The neighborhood where I live is called Armory Park, based on its history as a military site back in the 1800s. It is referred to by some as a “mixed bag.” It contains pristine well-kept homes, those that are in transition (either improving or declining), and those that would be serious contenders for an episode of “Hoarders.” There is solid representation from the homeless community here and there. Within walking distance are downtown restaurants and venues, university student apartments, an industrial park, and an extensive arts community. I love the variety.
Previously, I lived in a typical suburban neighborhood that was anonymous and uniform. We had the big house with a pool, and when we returned home from work, we used an automatic garage door opener to drive into our garage, close the door behind us, and walk into our perfect home. When the house needed to be repainted, our homeowner’s association offered a choice of colors: brown, light brown, and a slightly darker brown. Even the rock in our yards was the same.
Within our current little urban neighborhood of 100 homes, the HOA has one color rule: no two homes can be painted the same. As a result, we have purple, orange, yellow, blue, tan, white, and green houses. I’ve seen color combinations that make me cringe and others that make me smile. It’s all about individual expression here, and I love it.
Armory Park is the perfect community for me, because it affords me the opportunity to experience and learn from variety. And its lessons apply to leaders of all sorts of organizations.
As I somewhat obliviously climbed the leadership ladder, one very important thing was apparent to me: the higher I climbed, the more alone I was. The more power I had, the less access I had to real information about what was going on around me. I needed to find a work community that was a mixed bag, like Armory Park.
When I was at Perkins, I received my first 360 review. 360 feedback is a process through which feedback is gathered from an individual’s subordinates, colleagues, and supervisor, “360 degrees” around the subject. Self-evaluation is part of the process, and stakeholders outside of the organization can also be called on to provide feedback.
The not-quite-360 review I participated in consisted primarily of feedback from the leadership team. While I was thankful for the positive comments and information I gained from the process, I didn’t learn much. These folks saw me in a singular light and had limited information about what I was doing, how my work affected others, and what I might be doing differently. They weren’t a mixed bag.
Growing as a leader means learning from a variety of people, situations, and perspective. Surrounding yourself with those who are like-minded is comfortable, for sure. But it will not make you a better leader. When I initiated 360 feedback for those who reported to me, I asked them to choose respondents from different aspects of their jobs, and to make sure there were some who might not especially like their work. Gaining information only from those you are most comfortable with will only provide more of the same. Seek out discomfort: you will learn from it.
Be sure to spend time with those who think differently than you, or those who do work different from yours. I was fortunate to be able to interact with representatives in several different departments in each of the leadership positions I held, including transportation providers, manufacturers, librarians, and those representing completely different programs. Fitting pieces together within your organization helps you to make better decisions. It also brings much-needed variety into your work life and allows you to gain perspective.
Now when I see a pile of metal beams or a labyrinth of found objects forming a chicken coop in Armory Park, I pause to consider its merit. Leadership stones can be found in the strangest places.