Welcome to my second posting leading to the Host Leadership Gathering in Sofia, 3-4 June 2024
This time I am inviting you to zoom in on the possibilities of the Gatekeeper role for Host Leaders.
Mark McKergow, author of Host. Six New Roles of Engagement (2014: 132) writes:
“The Gatekeeper is concerned with drawing boundaries that will help create and sustain progress, These maybe in terms of people involved, in terms of rules and routines, and in terms of psycological safety.”[… …] The Host leader is not simply welcoming or excluding people – we make choices all the time about what to allow, what to encourage, what to exclude in terms of topics, questions, people and responsibilities.”
Setting the table
Recently, I was prompted to revisit the role of Gatekeeper as I had come across some thought-provoking descriptions of it in a book by Danny Meyer, the CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group.
Setting the Table. The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business (2006) is an account of Danny Meyer building most famous restaurants and eating establishments in New York. A trendsetter and great leader, Meyer tells about the tenacity with which he establishes and stands by the ‘door ‘of the standards of excellence of his organisation. Using the images of ‘table’ and ‘saltshaker’, ‘river banks’ and a ‘flowing stream’ Meyer points at the importance of helping his people understand where they are, where the centre of hospitality lies, hope for and stick to it.
“It is my job, and consequently the job of every other leader in my company to teach everyone who works for us to distinguish centre from off center and always to set things right. I send my managers an unequivocal message: I’m going to be extremely specific as to where every component on that tabletop belongs. I anticipate that outside forces, including you, will always conspire to change the table setting. Every time that happens, I’m going to move everything right back to the way it should be. And so should you! […] I’ll never recentre the salt shaker in a way that denies you your dignity. But standards are standards, and I’m constantly watching every table and pushing back on every saltshaker that’s moved, because excellent performance is paramount. [… …] It’s the job of any business owner to be very clear as to the company’s non-negotiable core values. They are the riverbanks that help guide us as we refine and improve on performance and excellence. A lack of riverbanks creates estuaries and cloudy waters that are confusing to navigate, I want a crystal-clear, swiftly flowing stream. River banks need not hinder creativity, and in fact banks leave plenty of room between the riverbanks for individual expression and personal style.”
References
McKergow, М. & Bailey, H. (2014). Host. Six New Roles of Engagement. London: Solutions Books.
Meyer, D. (2006). Setting the Table. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
At the core of this novel concept of leadership is the exploration of the metaphor of host as leader and leader as host. The idea is both practical and transformational. It is practical because the use of its framework – two steps, four positions, six roles – helps build engagement and bring out people’s good work. And, it is transformational because, by thinking about the leader as host, we are ready to act in a world of awareness and flexibility.
Host leading is about building relationship between the leader and others. It is about drawing people in to tackle tough situations, combine their energies, and create new futures. Click here for more on the approach.
I was first inspired into the idea and practices of Hоst Leadership by Mark Mckergow. Together with Helen Bailey they wrote the Host Leadership book (2014) and, since then, my own life and the lives of others, I believe, have changed for the better.
Give yourself a New Year gift. Register for the Host Leadership Gathering and prepare to be inspired!