SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Leadership — tracks feedback from more than 190,000 business leaders. We run the poll question each week in our e-newsletter.
Last week, we asked: Would you rather have a larger leadership role on a smaller team or a smaller leadership role on a bigger team?
- I want the larger leadership role on a smaller team: 79.09%
- I prefer the smaller leadership role as part of a bigger team: 20.91%
The Head of the Dog. The preference is clear – people would rather be the head of the dog rather than the tail of the lion. Said differently, taking the larger leadership role is much more preferred even if it’s on a smaller team. This is a common dynamic that’s worth understanding in more depth. It’s only logical. As leaders, many of us seek to have as much impact as possible. To do so, we like some measure of control and being on a smaller team gives us exactly that. One thought – don’t dismiss that smaller leadership role on a bigger team. It might give you the visibility required to jump to the bigger leadership role on the bigger team.
Mike Figliuolo is managing director of thoughtLEADERS and author of the upcoming book “Lead Inside the Box: How Smart Leaders Guide Their Teams to Exceptional Results” and “One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership.”