Introduction
Formally, a council is a group of people who assemble to consult, discuss or make decisions on various topics. Many governing bodies have such councils and we see them replicated in fictional worlds (like Daenerys Targaryen’s council in Game of Thrones). These councils serve to bring different opinions, perspectives, and interests to the table so that multiple sides of an issue can be considered before a position or decision is taken.
Leadership is not only challenging but can have moments of immense loneliness and isolation, especially if the leader wants to avoid burdening their team with their own challenges—whether they be moral dilemmas, strategic decisions or frustration with someone’s performance. Having a personal council as a leader can often help offset these challenges.
In practice, I have not seen them selected as formally as what we see in government or assembled as a whole. Of the leaders I know who have such councils, their “council members” are mostly individuals with whom they’ve developed lasting working (and sometimes personal) relationships with over the course of their career. And except for “council members” who are part of a direct reporting chain (or otherwise directly involved in a work matter), they are usually consulted individually, rather than as a group.
These “council members” are also often comprised of people in all aspects of the leader’s life, rather than being limited to individuals in their current company of employment. They can be prior colleagues, personal friends or family members. They can also work in vastly different industries or sectors, or even never been part of a traditional workforce. They can be from different generations, in different phases of their career, with different cultural, religious or political backgrounds. Because the purpose of the council is to bring many different perspectives, a diverse representation in the council brings much more value than a homogenous one.
Rather than explore the how and why of diversification (which has been widely discussed elsewhere), I’d like to delve into the three types of “council members” I personally find most valuable.
Advisory
We all encounter situations where we don’t know what to do—or, at the very least, want to seek some advice and counsel before acting. Modern leaders are increasingly faced with new scenarios during this time of transition where the dynamism of the world has forced leaders to throw out their long-codified, unwritten handbooks. Every decision and action we make could have impacts to how our leadership aptitude is perceived or be seen as setting a precedent that may or may not be welcomed.
Grappling with these situations alone can not only be difficult, but could come with an immense emotional and mental toll. While you’re not obliged to follow the precise advise of another, gaining their input and perspective could help shape your own perspective or help validate that your initial conclusion was the right one for you.
I personally have a very wide and varied advisory council. Although some see my decisions as swift and certain, I typically spend a lot of time collecting information, perspectives, objections and advice before I make the decision. On the other hand, I know there are others who are frustrated by my insistence of delaying a decision until I have completed my personal consultation process. While this process may not be a fit for every leader, my access to my advisory council has proven invaluable in the over half-decade I’ve been in leadership.
Sympathetic
Sympathetic “council members” serve a very different purpose from Advisory ones, being present mostly to provide moral support. While they are not meant to exonerate leaders from difficult or poor decisions, even the strongest leaders have moments of self-doubt. Whether it’s of their abilities, decisions or outcomes, it’s very easy for leaders to perceive everyone else as being able to move through their own challenges easily, while they experience their own challenges more directly.
A leader’s Sympathetic “council members” are typically comprised of people who are in a similar point in their career or have experienced similar situations in the past. Some may even have the joy of a “council member” who can be sympathetic without having experienced the situation themselves. This can bring an impartial sympathy without the shadow question of whether the “council member” is partially absolving themselves for having felt or done something similar in the past.
I reach out to my Sympathetic “council members”, for connection and to fight the feeling of isolation. It’s reassuring to know that I’m not the only one feeling a certain way about a situation or the only one struggling with a type of challenge. The mere removal of the “it’s me” concern gives me the freedom to double down on my efforts to find an outcome, rather than being consumed by questioning my own abilities.
Representatives
Many companies rely on various combinations of engagement surveys, pulse surveys, feedback sessions and other formal check-ins to know how their staff are doing. While they serve a much-needed purpose, I find that leaders usually need more frequent and targeted input.
Firstly, depending on the frequency of these formal requests for input, it is entirely possible for issues to become exasperated because they weren’t identified and dealt with quickly. Having people who can and will proactively inform you when there are issues can almost be a superpower. It takes an immense amount of trust and psychological safety for people to be willing to inform you of problems without feeling like an informant. In turn, you could be seen as a leader who knows when you are needed and steps in to help and set things back on the right path.
Secondly, the formal requests for input rarely coincide with times when leaders need to make difficult decisions. Can you imagine a leader sending feedback surveys every time they need to make a decision, such as changes to a pension plan, prioritizing objectives that impact the day-to-day work of multiple teams, or if and how to respond to a potential moral challenge? Having Representatives in your leadership council means you can consult with a small subset of the people who will be impacted by your decision.
Selecting the Representatives for your personal leadership council can be the most difficult of the three. I find it’s a delicate process to ensure you have people who truly have a pulse on what people think and are helping for the good of everyone. My advice here is to trust your gut and have more than one Representative for a group so that you have different input to compare.
Conclusion
Remember again that selecting and consulting with your “council members” is mostly an organic development in your relationship. Like the richest mentor-mentee relationships, the connection, trust and relationship is developed over time. Do you have a personal leadership council and do you have other types of “council members”? Let me know—I would love to share supports used by other leaders!
