Catabolic vs. Anabolic Leadership

"Organization doesn't really accomplish anything. Plans don't accomplish anything, either. Theories of management don't much matter. Endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds."
Colin Powell
The discussion of the characteristics of anabolic and catabolic leaders focuses on how (and if) leaders assess themselves, and examine how their actions and attitudes affect their results, as well as impact the people around them.

I believe that every person carries the seed of success. The ability to find another’s seed of success takes commitment, diligence and a genuine desire to focus on others.

Catabolic leaders operate in their own little worlds. They do what they do, and they rarely, if ever, stop to think about the consequences of what they are doing (and how they are doing it). If catabolic leaders do assess, they self-assess – that is, they don’t ask for input from people around them, because they fear that in doing so they may appear weak. In addition, catabolic leaders know that they are right, and others are wrong (or incompetent, or lazy) – so why would they ask for others’ feedback?

Anabolic leaders on the other hand, are always working “on themselves.” Not only are they willing to take hard looks at themselves, but they also solicit, and consider, feedback from others, as they know this information is crucial if they are to continue to grow and develop.

Let’s consider Catabolic Curt and Anabolic Amy, two leaders in the same company. Both manage several team members, and both recently had to deal with customer complaints they’d received. Curt was, well, quite curt as he told his team exactly what to do to correct the problem, and later, when his proposed solution didn’t work, he blamed his team members for not implementing the plan properly.

Amy, not surprisingly, handled the situation differently. She and her team brainstormed a solution to the customer’s complaint, and together decided what course to take. When their chosen plan didn’t work out, instead of blaming her team, Amy sat down with them again to devise another solution. One of the questions she asked her team was how she could have handled the situation better, or supported them more. Amy learned some valuable information from their responses, and modified her behavior accordingly. Not only did Amy demonstrate that she was willing to learn and grow, but she also let her team know that it was safe to honestly give her feedback and trust her.

Anabolic leaders, by soliciting feedback and leaving their egos “at the door,” grow, and by example, allow their colleagues and companies to grow and prosper as well. Raising people to a higher level and helping them be successful is more than just giving them information and skills.

Anabolic leaders understand some basic concepts about people in order to develop others:

1-Everyone wants to feel worthwhile.
2-Everyone needs and responds to encouragement
3-People are naturally motivated
4-People buy into the person before buy into their leadership