How To Lead When Your Team is Smarter or More Experienced Than You
Moving beyond intimidation into real leadership….
Throughout my career, I have been involved in numerous projects where the stakes have been high. Once, I directed a short film for Dentsu Advertising in Tokyo, which was then the largest advertising agency in the world. Another project was directing an expensive music video that launched a pop album with Universal Music Group. Then, there was a live, international boxing match broadcast on ESPN. Still another was a live, global satellite event beaming into 150 countries. In these and other cases, it was a major project, and the pressure was significant.
Perhaps even more challenging, I was also leading teams that, in most cases, were more experienced and significantly smarter than I was, with those projects. For instance, I recall multiple instances when I worked with a well-known A-list Director of Photography, and I was concerned that on set, the crew would be more loyal and respectful to him than to me.
Working on great projects can be exhilarating, but it’s also intimidating. However, from those experiences, I learned a great deal about how to lead when you’re not the best, smartest, or most experienced person on the team. If it hasn’t happened to you, it probably will in the future, so here’s a handful of principles I learned:
1) Lead softly. I’ve worked for leaders who, when intimidated by their team, clamped down, and that’s the absolute worst thing you can do. Stop reminding them that you’re in charge or trying to prove how smart you are. You don’t need to defend yourself. You’re the leader, period. Remember, if you have to constantly remind the team that you’re the leader, then you’re not the leader.
2) Acknowledge their strengths. Nothing wins a team over like knowing you value their expertise and appreciate them being there. Don’t hoard praise. Let them know you’re glad each one is on the team and you’re depending on them.
3) Allow them some freedom. If they’re more intelligent or more experienced than you, then they don’t need to be micromanaged. These aren’t interns here, so don’t treat them like it.
4) Don’t let them see you sweat. That’s not just a cute saying, it’s an absolute necessity. If you’re the leader, then your team needs to know you have a plan. Once they start sensing you’re over your head, it will be like sharks to blood – not necessarily because they’re bad people – but when a leadership vacuum happens, someone will step in to take over. Be the Alpha.
5) Respect them and ask for their opinion and feedback. Create a big tent. You may feel like that could open the door to someone nudging you out, but precisely the opposite happens. They feel much more positive about contributing and will respect you for opening that door.
6) Finally, leverage their strengths. Most of us are familiar with the frustration of working with an underperforming team, so be sure to maximize the moment when you have a great team. Worry less about how little you may know, and enjoy the benefits of leveraging their brilliance.
Steve Jobs famously said, “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”
That’s excellent advice. Now go out there in confidence and lead talented people to accomplish great things!
Phil Cooke, PhD. has been called “one of the most innovative communicators of our generation.” As a media producer, writer, speaker, and consultant, his client list includes major film studios and TV networks as well as major Christian organizations like Voice of the Martyrs, The Museum of the Bible, The Salvation Army, and others. He’s also coached and consulted with many of the most influential churches and nonprofit organizations in the world, helping them use media to tell their story. You can hear his podcast here.
