I Want to Be a Host

A couple of years ago, I worked with the managing director of a big multinational company. Let’s call her Hannah. At one point, she got curious about the Host Leadership metaphor and the way it plays out in day-to-day practices. We talked about the meaning of leading and hosting, about building productive and supportive relationships.

Three months into her top management position, I invited Hannah to tell me what she has been doing and how, with whom and where. Her story emerged as a story of transition: from years in functional management to the position of CEO. It is just a single story and is by no means representative of how all top executives do their job. And yet, connecting with Hannah in her own path is a great opportunity to learn from her narrated experience. What is more, we hope to be able to make our respective choices with increased awareness and knowledge.

Hannah takes a step back

Hannah’s first move is finding a way to give space to others to “show their gifts”. Rather than stepping forward and controlling every small detail, she observes and listens, taking time to get her bearings. She is truly appreciative of the team she has come to lead:

“My team are really open. Ready to share the knowledge they have, generous to let me know about the current positioning of the company on the market, about the competition.”

Stepping forward

Hannah, however, knows when the time is right to step forward. As McKergow and Bailey (2014) put it, “The host is always on the lookout for when to intervene and when to leave things ticking along – when to step forward and when to step back. The role of the host transcends and includes both. It entails awareness and timing – and acting instantly.”

Just after three months have passed, I can see that my role is to bring the change. It’s not only about sharing the good vibes, it’s also about having a cool discussion and saying

“This is not OK, that is wrong, from my point of view. And we should do it differently.”

I would say, the need to take tough, sharp action. For example, today, I went on a market visit. I visited some of the stores, and yesterday I did the same, and then I came back to the office and said,

“OK, there are one, two, three, four things I don’t think are OK. They would not help us grow, get better as a company.” I brought it up and invited people to a conversation.