• 4 minute read

Great leaders have a habit of being unreasonable. Unreasonable in that they ask for more than is possible and don’t take no for an answer. Right? Not exactly… great leaders are unreasonable and ask for more than is possible (and will achieve breakthroughs) but only when they can accept ‘no’ for an answer. And we mean, NO!

Be Unreasonable

When we speak of being unreasonable, let us be clear. We're not talking about being a demanding so and so, in fact it’s quite the opposite. We’re talking about being bold enough to ask for the seemingly unachievable, brilliantly impossible ambition, but with a big helping of compassion for what it takes to accept such a challenge. In short, there are two critical pieces in the breakthrough leadership jigsaw; being unreasonable and having compassion.

Why No Matters

In essence, being willing to accept no for an answer allows you to make the biggest and boldest unreasonable requests of your colleagues. If ‘no’ is ok then the sky is the limit in terms of what you can ask for. Not only does ‘no’, allow you to make bold requests (and get away with it!) but consider this... When they say ‘Yes’, they really mean ‘Yes’!

Whilst the possibility of stretching your team to deliver their greatest work is exciting, it doesn’t work without compassion. We're talking about the compassion and respect you give others for their dedication and willingness to take on your vision and deliver it. As if that vision was their own. If you've set out a new strategy, vision or plan and expect others to deliver it. Ask yourself; have you shown compassion for what it's actually going to take?

Out of control

We might say that it’s leadership laziness to revert to controlling others vs. empowering them with the freedom to choose. It’s also a kind of madness. Despite our natural inclination to resist control ourselves, we subconsciously think that it works on other people! “I’ll just chase them a third time, and cc an even more senior manager; that ought to do it!” We’ve all been frustrated when someone has agreed to do something and then nothing happens. If that’s happening to you right now, it might be time to make ‘no’ an option - at least you’ll know where you stand!

Ironically, the likelihood of people delivering their promises and actually saying yes authentically in the first place is much greater when they choose to do so without feeling bound. We have to let go of control and empower people in order to unleash their commitment and creativity. This takes a leap of faith from leaders. But it’s also a fast track to honesty from your team. Even if they don’t always tell you what you want to hear.

Achieve Breakthroughs

In organisations where the balance has tipped too far; where leaders are unreasonable but don’t appreciate what it takes to deliver, resentment grows and commitment shrinks. In this culture, breakthroughs sadly don’t stand a chance. Instead, there is an illusion that people are engaged in what’s being asked of them. The likelihood of a vision being successful is down to chance and pinned on the hope that people will ‘just do it’. Surely we’d all prefer to know from the start whether anyone was actually going to do what they’d said they would?

If you really want to achieve breakthrough results, you need to be unreasonable. Unreasonable in your vision. Unreasonable in your requests of others. Unreasonable in your expectations. All of this is necessary if you want to create a new future in your organisation. Remember though, unreasonable can become being demanding without compassion. And demands don’t leave space to say ‘no’. Drive breakthroughs in your organisation by unlocking people to say ‘yes’ authentically and ‘no’ when, for them, it’s a step too far. Test drive your breakthrough leadership this week; be mindful of when you are making unreasonable requests and try to shift your thinking to see more ‘no’s’ than ‘yes’s’ as a successful week in the office!