests early in the process so that you can assign tasks that will enhance overall performance. Make sure that every team member knows who the other members are and what their role is. This leads to better communication and workflow, as questions are directed more efficiently and ambiguity is reduced.

I’ve led several formal role clarity projects over the years for large, long-term teams. Clarifying roles is, without question, difficult and can stir emotions when people feel defensive or vulnerable. But having a shared understanding of everyone’s contributions to achieving goals is worth some discomfort.

Define the tasks for each team member — What

High-functioning teams not only know who is responsible for what, but each team member has a clear sense of what she/he needs to accomplish and how to do it.

In the poll worker example, early assignments would have allowed each team member to focus on learning more about how to do their job and know which part of the training materials to study. On-the-job training could have been reduced and errors would decreased substantially in that critical first hour of voting. We processed 20 voters in the first hour. Every hour after that, we handled up to 50.

Determine processes — How

A clear understanding of processes helps everyone perform at a higher level. It’s important to lay out process for each individual task and to ensure that people have the knowledge and ability to execute. If training is required, it can be sought and implemented.

How will absentee ballot surrenders be handled, for example? What do we do if the tabulator jams? Clarifying procedures makes everyone more confident and eliminates delays.

When and where

These characteristics are specific to projects and will be a natural part of any project plan, in addition to securing and managing resources, stakeholder communication, and other elements.

Luck or management?

By not establishing who-what-how for the poll working team, Jack relied on luck to carry the day. Jack’s hands-off, let-things-happen approach could not be called management in any way. Nor would he be considered a good leader.

I’ll admit…people do step up and handle things in the absence of leadership, as they did at the election. We accomplished the goal, which was to enable voters to cast their ballots in a fair, organized manner. But it did not occur without tension, interpersonal conflict, and errors that caused major disruption.

The frustrating part for those who understand the principles of leadership was to know that it didn’t have to be that way. Establishing the roles, responsibilities, and processes early in the endeavor would have led to a much more satisfying experience and greater efficiency.

Leadership doesn’t have to be difficult.

© Tina L. Smith, 2020

About the author: After many years of working in senior management in various marketing roles, Tina L. Smith works by day as an administrator of an academic medical research program and by night as a writer

You can read more about preparation for the 2020 election in this article, also by Tina L. Smith: