3 Ways Subordinates Can Provide Effective Ground Cover

Following the popular post last week titled, 5 Elements for Leaders to Provide Effective Air Cover, I decided to address the other side of that issues, which is what can subordinates do to assist their leaders be more effective. Too often, employees think or are made to believe that a charismatic, energetic, and driven leader is all it takes to get things done in an organization. Well, I am here to tell you that nothing could be furthest from the truth.

Yes, the right leader will inspire, create a sense of urgency, and be skillful at acting as an agent of change, but without his/her subordinates’ commitment and active involvement in carrying out the vision and turning it into a reality, that leader has very little chance of succeeding. Ground cover is a term I use to refer to the activities taken on by subordinates in the early phase of major change or of strategic repositioning to buy the leader and the initiative enough time to get rooted and begin to show results.

3 ways for subordinates to provide their leaders with effective ground cover are:

Be informed and get convinced

I realized long ago that the best change agents are those that take the time to get informed about the issues and seek the answers they need to be convinced that a new initiative is worth undertaking. In other words, the best ground cover is provided by the employees that have understood (1) the need for change, and (2) the way that the change will be implemented. After all, it is hard to convince others if you are not fully convinced yourself. So, if you are still not 100% clear on why things are being done, seek clarification.

Challenge naysayers and detractors

The naysayers in an organization must be challenged by their peers whenever they speak badly of a new initiative without having understood the need and the benefits. These naysayers tend to be most vocal in small group settings where they have influence and where they don’t think they will be challenged. This is where someone providing ground cover should step in and remind the naysayers what is at stake and why it is important. The focus is not to convince the naysayer. Rather, it is to convince his audience that what the naysayer is saying is unfounded.

Ask for reinforcements

Unfortunately, in some organizations many employees are still reluctant to speak up and ask senior leaders for more information or explanations, but are more willing to do so with their direct supervisors. If you are in a supervisory role and are not able to convince your team of the need for the new direction being taken by the company, ask for someone more senior to come to your meeting and explain it and answer questions.

Ultimately the best way for subordinate to provide effective ground cover to their leaders is to take an active, rather than a passive role. Organizations do not get major changes implemented and even the best leaders cannot make it alone. It is the employees in the organization that make change possible and that can only happen if enough of them are on-board and supportive and ready to provide timely ground cover when necessary.