Hippo Leadership

Hippo leadership: know when to surface and when to submerge 🦛

Leaders and teams struggle when confined to modes of ‘exercising authority’ or ‘being flat.’ 🤔

Teams ruled by overbearing leaders don’t generate innovative, creative thinking.

Teams in ‘flat’ mode suffer from indecisive leadership, poor coordination, and ineffective execution.

Think of the hippopotamus: it knows when to emerge and exert dominance, and when to recede, leaving only its eyes visible. 💡

🌟 Meetings offer a prime opportunity for leaders to shift power modes. How?

Ensure a psychologically safe environment for people to speak up.

Revisit our mindset: sharing power does not diminish our authority.

Conduct self and team analysis: assess personal habits and the team’s norms.

Inform everyone when to engage in divergent thinking and when to shift to convergent thinking.

Set clear expectations: signal the working modes before meetings. Define shifts and use rituals to mark transitions.

Use effective body language. Nonverbal behavior can reinforce or undermine your message. Read the room and know when to shift from command and control to empowerment.

Leave, or avoid entering, the room. If everyone waits for your opinion, authority alone can squelch debate and create awkward silences. Retake charge to end the discussion, make a decision, and act.