Leadership & the LOC (Locus of Control)
How do leaders use the LOC to influence, direct / redirect so that the teams are aligned to THE purpose?
Let’s consider the case of 2 product leaders (A) & (B) employed at the same multinational org. but across different products. Both leaders have just got out of their respective meetings with the EXECs where they were handed new business goals & of course revised revenue targets which seems far-fetched given the market hitting a rough patch owing to macro-economic factors & government policies.
(A) has an internal LOC. Given the challenging times & demanding situation he decides to get his head down & introspect, rummaging all the options on hand whilst also running through the SWOT results of the team members.
After a lot of deep thinking (/ soul searching exercises as well) he chooses to focus on what is within control & convenes a meeting with the immediate stakeholders to drop those goals & brainstorm ways / means towards inching closer to it, step-by-step, thus keeping all those flashy ideas at bay. The resultant of which could be a well-thought-out plan / a detailed strategy & also an exhaustive roadmap that’s more than enough to get them all over the line. So the way he chooses to conduct himself may be on the lines of:
“Alright, I’ve just been in a meeting with the EXECs & have had a briefing. So, this (G) is our goal now. And we need to explore ways & means to getting there. I think this (x) area would be a great target & market (y) ought to be our immediate focus…
WDYT!?”
Also (B) who has an external LOC & can’t help but feel overburdened given the humungous ask of the EXECs. The one thing that’s predominantly stray-resident in his mind & keeping him preoccupied is the whole economic condition which is at its worst over the whole decade. With those thoughts filling up his mind he convenes a meeting & addresses all the stakeholders. His communication may be on these lines:
“Ok guys. I’ve just come out of this meeting with the EXECs & they have dropped these fresh revenue targets. I’m not really sure how we can go about getting there, anybody has any / thoughts / ideas?
Anyone…?”
Given this illustration here & the element of competition (not that they may be competing against each other though) there may be no doubt whatsoever on who would succeed / who would reach those goals first. But there are problems that one could associate with the thought process of (B) who operates with an external LOC & they are:
But, here’s a very logical question that ought to follow.
Q: Can anyone guarantee (A) would never experience a shift in the locus of control that’s typical of (B) & carry thoughts that adversely affect them / the team(s) all throughout the course of this fresh chapter they are about to embark on?
A: Talking from a very pragmatic standpoint, the answer to that question is a plain, simple “NO”.
It is quite possible that someone finds themselves at multiple places (internal & external LOC) which could also change on a whim based on the situations, people, expectations & more importantly the manner in which one chooses to handle it all.
Any seasoned leader totally understands & would also acknowledge the array of thoughts they go through over the course of the journey in building / taking products from 0-1 or during the growth stage working meticulously towards pinning on the metrics / numbers & doing what it takes to scale. But having said that, the great ones who have been there & done that, know exactly what to do / how to leverage that locus of control over each of those situations.
“A good leader is one who gets teams to believe in his / her ideologies. But a great leader is one who works towards getting teams to instill a much deeper belief in their own selves.”
If you look closely at that quote it is the same difference between:
“Trust me I know” (or) “don’t worry, I’m there” (B)
&
“Ok, right. I know exactly what to do now & then after…” (A)
But for that to happen & teams to start strongly believing in their own selves, ought to understand & be abreast with the whole concept of internal LOC, ought to be able to drift from the behavioral aspects that are typical of (B) to the ones that typify (A).
Now, is that an easy change?
I’ll let you be the judge of that, although here’s a flowchart one could follow in going from (B) to (A).
Conclusion:
While we can’t control what’s happening in the world around us or the tough situations we find ourselves in at our respective workplaces, we can lessen the intensity of our burden by shifting our focus & leveraging the internal LOC.