What has Succession taught us about leadership?
And how can we apply it in our own leadership practice?
You may remember that I started this newsletter back in December by talking about Succession, the incredible HBO TV drama that has taken up so much space amongst TV critics and media commentators. It’s one of my favourite shows and one of the most fascinating things about it is the way it portrays corporate leadership and corporate communications in the modern age.
So as a final farewell to this brilliant, biting creation, here are my top three lessons learned from Succession. I’ll try not to do spoilers, but if you haven’t watched it yet, what are you waiting for?
(And if you’re invested in leading better, I have some coaching availability in June and July, so get in touch if you’d like to learn more. I promise not to stir the inner Roy kid in you!)
Let’s get into it.
Effective leaders use clear, simple language. The simpler, the better.
One of my favourite quotes is from a dramatic political hearing in Season 2, where erstwhile cousin Greg is coming under heavy fire from a senator. He answers the simple question, “who are you and what do you do?” with this epic word salad:
“If it is to be said, so it be, so it is.”
Poetic. But clear as mud. The senator merely wanted to confirm his name and job title.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking flowery language makes you sound more intelligent or erudite. And respect your audience enough to communicate clearly with them.
It’s the message that matters. Always.
Too often, especially as corporate communicators, we try and dress up a briefing or a speech with long words and tricksy phrasing, especially if we know the message we are delivering is a challenging or difficult one. In the end, it always comes down to whether you are understood and whether you understand others - a vital step towards true engagement and effective leadership.
Of course, you can still be a powerful orator. And there are plenty of great examples of that in Succession, particularly in the penultimate episode. I promised no spoilers but if you know you know…
But always be clear. Use one word instead of five. Skip the jargon.
Speak to understand and to be understood.
Succession planning is a tricky thing to get right. Duh.
This one cuts close to the bone with me and of course, is the entire arc of the story. Corporate succession planning is one of those activities that most companies and organisations say they do, whilst in reality, it can sadly be nothing more than a paper exercise.
Let me tell you a little story….At one of my leadership roles in the past 20 years, I fell foul of believing a succession plan on paper, when the reality was, quite different.
As a good corporate citizen, I was following “the plan” for me being a successor to my manager. I ticked all the boxes, reached all the objectives and initiated coaching and conversations to take it forward. All good, except…
There was an “unseen plan” that I didn’t have visibility of. And I wasn’t in charge of it. It was shaped by forces outside of the corporate planning so eagerly implemented by HR.
It hurt. (And I ended up leaving that organisation, and knowing when to cut your losses is a topic for another newsletter). But I did learn a valuable lesson and I want to share it with you.
Don’t assume that succession planning is a done deal or a natural progession on your leadership journey. It’s not. And it’s not enough to tick the boxes on paper.
As a leader, take succession planning seriously, for your own role and for the role you want to succeed someone into. Be proactive. Start the conversations early. Always be transparent. Agree timeframes. And don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself. You’ve earned it. Now go out there and show that you’ve earned it. Don’t rely on the completion of a check list.
Your manager should be proud that you want their role (in time), and support you in getting it, so that they can also move on and up. That’s what good leadership looks like.
Now you know that, take a look at your own situation - how does it measure up? And what might you do with this information? Let me know how you get on.
The credibility gap is an easy hole to fall into. Here’s how to stay out of it.
Check the news at the moment and of course, there are numerous examples of well known people falling headlong into the credibility gap (I wrote about it in more depth here).
I’m not here to name and shame, but I’m sure you can insert your own leaders/celebrities for those that say one thing in public and do another in private. Or those that espouse certain values, whilst acting against those values in their business.
In the corporate world, this has long been a charge levied at organisations that proudly wave a flag for PRIDE, whilst certain employees experience harrassment and discrimination on the basis of their sexuality and gender. And there are many other examples sadly.
We, the audience, are an astute bunch aren’t we? And it’s easy to spot when someone in a leadership position tells us one thing and does another.
The clearest example of this on Succession has always been Siobhan Roy - political liberal by day, shady boardroom manouevring at the right wing news organisation her family owns by night. This isn’t an anti-feminist take by the way - I think we can all agree the Roys “en famille” are a rum lot.
So if you know what it looks like, how can you steer clear of the credibility gap? Here are a few thoughts.
As an emerging or established leader in your organisation, here are the two questions you should always ask of yourself and challenge others with:
"Do we really mean what we say? And will we say what we really mean?"
If the answer to either of those questions is no - then don't proceed. Go back and be a leader some more until you can answer yes to both.
Corporate messaging, PR and stakeholder management will never fill in the gap between what you say and what you do. And it's obvious to everyone watching.
The foundation of great leadership communications?
Good leadership behaviour.
Always.
With that, I say a fond farewell to the toxic Roy family - they taught me more than I wanted to know about leading in the modern age! But let’s take heart from the fact that we know how to do it better. We just need to commit to it in our own leadership practice.
Know better. Do better.
Thank you for reading Lead with Intention and as always, I welcome comment and debate - or you can drop me a line to let me know what’s resonating with you.
And remember kids:
“You can’t make a Tomlette without breaking some Greggs.”