The (Leadership) Discipline

Robert Fripp via Austin Kleon, The Meaning of Discipline:

The musician has three instruments: the hands, the head, and the heart, and each has its own discipline.

So, the musician has three disciplines: the disciplines of the hands, the head and the heart.

Ultimately, these are one discipline: discipline.

Bear with me as I try to apply this lively metaphor of emotion and musical creativity to dry-and-boring engineering leadership¹.

The leader’s hands gesticulate, often for the aid of the speaker more than the listener. Sometimes, the hands conduct the thoughts to written words through the keyboard. Not too dissimilar from a musician’s hands through which, crucial for (most) musicians to make their sound, but equally a bit of flair.

The head thinks, and overthinks. Sees patterns and connects the dots. Listens to what people say and answers their questions directly and honestly. Is convinced it sees patterns in randomness, or that folks are hearing and understanding a message that they find confusing but don’t know how to address the issue.

The heart, for the leader, is there to mediate the head. There are other people on the other side of the decisions and decrees leaders make. A process or strategy is only good if it does right by those carrying it out.

Discipline is our capacity to make a commitment in time.

Discipline, in leadership, is to make a decision and then support the people executing that decision. All the while, seeking new information by which you might update, revise, or set the decision aside, if necessary.

To have sitzfleisch means the ability to sit still for the long periods of time required to be truly productive; it means the stamina to work through a difficult situation and see a project through to the end.

✋🏻 management by walking around

👉🏻 leadership by sitting down² and engaging with the people doing the work

Even better: leadership by sustaining long period of assimilating what the team and meetings are telling you into a slightly better way of working. And sometimes, memos and slides, etc to send out and socialize ideas for you.