Leadership and the ladder
Deciding how to decide is a daily practice in arts management.
We are given permission
by the responsibility we accept
and carry out. Nothing more,
nothing less.
Simon Ortiz, from “Becoming Human”
When you work in a tiered decision structure, like a conventional organization, it is a constant challenge to balance autonomy and constraint. How can a team member, especially a new one, know when to act without asking, or when to ask before acting? And how can those relationships change with time, experience, and context?
Former submarine captain David Marquet developed an approach to this challenge, which he called the “ladder of control.”
The ladder offers seven levels of control for a team member in relation to their supervisor, from the least agency (“Tell me what to do…”) to the most agency (“I've been doing…”). The first requires explicit, prior direction and approval. The last allows full autonomy, with only occasional communication after the fact.
Level 7: “I’ve been doing…”
Level 6: “I just did…”
Level 5: “I intend to…”
Level 4: “Request permission to…”
Level 3: “I recommend…”
Level 2: “I think…”
Level 1: “Tell me what to do…”
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Marquet used the ladder of control to encourage line-level individuals to rise to higher levels of agency, and to encourage supervisors to let them. Writes Marquet:
You may notice a lot of “tell me what to do” when you listen to the conversations around you. Oftentimes, it does not sound exactly like “tell me what to do” but that’s in essence what it is. For example, reporting a problem to the boss without a proposed solution (or a path toward getting a solution) is a veiled “tell me what to do.”
With a little bit of awareness you can peg where people are on this continuum and coax them up. As you move up, shifting control and psychological ownership to the subordinate, their minds will engage, and typically involvement and passion will follow.
The ladder offers a useful shorthand in a complex work environment, encouraging discussion and agreement around different kinds of work. When assigning new work, designing new jobs, or revisiting a reporting relationship over time, it’s worth a moment to confirm everyone understands the expectations in the same way.
From the ArtsManaged Field Guide
Function of the Week: Marketing
Marketing involves creating, communicating, and reinforcing expected or experienced value.
Framework of the Week: Ladder of Control
A framework for helping teams and their leaders learn when to act without asking, and when to ask before acting.
This is a helpful framework. In my leadership coaching work, I often see the inverse challenge: organizations unintentionally cultivate "tell me what to do" cultures. Leaders want initiative, but fear, overcontrol, limited information sharing, or unintentionally dismissing early attempts at ownership can teach people that waiting for permission is the safest path. Especially in organization's with risk-averse cultures.
I'm curious how you think about the leader's role in creating the conditions for people to move up the ladder -- would love to hear your thoughts on that side of the equation sometime.