Poetry and Plumbing

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Essential Elements of an Effective Leader: The Vision and the Execution

Effective leadership requires both poetry and plumbing. According to The Hidden Brain Podcast with host Shankar Vedantan, who speaks to Stanford University’s Huggy Rao about leadership, to discuss how leadership needs both ‘poetry’ and ‘plumbing’ to be successful. Rao states that the poetry in leadership is the vision, and the plumbing is essentially the execution that brings the vision to life.

The Balance: Vision and Execution

In my leadership journey, I have learned that these two elements, poetry and plumbing, vision and execution, must be joined together to be led effectively. In the episode, Rao and Vedantam discuss the infamous Fyre Festival as an example of failed leadership. It was a highly publicized, visionary event that completely collapsed into disaster due to a lack of execution and attention to detail. There was plenty of poetry and vision and a sheer lack of plumbing and execution.

As a Lower School director, I needed to have both the vision for the division and I needed to know the 3-year strategic plan on how I was going to execute that vision. I needed to know where I was headed and leading my team, strategic vision, as well as how we were going to get there, the details, and execution. It is not enough to have one or the other. Your people need to trust that you have both the vision and the ability to follow through.

Communication with your team and stakeholders is essential. Communicate your vision and your execution plan, ask for feedback and input along the way. The chances for success increase exponentially with consistent and clear communication and stakeholder engagement. You must have both poetry, plumbing, and clear and direct communication for effective, thoughtful, and intentional leadership.

Leaning on Poetry

When leaders have vision without execution and follow through trust is lost or not built at all. They may see that ‘poetry’ leader as charismatic and visionary, but that leader lacks the follow-through to make the vision come to life. After all, one of the main elements of trust is doing what you say you will, as that builds follow-through and reliability. Planning, organization, and completing tasks are all ‘plumbing’ skills that are essential for leaders to build trust with their teams and stakeholders. These are all skills managed in the frontal lobe and are often referred to as executive functioning skills. Fortunately, these are skills and muscles that can be practiced and built.

Plumbing Focused

When a ‘plumbing’ focused leader only focuses on the execution, they may be sacrificing the ultimate vision and purpose for the work. They are not thinking strategically, and maybe they are not bringing their team along in the thinking or the vision, the human connection. They might be too focused on the logistics and not enough on the relationships and vision. Both approaches, when used alone, can lead to a lack of trust in relationships with your team due to a lack of follow-through, a lack of vision, and ultimately, a break in the relationship and ineffective leadership.

This may seem like a lot for one leader to accomplish on their own. Many of us are usually stronger in one or the other. We are more apt to be poetry-focused or plumbing-focused. 

Tips for balancing both poetry and plumbing?

• Identify which you lean towards, poetry or plumbing. What is your evidence?
• Become aware of your strengths and then leverage those strengths to access and identify your areas of growth. 
• Pay attention to the feedback you are getting from your team and stakeholders. Intentionally ask for specific feedback around your goal.
• Make a plan with small shifts to build your strengths and muscles in the area you need to grow, poetry or plumbing. 
• Communicate with stakeholders throughout. Ask for input and feedback. Whom should I inform? Who should I consult with? Who can co-own this with me?
• Identify your supports. Make a plan to leverage those supports. You are not alone.
• Identify the possible barriers. Make a plan to work through or around those barriers.
• Be consistent.

Next time you lead a project or watch a colleague, try to notice the elements of poetry and plumbing. Was there a balance? How effective was the communication? Was each area tended to and addressed? How successful was that project? What could you do differently? Remember the essential elements of growth: PRACTICE, REFLECT, and IMPROVE.