Work it Like an Anabolic Leader to Achieve RESULTS!
Anabolic leaders “lead” and “participate.” Catabolic leaders “manage” and “delegate.” Easy to remember, right?
That’s what we covered in the first post of this blog series (Missed it? Read here).
Here, we’ll explore two other aspects of leadership to dive deeper into the differences between the two types of leaders, (and if) anabolic and catabolic leaders assess themselves.
Giving vs. Sharing Information in Leadership
Catabolic leaders give information, while anabolic leaders share information. It doesn’t matter what leadership role you’re in – from the high-profile CEO of a Fortune 500 company – to that of a parent. Imparting info to others is a natural, integral part of leading.
It’s useful to consider the distinction between “giving” and “sharing”:
Giving: to convey, transmit, assign, or allot. When we give to others, we lose ownership of what we give.
Sharing: to partake of, use, or experience with others. When we share, we don’t lose ownership - we’re still part of the process.
Catabolic leaders “give”:
They do so without much explanation
There is little buy-in or justification
Anabolic leaders “share”:
They’re “in it” with the other person
There is a clear explanation and subsequent buy-in
It’s not difficult to see how the latter cultivates trust, develops rapport, and deepens connections.
The Catabolic (& Anabolic) Leader in Action
In the example below, the common goal is to obtain insight into staff responsibilities in a certain department. The approach the catabolic leader takes couldn’t be more different than that of the anabolic leader.
Catabolic leader – “John, I need a rundown of the responsibilities of the people in your department. I need it by tomorrow afternoon, if not sooner.”
Anabolic leader – “John, we’re considering bringing in some additional staff members to ease some of the production crunch you and your department are experiencing. I’d appreciate a rundown of the responsibilities of the people in your department so I can see who’s doing what, and where some gaps might be.
Since I’d like to get this process underway soon, how possible would it be to get this to me by tomorrow afternoon or earlier? After I take a look at it, I’d love to sit down with you to hear your ideas for resolving this. How does that sound?”
Ask: which of the leaders above would you react positively to?
John’s response to the catabolic leader:
He would likely question what was going on and worry about his department and those under him.
This would cause him to either put off doing the task or do it superficially.
In contrast, his response to the anabolic leader:
He would jump right into the task and do it well.
Motivated by a clear goal, he may generate great ideas to improve
Self-Assessing Leaders vs. Feedback-Seeking Leaders
What about the characteristics of anabolic and catabolic leaders in regard to how (or if) leaders assess themselves? Do they examine how their actions and attitudes affect their results, as well as impact the people around them? Let’s explore…
Self-assessing leaders: Catabolic leaders operate in within the sphere of their own limited world:
They do what they do, and rarely if ever, stop to think about the consequences of what they are doing (and how they are doing it).
If they do assess, they self-assess – that is, they don’t ask for input from people around them, because they fear that in doing so, they may appear weak.
Also, catabolic leaders know that they are right (of course) and others are wrong (or incompetent, or lazy) – so why would they ask for others’ feedback?
Feedback seeking leaders: Anabolic leaders, on the other hand, are always working “on themselves”:
They’re always willing to take an honest look within.
They also solicit and consider feedback from others, because they know this is a vital part of leadership development.
How Different Leadership Approaches Impact Teams
Meet Catabolic Curt and Anabolic Amy, two leaders in the same company. Both manage several team members, and both recently had to deal with customer complaints they received.
Curt was, well, quite curt as he told his team exactly what to do to correct the problem. Later, when his proposed solution didn’t work, he blamed his team members for not implementing the plan properly. It couldn’t possibly be his fault.
Amy took a different approach. She and her team brainstormed a solution to the customer’s complaint and together decided what course to take. When their chosen plan didn’t work out, Amy sat down with them again to devise another solution. No blaming, no finger-pointing, no drama.
One of the questions she asked her team was how she could have handled the situation better or supported them more fully. Amy learned some valuable information from their responses and modified her behavior accordingly. She showed that she was willing to learn and grow. As importantly, Amy let her team know that it was safe to honestly give her feedback and trust her.
Work it Like an Anabolic Leader to Achieve RESULTS!
Anabolic leaders solicit feedback and leave their egos “at the door.” Thus, they grow personally and lead by example. This in turn allows their colleagues and companies to grow and prosper as well.
In short, anabolic leaders get results! Incorporate these quick tips to experience positive results of your own:
Try sharing instead of giving information, both at work and home. Those extra few minutes of explanation and getting buy-in can make all the difference.
Remember to ask for feedback and listen to clues about which leader those around you perceive you as - so you can course-correct if you are leaning towards the catabolic side.
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