Leadership and the rules of the game

A couple of weeks ago, veteran NHL referee Tim Peel was caught on a live microphone wanting to call a penalty on a team. He was subsequently released as the NHL believed strongly that the integrity of the game was at stake. There has been a lot of discussion on his punishment and whether it was warranted or not. “Even up” calls are not unheard of in sports; it is just that they are typically not as blatant as this one given the live microphone.

Everybody has an opinion on the issue but one comment that I heard during Saturday Night Hockey was in regards to the difference between calling the game black or white or managing the game. The best referees seem to manage the game and are almost invisible. I find that those who like adherence to strict rules, hence it is or it isn’t a penalty, only favour this position when it is beneficial for their team. If officials were instructed to call everything that they saw, sporting events would be dragged down to a snail’s pace and the entertainment value would be lacking to say the least. There are blatant infractions that will always need to be called and good referees know when, but they also know when to “put away their whistles too!”

The same can be said about leaders. Most poor leaders live in an either/or world because it is easier. The tight structure of right or wrong provides them the ability to lead without any emotional intelligence. Their mentality is, “You cross the line, you pay the price!” Many old style managers held this tyrannical type of leadership as their way to control. They tend to use the excuse that such rigidity is fair, yet we know that fair is not always equal. Plus, a lack of grey in their decision making contradicts what is most appreciated in leadership qualities, relationship!

I’ve often talked about how difficult it is to be an effective leader because you have to live in the grey and still be consistent in your approaches and decisions. Grey doesn’t mean wishy washy but rather an understanding that the threshold may be slightly different depending on the situation. Leaders know that there are the untouchables and they usually are around breaking the law or for organizations, ignoring a collective agreement. But breaking the law and bending the rules are very different. Organizations only improve when their people have some freedom to step outside of the line and try something new. Either/or leaders don’t allow that type of culture to develop and flourish.

Most rules have some flexibility and as leaders, it is critical to implore that flexibility for the sake of the organization and the people within. Bending rules for self is never acceptable but for the benefit of others, that is part of a leader’s job. Most people, like most fans want “black or white” when it suits them, but true leaders see grey in just about everything. In some instances, the threshold may be a little wider than in others and in others there is no options. As a gifted leader you need to name your untouchables (those that you have no tolerance for) and be transparent with your thresholds. Your people need to see your consistency (even in the grey) and that will provide them with confidence in your leadership.